I’ve had some weird thoughts since I retired but I had one the other day that must rank among the strangest. Even took me by surprise and I thought I knew my weirdness fairly well. The only explanation I can offer was that Mrs Summerhouse had gone out to have a coffee (the one on…
Category: How to have a happy retirement
Irritability : God’s gift to the retired person?
My last retired Thursday went something like this – the central heating at the cottage isn’t working properly and the plumber who fitted it is not answering my calls.* My phone that I took to the O2 guru to fix, a few days ago, now isn’t working again. The van that has spent a week…
Retirement and diary keeping
A couple of weeks ago The Guardian’s Do Something supplement had an article about keeping a diary as a ‘something to do’. Being a regular diary writer since 1978/79 I thought I would be safe reading the article without feeling guilty that I wasn’t doing whatever the article in question was about – usually physical…
Retirement and the DIY project
Having discussed the matter with my friend (he of the shepherd’s hut) we are agreed that they key to a happy retirement is to have projects. I have often written in these blogs about what I have called the missing link of retirement. That certain something that will make my retirement life complete, that, dare…
Retirement and the Women’s Institute, do they go hand in hand?
I’m inclined to the view that retirement is a funny old business. A time of change, of reinvention, of doing things you wouldn’t have thought possible before you retired, like joining groups of other retired people (now abandoned) or learning how to play jazz guitar (new term starting today) when you’ve shown zero interest in…
Retirement and the voice of a generation
What does it feel like to be described as the voice of our times? I can hear you say, well, you’ll never know, pal. You’re far too far up yourself to be considered as the selfless, objective representative of your tribe. And a very fair point that is, I can be a tad introspective when…
How many psychologists does it take to have a happy retirement?
A week later than planned. You’ve heard the joke about how many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? The punchline is something like 1 or is it 2, but only if the light bulb really wants to change. Well, I’ve got another version – how many psychologists does it take to reveal…
Taking control of your retirement – forget it
Lawks a-mercy. I thought I would make it my retirement mission to bring out of retirement some old English words and phrases that are, sadly, rarely used these days. I believe this is a popular – at the time – version of ‘Lord have mercy’. As I think the Lord should have mercy on my…
Retirement Abroad, is this the way to happiness?
I had rather wondered what I would write about this week, after the Lord Mayor’s show of coming back from a very nice holiday. Our friends in Shanghai solved the first problem on Tuesday although created another one by unsettling us, but what to write about next? I’ve included a photo of Spain(right) for reasons…
Retirement and the need for an office
I wondered if I needed an office. I realise that many people will find this a puzzling consideration for a retired person. After all not everybody who worked even had an office. I myself spent most of my working life in schools. When I ran this half-formed notion past Mrs Summerhouse she laughed fit to bust….