What shall we do today?

Retirement is a pretty good venture is all I can say given that the old cliché "we have so much to do since we retired" is absolutely true! With this in mind it got me to thinking about TV ads today and I recalled those with Neil and Christine Hamilton just after they "fell from grace". In the series they were shown laying in bed, on a mattress in a room without any furniture. "What shall we do today", Neil quips to which Christine replies, Tate Modern... and a number of other sightseeing attractions. Well to be honest, it's a bit like that with us although I hasten to point out that we are not sleeping on the floor in a bare room and fighting off the press while I deny taking bungs! However, I have to say that since retirement our routine is considerably different that during 40 or more years at work.

From my point of view and for more years than I can remember I have been waking up at around six to six thirty regardless of season, location or physical condition, hangover or time-zone, weekday or weekend with or without an alarm clock. Oh why can't I have a lay in, why can't I stay in bed until noon like I used to as a teenager? I don't suppose it matters much these days as when we do wake up each day can become a little repetitive if you are not careful.

Pretty much like this for me:-

• Make tea and take back to bed
• watch TV News
  
• Moan about aches and pains
• Ignore moans about my snoring
• Consider options and decide to think about other options
  
• Get up
• Make more tea
  
• Switch on PC (ignore it for now)
  
• Depending on weather and physical condition either walk for a paper or drive for one
• Buying the paper has several options, go to Newsagent I am boycotting because they wouldn't let me owe them 2p, go to the newsagent that never looks up from his paper to speak, takes my money and say good bye while still reading his paper or, go to Sainsburys where I can get a paper and consider their "Full English" breakfast - I usually only consider it and think perhaps "next time"
• Go back home
• Breakfast (this could be quick and easy or more complex if I have been tempted into the food aisles at the Supermarket! )
• More tea / coffee
• Shower and shave
• Take a look at PC to see what, if any, mail I have.
• Dress
• ........ Now, this is where the "what shall we do today" comes in......

• Walk into town
  
• If I didn't buy a paper in my earlier routine it's time to buy one now!
• Do what ever we need to do
  
• Walk back

Fortunately life is considerably more varied than that particular routine I have shown above as there are many more interesting and rewarding things that we can do now that we have time and a free bus pass. Not that I have used my bus pass and to be honest, I am not that likely to do so! When I applied for it and being too stringy to pay £4 to go to a photobooth I got "V" to take my photo at home and I Photoshop'd it until it looked like a passport photo. Then reluctantly submitting my application a day later then V I expected to receive my pass shortly after hers which she received in less than a week. It was not to be as when it eventually did arrive I was shocked to see that they had put some other old duffers photo on the card and not mine. What was even more galling was that when I went back to Chichester Council I had to actually explain to the official I was speaking that the photo was NOT of me!! I do have a pass now complete with my photo but it is yet to be used.... I won't hold my breath.

Have to go, busy busy busy.... garden, blog, photography... so much to do!