Retirement Life in the Year Ended 30 March 2025
Life has calmed down somewhat this week. Hurrah! Even though I’m still on call 24/7 in my caring role isn’t not as onerous. I’ve been able to resume my old life and plan for the future. Here’s what’s been going on.
What’s Come to Mind…Twice!
Now there’s a kid’s book that graced my son Louis’ bookshelf back in the day that keeps coming up in conversation recently. A friend told me that my house, full of relatives, was reminiscent of A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson. An little old lady complains that her house is too small so she turns to a wise old man for advice. He instructs her to bring more and more animals into her home and it becomes even more oppressive and chaotic. When she lets them out again she realises just how spacious it is.
I had the same feeling when my parents moved into their own bungalow this week. Just Louis and his girlfriend to go as well and then we’ll be living in a veritable palace again!
I also had the mammogram that I scheduled some time ago this week. In fact I turned up for the appointment on the wrong day. There must have been too much on my mind. But the lovely staff were very forgiving and fitted me into their busy schedule. While I was having the procedure I had a lovely chat with the radiographer about that book again. I wonder why squashing and squeezing came to mind!
What I’ve Bought
As I’ve mentioned before I seem to buy very little for ages and then I have a little splurge. There’s been a few considered purchases in the last few days. I’ve modestly updated my wardrobe with six new basic black vest tops, three secondhand skirts and a new to me Thought dress. I used to love that sustainable brand. They made some very pretty frocks indeed that I used to snap up in their sales. But alas they went under. My little stash of clothing updates will probably be my lot for the summer season unless something calls to me in a charity shop.
The silver chain that I wear all the time broke so I replaced it. It was probably the weight of everything hanging from it as it’s like a charm bracelet in pendant form. I’m thinking of smelting the old one and recycling the silver when I have a moment. That might be a while but we can always dream.
And finally I’ve bought my third grounding sheet. Here’s a link to a fascinating YouTube video from Next Level Soul that gives the rationale for why I buy these things. The first two single ones are on the king sized bed in our main bedroom. But sometimes, due to snoring and duvet hogging incidents, to avoid physical violence I go off to sleep in the spare room.
Now I don’t want to miss out on the benefits of being earthed that include improved sleep even if I’m in the sin bin. Of course I could just go and stand bare footed in the mud in the garden. That’s apparently just as effective. But it’s not something that I’m keen on at three in the morning.
What Else Arrived in The Post
A new pair of glasses that I ordered a couple of weeks ago turned up. I’ve been coveting Paul’s light reactive ones so I decided to treat myself to a pair. Here’s a selfie that I took to show them off. The meerkat-ish pose was the only way that I stopped my phone reflecting in the lenses!
Aren’t they funky? I think Iris Apfel would have approved. And darn it they were so cheap! Can I recommend Goggles4u to my British readers? As well as changing colour in the sun, these come from their designer range of frames, have their premium varifocal lenses and coatings and came in at a shade over eighty pounds with postage.
What I’ve Been Baking
During the time that Mum and Dad lived with us I’ve been making his early morning porridge. To be honest I got sick and tired of hauling myself out of bed to prepare the same breakfast day in, day out. But the other day I remembered that I love flapjacks and hadn’t made them for a while. So after my parents moved out I used a bit of my new found leisure time to knock up a batch of the delicious buttery oatyness! Here’s the recipe from Delicious Magazine. I just used jumbo oats rather than the mix suggested in the recipe and added raisin and chopped salted peanuts. Here they are before I cut them up.
I also made a batch of chocolate brownies from this nice easy recipe. It’s definitely a sign of improvement when I’ve got back to baking. I haven’t cooked any cakes since at least last September.
What I’m Growing
Our Padron peppers are sprouting. We have at least nine plants this year. Here’s a photo of large years crop. I love these little beauties which are a feature of many a tapas menu and remind me of our Spanish adventures. I’m looking forward to frying them in olive oil and serving them with a good sprinkling of salt. They’re mostly mild heatwise but occasionally you get a hot one. It like playing a kind of veggie Russian roulette!
What I Spotted
Finally it seems like I’m getting a little bit of a social life back. I went out with some girlfriends for a birthday celebration on Friday. We ate at Olive, a local Mediterranean restaurant I don’t eat out very often so it was a lovely treat.
I spied this beautiful collage in the loo and thought I’d snap it forfuture inspiration. After all I like bees. It’s a collage made out of layers of thick cardboard. I’ve mentioned before that’s another craft that I’m going to try when I have a moment. Let’s see if I can produce a cut and pasted masterpiece before the end of 2025!
What I’ve Got To Look Forward To
As my regular readers know I haven’t been out and about for the last few months so there’s some catching up to do. ‘Let’s go somewhere with a hot tub!’ said my occupational therapy friends who I met at college over twenty five years ago. We’re all retired now so can go away outside peak season.
It’s turned out to be an absolute bargain. Four nights at Finlake Resort and Spa in May in a nice lodge with a bedroom each worked out at £131 each. What’s more it’s close by and I can get there by local bus if I change at Newton Abbot. There’ll certainly be some money to buy some bubbles to drink while we’re sitting in the bubbly tub!
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.