Pipe & Slipper Beckoning?

Today is the first day of my life outside of permanent employment, which I describe as semi-retirement. The past 6 months of work has been ‘something else’. I want to record here, that I was part of the NHS Digital and multiple other org team which built the Covid Vaccination National Booking System – a rollercoaster of pace of work and a privilege to be completely unexpectedly involved in.

But having come close to death (my parents and pandemic) in the past year really for the first time as an adult – how fortunate had I been! – catching Covid at Christmas and emerging so thankfully back into my previous good health, crystallized the decision that while the going was good, I could financially, and therefore should, free myself sooner of the 9-to-5, 27 days annual leave a year, in order to be able to do different things.

Travelling in the flesh, rather than via the TV or internet, in hope that the vaccination programme and other covid-reducing measures will release us from lockdown, spending time with family and friends, new pastimes such as gardening, and who knows what await. Seasonal work, some contracting, are certainly not ruled out.

My April to do list has been constructed, and first campervan trip to the Lake District has been booked for some weeks. The gardening started yesterday by a completely unpractised use of a lawnmower cutting its own power cable despite my clocking (obviously half-heartedly) that I needed to be keeping the blades away from it! I have long recognised that I learn by reading repeatedly about the theory of stuff, but the fragments of knowledge only come together to complete the jigsaw once the doing starts. And I certainly learn by the ‘I won’t do that again’ type of doing. 🙂 Fortunately where the cable was cut was reasonably close to the plug end, so I can move this, and get mowing again. Happy Days.