1301

Over 1300 days of retirement as of today - how bloody marvellous! I appreciate more than I can say the freedom that retirement provides. Instead of spending the weekend racing around in preparing for the next week every day is Saturday! Don't worry; if you're not there yet you will be eventually.

Little ghosties

I spent Saturday walking and taking photos in Kilally Meadows - the sun was shining and the ice was glistening and melting. And then I met a friend coming from the other direction who I haven't seen in months! That was pretty cool so we headed to Tim Horton's to catch up.

What big teeth you have!

Other highlights of the day included my daily yoga practise and visiting with my daughter (SHE AND HER BOYFRIEND ARE LOOKING AT HOUSES!!!!) So we sat with my laptop looking at what's for sale and there isn't much. It's a seller's market right now and it isn't going to be easy finding something affordable. In London Ontario anything under $300,000 is an old wreck or a condo - not a single detached house with a yard. They will have to make some compromises. But STILL! That's a huge step! Am I a bad mother because I started to think of the extra savings in my budget? 😆  I just hope there's an extra bedroom for me!!

All kidding aside, I hope they can find a place they're happy with and I'll be first in line to slap some paint on the walls! Fortunately there's no urgency so they can take their time looking. Holy moly it's FOGGY outside! Mother Nature is digging deep into her bag of tricks this winter! My heating bill is going to be a big one this month after several weeks of -25c so I don't mind the current thaw.

Oh, before I go, I wanted to remind you to "check your spam" once in awhile. I did yesterday looking for something I had deleted and found half a dozen of your comments in my spam folder. I was quite surprised and changed them to "not spam". 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

What Day is it?

I've gotten to the point in my retirement when I wake up in the morning with no clue as to what day of the week it is! Once I'm dressed (in exercise gear) I head down to get the newspaper out of my mailbox challenging myself to figure out what day it is before I peak at the newspaper. It is a really strange feeling and even once I confirm that today is Monday it still doesn't feel any different than yesterday, which of course was Sunday.

My former desk in my former classroom!

I remember when I was working starting to feel depressed on Sunday nights as it was "back to work" the next day. Then once Wednesday was over it was all downhill from there. And the piece de resistance - FRIDAY - was just the most fantastic day ever! Now nothing much changes from day to day. I have pretty much the same routine no matter what day it is - read paper, drink coffee, eat breakfast, read blog posts, journal, ride stationary bike and read, housework, lunch, go for 5km walk (or 10km if it is nice enough to go to the forest), do errands, work outside/inside on various projects, put supper on, read, eat, watch TV and work on laptop (genealogical research, trip planning), go to bed and read or listen to an audiobook whilst sipping my wee dram.

It's a good life.

I've come to the conclusion that I am an adventuress. Sam over at Sam, Money, Coffee and Thyme mentioned me and my travel adventures in her post today and is looking forward to my trip to Scotland later this year. It makes me happy to think others take pleasure in my trips and I hope that when you get as old as I am that you'll go to all of those places you've dreamed about. When I was a young student my favourite lessons were about the Explorers - Sir Francis Drake, Vasco da Gama, Diaz, Amundsen and all the polar explorers etc. and one of the things I wonder about as I trudge along a lengthy trail is who has walked this path before me.  A Roman army? An Explorer? A Benedictine monk? An ancestor?

Sir Francis Drake

I happened across a book - not sure where I got it from - called "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce about a man who walks from Kingsbridge on the southern coast of England all the way to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the northern border with Scotland. It is a fabulous book, especially for a long distance walker like me. It is funny, inspiring and will make you cry. A true delight of a book.

This post does have a point but I need to work on my ideas a bit more. Needless to say "I got plans baby"!! Lots of travel guides being delivered this week. Ancestors are also involved as I renewed my ancestry.ca membership. My feet, new and familiar places, epic journeys - all tied together in a theme. It is all percolating inside of me...and it's going to be amazing!

Monday Monday

Funny that I still wakeup with a bit of Monday Monday anxiety after 2 years of retirement but on the bright side it only lasts as long as it takes me to remember I can roll over and go back to sleep if I want to. Not that I can sleep after an anxiety jolt runs through my veins but theoretically it's true.

These days Monday is about balancing the budget, making a grocery list, perhaps cleaning up a particularly messy spot in the house, walking to do my errands, going out for breakfast or lunch with a friend, reading and so on. Aren't I a lucky little old lady?

Today I closed out October's budget. I am a serious zero budgeter and I ended up the month with a surplus of $1.79! I think I've got the hang of this thing. There are a variety of budget lines that fluctuate from month to month (food, gas, misc, natural gas and electricity). Everything else usually stays exactly the same with my cell phone occasionally a bit extra due to using a bit more data. That happened last month when I had to pay an extra $8 on my cell phone bill. My electricity bill came in $11 over budget as we still needed to put the central air on a few times. That being said the natural gas bill was under budget by $6 and I only spent $62 on gas for my truck as I walked to do most errands. The surplus gas $ went to my food budget as I did a massive shop at the Bulk Barn to buy a ton of nuts and seeds, dried fruit, oatmeal, quinoa, rice and other dried goods for the winter pantry. I won't need to do that again for several months.

Misc purchases included new running shoes for volleyball. I googled "best shoes for runner's knee" and the best brand was Asics which just happened to be on sale at Sport Chek. I've been using them all month and I do believe they have helped. We have celebrated Thanksgiving so I've already shelled out for turkey and wine...and more wine :) I've been to the movies, out to lunch and breakfast, bought a book on Amazon, bought some new-to-me sports wear for volleyball at my neighbourhood thrift store, new socks, and so on. I bought a Christmas gift for my brother but have forgotten about my charitable donations. Need to get back on track. But overall a good money month.

I've been fighting a virus for almost 2 weeks so have had a few No Spend days this month - that has helped to keep costs down though not in a good way :(   I really like my nursemaid though!!

Happily I am on a ten month property tax schedule so I don't pay in November and December. I also have a GIC interest injection at the end of Nov. which just gets rolled over to increase my savings for the year. I can withdraw if I need more $$ for Christmas but don't think I'll need to.

Misc spending for November looks like this: new runners for hallways on main floor and basement, furnace filters, prescription and a doorbell. The old one only rings occasionally - and I thought nobody liked me! And I'll try to finish off Christmas shopping and update my charitable givings.

Kazi's sister came for a sleepover on Friday. Hannah is a very sweet, mature and well-behaved 12 year old considering what she's been through. Kazi bought snacks/drinks and we watched a funny movie together. Saturday morning we had breakfast together and then she and Kazi made S'mores cupcakes. I could hear them laughing and carrying on.

Hannah gave me a nice big hug when she arrived and when she left. She asked why her dad and I broke up and not knowing how much she knew I told her she should probably talk to her dad about that. Kazi showed her some pictures of their dad when he was a kid and then as a young man. She said she had no photos as her mom had thrown them all away so I gave her one of her dad, me and Kazi in a Christmas photo. I think I'll scan the others I have of her dad and grandparents and get them printed for her. Apparently her mom tosses out lots of things.

Kazi asked her what her favourite movie was and Hannah couldn't state a preference. Kazi says she can never say what her favourite "anything" is, not even a favourite colour. That got me wondering if she has learned not to have preferences so as not to be disappointed. I did find out that when she was 7 or 8 her mom was supposed to pick her up after a visit with her dad and she just disappeared for several months. That was when custody got changed in favour of her dad.

Anyhoo she is absolutely lovely and I hope we see lots of her.

That's my Monday, how is yours going?

Adult Children re Sluggy's Post

Here, read Sluggy's post first before you read mine (if you haven't already). 

No I'm not going to lecture Sluggy on what she and her husband should or shouldn't do with regard to their adult children. I'm just going to add to her story some stories of my own family members.

PROS of having your adult child move back in with you:

• this happened to my oldest brother once. His son and new wife moved in for 6 months with the understanding that they would contribute to utilities and food and save the rest of their income for a down payment on a house. Fortunately they had a firm plan with a set time limit and at the end of the 6 months they did indeed buy a home with a solid down payment.
• they can help look after a parent or grandparent with health issues. My other brother did this with great sacrifice in his own life/career). My father, at this point in his illness (cancer plus psychological problems - depression and anxiety), was very difficult to live with - I don't know if I could have done it.

CONS of having your adult child move back in with you:

• it can really put the parent's relationship on shaky ground if they don't agree absolutely to a set of rules. And if the adult child is disrespectful, has financial problems and not a great attitude it can turn out horribly!! Saw this in my family too.
• the front door (or back!) becomes a revolving door - child comes home, leaves, comes home again and on it goes totally disrupting the parent's lives. They leave their junk behind but do not dare to throw anything out! Food that is needed gets eaten up, utility bills increase, they borrow money that they never pay back. They don't do the things they said they would do in order to get back on their feet. Ka-ching!

Sunday's lunch in the forest

 My situation is different (but quite common these days) in that my 25 year old daughter has never left home in the first place! She is trying to pay off her student loans and pays all of her other bills like cell phone and contributes by buying her own food and wine etc. She has never asked me for money. More and more young adults these days are staying at home. In my day we were out the door as soon as possible while our parents called out "don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

But Kazi is struggling. She just lost the job she had for 7 months in the medical office. The doctor decided he wasn't busy enough to warrant having a 2nd person at the desk. She is down to one job currently which is a part-time bar tending gig. One thing I can say in her favour is that she is never without a job for long - she has had one interview already and another this Friday.

However, it is this instability that makes her afraid of moving out. She's saving as much as she can in case she needs some retraining. Yes, she has a degree in french but she graduated almost 4 years ago so she would have to brush up on her skills in a big way.

The view behind me.

I am finding it very hard. I watch as her self confidence erodes a bit more with each job loss. I bite my tongue and don't offer advice because I know she doesn't want to hear it. I try to stay upbeat as I know she is taking anti-anxiety medication and I don't want to increase her anxiety. It's a really sucky situation as I know she's not happy living with her mother.

The view in front of me.

Financially it's not a problem for me as, like I said before, she has never asked for a loan. I did have a repair done on her car but she paid me  back in full. I live frugally, probably too frugal for her liking but tough luck! It was by living frugally that I now enjoy a comfortable retirement. I'm trying to continue with my retirement plans though I do feel some guilt for jetting off to Ireland for 3 weeks. Though I shouldn't.

Right now she has a free roof over her head, free wifi, an excellent cat sitter :) electricity, laundry (she does her own) and some heat (she thinks I keep the thermostat set too low), again I say "tough luck". (In my own head...not out loud lol!) Well sometimes out loud - when my brother  was staying with us after his eye operation she complained to him it was always cold in here so I said "she who pays the bill gets to set the thermometer!" I try to use a little humour now and then but she is so sensitive that I usually end up hurting her feelings.

That is the hardest part for me. The number of topics which can hurt her feelings is seemingly endless and I don't really know what to do other than to not speak. I don't think I'm that hard to get along with as so far she is the only one to complain.

Case in point (today):
Me: so I guess your team didn't make it through to the next round? (she was rooting for the Chicago Black Hawks NHL team)
Her: why did you have to bring that up? (Meaning I'm only allowed to say HAPPY things)

It has come to the point where I don't want to speak for fear of hurting her feelings.

My lunch spot - thank you to whoever who provided this chair!

She just needs to get away from me and live her own life. Living with her mother at almost 26 years of age is tough for her as well as me. I try to joke around but it usually falls flat. (I'm a glass half full type of person whereas she is a glass half empty).

ADVICE? or just plain commiseration welcomed. Is it any wonder why I spend so much time in the woods? The forest is great for stress. It's called forest bathing and you can read all about it here...."forest bathing"! 

Mid-Month Money

I was thinking yesterday, yes thinking, that I don't post that much about money anymore. There's only so much excitement one can wring out of an unchanging monthly pension. Before I retired, two years early, I had to meet a few goals: pay off all debt and increase savings to a level that felt comfortable. I had a Five Year plan and I worked away at it and was able to retire early, thankfully.

Now I still try to sock away some money every month into savings and most months I'm successful at doing that. My budget is very simple: take my net pension, subtract all variables and invariables (is that a word?) including savings, and the rest is my spending money. I divide the spending by 4 weeks so that every week I can put cash in my wallet. I've been following this plan since I retired in 2014 and it works for me. Occasionally I have to use long term savings for big purchases and travel but I rebuild month by month.

There IS a little bit of exciting money news though...

• I will receive a cost of living increase starting the end of January which increases my net pension by $30 a month. Not a lot but it covers increases in condo fees, insurance and increased utility bills (almost)
• I did my income tax online to see whether I would get a refund or not. I don't have any tax receipts yet but it was pretty easy to guestimate. I will receive a refund but nowhere near what I used to receive. Only about $200. But I don't have to PAY which is the important thing. I needed to know this because...
• I filled out my forms to start receiving my Canada Pension in June and they want to know how much income tax I want taken off. So I had to see what my income taxes look like before I could answer that question. Woo hoo!! Looking forward to that additional money every month and all the fun it will bring!

January's Budget - Am I on Track?

I would say that I am! My $150 weekly allowance seems to be multiplying somehow. I've paid $120 for an eye exam, $50 to charity, an extra $50 to savings, $38 to Walmart, $17 to Shoppers Drugmart, $14 for a movie and $11 at Value Village and $10 on yoga. My ticket for the Food and Wine Show ($32) will come out of next's weeks allowance. If you did the math you'd see that I've spent more than my $150(x two) weekly allowance. That is because I overestimated some of my bills. I estimated $75 for natural gas and the bill was only $47; electricity was $65 and I estimated $70 and so on. Those extra little snippets go into my misc budget which funds my allowance :) Aren't numbers fun??

I have $127/$160 in my gas budget and Dougie's tank is almost full and $158/$280 in the food budget. So far this month I've only had to put $33 in the gas tank (I see that oil dropped to below $30/barrel!!!) and have spent $122 on food. That's for two adults. I'm pretty good at stretching my food dollars - I got 3 meals out of 4 chicken breasts! And 4 meals out of 1 package of ground turkey!

So that's how it rolls for January so far...I hope I haven't jinxed myself by proclaiming that I've had a good month so far...!!

Juicing

I don't think I've done any juicing for at least a year, perhaps longer. But talking about it with friends has piqued my interest again. So yesterday I switched the coffee maker with the juicer on my kitchen counter.

Then I went to my local United Store (Chinese produce/products) and filled my cart with lots of lovely kale, spinach, ginger, oranges, cucumbers and so on for the modest total of $37. I love my United store - so much more choice than the usual grocery store, not too far away and CHEAP. The plan is to drink juice for breakfast and lunch and have a regular supper and by regular I mean fish/chicken/turkey plus lots and lots of veggies. I need to budge some fat, anyone need some?

My juice today doesn't follow a recipe - I had some "older" produce that I needed to get rid of (another handy feature of juicing - no waste!!) so my juice contains a withering grapefruit, a soft apple, some soft green grapes, spinach and kale, half a cucumber, pomegranate arils, and a big chunk of ginger. And yes it was very tasty - a bit too sweet - too many grapes I think but they needed to be used up.

The big news today is I got my Union Gas bill. I set aside $75; but because it was quite mild in November the bill was only $46!! However, today the temperature was -17c at 8am! Next month's bill won't be quite so low! Phooey!

You know you're are a boring financial nerd when you get excited by a low monthly bill!

Today's chores includes: making a couple of new toilet paper bird feeders, doing a bit more grocery shopping at No Frills (need toothpaste), NO housework, got it done yesterday, ride bike for an hour, tidy workshop and continue soapstone carving currently in progress. Supper is looked after - taking my neighbour to Swiss Chalet - YUM!

Off I go! This retirement business is so much fun!!

POST 1000!!

So what the heck should I talk about for my 1000th post?? Well.....here is one of the first posts I wrote dated March 24, 2009 which illustrates perfectly where I was at and why I was blogging.

*Prior to this blog I had one other personal blog plus I contributed several times weekly to a group blog that had 4 members - my brother Gord and a husband and wife duo who were mutual friends of ours. That blog was called "Four Mugs and a Crock"; us being the mugs and occasionally having a guest blogger take the "Crock" personna. It was a ton of fun and I was sad when it dwindled away to nothing; mostly because Gord and I started our own "spin off " blogs :)

So did I succeed with my retirement goals? - I'll let you be the judge!

"My five year plan, if successful, will allow me to retire on a reduced pension two years earlier than waiting for a full pension. That means "freedom 58" rather than "freedom 55" but since I didn't get into teaching until I was 36 I have to hang in there a little longer than most.

Taking a reduced pension means approximately $375 less per month. For me, it's not about the money, it's about realizing my goals sooner. Is it worth it to me to have two extra years of retirement instead of having an extra $375 a month? That sound you just heard was my resounding YES!

So to make that happen I have to plan. In five years I want to be debt-free and have approx. $125,000 in savings, not counting my home equity. Now, my blog isn't directed to those folks to whom $125,000 is spare change (although there are 373 fewer billionaires than there were a year ago...boo hoo...) but is instead aimed towards people like me, who have worked hard all their lives to make an honest living, who have lived on ONE income, who may be a single parent like me, and don't want to retire with nothing more than the old age supplement.

Yes, my numbers are modest but I believe in "living small". Forced to live frugally for most of my life, living on a reduced pension with savings to back me up and no debt to weigh me down sounds pretty manageable.

We'll see how it goes....."

Retirement Update

I noticed a blog post the other day (http://ndchicscents.blogspot.ca/) entitled "Retirement Update" which motivated me to provide one too.

Yup, still retired!!

When I was approaching retirement I thought I would give myself a year to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It turns out a year wasn't long enough.  Bear in mind that a lot of life-changing events occurred over the past year and a half in addition to retirement: relationship ending, loss of future plans, 20 year old pet passed away, had to sell house in PEI, living on half the income I was used to, and a back injury.... which all contributed to low level depression and anxiety. Adjusting to retirement isn't as easy as it would seem!

So...where do things stand now?

• health: medication is helping both with both back pain and mood enabling me to get physical once again; riding my back  bike (thanks for catching that typo sis!) and going to yoga and meditation has also helped me both physically and mentally. I still see a counsellor and am on a wait list for "group therapy"
• social contact: staying in touch with people is so important but not easy for me being the introvert than I am: every day I try to connect with a few people through texting, emailing, Facebook, blog, phone calls, going to social events, getting together with family, becoming more of an activist and so on. I still have days when I'd rather not see anyone 
• reviving old hobbies: my brother said to think back to childhood when we naturally gravitated to the hobbies and activities that we loved: for me that included biking, sewing and reading as well as sports, board games and playing cards. I also loved to draw, play piano and be creative. So far I have done one sewing project with another in the works, I have purchased a book about drawing as well as an "adult colouring book". I am working (slowly) on carving a piece of soapstone and indulge my love of reading every day. As a child one of my favourite things to do was to put a book and a bagged lunch in my bike's basket and ride out into the countryside, then climbed a tree to read and eat my lunch :) These days I try to get out on my bike every day but so far haven't gone out into the countryside with a book and a lunch. I'll add that to my to do list! I go to a "sports night" once a month in addition to a monthly "games night" and last week I started going to a weekly "euchre night" which has been fun. Usually I get out to see one movie a week with a friend
• new hobbies/activities: what would I like to do that I haven't tried yet? Painting, particularly water colours, learn a new instrument or purchase a keyboard, go back to school (tuition at my alma mater is free at age 60) so I'm considering attending part-time next year - perhaps a degree in film or getting back into the visual arts
• volunteering: haven't made my mind up about that one yet - I want to volunteer but not sure about where or how often. I sort of dread being on a schedule
• part-time work: at this point in time I don't feel inclined to get a part-time job
• travel: planning a trip or two each year is fun and exciting yet expensive. Once my Canada Pension Plan kicks in next May I'll be able to travel more frequently.
• redecorating: still working away at this though things have slowed down now as the weather is too nice to be inside as much. Hopefully I'll feel more motivated in the fall...

So things are moving along. I would say the biggest barrier is lack of "motivation".  I get things done but at a much slower pace than in the past and have to push myself to move some days. I feel that I'm on the right path and need to be more patient with myself. It's been a HUGE adjustment and it's not over yet. 

I'll be OK.

Paul Mc-Cartney Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

In the spirit of "Accentuating the Positive" I have added a permanent page above called "2014: Accomplishments!"  2015 is going to be all about the positive (positively silly, that is :)) and on those days when I feel blue I will look back on all of the things I accomplished during a very tough year. I think it will help me bounce back a little bit quicker, at least that's the hope!

Today's bit of silliness:

Much more silliness to come!!

Heathrow

The flight from Iceland to Heathrow was uneventful and quiet. We all snuggled down into our seats as much as we could with pillows and blankets but with seats that only reclined about 6 inches it wasn't easy. I wasn't able to sleep but at least I was resting in anticipation of the fun that is Heathrow Airport.

I was able to take a few photos of London from the air on approach to Heathrow. Although I was exhausted by this time I still felt the excitement of being in London, England!

Oh, did I mention I got patted down twice going through security? At Iceland and Heathrow. I was wearing hiking pants that had several pockets that snapped shut with metal clasps. The full body imaging scanner doesn't like those. That was my first, no second, "note to self" - (the first being never ever ever to take 3 flights again!!)

Anyways I finally got my suitcase - mine was nearly the last one, as per usual! I had my Heathrow experience all planned out and it went quite smoothly...after the pat down!  I found my way to the tube station where I purchased an Oyster card at a self service machine. An Oyster card allows you to travel on the tubes, buses etc. Much handier to have a loaded Oyster card than go digging for change or having to buy a ticket at each connection/stop. 

I had to get to Terminal 5 from Terminal 1 and during my research saw that the Piccadilly Line ran between the two. I checked with someone though, just to be sure. I got into the habit of always asking someone working at the stations I went through as I have a phobia that I'll end up going in the opposite direction I need to go...I'll be on the wrong side of the platform or something and I'll never be heard of again...so check, check and triple check! Everyone was very helpful, thank goodness and I only felt like an idiot on a few occasions :)

Ok, I got to Terminal 5...now what? Oh yes, I have to get outside somehow and find the bus stops. There was a free shuttle to my hotel, bus #423. I didn't have too far to go thankfully and it was a relief to be outside in the fresh air, as fresh as it can get anyways with dozens of double decker buses coming and going.

 It was about a 20 minute wait for the 423...

and it dropped me off near my hotel. I did have to walk a couple of blocks pulling my suitcase along behind me but I wasn't alone so I felt safe. I checked in and went to my room. It was pretty small but I was only there to sleep then go back to Heathrow in the morning to take the London Express to Paddington Station for the next leg of my journey.

I went to open my suitcase to get out my pjs only to discover that I had locked the keys to the suitcase padlock INSIDE the suitcase!! Oh great...I pulled my suitcase down to the small lobby and one of the employees went on a search for some tools. The first of my "idiot" moments. Within about 20 minutes he was able to pry off the lock. Fortunately I had brought two locks with keys so from then on I was VERY careful about where I put the keys!

 I managed to sleep 7 or 8 hours which was MAGNIFICENT!! 

I noticed when I arrived at the hotel that there was a pub right across the street with a sign that said "serving breakfast all day!" so I thought - wonderful - this is where I'll eat in the morning! However, in the daylight I was able to see another sign that said it opened at 11am. Rats...

So around 9:30am I was back on the 423 to Heathrow in order to catch the London Express to downtown London, Paddington Station to be exact...where my story will pick up tomorrow.

Dear Diary:

The girls are down for one of their several naps per day. I wondered if it was too soon to get new pets but Kazi really wanted to take advantage of the Pet Rescue Adoption weekend and I hoped a kitten (or two) would help to heal her heart. And mine. After being home for a couple of days and knowing that Tisky wasn't there...well, it was really hard. Especially when Kazi was out at work and I was alone in the house. It felt so empty. 

Kazi picked out the two tabby sisters and named them Luna and Lily. The cute factor in the house has gone up by 200%! Having new life in the house, newly rescued life, has really helped me with the loss of Tisky and also the letdown that always occurs after a trip. I got home and thought - now what?

I still don't know what's in the "big picture" for me. I'll continue to write and there's a project I can work on that will involve more travel in the future. I do feel a bit purposeless however, and in talking with my brother (also a retired teacher) and other retirees I know it'll take a while before life feels "normal". 

Although being retired is wonderful in many ways it's hard to let go of what was my life's work, my reason to get up at 5am every weekday and head off purposefully into the world. 

One day at a time.

Yesterday I decided I need to get back into an exercise regime - I don't want my newly discovered leg muscles to atrophy!! So I took one of my remaining gift cards (for The Bay) and walked to Masonville Mall and back. It took 1 hour and 10 minutes each way for a total distance of 12km. I tried out my new hiking shoes but found walking on concrete sidewalks is not a pleasant experience for my back, legs and feet. So I may stick to hiking paths for my exercise as much as possible. I must get back on my bike too.  Last night I popped the HUGE blister on my baby toe that I got from walking for miles and miles around the city of Norwich. I hope it doesn't take too long to heal.

I purchased a pair of Tommy Hilfiger dark denim jeans, a quirky sweater and a patterned top for fall. AND I ordered a sweater from Beyond the Rack, an online store here in Canada just to see what their quality is like. I started to clear out more stuff from my closet too with the goal being to have a much leaner but better quality wardrobe. I'm thinking my style will evolve totally into "casual and sporty".

So anyways...

Hurrah! I now have what they call here "high speed internet"!! I beg to differ but it's better than what I had before which was just my cell phone. (Can't wait to see my next cell phone bill - NOT!!) Tonight it took a while before I was able to get online but eventually I did, so I should just stop being a whiner!

I've been wondering where to go next with my blog - that's the dilemma I'm currently facing. Now that I AM retired what's next? Things didn't exactly turn out the way I thought they were going to and I still don't know the answer to the Clash song's big question: "should I stay or should I go now?" I really don't know. Honest to God I change my mind about 10,000 times a day. I have had some really rough days here at Crofters Lane - I'm even wondering about changing its name to something else, but if I don't move here then why bother? I'm really overthinking things so am going to let it go for now and try not to think about it. The answers will come.

So, what I'm thinking about now is changing up my blog format, changing my direction to something like:

"Living Alone: Smash the Fear" (Sam - you were the inspiration for that one - at least your fridge is;)!!)

"The Single Life: Pros and Cons"

"The Joys and Sorrows of Life Alone"

"Finding Jane"

"After Retirement - What's Next?"

"Life after Teaching"

"Finding my Way Back"

And on it goes...I am open to suggestions...please! All that "alone" stuff isn't meant to just be morose but to explore the various challenges a woman, aged 58, retired, faces as she goes about her daily life. For instance, I am finding new ways of doing things since I don't have a strong man around. I have to be way more creative. Is that interesting? Do you have an opinion of what direction I should take? Please weigh in with your opinions - I find what you have to say immensely valuable!

In the meantime I'll be sharing photos from the last couple of weeks, and I have TONS! Hopefully you don't mind going back in time a wee bit while I catch up. I haven't done a proper post since I left Ontario 3 weeks ago.

Here's a start; I left London on June 29th, stopping in Barrie for a little jam session...

 Tammy - bass player extraordinaire!

Her talented partner Jay...

Steve and Nancy, the hosts of the evening...

And then entered a saxophone player...

and a tinkler of the ivories...

pretty magical! (Look ma, no hands!!)

Jan, belting one out!

Oh yes, I also play guitar...

On the road again...drove as far as I could that night and then slept in the back seat of my truck at a service centre - yes, indeedy!

There's so much to love about New Brunswick...the hills..

the streams...

the view around every curve...

the lupines were at their peak...

Dougie the Dodge handled beautifully - I was so proud!

I pushed myself and drove from 6am to 10pm...the sunset was brilliant...

and then I arrived at my destination - a sweet little house in rural New Brunswick - good friends, good food, awesome fur babies and a comfy bed. Sigh..... :)

To be continued...

And now, the end is here...

Almost!! Only hours to go!! Though, essentially I'm done now. What? I don't think I quite understood that last sentence!  DOES NOT COMPUTE!! I'm what??? Done? Finished? Kaput? Over and out? Out to pasture?

                      RETIRED!!

TRULY? They're really going to let me leave? And continue to pay me? Is this legal??  'Cause it feels really weird - like I'm going to wake up and find out it was all a big practical joke!

Last night I dined at the parents of my graduating student, Alex. As a polish immigrant this woman knows how to cook! Pork roulade, chicken that had been marinated for 2 days, and salmon. Two kinds of slaw, potatoes, rice, her world-famous mushroom sauce, green salad, two kinds of dessert. Ooooof! I'm turning into a barrel!

However, I was so glad to leave! Oh my! Her husband said that he likes when they have guests because then his wife has to treat him a little nicer. Nice? You call that nice? The man can say nothing right - every time he started to say something she would interrupt him in her constantly LOUD and SHRILL voice - no, you're wrong....actually, it happened like this....that's not what I meant at all....the point is....no, no, no, let me tell the story...she overpowered him at every turn - I'm surprised he even opens his mouth at all. She insulted him constantly...I could barely stand it and it went on from 5pm til I managed to leave at almost 10pm! What an ordeal!

However, that is done and over so I will move on...tonight I am volunteering at graduation so I will get to say good-bye to many Gr. 12 students who were members of my Best Buddies club - there will be lots of tears. It will be closure for them and for me. Then tomorrow I will go in early one last time, sit at my desk with a cup of coffee...and remember..........then mass, a brief meeting and lunch at Aromas - a wonderful Portugese restaurant here in London. And then...

                      FREEDOM!!!

and then on to the Village Pub for drinkies with friends, pack up my truck on Saturday and hit the road on Sunday. Wow, is this really happening???   Just pinched myself - yup, I'm awake! It doesn't feel real yet, I wonder when it will?

Here are a few pics from my open house - I figure if I keep looking at images from all of the celebrations over the past couple of weeks maybe I'll start to believe it....

 Alex, we are both "retiring"...

 This is the best smile David could muster lol!

 Some of this year's gang - Natalie, David, Alex and Kianna..

A former student - all grown up! So handsome Rustic! and very tall!

 my pal Amanda, she is so very sweet:)

 Former student - Adam (we share the same last name so I always called Adam "my son by another mother!"

Former students and brothers Shawn and Gary - again, all grown up! (and handsome!!)

 Former student Agniezka and her dad - she gave a little impromptu speech and did very well!

 It took some tracking down but I found former student Jesse (her dad died  a couple months ago and she's now living with other relatives); she still loves to rub my head and say "porcupine hair!"

My AV guy, Jerry.  I got to hug so many handsome men that day :)

Cutting my cake - throughout the whole afternoon I only managed to eat a piece of blueberry cake baked at my request by my retiring student's polish mom - she sure can cook!!

 My super duper extra large sized card :)

My retirement pal -Fil - formerly the dep't head of Learning Services...

The staff and students put together a video - perhaps I'll post it one of these days - it was very emotional witnessing each student saying goodbye in their own special way...

good memories or as they say in Tignish - the very best!

the love of my life, former student Todd came to visit so we shared some cake :)

my bestie, Jules, stopped by, thank you my dear one!

 that cake I'm holding? I'm feeding it to Todd, I miss those times with you Todd... (Todd's mom to the left and his dad in the background with Jules...)

 Alex's best buddy - Melissa - they have shared some special moments over the years - they enjoyed dancing together to 60's tunes on Fridays...

the best EA ever and party organizer Michele behind me - thanks Michele!!

our big boy Paul and his mom behind me...

Paul loves to draw and drew some pictures of him and I as a gift - thanks Paul!!

 Some extraordinary best buddies!

It's difficult to see but I am holding a pink glass heart, engraved from Todd :) He stole my heart years ago!

 since it's too late to fire me I figured I could get away with sitting on Todd's knee one last time!!

Colin, a supply EA who spent most of the year with us thankfully, and Cristhian (a former street kid from El Salvador, saved by adoption and brought to Canada), an amazing young man:)

and what a thrill to see Lori once more, she's graduating from another highschool this year after being with me for 5 years. Due to family issues (her parents couldn't manage her behaviour so Lori had to move into a mental health facility which was not within the boundaries of my school). Now she's graduating and her caseworker is looking into a group home placement. Good luck Lori!

 Lori was missing a CCH yearbook from 2011-2012 (she has a mind like a steel trap) and I just happened to have one so I gave it to her. We got her former classmates to write in it so that worked out well :)

Such great smiles! It was the best day of my career seeing all of my students from the past and present together for one last time. Very emotional day...

If you made it to the end of this post - BRAVO!! I feel like I should have something amazingly deep and meaningful to say right now but I just feel exhausted, wrung out and in a daze. I really need a holiday lol!! I'd best get preparing for a long one!!  I have a long to-do list to help me get on my way so I better get cracking! TTYL!!