Thursday, June 16, 2011

Tempus fugit

I've been writing this blog for five years and a few months, and probably every June I say how much I love this time of year, when it's light until late. I spent much of this evening in the garden, which is suffering from the neglect of the past couple of months, and I took this photo at 10pm. The sun wasn't exactly splitting the paving stones; but then it wasn't doing that at midday either. As you can see, it was still very much daylight. Now, at twenty to midnight, the sky is dark blue but it's far from black and in a very few hours, dawn will break.

I had my very last class yesterday. I felt that there ought to have been streamers, flags, balloons. But in fact it was whimpery rather than bangy because in that class, most of them are actually finished, so that it was only the tail-end-Charlies who hadn't quite got their act together who needed to come. They came. They went. And, alone in the classroom, I looked out of the window at various students coming and going outside, young and with their lives before them, and thought... well, this is it. The End.



Actually, it's not quite the end because there are another eleven days of term after this one, and various even-tailer-end-Charlies will come wandering into the office with assessments clutched in their hopeful hands. And I have a LOT of clearing out to do: twenty years' worth of lesson material (and some extremely old bits and pieces dating from before I even started work at that college) that I've hung on to just in case I ever needed it again. Though most of my stuff is now on line, really. And I don't suppose I ever will need it again, though I'll probably keep a couple of pen drives with some of my material because ... well, just because. I suppose I might do some tutoring at some point.



Five years ago we were thinking about Daughter 1's impending wedding and now we're thinking about Daughter 2's. I was much happier five years ago. Five years from now, Grandson will be approaching his fifth birthday and.. who knows what else?

















44 comments:

  1. Gosh, there's nothing quite like the way that tempus fugits, is there?
    I wish you a happy retirement and an easy adjustment into a very different way of life. I wonder how much you will miss the teaching, and how you will spend your time, other than in domestic life, cat caring, baby-minding, gardening, walking, travelling, social activities and general family life. Will you wonder, (as I do) how you ever managed to fit in a job?
    Keep blogging, so that we all know what happens next.

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  2. Congratulations on your retirement Isabelle. It must be so very exciting, yet a little scary. I personally can't wait for the day, but I know there will be a bit of sadness too. It's a wonderful thing that your life is so full now!

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  3. Look forward to your retirement, Isabelle. I'm sure it will be happy and full of new things. My husband has just decided to give up tutoring so feels 'officially' retired now - he was a bit sad and hasn't yet dumped all his teaching material, but it's liberating in a way. I'm sure your new grandson is going to have an impact on your new life though!

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  4. Anonymous9:13 am

    This will be the time to grasp the "if only I had the time" opportunities. Approach it in a work-like way. Make lists of all those things you thought about doing. Do you still want to do them? Invest in yourself. The success will be down to how you approach it.

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  5. Because I worked the school holidays, my retirement 'do' was in July but I still had to work till the end of August. On my last day I left my keys on the desk in an empty room because there was no-one else in the building - that felt very strange after 20 years! But, you know what? Retirement is so much better than working! Just make sure you plan in some nice things to do and enjoy it! x

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  6. Anonymous2:54 pm

    I had been wondering when the final "retirement" was coming.I hope you find it a joyful release, as I anticipate I will, although mine is many years down the road still. I treasure the release into the summer holiday, when I feel like my home is really a vacation spot..when I can finally relax and enjoy the garden and the views. My vacation starts today...mmm.

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  7. Well, you got there. It'll take some getting used to I expect, but I hope the new chapter will bring all kinds of unimagined pleasures. (as well as the imagined ones...)L heartily recommends retirement, three years on...

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  8. Don't think of this period of your life as 'the end'. Think of it as the beginning. As in the 'glass half empty or glass half full' thing. One of the best things about not going to work any more is getting up on a cold wet day and knowing that you don't have to go out there all day if you don't want to. You can simply curl up in front of the heater with a good book and a cup of tea.
    Coming from one who did that today...bliss.

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  9. Anonymous4:40 pm

    I just found your blog this last year and from time to time would go back and dip into previous posts. It is my way of traveling without spending any money. So if you also decide that in retirement you will cease blogging, I will miss you -- but keep up the writing, if not for a blog, for your own enjoyment and to be able to leave a history for all of the little ones yet to be. Amy

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  10. Anonymous5:08 pm

    Yes, endings are bitter-sweet. I took early retirement at the end of May and have experienced a bit of the "Is that it?" myself.

    But think of the new beginnings: more time for family/cats/interests.

    I wish you well

    Jan x

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  11. This time last year, that was me.
    I too have kept my teaching material, boxed up now in the attic, just in case.

    It is a strange and bittersweet time.

    One year on, I don`t regret going. I do sometimes miss the children, but not the admin and the endless target setting.

    Wishing you a wonderful and fulfilling retirement. All those books to read, people to meet, places to visit....

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  12. Four years further along than you, I can state with absolute confidence that you will be wondering very quickly how you ever found time to go to work. And later you will wonder why you kept any of it afterwards.....

    Enjoy these last few days; a new and hopefully much more exciting phase of your life is about to start!

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  13. Ah the crystal ball....if only I had one. I am scared of the future for it is unknown...and yet I long to be retired. Enjoy your days Isabelle...whatever they involve.

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  14. Hmm..not really sure what exactly to wish - but I am sure that your life will continue to be filled with lovely people, travelling and all kinds of other lovely things. I very, very much hope you will continue to blog!

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  15. Change is always bittersweet. Full of excitement and fear, joy and sadness. Because I work part-time, I feel as if I have been semi-retired for years and I love that feeling.

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  16. Happy Retirement. It will be lovely to be a Granny.

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  17. I haven't visited for ages! Hope you enjoy more YOU-TIME and lots of SEIZETHEDAY Time!

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  18. Just think of all the time you'll have to enjoy being a 'Granny' - it's just the bestest fun! and you'll be able to jump on a train or a plane and pop down to London whenever you feel like it to see darling daughter 2. Enjoy! Zxx

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  19. This seems to be a topic surging through the blogiverse right now... I just got through reading several others who are feeling just as "fugity" about their "tempus".

    I'm just glad you're still blogging - another sad trend is folks giving up their blogs, which is just too awful for words.

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  20. Now you'll have time, at last, to do all those things you wanted to do but had no time. I wish you the good health to enjoy this next chapter of life!

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