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Original poster

To wonder what retirees do on a grey, wet Tuesday morning

241 replies

BeaQuiet · 02/08/2026 10:50

I'm just a few years from State Pension age but can't imagine giving up work completely (work 28 hours pw at the moment).

Summers like this, yes, I'd be perfectly content but AIBU to ask what retired people do on a wet Tuesday morning in winter. Especially as Wed, Thur, Fri etc are likely to be wet or grey too.

This was raised on a Mel Robbins podcast on ageing and it got me thinking.

OP posts:
mamaduckbone · 04/08/2026 17:19

Aydel · 02/08/2026 10:53

Museums, art galleries, a matinée at the theatre, a nice lunch somewhere, dress for the weather and go for a long walk. Write some short stories or a couple of chapters of your novel. Cook a really nice, complicated dinner. Curl up with the cat and a good book.

This sounds like absolute bliss. Can I please retire now? There are so many hobbies I don’t have time for.

MadKittenWoman · 05/08/2026 19:16

Dance fit and Pilates, followed by swim, sauna, steam and jacuzzi.

Comicalblackcat · 06/08/2026 13:53

I retired a long time ago and keep so busy I wonder how I had time to work. Still very busy although I have found it difficult during the heat waves but it’s taught me to have patience and relax in the cool and catch up with reading.

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

BIossomtoes · 06/08/2026 14:31

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

No we don’t. Why on earth would we? We don’t exist to be our children and or grandchildren’s slaves.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 06/08/2026 14:45

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

Nope. Don’t own any of them!

ShanghaiDiva · 06/08/2026 16:50

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

Snort!

undergound · 06/08/2026 16:51

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

🤣🤣

Mary46 · 06/08/2026 17:00

Well my friend is always minding kids seems to be presumed too you doing it. Retired people have their own lives too they earned it

Ilovemyshed · 11/08/2026 07:45

DeftGoldHedgehog · 02/08/2026 23:27

What does the cat read? 😺

Show quote history

My cat reads the paper, then he converts it to braille. He’s a clever one.

DrMorbius · 11/08/2026 07:54

When thinking about retiring I did wonder what I would do on a wet Monday - Friday in winter. Then we solved it. The first couple of years of retirement we spent January to March in the Canary Islands. Then we moved there. Now we don't have cold and wet winters.

Rumpledandcrumpled · 11/08/2026 08:39

ToCatchACat · 06/08/2026 14:04

Surely they check in with their children / grandchildren, find out how they can be useful and go from there?

Um what now, if you’ve done your job as a parent well, then your children will be independent adults and you will be close enough you know what support Is required.

who on earth retires then checks in with their kids and offers to basically work for them 😂

BCBird · 11/08/2026 08:39

Retired early from a stressful job. Been.picking up a bit of temporary work- need to work financially and socially. I don't like not having the structure of work. Looking for a permanent part time job. I have got too much time on my hands

Original poster
BeaQuiet · 11/08/2026 09:14

BCBird · 11/08/2026 08:39

Retired early from a stressful job. Been.picking up a bit of temporary work- need to work financially and socially. I don't like not having the structure of work. Looking for a permanent part time job. I have got too much time on my hands

That's my fear if I get made redundant!

Thanks for all the replies btw. Haven't been online much but am catching up with the thread.

OP posts:
GnomeDePlume · 11/08/2026 09:54

DH retired a couple of weeks ago. We dream of wet Tuesdays. As it is, he will be up at the allotment, watering.

AitkenDrum1970 · 11/08/2026 09:59

Walk every day (even in bad weather), volunteer, arts and crafts, reading, learning a new skill, etc. However, our absolutely favourite, not so guilty pleasure is catching up with TV series that we would fall asleep over in the evenings!
And actually it is ok to be bored occasionally, I find it gives the brain time to re-set which after 30 years of working with 6 and 7 year olds, it definitely needs.

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