As Tony says though, it's so satisfying to just forget about everything and lose yourself in some hard physical labour.
Having stopped working for a living nearly two years ago I have begun to tackle lots of jobs that previously would either not have been done, or we'd have 'got a man in'.
Cleared the borders in the garden and shifted a tonne of slate chippings. That's a bugger to shovel. The bag was delivered to the drive and the whole lot had to be shovelled into buckets and dragged across the lawn on my trusty garden trolley (purchased for use at Glastonbury where the car park is often a mile from where you may be camping). A great piece of kit which manoeuvres really well and gets through all ground conditions. Including the infamous Glasto mud.
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For me, the satisfaction came from completing the task, not from the labour itself.
Decorating and joinery are a different issue, there is something about the processes that fills a mental need as well as a physical one. Currently I'm in the planning stage of building a window seat/storage space for the bay in my daughter's house. Later I'll be measuring three or four times before cutting since past experience tells me that this t-shirt is very appropriate for me.

Having stopped work, you wonder how you ever find time for working?
Great stuff Dave. Keep us posted on the progress of your projects, and add the odd photo if you remember to take them.
This week I have been renovating a garden shed that I bought off eBay for £15.(cost me £100 to do it up but they are >£400 new)
PS- our little 'environment' group in the village used to have one of those trolleys. It went missing the other day. According to our chairwoman, "The Gypsies must have had it".