Retirement Life in the Week Ended 13 April 2025

It’s been a pretty quiet week where life has been passing at a gentle pace. There’s been no massive drama or excitement and it’s such a blessing that my caring role has lost its pressurised feel. I’m still on call 24/7 for Mum and Dad but with paid care in place my role seems far less onerous. Pottering has seemed to be the order of the day. Is this more like retirement is supposed to be. Let me show you what I’ve been up to.

What’s Been Growing

I’ve moved all the little seedlings that we’ve been propagating at home into my greenhouse. There’s onions, leeks, tomatoes, all sorts of peppers and aubergines. I’ve got a bit of work planting things up into bigger pots and into the ground outside. Later in the week I planted beans, courgettes, sunflowers and sweet peas so the shelves are even more full

The plants that you can see in the ground underneath are last year’s potatoes that I forgot to pull up. Oops! It’s seems like I missed digging up quite a few. But they’re going to go and by the end of next week there may well be a salad bed under my staging

I’ve also moved three lemon trees that I potted last year. They’ve moved over to the allotment to see if I can administer some first aid. Unfortunately got attacked by the lurgy over winter and now look very sad. I’m hoping that a new outdoor sunny home might revive them. If not I’ll start again and plant their successors from seed.

What I’ve Achieved

Clearance! Not of a spiritual or emotional kind but of Mum and Dad’s shed. It was filled to the brim with boxes and rubbish after the move but after two trips to the recycling centre and the charity shop bins it’s been emptied out. Now I’ve created a nice clear storage space for the disability equipment that they don’t need on a day to day basis and maybe some garden bits and pieces too. I wonder if my partner Paul will be usurping some of those nice clear shelves for his tools. I wouldn’t put it past him!

The inside of their bungalow is pretty much sorted too. There’s only a few pictures to hang. I’ve promised Mum and Dad that I won’t be chucking any more of their possessions away in the near future. There’s been so much decluttering to do as part of the downsizing process. I’ve felt like the wicked witch of the West doing it.

What I’ve Finished

After about four years of consistent study I’ve completed Duolingo Spanish. I am super chuffed. So what now? Well to mark the occasion this deserves a whole post of its own about my learning experience and what I’m going to do to progress my language learning now. Read it by following the link here.

What I’ve Been Buying For Mum and Dad

You may remember that my Mum and Dad’s new home have two pictures of Southend Pier that I bought just before they first moved in. They’re now hung over the fireplace in the lounge and their bed. Dad’s really pleased with them as they bring back so many happy memories. It’s been especially hard for a 94 year old to move from his house of over fifty years so they’re bringing him some comfort.

I thought that they needed a picture of Brixham too. So I went back eBay to see if there was any reasonably priced original art. I was so pleased to find this lovely pastel drawing. It needs a frame but already comes with a mount so that’ll save a few pennies.

My Mum’s a voracious reader. I have trouble keeping up with her even though I buy books from charity shops every week. Keeping to a local theme I thought that Murder at the Pirate Festival was an apt title. It’s held every May bank holiday here and is a massive event. Mum may not be joining the throngs around the harbour at the actual event. It’ll be a bit too busy for her. But I hope that she enjoys the book. She likes a good crime story!

What I’ve Noticed

There’s so much blossom on my fruit trees. I hope that it bodes well for my future crops. Don’t you just love this time of year when everything is waking up and bursting out.

What We’re Looking Forward To

We must be feeling a little less responsibility in our caring roles. For we’ve booked a month long trip away to Northern Spain in the motorhome for September. Here’s a beautiful part of the Cantabrian coast just a stone’s throw from the ferry port of Santander. Since we discovered these beautiful beaches we always make an effort to stop near here just before our return crossing.

My caring role for my parents never stops. I’m always on call wherever I am. There’s always routine things that I need to do. Barely a day goes by that I don’t have to deal with something: phone calls, prescriptions or shopping. And then there’s the possibility that I might ha return home at a drop of a hat in the event of an emergency But it’s a measure of the confidence that I have with our current arrangements. Finally I think it’s possible to take my foot off the gas.

Disclaimer

This post contains links to companies and organisations just because I’m happy with the products or services that they supply or I’m spreading the word about what they do. There may also be affiliate links to Amazon for books and other items that I am personally recommending. If you decide to make a purchase from them, I might get a little bit of commission at no cost to you.