Apr 2024
I recently read an article by someone complaining about the boredom of retirement and no longer having the chance to learn new things. If you are a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that this really got my goat up!
One of the big surprises of retirement and spending time on the road has been the things that we’ve learnt. Not just about caravans and towing. That, I might add, we had to learn very quickly, and we are still learning eleven years or so after buying our first van. But other stuff too.
Stuff like navigation and geography, weather and climate, geology, biology, history, agriculture, arts, and culture to name a few.
Starting with the caravan
The important things, the things that keep us within the law, like the towing capacity of cars, caravan weights and whether you are talking overall weight or the ball weight. That one always gives us girls a giggle. Then there’s the tow hitch, the electric braking system, the choice of a dolly wheel or Trailer Mate jack, sway bars, hoses and sullage, black water, grey water, and the number and size of gas bottles. Not forgetting the batteries and types, now that lithium is becoming popular, especially for those relying on CPAP machines, and solar panels, be they fitted on the roof (don’t park under shady trees) or portable. Inside there’s diesel heating and the type of fridge, 3 way (gas, 12v, or 240v) or compressor fridge and of course one in the car for the beer. That’s just the start but enough to keep the blokes busy in, out, and under the van, before they even start talking about fuel economy.
Oh hell, I forgot the TV aerial, and there are many types of those from bad to reasonable to wickedly expensive. Having a TV doesn’t mean you’ll always get reception either. We soon discovered that often our neighbours could get reception but we couldn’t, just one of those quirks that mean you’ll spend the evening adjusting the aerial to no avail. Some places are just too remote meaning you’ll need a supply of DVD’s on hand or a heap of downloads for those nights that you want to stay hunkered down in front of the tele. A word of warning, we’ve found that whenever an important footy match is on or the final of a favourite TV series (ie Masterchef in our case) the Gods of the airwaves will strike you down and leave you struggling with lag to get some sort of meaningful imagery on an iPad that is lucky to have 2 bars of reception.
itchingforhitching 
Bored ??. I can’t keep up with things. Retired 13 years and taking up new interests as well as trying to perfect lifetime activities. Started to learn Classical Guitar recently as well as returning to kayaking White Water rivers and riding Mountain bike parks. Never bored, sometimes scared.
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Yes. Grab life with both hands, if they’re both still working, and go for it. So much to learn, so much to do.
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That should answer the bored
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Unless, they’re too tired to read it!
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Retirement boring? No chances to learn anything new? I don’t want to meet the person who wrote this. Too boring ….
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I agree Margaret, there’s just so much fascination in this world of wonder.
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Where would we be without zip ties!
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Zip ties and gaffer tape, one doesn’t need much else.
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Boring? Retirement may be a lot of things but boring isn’t one of them. Of course, life isn’t boring, in my opinion. I learn new stuff from my grandkids every day, too. No, it’s kind of what you make it, really. And for what you guys do, you have to have some savvy.
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So true, it is what you make it Herb.
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You’re so right with the TV situation, it’s guaranteed you won’t have reception when you want it most, that’s why we now stream foxtel from the iPhone using hotspot. More to learn! 😁
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We were chromecasting for a while, but we now just curl up with Kindle.
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Great response. I can’t imagine being bored! I feel like I’ve been time-poor my whole life!
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Me too, there’s never enough time to do the things you can let alone those you’d like to learn about.
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Once retired it’s a case of fitting everything in a day. No never boring 🤗
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Never, and you have that beautiful view!
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I agree, boring doesn’t have to be on anyone’s agenda! Even though we are snowbirds who winter in one place, we are never bored!
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Yes, there’s just too much of interest in this world.
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