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 

Another milestone

A bit of a departure from cars and bikes this time round but the timing is right for a bit of reflection on something special and more than a bit sentimental.

Later this month, Jennie and I will celebrate being married for 52 years.  They say that time flies when you're having fun and that's the absolute truth of it. Mercifully, she doesn't read this blog or she'd think I've gone soft in the head but over all that time, I couldn't have wished for more support than she's given to all my peccadilloes and hobbies.  I'd like to think it's been reciprocated too and I'm just as crazy about her now as when we got married, even if I receive a well-earned bollocking from time to time for guy-type transgressions.  She once said that it was like living with a 5 year old for something I'd done.  Clearly demonstrated her past profession as a teacher!

When I first mentioned to my closest mates that I really fancied her, they reckoned that I didn't have a chance as she was far too classy for the likes of me.  Only your closest friends can get away with saying that!  I must admit that I was almost painfully shy at that time and nervous about asking her out. Pretty surprised when she said yes, although one of her close friends was in on the matchmaking too.  It could have turned to custard at that stage as my mates actually told her what they said to me.  However, she showed true class by ignoring them, although she does still enjoy winding me up about it if I need pulling into line.  When the time came later on, I botched THE PROPOSAL by getting hopelessly tongue-tied and she made me get down on one knee and do it properly, sigh.  We married less than 12 months after first going out which was a complete whirlwind.  Photo taken on our honeymoon.  Why such a beautiful and smart woman chose to spend her life with me remains a mystery.

Just after our wedding, 1972

Moving from the UK to NZ in 1975 was the start of our big adventure together and as we both enjoyed our introduction to sailing in the UK, we bought a yacht to race at the local NZ yacht club.  On reflection, partners sailing together isn't necessarily a smart move as a hastily shouted command by the skipper can be taken badly (and often was!).  Fortunately, this was solved by Jennie expecting our first child and stopping sailing.  A move to single-handed yachts ensued and a lot of weekends were spent trailing a growing family round to various regattas in scenic locations around the country. Little wonder that our kids have always enjoyed the water!

Our Frostply class yacht - 1976

Building a professional career and raising a family became the priorities but in the late 80's, my interest in motorcycles was rekindled.  Jennie already knew of my past biking passion so I got the green light, although there was a quid pro quo in her buying a piano which cost twice as much as the bike!  

Circa 1990 - big hair and big glasses very much in fashion!

As the kids grew older, Jennie and I did more 2-up trips on the bikes.  She was the best pillion ever - you wouldn't even know that she was there.  However, there was one infamous occasion where we rode to some street races with friends and their wives.  On the way home, my mates and I might have been travelling a little too fast for the comfort of our pillions.  We stopped for refreshments at a country cafe and received a massive telling-off from our wives.  This was done in front of other riders sitting on the outdoor deck which received thunderous applause and cheers.  It would have been fatal to smile so we just shuffled our feet and took the very public rebuke.

Jennie and the Blackbird - 2003

The early 2000's saw the last of our kids off to university and Jennie traded being a pillion for her first 2 seat sports car.  We toured the south island for a month in her first one and had an absolute ball in near-perfect weather with the top down for most of the road trip.  It also allowed me to buy bikes which were better suited for the solo rider!

Mk1 MX5 at Warbirds HQ, Wanaka

Jennie became quite a petrolhead and for her 60th birthday, the first MX5 was replaced by importing a special edition MX5 NB model which had been worked on by Mazdaspeed in Japan.  Only 3000 of them were made for worldwide sales in the metallic merlot colour and other enhancements.

Mazdaspeed - prepped MX5, Warbirds HQ, Ardmore, Auckland

On the aforementioned south island trip, we also took a trip into the foothills of the Remarkables mountain range on 2 stroke quad bikes.  On a tricky downhill section strewn with rocks, Jennie left me for dead and has been smug about it ever since.  I still maintain that she wasn't aware of the risks but she isn't having any of it!

Hooning on 2 stroke quad bikes - Queenstown NZ, 2001

Since my retirement from motorcycling, owning our classic MGB GT car and a boat for sea fishing have both helped to fill the gap left from not riding.  Both of these pursuits were Jennie's suggestions so she really is one in a million.  A lot of her spare time is spent as Chair of the local museum and I lend my support as being one of her army of volunteer maintenance people - helping out cuts both ways!

A spot of winter fishing with So-Fish-Ticated

Made the same year we got married - 1972

Getting older doesn't mean sitting around, it means new experiences and never saying "If only....".  Being able to do it with my best mate is one heck of a bonus.  Overseas travel together has been somewhat curtailed since Covid but that will shortly be rectified with an Outback adventure in Australia, followed shortly after by my second knee replacement.  Hopefully after that, we can settle back into a normal, but busy life with our extended family.  I'm a lucky guy.

A nice, mixed weekend

Jennie was due to fly out for a Mediterranean 3 week "girlie cruise" on Sunday, so Saturday was earmarked for some "together" stuff.  As it happened, the weather and tides were perfect so we took the boat out fishing in the morning.  Right on the edge of winter and a balmy 18 degrees C with no wind - absolutely perfect.

We anchored up in 25 metres of water among the commercial mussel beds and basically, as soon as the first bait hit bottom, it was all on!  We were only out there for just over 2 hours and got our daily combined maximum limit of 18 Snapper - one of the best days ever.

The big chilly bin starting to fill up!

Under the boat, there were 3 Kingfish about 1 metre long lurking to see what we were hauling up.  "Kingies" are rocket-propelled predators and their speed has to be seen to be believed.  They can also weigh more than 50kg!  They're smart fish too - they'll take bait dropped in the water but they're very wary about anything with a line attached - live baiting is the normal method of catching them.  Great eating but they're so powerful that normal gear gets smashed up or at very least, a snapped line.  During a moments' inattention last year, one hauled my rod and reel out of the boat - bye bye $$$$$$!

The photo below shows the metre-long kingies coming up to investigate some bait I dropped on the surface.

Great eating but hard to land!

Towards the end of the trip, Jennie landed an undersized Trevally, dropped it back in and that's when we got a heck of a fright and exhilaration all rolled into one.  As soon as it hit the surface, there was a colossal explosion of water right next to the boat as the biggest two kingfish we've ever seen came after it from the depths.  We were just frozen at the power and speed of these monsters and didn't have time to take a photo but this file photo has one of comparable size.  What a privilege to see something like these in their element!

 The mighty adult Kingfish !

(source: Oceanbluefishing.com)

Sunday saw me departing before dawn for another round of assessing IAM Associates against the advanced riding criteria in Auckland.  There's some strong current interest from female riders which is great.  Wonder if the average male rider thinks he's got nothing to learn?  I'm inclined to think that testosterone plays a bigger obstruction to learning than we might imagine!

 Some of the bikes assembling pre-ride (including a rare VFR 1200)

More bikes of all shapes and sizes

Anyway, I got to assess a rider who's skills had plateaued for a while and was pretty sympathetic as we all go through that process.  However, he'd put in a whole lot more practice with an IAM mentor and his overall skill level had measurably increased over all aspects which delighted us all - the system works!!!  I also had an extremely accomplished Observer assessing me and after the ride was finished, he took me and another trainee Observer for a short training ride to demonstrate some advanced observing skills and how to plan and control the ride.  The learning in that half hour was immense and served to reinforce that whilst I might be riding at an advanced level, I have a heck of a way to go to become an accomplished Observer!!  That's the great thing about continuous learning compared with a one-off course - you become painfully aware of how much there is to learn.  Teaches humility when you see just how good some of these guys are!!!

On the 180 km trip home, I called in to refuel about 60 km short of home.  On re-starting the bike, there was a yellow warning light on the dashboard which wouldn't go out - momentary panic about getting stranded as the Coromandel coast road is a lonely place on a late Sunday afternoon on the edge of winter!  It wasn't oil or temperature but the engine management system and I fretted that it might be electrics.  However, we made it home with no problems and a lot of relief.  Straight onto the internet, praying that I wasn't going to have to fork out BIG $$$ for repairs!  From what I've been able to deduce, some Triumphs are sensitive to over-filling the fuel tank which I know happened because I wasn't paying attention and splashed it everywhere!  Apparently, over-filling can trigger a sensor alarm in the engine management system which ALLEGEDLY disappears after 3 cold starts and warming the engine to normal operating temperatures.  Because the bike has to start from stone cold, I've only managed one today, with 2 more scheduled for tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that's all it is.  The internet is a truly wondrous place - how ever would we have coped with problems like this a few years ago?

So now I have 3 weeks on my own to do stuff and eat stuff that I wouldn't normally get permission for.  Small chance, Jennie will have spies everywhere :-).

Addendum:
Yayyy!!!  The "fix" for the engine management light actually worked, despite slight skepticism on my part.  Amazing!

Some days are better than others!

The northern part of the north island of NZ is currently in the grip of a drought but on the positive side, it's meant calm, warm days which are perfect for outdoor activities.  Having been retired for almost exactly 2 years, we have time to use these days more or less how we want!  All days are pretty good but yesterday was a bit special!

It started with jumping on the Street Triple first thing in the morning and riding 50 kilometres over some hills and down the coast to a nearby town to pick up some electronic goodies.  Warm, sunny, virtually nothing on the road in either direction.  In short, it was one of those spiritually uplifting rides that makes you at one with the universe.  Not fizzing with excitement, just perfect harmony if you get my drift.  The first picture shows the road I travelled on so you can see why I love it so much.  The photo of me was taken by a friend last year when I still had the Blackbird but the scenery hasn't changed!

 

In the afternoon, the tides were favourable and Jennie was keen to go fishing so we launched just down the road from our house and anchored in the commercial mussel farm just offshore.  The conditions were so magnificent that it wouldn't have mattered if we didn't catch anything but catch we did!  Both Jennie and I had our 20 lb lines broken early on in the expedition so there were clearly some big fish around!  We ended up with Jennie out-fishing me 8 snapper to 4 but at least I salvaged some honour with the heaviest fish of the day. I publicly apologise for my appalling dress sense  in the final photo but it's my lucky fishing gear!

After riding in the morning, fishing in the afternoon followed by filleting and a very pleasant dinner, sleep came easily; as it does when you've had a fulfilling and carefree day.  Days like this are good for the soul!