From the beginning

Off we go. First of all I’ve called my site My Life in Flip Flops because I’ve found myself so very happy whenever I’m wearing them. Inevitably the sun is shining, my toe nails are painted, I’m not at the office and even if I’m just mopping the floor or sweeping the terrace I’m at my happiest. I love being almost bare footed hearing the smack of those flimsy shoes against my soles with every step.
I’m due to retire in just over a year when flip flop life will really take off, until then I’m counting the days and make mental adjustments towards not having a structured life after 40 years of office work. The prospect of not having a regular earned income is daunting and my pension arrangements are not great, but hey I’m ready to give it a try. I calculate I have enough knitting wool, enough paperbacks and enough gardening clothes to last me the rest of my life, which hopefully will be quite a while, though maybe I haven’t taken into account how quickly I might devour these with all that extra time on my hands.
I’m living in rural Scotland, not too far from Edinburgh where I work, but am fortunate enough to have a house in Italy where I hope to spend more flip flop time once I do retire. I’m originally from Yorkshire and yes I still have my northern accent and personality. I have a husband of 37 years and a middle aged to elderly cat, the former is up for more time in Italy, the latter not but stays at home and is well looked after by resident house sitters when we are away.