Milestones - past, present and future

From time to time, I've posted about the ageing process; mostly in relation to that highly personal decision of when to stop riding motorcycles. In reality, that's really a subset of what you plan to do post-retirement.  A couple of days ago, it suddenly hit me that this week, I will have been retired for 18 years; apart from a short spell of consultancy back to my old company.  That time has passed in the blink of an eye. It's probably not wise to set plans in stone as there are so many factors which can derail them.  However, having loose plans with some contingencies makes good sense.

Surprise 60th birthday party with my cherished riding mates

The decision to retire at 60 in 2008 is certainly one I haven't regretted although there were more than a few worries at the time with respect to whether it was a sound decision.  I loved the work but with ownership changes, there were clearly better ways to enjoy life.  Although financial considerations were naturally part of the decision, the major concerns revolved around the transition from a demanding career to a more leisurely lifestyle, despite having some broad plans of how to spend that time.  Jennie had her own worries, having retired some time beforehand.  Her concerns mainly centered around me hanging around the house with bugger-all to do, disrupting her personal routines!

I needn't have worried and ditto for Jennie.  The first 12 months were a mix of consulting back to my old company and getting our holiday home fit to live in permanently.  Harmony reigned in the household and still does.  Much of this is down to us having both common interests where we do stuff together, plus personal interests where we can do stuff on our own.

Moving permanently to the Coromandel Peninsula opened up the chance to build strong relationships with the local community and we both volunteered as tutors for Senior Net, an organisation which assists seniors to develop computer skills for everyday living needs.  We did this for the best part of 5 years.  Motorcycling hadn't been neglected during this time but with the twisty nature of Coromandel roads, coupled with age; there was always a plan to move to lower, lighter bikes than my Honda Blackbird.  Several bikes were test-ridden but the one which captured my soul was the Triumph Street Triple.  Choosing a particular bike is a highly personal decision but it's fair to say that the Triple was the best overall bike I've owned in 58 years of riding.

About to head off on the 2010 1000miles/1600 km in under 24 hours Rusty Nuts ride 

It was on the Street Triple that the next part of the "ageing safely" strategy was put into place by joining the Institute of Advanced Motorists to learn advanced riding skills based on UK police roadcraft. That's covered elsewhere in the blog but learning something new and being stretched is a wonderful way of staying both mentally and physically fit.  It also gave the opportunity to repay the IAM mentoring team for all their time and care by eventually becoming a mentor and Examiner with them.  Making new, lifelong friends during that time is also something which has had a massive impact on wellbeing.  I finally retired from IAM in 2021 after 11 years and retired altogether from riding in 2022/3. It was quite an easy decision as we had other established interests to keep life interesting. 

Long arm of the law - Sgt Steve Butler-Jones, another IAM mate

Travel is something we both enjoy and wherever we've travelled, most people we've met have been hospitable, caring human beings who just want to be comfortable and enjoy life. It's just politicians and dare I say it... some so-called religious groups who screw it up for everyone. 

Sweltering in 30 degrees along the Great Wall

Ballooning at dawn on the Serengeti

Mountain biking has been a lot of fun, although readers of this blog will know that it hasn't entirely been plain sailing in the quest to stay fit.  A more conservative approach to choosing safer off-road trails should ensure continued future enjoyment without the pain!  

The Medlock trail, Coromandel

Driving our classic MGB GT is also a lot of fun and was a brilliant suggestion by Jennie to keep an interest in things automotive.  Sea fishing is also something we both enjoy and it has to be admitted that Jennie normally has bragging rights over me!

A still day on the Firth of Thames among the commercial mussel farms

This has been a slightly whimsical post but on reflection, having a plan prior to retirement to keep the brain and ticking over and to keep healthy seems to have worked out fairly well for the last 18 years.  Certainly no regrets about retiring earlier than originally planned to enjoy the really important things in life and to avoid saying the "If only....." phrase.   Jennie is also really busy in her role as president of the local museum.  It's run by volunteers so I spend a bit of time helping out with maintenance and restoring old photos.  Good to put something back into the community

At the end of next year, we'll both be celebrating our 80th birthdays and there are no plans to slack off as long as the bodies stand up ok!  Retirement eventually comes to us all - maybe a bit of food for thought about how to get the most out of it?

Still involved with automotive stuff