Retirement

[vmaxphil]

After taking early retirement 2 years ago I'm looking to go back to work for a rest lol 😀

[washerboy]

My summer evenings are spent lawn bowling, that's a nice sudate pass time 

[AVB]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The biggest challenge is that I am bloody useless doing anything with my hands. I look at the Defender, start a simple job and have to give up when I am unable to undo the inevitability rusted nut. I can price a Swap, run a Bond book or, more recently, project manage a change in financial regulations but put a tool in my hand and I am lost.  I have only ever sat at a desk (other than a spell as an open outcry trader on LIFFE). 

I wish there was a course on how to maintain a Defender but can’t seem to find anything. 

[Yellow Bear]

Try looking here  https://menssheds.org.uk/  they may help you learn "how to do"

[Old Boggy]

1 hour ago, JDog said:

What's not to like about being able to spend every hour of the day with ones wife?

This is clearly tongue in cheek, or perhaps your wife reads your posts JDog.

However, there is a subtle difference between 'being able' and 'actually doing it' 

Personally, since retiring nearly 7 years ago, I can honestly say that I've not been bored for one single minute, with or without the wife. One of my self imposed conditions was not to watch any daytime television and so far I've kept to that, with no intention of succumbing.

OB

[Centrepin]

17 minutes ago, AVB said:

 

I wish there was a course on how to maintain a Defender but can’t seem to find anything. 

Three things you need to maintain a  defender:

1.  Big hammer

2.  Angle grinder

3.  Sense of humour

Everything else you'll learn the longer you keep it. Just remember if the chassis is good everything else is just bolt on.🤣

[Lloyd90]

Don’t know how you can’t fill the time. 

Get a spaniel and train it, you can go beating, plenty of shoots have mid week shoot days. That’s a Wednesday and Saturday sorted. 

Go rough shooting. Long walks. 

Join a target shooting club. I’ve recently joined one with an indoor range - 22lr semi auto is great fun, especially on knock down targets. 
 

 

[Rob85]

32 minutes ago, AVB said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. The biggest challenge is that I am bloody useless doing anything with my hands. I look at the Defender, start a simple job and have to give up when I am unable to undo the inevitability rusted nut. I can price a Swap, run a Bond book or, more recently, project manage a change in financial regulations but put a tool in my hand and I am lost.  I have only ever sat at a desk (other than a spell as an open outcry trader on LIFFE). 

I wish there was a course on how to maintain a Defender but can’t seem to find anything. 

Have you had a look at the mig welding forum? There's a full defender 110 rebuild on there done by a very capable young lady and there's some good guys who will advise you. As far as the rest of retirement goes, keep as active as you can mentally and physically, keep in with a good circle of friends and always have a plan in the future to look forward to.

[blackbird]

6 hours ago, AVB said:

I have decided to retire. For the time being at least. Although I am struggling to fill my days at the moment. I have joined a gym, tinkering with the Land Rover, walking the dog a lot even just sitting in the hot tub with a cup of tea thinking of what to do to the garden. Obviously the game season will keep me more busy but I need something else. I thought I would see more of the wife but she is more often or not out with her friends  

What do other retirees do? 

If you are struggling to fill your days now whilst still working don’t retire, you would be better of say dropping two days a week first.

Edited February 20, 2020 by blackbird

[JohnfromUK]

7 hours ago, AVB said:

What do other retirees do? 

I have been retired about 3 years.  I have never regretted it and never feel 'bored'.  What do I do?  It is quite hard to pin things down, but;

• The house is large (and old) and always needs something doing somewhere
• The garden is large
• I do some matters 'horological' (clocks) and have attended lectures (and given a couple), written papers, done research etc.
• I enjoy cooking - and avoid ready meals, takeaways etc.
• I do enjoy visiting things like National Trust properties for a day out now and again
• I shoot a bit in season, and clays about once a week with friends
• oh - and I spend probably far to much time on this forum!

[Penelope]

Canary keeping,  breeding and exhibiting?

[williamwansbeck]

 New dog,cycling (fitness and puts time in great) and an allotment,shooting and beating in the winter months,find February and early March sit heavy as weather normally to poor for getting on bike or gardening.

[amateur]

14 hours ago, AVB said:

I have bid for a Mamod stationary steam engine. I remember having one as a kid. No idea why I did it! 

Excellent idea.

I did the same, then spent time improving it and buying the model workshop stuff

 I then got a Wilesco steam turbine.

All good fun and keeps our grandson amused and off his computer.

[Vince Green]

I keep retiring but then I get bored and embark on some crazy scheme or other, buying houses to renovate etc

Since retiring I have joined two local rifle clubs that shoot in the evenings, one shoots some day times as well

I enjoy the shooting but they are both very sociable places. Made a lot of friends and we now organise occasional days out, usually to museums with a military connection, or shooting shows etc .

Edited February 21, 2020 by Vince Green

[loriusgarrulus]

16 hours ago, AVB said:

I have been 5 times in last 5 days (including two sessions with personal trainer) so not sure I can do more. Mind you I’ve got a lot to do to get fit. 

I thought about fishing. Mind you isn’t it all Carp fishing nowadays? 

Fly fishing is fun. Plenty of trout lakes about and you get to eat the catch. Lots of lakes and rivers in Wales for wild trout and salmon fishing, we are lucky being on the Welsh border.

Sea fishing is free not even a licence needed. At least the actual fishing is, you can spend a fortune on tackle.

If you have some money to invest a Woodland makes a good investment. Going up in value all the time too and good for amenity too. 

https://www.woods4sale.co.uk/ Is just one of the many places you can buy from.

[hedge]

How about doing some volunteering?

I have friends that help out with National Trust type stuff - clearing habitats, overgrown paths etc. Patient services driver, tea shop, charity shop etc. You get to meet lots of people and put something back into the community. You must have a few local shoots who would love some help in the summer with the poults, release pens etc. I've never seen/heard a 'keeper say they are on top of everything.

My FIL is retired and struggles to find any free time. He's good with his hands and does woodturning but also very good at DIY, so the family share him around for various jobs. He's always complaining he's got no time to do his own thing!

[Old farrier]

14 hours ago, AVB said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. The biggest challenge is that I am bloody useless doing anything with my hands. I look at the Defender, start a simple job and have to give up when I am unable to undo the inevitability rusted nut. I can price a Swap, run a Bond book or, more recently, project manage a change in financial regulations but put a tool in my hand and I am lost.  I have only ever sat at a desk (other than a spell as an open outcry trader on LIFFE). 

I wish there was a course on how to maintain a Defender but can’t seem to find anything. 

You can always go back to school 

take a few lessons skills can be developed 

if you think you’re that bad Book a weekend and I’ll get you some time in the forge and you can make something 

its like all things easy when you get shown how 

[AVB]

Thanks for everybody’s contributions. I explored the man-shed site and was surprised to find that there are three within 5 miles. Will reach out to them. Also saw an advert in our village newsletter about a local fly fishing syndicate looking for members. Have reached out to them to have a go. As well as the gym I have also joined a local running club and also signed up for one of these ‘tough mudder’ races along with others fro the gym. 

I still miss e-mails but looks like I will start to fill my days. 

Andrew

[mossy835]

i know a lot that have done it wished they never, and now got a part time job,

[kenholland]

70 next month ,still run the business, 4 days one week 3 another that will do me for a bit ,so still find time to do what I want,.including 100 bird reg sporting every sunday.

[B725]

I had a conversation with a mate this morning who wants to retire but he said he won't as he wouldn't know what to do with himself. 

[mossy835]

54 minutes ago, B725 said:

I had a conversation with a mate this morning who wants to retire but he said he won't as he wouldn't know what to do with himself. 

 

 

 

+1

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, B725 said:

I had a conversation with a mate this morning who wants to retire but he said he won't as he wouldn't know what to do with himself. 

As I said in a earlier post , it don't suit everybody , some people dread the thought when the time come , and then there are people like myself who was looking forward to the big day , I would have been finished 13 years come November , and I can honestly say , I haven't regretted a single day and if I had my time again I would had been tempted to had finished a couple of years earlier when my body was in better condition .

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, marsh man said:

As I said in a earlier post , it don't suit everybody , some people dread the thought when the time come , and then there are people like myself who was looking forward to the big day , I would have been finished 13 years come November , and I can honestly say , I haven't regretted a single day

+1

I have only been 3 years retired, but I have LOTS of things I do, time flies by.  I was always confident I wouldn't 'struggle', and so it has proved.

It was brought home to me how lucky I am by the sudden death (from a blood clot) of a very good friend and former work colleague who died 4 weeks before his retirement.

Try lots of things - if you aren't a good hands on DIYer, what about doing some research?  People have a really interesting time doing their family trees etc.  I have done some research on various horological subjects, and a bit of informal research on various firearm aspects and some antiques/collectables aspects as well as some family tree stuff. 

I have done some upholstery (chair seats), I'm going to try some stick making, I cook and have very much enjoyed that (but it's not good for the waistline).  I always do some 'home cooked' items for our shoot snack at lunchtime, caught up with old friends and colleagues having a 'reunion' here at my house - some of whom I hadn't done anymore than exchange Christmas cards with for 30 years.

[Cosmicblue]

I'm fast approaching my 63rd birthday and have been pondering this retirement idea - I'll be honest and say it worries me a bit.   I'll shoot a couple of days a week, get on top of the DIY and then what?  I've stored up a couple of Pocher car kits...was a dream when I was 16 and bought them 20 years ago so that's something else.  In the last 30+ years of my working life I have travelled a lot and whilst there is a handful of places I'd still like to visit truthfully if I never saw the inside of another plane I wouldn't exactly be broken hearted.

I reflected on stuff that I'd never got to do/the opportunity wasn't there kind of thing and one of the activities where the box never got ticked was using the lathe/mill etc in school metalwork lessons...   Have done a bit of research and found this course: https://www.axminster.co.uk/skill-centre/engineering-courses/small-engineering-lathe-introduction-course   2 days, figured that I might enjoy it and if not then it's another skill acquired..... 

This retirement idea is going to require effort - I'm sure not going to wait around to die.