Retirement Life in the Week Ended 10 November 2024

How is everyone doing? It’s at times like these I’m so glad that I no longer have a job. I started life with a busy week at home. Then I moved across country to my parents house.

Of course I couldn’t ignore the US presidential election. As someone who has pinko leftie leanings when it comes to politics the vote didn’t go the way that I would have liked. It’s a funny old time for the world and fear can easily get the upper hand. So in my weekly round up I’ve included what’s helping me improve my state of inner peace.

What I’ve Been Watching

Let’s start with maintaining inner peace shall we? For that’s the biggie this week. I woke as the results of the US presidential election were being announced and they induced a state of heightened fear with terrible catastrophic thinking. I’ve returned to a much greater state of inner peace. For starters I’m focusing on being very diligent with my meditation habit. And while I’m not out of touch with what’s going on in the wider world I’m avoiding in depth news media with all its analysis and doom mongering.

A friend recommended this video from Byron Katie. This wonderful lady has devised a method of self inquiry, ‘The Work’, to alleviate suffering caused by unhelpful thoughts and beliefs. I already knew about her and have an app on my phone. Once or twice a week I work on a personal issue that’s bugging me at the time. It’s super helpful. This particular video was a wonderful example of how Byron Katie’s methodology can be put into action. There was a definite shift in my thinking after I watched it and did ‘The Work’ on my electoral fears.

What We’re Eating

Let’s lighten up shall we? Check out this wonky parsnip that I unearthed from the allotment the other day. I should have provided a reference for scale but trust me – it was huge, nearly as long as my forearm. I used this one and its equally gnarly companion (that I’d already peeled and chopped when I took this photo) to make a scrummy parsnip soup.

Now as for a proper recipe with precise ingredients that’s not possible. I made it up as I went along, using one of Aldi’s premium butter chicken sauce jars on hand that come in two parts. I added the dry spice mix to the pan with a chopped onion., adding a generous spoonful of medium curry powder for extra spiciness. Once the onions were softened I threw in the parsnips, covered them with chicken stock and poured in the curry sauce. That was basically it! When the parsnips were cooked I blitzed everything with my stick blender to make a smooth soup. It was just the thing for an autumn evening with a batch of freshly baked sausage rolls.

What I’m Wearing

When the chilly weather sets in I often throw on this massive maroon velour zip-up hoodie. It gives me the appearance of a mad monk. Alas the quality isn’t brilliant. The seams of its pocket ripped apart soon after I bought it. I’ve had to mend it twice since. Nearly three years ago a friend wore her version at a weekend house party. I instantly coveted her properly branded attire but didn’t think that I could justify the cost. After all I was working my notice before retiring and was saving every penny. So mine is an Amazon knock off. In spite of its utter cosiness I won’t recommend it because of that pocket problem.

In spite of the flimsy manufacturing I’ve never regretted my warm and toasty purchase. It was especially useful during the winter of 2022 when fuel prices rocketed. I’ll often take it away when I stay with friends and family. It comes with me too in the motorhome throughout all four seasons. After all you never know when there’s going to be a cold snap. I’ll admit it didn’t get much use on a totally tropical trip to Southern Spain. However it doubled up nicely as a modesty preserving cover for trips to campsite showers.

With all the use my hoodie tends to get a bit grimy. I’ve developed a scratch and sniff test to ensure it’s just on the right side of cleanliness! When it’s in the wash I borrow the old man’s. Yes I thought that he too could be a convert to faux ecclesiastical dress but not so. Privately he wears his when he’s particularly cold but, unlike me, he does not view it as mandatory winter wear. The one time he wore it outside was in the dead of night. A would be burglar climbed the scaffolding when we had building work. Paul grabbed it quickly to cover his underpants before giving chase. Luckily no-one, not even the thief saw him.

But you can spot me wearing mine at any time throughout the year really. It’s like a modern version of one of those old fashioned house coats like the ladies in ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ used to wear. I’m not shy about cleaning my porch in it or wearing in when answering the door to delivery drivers. After all I’m sure that they’ve seen a lot worse! And while I toe the line at wearing it to the local corner store you might see a cowled figure nipping over to the postbox on the other side of the street.

Now I know that frequency of use would justify the cost maybe I’ll buy an Oodie of my own one day. There! I’ve let the name of the branded version slip. Or I could have a go at making one myself. Follow the link for a free pattern for a lovely doubled layered one on the Sew Ado website.

What I’ve Been Organising

Here’s the IKEA Kallax shelving unit that’s in my office. I believe I’ve had it for about twenty years now. I’ve dismantled and reassembled it three times and it’s still going strong. This picture was taken when it was neat and tidy but, moving on, some of the compartments are chock a block in a crazy random way. Then there are others that have been full to the brim with useful stuff and could do with more space. The sections that hold the accoutrements of my mosaicking activities come to mind here. So I decided to clear it out one square at a time.

A week on and I’ve reorganised sixteen of the square. Just nine to go. In the process I’ve found lots to recycle, filled two bin bags of rubbish and even rediscovered useful things. I even discovered my long lost yoga mat tucked down the side.

What I’ve Seen

I’ve been running back and forward to Essex over the last few months to look after my Mum and Dad. One of the blessings that early retirement has brought is the ability to do this without worrying about fitting my increased caring role around full time work. Quite frankly any employment, paid or unpaid isn’t a good fit with my lifestyle at the moment. There’s just too much to do, sometimes at very short notice.

Mostly I make the journey across the country by train but this time was different. Paul came with me and we made the journey by car: A303, M3, M25, A127. It’s a familiar route that I’ve followed for the last forty years. I love passing Stonehenge, one of the most iconic English monuments. Paul doesn’t feel the love at all. He’s been stuck in the traffic that crawls past a few times too often. The odd thing is that I’ve never stopped to take a peep close up. That has to be on my wish list some day.

What We’ve Achieved

My brother and I have been trying to convince our parents to move house for a couple of years. In an ideal world they’d stay put where they’ve lived in for the last fifty five years, our childhood home. But for complex reasons including health issues, social isolation and the challenges of maintaining the property, it’s become clear that remaining there is no longer an option. It’s just taken Mum and Dad a little while to come around to that reality. In the meantime my brother and I have been making more and more frequent commutes across the country. To a large degree we’ve put our lives on hold just in case we’re needed in an emergency.

A couple of months ago I spotted a bungalow online, just a short walk from home. It’s a perfect size and needs no renovation at all. I showed the estate agent listing to my parents. ‘It’s very nice.’ said Mum ‘but we’re not moving’. And that was that, or so it seemed.

However the next day she seemed to be having a change of heart. I came downstairs for my morning cuppa and Mum practically cornered me. ‘I’ve been thinking about that bungalow.’ she told me. ‘It’s on the computer so it was probably generated by a robot.’ After I reassured her that I knew both the estate agent selling the property and its location she agreed that I could go and view it. To cut a long story short we’ve had an offer accepted and Mum and Dad are over the moon.

The big news this week is that we’re about to put their own house on the market. With my brother, Paul and I have been working hard cleaning and tidying up in preparation for the estate agent’s photos. Somehow, we’ve managed to make our slightly hoarding parents look like minimalists! The agent is optimistic about a quick sale. The property is one of the few in the neighbourhood with its own private parking. So fingers crossed for some good news soon.

We’re planning to complete the purchase of the bungalow before the sale of the family home is completed This approach will cause the least disruption to our parents especially Dad who is very frail. The idea is that he won’t have to do anything until the day of the move. Then my brother will drive him and Mum to Devon . When they arrive, my parents will step into their fully furnished new home and settle in without any hassle.

What I’m Collecting

I fancy trying out collage for its potential as a cheap new creative hobby. Of course I haven’t got the time to crack on with anything new at the moment. My feet are barely touching the ground whether I’m in Devon or Essex. What I can do though is source bits of paper and cared that I might use future projects. It’s such fun. I’m tearing up packaging and peeling interesting labels off bottles. When I cleared out my storage cabinet I found a tin of pretty stamps that could be very useful indeed.

Clearing my parent’s house yielded many treasures in paper form. My hoard includes old postcards, vintage books that are falling about and magazines. Here’s a vintage Radio Times from 1977, the former Queen’s Silver Jubilee year. I’ve checked that it’s not worth a whole lot so I won’t be upset about cutting it up. Oh and I forgot to mention. I found a wonderful wooden box to keep all my paper scraps in.

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.