How much to live on

helensbiggestfan

It is complex, putting it politely. I'm struggling to reclaim. I tried to sort it out online and I can't even get the wretched site to recognise my ID. Luckily my son will come to the rescue. Lol. Just need to be patient. Wish I was more tech savvy. I even paid for private one on one tuition a couple of years ago. Picked up a bit but not enough obviously. Not going to beat myself up. I have other talents and skills. Ha ha.

In other areas the garden is a disaster. The heat has decimated my new planting and even killed off some mature shrubs. I noticed a lot of the trees in the neighbourhood seem to be wilting, hope they are ok. It always saddens me when a tree dies. I am in the process of rescuing what I can, putting the smaller plants into pots and creating a mini nursery where I'm am nursing them back to health. I am taking lots of cuttings from anything which might still be viable. Stocking a garden from scratch is an expensive business so I need to get creative. The good news is the eucalyptus trees I paid £5 each for are thriving. I needed three but the garden centre wanted £60 each for 5ft saplings. So I bought 2ft versions online. The new lilac tree i picked up for £10 is doing well and the existing laurel hedge has suddenly taken off so by next year I should have shade where I actually want it and more privacy. Sadly the Japanese maple looks dead.

Still car free. Sometimes I miss the freedom of being able to "just nip in the car" but with a bit of forward planning I am managing ok. You can buy just about anything online, and my handyman is happy to do things like tip runs, charity shop drop offs. For the rest taxis and buses fill the gap.

75. Next week. Have now been retired for 20 years this week. I love it. A simple life with quiet pleasures, stress free and total freedom. 😎.