| There are all sorts of do's and don'ts claimed about retirement. One common piece of advice is not to retire to the seaside, uprooting yourself from all your familiar places and friends, right at the time of maximum stress as you cease work. So we planned ahead by buying a seaside retreat long before retirement, and using it as a weekend home, to get to know the area and people. Then, even more smartly, Paul got a job as Chief Exec of the local Council - a great way to get to know an awful lot of people in the town. People say that giving up work will lead to a loss of a sense of identity, and a disconcerting lack of structure to your day. I can't say I'd noticed any of this so far. Just the oft voiced feeling "I don't know how I ever had time to go to work"! | |
| Celia led the way, although her retirement was not really of her choosing, being due to ill health. But once she was at home all day, and Paul had a busy job with lots of evening commitments, it was a no-brainer for Paul to decide the obvious solution was to give up full time work so that we could do more things together. Neither of us are the sorts to then just put our slippers on and our feet up. Celia needs her rest, but gets terribly frustrated at not having the stamina to keep going at all the things she is determined to do. And Paul is a bit of a workaholic - but willing to try going on the wagon! | | |
