Only the beginning of August and summer already seems to have lasted for ever. Of course when I was working I was indoors all day in an air conditioned office and almost oblivious to the world outside, so maybe it isn't so different from other years apart from it's hotter with less rain. I've heard frequent mention of 1976. I remember that summer, between my 1st and 2nd years at university. The good old days. Little did I know then that I only had one more summer of freedom before the world of work would keep me indoors for the best part of every day for the next forty years. In Winter it was dark when I arrived and dark when I left the office. Retirement has reconnected me with plenty of

Nearly five months into retirement now, and I can tell you it's hard work! Running, diggng, planting, weeding, strimming, thinking, planning, learning and all on a smaller budget. Things I used to think were chores, things to get done because the garden needed to be tidy or I needed to keep fit. The secret to retirement I have disovered is doing things to enjoy doing them, not to get them done. If it takes two days to finish something rather than one, so what. And amazingly, more things get done. My garden is in better shape now than it has been for years and in the greenhouse seedlings for tomatoes, chillies, peppers, aubergines and many herbs are showing promise.

Of course a busy life

Before I retired last month I went to a seminar on retirement. It was the first time I'd heard of the Grey Gap Year. "I'm assuming", said the tutor, "that like me you left school, went on to higher education and then straight into a job. I bet you'd never heard the words 'gap year'. So, now it's a "thing", why not now? The Grey Gap Year! It's becoming more popular with retirees using their tax free lump sum to travel the world while they are still fit enough to enjoy it."

Winter has really set in. Cold, wet, ice and snow arrived overnight of 9th-10th December when the student had already arranged to drive from Birmingham to Gatwick to meet her boyfriend arriving from sunny California. After some persuasion she had already taken advice to allow double the journey time estimated by Google, which she seems to hold sacred, but even so it was not enough to allow for the impact of the heavy snow affecting the west midlands and the M40. She didn't find it amusing that he flew all the way from LA in little over 10 hours and her journey from Brum took seven hours. But, after four months apart, they had their reunion and fortunately the ice and snow didn't last long

The Old Dog's seasonal best

The Old Dog (pictured above) is taking longer and longer on her daily walk. She is nearly 15 years old and although she is still keen and eager to go out and starts off at a lively trot she soon slows down to a very, ve..ery slow plod.

Independence preparations gain pace

With only four weeks to go before "Independence Day" my Brexit themed preparations for retirement are gathering pace. 

As I have previously mentioned the cushy number of "easy" money from forty years of employment has resulted in a lazy attitude here at The Sticks. Things were ignored: the garden, the decoration, even myself. I was substituting the challenges and achievements at work for developments in my own enterprise. While I had money coming in I could afford to let others do the work. I imported labour to the Sticks without stopping to think of how it was undermining my own competences.

Boundless Optimism

Thanks go to John Redwood and his supporters for providing the inspiration for my  Rooted to the Spot Article of the week. He tweeted that the Treasury needed to have more "optimistic, realistic forecasts" about impact of Brexit. This must be one of the best for pushing the idea that all we need is more optimism.

Mr Cat, real name Archie, was born in December 2010 and moved to The Sticks in February 2011 with his twin sister, Mrs Cat, real name Cleo.

Mr Cat likes to be comfortable. If he can't lie on a bed or make a nest in the laundry he likes to lie on cardboard or paper. He is particularly fond of sitting on newspapers in precisely the place you are trying to read.

Mr Cat also likes eating. Although rarely successful he never gives up attempting to take his share of the evening meal directly from the plates on the table. While not shy of blatent attempts to climb onto the table he is also a master of a more subtle approach. Sitting on a chair pushed under the table he will extend one paw slowly up

The Young Dog, Cody, was born in about 2012. We are not entirely sure of his age or breed. He is a rescue dog. He was described as a cross between a German shepherd and a huskey and his age was estimated at about 18 months old when we got him from Moorlands Dog Rescue in 2014. We decided to get another rescue dog after Flash, a dog we inherited died.

He is a very friendly, boisterous dog but he can sometimes fret. And when he first arrived he couldn't be left alone. At night, or even if left in one room while we were in another, he chewed his way through everything from furniture to underware, high-tech products to shoes.

Cody is fascinated by The Cats. He will sit for hours watching

Matilda the Dog, a border collie commonly known as Tilly was born in March 2003 and died on 7th January 2019. She features as the icon of The Sticks in the page tabs.

Tilly was the daughter of working sheep dogs and in her early years she showed her natural tendencies to herding: sheep, children, balls. She learned quickly and soon developed a naughty streak.

One of our cats, Alfie, died suddenly last week. She went missing for a few days, which was not unusual, but when she didn't appear after three or four days we went looking for her. On Sunday (11th September) We found her dead in one of the hay lofts. We wonder whether she ate something that had been laced with poison. She was 12 years old. RIP Alfie.

All the members of The Sticks are still angry about Brexit (and we will be whenever you read this). It is likely to be terrible for the UK and current anti-foreigner attitudes are shameful and embarassing. The government ministers responsible don't seem to understand the implications and are still pretending they can make it work, although the warnings (which before the vote were described by them as "project fear") are now starting to come from their own mouths. It is like living through a farce, but unfortunately it is happening. The parody site News Thump is highlighting the ridiculousness of the whole mess, for example this about sovereignty. The older members of the household may not live to

2004 was a very sad year for us. It was the year we finally said goodbye to Andy. After a long and courageous battle against his brain tumour the struggle became too much for him and he died in May. No words can describe our loss but we try to remember him as he was before the illness took away his energy and vitality. We also admire the way in which he dealt with his illness. Throughout his slow decline he remained brave and determined to survive and make the most of life. He was generous and patient to the end.