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Thinking aloud (or Did l really say that?)


jimbob
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I hit the big 6 0 this year and was looking to take life bit more easy, garden, railway, trips out usual things. I thought this was a great idea until l spent a few days over Christmas with a old friend. Two years ago he and his house mate moved from London to Yorkshire and you couldn't stop hin fron telling you how great it was. First off he spent his time decorating, gardening, cycling and rebuilding his (indoor) railway. The village where they live has resonable transport links for the area but he admited to me that now everything is done he is bored out of his skull at times.

He's joined local clubs etc but finds he still has time on his hands and to be honest is starting to suffer with depression. This shock me and realised l too could be in that position.

So guys is anyone else out there in this position either through retirement or even unemployment and how do you fill your time.

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Although I am not retired, my full time job leaves me with lots of time off and now I live on my own, I often find myself at a loss of what to do - especially during these winter months. In the Spring, I will have a new garden railway to build ;)

My advice to you would be, if you are physically able to, do plenty of exercise. As a younger person, I do try to regularly visit my local gym or use my mountain bike. This may not suit you, but walking or using a motor assisted cycle might. There are plenty of cycleways out there waiting to be explored and they are more interesting if they are on an old railway line.

The other good thing is, exercise makes you feel better - in body and mind - it has certainly helped me recently.

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Aged 60, I was still self Employed and business wasn't good with the financial crisis. I decided at 59 that I would like to be able to say that I had run the Great North Run. I did that aged 60 and again at 61 and 62. At 63 I retired early, business having hit rock bottom. I demolished and rebuilt my garage, sorrted the garden, replastered and decorated both bedrooms, built a greenhouse, laid tonnes of concrete and kept myself busy. I got rid of the car and bought a Triumph Spitfire which got changed for the Mazda MX5 a year later. After only 16 months or so of retirement, I suddenly felt as though I had got a dose of flu. Not the sniffles and a day off work sort of flu, but the full blown job. I went to bed and a few days later woke up in hospital with scepticaemia. 7 weeks later, I eventually had shifted that, and undergone emergency surgery for a ruptured bowel. I was wearing a colostomy bag, had lost 4 of my 14 stones weight, was as weak as a kitten, and wobbly as a wobbly thing. I spent the next Spring and Summer building a model railway which I was never happy with. I started to get out a bit in the car (with the Doctor's blessing). I slowly got my weight back (but not my strength) and had surgery to reverse the colostomy.I kept threatening to take up watercolouring again, but still haven't got round to that. Last Monday I started a photography course at the local college because I have never had my camera out of Automatic mode. Last Spring, I enjoyed a driving holiday in France. I occupy my time chatting to Pals, thinking about what I would like to do next, thinking about the past, and generally being a pain in the Arris wherever I can be.

So,---- take your retirement, enjoy what you are doing, get as fit as you can be, because if I hadn't been fit, I wouldn't have come out of hospital. Most of all, enjoy yourself and don't bother about tomorrow. Live for each day and live it fully.

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I agree with much of what's been said already. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been retired for a few years now and it's still another few years before I reach 60.

When I was working I considered myself to be quite fit, despite the fact that I was a smoker. My weight was never more than about 11-12 stone and I could seemingly eat whatever I fancied without putting on an ounce. That all changed soon after retirement when, giving up the old cigs and with a less active lifestyle, I suddenly went to more than 15 stone. So the first thing I would advise in retirement is to maintain a strict regime of daily exercise, not just a gentle stroll but a brisk walk of a few miles. Not only will it enable you to keep your weight in check, which I personally now consider very important, but it will also make you feel much better. I've never been to a gym in my life - if you choose the right kind of activities then I'm sure there's no real need.

I can honestly say that from the moment I worked my last day I have never once regretted it and I've never ever been lost for something to do. In fact I now how more available time at home than I've ever had before and yet I can still often never find the spare time I need to do anything. Sometimes it's simply a case of getting yourself motivated (such as with my layout) and other times it's because there's always something else that needs doing. You can never have enough time!

I'll certainly go along with the advice to 'live for today' rather than making plans for the future. All too often I have seen 'futures' extinguished so make the most of today and let the tomorrows take care of themselves.

I have my interest in model railways, enjoy spending time out in the countryside, enjoy photography and enjoy just being out in the garden pottering about doing nothing in particular, among other things. I don't have to worry about getting to work in bad weather - I can do just what I please at a time of my choosing. If you fancy a lie in then have a lie in - but it's usually much better to rise early and enjoy the best parts of the day.

If you have the opportunity to retire early then my advice would be to grasp it with both hands and get out and enjoy yourself. Do all the things you've always wanted to do while you're still able to do them. It's not as bad as some people make out!

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It is very strange on first retiring, not to have to get up early to go to work. Now I have nothing in my life that must be done or finished today. The Internet is a wonderful tool. I can spend a wet day just on Youtube, listening to favourite music and finding music that I had forgotten. The Internet also provides so much information, that if something is stirred by my remaining brain cells, I can find the answer in an instant. I am a regular on two very friendly car forums, so I am always among friends, most of whom I have actually met. If I didn't post for a day, I could guarantee that my phone would ring. I find that important. Just before Christmas we went to a supermarket for a bulk shop. That's unusual in itself, because we both prefer to use our local shops. On the way out of the supermarket, the engine management light came on in my car. Pound notes flashed before my eyes, but it's not something that I care to worry about. I no longer need my transport for work. Guys on my car forums had ideas from the diagnostics (it was running rich) but not really a proper answer. Over a period of a couple of weeks, I checked the plugs which were all OK but sooty. I found a second hand tested Lambda sensor, and got a pal with a lift to swap that out. No difference there. Got another Pal to send me a throttle body and a MAF, on a pay or return basis. Swapped the MAF which cured the problem, so took a 40 mile drive to return the throttle body, my old Lambda, and a bit of cash to cover what he wanted. No hassles, no worries, and no fretting over what could have been a bill for several hundreds of pounds of diagnostic work and full charges for unwanted spare parts. Like I said, nothing needs doing today. If I want to watch sport on the TV, I do. If I want a day at the sea, I go. If the car boys are planning a weekend in the Lakes or somewhere, I'm one of the first to put my name down. I have Arthritis, I'm still wobbly, so potter on a stick. I take no medicines to the Doctor's dismay, except for the odd Paracetamol if I get a headache. The new photography interest will give me more inspiration to burn petrol looking for photo opportunities. I live with my back door wide open and the heating barely on. My last quarter's bill for Electricity and Gas was £126, and the energy company owes me £1100 for overpaying on my DD which has just dropped to £6 a month. For more than 50 years I shaved every day. Now I just don't bother. I have no need to worry about little things like that. If people don't like my full set, they aren't worth my time. I've never had it so good.

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I've got 8 years till I can retire at 66 but many of my friends have retired and they all say they are short of time to do anything. It is one of the strange things people do is to retire and then promptly move to where they know no one.

I chose here in Norfolk as my place to finally settle 30 years ago, but it took me twenty years to get here permanently, on much lower pay than I could get elsewhere. But I moved WHILE I was still working, giving time to build up hobbies and friends in the area. They often think people will come and visit, but this will quickly fade if you've moved far.

Going all out to finish the house and garden ( how can you finish a garden?), I think is a mistake when retired, spreading that out while enjoying days off I think is better.

I'm already preparing for retirement, in fact the model railway on this forum is my layout of a life time and is for the soggy days of the future when in the shed and the non sailing dry days in the garden

Sailing already occupies 1 day a week, once retired with Wednesday and Saturday working parties (club maintenance alternating weeks) assisting the sailing school Thursday evenings in the summer. Attending all the sailing events I'd like to will bump that up to 2 days a week.

The MRC is one evening a week at the moment and I'll bump that up to two or three. Then I have an acre and a half of jungle I'd like to be able to call a garden.

And finally we don't go holiday at the moment because we don't have the time, once retired there are many places in the UK I'd like to visit ( a lot of railways) and many places I've lived in in the past to revisit.

Belonging to 2 sailing clubs, 2 Sailing associations, 1 MRC, SWMBO belongs to an art club means we often have too much to attend , especially just before Christmas. Next Function is 23rd January, the sold out with waiting list, Burns night at the winter sailing club followed by sailing the following morning.....

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Thank you all for your suggestions, you certanly keep yourselves busy. Most are in line with what l thought about doing except the cycling, l live in London and wont to live long enough to enjoy my retirement + l have dodgie kness as well. May pluck up courage and finally learn to swim. Long story but have had a bit of a thing about swimming (or not as it happens) since l was a kid.

One of the good things about living in London is the over sixtys get free travel within the TfL area so l can go visit all the places l've promised myself for nothing.

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Here in Norfolk you have to be 65 to get free public travel 9:30am to 11pm (all day weekends), if there is any!

The nearest bus stop to me is 1.5 miles away, and there are so few buses I'd have to leave an hour before the end of work the previous day, to get a bus and the connections to make it TO Work!

Knees I know about, my old bicycle is hanging in the garage I used to cycle miles and miles, I tried it again a few years ago, owwww did my knees hurt!( let alone what that seat did to my backside!)

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I have to thank Red Ken for lowering the age limits for free travel in London. In fact at present l feel that l'm one of the few who still have to pay. Free travel for the over 60's under 18's, unemployed, disabled and more. London takes over a third of the govenments budget for free travel yet Londoners still moan.

I was involved in the bus industry on the fringes of London for many years and was frustrated when some towns had almost a 24hour bus service on one side and nothing after 6pm or a Sunday on the other side because there out side London boundary.

As for the kness there ok in the summer but dont like the cold weather another reason for looking at stopping work in the cold and rain!

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roddy said:

Free bus passes from age 60 up here. I thought it was the same everywhere.

In England it is now the actual date you start drawing your State Pension (or perhaps when you become entitled to it, if you defer it). My wife got hers at 62 years 9 months or something like that. Only valid in England, as Wales and Scotland have their own systems. Staffordshire allows anytime use but other authorities place time restrictions. They are very useful for our volunteering activity as the cost of car parking would be a strong deterrent.

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Live and learn eh. I have had mine for nearly 8 years now, so it must have all changed since then. We can't use them before 09.00 unless going for a medical appointment, in which case we must have a copy of the appointment. I assume that the passes can still be used anywhere else, not just the place of issue? I have used my one in Sussex although issued in Sunderland.

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I'm betting once the ladies age of retirement matches men at 65 then the bus Pass date of issue will go up to 65 and then move to 67 as both retirement ages go to that everywhere. I go to Scotland a lot, I note pass passes only work in their country of issue except for a few cross border services. I know Norfolk as a tourist area was complaining of the costs of the pensioners visiting the area in the summer.

My most used shop at the moment is BQ I'm just hoping I'll get their discount card in a couple of years before they move that!

In the days of being in the RAF there was always military transport from the RAF accommodation to the work site ( normally several miles on the stations I was on). This plus working 4 day/nights on (12 hour shifts) meant plenty of time for car maintenance, right up to engine rebuilding when I dropped a valve on an triumph 2000.

My Landrover 110 will be fully looked after by me when retired, and the car will get its routine maintenance by me as well, but with all the specialist electronics on cars these days I'm not sure how far I'll be able to go with that.

We need the landrover as come a real winter we get no snow ploughs or gritters, and my other hobby of sailing requires a good tow vehicle. But its not actually expensive to run, the insurance is about £200 fully comp for a modified vehicle, ( the benifit of being older and living in a low crime area) road tax is £230 and the year after I retire it'll be tax exempt!! the fuel consumption is 32 mpg diesel or vegetable oil.

The biggest problem for us in retirement will be health, we are already regular visitors to the doc, and SWMBO occasionally to the hospital 30 miles away and the parking there is £2 up to £6 per visit. SWMBO retired in 1992 due to ill health.

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  • 3 months later...

He's posting a lot l here you say, and it's true, Friday was my last day at work. I wont call it retirement more of an extended gap year and l'll see how it goes. I said l may do a bit of cover work if they need me (already ignored a call asking me to work Monday!) so the railway may progress now l can give it a couple of hours on a Sunday. Up early this morning, next door seem to do there washing at 6.30am, and rewired a bit more of the track bus but though the suns out that wind blowing accross the playing fields is artic so decided to come in for a tea, stepping over the track bed l got my foot caught in the loose wire and ripped the whole bloody lot out again. How l laughed!!

Still,l got plenty of time to do it all again now.

So expect more badly typed and spelt message full of stupid ideas in the future.

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:lol: There's no such thing as a stupid idea mate!! I'm sure the wheel, mobile phone, steam engine, internal combustion engine, et al, all seemed like stupid ideas at one time mate. Not just in our hobby, but in life in general, we need new ideas. That's how we evolve mate. I too took a sort of early retirement a few weeks ago, ( I've done a few little jobs whilst er indoors was at work but she doesn't know!!! :lol::lol::lol: ) and I have to admit at times its hard to know what to do with your time!! I think I've come up with a plan that will keep me busy for a while. Tearing up much of my railway and redoing it!! :cry::cry::cry: The more I look at other people's garden railways the more I think to myself I have only achieved what I set out NOT to do!! :oops::oops: I look at other members' garden railways and they are what they set out to be! I see mine and think all I've done is put a train set in my garden!!! :oops::oops::oops:

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Don't kid yourself about other people's railways. I think that Mick and others will tell you that their present railways are not what they originally intended. It seems to me that railways evolve through time much more than a start to finish fixed process. Treat yours as a learning exercise if you will, so tear it up and learn from it, then start again and let it just happen from a basic idea.

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I'm full expecting to rebuild bits of my railway as I go along, the alley way I'm working on, I've just moved, some of the roof beams for the third time. I'm also hoping my model railway skills will improve which would then mean more railway rebuilding. It just part of the hobby...

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:oops: I'm just hoping my modelling skills improve next time round!!! :x:x I've layed the track where I wanted it and how I wanted it and it all runs well now with no derailments or power issues but all I was ever trying to avoid was it looking like a train set in the garden and I can't help but think that's all I've achieved!! :x:x:x I want a garden railway!!! :x:x:x Lol!

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