A New Adventure

Anonymous101

Congratualtions on freeing up more time. Its the one thing that we can never get more of!

I'll be spending a lot of time fishing when my time comes. Either sat by a lake or wandering a river bank somewhere.
Spending a lot more time with my dog is also something that working full time just doesn't allow. I'd love to get more into the training aspect of dog ownership. Perhaps even trying some agility training.

As other have said learning a language would also be very high on my list. I'd love to be able to dedicate regular time and mental capacity to learning other languages. Also having a campervan would allow relatively cheap travel to other countries in order to immerse myself and practice in the real world.

crv1963

Anonymous101 wrote: »

Congratualtions on freeing up more time. Its the one thing that we can never get more of!

I'll be spending a lot of time fishing when my time comes. Either sat by a lake or wandering a river bank somewhere.
Spending a lot more time with my dog is also something that working full time just doesn't allow. I'd love to get more into the training aspect of dog ownership. Perhaps even trying some agility training.

As other have said learning a language would also be very high on my list. I'd love to be able to dedicate regular time and mental capacity to learning other languages. Also having a campervan would allow relatively cheap travel to other countries in order to immerse myself and practice in the real world.

Sounds great! I defy anyone with a dog and a garden to be bored. We did agility with our dogs and I can recommend it, it keeps the brain and the body going.

MallyGirl

We spent yesterday at the camping and camper van show at the NEC. Lots of ideas explored - including which options would leave enough space for 2 big dogs. Boy can you spend a lot of money on these things! We have the donor van already so we only looking at bespoke conversion not buying off the shelf.

JoeEngland

mollycat wrote: »

Thanks!

I think I actually missed, or put poorly, the point I was trying to make in my post.

I think there's a potential trap for new retirees to fall into.

The trap is listening too much or giving too much value to the narrative from ex colleagues and others of "What are you going to do with all that spare time, you will get bored, you had better find a part time job etc", and then starting to think that this will definately be the case, and acting upon it.

The reality (for me, I appreciate others may have a different perspective) there is very little "spare time", and that the activities find you naturally rather than you having to seek out "stuff to do".

Went to bed last night with no plans for today; suddenly it's 11am and have walked dog on golf course, been to shops, done small DIY job have been nagged about for weeks and will pop in to see my elderly mother before lunch.

Like most people i know who have retired the thought isn't "what will I do with my time?", but a genuine bafflement of "how did i ever have time to work?"

I'm not advocating never planning what to do with your time immediately after retiring, I'm only suggesting it isn't necessary or valid to feel pressured into doing it in case something dreadful happens if you dont!

Colleagues who ask what you're going to do with the spare time are strange. Do they consider themselves to be spending their limited lifespan on earth mainly as worker drones who have no other role than working until they drop dead?

blisteringblue

I'm not jealous MUCH I'm trying to not wish away the 4 years until I do exactly the same thing about this time of year. End of the tax year is my end point.

I did hear the immortal words from my boss today as we were arguing yet again, are you planning on working 3 days a week closer to retirement. I didn't even know that was an option where I am. Might really be able to wind down into it

bugslett

MallyGirl wrote: »

We spent yesterday at the camping and camper van show at the NEC. Lots of ideas explored - including which options would leave enough space for 2 big dogs. Boy can you spend a lot of money on these things! We have the donor van already so we only looking at bespoke conversion not buying off the shelf.

I am obsessed with you tube videos of camper van conversions. Certainly beats my years of kipping on top of a load in a layby:p

Blistering blue, I'd just make the plans for three days and then start the conversation with your boss thus, " I've taken your advice.....". He can't fail but see the benefits of you accepting his wisdom.:D

badmemory

Priority job on first retiring - disconnect the TV for 3 months. I have friends who turn the TV on when they get up in the morning & if you are lucky turn it off when they go to bed at night. When they do all these surveys etc about how long you are expected to live I am sure one of the questions should be how much TV do you watch a day. It isn't as if they are watching the news!!

DairyQueen

OP: prepare yourself to NOT be defined by what you did in your working life. In the post-work world people simply don't care (and don't ask).

Enjoy the months-long holiday and chill for as long as you like. At some point the need to do something positive will grip you. There is nothing more confusing than having endless possibilities but it's not that difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. For example, I happily volunteer but I refuse to hang-out with any petty-minded folks and, guess what?, I refuse to do so. I simply change track to avoid them.

I also try lots of different things and if I don't like a particular activity (I know after a few tries) then I simply move-on to something else.

Being fickle is one of retirement's great pleasures.

Good luck.

Techno

We thought about jumping at 55 but OH is a teacher and actually loves teaching maths (strange I know ) he was a deputy head and wasn't enjoying that bit any more so he has gone back to just the teaching side and down to 3 days and fills the rest of the time walking, mountain biking, playing golf, walking the dog, (doing jigsaws and the times cryptic keeps his mind active.)

I also teach and went down to 2 days and a day in college to match his 3 days Did that for a year and a term and then they asked if I would do 3 days too which makes sense as we can travel in together and college finishes in May. (Also, the extra money earned is going into the big birthday travel pot ) I have taken up running so do Park Run every Saturday and exercise classes, also walk the dog. I am also decorating our current house which we hope to put on the market soon as we have already purchased our 'retirement bungalow' in the next door village which has fab sunsets over the sea.

We have bought a motor home so can just pootle off on Thursday night for a long weekend and we are visiting some fab areas of the U.K.

My plan is to do one more year then stop completely - the part time is definitely easing me in. OH is still not sure whether to keep going.

I want to do a gardening course as the new bungalow has a rather wild garden and I have no idea what to keep.

So that's us and as everyone else says, I have no idea how we ever found time to work full time :rotfl::rotfl:

justme111

It never stops surprising me how people are oblivious to what is happening with their bodies- to be in a top physical shape and health human being ideally needs a few hours of physical activity every day. So adding to it socialising and everyday chores there is little spare time left