A Week Is A Short Time In Suffolk.....in other words ............. Saturday comes around far too quickly.
Thank you for comments yesterday, all interesting views - even from someone called Boris! (surely not?) I'm no further forward in understanding how my life is being completely destroyed as it certainly doesn't feel like it.
My favourite comment was from Jane!
Last Saturday's car boot sale was busy with buyers and lots of the sellers had Christmas decorations and other seasonal bits for sale.
The small things I found weren't a big spend.......2 cards, 1 book for Middle Grandson (he used to be Youngest Grandson but has now been promoted!) , a book about Suffolk that I'd not looked at properly before, some crocus bulbs and a
Candlestick Press instead-of-a-card booklet...... total spend £3.20.
But then I bought a pear tree for £12. A pot-grown Conference pear tree from a boot-sale is a bit of a risk but at half the price of something similar from a tree suppliers catalogue it's worth a try. In the past we had success even with the cheap supermarket trees. This one was a good size and probably a reject from a nursery as it was a bit wonky in the pot.
I got it planted the same day, straightening it up as I planted. It could really do with staking before windy weather. Another bit of my plan to fit in as many productive things as possible into my small garden.
This week has been another week of mixed weather - typical Autumn. I went shopping on Tuesday and got really warm walking through town and even Morrisons felt warm, when I got back to the car I found out why.............. I was dressed for Autumn but the temperature was 20℃. There were some spells of heavy rain too during the week - I choose to go for a walk through the woods one morning after heavy rain - t'was a bit muddy, which must have put people off, as there wasn't a soul about. The new header photo is of the colours on the edge of the wood.
At the WI......where I've now joined properly, most people had a Fish and Chips meal (a celebration of being back to normal meetings) but I opted out as I don't like eating a big meal as late as 7.45pm. Then we had a man from the village talking about how he's now self published 4 children's books and one of the committee members talking (going on and on actually!) about the large sack of daffodil bulbs which she has bought for members to plant around the village.(Just hope she never becomes President as no one else would get a word in !)
Thursday was library van day - book photo coming Monday. Friday was blinkin' chilly, very different to Tuesday.
I picked up a free newspaper when I was out, there was a page about pensions and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association. Apparently there are three standards that are constructed to give people an idea of the lifestyle they want at retirement and therefore how much they should be paying into a pension .
"Of course most of us would want to slot contentedly into the comfortable retirement living standard, the threshold for which is £33,600 for a single person and £49,700 for a couple. At this level of income retirees can expect to enjoy some luxuries like regular beauty treatments, theatre trips and three weeks holidaying in Europe each year".
Ha! Sadly I don't quite slot into this "comfortable" living standard - Thank Goodness!!
This week I am grateful for......
- Freedom of speech in Blogland
- A quiet week
- Some good reading matter
Have a good weekend.
I shall be back Monday
Sue
You really don't know who Boris is? You surprise me Sue. As for the living standard mentioned, one can enjoy the things listed on a lot less money than £33,600. I am not sure what you mean by you are pleased you don't slot into the standard. You can choose to do other things with your money like swimming and car boots while others do what they want to do. I don't get the impression you are struggling to get by.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope that president doesn't read today's entry! Not enough volunteers come forward at the best of times.
DeleteRachel - I only know one Boris and doubt he reads the blog!
DeleteMy income is less than half that "comfortable" slot but the thought of beauty treatments for me is hilarious!
Victoria - I was only being silly - we were all rolling our eyes as this committee member explained how to plant a bulb in long detail while saying she didn't want to teach grandmothers to suck eggs. But if she wanted to be President I'm sure that would be OK
Do wish people wouldn't take everything I say so seriously.
Ah I see. It can be difficult to pick up on subtle nuances in the written word.
DeleteYou got a good buy with that Pear tree, as it's a well-grown one. I shall have to revisit the lists of fruit trees I made back in the end of winter (when they were all sold out!)
ReplyDeleteGosh, if we had close on £50K a year in pensions, we would be doing very nicely thank you! We get by on less than a 1/3rd of that.
I thought the pear tree was good value too.
DeleteI don't even know any one who earns that much at work!
Ha! We, as a couple, don't even reach their standard for a single person.
ReplyDeleteThere goes my holiday in Bermuda again.
Bermuda will have to wait for a lottery win then!
DeleteIt seems that ‘financial advisers’ the world over put the fear of god into everyone thinking retirement. You know yourself how much you can live on so that’s all you need to aim for.
ReplyDeleteI know I have to manage on a lot less than the "comfortable" standard and yet I'm plenty comfortable enough
DeleteGood buys in the car boot.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I did not buy a couple of fruits trees when I was in Morrisons a couple of weeks ago.
Have a nice weekend Sue and others.
Hazel 🌈🌈
Only one car boot sale left now - sadly
DeleteI have a copy of The Little Book of Suffolk, it was given to me as a leaving present when I moved. How I wish I had had it when I was still in Suffolk, it is so interesting and full of surprising facts. Hope you enjoy it too.
ReplyDeleteIt was one of those books that's been around a while and I assumed I knew what it was but turns out it's got- as you say - lots of facts I didn't know - an index would have been good though
DeleteYour pear tree is a great buy. It took 3 years before they produced fruit. This year they produced a good crop of Bosc and Bartlett pears. I need to stake my trees as well.
ReplyDeleteThere were pear trees in both of our previous homes and some years were better than others, Fingers crossed for this one
DeleteExcellent value on that pear tree.
ReplyDeleteYes I thought it was OK for a good sized one
DeleteYou found a nice assortment of useful items at the car boot sale, and for a good price too. The pear tree looks healthy and is a good size. It would be wonderful to have fresh pears. We live off a much smaller amount of money than any of the "professionals" say we should. We have what we need, don't spend much and are comfortable. We do have savings for emergencies but rarely use it. Have a wonderful weekend Sue!
ReplyDeleteI might have to wait a while for pears but ever hopeful
DeleteHope your pear tree does well - it looks nice and healthy
ReplyDeleteI picked out the best from the few that were there
DeleteMy hubby read out the figure of £47k to me last week telling me that's what we "needed" for a comfortable retirement. I just rolled my eyes. Then when he told me it would be used for beauty treatments, theatre visits and 3 holidays a year I just told him that, even if we were anywhere near that figure - we're not! - I wouldn't do any of that with the money!
ReplyDeleteExactly - I wouldn't either! I guess that's what the pension "experts" would do!
DeleteYou just need the Partridge in your pear tree now for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI don't see so many partridges now I'm in a village!
DeleteGreat buy on the pear tree and your other boot sale finds.
ReplyDeleteSo I figured out the exchange between the Canadian dollar and the UK pound and really we do live well below the couple level, and we even get to travel once in awhile.
God bless.
Only one boot sale left now - until next year!
Deleteregular beauty treatments, theatre trips and three weeks holidaying in Europe
ReplyDeleteReally? Seriously? No wonder this country (and many others) are going to hell in a handcart. I didn't do any of those things before retirement, I sure as heck am not going to start now.
That's what I thought - must be what the pensions experts do!
DeleteThe nearest I've ever come to a beauty treatment is slapping on the Oil of Ulay after my soap & water wash; theatre trips - taxiing my son to the local outdoor theatre when he was in 'Peter Pan' as a 9-year-old. and as for 3 weeks in Europe - I took my sons camping at weekends and school holidays and continued camping until I was 74 years old (just me, not the boys!')
ReplyDeleteI suppose you earn the money/ pay into a pension and make a choice. Some want the things listed, others want a campervan, or pets, or regular hair cuts/ colouring. I'd take going to the theatre and a few weeks holiday in nice hotels over those( not abroad though, I'm quite happy to stay in the UK).Wouldn't life be boring if we all wanted the same things, whether we have the money or not?
ReplyDelete