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.

@ViciousCurrentBun friends of ours bought a motorhome a couple of years ago and are always off somewhere. DH is considering one when he retires so we can have lots of mini breaks. Just had a lovely few days with friends in Warwick and would love to explore more of GB now we have the time.

I think it’s great that you have tried out lots of different things.

I am going to make biscuits today which is something I last did at school including savoury cheese biscuits (Delia) and shortbread (Mary Berry).

I class myself as semi-retired, 18 months ago I left FT corporate life after 35 years. I was lucky to find a stress-free PT job in retail, doing around 16 hours per week. I’m mid 50’s & plan to do this until I’m ready to retire, but not beyond 60. It feels like a perfect balance & will ease me in to being fully retired. We have a little camper van & disappear for a few days at a time. I have more time to see family, be around to help my mum, lunch & days out with friends, etc. I need to fit regular exercise in somewhere but at the moment my job keeps me active. I’m so much happier with a job I can switch off from & most of the week is my own. I do need to de-clutter the house (especially the loft), I planned on doing a little each week but that’s not started yet.

An elderly friend was in hospital. He messaged asking would I help clean his house. My husband and I went on Saturday, another lady was there making a start. It's going to be a long job.
Going to do couple of hours a day. Until we get on top of things. That will keep me busy for a few weeks lol

I look after my grandchildren 3 days a week, do strength training 3 x a week plus lots of aerobic exercise. I'm relearning my French and Spanish.

Just spotted this thread!
Congratulations on retiring from teaching @RetirementTimes - I just fully retired in the summer (had dropped to part time) and I LOVE it!
I go to the gym and classes a lot, meet up with friends, go walking, cinema, art galleries, theatre, etc. I have also started a pottery class which is brilliant and I like doing other crafts too. Plus free travel in london - what’s not to like?!

We've been retired for a while. We moved to a new area to be nearer our daughter and grandchildren (at her request), and up until a couple of years ago looked after our grandchild two days a week which was great fun. I see my daughter with her baby at least once a week, garden, read, go out for coffee and enjoy seeing friends occasionally. My garden is still developing and I would say that is definitely my main hobby. I grow lots of my own plants and propagate from cuttings. Very absorbing and fulfilling. I enjoy doing my own thing after a lifetime of working.

I'm gone 11 years now and still "only" in my late 60s. I love it and I don't do all that much either. I suppose there are some who don't "need" to be gallivanting around and DOING things every day, like me - happy to potter and enjoy being on my own. The peace, the quiet, the freedom of it is great!

I do travel a bit. Some with himself and others on my own. Doing it while I'm still able to. My interest is in Greek and Roman civilisation so my solo travel is to Greece, Rome, Sicily, France, anywhere I can find a Greek or Roman site TBH. Next up is Paestum on the Amalfi coast with obviously Pompeii and Herculaneum thrown in! I enjoy reading up and refreshing my memory about these places and spend a while on You Tube visualising myself there.

I'm just back from Rome, but I stayed in Ostia on the coast and took the train in to the city. That was fantastic and the ancient Roman site of Ostia Antica was just down the road. Win win!

Walking is my exercise, and I prefer to do that with just one other person, I couldn't do group walks, as there are too many variations in ability and as I'm 80% deaf I cannot follow convos.

Other than that it's bloody marvellous!

I retired from teaching 3 years ago with the intention of doing some supply work. By the October holidays I knew I never wanted to set foot in a classroom again and got rid of all my teaching stuff.

I meet up with friends for coffee and lunches. I'm not a very sociable person so the idea of joining groups doesn't appeal to me. Tbh I don't do a lot, just relaxing at home and pottering around.

My sister is in every group and committee in her village and says I'm boring because I won't do the same and should be doing something for the community.
Each to their own.

I'm decluttering (a bit) and getting some building work done on the house, redecorating, etc. I now have time to rewatch my folk horror collection, and read and read and read! Bursts of gardening, cooking, dyeing, etc.
I also volunteer in the community village shop, am in a drumming group and I am a Registrar, conducting and registering marriages.
There are a lot of pagan events and activities that I help plan and carry out, both locally and nationally, and I also write rituals, chants and give the occasional talk.
I go away in my van to festivals, etc and my friend and I lurk in tea shops, like proper old ladies.
I always thought that after retiring from social work I might volunteer as an Independent Visitor or lecture a bit, but when it came to it…I didn't want to.
I would like to be in a local choir but I'm not sure I would like the music as I don't enjoy musicals or most pop

I retired fully 9 years ago. My health has gone downhill but I'm still trying to keep active. Today I went to the gym as the local council are giving two months free leisure membership to over 65s.
I've recently signed up as a patient representative for the local NHS cancer alliance. The jury's out as to whether I think it's worthwhile yet. Lots of team meetings so far.

I've also started line dancing which I love but rheumatoid arthritis means I can't always manage it. Plus a sewing group which is quite social, not as cliquy as some others I've tried.

That sounds lovely! I’m not retired yet but my mum is, and she says it took her a good year to stop feeling like she should be “doing something productive” all the time. She’s really into pottery now — completely obsessed, actually. Says it’s the first time in decades she’s done something just for herself. Crochet sounds like a really nice way to unwind too!

I have retired but I still have kids at home, and a grandchild, so I look after them a bit, plus elderly parents with dementia so quite a lot of ppl to be caring for, and an old house to constantly sort, usual zumba gold, walks etc to keep me OK fitness wise, But mainly, I travel, every opportunity, with whoever will go with me, the odder the place, the more I am into it. Always on the cheap DIY version of travel. I could easily just book something more comfortable and fitting for my age, and price bracket, but no. Actually prefer adversity, x

I got a dog! I walk her twice a day and I have made loads of new friends. We go out, rain or shine and I love being outside. I especially enjoy the changing seasons. I’m really enjoying autumn this year.

I think that’s spot on @CareerJuggler its about having the time to do something for myself.

Today I am going to walk to the supermarket to pick up ingredients to make some cheese biscuits. I am trying a Delia, a Mary Berry and a GBBO one. Trying to find a good one for festive drinks instead of just buying ready made ones.

@Garamousalata I agree I have really appreciated the autumn colours this year. Spring blossom was also lovely and I had a few favourite trees on my walks. Again it is about having the time to enjoy stuff.

@Giggorata I love a declutter. I read the Swedish Art of Death Cleansing and a Maria Kondo book so I am gradually working my way through the house slowly. Yesterday my target was umbrellas. How many umbrellas does a household actually need? And how many broken ones?😂 I have reduced my wardrobe by half over the year thanks to Vinted, charity shops and recycling.

Right now, I’m sitting on a hotel balcony in the Spanish sunshine.

Back home I fill my time with a few online courses, learning Spanish through an in-person course, walking the dog, a few puzzles, jigsaws, colouring, and a lot of reading. I did learn crocheting but didn’t keep it up and think I’ve forgotten again. Need to take up some additional exercise.

Now reviving my old French using Duolingo and will book onto a French conversation course starting in January. I am amazed at how much I can remember.

I’m coming up for 61 in December and will be retiring in August 2026. Began teaching in 1986, became a Headteacher in 2007 - onto my second school as a HT and after what will be 19 years in that role I am ready to go!

I have a three week holiday booked in September, plan to do so more travelling, catching up with friends and family, day trips/short breaks. I am also a property developer which is a hobby of ours so plan to devote more time to that. We already have a number of rental properties that we own and manage.

Some fellow HT’s who have retired have had a couple of years off and gone back to work part time, not that they need the money but just to keep active and not feel isolated and lonely.

I'm really struggling if I'm honest. I retired early a few months ago after working as a HCP in the NHS since 1988. The last couple of years have seen me totally burnout.
I think I've been so focussed on work and raising a family for the last 37 years that I've lost sight of myself as a person 😳. I don't remember what hobbies I used to enjoy, I've started some knitting, and walking with DH, but I think it's going to take me a while to let the adrenaline and cortisone work it's way out of my system.
It's lovely reading posters stories on here, it brings me hope that in another few months I might be chilled out enough to enjoy my days for what they are and not for what I've "achieved". As it is, I'm still waking up at night, worried about patient outcomes, about junior staff that I was mentoring, about budgets and inspections.

I'm not officially retired (yet), but what you wrote really resonated with me. I left the NHS nearly 10 years ago after being off sick for a long time. I only work very part time now because of poor health, but I was so used to working at 100 miles an hour, it took a surprisingly long time to learn to go at a slower pace, and to stop feeling like I wasn't doing enough.

My physical health is too poor for travel and sports, but I do some quilting and a little bit of gardening. I started feeding the birds and learning to identify them from their songs. I also took up playing piano which I had never ever done before. I had to start with children's books from the charity shop. I still can't read music very well but I can do fairly complex tunes now, and it has been great for mindfulness.

Give yourself some time, your nerves will settle down after a while, don't worry! Enjoy the peace for a while 😊

Glorious glorious retirement!
I’ve packed quite a lot into the three and a half years since I last did a stroke of work, not all of it nice …
I had a major operation the first year of retirement so that took some recovering from (all fine now).
I got divorced after thirty plus years of marriage which was an awful process but I’m so much happier (as is he).
I had my first novel published.
Like lots of PPs, I’m much fitter than when I was working. I do yoga and play tennis and netball, plus two hours dog walking a day.
Ive met somebody new, and we like exploring new places so have been doing a combination of city breaks and longer holidays.
The next ten years or so will mostly be spent decorating, I think.

It is tough. I was fretting about exam results even though I had left. I think it took a good few months to move on and honestly no one is truly irreplaceable and organisations move on without us.

It takes time to get into the swing of retirement. Try different things. It’s doesn’t matter if you then do like it because you can then try other things. There maybe a local knit and natter group you could go to occasionally- nobody cares if you are the oldest or the youngest or the best or worst at something.

At the moment just enjoy that you don’t have to set the alarm and fight with rush hour traffic.

You have certainly had a turbulent start to your retirement! Here’s to you enjoying the rest of it 🍾🥂🥂 with new adventures.

Fantastic that you have published a book as well

We have a Yamaha keyboard that our adult children used to play when they were young. DH plays. I could put it on the list of things to have a go at.

Right, inspired by you lovely ladies, I'm getting myself moving today and I'm going to make the most of this blessed time I've been given. Today I'm planning to pick up a few metal brooches from the RSPB shop and I'm going to have a go at making some Christmas crackers with them tucked inside.

Fantastic! It’s all about having a go. If it works that great, if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t matter, just enjoy and have fun.