What's the point
The point is it’s not just about the money
Arranging a reliable income is an enabler for people to do the things that financial security is intended to bring. The gift of time.
When my 97 year old mum finally had to give up living in her own home we luckily found a place for her in a lovely, small care home 400 yards from our front door. We saw her most days and would take her out, often for the simple pleasure of an ice cream or a trip to get her hair done.
On one such visit, as we waited in the hairdressers, the local free sheet advertised a rare find. An allotment was available and my wife quickly took action to secure it paying the whole annual fee or £15 up front!
Mum and Dad had always been keen gardeners and so this would be a great place to take her to enjoy time outdoors.
It was a mess, unused for several years and we were moving into winter. I would like to say it was a labour of love to regain the plot but it was a pain; juggling the demands of work, family and so on. Spring bought more daylight and with it optimism and new life as things fell into place. Eventually the allotment was to our minds, in great shape and so we collected Mum for her inaugural visit and, hoped for, blessing. As she sat on the makeshift ‘patio’, we asked what she thought of our efforts to which she replied in her dour Yorkshire tone, “It’s got potential”. Damned with faint praise!
Whilst we enjoyed the fresh air, fitness and organic produce the allotment gave us we were always struggling to find enough time to devote to it, that was until we were faced with a pandemic.
At the beginning of Spring 2020 and the first lockdown, we had agreed to take on a unloved half plot which we could turn into a cutting garden to keep ourselves and the care home in flowers.
The imposed restrictions on our activities and freedom of movement gave us the one thing that had been in short supply for our entire lives. Time. The perfect trial for retirement, and excused from any feeling of guilt or loss of self-esteem.
After the initial clearing, weeding and laying out of the plot, Kate set about the planting and growing whilst I turned my attention to a shed. Not just any shed, but a bespoke florists shed with a bit of style to its design…. And preferably for little or no money.
I had access to some redundant pallets, and with no carpentry skills to speak of, a sketch of a ‘wedge shaped’ structure and a few hand tools, I got stuck in.
There are a few things in my life which have given me a sense of pride and achievement, but spending two weeks building a shed out of old pallets is up there with the best.
The sheer pleasure of being given time off from the pressure of daily life to indulge in something different is more meaningful than one could possibly imagine.
This is surely the greatest joy of retirement. Give it a name; Freedom!
Steve
WANDER SOMEWHERE
I came across this website which is aimed at inspiring females to live adventurously, to create, collect experiences and feel empowered to explore.
It’s curator Lesley is “an ex-corporate office dweller” encouraging women to find their own adventures in life.
She is all about doing things in the UK, specifically in Scotland, things where time is a more important commodity than money.
https://www.wandersomewhere.com
One of her ‘adventures’ is wild swimming, which I have recently taken up myself in the North Sea. Born and raised in New Zealand, I was always suspicious of the sea at our Suffolk coastal home. Not its cleanliness but rather the off putting brown colour! In summer I would take the occasional dip, especially in the early morning and then enjoy a coffee watching the sun gain height in the sky. I would see the brigade of regulars swimming daily in two’s and three’s and admired their dedication as the weather turned in Autumn and I skipped the dip, and just drank the coffee.
What struck me was that these people were nearly all ladies, older than me, and well past retirement age. I wondered why this might be and came to the conclusion that in retirement, free of work and family commitments, they simply had the time.
They appeared to be sharp as tacks, full of enthusiasm and energy, not just for swimming, but for life.
Last summer I swam very little it seems, but as the holiday visitors left in September I was inexplicably drawn to the idea of cold water swimming.
A friend in the medical profession told me in November that she and a few other women were going to give it a go. In fact she had already started swimming and her appearance and enthusiasm were infectious. Some of the women had quite small children but due to the pandemic their husbands were at home and so they could escape for an early morning dip. And so it began. Nothing too organised, and suitably social distanced we swim in pairs, as one should for safety.
I am proud to say it’s the end of January and I am still doing it. The sea temperature is below 5 degrees and I am in the water for about as many minutes, but it is totally invigorating and quite addictive. Better still it costs virtually nothing! Free Fun!
Kate
