What was your best retirement gift?

DGD! I took early retirement in 2012 at 62 to move from Orkney to Devon with DH to look after her for 3 years while DD went back to work. We had thought we might move permanently but couldn't cope with the heat so returned to the far North in 2015.... DS and DGS moved from Devon to live nearby last year, though and we are having our second all family gathering this year in Moray in August....

Thank you all, some great ideas. Think I'll go with the bird bath.

When I left Keighley Policd, they presented me with a silver goblet with the words "Good Luck Sally , Keighley Police".
Thst was in 1974 and I still treasure that gift.

silverlining48

Retired on ill health with No gift or even farewell after 20 years as a social worker which affected my confidence badly. However having time to myself and freedom from What was a stressful job was gold.
Here I am in bed looking and listening to the sea under my window is priceless.

No gift for me either.
I’d spent two separate (lengthy) spells working for a West Midlands Council on temp contracts. At least twice during my stay, “permanent” staff had begun and left with fond farewells.
I wasn’t expecting anything but was told by the manager of the department that the colleagues I’d spent nearly three years working alongside had discussed whether to have a collection and decided that as I was a temp, it would not be appropriate!
Felt deflated not by the lack of gift but the meeting and the message delivered.
Had just been expecting a few “Happy Retirement” messages.

My freedom- and health at last. I had been ill for a number of years prior to reaching retirement age and therefore unable to work. I have gradually got a bit better-and happier. That is the best gift. And then there’s my bus pass, of course!

Silverlining and Troglodites post reminded me how low one can feel if your send off from your job is not thoughtful and kind. I retired last year and got a lovely celebratory send off lunch from most of my colleagues, on the premises as we have only a short lunch break. I was also invited to their Christmas night out two weeks later at which I got a presentation and nice words from one of the Partners. What threw me completely and the time, and more so as I think of it often since, was that the “boss” who I’d worked for longest, for 20 years, didn’t say so much as a word of appreciation or good farewell wishes to me publicly or even privately. She had always been odd but it really upset me, and I’ll still not quite over it!!

Had to Medically Retire when my hip needed replacing. So the new hip meaning much less pain was the best retirement gift ever! Then found I could Volunteer in a Charity shop for 27 years to keep a bit active was a welcome ‘add on’!

A rose bush. It flowers profusely every year and makes me remember my time at work and the lovely company which I still miss.

A part from my bus pass I was delighted to give back my works mobile phone never to be on beck and call to anyone again.

No gift or card for me either. I was in Education, about 14years in last place mostly testing ( 35years in total) Was told there was a card going to be dropped off but never got one😒. I finished just as lockdown started, so never got to say goodbye in person, so felt in kind of limbo.
Love being at home and the freedom of spending my free time as I want not doing paperwork.

I retired from 20+ primary school teaching 6 years ago. My gifts were: a posh outdoor chair, 2 ceramic plant pots, vouchers & a fleece tartan blanket. Also a huge card made by the art teacher & signed by all staff & pupils. Lovely, thoughtful gifts chosen by the PTA. Miss the kids & staff room banter but not the very long hours, performance pressure, stress from & bullying by, some management, holiday time devoted to schoolwork and to school trips, constant scrutiny, criticism from some staff members. Lack of acknowledgement for all that i did.
Best gifts? Doing what i want, when i want & how i want. Being at peace & not answerable to anyone is priceless.

Along with the (very generous) cheque and favourite things, I loved a photograph album entitled ‘ Daddima’s Next Steps?’ which contained photoshopped pictures of me as various things, like Maria in the Sound of Music, Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey, a contestant on Great British Bakeoff, X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, a member of Girls Aloud, an Olympic gold medal winner, Cleopatra in her milk and honey bath etc. It was a lovely idea, and could be done to reflect your colleague’s interests, and give them a giggle too, as they admire their bird bath!

A lovely wooden clock with all of the numbers in a heap in the corner, it says 'whatever, I'm retired!' 😅It still has hands to tell the time though

A porcelain chicken with £187 in , trip to zoo and huge gluten free cake 🎂 for my leaving party and ( amazingly ) I had been such a long time nurse in the NHS I got a tea party - I did say a verrrry long time nurse .

sassysaysso

Freedom

I couldn't agree more and the words from my G.P Mrs. ....... you need to retire and get your life and health back.

Freedom! and time with my grandchildren, priceless.

Nothing, just a letter saying that if I taught again I and the school would be fined as I had not renewed my registration. No thanks for years of service. However, I absolutely love knowing that I do not have to get up for work - ever, (apart from volunteering, but I enjoy that and it's only twice a month.)

No ornamental clock or engraved platter for me, but they would have been rather wasted on me anyway. Just a very pleasant retirement dinner with colleagues, and a rather flattering speech from the boss. The true, precious gift which just keeps on giving is the freedom to do whatever I want with the time I have left to me. I've been retired now for 16 years, and counting.

I retired 4 weeks after an OFSTED inspection 😭Lovely colleagues were on their knees but I was given a beautiful album of memories and also a generous Amazon voucher. It was printed on a printer almost out of ink and said Happy Birthday 🤣Which sums up how exhausted the staff were.

The very generous voluntary retirement package that my employer set up that enabled me to leave work in my mid-50s with an immediate unreduced pension, an opportunity to use some of my generous redundancy package to buy further years and a 'retraining' grabt that enabled me to go back to uiversity for a year to study a subject i loved.

A voucher, with which I bought a new DAB radio for the kitchen. I enjoy listening to it every day: Radio 3

No retirement gift for me, either. My job disappeared due to restructuring, and many of my colleagues had to apply for their own jobs which they had been doing for years. Many weren't reappointed, so there was a great loss of expertise! Everyone was so disheartened, any retirement "dos" for any of us just didn't happen!! At least I was able to use my skills in a voluntary capacity till lockdown, which I really enjoyed. So, like many other Gransnetters, my gift has been time and the ability to enjoy grandchildren, though it has been tempered by having to give a certain amount of care to DH!

After 36 years of teaching no retirement gifts or acknowledgement from anybody apart from a bunch of flowers from friends and a spa treat from my head of faculty! But the freedom from planning, marking, assessing , disciplining is worth it all 13 years down the line !!!

Sleeping in late in winter and not having to commute to work at 5:30AM in a blinding snowstorm. Hospitals NEVER shut down. Ever!
USA Gundy

Waking up the day after retiring, and realising I never had to get up for an early shift again.