New beginnings

Another Goodbye And Some New Beginnings

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The last few weeks have been a series of ups and down, as that generally are in these ever strange times. There have been some really difficult days, but also some uplifting moments too, along with new beginnings for some of my family

A Difficult Goodbye

This week we said a very sad goodbye to my lovely father-in-law David. He passed away on 30th January after a long period of time living with Parkinson’s. Over the last year his health had really deteriorated, particularly during the lockdown periods, when his usual activities and the ability to get out and about was curtailed. After falling a number of times, he was admitted to hospital and then to care homes and hospitals, until he was admitted to full time care in December. Sadly he tested positive for Covid mid January and passed away soon after.

Over the last few months it was so difficult not to be able to see him, other than through a window, but he seemed settled in his care home and never seemed upset when we left.

However, it is best to remember the really good times, rather than the more difficult ones. David was a really gentle man. He never took centre stage or craved attention. He was always quietly there in the background, willing to help wherever he could. He loved and spoiled his grandchildren and in his younger days was the best mechanic and decorator any family could wish for.

The funeral was short and small, as the current situation dictates, but it was also very fitting for David. The sun was shining, the music was lovely and the memories of David were all very happy ones. Although it was a sad day, in many ways, it was also a lovely way to say goodbye to David and to be together as a family in a socially distance way for a short amount of time.

A New Home

This week there was also a really positive event, which helped to cheer us all up and look towards the future, instead of dwelling on the past. My youngest daughter and her boyfriend have just got the keys to their first house. Lockdown has meant that they were able to save up enough money for a deposit. The house that they have bought needs a lot of work and they have already started some of the renovation with the help of the rest of the family. They are looking at it as a “project” and hoping to move in before Christmas. I am sure that they will achieve their dreams, with a little help from friends and family.

A New Job

After volunteering at the Food Bank for over a year, I have now applied for and started a part-time role working there. When I retired from work, I had several plans for the world of work, but as most of these involved training and workshops, this all fell apart during the pandemic. I wasn’t actively looking for a job, but the post came up at the right time and has given me a new focus and much more structure to my days. It is only a temporary role and I am hoping that by the end of the term, we are able to get back to some sort of normality and I will be able to take part in all the leisure and travel activities that have been on hold since I retired.

A New Business

After many years of working for a bicycle retailer, my youngest brother was made redundant last week. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has worked so hard and being so stressed, that although it was a bit of a smack in the face, it has also given him an opportunity to move on and start his own business. He wasted no time at all in setting up a website and has already received lots of enquiries. He is very determined to make it work and certainly not afraid of hard work, so I am sure that he will succeed and make this a great business venture. I have shamelessly added his link below!

https://www.total-cycles.co.uk/

Happy Retirement

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This week, after 30 years of being a Police Officer, I retied!

I joined West Yorkshire Police on 15th January 1990, as a fresh faced 22 year old. I was fairly naïve, not particularly streetwise and had led a sheltered life, being the only girl, with three brothers. However I wanted to help other people, do something worthwhile and I honestly thought that I would be able to change the world.

I may not have changed the world over the last 30 years, but I know that I have changed some people’s lives for the better. There will be those that were not happy with the decisions I made, the action that I took, or the outcomes of their reports to me, but on the whole i know that I have always done the best job that I could, have been honest and always done what I thought was right.

I am not sad at retiring and I have been looking forward to it for a while. I will miss my friends and colleagues, the interesting work, the feeling of making a difference but I also am ready for a change and am looking forward to doing lots of new things. I am not going to be completely retired, as I still have various avenues for work, but I will no longer be working full time and I will no longer be a Police Officer.

Lucky or Entitled

Over the last few months I have had some very interesting comments about retiring at such a young age. Lots of people have said how “lucky” I am, how nice it must be to get a “free pension” and how unfair it is that they have to work much longer than me. I do not believe that I deserve to retire more than anyone else, but I know that I am getting what I signed up to 30 years ago and that it certainly isn’t for free. I am entitled to retire at this age because I signed up for 30 years. I have paid a large amount of money in contributions for the last 30 years. I have stuck with a career that has been difficult at times, frustrating and had ground me down to the point of losing my self confidence and belief that I was doing a good job. For all the missed birthdays, Christmas days, school sports days, concerts, late nights, early mornings, long hours and lack of sleep. For being spat at, sworn at, called names, complained about and wondering how I was going to get through, for this I now feel entitled to retire.

A Job Worth Doing

I have loved my job for the most part. Although the above paragraph points out the negatives, there have been lots of positives too. I have spent a good majority of my service as an investigator within safeguarding units, investigating crimes and protecting the most vulnerable people in society. For the last four years I have trained others to conduct those investigations.

I have met some amazing people along the way, both those that I have worked alongside and the people who I have worked to protect. There have been some amazing Court results and some real disappointments. Most of all I know that I have worked my hardest to protect the public and detect some of the most heinous crimes.

So now I intend to take a well earned break, before I move on to pastures new.

Thank you to the people that I have worked with for their support over the years. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me and for the lovely gifts and cards. Remembering fondly those who were with me 30 years ago when I joined the police, or who I have met along the way, but are no longer with us.

Most of all a huge thank you to my family and friends outside the Police who have supported me physically and mentally. I could not have done it without you!

 

Reflecting on the good things in life

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After all the sadness and unsettled feeling about the world in general, I am happy to say that I am feeling much more at peace with things this week.

A new life and new beginnings

I found out in the last couple of weeks that my lovely niece is pregnant with her first baby. She had had her first scan a couple of weeks ago and felt comfortable in sharing her good news with people. I am so happy for her and her partner and hope that everything goes well with the pregnancy.

It was also great earlier in the week when one of my lovely work colleagues brought his brand new baby son into work for everyone to see. He was a beautiful baby with lots of hair. Everyone was really pleased to see him and all the ladies wanted to have a little cuddle with him. It doesn’t seem to matter what is going on in the world, but a pregnancy or a  brand new baby always seems to bring such hope for the future. Who knows what these children will achieve in the future, or what the world may be like by the time they are adults, but for the present time they are safe and cared for by those who love them most.

A different new beginning

I was honoured to be invited to my friend’s retirement party yesterday. When I say retirement, he is only in his very early fifties, but has served with the Police for over 30 years. It was lovely to attend his celebration and to catch up with old friends and colleagues.

One of the really great things was that quite a number of the people that were there had not seen me for quite a while and were very complimentary about how I looked. I guess when you see yourself on a day to day basis, you don’t realise how much you have changed over several months. Losing a couple of stones and growing my hair a bit longer certainly surprised some people and have to say that I felt very pleased with myself. Hopefully this will now spur me on to keep up with the healthy eating and exercise.

 

All together again

Another reason to be grateful this week is that we have our eldest daughter home from university for a visit and it is nice to be together again as a whole family. She is only here for a visit and will be returning to live in London to look for work, but it is nice to have her home for even a short time. Our youngest daughter starts her new job this week and has her final exam at school next week, so I guess that it is a new beginning for both of them.

New Challenges

Whilst I was tidying out the spare room I found a notebook with a list of things that I had hoped to achieve this year. Looking through it I was pleased to say that I have completed some of them and am on the way to completing others. I now need to think about new challenges for this year and also for the years to come. My friend wants me to complete a 10k run with her, which will be a challenge as I’m only just managing the whole of Parkrun, which is 5k. In a couple of weeks I am taking part in a 6k run in memory of Jo Cox and will also be singing with Batley Community Choir at the run (obviously not at the same time, I can’t actually speak when I run never mind sing!). We are also singing at a concert on 1st July in aid of Jo’s charities.

Wish me luck!