www.theblisspages.com - the end is nigh...
www.theblisspages.com - the end is nigh...I'm hoping to be made redundant and to retire early within the next year, so I went to The Retirement Show on Saturday 18 July at Olympia. Admission was free, and I pre-registered on their website to minimise hassle.
When I retire, I want to improve my health through running, swimming, cycling and yoga; travel (with a low carbon footprint); catch up with my reading and watching (I have about 500 unread books excluding many interesting self-improvement and reference books, and several hundred unwatched DVDs), and most importantly, find someone with whom to share my life. So would this show help me?
I was initially sceptical. I thought it would be full of the semi-moribund clogging the aisles with their zimmers, and incontinence aids.
Luckily, it was nothing of the sort. I'll only mention a few stands as I didn't get to all of them – next year, I'll allow more time.
The first stand I visited was The National Trust. I used to hold family membership, but left when my ex-wife and I separated. I have been meaning to rejoin them for a while, and the recent imposition of parking charges at Devil's Dyke – where I enjoy flying kites – was the clinching factor. I plan to visit more properties, and on retirement may become a volunteer.
I may also join the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) soon.
I found the Cranio-sacral stand interesting, having tried this therapy some years ago. I may try this again soon.
Next, I visited the Young Living stand. They sold a Wolfberry drink called Ning Xia Red, which tasted very nice, and is supposed to have a role in maintaining low blood-sugar levels. I was also impressed with the quality of the essential oils they sell, and have signed up to become a distributer – so if you are interested in any of them, email me. I particularly liked the Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, and Frankincense oils.
I passed a stand offering ethical investments, but as I have no spare capital to invest, I can only offer them a link on my website. If you have money you want to invest ethically, you might want to have a look at Shared Interest, who claims to be the only 100% fair trade lender.
I have attended Pilates courses in the past, and found it interesting and fun, so chatted to the friendly folks on the real people Pilates stand. There was a demonstration about to start, and I attended half the class before I had to leave for a talk. It was a real wrench leaving halfway through, and I went back to the stand later and bought a DVD.
I bought some books for my mother at the Age Concern stand. Their free lifebook also looks worthwhile for everyone – and it can be completed online.
Wiltshire farm foods deliver frozen meals to your door. I haven't tried them yet, but once I retire, I might...
I attended a couple of talks. The first was an inspirational talk from Rosie Swale-Pope, who ran around the world starting at the age of 57, after her husband died of prostate cancer. I went to buy her book, Just a Little Run Around the World, but unfortunately, she left the show early, so I might have to settle for an unsigned book.
I also attended a talk by Keren Smedley on Relationships, Love and Sex, aimed at the over 50s. It was very interesting, especially the segment on starting new relationships. I signed up for one of the Experience Matters workshops in London. They are normally £95 for one or two people, but at the show, they were free. Several of the other workshops also look interesting and relevant for me, so I might book for them later. I also bought (and have since read) a copy of her book, Who's that sleeping in my bed?, which she kindly signed for me.
I had never heard of the University of the Third Age (U3A) before the show, but it sounds very interesting, with local groups sharing educational, creative and leisure activities.
I was interested in the products sold by the anti-shoe MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology), but they didn't have the shoe – well, sandal - in my size. The Kisumu looks interesting, but I will need to try one on to see if I can get on with the unconventional rounded sole.
I bought Go Slow England by Alastair Sawday at The Finishing Touch. I've been interested in slow movement for a while (see slow time).
There was a stand offering Yakult, with a low-sugar version that was new to me. I stopped buying Yakult due to my diabetes, but might start buying the blue-topped version. I also visited the Diabetes UK stand, where I entered a draw for a new cookbook – as if I don't have enough already.
I have come across Dru Yoga before, but have never tried a class. I might rectify that soon. They also had a holiday in Morocco that looked interesting...
I missed out on dancing sessions, t'ai chi and yoga, an Art Zone where experts showed visitors how to paint in watercolour (taking their paintings home afterwards), live music and choral singing, live cookery demonstrations, indoor bowls, the Laughter Healing Workshop, and more.
updated Thu 23 Jul '09 give feedback...
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: © Mike Bliss 2009