Last week at work: how soon will this ten years be forgotten?

Now I actually have retired, and after a busy period of a family event (grandparents -us-, children and grandchildren at Center Parcs) and an international conference, I am looking back at the actual last week at work. I’d planned to be there all week, switching my three days a week around to be available, but I was unneeded.

Because the boss was on hols, the leaving do was on the Friday before I left, so it rather spread out leaving over the following week for me. The usual St Christopher’s scones and cakes, and a good speech, from the chief executive, as she usually manages on these occasions. Themed on me as a ‘one-off’; flattering, do I underestimate, or am I right that I will be forgotten as soon as I pass over the threshold? Past experience of leaving jobs suggests the latter. And it has been ten years of my life.

Because we were going on to a church event, we had an elderly member of the church with us, who counted it a privilege to hear about my work life: ‘We only hear about this at funerals’. True, and also only if the funeral is not too long delayed so that everyone has forgotten you. I always think if you want a lot of people to turn up and give good eulogies, you have to be young and in work for your funeral. I, on the other hand, am hoping for a while to do stuff for myself.

Then there was a lot of clearing up – when she came to the leaving do, M was quite impressed by the amount of stuff that has shifted from my office, mostly taken in phases to home. I got used to this in previous job changes. You take a bag or two of books every night, and occasionally a carful.

Then the librarian had a lunchtime sherry party, and I provided nibbles on Wednesday, which was a treat for some of the volunteers and others in the education building.

Other than that I worked on some articles (still unfinished business for early retirement) and met some people about problems. Taking it easy and it was a nice week weatherwise, which makes it pleasurable to enjoy the St Christopher’s gardens, so a nice pic of them for this post.