At what age ....

[Traci66]

Did you or are you planning on retirement? I retired two years ago at the grand old age of 46 and now I have found myself becoming very bored. I do voluntary work a couple of days a week and try to keep myself busy in the house, reading, playing games, visiting here. I am now considering getting a full time job. What do you do to keep yourself busy?

[commoner]

OOh!,,and just WHAT have you been buying...nothing "embarrassing" we trust..Heh heh!

[mrs_overall]

I'm saying nothing commoner!
Sorry about this lot changing the subject Traci. Hoi polloi!

[Tilly2]

Can you make cattle prods by hand?

[Tilly2]

Sorry, Traci.

[Graham-W]

I retired 5 years ago at age 58. I had planned to retire (extra payments into pension scheme etc.) at 60 but redundancy came to my aid.
My wife retired 1 year ago aged 55 partly through ill health.
I have an excellent pension and we both are having a ball. We have a touring caravan and travel the country exploring places we've never been before (and clogging up the roads where-ever we go;-))) We also have a foreign holiday a couple of times a year when prices are low. You can be very flexible on dates when you are both retired. We've done the Nile cruise, which was outstanding, and had long weekends in Rome and Florence and are heading for a week in Paris in September. Work???? Couldn't find time to fit it in.
I can highly recommend it.

[mrs_overall]

Mine are not hand made tilly

http://www.ebay.co.uk...0&hash=item20bb84b83b

[venator]

I was a Chartered Accountant. I retired at 63, and resolved to keep the brain active by retaining a few clients, but only people I liked.

I'm working as hard as ever at 71 now, but enjoy it.

My wife will retire at 52 in a couple of years, and we'll reassess our ideas then.

I'd like to buy a run down coastal property to do up and let out in Summer.

There's an idea - I'll put up a post asking where I could do that...

Thanks Traci, for the idea.

[percypineapple]

I'm 66 and retired from Bt some years ago, but still work for myself. i thought retirement was going to be great, but i enjoy working more than sitting at home thinking about the past, as some people do. i must say, that i worked with people that were counting the minutes to their retirement day, and i often wonder if they now think it was worth waiting for, but it takes all sorts.

[karenmac60]

I won't be able to retire till I'm 67 so I've still got a long haul ahead of me - I've been in my job 21 years and still have 27 to go! Poor mr mac'll be 82 before he gets the benefit of sharing our retirement together...

[Edger]

Depends how you define retirement.
I had combined redundancy / early pension from work at 52.
I was widowed and my mother passed away a month later and my father got dementia within about 4 months so I was caring for him for about 3 years with help from my mother in law ( who was 2 years older ) until we could no longer cope as he was getting violent etc. My father spent his last 3 years in care and passed away last August. I am now 57.
My mother in law is 86 and now has physical problems but no life threatening conditions so in theory I could be caring for her for 15 year plus which will make me 72 if that happens.

John

[NOX]

I'm 51 and I'm sort of retired now, I took it easy a few years ago when I had to have my operation and my kids sort of slid into place in running the businesses and it's stayed that way pretty much. I still lurk about and stick my oar in and occasionally go off on a new tangent, but generally they have most things covered. I keep busy by going to book fairs (I collect old books) auctions, fairs,walking the dogs, running, riding horses, mucking about generally, seeing my younger kids in Germany and entertaining them here.

[welshlibranr]

retired, always busy with grandkids, dog walking, cake decorating, don't know how I found time to go to work! OH on the other hand is still working at 62, says he doesn't ever want to retire!........he is a very 'busy soul' though, just has to be on the go!........so whatever floats your boat!......lol.......

[gness]

As Woofgang and I discovered retirement doesn`t always go to plan but it is what you make it. I worked with six close friends and was the first to retire. They,in turn, all worried about retirement but are now living life to the full and,like me, don`t know how they found time to work. However, I do have one friend who really hit the bottle after retirement because work was all he had in his life. He has become a right pain in the butt, putting down others to try and boost his flagging ego.

[percypineapple]

i had friends who's life was work, and when retirement was forced upon them death soon followed, for one reason or another ( alcahol, pining away with boredom etc.) sometimes people need people and workmates to survive. i can be a loner, but my neighbour needs to feel she is needed by someone, anyone, just to survive, and gets so depressed when no one is visiting her. She has a Husband, but He does not seem to count in equation or world. Retirement is not good for some people.

[Edger]

Hi gness

You said ''I joined a 50+ adventure club. We do rafting, climbing, archery,shooting, in fact anything requiring a bit of oomph. I help out with a couple of charities, go on quilting and craft courses and, if the mood takes me, clear off to Norfolk for some birdwatching. For me retirement is bliss''.

I wish I was able to do this. My father has been the main problem but my time is now taken with my mother in law and the grandchildren.

John

[gness]

Edgar. I am so sorry you are unable to do things because of responsibilities. I do know how you feel. The last of five children was just off to uni when OH was taken ill through a medical mistake. I was in my forties and I cared for him until I was 58 when he died. No days off and no holidays. That was when my mother developed dementia and I cared for her until last year when it was too dangerous to have her at home. Of the six friends I mentioned two others lost their husbands within weeks of me and six weeks later my best friend died. One of the friends had cared for her husband for quite some time so now we are trying to make the most of our "time for us" Love my grandchildren but they fit in with me I`m afraid although they enjoy having a mad grandma.

[gness]

Sorry...Edger not Edgar

[LoftyLottie]

I retired at 59 to look after my mother as her carer. She died when I was 62. I was finding work a struggle because of arthritis and was finding it a struggle. Having said that, I don't miss going to work one bit. I can always find things to do. Have a large garden, dog and cat, live in a lovely part of the countryside in a cottage overlooking the fields, enjoy the natural things in life and don't need loads of money to enjoy myself.

I love the freedom of pleasing myself what I do on a day to day basis after years of being tied.

[rowanwitch]

Its reassuring to hear the positive side as I am retiring next month just after my 55th birthday I have a feeling I will be really busy especially with a wedding to organise and then all my hobbies... as well as getting out and about with Redman... Birdwatching trips will be a big part of our activity and I'm hoping to fit in a couple of adult ed classes