Things seem to change even in retirement……. So one can do the “grumpy old woman” or accept and even welcome change.
So what has changed for me? Well, at the moment two things – the work at the Trussell Trust (again) and the venue for choir.
The Trussell Trust is still in flux – the receptionist I was taking over from has got a new job in the organisation and one of the other receptionists will be doing her day. It is unlikely that I will be needed there. I worked taking messages for the PR department one morning when they were very busy, but they are not always so busy. I have also done some recording of donations. At the moment it is a matter of come in and see what is needed on any particular day, but in fact with Bank Holidays and my taking a week off to see friends, there will only be one day in May when I should be in! That gives things time to settle down and after that we will see. If it is a matter of go in and if there is nothing to do go home, then that is fine – gives me more time for other things! Only if it is not planned in advance then it is not quite so easy.
The choir had become too big for the venue – us altos were being squashed up against the wall and squeezing chairs in with difficulty! The car park was also rather small for the number of cars. So we have moved to a different venue, but it is out of the town. This means some people have problems getting there if they don’t have a car and for me it means a 15 to 20 minute drive instead of a ten minute stroll. It also means that afterwards I have to drive home and then have a 20 minute walk into town to the charity shop, instead of another 10 minute walk into town after choir. I decided to give it a try and give a lift to a lady who lives in my half of the town as she has no car. I have now done it twice and it means I am 30 to 45 minutes later getting to the shop, so they get that much less work out of me! The hall where we meet has less good coffee facilities and although it is bigger it is a bit “cold” – in the welcoming sense, not the temperature one, although that also might prove the case in winter! I think I will continue to go for the moment, but I can see us having problems when I, or the lady I take, is supposed to be doing coffee.
There are other possible changes coming up, too, but nothing is certain yet, so I will just have to wait and see how things work out. I could do with more time available to spend with the new friends I am making, let alone with the old ones. How did I get so pushed for time? Or is it just that I am doing everything more slowly?
So is change good? I am not sure yet, but I am sure that it is a good idea to try the changes before I decide!