Ultimate

At 3pm today I retired for the third and final time. The first time, before official retirement age, was actually a polite way to be out of a situation where work was laisser-faire delegated then suddenly micro-managed.

The second time was after that same organisation asked me to return for a few months to help out during the Afghan refugee crisis in 2021. I was doing my own previous job but it had been radically bureaucratised by the person who'd taken it over from me and I did not enjoy doing it her way. I was relieved to leave.

I applied to work at Crisis only because I couldn't bear spending my time in the tiny rented attic I moved into when the builders started work on my house and because I needed money to pay them. But I've really enjoyed my nearly two years there - the most consistently supportive and friendly bunch of colleagues I have ever had, and I told them so just after I'd handed back my laptop, my phone and my entry-fob.

I've spent so much of my life working for charities that I don't intend to do what many retired people do and volunteer for one. But the arts organisation that shares the Old Fire Station with Crisis suggested today that I volunteer as an usher with them so get to see as many of their plays as I like. That is very tempting.

This is the Fire Tower from the Old Fire Station where I may now spend more time than I'd thought. I thought I'd blipped it before but I can't find it.
Edit - found it. Very similar.