What are you doing on Thursday?

I was contacted towards the end of last week by ex-colleague Gary.  He has recently retired and I have, intentionally left him to his own devices, to allow him to find his feet.* 

So, Gary pinged me and asked if I was doing anything today. I replied that it would be good to catch up, so we arranged a visit for today.

However, before Gary arrived, 30% and I took. Whiffler up to the Vet's for his final post-operative check up.  The Vet, who performed the operation, is a lovely elderly gentlemen and he was delighted to see Whiffler looking so well. I lifted him up on the examination table and a rather undignified examination** followed. The Vet reported that he was healing brilliantly and that there were no signs of cancerous growth.

We were sent on our way, after making an appointment for Hobson and TB to come in for their annual inoculations in a fortnight's time.

Gary arrived shortly after midday, and we settled with coffee, to catch up on each other's news. It is only a couple of months since he finished work and has already discovered that there is no way that he could go back to work. I think he still has to settle in to the more measured pace of life that comes with retirement, and ensure that his interests prevent him from becoming bored.

One of his interests is that he has started dealing in vinyl, and he brought up a Dr Feelgood singles LP that I had agreed to buy.  I have no concerns about the quality, as he is a HiFi buff with a Michell turntable and an ultrasonic LP cleaner.  I was almost embarrassed to sit him next to our modest turntable and amp!

Time ticked on, and we headed up to The Why Not up on The Ridgeway for a pub lunch. Further coffee and chat followed, before Gary headed homeward in the late afternoon.

The weather is still unseasonable, so another fire was lit and we settled in front of it for the evening. 

My closing thought is that I really should think about mowing the lawns, but it is far too bloody cold at present.

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* I personally think that you need to find your own way in to a retirement mindset. Chatting with an ex-colleague will naturally make you revert to your working frame of mind. Hence I have left him to calm down and forget about the nonsense that was IT services outsourcing.

** From Whiffler's perspective!

Lit another fire