Man of Leisure?

Its a new day
But it all feels old.
Its a good life
That’s what I’m told.
But everything
It all just feels the same
And my high school: it felt more to me
Like a jail cell, a penitentiary.
My time spent there
It only made me see

That I don’t ever want to be like you.
I don’t want to do the things you do.
I’m never gonna hear the words you say
Cause I don’t ever wanna.
I don’t ever want to be.
You don’t want to be just like you
What I’m sayin’ is this is the anthem
Throw all your hands up
You. don’t want to be you

After 48 years, 8 boatyards (some more than once), 4 builders, post office, HGV mechanic training course, several bouts of unemployment and finally 2 supermarkets I have called it a day, stuck two fingers up to being a wage slave and taken early retirement!

So now I don’t have to get ready for work at lunchtime and spoil a whole day.  What shall I do with all this spare time? (apart from the extensive list of to-dos being drawn up by Mrs H!)

It would be lovely to go travelling again once this bloody pandemic gets under control (as of the 5th we are again under lockdown so cannot go anywhere!).  Berlin beckons.  I really miss being able to see our daughter the Lemming and she is really struggling with all the restrictions she is under in Germany.

Viktoria on top of the Brandenburg Gate Berlin

Our holiday to Berlin this spring was cancelled very close to departure time and it took many months to get the full refunds.  Good job we had not booked a stay on the Greek island of Corfu.  I am really looking forward to being able to return here one day.  I enjoy the Greek way of life and there is so much more of this verdant isle to explore.

Azure sea and matching sky, the south/east coast of Corfu

Evening over a tranquil Ionian Sea and a cruise ship slips toward Kerkira

What else can I do to occupy my tiny mind? (yes dear I haven’t forgotten that list).  Well I could buy myself another motorbike.  Always been part of my life since I was a teenager, I didn’t get a car until I was in my 30’s!  I sold my last bike a couple of years back but to be brutally honest I’m getting too old.  The condition of the roads (potholes etc) are lethal and the amount of traffic is even more deadly.  Best forget that idea.

The beautiful beast! My Harley I owned a few years back. It taught me one thing, you need very deep pockets to keep an old machine running, oh and that fuel tank was only good for 60 miles! But the sound was wonderful (and totally illegal, no silencers!) I actually cried when I sold this

I could always take up fishing again.  When we moved I brought all my old rods and reels with us.  It’s been twenty  years since I put them in the shed when I lost my love for angling.  A lot of the lakes and rivers I fished changed ownership and became private or very expensive.  With the birth of our daughter I just gave up but now sitting besides a beautiful river on a crisp autumn morning has an appeal.  Perhaps I should dust them rods down, if the mice haven’t got to them!

How about that for a wet, slimy, smelly thing! The 21lb (10kg) pike however is a thing of beauty

I could always attempt to see and photograph all 58 species of British butterflies in one year.  The amount of travelling involved puts me right off this idea, best to just take your time and enjoy those that come along.  We will now be able to go when we please when the weather is good without having to worry about booking holiday time in advance so that’s a bonus!  I might invest in a nice shiny new 600mm super zoom lens.  I have been pondering the purchase of one for some time and it would make bird photography a lot easier.

Not all birds, like this very friendly Robin, allow such a close approach

Whatever I do in the coming years one thing is for sure, I will grow old disgracefully!  I have had years of experience!

Selfie ’70’s style. Camera on tri-pod, focus and settings, set timer, strike a rebellious pose!

If you are still with me after my thoughtful wanderings,well done, see you soon…..

Go to college, a university
Get a real job, that’s what they said to me
But I could never live the way they want
I’m gonna get by and just do my time
Out of step while they all get in line.
I’m just a minor threat so pay no mind
Do you really want to be like them
Do you really want to be another trend
Do you want to be part of that crowd.
Cause I don’t ever wanna.
I don’t ever want to be you

(Good Charlotte ‘The Anthem’ 2003)