It is my impression that the majority of Hi people are young professionals, starting or building their careers, or in some cases still out seeing the world. Sure, Hi includes a few old blokes like me who are already looking back on their retired years, but, on the whole, retirement planning would be pretty far from the minds of most people that frequent this website.

When I retired in ‘99, I needed and wanted to find continued intellectual work. The best solution for me seemed to be online teaching, albeit for a modest remuneration, indeed shockingly modest compared to my previous professorial income. But, the work itself was familiar and pleasurable, and the ongoing learning curve (demanded by new software) certainly provided the requisite cognitive stimulation.

My plan was simple: work in the morning hours; then, reading, gardening, walking and listening to music in the afternoon with movies and/or serious TV or radio in the evening. Sadly, in the event, I found the work seemed to expand to fill most of my waking hours, especially whenever the dodgy rural internet connection was on the blink.

The question is one of priorities. Working in retirement is fine, but from now on, it must take a back seat to gardening and walking!