Slightly less retired

After all the hoohah I've made about how much I've enjoyed being retired over the last year, I must confess that a part time job has fallen into my lap. A couple of half days a week at a local optometrist (5 minute walk from home) shouldn't put too much of a dent in my leisure time. I'll see how it goes. This week I was needed for two full days though, and today was my first full day's work since retiring last year. I was able to come home for lunch - nice!

The Man Who Cooks was working from home today, also supervising the final step of our 40 year old pool's renovation. It has been empty for weeks, waiting for weather to co-operate. Last week it was too windy, blowing stuff into the pool that would have ruined the new surface before it got a chance to harden. Today was also windy but not as much, and apparently the garden beds are covered in tarps to stop the stuff from blowing around. I don't dare look.

My retirement hair

Jelly left a comment on my last post concerning one of my photos: Val, have you gone blonde?! Or is it just the lighting? Whatever the case, you are looking gorgeous, too!).

For a while I've been thinking about posting about my hair (boy, what a vanity topic). Since I retired - oh wonderful state of being - I thought it would be a good time to see what my hair really looks like, after having had it tinted or colored since the 70s. The last time I had it tinted was just before we went to San Francisco in October last year. So what you see is my natural hair color and I have been getting all sorts of comments, such as Have you had tips/highlights put in?. Even my son gave me an unsolicited compliment. I'm laughing: saving time and money, and getting compliments too.

The only downside is that I don't get to sit at the hairdressers, reading magazines and copying down recipes, and more importantly, enjoying the vibe of a very convivial salon run by a husband and wife. They don't have music playing, and there are always interesting conversations to listen to and/or participate in. I don't know about you, but I have always loved being at the hairdressers.

As for looking gorgeous, well, I might put that down to being so damned happy and relaxed, that my happiness vibes are blinding people. Can you believe that I finished working in June and the joy STILL hasn't worn off? Has anyone ever taken such glee in retirement before?

Great weekend!

Saturday night my beloved Carlton Blues football team won - great way to start the pre-season, and there was a real excitement amongst the fans.

Today I attended a workshop learning how to do lino prints so I can decorate some of my books. I am mightily pleased with myself because I actually created something that looks like what I meant it to. Ever since primary school (a long time ago, folks,) I regarded myself as having not one bit of skill in producing any kind of art or craft. I can still remember my art teacher in Year 7, the last year I was required to do art, looking at my work and sadly shaking his head. Since starting on bookbinding, I've developed a little confidence in being able to make nice looking books. Today I was required to come up with a small design for a first practice piece. Help! But I thought I'd do something really simple and fun (remember my motto), and I did this:

On the left is the inked up piece of lino, which I drew myself (I said the design had to be simple). And on the right is the print, with a bit of color added. Hopefully I don't have to tell you what it is.




This is my second, larger print, the original is beneath.


For the final piece, the tram was traced onto a piece of foam, but this is not very robust and may not be worth doing again. Although the Man Who Cooks (and also Has Good Ideas) said I could glue it onto a piece of wood to make it last longer.




















The next great thing was meeting a blogger buddy Sharon at the workshop; this was the first time I've met a blogger buddy face to face. We're going to get together for coffee near a local craft shop. We've had our blogs through which we have communicated, now we've attended a workshop together and can share ideas on that. I've seen and admired Sharon's seahorse on her blog, a theme she used today in class. It turned out beautifully. Hopefully she'll post a photo of it too.

Finally, tomorrow is the first day of the academic year, with hundreds of new students pouring through the library, and guess who is NOT going to be there: me! because...














I...










am...













retired!

So, now I'm on the new Blogger...

...and I didn't have a choice! When I went to do a post (because Peter made me feel guilty about not having a new post when he visited today - thanks Peter!), I was FORCED to switch to the new Blogger NOW!

Ok, so it really only took less than a minute (gee, what does that say about my blog?), but I wasn't ready. What if something weird happens, and of course I've never made a copy of my blog on a cd. Ok, so I've had a peek and it still looks the same, the blog AND this post form. One thing is different though, and that is I can now apply labels.

Great, just when I was thinking I'm not posting because I'm not sure people would be interested, and then I'm prompted to put in labels! However, that activity is very related to a librarian's work, so I suppose I'll get used to it, despite being retired. Oh, did I mention that I'm retired? heh heh

Well, here goes. I'll press the publish button and see what happens...

Trying to catch up!

I've been reading some blogs and commenting here and there, and figured it's time for an update from me. Plenty has been happening, and that's the thing, where does one start?

First I should report that Techie Son is having the time of his life, meeting all sorts of people from all over the world (he IS living in International House, after all), and one of his goals is to learn a few words of each language he comes into contact with. A very admirable goal! And thanks to those of you who have left comments and sent emails sharing their experiences with children who have left home.

Last week at this time I was on the first of my planned train/tram journeys, as one of my retirement goals. I will be keeping a journal of these travels, and the Man Who Cooks helped me think of an unusual name for it, The Flanged Wheel Journeys.



A definition of a flanged wheel can be found in Wikipedia, with photo here and I can use it for both trains and trams.









Those who know me would not be surprised that I chose Castlemaine, in Central Victoria, as my first destination. I arrived about 11 a.m. and spent 5 hours just enjoying the daily midweek life of my favorite country town. I spent nearly 2 hours in the library (of course!), and borrowed some origami books I hadn't seen before.





The 19th century Mechanics Institute which houses the Castlemaine Library.









Had a lovely lunch and spent some time in a public meditation garden that a local church has provided. It is on a hill near the railway station, and caught a gentle breeze.



The Castlemaine Railway Station, a panorama shot taken with my new camera. I can't even see where the stitching is, the camera would have done that!



And the best part of the day? Sitting in the train, looking out the window and gawking.

A summing up of 2006, holiday greetings etc

Yes, I know, some of you thought I was lost to blogging forever, and it is very possible that I will not return to the level of commitment I had before I left for my 6 week holiday in the U.S. But I do not want to cut my ties totally with the wonderful world of blogging, and especially not lose contact with my blogger buddies. I have been checking up on your blogs and note that I am not the only one who is losing momentum at this time of year.

But what a year it's been! From the time I decided to retire in March, then finishing work in June to start taking 6 months of accumulated leave, to now when I am only days away from official retirement (have already received my final pay cheque - gulp!), it has been a steady diet of exhilaration. I just love being retired, and couldn't have chosen a better time to do it. I was SO ready for a life with fewer demands on my time, and a comparison of my 2006 and 2007 diaries illustrates this well.

The one on the left is your heavy duty A4 size diary, with every workday divided up into half hour timeslots, one week per view. On the right is my handmade diary for next year, small, light and soft to the touch, with lovely beads as decoration, and it's 2 months per view. Click to enlarge and see the lovely texture on the handmade paper.












If you look carefully you can see the footy games already pencilled in for June and July.











My U.S. holiday was one highlight of my new life this year, but another, totally unexpected highlight was that I was recently awarded the Chancellor's Medal for my "outstanding contributions to the University"! I had to read the letter a number of times before I could comprehend. A formal presentation will be made next year, and there will be photos (promises, promises). What a way to finish a career, doing something I loved doing, and then being so honoured by the academics who were such a joy to work with.

So a summing up of my 2006 would have to be a very positive one, without forgetting that I have been extremely fortunate in many ways: good health, a wonderful husband and family, and a network of friends around blogger world. And also not forgetting that there are many who have not been so fortunate, for whom I wish a 1000% better 2007. And to everyone, I wish you a very happy holiday season and a fulfilling new year.

A day in the life...

...of a retiree. Today was one of those days that, pre-retirement, I had imagined would be typical of a retiree's day, but it's taken 2 months to occur.

First of all, I actually had the house to myself for a few hours. What with hubby often working from home and our sons sometimes home too, this has occurred far too seldom for my liking! I worked on my books, stopped for a cup of tea, sat in a sunny spot looking out at the garden, did some chores, had some lunch, then read a bit.

Later in the afternoon I walked down to the local shops, a pleasant 5 minute walk, and was overwhelmed by the aroma of spring flowers in the neighborhood. On my way back I passed the cafe that always looked so inviting but hadn't stopped in before. I had often envisaged myself, after retirement, sitting there on a sunny day, having a coffee and cake, not a care in the world. Today was the day for that! I ordered an ice coffee and a most delicious orange friand, and sat at a table in the sun, reading the newspaper. I was just me, not anyone's wife or mother, just for part of an hour. It was a nice break. I took advantage of the moment.

Yes, I am very much enjoying my retirement.

A special Monday

Yesterday was a very special Monday for me, as I kept exclaiming to the Man Who Cooks as we drove around Castlemaine and environs. Why was it special? Because it was the first time in about 15 years that I did not have to work on the first day of the semester. The first weeks of each semester are always a very busy time and no one is allowed to take time off then. I no longer have these constraints. After about the third or fourth time of mentioning this gleefully, the MWC said I was not allowed to do this type of celebration again, but then I reminded him that really, the beginning of the FIRST semester is even busier and more frantic, and that I will be celebrating in March even more. He has conceded this, probably knowing that he has no say in the matter.

Thanks to those of you who wished me a happy mini holiday - it probably sounded grander than it was meant to be, but one shouldn't take these things for granted. We had a lovely time up there which, however, could have been diasterous. We were about 40 minutes from home when I asked the MWC if he'd packed the doona (he's in charge of packing the car, you see). Now, as Lee-Ann from Pear Tree Cottage mentioned recently (I thought of you as we passed Kyneton on the highway, Lee-Ann!), it has been mighty cold up in Central Victoria (mighty cold in Melbourne too, but at least there's the central heating). Turns out the MWC had the packing list, but once he'd ticked off all the food, he didn't bother with the rest of the list! Doona was written quite clearly just under the food items. (Just thought I'd point that out.) We weren't going to drive all the way back for it, but fortunately we keep in the shed 4 sleeping bags, and 2 army type blankets from MIL that are very effective. And so they were. We were plenty warm, even though it was cold enough that ice had formed on water in our tea mugs.

P.S. For non-Aussies, doonas are quilts, usually filled with goosedown.

Time and the seasons

Can it be that after only a couple of weeks of retirement I often lose track of the day of the week? The time of day also does not seem so important, certainly I don't have to rush in the morning. I do have my 4 aerobics classes a week, so that gives the week a nice structure.

What about the seasons, and here I don't mean the summer etc variety. Working in the education sector, the year is already divided up for you into semesters and various breaks in between. You get into the rhythm of the year depending on what point the academic year has reached. Will something else come along to replace that? Is it necessary? I do feel my working years went by quickly because there were so many markers throughout the year. If only retirement would mean a slowing in the passage of years, but somehow I don't think that will be.

My main motto is: Try to have some fun every day.

Della's retirement perspective

Here's someone else's take on retirement. Della has a Turning Sixty website, with the subtitle "To everything there is a season". How true that is. It takes self-knowledge to identify that you've entered a new season, what will suit it, and the courage to go with it. A site like Della's addresses a number of issues relevant to people of a certain age (to paraphrase a Tina Turner lyric, and now THERE'S a role model!) and makes for good reading. There are also some forums to participate in. How wonderful that the advent of blogging, and the internet in general, enables us to get together in cyberspace and share ideas and experiences.

First week - flew by!

I know it's too soon to start comparing perception of the passage of time pre- and post-retirement, but I can say that this week flew by just as quickly as all the weeks seemed to during my working life. I have been busy, and can see that I'll still have need of a diary, although from next year I won't be buying a large one, two pages to a week, with a space for each half hour of the day. No, those days are definitely behind me.

New days ahead though. This morning I went to my first Friday morning aerobics class since I was on holiday in February. I've got my aerobics week all worked out which will allow me to do the four classes I want to do, rather than the ones that I can fit around a work schedule. That also means that I don't have to do ones just because I'm free then. There are some classes where I get so annoyed because the instructor forgets the sequence she's been teaching us. I mean, c'mon! Last time I went to that class and that happened, another student and I simultaneously yelled out the step - heh heh, felt good!

Weekend in Castlemaine

After picking up the MWC at the airport we drove up to Castlemaine. Settled into our upstairs room in the heritage listed Campbell Street Motor Lodge (built in 1886). It's a family run place, welcoming and comfy, one that I'd feel perfectly at ease to stay in by myself. And I may do that too this winter - take the train up, wouldn't need a car, everything of importance within walking distance: restaurants and cafes, the Restorers Barn for browsing an odd collection of secondhand stuff, a number of art galleries, and of course the library. Yes, I will do that!
A bit of indulgence: reading in bed in the morning.













On Saturday evening we ate at Edda's, a small restaurant in what was once a mortuary, built in the art deco style. Yesterday we did a two hour walk on Mt. Alexander, found the track that we had missed the last time we walked on the mountain, worked up an appetite and later had dinner at Saff's, which is also the place to go for coffee and VERY GENEROUS portions of cake. Spent an hour in the library this morning before leaving town. On the way home we made sure we were passing Malmsbury at lunchtime so we could have one of the superb steak and kidney pies you can get at the bakery there. Today the pastry was exceptionally good, you could taste the butter, and it was still flaky. Is food important to us? Oh yes. A nearly 35 year marriage has been built and nurtured on food.

Oh, and today was the first weekday of my retirement!















There's the marker we missed last time when hiking on Mt. Alexander.


End of the walk, the car is just around the bend.

The aftermath

My last desk shift, closing up the library yesterday at 6 p.m., done that how many times before? Yesterday of course there HAD to be a hiccup. The main doors couldn't be secured due to some repair work being done but not completed. Meanwhile I had all this stuff to carry out to the car. Fortunately Phine and Jenny were there to help, but it was a half hour before we could finally make our way out to the car park. This was to be the much anticipated last "walk and talk" Phine and I have enjoyed over the years, and it was overshadowed by the Famous Door Disaster of 2006. Rather an anti climax. And then there was another loss at the footy...

However, not one to dwell on the negatives, today is another day, the first day of my retirement! I'll be picking up The Man Who Cooks at the airport, and then driving up to Castlemaine for the weekend. Coming back on Monday, don't have to go to work! I insisted on staying at the comfy and reliable Campbell Street Motor Lodge in Castlemaine rather than on our bush block - it's too damn cold!

















A glorious bouquet, and me wearing the Iron Chef apron that arrived just in time for my last day. The gifts and celebrations just kept on coming! In addition to some well chosen wines, I also received a very generous gift certificate for the exquisite paper shop Zetta Florence, which will be very handy for my bookbinding and photo album projects. Thanks, everyone!

Life in Retirement (thanks again, Jude!)

Jude has been following my blog, particularly what I've been writing on retirement. Today she published a lovely post for me, and I like it so much that I want to encourage you all to read it too - just follow the link above.

It will be very interesting to compare my experiences as they unfold with that of others. And you know what? That is really made easier by blogging, as we can connect so quickly with people in similar situations. Blogging will definitely continue to figure large in my retirement activities.

I love this clock that one of Jude's children gave her. It says "Who cares, I'm retired" Excellent attitude towards time. Click on it to see more detail.

Last minute doubts? No way!

Over the past few months I've wondered whether I'd wake up some nights in a cold sweat, remembering my decision to retire, thinking "What have I done?" On the contrary, almost every day brings me new confirmation that I am ready for this change, and that my timing is excellent. Apart from a desire to get onto other things and in my own timeframe (and don't I LOVE the first Q.&A. in my previous post: The retiree's week? 6 Saturdays and 1 Sunday), I am feeling more keenly being cooped up in a small workspace, where due to an open floorplan with high sided dividing panels I am simultaneously cut off from colleagues yet still do not have a quiet space. And then there's the issue of no access to windows - as I sit here in my study at home, looking out onto the garden, being able to see the sky, I will really appreciate being able to do that, day after day, and going outside into the day, into the garden.

And the public workspace is getting noisier : mobile phones, laptops booting up with the sound on, large groups of students speaking loudly (yes, I am talking about a library). Mooted changes to that workspace in the coming months do not bode well for improvement, and reinforce my choice of retirement date as well-timed. I'm outta here! (well, in a week's time anyway).

I know there will be adjustments to lifestyle to be made, but that will be dealt with just as motherhood was dealt with, and still dealing with. That doesn't stop, does it! I've appreciated the comments and emails I've received from people on the topic of retirement. Thanks! I am looking forward to sharing this stage of my life with not only people I see, but also with what I call my blogger buddies. Some of you have embarked on retirement already, and it's good to exchange experiences.

Q. and A. for Retirees (Thanks, Jude!)

Jude left this in a comment but I thought it was too good to hide away.

Q. and A. for Retirees:

Question: How many days in a week?
Answer: 6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday

Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?
Answer: Three hours after s/he falls asleep on the couch.

Question: How many retirees to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but it might take all day.

Question: What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
Answer: There is not enough time to get everything done.

Question: Why don't retirees mind being called Seniors?
Answer: The term comes with a 10% percent discount.

Question: Among retirees what is considered formal attire?
Answer: Tied shoes.

Question: Why do retirees count pennies?
Answer: They are the only ones who have the time.

Question: What is the common term for someone who enjoys work and refuses to retire?
Answer: NUTS!

Question: Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic or garage?
Answer: They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

Question: What do retirees call a long lunch?
Answer: Normal.

Question: What is the best way to describe retirement?
Answers: The Never-ending Coffee Break.

Question: What's the biggest advantage of going back to school as a retiree?
Answer: If you cut classes, no one calls your parents.

Missing in action

One whole week since I've posted, where has the time gone? And will it go this fast when I retire?

As I approach the big day (see my little train chugging towards its destination), I am asked by all and sundry what I'll be doing. I have a growing list of things I want to do in addition to gawking from trains and trams, and think I will have to keep track of them in a book, a handmade book of course! In fact, making my own books is high on my list, having done that weekend course in oriental bookbinding in April and now wanting to get stuck into it. Some of my time has been spent constructing books for Mom for Mother's Day, a book of recipes for friends who invited us to dinner and for a friend for her birthday, plus practising the various construction techniques. But I've had to sandwich that around my work days. It will be so much better to have a whole day to cover the kitchen bench with papers and tools and spend as much time as I like on this new hobby of mine.

My first week of retirement is actually rather activity-filled: we'll be coming back from the country on the Monday, for the Tuesday I've registered for a one day workshop on coptic binding (the photo at left is an example I found on the web), Wednesday we'll be going to the ballet, and Thursday I'll be having pizza with the Popes, Phine and her sister Ange that is. My aerobics schedule is already mapped out: 9.15 aerobics classes four mornings a week. Looks like I'll still have to keep some sort of diary going!

Of course, there will be time to be at leisure (am I being too optimistic?), and I will be able to sit and read a book in the middle of the day when I feel like it. Had a good dose of that on Wednesday, my day off: sat in an easy chair bathed in brilliant winter sun coming in the north facing window overlooking the garden. Read and read and read. Had the house to myself. It was quiet. I was in heaven.

Public transport for spills and thrills

Just as I announce what I thought was a unique way to enjoy some of my leisure time in retirement, in today 's edition of The Age newspaper Kate Holden writes about her adventures and misadventures on London buses (sounds frightening). But she also talks about doing serendipity bus trips in South East Asia:

A friend and I used to play "adventuring" on Saturday afternoons when we lived in South-East Asia. Take a couple of coins for buying tickets, hurl yourself on the next bus that comes along, then the next, and see how far you can get in an afternoon. No distracting fixation on destination, no worries about getting home (taxis were cheap).

All around town we would scoot in a kind of peaceful trance, watching the city through dusty windows. Past financial centres, dusty street markets, suburban housing estates, historic monuments, over bridges and down back lanes. Sometimes dull and sometimes enthralling, these erratic peregrinations took us to places no tourist would ever see.

It seems that attaining the sublime confidence of the regular passenger is a matter of either strict planning, grim experience, or simply going along for the ride. It doesn't do to be too fixated on destination. Public transport is, like love and life, about not only anticipation, but surprise.

Ah, someone after my own heart. Read the whole article here (but I'm not sure how long they'll allow free access).

And just to finish off what has become a transport theme this week, there is currently the Public Transport Challenge being staged in Melbourne. It is an orienteering event for teams of high school students using trains, trams and buses to reach destinations quickly and efficiently, and gathering points which will determine the winning team. Sounds like fun!

Announcing - ta dah! - my retirement!

You may have noticed my new countdown banner near the top of the screen. Yes, after 30 years as a librarian, more than half of those years at La Trobe University Library, I am going to start on my next big adventure, retirement. There are a number of things I'd like to do, not the least of which is spending more time on bookbinding, getting 3 decades of photos in order, scrapbooking. They dovetail nicely, don't they?

And the graphic for my countdown banner was also chosen to reflect one of my more frivolous plans for spending my leisure time, and that is to gradually explore all the train and tram routes in Melbourne, right to the very end of the line. Armed with my $3 all-day seniors card travel ticket covering the entire metropolitan system, I will be able to sit in the comfort (!) of Melbourne's various modes of rail transport, gawking out the window, peering into people's back gardens, doing vicarious window shopping, and probably coming across a number of odd people, including those who think it's fun to sit on a tram or train gawking out the window.

Shown here are the rail lines radiating out from the city.

I've always been a fan of rail travel, starting from when I was a kid living on Long Island. A trip to New York City was so exciting: you'd start out on the Long Island Railroad, but approaching the city the train would then go underground, to become the wonderfully spooky subway.





Trams have always been an interest too, as I wrote about in another post.

Here's a map of the Melbourne tram system.

This project may take me some time, and of course I'll need to take photos and write about my adventures.

Practising for retirement

Melbourne's new shuttle ferry on the Yarra.

Mel has some time off now, and as today is normally my day off anyway, we went into the city and played at being retired, for when that happens (not this year). Took the tram to Federation Square, had an icy cold pilsner, and then boarded the new shuttle ferry which takes a leisurely 40 minutes along the river to go from Fed Square to New Quay, with various stops in between. Lunch at New Quay, a look at the whale-saving ship the Farley Mowat of the Sea Shepherd Organization which was docked there, and then a tram back to Federation Square for an ice cream, ending with a walk through the Fitzroy Gardens before heading home.



It was interesting to be at leisure on a working day in a bustling city, to see people (younger people) dressed in their business suits and corporate get up (high heels with pointy toes, for cryin' out loud!), while we were comfortably dressed for the warm weather, and strolled or rode public transport from place to place. The other thing to notice was that we were only one of many couples of similar age who were enjoying their leisure time, and it was lovely to observe the warmth between them, and the obvious ease they felt being in each others' company. This is something to treasure, and I am lucky to have found my soulmate too. Yep, I can see us spending lots of these days of leisure in retirement, there's still plenty to do to keep busy and to learn, even about the city we've been living in for all these decades.