In order to see whether or not he can cope with retirement, my husband Chris, who'll be 67 by the end of this year, has begun a new, experimental régime, whereby he takes five working days off work every four weeks (75% of his previous hours––the new contract took some time to arrange, because other employees wanting a reduction usually ask to work for 80% of the time). This week is the first try, and so far I think it has gone well. It seems a much better idea than for him suddenly to give up his job altogether.
Having returned from Kingston on Monday, we went hiking round Wakefield yesterday, and today spent a couple of hours cycling up and down the Rideau River bike trail, about 23km, discovering a new bridge for cyclists across the Rideau River. Our walk through Wakefield among the wild flowers, butterflies and bees was, as always, extremely relaxing, so much so that I actually fell asleep in a chair at the mill beside the stream during the afternoon. Next time we go we'll park at the Mill, because we noticed that they have a free plug-in there for electric cars. On the way back to the car this time we saw two girls sitting in a barn loft dangling their feet over the edge, perhaps the same ones who'd brought a pet ferret for a dip in the river earlier. Life moves at a slower pace, in Wakefield. Another discovery there was a new extension to the Wakefield trail.
Tomorrow, till the afternoon of Canada Day, a couple of old friends are coming to visit us, with whom we've kept in touch since we first met them in Apeldoorn in 1978. Elaine speaks English with a Dutch accent but was originally from Canada; Piet is altogether Dutch.
blending an assortment of thoughts and experiences for my friends, relations and kindred spirit
By Alison Hobbs, blending a mixture of thoughts and experiences for friends, relations and kindred spirits.
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The rest of the week went like this: we had a well appreciated visit from Elaine and Piet on Thursday and Friday, feeling as comfortable in their company as we ever did. We walked round Ottawa with them on Thursday afternoon, including a ride on the Aqua Taxi to the Museum of Canadian History and back. It was hot then, so we chose icecreams from Piccolo Grande in preference to continuing the walk to the Rideau Falls. When it cooled down in the evening, Chris took our guests flying over the city, landing in a "squirrelly" wind. The next morning, Canada Day, we spent at the flying club, Chris getting there very early so that he could fulfil a long-held ambition to act as "Unicom" controlling the Rockcliffe air traffic landing and in the circuit for around 4 hours. Elaine and Piet stayed in Ottawa till the evening. On Saturday, we met our local friends for a short hike and lunch in Chelsea, at the Manchester Pub. On Sunday we set off again, with the intention of hiking the King Mountain trail, but were prevented by the closure of the parkway to cars on Sundays, an arrangement we'd forgotten about. Instead we parked at Lac Leamy in Gatineau and had a long walk through the parks in that vicinity; next time we're there we'll use our bikes. In the afternoon I went swimming at the Chateau Laurier, Chris waiting for me in the Byward Market. At home, we made some progress with our music making too.
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