Retirement

New Year New Perspective – Exciting Goals

January 9, 2019

New Year and New Goals is probably the same for most people. We all set goals, there’s something that happens when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st.

Myself and Mr Fitz did not go out and celebrate, it was a cosy PJ night for us with a curry cooked by him. I have been unwell for most of Christmas developing a nasty chest infection 1 week before. I spent the week before Christmas on the sofa, I missed final shopping days and my hair appointment! I’m sat typing with horrendous roots, hopefully to be fixed tomorrow! Even after Christmas I had so little energy that I still spent a lot of time relaxing. The only thing I really felt like doing was reading and watching TV – I didn’t even pick up my beloved laptop for nearly 2 weeks! Shock! Horror!

Anyway I’m rambling a little but the point is that this enforced rest helped me to format my goals for the New Year and evaluate where I am now to where I want to be.

As you may have read in my About Me page I retired from my nursing career in 2015 after 36 years. I fulfilled some part time shifts for a further 18 months but then I finally hung up my stethoscope.

Since then I have been a part time Ebay reseller this has helped me learn new things, I had no idea before how to run a small business or complete HMRC Accounts! Also I think the secret to happy retirement is keeping active both physically and mentally. After years of working to strict shift hours and guidelines and protocols I still like some structure to my days and weeks. However I do not want to go out to work for someone else at this stage in my life, with one exception which I will come to later.

I have fallen a little out of love with my reselling lately, I think one of the main things is the clutter and stock that builds up in the house. I try to keep it contained to my home office and the garage, which are both really untidy and it does spread occasionally. I want the home office that you see images of on Instagram – not my cluttered mess. Running down my reselling life has been driven by this and then after compiling my HMRC Tax return I think the figures are an eye opener. I only want to spend 10-15 hours a week on this and yes I have a reasonable side income to supplement my NHS Pension but there are so many expenses and outgoings involved too that I think I can make this amount up by other methods. This is where my new challenges arise from for the New Year. So here goes!

Reading

As a child I spent a lot of time on my own and filed my time reading, this continued but progresses to text books at various stages in my career. When I retired I promised I would read all the books I’d wanted to and watch all the films I had missed. I haven’t managed either. So after my enforced rest I managed 2 books on my kindle in 10 days and realised how much I’d missed reading. So my goal is to read at least 2 books per month – I have set my reading target to 30 books for the year.

Ebay Reselling

As mentioned earlier one of my new year intentions is to wind down my Ebay shop. This will not take immediate effect as I still have around 300-400 items yet to sell. I will continue until this is gone but will reevaluate my pricing to help in quick sales. Once my shop is closed I will return to just selling personal items. I have to add that being part of the reselling community has been a fabulous experience. There are so many fabulous characters out there who will help. Especially on YouTube – so many re-sellers producing quality videos to hep and always with humour. I will continue to follow them even when I close my shop later in the year.

Competitions

Entering competitions has been my main hobby after watching football for over 10 years. I have won some fabulous prizes including money can’t buy experiences, including getting to interview Ant and Dec behind the scenes of Britain’s Got Talent. Following my retirement my intention was to up my game on this front and devote more time to this hobby. Yes there is a lot of luck involved but it is a hobby where you make your own luck by your efforts and hard work. Also it is a numbers game – the more competitions you enter the more chances you have of being a winner. However, this never happened and due to other distractions, including, Ebay reselling, I found I was entering less than when I was in full time work. Most compers maintain their stats, prizes, values, methods of entry etc. Again I managed this when I was working but somehow haven’t managed this is in retirement. For the life of me I don’t know why! At the end of one year or beginning of next some compers share their stats, often via YouTube. There are a few who I follow every month and after seeing their stats and yearly total of prizes I have decided that this is the main focus of my attention this year. I intend to devote the time previously allocated to Ebay reselling back to this and some more!

Work as a Background Artist

A background artist is the current name for a TV Extra. I am registered with a local Casting agency and have gained some experience in this field. The work is sporadic and not well paid at all. Probably minimum wage for the hours worked. However, I find it interesting, the food and catering is excellent, which is free and there is a lot of time hanging around between scenes. Plus you meet some interesting people. There are people from many backgrounds who work in this role. I hope to increase the amount of work I get from my agent – ooh! That sounds grand doesn’t it. If necessary I will join a different agency and see if that makes a difference to the amount of work I receive. I know I’ve said the pay is very poor but there is a lot of time hanging around which will allow me to work on my Blog and competition entries, with pay!

Blogging

I am really enjoying my blogging career that I have tried to pick up in ernest. I am still learning all the time and want to grow and monetise my blog. Therefore this New Year working on networking and growing my blog will be a big goal.

Fitness

This is my final and ever perpetual goal. To maintain fitness and lose weight. I have been attending the gym and discovered Yoga but no weight loss follows. I have written about my health goals before. Starting the New Year I want to carry on at the same level but build on my exercise regime and increase my yoga classes. As I have a chronic back condition I find that this is fabulous for my well being.

Well that’s enough to be going on with! What about you? Have you got any exciting new goals this New Year. I realise we’re approaching the middle of the month before I publish this post, however I was laid up with a nasty chest infection and bug from before Christmas plus a family bereavement which has slowed my progress. But it’s now onwards and upwards! I already know that I have some regular work as a background artist from the end of the month.

Exciting times!

London at Christmas Tea History and Theatre

December 30, 2018

London at Christmas is magical. I spent a lovely 3 days in London at the beginning of December with 3 of my girlfriends. It was a trip we had been planning since around February. I think it was me that instigated it by saying that I had never visited the shops or visited London at London or seen the Christmas lights.

Our visit was Thursday to Saturday, trying to avoid the busyness of the weekend. We all became friends through our shared hobby of entering competitions. Due to this we were able to pool some of the prizes we had won during the year, mostly experience vouchers, to cover the cost of many of our treats. The downside to this was that we had a few prizes to to claim which dictated a lot of our time and itinerary. We never did get to see the Regent Street lights at night! Read on to see what we got up to.

The idea of the trip began in around February time and we began to actually plan from around September. By booking train tickets and hotel rooms early we were able to get these at discount rates to minimise the expense of a trip to London at Christmas

As we had got a discounted rail fare by booking early we were able to travel First Class. Our day started with a bacon sandwich, tea and coffee. This was soon followed by a shared bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne!

Our hotel was the hub by Premier Inn Kings Cross. We each had a double room. The rooms are modern and compact and are perfect for 1 occupant. The bed is classed as a double but there is only access onto it from 1 side, meaning there would be a bit of a squash for 2 and if the occupant nearest the wall needed the loo at night they would have to climb over the other! The bathroom and shower was more than adequate – the rooms are well thought out to maximise space.

Double bed

Bathroom hub at Premier Inn Kings Cross

The hotel itself is in a great location with a lively bar and restaurant. Breakfast was included and described as Continental, this really did not do it justice there was a very large range of produce and choice available. The hotel was very well staffed and they were all so efficient and friendly. We would all definitely stay here again.

We travelled around the City using buses and Uber mostly. The first afternoon we headed to Regent Street and Liberty. As stated a couple of us had never visited London at Christmas before. A trip to Liberty was high on our to see list. I loved the old building with the fabulous Oak staircases and panelling. We loved browsing the very expensive silk scarves and handbags.

Liberty

Magical displays throughout Liberty

So many beautiful silk scarves

Next stop was Fortnum and Mason’s food hall, again another venue I had never visited. We all purchased a few treats for family and friends. I really liked the decor and produce available. Pricey but a lovely Christmas treat.

Fortnum and Mason window display

An expensive, indulgent Fortnum and Mason hamper

Our long day continued with Afternoon Tea in the The Galvin at The Athaneum Hotel. A lovely setting with friendly staff and great food. We are serial afternoon teaers! If there is such a thing and enjoyed the fare of offer.

Afternoon tea at The Galvin

Our final destination for the first day was over to the Apollo Theatre to watch Everybodys Talking About Jamie. I have to admit this was not my choice of show, I would have preferred a couple of others over this but I also know that I can be set in my ways regarding what I watch at the theatre and it is good to be introduced to performances I may not have chosen myself!that We had a couple of pre performance drinks in The White Horse close to the theatre. Myself and Mr Fitz love pubs and it has to be said that London have so many magnificent hostelries. That alone is a purpose for visiting the City!

The show has a very contemporary feel and subject matter, briefly the show revolves around Jamie and his school friends. Jamie is a 16 year old boy living on a council estate, he is openly gay and his career aspiration is to become a drag queen. His mother and friends are supportive, his estranged father is not. His best friend is a muslim girl in a Hijab. There are lots of risque lines and gestures but I have to say despite my reservations it was so entertaining and had you grinning from ear to ear. A real feel good show.

Third row seats! Everybodys talking about Jamie

The thrill of London Theatreland

Following this it was back to the hotel for a final night cap in the bar after a very long enjoyable day.

Our second day started early again as we had purchased tickets for Kensington Palace for 10.30 am. The Palace has 2 exhibitions covered by the ticket – Princess Diana’s dresses and Queen Victoria revisited. You can walk around the Palace in any order. We chose to look at the state rooms first where we came across a performance from 2 actors as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The theme was the Royals at Christmas and they acted out a piece about their plans for the day which culminated in an audience participation rendition of the 12 days of Christmas – well the first 5 only. This was so entertaining and we were so glad we caught it!

Actors in Kensington Palace entertained us as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

In the presence of royalty

The Queen Victoria exhibition was so fascinating, it was so interesting to see so many authentic pieces like clothing, pictures and jewellery on display.

An original painting of a young Queen Victoria

Queen Victorias Emerald and Diamond Jewellery sparkled so beautifully - talk about jewel envy!

Emerald and diamond jewellery designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria

We saved the exhibition of Princess Diana’s until last, this was the main reason for visiting the Palace. We are all fans of Diana, I personally remember her wedding and was working a night shift the night she died and watched all the events unfold in real time following the live news broadcasts.

The exhibition was smaller than we expected, in fact one of my friends commented that it was a little like the way Diana was seen by the Royals at the end, someone to be tucked away from public view. We learned that many of her dresses were auctioned off for charity and then loaned back to the Palace to be displayed. We really enjoyed looking at those available, including the tweed suit she wore on honeymoon at Balmoral – to be honest this is hideous and dowdy! There is also the dark blue velvet dress that she wore when she danced with John Travolta.

The images and photographs of Princess Diana's dresses at Kensington Palace can never replicate their full beauty

A selection of Princess Diana’s dresses

The one we all wanted to see – known as the Revenge Dress was not included in the exhibition unfortunately. For £16 a ticket we thought it great value for money.

Next stop was Harrods and again the Food Hall before enjoying a cream tea in Harrods tea room. We were sat next to the pianist and it was a very festive enjoyable hour.

Harrods cream tea

We returned to our hotel for a freshen up before dinner that we had pre booked at The Parcel Yard at Kings Cross. This venue was so busy and noisy but we had good food and service. The bar and restaurant was packed with people celebrating London at Christmas.

After a final night cap it was time for bed again after another busy packed day.

Before our return home the next morning we visited St Pancras station to see the Tiffany Christmas tree and ate a very large brunch at Bill’s in Islington – a prize of a £100 tab! We all ate really well and had enough funds left for a last bottle of champagne! After all it is Christmas.

Tiffany Christmas tree at St Pancras station

Brunch at Bills restaurant

Champagne at 12MD – don’t mind if we do

This was so enjoyable, even though Mr Fitz is my best friend and soul mate I think it is good to have time away with your girlfriends – good for the soul and gave us all the opportunity to do the things that our men don’t always want to do.

Have you been to any of these venues? Did you like them as much as us? What do you like to do in London at Christmas? Let me know or tell me of other places we may visit when we return.

Email me or comment I love to hear from you – thanks for reading today

A Michelin Star Experience – Northcote Manor

November 30, 2018

A Michelin Star dining experience has been on our wish list for a while. So we visited Northcote Manor on the night of my lovely husbands 60th birthday last month. I had booked and planned this as a surprise for the actual night itself. We are both foodies and love dining out as well as watching hours of cooking on TV. He knew I’d booked an overnight stay but not where however, as the day grew nearer I was a bit panicky about surprising him and revealed the venue and Michelin Star experience the week before.

Northcote Manor is a renowned small luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant situated on the edge of the Ribble Valley, in the heart of Lancashire. Lisa Goodwin Allen is the Executive chef after taking over from Nigel Haworth, both seen regularly on TV Cookery programmes, including the Great British Menu.

We traveled by car and the journey took less than an hour. It was easy to find and is a manor house set just off the main road in expansive gardens which include an area where they grow some of their own produce.

Our room was in the Garden Lodge set aside from the main Manor house housing the restaurant. We had booked the Tasting Break which included an overnight stay, a 6 course dinner and breakfast the following morning. We were allocated room 21, which was huge, a large double bed, sofa and doors to a private terrace fully surrounded by a hedge for privacy. The bathroom was fabulous with complimentary Temple Spa toiletries. Check in was super smooth and there was a birthday card from the hotel waiting for John in our room.

Dinner was booked for 7 and we had a pre dinner drink in the bar in the Manor House, this was so cosy and inviting. The short walk from the Garden Lodge to the Manor house is lit up and well paved, umbrellas are available in each room in the event of inclement weather. As it was October the terraces were bare but it was clear to see that there were many outdoor chairs and tables available to enjoy a drink outside in the summer admiring the surroundings and views. We were served 2 small hors d’oeuvres in the bar before being invited into the main restaurant.

The restaurant is luxurious to look at with attentive service. It is a high end experience as expected by a Michelin Star restaurant. Every course was explained to us as it was served. I chose to purchase the wine flight for myself, John stuck to beer, and the Sommelier provided a choice for a couple of courses. The service was excellent but a little too formal for our liking, after all we are only humble people who like to experience a taste of the good life and good food occasionally.

Our menu was:

AGED HAND CUT BEEF
Roasted Celeriac, Smoked Marrowbone
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015 (125ml £8.50)

WEST COAST SCALLOP
Clam ”Chowder”, Bacon, Chervil
Cottanera, Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy, 2016 (125ml £10.00)

West Coast Scallop

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
Black Truffle
Dry Sack, Amontillado, Williams & Humbert, Andalucia, Spain, NV (70ml £11.50)

Jerusalem Artichoke

CORNISH TURBOT
Orchard Apple, Watercress, Walnut
Chardonnay, Heitz Cellar, Napa Valley, USA, 2014 (125ml £15.75)

Cornish Turbot

RED LEG PARTRIDGE
Leg Bolognaise, Mushroom, Squash
Reserva, Viña Tondonia, Rioja, Spain, 2004 (125ml £15.25)

Oops! Forgot to photograph prior to eating!

FLAVOUR OF ECCLES CAKES
Muscat Grapes, Caramelised Pastry, Tea
Monastrell, Dulce, Bodegas Castaño, Murcia, Spain, 2010 (70ml £8.00)

Neither of us like pink meat, we could be classed as old fashioned as we love all meat dished ‘well done’. The Aged Hand Cut Beef was a version of steak tartare, so we asked for an alternative if possible. The request was no problem and we were given the equivalent course from their plant based menu, which was:

HAND CUT ROAST CELERIAC
Horseradish, Smoked Butter
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015, 125ml £8.50.

The courses were small but very rich with fabulous mixes of flavours and textures. The Partridge wasn’t really us, although we did eat most of us. My favourite course was the Cornish Turbot, absolutely delicious.

Following dinner we had one final nightcap in the lounge bar, with its roaring fire and dimmed lighting. Before retiring back to our lovely room. We were both full and satisfied from this luxury experience.

Following a great nights sleep we returned to the main restaurant for their version of a Full English Breakfast. Service was a little slow at breakfast but the food when it arrived was just the right portion size after the previous nights hearty dinner.

Cooked English Breakfast

Overall this was a one off experience for us for a special occasion, it was expensive, costing just under £600. There are large service charges added to each aspect of service. Our after dinner drinks of a pint of cider and a Baileys cost £24! We were really pleased to be able to experience this dining experience but would not repeat in a hurry. The one downside for me was that the temperature in the restaurant both at dinner and breakfast was too warm, I appreciate that being in the throws of the menopause this was my problem, but Mr Fitz also felt uncomfortable at times in the heat.

In summary though it was a fabulous experience for a pair of foodies like us for a one off celebration. If you were looking for a top class venue with Michelin Star food I would highly recommend it.

Dining out is our favourite pastime.

Have you had a luxury dining experience or a similar treat for a special occasion let me know what you did or where you dined at. We are always looking for places to visit to stay and dine. Leave me a comment or email me, I love to hear from you.

Thanks for popping in today

A busy October having fun in retirement

November 18, 2018

I had a very busy October and I know I’m it’s already mid November and I’m late in posting, but hey better late than never. Time is flying so fast. This third age of my life is truly the best especially spending quality time with family and friends. When I was working full time as a nurse I was either too busy or too tired to really enjoy my social life.

Where Did I Go in October

The month of October was dominated by Mr Fitz’s 60th birthday, both preparation and celebrations. I had planned a surprise night away for him on the actual night of his Birthday. We are both foodies and Mr Fitz can watch hours of cooking programmes and demonstrations from Celebrity chefs, as well as dining out. With that in mind I had booked a night away at Northcote Manor a Michelin starred hotel and restaurant not too far away. He hates surprises so closer to the date I did actually tell him where we were going. We had a lovely stay and fabulous food, very expensive but a one off experience befitting the milestone in life. I will write a full review of this experience in a separate post.

A selection of the food on offer at Northcote Manor

Michelin Star Food

We both enjoyed a weekend away in Blackpool with friends at the beginning of October, staying in their static caravan. A great time filled with lots of laughter and a trip to the Blackpool illuminations was enjoyed by us all. I reflected on the Illuminations as part of my Blogtober18 series, if you haven’t read it already you can take a look here.

Blackpool Illuminations

With the christening of Johns great niece Delilah Belle we got to spend some quality family time with Johns close and extended family. It was as few days before his birthday so they presented him with gifts and sang Happy Birthday to him. After years of missing out on many family celebrations due to the unsocial hours and shifts that are required as a nurse, in retirement I fully appreciate how precious days like this are.

Mr Fitz Receiving gifts for his 60th birthday

Family time

After football and blogging my other passion is for entering competitions. I have like minded friends and we all share our winning prizes and experiences amongst ourselves and our friends and families. My lovely friend Juliet won a trip to meet Jamie Oliver in London. It was a promotion in collaboration with Hotpoint and Jamie Oliver to reduce foo wastage and to be creative with leftovers. There were 5 winners who had been judged to submit the best ideas for the use of leftovers. The winners and guests were invited to a pop up event in East London. A truly enjoyable day and an opportunity to see Jamie demonstrating his cooking skills at close contact.

Enjoying a celebrity chef experience with Jamie Oliver

Watching Jamie Oliver live

Another of my friends won a meal at Rain Bar in Manchester for 4. This is a gastro pub where the food was really tasty with great service and attention. It also gave myself and my friends the opportunity to get together and plan an upcoming trip to London in December

Lunch at Rain Bar Manchester

What Did I Read in October

I’m ashamed to say I am still on the same book from the Village series that I was reading last month – I’ve barely picked my kindle up and I need to read more to help me unwind at the end of the day.

What I watched on TV in October

I completed watching the series on Sky Witness The Truth About the Harry Quebert Story, I mentioned this last month. It was quite a slow moving who dunnit but I enjoyed it, lots of twist and turns.

I’ve been catching up on an older TV series, A Place To Call Home and watching in snatches. I find this a really relaxing storyline and series. It’s set in Australia an tells the story of a family throughout the years.

Naturally there has been wall to wall football being watched here!

I didn’t get to watch any specific films apart from dipping into the many Christmas movies being continuously shown on Sky. By the time Christmas arrives I will have possibly seen snippets of them all. These are great movies to have on in the background while I work, particularly photographing and listing stock for my Ebay shop.

Home Improvements

If you have read earlier posts about our house purchase partially funded from my retirement funds, you may know that I so love this dream house and this is the most enjoyable part of my retirement. I love spending as much time as possible inside working from home. When we moved in it had been repainted throughout and re carpeted in neutral tones. Over the three years we have lived here we have gradually made changes and put our personal stamp on it. We had wooden flooring in our previous home and loved the look and clean feel of it. But as the carpet was newly fitted when we moved in changing it immediately seemed inappropriate. This month though we thought 3 years was a respectable length of time to change it and we had wooden flooring fitted through the lounge and dining room. Due to my menopausal brain fog I have become really indecisive and struggle to choose decor etc. Thankfully Mr Fitz is able to make good choices and where once I made the main decisions I am happy for him to take the lead. He chose a dark colour which I possibly wouldn’t have chosen myself, possibly because I make ‘safe’ choices and he is happy to be out there sometimes. I am happy with his choice and love the new look.

November goals

To continue at the gym and attend yoga classes hoping this results in weight loss.

I am going to aim to eat a low carb diet 90% of the time to reverse the state of insulin resistance that I appear to be in, caused by my lovely constant companion that is the menopause. I am watching a series of videos from a nutritionist in America Dr Becky Gillaspy, as I have a Masters Degree in Health Studies, I know that what she talks about makes sense.

Procrastination

Oh and yes my accounts have still not been submitted – I need to pull my finger out!

Finally I am planning to redecorate my 2nd bedroom, including a full declutter. I will post about this when the project is complete.

How is your November progressing? How you’re all moving forward, my favourite saying at the moment is from Emma Drew of Emma Drew info who is helping me with my blogging journey, and that is we should strive at all times for progress not perfection! So true. I am prone to getting lost in the minutiae of details to be perfect that I end up making no progress at all.

Let me know if you have any similar experiences to any of my recent ones? I love to hear from you and receive inspiration

Comment or email me

Also I would love you to subscribe and share if you wish to hear more about my retirement life and having fun after 50.

Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated

I love You Tube 10 of my favourite channels

October 17, 2018

Before I retired I rarely watched You Tube, apart from watching something Manchester City related or a ‘how to’ video after googling for an answer to a particular problem.

Now I’m a little obsessed and for a while preferred to watch You tube Video’s over TV whilst at home during the day. I still treat myself to a brew in bed with YouTube one morning during the week. Often Monday as a treat for not having to go out to work anymore. Spoiled I know!

I watch so many and as well as regular You Tube channels that I am subscribed to I can get lost watching new channels that are recommended to me.

I’ve decided to share 10 and it was hard to narrow it down to only 10. So here goes!

Sparklyblonde1 – This is Faith from Michigan in USA and one of the 1st I followed regularly. I love her home, especially her office and make up room! I have 2 rooms that I can rename the same but they certainly don’t look like her. My office is full of Ebay clutter, but I’m working on the other! Faith is obsessed with Fall and Christmas this means she often posts infrequently during other times of the years. I don’t mind though as I recognise that now. Plus she has the cutest dogs!

HotandFlashy – Angie is an over 50’s Vlogger from USA and yes her channel is about age appropriate beauty products, the menopause, fashion and food. She has a lovely figure so some of her clothing looks are not suitable for my short dumpy frame – but hey I can dream. I used to love her Foundation Friday posts.

HowJenDoesIt – Jen is another US Vlogger who talks about Organisation. If you will have seen some of my earlier posts, particularly my post about moving house, you will know that since taking early retirement I have become a little obsessed with organisation. I was too knackered when working. I love it now, I do feel that an organised house does lead to calmness and a more productive life.

Clutterbug – This lovely, bubbly Vlogger is Cassandra from Canada. She is a stay at home mom who vlogs about decluttering and home organisation plus cleaning tips. She is adorable, such a sunny personality and manner about her. Rapidly becoming one of my favourites out there.

Caroline (Mrs M) – Caroline Matthews is an English Vlogger who has just turned 50. She is an Ebay reseller and a lifestyle vlogger. She appears to ahve quite an affluent lifestyle but does love a bargain and seems to like so many similar things to me. As an Ebay reseller myself I also pick up hints and tips from her.

Carla Jenkins – Carla is an absolutely hilarious and crazy Ebay reseller. I enjoy watching what she picks up to resell. She has recently been doing a live chat on a Sunday lunchtime. Never fails to make me laugh.

Neisha – from SugarPuffand Fluff – has such a lovely personality and always looks fabulous. I find her hair care vieos so helpful with my fine hair problems.

It’s Em – Emma is a UK based lifestyle vlogger. She posts a weekend vlog plus other regular vlogs about lifestyle and plus size fashion. I was introduced to her by Caroline Mrs, who mentioned that she liked her. She is a lovely girl and includes her husband Chris in the Vlogs too. A really enjoyable Vlogger who discusses many things and includes Travel too.

Emma Drew – Emma is another English vlogger who is a brand ambassador for Poundland. She also talks about money making and money saving plus how to build a blog. Now I’m retired I am much more money savvy. I am currently undertaking coaching sessions from Emma to help me build and grow my blog. An excellent teacher.

EECC Travel – whilst planning my recent cruise trip I was looking for cruise related video’s. A lot of the UK ones were pure information and ship tours. This lovely American couple vlog about their many cruises and there are a lot of fun clips in their vlogs as well as great hints and tips. They really promote the fun and relaxation as well as entertainment that can be had on a cruise line. Plus they have THE BEST theme tune in my opinion.

Well those are my current top 10. I hope you find at least one of these to follow too. Do you l you love You Tube? If so please recommend others that I can follow too. Also I have started my own channel but it’s been stop start as my editing and filming skill are not quite there yet maybe someone can point me in the direction of a good youtube course or editing course.

This post is part of the Blogtober18 initiative hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click the logo below to learn more and see other bloggers involved.

The story behind my old photo

October 14, 2018

Myself as a young nurse taken around 1986

This photograph is of me as a young nurse taken around 1986 when I was around 26 years old.

It was in an era when we wore more traditional uniforms and caps. I was a staff nurse working on a Special Care Baby Unit. It was a time when I really loved my job, everything about it was fabulous. I never wanted to miss a day at work and would change shifts or stay late at a drop of a hat. I was so dedicated.

Don’t get me wrong I remained dedicated throughout my 38 years career but conditions changed and also I became weary. Added to this the menopausal brain fuzz meant I was not as mentally sharp as I wanted to be. This was one of the most important issues that influenced my decision to take early retirement.

Those of us who are old enough to have worn caps will admit to having loved them and would wear them again. There was a formality about status and rank then. The stripes on your cap reflected your seniority and status. There was nothing better than gaining another stripe after completing another complete years training or earning a promotion. It was your badge of honour.

I could write many posts about my life as a nurse and no doubt I will. This one is just about this snapshot in my career. Very happy memories of hard work, comradeship and having the privilege to look after sick newborns and helping their families out in difficult times.

I love looking back at old photographs do you? Than you for dropping by.

This post is part of the current Blogtober18 initiative.

Click the logo below to see more posts from other bloggers taking part

Celebrations, Organisation and Planning My October Goals

October 1, 2018

October is an exciting month as Mr Fitz celebrates his 60th Birthday. A milestone birthday and I cannot believe that lovely boy I married is now this age. Time really does fly when you’re enjoying yourself. My main goal is to ensure he has a great day and plenty of other celebrations.

Celebrations

The main part of Mr Fitz’s Birthday Present was our first cruise holiday last month with P and O Cruises. John is not one for expensive possessions and gadgets, preferring experiences that make memories. Because of that I paid for the cruise as my gift to him. He also does not like to be the centre of attention so we have no party plans but I have arranged a night away for him on the night of his birthday. he knows I have booked somewhere but doesn’t know where. My main goal is that I can keep the venue a surprise and make his birthday celebrations special.

I have a nice bottle of champagne chilling for our celebratios

Cheers – here’s to 60 years!

Organisation and Admin

I did not manage to complete my HMRC self assessment last month, therefore I really must get it done in October amongst all the birthday celebrations.

My organisational goal is to begin to streamline my wardrobe. I aim to develop a capsule or minimalistic wardrobe. I won’t manage to complete this in one moth but to satrt I am going to sort through my coats and jackets this month and decide which items to keep. The remaining I will either donate to charity, the homeless or sell on ebay.

Fitness

I have been intending to start Yoga classes for a while and I took the opportunity of taking a class on board our Cruise. This sparked me on to take a yoga class as part of my gym membership. I loved both classes so my goal in October is to attend a class once a week in October.

Blogging

This year for the first time I am taking part in Blogtober, a moth where I publish a post every day and engage with other bloggers. Read more about my plans and schedule here

Again, I’m keeping them short and sweet again because of Birthday celebrations.

September Update

Just before I go I’ll provide a quick update of what I achieved from my September goals.

Holiday

Well firstly I cannot speak highly enough of how much we enjoyed our Cruise Holiday with P and O Cruises on the Oceana. It was so enjoyable that we have booked a further two with them! I will let you know much more about our experiences in a series of blog posts to come!

Enjoying a Tropical themed evening on board Oceana

Fitness

I have continued to attend the gym for a mixture of cardio and weights 3 times a week. Also as you can see from my September goals I attended a Yoga session on the cruise ship and really enjoyed it, from this I plan to continue with a class a week. I hope as well as fitness it will help my chronic back problem.

Admin

The quest to complete my HMRC self assessment continues, the less said the better – onwards and upwards!

Celebrate

We had a very enjoyable afternoon and evening celebrating our 33rd Wedding Anniversary, it was helped by a prize win of a £50 bar tab at a local cocktail venue!

Blogging

I have managed to post once a week apart from the week I was on the ship – not yet got the hang of scheduling or got far enough in front with writing post! I also mostly managed to post on Instagram daily from this and my sister blog – beespiesandrainyskies.info

That’s it for now so I’m off to prepare and write content for my very ambitious plan of joining in with Blogtober. Also take a look at other bloggers who are also involved and I am collaborating with

BigFamilyOrganisedChaos

Sarah Beth Blogs

Tea and Cake for the Soul

Kristine’s Blog

Please let me know what you have achieved or are planning or any hints and tips you may have to help me achieve mine, especially the dreaded HMRC self assessment. I love to hear from you, I love to read your comments or you can always contact me by email

Blogtober 2018 – joining in for the first time

September 26, 2018

Blogtober 2018 will be here and starting in a weeks time. In previous years I have enjoyed reading other bloggers content. This year as I’ve started blogging in earnest I am going to get involved.

What is Blogtober 2018?

Basically, Blogtober is a month of blogging every day in the month of October. Oh yes! That’s correct, every day. The whole idea is to celebrate creativity and the concept of creating content. In an ideal world I would prepare well in advance – but as someone who works better to deadlines I’m only just starting to plan 7 days in advance.

As far as I’m aware, there are no set rules to it. You just post once every day, and that’s it. Contrary to what I used to believe , you do not need to centre the topic of your posts on things to do with October and Autumn but of course there’s nothing to stop you doing this. I think mine will be a mixture because I love autumn. See my previous post about it.

There isn’t even a need to have organised all of your 31 posts prior to the month starting; as helpful as it can be, don’t be put off if you haven’t given it much thought thus far. The whole idea is that it’s a fun way to put content out there!

So on a quick whim and after a quick brain dump here is my planned schedule of posts

October goals
5 things I love about Autumn
Well Being Wednesday #3
5 autumn fashion buys for the over 50’s
What I did in September
My thoughts on Spooky Films
Current supermarket buys to cosy up your lounge
Recipe – autumn comfort food
Books I loved in childhood
Well Being Wednesday #4
3 autumn photo’s from my memories
TV review – what am I watching in October
How to dress for chilly days at football games
An old photo – the story behind it.
Ones who couldn’t stay #babylossawarenessweek
10 of My favourite Youtubers
A day in my life – retirement joys
Well Being Wednesday #5
A review of Blackpool Illuminations
Best Halloween costumes currently on sale
Vindaloo or Korma? #nationalcurryweek
First 10 songs on my playlist on shuffle
7 Instagram accounts I love following
Why I dislike Trick or Treat
A review of an autumn walk in The Lake District
Well Being Wednesday #6
Pumpkin carving
Recipe – Pumpkin soup
5 accessories to revamp your wardrobe for autumn – looking fabulous over 50
Review of Whitby – a favourite seaside town
Well Being Wednesday #7

Well there they are – what a list! A mixture of autumn themed content and random topics. I hope there is something here for everyone – not just my peers over 50. I’d love your comments – are you taking part? Or have you been involved in previous years and giving it a break this year?

I’m looking forward to reading other bloggers posts too!

Thanks for dropping by – see you in October

Retirement- plan your budget ahead

July 23, 2018

Retirement planning

Retirement can be the best phase of your life. When planning for retirement there are important considerations that need addressing. If you are planning to retire within the next couple of years and are on a Final Salary Pension Scheme I’d like to share an important piece of advice that I received.

You are able to apply for a pension forecast in advance, in my case, this was an NHS pension where you receive 2 figures.

These are

Your Annual Pension Payment – to continue for life
Your lump sum figure – a one off payment on retirement and depending on your age at retirement could be tax free.

When applying for a final salary pension , applicants are given the option to exchange some of their annual pension for an increased lump sum. In the case of an NHS pension, for every £1 of pension given up, you will receive an increase of £12 in your lump sum on Retirement.

This can see your lump sum increase by a much larger amount and can look like a fabulous windfall. Almost a small lottery win.

However here is the advice and note of caution.

Do not automatically be excited by the larger lump sum and jump straight into that option, it may not be the best one for you.

As part of your retirement planning you need to calculate your financial requirements, all your outgoings and plan your budget. The Money Advice Service has a useful budget tool

What does this mean

To put this very simply. If your original pension sum provides you with an adequate income, the lump sum is enough for an emergency fund with some to splash on hobbies and fun then this may be the better option.

For example, if your pension is £13000 per annum with a lump sum of £46000 and you have calculated that you need £11000 per year to live then that is a good option for you.

Consequently, sacrificing some of your pension to increase the lump sum to a larger amount of say £67000 as an example, would mean the smaller annual pension is £10000. A larger figure may look exciting but failing to look at your requirements and create a budget showing that £11000 per annum was required – you would be left with a shortfall of £1000 per year for living costs.

This then leads to the question – Where are you going to find that extra £1000 per year from? If you are having to dip into your lump sum savings, then it will dwindle rapidly as you at relying on it for income. £1000 is a lot to find, and in the current financial climate your remaining lump sum probably won’t be earning that in Interest per year.

Consequently if you do sacrifice some of your pension for a larger lump sum and the reduced pension is more than adequate to cover your financial needs then go for it! That’s a win, win situation and you can have a really comfortable retirement.

The take home message from this is that when planning for retirement you need to plan a budget for living costs and in that not just essentials but for holidays and leisure pursuits. After working hard for many years after you stop working there will be a lot of leisure time to be enjoyed and you don’t want any money worries after retirement.

Think for the long-term and not just the excitement of the first couple of years of your retirement because let’s face it most of us are hopeful of many years of fun filled freedom without any financial worries.

Take it from me – my new mantra is that Retirement is the best job I ever had.

Let me know how you planned your retirement budget or if you are in the planning stages have you requested your forecast yet to help you plan your budget – I’d love to hear from you

Life is Good

October 1, 2015

Having taken early retirement at the age of 55 in July of last year, I have a new lease of life and find the time to enjoy life and have a new found curiosity for many things – learning or trying something new every day – be it a new beauty or household product to a new website or YouTube page.

After years of working crippling shifts including nights and day shifts in the same week, I now feel rested, have less aches and pains and more energy. It is the best thing I could ever have done – and I know I am in a privileged position to be able to do this. Thanks to the NHS Pension scheme. I would never have saved and provided for my future myself.

My head is a jumble of random, excited new thoughts and experiences. I will endeavour to organise my thoughts and write about my experiences in retirement.

The above words were for my very first post on this blog, it was short and sweet. I’ve now decided to revisit it and expand on how I feel a year further on in retirement.

Time has flown and there are never enough hours in the day. I know I can hear the groans of you are still working full time and juggling childcare. But it’s true! I remember hearing many newly retired person say the same thing and I was cynical. But here I am confirming that statement.My husband has frequently asks ‘How did you find time to go to work?’

I fill my time in many ways, reading other blogs, thinking about this one, but yes I know, not enough posting! Indulging in my hobby of entering competitions, I meet friends for lunch and coffee, now attend other retirement do’s as more and more of my friends and colleagues also hop off the hamster wheel, and sadly to say attending funerals of colleagues and colleagues partners.

However, my favourite ways to pass the time is just by being at home, pottering about doing ordinary household tasks and spending quality time with family. In my career as a nurse I have mostly worked unsocial hours and the aforesaid crippling shifts. Most of my time was spent working when everyone else was out socialising or in bed. My husband got used to continually having to apologise for my absence at gatherings and parties held by friends and family. These are things that I think many people take for granted. Here are just are a few of my thoughts on these ordinary subjects.

I was permanently exhausted after a week of ever-changing shifts. In my last role I would regularly work day and night shifts in the same week. I used to feel like I was permanently suffering from jet lag. Unless anyone has worked night shifts I don’t think they appreciate the damage it does to your body. By the time you get to bed at the end of your first night shift you will have been up over 24 hours. Most of us would plan to lie in bed the day of the first shift but my body would say otherwise and I would wake as normal. I again would try to sleep again in the afternoon but my body would not sleep. Shifts were long often 13 hours without a break, and driving home was a challenge, the last thing I’d want to do was vacuum, or dust before sleep. I was lucky that my husband could see how I was struggling to get to the finish line – my 55th birthday and took on nearly all the household jobs until that day came.

Housework

This used to be a chore that I did not relish – just something to be done in as quick as time as possible. I used to wish I had that show home that others seem to have. Now I can’t say I have a show home but it is closer to that vision than it was when I worked.

I take joy now in all my jobs, I even wipe down my skirting boards and clean the microwave regularly! I can honestly say that I love my home and enjoy being a housewife and homemaker. I had a successful career, studied hard even managed to gain a Masters degree by the skin of my teeth and climbed to a senior level in a high paid role. However, once I got there I decided it was ‘tough at the top’ and not what I hoped it to be and yearned for a more simple life. I’ve got the simple life now and I love it!

Quality time with family

Due to shifts and unsocial working patterns I missed a lot of time with my own family. When I was getting close to retirement and re-evaluating my life I looked round and realised that all my senior relatives had passed on. I had spent so little time with people who had such an impact in my childhood years, that made me sad.

John and I are happily childless. However I have nephews and nieces who I spent as much time as possible with when they were growing up. I like to think I’m a friend as well as an auntie to them. They now have their own children. My brother and Sister in law look after their grandchildren a couple of times a week. I help with their care too now I have the free time. I treasure this time with my family it’s so precious.

My husband has 6 nephews and nieces, again with their own children now. Sadly my husband’s older brother, Jim, passed a way this year after a long battle with cancer. We all spent a lot of time together during his illness and subsequently. Johns sister held a girls night to raise money for Macmillan in his memory. Many of the girls there, nieces or nephews partners were intrigued about me after they met me. I was asked where had I been all this time. They hadn’t really realised I existed as I was never around due to work! Anyway by the power of early retirement I have now reconnected with all my family and loving it.

How do you feel about housework – a chore or a joy?

If you work shifts what do you feel you miss out on the most?

I’d love to hear from you – please comment or email me

Thanks for popping by

Elaine