Possibly the most common question I have been asked is ‘How’s retirement, then?’? People started asking this a week after the end of the academic year, which was a bit pointless, really.?? I was used to finishing school in July and not going back until September so, at that stage,? it didn’t really feel any different.? I was still waking up at 6.20 am every few days (including weekends) – the time my alarm would have sounded, but that was normal for a holiday.? I have to admit that every now and then I felt myself wondering what I should be doing.? Most of the summer holiday would, as a rule, be filled with preparation for the next year, with texts and emails back and forth to colleagues.? Not so this year, although I did speak to one or two on matters of urgency.? I spent a goodly amount of time weeding the secure drive on my computer as I would not need the contents again.? It is now almost empty.? I unsubscribed from academic web sites as the emails came in.? I tore up, threw out and shredded paper that I haven’t looked at for years, having kept it all ‘just in case’.? It was a valuable and cathartic exercise.

I had a relaxing and refreshing couple of months and then the day dawned.? My erstwhile school was returning to the fray.? So, on the first morning I stayed in bed past the alarm, I drank a leisurely cup of tea before starting on breakfast – and I watched the clock.? About now, I would be having tea at break-time; now I would be settling to lunch, if I wasn’t on lunch duty; now would be the after school tea and a chat.? That would be the hardest to forget.

Luckily, I am confident that my ‘ex’-colleagues will find it in their hearts to remember me from time to time and I will be glad to see them.? The alarm, the duty rotas, the paperwork and the stressful goals I will not miss.