That's It !!

Hi Readers,

Well believe it or not I have actually got off my lazy backside and commenced a new post! My last one was back in July I think, and I was silently disgusted with myself when I saw that.

I never like to try and make excuses, so I wont. In the meantime I have seen that the hits on this blog have continued to increase in that time, so I feel I owe it to those readers to contribute some meaningless fluff and dribble!!

A few months ago I made the decision that this year was going to be my last, and once I made that decision I just couldn't bear for others to think that I was checking out early, so any spare time was devoted to school work. Hence the lack of posts, and in some way a desperately feeble excuse!!!

So, retirement!! 

It has actually been quite a stressful decision to make, something that many find hard to understand when I tell them. Consider this Readers, what are the biggest decisions you make in your lives?

New jobs?

Buying a house?

Having kids?

Moving to a new town?

Losing family members?

I've done them all, and am not looking for any sympathy, but this is probably the last BIG decision that I will need to make in my life, so I have to get it right. And before too long our three sons will be making decisions for me as my brain starts to deteriorate beyond repair. ( I know some of you are thinking, "Hmmm, hasn't that happened already??")

Yesterday was my last day with the kids, and I have been spoilt with the absolute BEST bunch of kids to finish my career with. I will admit I busted my boiler to get them where they were at the end of the year, but gee I had a blast with them. It was so good that at times recently I was questioning my decision to retire. 

Could I go around one more time?

But then I realised that I wouldn't be with such a great crew ( or maybe I could have done the same with the next group?) and that I was looking at the next year through rose coloured glasses.

People have often asked me, "How did you know it was time?"

For a great part of this year, I'd get half way through Sunday and then a feeling of woe would descend upon me. I started to feel really bad about the weekend ending, as it meant that I had to work the next day. And then while driving to school on the Monday I'd be thinking "Please just get me to Friday!!"

And this went on every week. I'd love my Saturdays, but Sunday meant that Monday was the next day. 

Groundhog Day !!!

And this was how I was feeling!

Readers, can I be very clear here, there was nothing wrong with where I worked or who I worked with as they were the godsend to my worries!!!

It was just the whole idea of the work, I'd just reached a stage where I felt I wasn't giving my best, and that wasn't fair to my kids.

Further to this, in recent years I'd lost a sister, a brother and my wife who all had retirement plans that were cut short by their untimely passing.

I just didn't want to retire sick, even though my body is falling apart faster than the Victorian economy!!

There are so many things that Jen and I were planning to do at the end of this year, as that was when we were both planning to retire. I've been so lucky that we travelled as much as we did before she got sick, because we created so many lasting memories that I will forever cherish.

As I said to my colleagues today, rather than feeling excited about retiring, I'm somewhat flat as I keep thinking about what was planned together, but now I have to adjust that to just myself.

So what is on the cards for me?

Firstly, many have been asking me what I'll do first? Well, firstly I want my Sundays back!!

And then in late January when for 38 years I've been thinking "H'mmm, time to get ready for school again" I'll be a free agent!!!

I bought the caravan that Jen and I had planned to do, so now I'll go and do the trips that we were looking forward to, but there will be an empty seat beside me. Someone said I should name the caravan after Jen, I like that idea.

So, after finishing at school today, I hooked up the van and have finally taken it on it's first trip. It has taken this long as soon after I bought it someone ran up the arse of my new Pajero, meaning I couldn't tow it. Then I crashed my bike at the cemetery and busted my shoulder, meaning I wasn't physically able to go camping. I got the Pajero back two weeks ago, and tonight I am camping by the banks of the Goulburn River at Nagambie, testing everything out before a bigger trip in the coming week.

Retirement Day 1

My first trip with the van

Have to keep busy if I'm travelling, so the new kayak got a workout this afternoon on the Goulburn River

A stinking hot afternoon on the river, so a few cold beers was just the remedy!

 Well Readers, that's it for today, hopefully I can now devote more time to doing something I love so much, this blog.

As I'm finishing this post I am smelling glorious cooking from the sites around me, and am embarrassed with the rubbish that I'm planning to cook for myself

Time to lift my game!!

I've got no excuses to not write posts now, so who knows what they might be about?

Please feel free to add comments, there's a link at the bottom of each post.

Until my next post ( and it won't take 5 months!!)

Cheers 😁