Semi-retirement as I know it

As you know I'm semi-retired.

In March this year I was asked by a local charity, Places for People Scotland Care and Support, to become a member of their board of directors. I thought long and hard and felt, with the looming of retirement, I wanted to give something back to the career that's given me so much, so I said 'yes'.

And so on Wednesday afternoon I went off to be inducted into my new role. I emerged somewhat mentally battered and bruised at 8 o'clock at night after three and a half hours of induction and an hour and half of meeting. It was, and forgive the cliche, a baptism of fire. Thank goodness I have 2 months to recover until the next meeting!

Then on Thursday I had work, followed by co-leading a workshop, entitled 'Getting it down on paper: strategies to kick-start your creativity', with a Creative Writing Tutor from Strathclyde University for our local Borders Writers' Forum. I'm pleased to say it seemed very successful... or at least that's what they said to our faces.

A friend came to stay that night with the express purpose of having a whole morning meeting the next day to talk about our strategies for our Mindfulness work for the next couple of years. And on Friday evening I had a meeting of the Indoor Bowls Management Committee, of which I'm a member.

And that's without all the phone calls and emails I had to deal with re the NHS Education in Scotland job I've not given up for the time being, the workshop I'm doing for GP's in Edinburgh next week and the two conferences I've been asked to present at next March.

Mmmm... something tells me I don't think I've quite 'got' this semi-retirement lark...