Tiger resting haiku


Could not see at first
Pictured where others pointed
Lone tiger resting.

- Ranthambore National Park, India 

Old church haiku


Old church has been bought
Now a different faith prays there.
Same window, new light.

Clockwise



What a difference a year makes.

There you go! It's been nearly a year since the last post and the intervening period has marked the end of the freelance role and launches a new chapter in which I'm constantly thinking of ways to repurpose this blog.  I've been here before of course with my old improvingwithage blogspot but this time the intention is to carry on with a new (middle) focus on things that catch the senior eye - old dog, new tricks comes to mind or maybe that old Yiddish expression - Too soon old, too late smart!

Retirement has been gentle so far and has offered plenty of scope for reflection. Maybe some of that thinking and new/old insights will find their way into this blog, who knows? The past year has been a time of letting some things go, holding on to others and finding new things to seize upon.

A friend once remarked that retirement is so good that he wished he'd done it when he left school!  Don't know about that but I can honestly say that I'm enjoying this time as the last year has seen visits abroad, cuisines sampled, dozens of books read, films viewed and new music heard.

Turn back time?
No thanks!
Growing up we learned that one door never closes but another opens. My dad, who worked for a while in a watchmakers, once remarked in the face of a major political upheaval that "there are some clocks that cannot be put back!" - referring to the fact that the mechanism of some old clocks had to be adjusted in a clockwise direction, letting them chime out each hour.  Patience, Time was needed for the recalibration.  Taking the quick and easy approach of turning the mechanism anti-clockwise risked upsetting the delicate balance of the timepiece.

Retirement is rather like that. There's comfort in slowing down from a busy career but also excitement - experiencing new things, places and people; savouring refreshment. But always moving forward - Clockwise.

So the posts here will continue but with different chimes, different focal points; reflecting new directions or giving vent to new insights on old interests.

We'll see where it goes.  One thing's certain: Time may pass but friendship remains.