Category Archives: retirement

Wardrobe Wins

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Yesterday we headed out and about with a bit of a plan which included visiting a specific op shop in a small town some distance from us. It had been specifically recommended so I was keen to see for myself.

The pricing was very modest and I bought 3 summer tops. It is the middle of winter here but I regard this as forward planning because it will definitely be hot in 6 months time.

This sheer floaty top will need a camisole underneath it.

A girl can’t have too many navy/white striped tops. (In my opinion). These tshirt tops appear to be unworn or only very lightly worn. I will shorten the navy one a little bit.

I could not believe my luck as these tops were $2 each! It is almost impossible to get anything for $2 these days in an op shop.

Later in the day I spotted another op shop near the supermarket. Once again, I was in luck.

I had been on the lookout for another vest and spotted this one for $4. The zip does not work but I am not too worried as I generally wear a vest like this unzipped. However, I do plan to buy a new zip and replace it to restore this lovely vest to full functionality.

My final find was this knit ‘dress’. It is a synthetic mix and quite fine but will be perfect with a layer of thermals underneath and teamed with tights, boots and a scarf.

I scored all of these additions for the amazing total of $15.

However, it is not all about the money. My prime reason for op shopping is to minimise my use of new resources. It is scary to see the amount of clothes and other textiles which end up in landfill and this was what drove my decision to limit, and preferably eliminate, my reliance on new clothes. My exceptions are underwear, socks and shoes.

I set myself a challenge in November 2018 that I would not buy any new clothes from retail outlets for 5 years. It seemed outrageous and probably unachievable but I was determined to give it a go.

I only have 4 months to go. So, how I am I going? I have bought 1 dress and a scarf (in February 2021) brand new to wear to a wedding. The scarf went to an op shop after a couple of wears as I realised it had been an impulse buy and was not really going to have a long-term place in my wardrobe. The dress was a bargain – reduced from $179 to $21!! I have worn in many times since the wedding, including to my mother’s funeral, as it is very versatile.

My wardrobe has altered significantly in nearly 5 years and I have achieved that through buying pre-loved items in op shops as well as higher-end recycle boutiques. Some have appeared to be brand-new and it is even more important than ever to save these items from ending up in landfill. It has been a continual evolution as I moved from full-time work to retirement and again as we moved from Queensland to Victoria.

Somewhat Sociable

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I know that my posts for the past 5 weeks have mostly about getting things organised in our new home but recently we have managed our share of being out and about, too. So much so, that 5 days have managed to slip by since my last post.

A couple of weeks ago we joined the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine. Apparently this makes us ‘loyal royal’ supporters and as such we are eligible for discounted movie tickets. We took advantage of this on Tuesday evening when we went to see Allelujah starring Jennifer Saunders and Judi Dench. There are a good mix of new releases and arthouse films and we are looking forward to seeing more.

When we were given our membership tickets we also received a teatowel each. Whilst it might seem strange, I actually appreciated the fact that it was a practical freebie that was not just plastic junk.

It was a bit of a movie week as we also joined the local film society with the rather clever moniker of ‘Maldon Golden Movies’. There is a screening once a month which is a selection of recent and classic films. On Thursday we saw ‘Black Narcissus’, a 1947 film starring Deborah Kerr.

Movies were not the only outings. On Sunday afternoon we went to a small bar which hosts live music from some of the very talented locals. We met some other residents and ended up going to dinner with a group of them afterwards.

We are heading out this evening to the same venue for some more musical adventures.

Next week sees the beginning of a 2 week festival ‘Maldon in Winter‘ which has a wide variety of events with something for everyone. We are busily deciding which events we would like to attend.

For a relatively small town, Maldon has plenty to offer for locals and visitors alike.

More Marketplace

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One of the few pieces of furniture that we did bring with us when we moved was our dining table and chairs. However, we soon realised that due to the space available that a round table was not the best option.

We bought another setting from Marketplace a couple of weeks ago and you can read about it here. The next step was to sell our existing one. After a few unsuccessful enquiries it has now gone to a new home.

The lady who bought it has downsized to a retirement unit and was very excited to find what she wanted. I also gave her several tablecloths which fit the round table and are no longer any use to me.

We had been using a couple of the dining chairs at the office desk and also my sewing table so it was time to find some suitable replacements. So, it was back to Marketplace where I found these 2 from different sellers.

They are perfect for our needs and we picked them up yesterday.

I am currently looking for a suitable floor rug for the family room so stay tuned.

In the Garden

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The past week has been full of activity which didn’t leave a lot of time for writing.

Lat week we had our first overnight guests as well as other visitors for lunch one day.

Meanwhile GMan has made a start on refashioning the garden a little. This photo shows the garden as we inherited it although the trees have grown somewhat. In fact they had grown so that much of the canopy was actually above the gutter. They are deciduous and as it is autumn (or officially winter in the past few days) much of the debris was ending up in the gutter. What wasn’t in the gutter was on the patio and subsequently being walked into the house.

So we agreed that these two specimens needed to go. This is the result. The next step is to hopefully dig the stumps out so that we can add some plantings more appropriate to the location and space.

Yesterday morning was a trip in the ute to the local rubbish dump to take a load of tree cuttings. The weather did not co-operate and this was the view. GMan persevered and had it unloaded fairly quickly.

We know that there will be more removal and renewal of plantings as we gradually decide on our preferences for the garden.

We would like to devote a bit more space to food production and some of this may be at the front of the house in the north-facing space but that requires some realignment of existing elements. In the meantime, we planted some broccoli seedlings this afternoon and rigged up some temporary fencing to protect them from the dog.

A New Adventure

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Some weeks ago I discovered that the Bendigo Writers’ Festival was on this weekend over 3 days. We perused the interesting line-up of speakers and found it difficult to choose from the wide-ranging and extensive offerings. There were single and 3 day passes also available but in the end we settled on going to 3 sessions – 2 today and another tomorrow afternoon.

Today we attended 2 sessions. The first one was a lively discussion between the three panellists and moderator on the topic, ‘The Culture of Politics’. After a quick bite to eat we moved on to a nearby venue where another panel discussed the role of the independents in contemporary Australian democracy.

The final session we have chosen is titled ‘Heart to Heart’ with Tom Keneally and Barry Jones. These men are aged 87 and 90 respectively. While tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us, they are certainly not going to be around forever so I felt this opportunity was too good to pass up.

I feel really fortunate that the timing of our relocation afforded us the opportunity to attend the Festival and we are definitely considering a multi-day pass next year.

Sewing Success

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Today I set about assembling a piece of patchwork for a small quilt. This one came about after I had saved the embroidered panels from the landfill pile at a thrift shop. They were clearly part of an unfinished project and I simply could not see someone’s handiwork discarded without a second glance.

Initially, I was unsure of how I could use them but I gradually developed a plan. Some of the plain fabric came from offcuts in my own stash and the remainder from a couple of friends.

In due course I will add batting and the backing and outsource the actual quilting as I do not have a long-arm machine.

The other project was much more modest. This is the second of a pair of potholders that I have made for a friend. They were both made from a discarded cushion cover and with 2 layers of flannel fabric for heat resistance.

I am really pleased to have achieved these and the patchwork will be packed away until we are settled in our new home.

Six Months of Searching

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It is actually happening. After six months of searching, we have found a property that ticks all of the boxes for us and we now have a signed contract.

We will be significantly downsizing the land that we have to manage from almost 6000 sq metres (1.5 acres) to just under 1000 sq meters (1/4 acre) in the town. Most importantly, it is essentially a flat block.

The house which is only 2.5 years old is almost identical in area to our current place but quite a different floor plan. It is on a slab with step-free access.

Here are some photos. They are from a couple of years ago and there has been one major change. The double garage is now a large lounge room with big glass doors across the north-facing front.

The floor plan.

Part of the backyard.

While there are some minor tweaks that we are planning, the property is essentially ready to walk in and unpack.

Very exciting!

A Special Buy

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I don’t know whether anyone has noticed but my blog commitment for 2023 is to publish a post every 2nd day which I have successfully done so far. I am also aiming to publish them at 2pm local time, however, I am a couple of hours late today as I had nothing prepared and scheduled and we have been on a shopping expedition.

There was the usual groceries plus fruit and vegetables but we also purchased a coffee machine. This was not an impulse buy as GMan has been discussing the pros and cons since at least a couple of years before he retired which was 4 years ago.

After experiencing the results first-hand recently and then consulting with my brother who is a bit of an expert in the matters of coffee machines, he finally made a decision. So, today was the day.

I am not a coffee drinker but can appreciate the importance of good coffee to those who drink it. GMan is definitely one of those people. He feels that he may have used up credits of several Christmas and birthday gifts and I wouldn’t disagree.

We do not buy gifts for each other, however, we do agree that it is nice to be able to choose to invest in some special treats such as the coffee machine which we expect will last us for many years.

Four Failures

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Things come in threes according to the old adage but I think I can top that.

Since we began to seriously consider listing our property for sale, it seemed like everything decided to fall apart. During the second half of 2022 we replaced the solar hot water system, the pump for our water tanks, the inverter for our solar panels and the back stairs.

Ongoing maintenance is something that needs to be accounted for in terms of time, energy and most significantly, money. These four items cost us in excess of $13,000. Being a homeowner is not a cheap adventure and thankfully we had the funds to cover these unexpected expenses.

Whilst it will not necessarily be a large amount, there will always be unexpected expenses that crop up from time to time. How you manage this will depend largely on your own circumstances but it is definitely not something that can be ignored.

You may also choose what is an absolute necessity and what can be delayed. For us, the pump for the water tanks was essential as no pump = no water. The back stairs could have been a lower priority as we do have stairs at the other end of the house. The hot water and the inverter could have been delayed because we have a hybrid solar system and could have resorted to the grid connection. However, this would have come at a substantial cost, particularly when utility prices are rising exponentially.

Most of the work does not warrant a photo but here are the new back stairs – freshly painted by GMan.