…………. and so to planning!

 I am now a good six months into this blog as well as half way through 2026.  The purpose of the blog, in between general ramblings, is supposed to be keeping me on track as regards preparing for retirement.  That is all the stuff other than financial.   That is working away in the background and will be ok albeit things might well be better if various politicians stopped giving the markets the jitters.

I could, however, do without constant increasingly upward projections in the press as to what is needed for a basic/moderate/comfortable retirement.  Some of these figures are considerably more than many, people earn so it seems unlikely they are going to suddenly materialise in retirement for the majority.

Anyway, leaving that rant to one side, back to my actual point.  The idea of leaving the office at 5.00pm on my last Friday pausing briefly to collect a case of Provençal rose and another of old world red from Majestic has its attractions but maybe not.  So giving credit to others’ experience, if everyone I have read/heard who has done this before me is to be believed, the following are probably worthy of my time and consideration ahead of ‘R’ day.

In no particular order:

• household repairs/renovations - getting the house in order
• Identity
• Volunteering
• Travelling
• Decluttering
• Wardrobe ie clothing
• Hobbies/skill set
• Relationships
• Gratitude
• Structure/Purpose
• Health

Repairs and Renovations

We did our kitchen, knocked through to an adjoining shed and created a utility room and shower room 3 years back.  It had been in the planning for decades which will give you an idea as to how long it can take us (well me, really) to work up to these things.  A few weeks back we replaced the 10 remaining (ie non kitchen) single glazed windows together with some blinds.  Arrangements are now in hand for the chimney stack to be repointed. 

This is it for the big jobs as far as I am concerned.  S has been mumbling about the roof but I am working on the ‘if it ain’t broke’ mantra and as far as I can tell it isn’t.  

We, very occasionally, get the odd slipped slate but I am not replacing the whole roof for that.  Then there is the small matter of the boiler.  This is a bit of a niggle as we are the last of the four houses in our stretch to still have solid fuel central heating.  It also heats the immersion heater obviously, as with the heating, only when there is a fire in the grate.  The nearest mains gas is about 4 miles away.  

Of the four houses one has an air heat source pump, two have oil.  Oil has rather been in a bit of shock in recent weeks/months and I am a long way from being convinced that our 1920s build is sufficiently insulated for an air heat source pump even with the new windows.  The most recent to switch was in 2020 when the back boiler to the fire failed and water poured into the fireplace.  I live in fear!  

Again, it isn’t broken and I am not inclined to fix it.  I do accept that lugging wood and coal around is not ideal as one gets older but for now I am calling it strength training. 

I have reached the conclusion that putting aside a pot for a potential replacement roof and replacement boiler is the route to go.  We might not want to have such big jobs done when we are retired but I don’t want to do them now either.

There are some smaller jobs ie 2 (possibly 3) rooms need to be stripped back and replastered.  These are not going to be expensive but they have the capacity to be extremely disruptive as 2 are our studies and are set up for work.  I have no desire to be ousted from my multi screen set up to a laptop at the dining room table and there is no way S is messing with his ergonomic arrangements. 

Redecoration, maintenance, some furniture swapping and soft furnishings aside I reckon we are about done on this pre retirement, or will be once the chimney is sorted.

Identity

I reckon I could very happily identify as non working/retired.  The Treasury could pick my pocket as a non working person rather than a hard working person (albeit one who could possibly write a cheque (if I could find my cheque book) to get them out of trouble - no one has told me the Prime Minister’s defining amount for that yet!).  Everyone’s happy.  Somehow I am not seeing this as a problem for me though I am aware that others do struggle.  Maybe I’m wrong but if I am then it is well past time for me to retire as I have clearly wasted far too much time over the decades failing to make the most of wider opportunities beyond work.

Volunteering 

Never say never but definitely not now and not immediately I retire either.  Jolly well done to those who do.  However, I’ve done enough and sat on more than enough committees over the years to tide me over for a while.  Possibly forever when it comes to committees.  There is a reason why others think it might be good to co-opt certain types (often career wise) onto committees.  I entirely get that but that is what I am retiring from and  not what I want to retire to.   Charity now needs to begin at home, I have a list of jobs that have gone undone for far too long, things I/we want to do and spending more time with parents would be good. The MiL is not adverse to a committee - she can keep the family end up!

Travelling

There is a list both specific destinations and more widely countries.  In roads into the former are already being planned and executed ie not everything is being left to actual retirement.  Unfortunately, I only have so much holiday entitlement.  S is rather better off as regards holiday entitlement (that’s the public sector for you) but even his has limitations.  We are doing some research re motorhomes.

Decluttering

There is so, so much.  A start has been made (so far mainly but not limited to my wardrobe, more later) but we have lots to go and you will, no doubt, be hearing more in due course.

Wardrobe ie clothes - a Decluttering project all of its own!

What will I be wearing going forward?  I have a wardrobe full of clothes most of which fit me and I like a lot.  However, post Covid, so many belong to a life I no longer have and I’m not convinced it’s coming back.  If it does it is not likely to be at quite the level it was.  I had lunch with someone a few months back who said that, at her previous job she was constantly in jeans and trainers, she then moved jobs and jeans and trainers are not allowed which makes me a little nervous about getting rid of stuff.  For my part I am allowed to wear jeans and trainers at work save for certain circumstances when scrubbing up is expected.  I do tend to wear jeans with ankle boots, clean white sneakers, loafers or espadrilles and a blazer usually features or a linen shirt over a T shirt in summer.  I suspect, therefore, that I already have my retirement wardrobe in place and few adjustments will be needed.  That is save for the tricky process of sorting through all the other stuff I have and love that are likely to be limited to particular occasions and outings.  It is going to be and is already proving to be more difficult than I expected.  In essence the working identity I feel I can let go of, the clothes that presented that persona to the world for so many years, not so much.

Hobbies/skill set

Loads of the former, not so sure about the latter in so far as retirement is concerned but some must be transferable between life stages and, again, there is a list to work on.

Relationships

Spending more time with my parents and the MiL, without immediate time limitations, would be beneficial all round but with a good while to go until ‘R’ day we will just have to continue in the mode we are in ie face to face most weekends at some point, texts/WhatsApp and phone during the week and more attention when needed.  Sometimes, well most times, it is a bit like one or both us dash in, mows the lawn, clears the pond pump, empties the tumble dryer condenser, puts the rubbish out, drops off some or other grocery item, runs through suspect or complicated emails/paperwork, sorts/explains tech queries, enquires how they are/what they did last week and what they have on for the next week, then dash out again.  It is all a bit rushed and some way off ideal but there is only so much we can do.  All three are actually highly capable but we are at a stage where health issues are, in some respects, a little limiting.  That is except for my mother who might be described as ‘sprightly’, though that maybe best outside of her earshot!  It is, however, shocking how many scam attempts they get between them.  Though equally surprising how my mother’s tech skills have come on since she became guardian to a robot mower.

I’m guessing most of those we have spent a lot of time with at work will disappear post retirement.   They will be busy with other things, the office is some distance from home and the stuff we had in common will be much reduced.  Hopefully, more time to pursue other things will mean coming into contact with others and shared interests may go rather deeper than the vagaries of the photocopier/scanner/printer.

A very good friend since we were teenagers is looking at moving back east for her retirement which is a positive and I’m back in touch over the last couple of years with an old school friend (already retired) after our lives took us in busy and different directions.  Another positive.

Gratitude 

A glass of Whispering Angel or, in light of the official retirement income requirement projections, Lidl’s Ventoux Rose (or even a pot of tea), uninterrupted by work calls, WhatsApps or emails.  I could be grateful for that.  Not waking at 4.30am panicking as to whether I have done something or, more pertinently, not done something would be a bonus, though I doubt I am suddenly going to start sleeping like a teenager again.  Not having to do the grocery shop at peak hours sounds like another little win.  I am sure there will be many more.

Purpose/structure

I have the garden to de weed, veg to grow (a little cutting garden would be nice), the kitchen to finish painting, some (a lot) of decluttering to do and a travel list.  There are a couple of GP14 sailing dinghies that we are currently neglecting and S has a couple of garage projects that are likely to still need attention by the time we retire.  As above our spending more time with my parents and MiL wouldn’t exactly go amiss either.  Initially, we will have the studies/spare bedroom to get replastered and there will be a fair bit of decorating and gardening to do as I don’t see us starting retirement with everything even remotely pristine.  Overall I think these may take care themselves for a while at any rate.

Health

This sounds like the oft repeated drink more water, drink less alcohol, do more exercise, do strength training, eat more fibre, vegetables and fruit, eat less meat especially processed meat and get better sleep.  Theory is fine let’s hope more time aids the practice, especially the sleep bit!

In conclusion my/our future retirement plans remain very much a work in progress.  A couple of areas are rather woolly.   Then again, the gods laugh when mortals make plans, so some flexibility is a good thing and we should try to have some fun along the way from our bucket lists and not to just store up everything for ‘R’ day.