feeling comfi? Watch out!

I don’t know how it came about
It slowly crept on me.
This comfi cozy feeling
Of sofa, bed and tea.
It came upon me slowly
Just take a break it said,
“Rest a while, you’ve done enough”
Resounded in my head.

And so I took it easy
As my life began to dim
I’m getting older gracefully
I said to doubts within.
I lost my sense of purpose
The thing that egged me on
‘f I’d continued with my dozing
My life would soon be gone.

As so this year I’ve promised
Something to myself,
If I think a thing I do it
Not put it on the shelf
To come back to it later
While the time is passing by
There’s so many other options
to do before I die.

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Wonderful Birthday Surprise!

I sat with my mouth open totally taken back. Before me lay two beautiful “tokens” which my mind told me did not exist. Finally my brain kicked in that my daughter had created them specially for me. You see my kids had decided to push me into starting my retirement right! (Technically I’ve been retired a while but was taking my grandson back and forth to school which drastically hindered my making trips etc.) Knowing how I’ve developed a tendency to procrastinate on things in my later years they plotted to help me along by clubbing together (and I suspect using air miles) to make possible the “vouchers” for a flight anywhere in Europe for two plus some spending money. I didn’t know whether to cry, whoop for joy, or insist it was too much, instead I sat speechless.

I’ve already invited a friend (her 60th birthday is close to my 65th) who was likewise flabbergasted and touched that my kids (most of who know her) were very enthusiastic about my choice. (She’s very practical, reliable, but still great company and lots of fun, a real sweetheart). Now it just remains to chose time and place. I’m thinking soon and Sicily where the sun lingers longer, the countryside is breathtaking, sea deep Med. blue and the pace chilled, but nothing is settled yet – exciting!

Age adjustments.

Don’t worry – less is more! Almost all the things listed come naturally along with retirement age. It’s a time of quality not quantity, of sipping life in small sips rather than downing shots. Appreciation flourishes, patience matures, humility takes the edge off pride as you pass the torch to others, your sense of what is important becomes heightened in the knowledge that your remaining time should be spent wisely.

I can say in honesty I do not crave to be younger, each age has its merits and this one outdoes the others as the taste of a rare vintage   entices the pallet as a new wine never could.

Political Idiocy.

Sometimes the stupidity of politics outrages me (mostly as I suspect the people involved are not really stupid!)

i understand (though I don’t condone it) that the political/economic system is set up to serve the super rich elite (those fabled 1% who have the semi rich firmly in their pockets and forced to play their capitalistic games by “the rules”.) I know this is why they choose to slice the income of the incapacitated with one hand while giving tax breaks and subsidies to big corporations with the other. Even so some things make no sense at all.

Some examples:

1) Constantly upping retirement age. With a limited amount of jobs available someone is going to end up on benefits. Us old age pensioners are relatively cheap to keep, many have their own homes/ private pensions and no dependents (other than the odd dog or cat). A young to middle age man out of a job generally has a family to support and especially nowadays is caught in the trap of highly expensive private rental. Do the math! I know the young man may not be qualified to do the job early retirement would leave open, but the jobs would shuffle down the line to reach his level.

2) Having a minimum wage (a very good thing) but not making it obligatory for employers to pay it. Instead the government tops it up with benefits. Not only is this financial nonsense but its humiliating for those that need to claim it and tends to deplete self esteem needed to climb the ladder.

3) Selling council houses (they’ve been doing it since Margret Thatcher’s day) when there is an incredible shortage of housing available. Instead many hard working families in full time employment are forced to claim housing benefit in order to pay increasingly exorbitant rates to private landlords (for non UK folks a 2 bed apartment is usually at least £1250 per month where I live and that is not an expensive area  – definitely suburbia). Again do the the math – was it worth it to sell the council houses? Duh!

I could go on but I think you are getting the drift.

(I must add that I’m thankful that at least the social benefits safety net exists – We could be in a far worse system so I do count my blessings! – but some common sense could save money needed to sustain the NHS for example, which this government seems intent to sell to the highest bidder regardless of their integrity.)

 

31 Day Challenge Day 15

Timeline of your day.

Being retired my days do vary a lot but let’s go with a “normal” weekday.

6-7am Wake up at some point (I hate alarms and never sleep late anyway) Breakfast etc. while reading/listening to something devotional and checking mail.

7:30-8:00 (It varies) My grandson (and sometimes granddaughter) get dropped off, so it’s getting him breakfasted and ready for school.

8:25 (Earlier on rainy days when we need to walk) Cycle to school and back through the lakes, a great start to the day!

9:00 (This is where it gets complicated) Any mixture of shopping, writing, blogging, reading or business (sometimes even housework!)

12:00 Getting hungry so start thinking about food and eat sometime before 1:30.

1:00 – 2:00ish. Run out of steam so if I’m home I lay down for an hour or so and rest with a good book and often catch a few minutes shut eye (A habit formed due to vast time spent in the tropics and southern Europe.)

2:00 ish if I rested early more writing, blogging or on my reader.

3:00 Back through the lakes to pick up my grandson (except Mondays and Thursdays when its 4:00 due to after school clubs)

3:50 Homework and reading time (like pulling teeth! Ha!) Then movie, documentaries, cubs, or karate (for him not me lol!)

6:30-7:00ish Grandson picked up FREEDOM!!! Time to fix dinner and grab a movie or book (I get bored just eating).

8:30- 9:00ish depending on my mood check out face book friends and family, write, do yoga, check out my blog reader, do puzzles to music, (I love puzzles!) or veg with a book.

10:30 – 11:00ish Wind down time go to bed with a book or (If it’s been a tough day) a devotional/inspirational tape.

12:00 Sleep (sometimes earlier if I’m tired and drift away).

(All this is of course assuming a day at home with no visitors or trips in the equation. I think I’m a very lucky bunny!)

31 day blog challenge

http://thenadlog.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/31-day-blog-challenge/

I’m going to try my first blog challenge (fingers crossed!)

Day 1 is a recent photo and intro. this is about the nearest I can get as unlike most ladies I have an aversion to cameras. This one is about a year old.

Very brief intro. (I’m keeping things in reserve against the 20 things about you day lol!) I’m 63 years old, retired and live near London in a beautiful old English town. I love to write, paint, and learn new things (like blogging!)

The 60’s (Both of Them!)

The 60’s brought cataclysmic changes into my life. It was the time I ceased to try vainly to adhere to the “norms” to conform to be accepted, and began to live the life of that strange and wonderful person – myself. It spanned from my first grown up movie (the Beatles “hard Day’s Night”) watched with my mum as I was too young to go alone, to my entering into the fabulous new world of fine art and college degrees.
It entailed much smashing of stereotyped barriers (poor girls from council estates didn’t do that stuff) discovering and exploring whole new worlds of endless breathtaking vision formerly concealed from my eyes. It was a time of freedom, adventure, learning, and above all discovering others like myself.

Now all of that is long, long ago. I have entered another kind of “60’s” a time when my “batteries” don’t recharge like they used to, when even in retirement I have to pace myself. Once again the questions come. How do I want to invest the time remaining to me here?
Wild adventures no longer have the same appeal, besides I’ve done that. Yet, though my body has aged (and frequently reminds me of my limitations), my heart and spirit remain the same, looking for new challenges, new creations, wanting to wring the best from each day, to learn, to explore, to interact.
This is a new time of re evaluation, another new beginning.

The 60’s (Both of Them!)
The 60’s brought cataclysmic changes into my life. It was the time I ceased to try vainly to adhere to the “norms” to conform to be accepted, and began to live the life of that strange and wonderful person – myself. It spanned from my first grown up movie (the Beatles “hard Day’s Night”) watched with my mum as I was too young to go alone, to my entering into the fabulous new world of fine art and college degrees.
It entailed much smashing of stereotyped barriers (poor girls from council estates didn’t do that stuff) discovering and exploring whole new worlds of endless breathtaking vision formerly concealed from my eyes. It was a time of freedom, adventure, learning, and above all discovering others like myself.

Now all of that is long, long ago. I have entered another kind of “60’s” a time when my “batteries” don’t recharge like they used to, when even in retirement I have to pace myself. Once again the questions come. How do I want to invest the time remaining to me here?
Wild adventures no longer have the same appeal, besides I’ve done that. Yet, though my body has aged (and frequently reminds me of my limitations), my heart and spirit remain the same, looking for new challenges, new creations, wanting to wring the best from each day, to learn, to explore, to interact.
This is a new time of re evaluation, another new beginning.