It’s been a pretty good week weather-wise with a few sunny days and, despite having a sore back most of the week, we’ve been keeping busy…
You know how irritating it is when retired people say they don’t know how they ever had time to work? Well, I am not sure I am quite at that stage yet, but there always seems to be quite a lot to do… it is nice that work doesn’t get in the way but I kind of miss the routine of work and am surprised at how not working can affect your self-confidence. In a way, I suppose it’s obvious that you will see fewer people when you are not working, so I can understand how some, when they give up the day job, might feel a bit lost and isolated. I think that’s why you try and keep busy by having little projects or daily / weekly routines. I can also see how the longer you are not working, the harder it might be to have the confidence to get back into work – doubting your work abilities or employability when you are not doing the job each day! Daft really and, although I’m not ready to go back into a work environment yet, I do wonder what impact self-doubt will have on me when I am!
One thing I do know, I do like (very much!) not having to go to work each day, and having plenty of time to do the things I love and, of course, not having the stress that a busy, responsible job can create – so I am certainly not complaining; only making an observation…
… Life without a wage is a bit scary though. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about how long my savings will last despite not living the most extravagant of lives. Fortunately, I am so anal about money that I am, naturally (😂), on budget! That said, come the end of this current tax year, I might make a bit more effort in putting out some feelers in the working world to see what’s what as I think it would help my confidence if I knew I could pick up a short-term contract here or there and confirm I actually still have the ability to help / make a difference somewhere!
Oh dear… what started as quite a positive blog about nice weather seems to have stumbled down the path of introspection – so enough of that!
Despite the negative impact of Trumpism on the wider world (🤬😡🤬), for us at least, it’s been a lovely week full of nice walks, wildlife, and spring flowers including the crocheted daffodil project I have started for Mum’s Mother’s Day pressie! More on that another time 😆
Top left – We heard an owl whilst walking up the hill behind our house & thought it could only have come from a nearby barn… on exploring the barn, we saw this Tawny Owl! Not a great shot as the barn was very dark!
Top Right – Widgeon; Other pics include a Tufted Duck & Coot plus a view of the Tarn & snowdrops by the local free Church
I’ve been suffering back ache this week (Diane H – I think I have come out in sympathy with you! Glad the op went ahead & you are now recovering nicely! ❤️) – which is something that happens periodically and often for no apparent reason at all… I mean, how is it possible to go to bed ok & wake up with a strained back? Baffling! Luckily, it hasn’t stop me doing stuff; I just have to be a bit more careful and take a few painkillers (which I don’t like doing) – oh, and actually do my back stretches which I know I should do every day but do not do often enough! I have decided to incorporate these into what has become my daily exercise routine as they definitely help!
I went to see Mum and it was sad… not because of her! She’s fine but next door to the Raikes they have cut down all the trees! But, on a positive note, Mum should have a better view of the Aire Valley now…
The diet has taken a bit of a knock this week because of pancake day and my inability to resist a chocolate pancake or three. Also, I am weak in the face of temptation and, blaming the bad back & feeling a bit miserable because of it, made some poor food choices at the start of the week… however, I managed to get myself back on track come Wednesday (having decided to give up Facebook/Social Media & chocolate for Lent! 😆) and have still managed to lose half a pound – result!
A walk around Ogden Reservoir – Top pic shows the recycling of Christmas Trees – this “hedge” of old trees goes around the reservoir (most of it anyway) which is approx 1.25 miles round & locals are encouraged to bring their Christmas Trees here following the festive season
Also this week, I received a letter from David, the owner of The Raikes where Mum lives, in relation to the annual rise in care fees… I knew it would be high due to changes in minimum wage & National Insurance. I was expecting maybe 10% but it’s come through as 11% – that’s up just over £100 per week! This is one reason why many social care providers were marching in London the other week (see https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/02/25/providers-hold-day-of-action-in-protest-against-budgets-impact-on-social-care/ if you are interested in learning more)…
Although I am a big fan of the NHS, if the government doesn’t sort out social care, I fear the NHS will never survive… additional costs in Minimum wage (which I am also a big fan of too!) and National Insurance contributions put a massive amount of pressure on the cost of providing social care which Local Authorities cannot afford – so who then pays for these increases? In my experience, providers (the majority of which tend to be not-for-profit) don’t have heaps of money lying around waiting to be spent… there is no magic money tree – so, if the local authority cannot meet the increased costs, who pays?
As a private funder (the result of selling Mum & Dad’s home – possible only because of Dad passing away 😭) the money Mum has to pay for her care is finite and will only last so long; once it is gone, the local authority will have to pick up the bill. Of course, many others are not in the “privileged” position of being able to fund their support privately and Local Authorities already spend £billions on care provision… I heard that Bradford Council spend around 80% of their annual budget on providing social care for working aged adults / Older people & children’s services which doesn’t leave an awful lot (in the scheme of things) for everything else we expect from them – maintaining buildings, parks and parking, bin collections, etc. Council’s simply cannot afford to pay for the real cost of social care provision and generally, in my experience, offer a much lower percentage increase to providers each year. For example, I understand Bradford are offering approx. 2% increase on the hourly rate they pay providers this coming year, wherein lies the problem… if, in real terms, a provider is facing an 11% increase in their costs, who picks up the 9% shortfall? This is why you will see many providers go out of business – you might notice more news reports about local services closing such as care homes, day services or nurseries, etc… and if there are fewer social care providers, basic supply & demand concept suggests we would see a forced increase in the cost of social care provision anyway – a Catch-22 situation!
Part of the trouble is, social care has been seriously under funded for such a long time (remember the years of “austerity” from around 2010? During a 4-5 year period (maybe even longer) many providers received no annual increase from local councils), which means even the “big” providers struggle financially. If the social care system fails, the impact on the NHS will be catastrophic – a proper dilemma for any government which, weirdly and maybe counter-intuitively, is one reason there’s been a general reluctance to sort this issue out by successive governments for far too long 🙁, only serving to compound the problem further…
Who would want to be a politician and have to balance the books between NHS spending, social care and shoring up spending on defence in these troubled times, let alone everything else like the welfare system? What a nightmare 😕
Fortunately, having crunched the numbers and taking into account her pension, I reckon Mum’s got enough in the bank to keep going for at least another few years! Phew…
Oooo, can you hear that noise… it’s me climbing off my soapbox! 😅
Moving on… we also enjoyed a little drive out to RSPB Fairburn Ing (https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/fairburn-ings) this week… here’s some pics:
Top – Little Grebe; Bottom – Robin; Cormorant; Reed Bunting
Top – Swan; Great Creasted Grebe; Bottom – Pochard; Goldeneye
And some nice walks nearer to home…
Spring flowers spotted during a nice walk along the canal at Riddlesden and Low Wood
What else has occurred? We heard from Kevin (YOPA) who gave us feedback from the lady who viewed our house last weekend. Apparently, she is quite keen but, like us, is still in process of selling her place… one positive is she will be a mortgage-free, cash buyer if it all comes together so that’s one thing. We also have another viewing arranged for tomorrow (Monday 10th) so that’s good.
Although I write this blog primarily to give my brain a bit of a work out and as a diary about what we’ve been up to, it’s always nice to get feedback and messages from people… Diane H – thanks for getting in touch via Messenger – it means a lot! I am glad your op went ok and wish you a speedy recovery! Although I have given up Social Media (FB, Insta & Indeed) for Lent, if anyone wants to get in touch, you can always message me via this blog, Messenger, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Text (rememberer them! 😆) or email! Oh, & don’t forget, if you subscribe to this blog, you will get an email each time I post something… but I know, that might be going a bit far for some! The choice is yours 😁❤️
Finally, Billy & Terri – Pete & me thank you both for all you have done for our mutual friend Ruth (& even the dog 😆)… we love you both & are sure that Ruth loves you too! 😊 ❤️ A little bird told us it’s Terri’s birthday today so Many many Happy returns to you Terri! 🥳🎂🥳
All the gubbins… 
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