What are you doing now?

[RetirementTimes]

Retired at the end of the school year aged 61. It’s taken me a year to wind down and to start to find me again.

Just finishing a crochet class and over the course of the last 5 weeks I have learnt to make a coaster and a granny square. One week left of the course. It’s taken me until 62 to learn to crochet!

Now off for a lunchtime meet-up with a friend. Just been thinking about how lucky I have been to retire while young enough to enjoy and to learn new skills.

So what hobbies or interests have you taken up or developed since retiring or starting to wind down? Other than travel as that goes without saying. I am fascinated by all the opportunities I did a sourdough course in the summer.

Hi I’ve just read your post and I’m looking forward to having time to experience different things as education has taken over. Fingers crossed i will next year.

Hello I have just been googling book clubs in my area! All full at the moment unfortunately.

I joined the gym a year ago and I am still going although I do have to drag myself. I have started a language class and I am enjoying that.

I have been retired several years but it’s only this year I have a bit of time as I don’t have so many family commitments so I am looking for more things to do!

I'm doing yoga and it's taken me a year of forcing myself to go (as the least unbearable form of exercise, imo), to where I am now.
Which is loving it, feeling so good. Strong and flexible, and with lots of new friends from going regularly.

I've learned the ukulele, and also picked up crochet again, which I hadn't done since my teens.... and a lot of reading, although I did a lot of that already before retirement when commuting

I took up painting when I retired. I go to a class and also an art group. I’ve made new friends through these. Otherwise, I’m looking after DH and doing the occasional school run for the grand children. Travelling as much as I can. When I first retired I was a carer for my mother and looked after our grand children a couple of days a week as well. I’ve also joined a local history group and U3A but I don’t go to many meetings.

I’m still working but late 50s now. I did an OU degree and graduated in 2021. I then learned to crochet and absolutely love it. I joined a class for a while. I also joined the gym last year and do three classes most weeks, I also try my hand at all sorts of craft classes as there is a lovely little studio not far away that has lots of visiting tutors. Enjoy your retirement, and happy crocheting!

I’ve tried drawing lessons and impressed myself with what I could do. I’ve been on history walking tours, been to art galleries and museums I’ve never been to before. I live in a London Borough and get a Freedom Pass so I can travel all over London attending free lectures and free concerts. I attend an Art History course and I’m learning so much. There is art and sculpture everywhere in London. I read widely, there are free talks and lectures. I belong to several Meetup groups, Meetup is great. There are so many museums and art galleries in London I don’t think I will ever run out of things to do.

And today is my Pilates class followed by some gardening in the afternoon. I am actually fitter now than before I retired.

I love reading about the different things you are all doing once retired. I’m at the adjustment stage as I’m going to finish next summer. I already go to a gym but intend to make it a priority once I’ve retired. I’m currently off this week as I’m not well but feeling guilty because I’m not at work.

Today dh and I have packed to go away tomorrow, 6 mile walk, coffees and a Bagel out and are now watching Netflix.
I have Pilates at 6.

I do yoga and pilates classes once a week, volunteer for a charity three times a month (half day each time), book club once a month. I do most of the gardening, bake occasionally, read and follow several YouTubers. I'm currently helping my sister sort out our late Father's belongings and have a couple of trips to London planned in the next month, followed by a pre-Christmas break to Austria and a long holiday to India in January. I don't think I'm bored at the moment

PS Spellcheck amended 'pilates classes' to 'pirate classes'. Now those I would enjoy

I would be up for some pirate classes 😂

Choir… used to be in one when I worked but was always knackered, nice now have more time..

Another who has joined a gym.
I also get 8 hours sleep a night now.
I have started reading again.
I meet friends for lunch, or a coffee, or with some friends we just take turns to have a cuppa at our houses.
I walk places (eg, will walk up to the High Street to pick something up, or walk to meet a friend) rather than driving everywhere.
I've been to stay with old friends for a couple of nights, more than once (different friends).
I have the energy to go to the theatre more, and to watch sport.
I am trying to start decluttering, both physical stuff from our house, and 'life admin' type stuff --though am not very good at disciplining myself to do that).
I volunteer a bit more than I was doing, though am not committing myself to too much just yet.

All in all I am SO much fitter and healthier than I was before retiring.

It sounds really good all of the different things you are doing. My mind is made up to finish next summer I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’ll have less spending money but I intend to use some of my lump sum and maybe do the odd day here and there. I’m finishing for health reasons I dropped to 3 days a couple of years ago but find that it impacts on the weekends as my body is aching so much.

We've just had our annual Pirate Festival here in Whitby :-)

I'm 64, retired at the end of March.
After a lifetime in childcare, then setting up a small cleaning business I was physically exhausted

So I'm just enjoying taking it easy. I started a jigsaw yesterday that my daughter bought me last Christmas.
Strangely, I enjoy keeping my home clean and tidy + gardening so always plenty to do .
Love decluttering

I'm certainly not missing being around other people.
Keep thinking I'll join pilates or book club over the winter (or maybe not)

I’m in a choir and yoga once a week, also try to swim twice a week. Apart from that I meet up with friends, read and do online courses.. there’s loads to do!

I’m in a choir and yoga once a week, also try to swim twice a week. Apart from that I meet up with friends, read and do online courses.. there’s loads to do!

I love declutterring @ByLemonFish I read a book about the Swedish Art of Death Cleaning and thought that makes so much sense. Kids left home after university but we still had all the trappings of a house full of teenagers😂

Over the summer I overhauled my wardrobe. I got rid of old work clothes and stuff that I was never wear again to charity shops and clothes recycling. Did the same with bed linen, towels and shoes.

Next was the kitchen. We had 40 mugs which was a bit much given there’s only two of us in the house now. I kept 15. I reduced the plastic container to a fifth and rehomed it to a smaller drawer.

Currently working through my 30 year old son’s room with his permission. He doesn’t want his school books anymore so a couple of paper recycling bins got filled, reading books went to local station reading room or shared library or charity shops. DS moved out after university. The only things he wants me to keep are his game boy set, his chess stuff, Lego sets, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. He isn’t bothered with keeping ‘old’ engineering textbooks, rugby balls and sports boots etc.

Decluttering is definitely a rainy day activity now.

I wish I loved decluttering.
I really need to do it, but, unless someone stands over me, I really, really struggle to start. Or, if I start, to then get the stuff I am happy to get rid of out of the house.

When I had my cleaning business I often thought about offering a decluttering service but worried I would be a bit too ruthless 😅

@ThisRoseHiker Would you mind sharing details of your art history course? I'd like to do something like that. Feel free to PM me if you prefer not to share publicly.

Absolutely tipping down with rain now so just settling down to attempt the charity shop jigsaw puzzle I purchased earlier this week. Flapjacks baking.

Feeling very relaxed. Definitely getting used to retirement ☕️

I have been retired for 5 years, DH has been sort of retired for a year so I had 4 years doing my own thing, I was 54 when I retired. I have 3 voluntary jobs, one is cooking and the other 2 are working in charity shops. I also had a year of doing U3a which I did enjoy but didn’t renew as DH was then about. I tried 4 different walking groups and have stuck to one, I do Pilates classes. I tried yoga but they were a bit overly enthusiastic so didn’t renew after my 3 month period ended. I did an art class for a few months, enjoyed but not enough to carry on attending as was a big round trip. I took belly dancing classes, have done about 4 years in total in my life but messed my backup in an accident last year so dropped them. Was also in a choir for a year but I’m not interested in performing and they do a lot and there was some pressure to do so, so I left.

My indoor hobbies are reading, video games and sewing by hand, I have a machine but I just prefer hand sewing though it takes ages. I just made DS a hand sewn waistcoat for Halloween it probably took around 12 hours of hand stitching plus making the pattern.

We bought a Motorhome so have been away for 6 weeks over the summer.