Retirement Life in the Week Ended 16 March 2025

I escaped! For the first time in nearly three months I’ve had time away from caring for my parents and had a break. So this week’s post is a little more eventful than over the past few months. And what’s more I’ve been a busy bunny at home too. Let me tell you what I’ve been up to.

How We Saved Money

On Tuesday Paul, my partner and I headed off to London. At short notice the train fayre for the two of us was prohibitively expensive, well over two hundred pounds. We didn’t want to chance booking in advance as my parents’ health can change at short notice, increasing their care. So we drove to up the motorway to Somerset and caught one of Berry’s Coaches to Hammersmith for less than a third of the cost.

It’s a local company with routes to Hammersmith. I found out about it when Paul lived in Ilminster. I’d hope down the hill to catch the first coach of the morning, meet up with friends for the day and get the 5pm service back. Okay it takes longer than the train but us poor pensioners have the extra time to spare.

The picture is from our hotel room at the Hub Hotel in Camden, part of the Premier Inn group that have reasonably priced hotel rooms in London and Edinburgh. While not cheap compared to where I usually stay in the rest of the country, the room represented good value. It was clean and comfortable with a super comfortable bed, an amazing shower and quadruple glazed windows to keep out the hustle and bustle from the street below. I loved the quirky map behind our bed and the view of the Shard and the BT Tower from our window!

Who We Saw In Concert

For the second time we saw Mumford and Son, one of our favourite bands, live at the O2 forum in Kentish Town. Their ‘pre-tour tour’ was the reason for our London visit. What a privilege it was to see them at such a small venue that admits only a few thousand people. The band clearly enjoyed the performance. There were some new songs from the forthcoming album and a lot of golden oldies too. Such poignant lyrics. ‘Awake My Soul’ made me cry and no, I hadn’t been on the sherbet.

My usual fuzzy shots of the stage were much better than usual. The band’s official tour marking the release of the new album ‘Rushmere’ is going to be at much larger venues. We were very blessed spending the evening in such an intimate crowd.

What I Noticed

I rise early and have a little routine before the rest of the household stir. It preserves my sanity in a weird world. After my meditation one day this week I noticed such a beautiful sunrise that I had to pop outside to the local green. I was just dressed in my Oodie and slippers so must have given the passing van driver a shock. . As you can see it was worth the trip over the road improperly attired to see the day wake up.

Where Else I’ve Been

I’m fascinated by the energy of money so was excited to visit The Bank of England Museum this week. It’s a small space tucked away on one side of the bank, that’s only open on a weekday. This is a wonderful cut away painting by Soane from the 19th century. It gives you an idea of how massive the building is.

I’d been to the museum before with my son Louis when he was a teenager and he loved the interactive exhibits. It was a totally different experience going there with a grown up and getting to study the history of the bank and the reason that it was set up. In among all that seriousness we couldn’t resist picking up a massive 14kg gold bar with one hand. It’s encased in a clear case, no doubt with lots of cameras, so it doesn’t get nicked!

There’s an exhibit at the moment about the future of money that’s on display until September 2025. It’s interested to see that plans for a digital pound is being considered. Unlike cashless payments now there won’t be commission on each transaction. A pound would always be worth a pound.

What We’ve Achieved

The greenhouse and staging to put the pots on that we got for free is now ready to go. Paul and our friend installed the glass this week. There were a few broken panes but we replaced them with glass for sale on Facebook Marketplace. We always keep a ready supply because storm damage is a given over the winter here. The slats for half the staging, another freebie, was rotten so we replaced them with leftover battens from our DIY roof repair last week. It’s all ready to go for veggie growing season.

Now I was going to take a photo to accompany this portion of the post but I spent Sunday in bed with a heavy cold. So you’ll have to make do with a shot of the allotment in the height of summer last year. The greenhouse is situated just beyond the first set of netted hoops. I’ll have to show it off another time.

Oh! And by the way there’s been a much more momentous achievement this week. Finally after over six months we’ve exchanged on my parent’s bungalow.

What I’ve Finished Making

I’m so surprised that I finished the cushion that I started to make up last week. The chenille fabric that I chose was an absolute sod. It frayed so much and affected the quality of the finished article so don’t look too close. Its final home will be in Mum and Dad’s new bedroom when they move into their new bungalow in a few days time.

I’ve got two more canvases that were half completed by my sister before she passed away. Given that this ship one took four years and my eyesight isn’t the same as in my younger days they might be the last that I ever complete.

How My Financial Situation Changed

I checked my bank account this week and realised that I’d been awarded Carer’s Allowance for looking after Mum and Dad. It’s £81.90 a week and has been backdated for three months. As I’m on call 24/7 that works out at a rate of just under fifty pence each hour. Still I’m grateful as it covers my pocket money and non essential expenses. It’s just the right amount that means I don’t have to dip into my savings anymore.

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.