One Year On

September 17th 2018 saw me perform my last act as an Air Traffic Controller and enter the world of retirement. A year on seems like a good time to take stock of what is a big, life changing event for anyone who gets to that stage in life. I entered retirement with no grand ideas of what I would be doing to fill my time. I had the vague notion that I would like to see a bit of the world, indulge my inner avgeek, enjoy some cricket and maybe go to a gig or two. In other words, just do things I enjoy as much as is practical. Since then I’ve visited Ukraine, the Yorkshire Dales, Texas, New Orleans, Czechia, Antigua, Canada twice, Isle of Man, London and the home counties, the West Midlands, the West Country, Lincolnshire and Manchester. I’ve flown on obscure Soviet aircraft, numerous seaplanes, enjoyed Business Class service on three different airlines and even had a ground ride in a Lancaster bomber. I’ve ridden on steam trains, classic diesels and even trains so bad they were good. I attended two complete Test Matches and watched Ice Hockey in three different countries. I ran a Half Marathon having spent much of the winter preparing for it. I even went to Campbeltown for the day, just for the hell of it. And yes, I got to half a dozen Prog Rock gigs. Amongst all that lot I had time to fit in an operation on my finger. I’ve enjoyed it all (apart from the finger surgery), even when the cricket results didn’t go our way. Looking back, it seems I have fit quite a bit into one year of retirement. The best bits, however, were the times I got to spend with Elaine. She spent much of the first seven months of the year attempting to complete the 1000 mile challenge. I accompanied her on many of her walks, both around Troon and further afield. As she is still working most of my jaunts around the world have been without her. Whilst I wouldn’t miss them, I always look forward to coming home.

Whilst I’ve undoubtedly been busy, I can’t say there haven’t been any dull days. Life’s routines don’t stop when you finish work. You still have to visit Tesco, make the tea, empty the dishwasher, vac the floor and so on. I’m not the most practical of chaps so I’m not the sort to dive headlong into DIY projects and I’d rather sit and look at a blank wall than take up the classic retiree pastime of gardening. Thankfully Elaine is a keen gardener and we have a nice garden without any input from me. It’s a bit hypocritical I know but me and shovels are uneasy bedfellows. Consequently, there’s been times when I haven’t much to do. It doesn’t yet worry me though. One of the reasons for starting this blog was to fill time and I’ve become quite the fan of You Tube which, amongst all the dross, has a few channels of really good content.

So what have I learned from this past twelve months? Fist and foremost, I’ve realised that I don’t miss work. Not one iota. By and large I enjoyed the job and it certainly provided me with plenty of mental stimulation but the thought of going back to it, if that was possible, is not one I have had since leaving. Do I miss the company of my former colleagues? Yes, but it is not as if we have lost touch. Those whom I consider to be good friends I see from time to time, I stay in contact with others through social media which, for all its perceived downsides, is a great way of keeping in touch. I certainly don’t miss the early alarm calls or the night shifts one bit. Would I recommend retirement to those lucky enough to be able to consider it? Yes, of course, with the caveat that everyone is different and the decision is a personal one. There are people who retire and regret it as their life suddenly lacks focus. I’m not one of those people.

What of the next twelve months? More of the same I think though not, perhaps, to the same extent. I was guilty of doing a bit too much last autumn in my haste to hit the retirement ground running, but certainly I hope to visit more interesting places and enjoy events, be they sporting, musical or aviation. I may look for a Half Marathon to do next year as there is nothing like an impending race to get you back out on the road. As for the immediate future, I’ve got a couple of things in the pipeline for October and November. I don’t think they will be the last.