A boring morning view today, nothing special, just grey in grey and it is still quite cold. It is days like this that I am glad that my working life is over. There was then no choice of going or not going, you had a job and had to go. I was retired at the age of 64. Originally it would have been 62, but the Swiss government decided to add a couple of years for women’s retirement. The stupid thing was that I was retired a year earlier as the company were having a re-organisation. However no big problem, as I had worked there for 30 years they continued to pay my wages for the following year, although I was no longer working. I just lost a year of pension money, but I seemed to have survived. I was reminded of this yesterday when I read that Switzerland is now again revising the female retirement age. They seem to have a shortage of funds in their pension scheme and it will now be increased to the age of 65. I have now been retired for 10 years so am out of the system and just getting my regular state pension. It seems to me a bit stupid. The work market is not as it was. When I began to work, no-one ever dreamt of a company reducing its work force or changing a pension age, but that was more than 50 years ago. Now we have automisation, computers to do the work for us and we must be glad tp have a job. Why increase the female retirement age, when they probably lose their job in the meanwhile.

I was surprised yesterday to see that my robin and the blue tit were sharing their food table on the bird house. They usually like to do their own thing in private, but they kept to their own sides of the house and did not really mix.

Eventually the robin was left to do his own thing,

Although the tit was keeping an eye on the action and when the robin left, he returned to enjoy the meal to himself.

Yesterday was again a day at home. I spent some time organising my files. Retired life is often paperwork keeping various aspects organised. Mr. Swiss always did his own thing with documents and I did mine. However with age and both being golden oldies our details are now more or less the same, so instead of everyone having their own files, we have gradually amalgamated them. It is easier to find the details you need when everything is in the same place. I also had a few bills to pay which we both do online. However, life does not get easier. The post and banks are developing new methods to torture the office organisation of golden oldies. Although the basics are still there, you can now scan the bills into the computer which makes it much easier to pay (so they say). I am still working on that one. Mr. Swiss only has bank, but I have bank and post. Basically it all comes together eventually. We grew up with computers so it is just a matter of adaptation. However, not all are so gifted. I remember my dad who grew up with cash payments everywhere and had no idea of computers. My Swiss mother-in-law had a similar problem and both clung onto their own system until the end. It would now no longer be possible, but they have both passed on in the meanwhile.

I will now move on to the daily tasks, but no great stress. I have even organised my week-end shopping, sent off the order for online delivery yesterday evening and am now covered with food supplies until next Tuesday although will be doing the next order for the next week at the week-end. I am really into the system. I can only say thank goodness for the scheme our supermarket chain has for regular customers. I was invited a year ago to their new project for the cost of 8.50 Swiss Francs a month. Included were free deliveries up to the order value of 80 Swiss francs (which is easily reached), bonus payouts and double points on all purchases. This means that every two months I get my points in vouchers, usually amounting to at least 50 Swiss francs as well as dividends paid automatically onto a special card I have monthly. When I go shopping in person now and again I usually get everything without having to pay for it as I use my vouchers and plastic card dividends. I have calculated now after a year that I am really doing well with this scheme. I also notice, as a regular customer of this supermarket chain for at least 40 years, that I am getting good quality produce and not just the left overs. It seems they are now expanding the scheme to others and I got a notification yesterday that as an original customer, I will be getting no increased annual charges. For new members it now costs a little more, but not so much really.

And now to really move on as I am sure our Swiss supermarket organisation interests the least of my readers.

Keep safe and avoid stress where possible.