I'm free!

Yes, it's true. After thirty years in the same job I have at last hung up my...erm...whatever it is you're supposed to hang up. No more shift work! No more having days off cancelled at short notice. No more living out of the diary every time anyone invites us out (any invites out now gratefully received).

My dad once said that, after he retired, he couldn't imagine how he'd ever found the time to go to work. After only a very short time, I think I know what he was getting at. I'm beginning to learn the gentle art of "pottering". Nothing to do with ceramics, just an ability to bimble around, apparently performing tasks and looking busy whilst not actually doing very much at all. Some people where I worked had this down to a fine art. They would walk around all day with a piece of paper in one hand and a purposeful look on their faces. If they encountered someone more senior, they would glance at the piece of paper, make a tutting noise, and then stride off in some other direction. Some managed to keep this up for years. I think I'd probably get bored with the paper-carrying and tutting very quickly (albeit I'd probably get quite good at it), but ultimately I'll need some kind of goal or challenge to keep me amused.

Some years ago I indulged in a bit of semi-creative writing. Well, I thought it was quite creative; you might beg to differ if you read it. I think I might have another bash at it, to see whether the semi-creative spark is still there. And that's where the Middenshire Chronicles comes in. I really will have to tell you about them some time in the not too distant future.