So, the great day has passed. I retired on Tuesday. I suspect retirement from The Open University proceeds very differently from the practice in most universities, let alone most jobs. Since I was working from home on The Day, absolutely nothing happened. No presentation of a clock, no round of drinks with colleagues down the… Continue reading Doing it
Category: Emotions
It’s this month…
A new milestone has been reached; in answer to the question 'So when is it that you're retiring?' the answer is now, 'At the end of this month'. However, while part of my brain is getting used to this interesting prospect, another part doesn't seem to have caught up with it. This is a very… Continue reading It’s this month…
Caring
Readers of this blog may be wondering how the course on 'How to retire' went. I don't know: I wasn't there! My mother (87) had a day-case operation on her eyelids (the problem, for those of a medical inclination, was entropion) and although the recovery seems to be fine, it has had knock-on effects on… Continue reading Caring
The cunning plan
So what are my 'plans for retirement'? At this stage, apparently I'm supposed to have some. I ran into a cousin at a family funeral last week and he assumed my plan would be 'to travel'. That's largely because this is what he has been doing, very intensively, since he retired several years ago. But… Continue reading The cunning plan
Becoming invisible
One of the side effects of giving notice is that nobody notices you. Because I work at The Open University, I don't 'go to work' very often. Most days, I am tied to my computer at home, reading, writing, dealing with email, engaging with students on online forums, having phone or Skype meetings with colleagues and… Continue reading Becoming invisible
Learning how to retire: and stop being a Good Girl
Helpful training for saying 'no'
First reactions
When I formally announced that I was going to retire, reactions from colleagues at my own and other universities fell into the following categories: 1. Surprise, followed by 'we're going to miss you' (some people said the sort of things one normally only gets at one's funeral - so it's good to have been around to… Continue reading First reactions
The retiring academic 