Five Year Fix, Five Year Plan

savingholmes

Glad the landscaping is progressing well. Must be a relief

Merlin's_Beard

killerpeaty said:

Yay for the tradesmen turning up! 

You could get him a national trust membership. Might encourage him to go out and enjoy himself a bit.

My uncle made big model train sets when he retired, converted one of his kids rooms into a train room. Everytime we went on holiday together he would manage to get something for his sets.

It's an excellent idea but they have a NT membership already, and I'm sure they don't even get their money's worth out of that. I have bought him buildy-things before though....

@badmemory I can't comprehend it because I've got a list of about 100 things I'd like to either start doing, or do more of. If lockdown taught me anything it's that actually, if work didn't drain my energy like the vampire it is, I'd quite happily fill my time with passion projects (and that's not including the stuff I couldn't do because of lockdown or because it wasn't permanent). It's definitely given me a lot of thoughts about how coming to a dead stop isn't the best way forward, either, whether you're calling the alternative phased retirement or coast FIRE....

KajiKita

My dad is still working full time at the age of 82 largely because what he does (research physicist), has always been his vocation / raison d’être. My mother is officially ‘retired’ (missed the cut off for when you couldn’t be forced to retire by two weeks - she raged bitterly about this for years!) but still runs the university archive, is the secretary to two local cathedral management boards (can’t remember the official term) and the Westmorland archaeological society at the age of 85! These are not activities that would ever appeal to me 😉 but it does show you can be active in retirement for a long time. 

KK

KajiKita

And sounds like excellent progress on the landscaping 👍😊 Is it coming out to be like you had in your mind’s eye?

KK

Merlin's_Beard

KajiKita said:

And sounds like excellent progress on the landscaping 👍😊 Is it coming out to be like you had in your mind’s eye?

KK

I think so, mainly. The only worry is where to put the path to the fence - the plan is eventually (not now) to put a gate between my garden and the drive, which sits behind it. When I asked for quotes initially, everyone seemed happy to give me a path to the existing fence post so that could form part of the gate. But the guy that has turned up and laid the path area has told me no, I need the path to have two new fence posts or it won't be stable?

I really don't know whether to accept that or push back tomorrow (if they show!) and ask for what was originally planned? The fence panels are about 7-8ft(ish)

In other news, did a weekend at the track in the middle of a horrific thunderstorm, so now my phone is in rice. In theory it's a water resistant phone but the screen got replaced a few years ago so I suspect it's not any more.

savingholmes

I hate it when things like that happen over the fence/gate thing as you don't know who to believe. No wisdom here I'm afraid... 

Merlin's_Beard

Have put on my big girl pants and there's going to be an extension to the path to the fence post in question. 

The actual gate itself is going to be later job (my covenants say I can't alter the fence and while I don't think the neighbours would complain, the site manager often parks in front of my house to walk up site, so not worth it right now!) That gives me an option to have the gate wherever in future.

In worse news, the phone is still dead. And I have a concert tomorrow - and I'll be setting off at lunchtime-ish - which needs a mobile-only ticket. So I've been and brought another phone (I use my phones until they die, so no spares lying around) at high street prices - annoying, but necessary. Borrowed out of my emergency fund and will repay it back next month. Thank god for android back up - pretty seamless transition! I normally only change phone every 5 years or so so I'm always constantly surprised  how much easier it is each time.

savingholmes

Annoying about the cost by but great it was backed up.

Enjoy your concert.

Merlin's_Beard

Concert was amazing. Total cost: a lot (ticket £87.75, parking £20, food and drink £16.50 as you couldn't take anything in, band t shirt £35 for a total of £159.25 not including petrol). Would I pay it again? Absolutely.

Less thrilled about the motorway being closed for the way home, but at least I had a phone with maps to follow. Nothing like a bit of driving around random villages not having a clue where you are to keep you awake at midnight.

Theatre last night as well - this one had a lot less extra spending attached - £54 for the ticket, £3.50 for the park and ride, no extras.

But another late night by the time I'd got home and eaten and generally wound down - I'm not built for 2am bedtimes any more! A very wrecked and tired day today. Have set an alarm for 8.30pm to remind me to go to bed early. Just need to wander into the village for a bottle of wine (for the friends I'm staying with this weekend), and then pick up some shopping this evening from the supermarket.

savingholmes

Glad the concert and theatre were good.