A Tuesday with my recently retired husband

Written by 62 year old  female Hairdresser/Housewife living in a Villlage near Sittingbourne Kent.

Written on September 7th 2010

‘A Tuesday with my recently retired husband’ September 7th 2010

My first memory of the day was the sound of the Co-op milk lorry arriving. I live next door to the Co-op store in Newington and today it arrived and unloaded at about 6.30am. The sun is shining through the curtains and temperature warm in contrast to the night before which was cold and pouring with rain. Today is the second day of my husband's retirement, so because he used to get up at 6.00am every work day and make me a cup of tea. I got up and went downstairs, turned off the alarm, before it wakes the whole nieghbourhood up, and put the kettle on and make a cup of tea. I took the tea back to the bedroom and we enjoyed the tea at our leisure, followed by a chat about the day to come.

My husband expressed a wish to go for an early swim at the local swimming baths at the Swallows in Sittingbourne, so he got out of bed and went to the bathroom, before dressing in casual clothes (his work clothes would have included suit and tie) He then looked for swimming trunks and towel. After a glass of juice and his first medication of the day which is for a heart condition, he left the house at 7.00am. I rose soon after, showered and also dressed in casual clothes (normal dress) sort out a wash load for the machine, including stripping off the bed sheets.

Before going downstairs, I opened the windows to freshen the rooms. When I got downstairs I turned on the computer and checked for emails, there were none, so got the table ready for breakfast. I drank a glass of juice and took my medication for high blood pressure. My husband arrived back home at 8.00am and we sat and had breakfast together. Our meal consisted of blackberries, which I picked yesterday, a couple of plumbs and porridge. The washing cycle was finished, so I hung it all on the line in the garden. I then opened the greenhouse and checked the family pet tortoise who resides there. She is over 60 years old and not eating much at the moment as it is nearly hibernation time, which lasts about 6 months.

I went back indoors, picked up my handbag, said goodbye to my husband and left the house about 9.30am and walked with a friend to the local Sports Pavilion, where a few ladies use the gym on Tuesday mornings. I prefer the running machine, although I don’t run but walk fast. I had about 15mins on that, then 10 mins on a static bike before making a cup of coffee. I then had 10mins using the weights for exercise of my arms and 10mins chat with some of the others there. Some were talking about the bingo yesterday and some about the outing we had 2 weeks ago when we went to Battle Abbey.

On the way home I met an elderly lady who has been talking to me about the 2nd world war in Newington. She told me last week about the German plane that came down at Gore Farm and how her mother took bandages to the site and helped the pilot before an ambulance came. She said she will speak to her brother and ask him what he remembers. I said I would call on her soon for another chat. I collect stories and other memorabilia as well as writing and researching anything about local history. I have had one book published and now on 2nd one.

When I arrived home my husband and I had a coffee in the kitchen and we talk about our morning so far and the people we have spoken too. I noticed he was grinning and asked what was so funny, he replied, "I keep thinking I wont have to go to work anymore and so glad I decided to retire early. I thought, its early days yet! I do hope we don’t get on each others nerves after awhile. Hopefully, we have many interests that will keep us busy. He has always dabbled in DIY jobs on the house and there are many overdue. This is very different from his ex, day job, as a Construction Engineer, office manager, who spends most of his day sitting at a computer with deadlines to meet.

As it was such a lovely day he decided to go out and take some photos I have been asking him to do for my records. He also sends photos to our local Parish Magazine and puts some on the Parish Website that he manages. The photographs also capture the changes that take place in the village. I busied myself with house chores until he came back, when he loaded the photos on the computer, we remarked how lovely the orchards look at this time of year, full of fruit, waiting to be harvested. While I finished the housework upstairs and made up a clean bed, my husband began to clear out the spare room he intends to use as his own work and hobby room, with his own computer and other things that interest him. He enjoys music, mostly normal, popular stuff and compiles music rounds for local quiz nights. He also likes organizing walks around the village and researching stuff on the internet (shopping for tools, gadgets, insurance, technical stuff etc. etc) The time was racing on and we stopped for lunch about 1.30pm. Lunch was a ham sandwich with tomatoes (from the greenhouse) and pickle, followed by a yogurt and coffee and a biscuit or two for hubby, who has a sweet tooth!

We adjourned to the garden for a well earned rest in the lovely sunshine. After only 10mins the clouds arrived to spoil the blue sky and hide the glorious sun. A few more minutes later, rain spots started to fall and our sunbathing came to an abrupt end. I raced across the garden to get in all the washing, ug! We had just got indoors when the phone rang. It was a retired friend of hubby’s to say he was down the field with his sheep and would he like to pop down for a beer and a chat. My husband picked up his newly acquired golf clubs, he got second hand from another friend who couldn’t play anymore, and popped them in the boot to show his mate his bargain. His mate also plays golf, so I expect they will make a date to play some time soon. My husband has only played Crazy Golf before, so the big boy’s toys are very different! They looked like they weigh a ton! I continued to sit with my feet up a little longer and have a read. The book I am reading at the moment is a Scottish, historical novel, which combines time-travel and adventure as well as being a love story. It’s by Dianna Gabaldon and called ‘Dragon-fly in Amber’. It’s about a 2nd world war nurse who falls through a time hole in 1945 and ends up in 1743 during the highlands uprising and falls in love with a young Scottish warrior.

I also sent my sister a short text to say thanks for the money she owed me and hoped she had received some interest from the advert in the paper for her house she has up for sale. She has a full time job, but finds it hard to keep up with the expenses of a house on her own. She would like to move abroad really, somewhere warm, but she can’t sell her house. The recession has left people worried about moving and spending too much money. She is going to Australia in November to stay with our younger sister and catch up with her son who has been out there now for two years. Her son has paid for ½ her fare and our sister will spoil her rotten and she will get a nice well earned rest.

When my husband returned, he had picked up my old sewing machine from my grand-daughter’s mother in the next street. I had asked for its return some time ago and can now attend to a few sewing jobs of my own. My husband bought news that our grand-daughter is feeling a lot happier since she moved back in with her boyfriend after splitting up for a couple of months. She wanted to be a bit more independent and rented a flat by herself for awhile, but she changed her mind and her boyfriend is so glad to have her back home (his words apparently) Our grand-daughter is 20 and works with Downs and Autistic adults. She had gained a place at university early for her years but wasn’t happy, so came out due to wrong choice of career and has had this job for about a year now. She says she likes the job and she seems a very caring person. We would have rather liked to have seen her use her academic skills more, as she had gained a good standard throughout her school life, but the choice is hers and hers alone. She will find her place in time. As long as she is happy, that’s all we wish for.

I made another cup of tea and joined in the sorting out of all the unwanted stuff my hubby had turned out of the room. This job will take more than a couple of days I thought. The late afternoon was dull and overcast and a bit cooler too. My husband remembered a phone call that came in while I was out this morning, from a lady who would like me to call her with the phone number for the person organizing the Allotment Association Jumble Sale next Saturday. I called her back and gave her the number she wanted. She apparently has some jumble that needs picking up. Whilst sorting out today I came across a nice photograph of my recently departed mother-in-law. I put it in the new frame my eldest son and his wife gave us as a gift. When my hubby spotted it later in the evening, he said he was pleased with my choice. We decided to call it a day as it was nearly 6.00pm and hubby offered to cook the dinner. I thought - I like this retirement lark. He cut up a whole raw chicken, saved the thighs and wings and thinly sliced the breasts, put them in a bowl and added a dried spice mix for Mexican Fahitas. He then made some salsa with fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, chilli and herbs while I made a bowl of mixed salad, got out some sour cream from the fridge and poured out 2 glasses of cold, dry white wine. I then took my wine through to the lounge and started to write this day diary while hubby cooked the chicken and laid the table. Ready for 7.00 he called.

Our neighbour came round to ask if we could put his wheelie bin out for him on Friday morning as he and his wife and 4 dogs were going away for a few days. The Fahitas were ‘scrummy’ and we soon relaxed and chatted some more about jobs for tomorrow and holiday maybe, before xmas! Once the kitchen was cleaned up and dishwasher full we settled down in the lounge to watch some TV. We have reclining chairs, so staying awake is a problem, especially if the TV is rubbish. Looking for something to watch is a chore. We don’t like soaps or silly, loud, slap-stick, game shows and there are so many repeats, that we have seen many times. It’s not so bad for hubby because he enjoys the car shows, anything technical, stand-up comedian shows, documentaries about buildings and bridges etc.

We finally decided on a program called ‘Coast’ which is one of our favorites. Hubby then wanted to watch a recorded program called the ‘Gadget Show’. He looked tired and I thought to myself, I bet you fall asleep in a few minutes, which he did! I took myself off to another room and checked out my emails. Yes, there was one from a friend who is also a Parish Councillor. I had resigned from the council last September after 5 years, and one or two of the present council are friends and fill me in with items that may interest me. He had sent me some photographs taken from a high point in the village where a planning application has been granted for a chicken farm. The views are magnificent from up there, and I thought to myself, well, if the views are great from there, then the new chicken farm with its silos and huge shed will soon be seen by the rest of the villagers. The chicken farm application had caused some unrest among the natives and as we have plenty of them around us that also it seems, need a mobile home or two on the site too. Anyway, the photos will make a great addition to my collection.

Before I climb the stairs to bed and finish the rough notes for this diary, I decide to send my younger sister an email. She lives in Sydney Australia with her hubby and their dog. It was her birthday yesterday and I wanted to know if she had received our card on time and find out how she spent her day. I also want her to send me the recipe for her tomato soup as we have a glut of tomatoes from the greenhouse. At 10.45pm hubby was still watching TV, so I decided to do some more writing for my 2nd book, which is coming along slowly. I am writing about the meaning of street names in our village, plus other bits of history that were not included in my 1st book. An hour later I put away my notes and folders, closed the computer down, got myself a glass of water and took my novel to bed. After using the bathroom and before I read for a bit, I scribble down the last of this diary for today. I will type it all out tomorrow. My eyes are feeling heavy when my hubby appears in the bedroom. While he is in the bathroom, I scribble a note to remind me to call our youngest son tomorrow, to ask if he and his partner are working or coming to dinner on Sunday and to say we have invited his daughter and her boyfriend too. My hubby has returned and slides into bed beside me. I put pen and paper down and turn the light out. I fell asleep thinking how happy and glad I am for this day and wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Thelma Dudley