Good morning folks,
Well here in France it’s a boiler, really hot hot hot, One,
But i was just saying to (she who must be obeyed) It’s great to think all those long hours of work and the stress of the work place you didn’t really know was happening Is all a thing of the past,
We both worked hard and made plans to make our future years good ones,
And now that time is here, All the planning has paid off?
It’s those little things like Roxann giving me a good licking when we meet again on the soffa,
I read the news via the PC, and think am I glad Im not just being born today with all this violence thats going on world wide,
The new born have what to look forward to?
It’s got to the stage we have little interest in going away from our own garden,
Do any of our forum members feel anything like we do?
Yes.
On both counts.
It is pleasing to find that a bit of prudent saving now means that I should be comfortable for the forseeable. Deffo not rich, but enough to live on. Like you, France works well for me. I can buy good wine for 5 euros a bottle from a vineyard just down the road. I’ve about 5 decent restaurants where I can get a good 3 course lunch for about 20 euros. I’ve lots of friends here and I’ve been made very welcome by the locals. I’ve no need to go on holiday anywhere. Its like a holiday most summer weeks here anyway, and besides I’ve done enough airports and hotels for two lifetimes. Many, many village fetes and night markets to go to. Tomatoes are coming on well, quince tree is laden with fruit and my chili plants in their pots should hopefully delivery on the promise of very, very hot fruits.
And it was proper hot yesterday. We hit 36 deg in the shade. And that was after a night where it didn’t get below 25 deg. Fortunately a breeze got up in the evening and last night was more bearable. However the forecast is back to mid-30’s by next Tuesday and zero sign of rain for the next few days.
I’m hoping it cools a bit by next Saturday as a local vineyard does their annual steak & wine fete. About 40 wines from growers all across France for tastings and buying if you like them. The Fronsac and Vacqueyras are very good, as are the Alsace wines. The steaks are bigger than the plate. All for 20 euros. Definitely feeling good. Suspect I’ll be feeling slightly less bright the day after the wine tasting.
My official retirement is due in fifteen months, we should be able to live comfortably with our state and private pensions, we don’t live a lavish lifestyle, preferring to holiday in the uk, my wife is six months younger than me and she has to go nearly a year before she gets her state pension, not sure how retirement will work out for us as we’ve never done it before…
Retiring at sixty was the best thing I ever did, although it’s not for everyone.
I’ve always enjoyed plenty of hobbies and interests, so it wasn’t a problem finding something to occupy my time. Each day is a blank sheet of paper to do what I want and when I want.
I retired in 2010 and for the first ten years we enjoyed many cruises and holidays. Covid slowed us down a bit and with some developing heart issues we haven’t seemed to gain the momentum of the first ten years.
Our last holiday was in the lake district in 2022 and apart from the odd weekend away we haven’t done much since.
I still love being retired though, and living in a small farming community we are only 200 yards from open country and plenty of walks.
I love nature and the wild places, and one of my hobbies is bagging Trig points (usually at the top of hills and mountains) but due to ill health I’ve not done any this year, but there’s a holiday to Llandudno (one of our favourite places) coming up in the next couple of weeks, so it could be the start of our adventures again.
I thought I’d reflect on the positive aspects of retirement. All of which assumes sufficient funds for a modest lifestyle.
No boss, no stress handling unreasonable demands from boss, no stress from handling unreasonable clients, no Sunday night before work stress, no stress of annual reviews, no stress from people you manage. You get the idea.
Clear, open days and weeks to do as you want - or prioritise what needs done in your own way. The stripping & re-painting of shutters has been put on pause until it cools a bit. The moving of the outside tap will start next week. Completing such tasks also gives me a boost.
Time to indulge in doing the things you like, when you like. So I’m back going to the gym but always to get there are really quiet times. The daily dog walk takes up an indulgent chunk of the morning. I get to take my time cooking the foods I like (almost, the other half is not so keen on seafood or offal) rather than a rush after getting home from work. Afternoon siestas are now mandatory and there is nothing stopping me having them.
Retirement age can, for some, also bring relief from obligations. Both my parents are dead so that period of care, worry and re-housing is behind me. The obligations I do have are now of my own making - commitments to local events, commitments to friends.
I’d also recommend retiring to somewhere completely new, not necessarily abroad. It forces you to get out and make new friends. It makes joining clubs or classes good for meeting new people and good to keep sharp. And it gives a fresh perspective on many things.
Yes I agree, a happy retirement is dependent on sufficient funds.
I retired at sixty because financially I was able to, I had accumulated a few quid from works pensions and the profits from my courier business which I had invested wisely. Mum and Dad both passed away within six months of each other, after being together for over sixty years. So being the only son, I got the proceeds from the house etc…
After having ten good years of travelling and then the dark days of covid, my daughter and husband were being evicted from their house, by the husbands sister would you believe. So I bought them a house and got them settled. Although not rolling in money these days, we still have enough for a comfortable life enough for some more cruising.
You have to cut your cloth accordingly though, and I think moving house would be a massive expenditure, especially as we have very good neighbours and live in a quiet cul-de-sac.
Your working life sounds very stressful Lincs, but being lower down the food chain doesn’t reduce the stress levels. I wound up the business because I worked all hours God sent, being a one man band you never said no to a customer so you could get a call 24/7 I can still hear my ringtone and respond before I realise that I no longer do that.
After winding up the business I went to work for Royal Mail as a postman. I loved the job, but at 55 it needed some adjustment and although fit and able to cope with the eight hours on my feet, the stress was overpowering at times. When you went out with your bags of post, you were expected to deliver it all come rain, snow and shine, and as a newcomer it would be different walk every day. You sort of filled in for sickness and days off. It was a pleasure to get my own walk after a year even though it was as a coverman. I certainly got to know every street, ginnel and house in Ackworth.
I still get up early and go for a walk and sometimes it’s hard to resist the urge to run down peoples paths and stick something through their door…
Seriously though, I don’t think stress is such a bad thing, its how you cope with it that is the secret.
