Vegas & The Aftermath

I've been retired 8 months now, & the novelty has yet to wear off. It's the luxury of having plenty of time to do whatever I want, no worries or obligations, never having to rush, always arriving early. After working hard for 60 years, it's just wonderful.

I've done something (golf, poker, meals & travelling with Gill) just about every single day, & with one exception, I've enjoyed every single day.

Typically?

I get up at 0630 or 7am, it varies according to daylight hours.

Tesco first, bits & bobs & a Costa.

Then I go for a half hour drive around the country lanes, I have a dozen or so different "loops". I live in such a beautiful part of the country, & in 3 minutes I can be in Derbyshire back lanes, gorgeous gently hilly countryside, trees & birdlife galore, & those old fashioned direction signs, black & white cast-iron ones, sometimes with a little pointy finger on them. I look forward to that every day.

Next it's the Golf Driving Range, to hit a basket of balls. I'd like to think it improves my game, but it reality it does not, & it's hard to get better at my age.

BBC News next. Has the news ever been more fascinating?

Next, a round of golf. I play every single weekday, though I missed most of January as the Courses were closed due to weather. We actually played yesterday when the "feel like" was 23f, which was a bit dumb, but so be it. I was awful when I re-started golfing, & I've not improved much, but it does not matter, & I'm blessed to have such an understanding bunch of golf mates. I'm always mindful of spoiling their game but they are wonderfully tolerant. I mean, there's plenty of piss-taking but that's all part of the fun. I'm super-short off the Tee, so the running joke when there's a group in front of us is "it's safe for you to tee-off tikay". Which is OK, but a bit hurtful on Par 3's...

After golf, a spot of lunch, then a few hours nap. I LOVE having a nap with no need for an alarm call. Weird really, when we sleep we are effectively unconscious, & yet for some reason I love it. Always preceded, of course, by reading a book for half an hour. (Since retiring I've read 37 books, basically 1 a week).

Next is poker, I play every night Wednesday to Sunday inclusive. I'm no better or worse than I was 30 years ago, except that the results don't matter, I just love the buzz. It's mostly small-ball Tournaments, £50 or £100, & I just like to have plenty of table time in good company, & the occasional cash. If I bust the tourney early, I go play cash, either £2 £2 6 Card PLO, or £2 £2 DC. Scariest thing ever to play at those levels, especially in relation to a £50 Tourney, & I suppose that's part of the attraction, the danger.

I have a bet on the football most nights too. I think I'm a compulsive gambler, I can't enjoy Live Sport unless I have a bet, but for the most part, it's just £10's & £20's, though for Ante-Post stuff, leading Goalscorers etc, a bit bigger.

After poker, it's home for dinner, which can be any time between 10pm & 3am. Dinner, & watch a Documentary on NetFlix. Nobody does documentaries better than NetFlix. TV entertainment finishes with an hour on You Tube, watching all sorts, but usually finishes with some music - Clapton, Pulp, BB King, Kinks, Radiohead, all sorts. "Just one more video" usually ends up about an hour, so it's often 4am before I get to bed. Then 30 minutes with my book.

Rinse repeat, pretty much.