Retirement makes me smile

One of the best home brewing tips ever: make sure to brew some extra wine in small bottles! So you can taste, and taste, and taste…

It’s autumn again and since there is not much to be done in these gray, rainy days outside in the garden, it’s time to get warm and well, get some more alcohol to get warmer :-).

Another hobby of mine… brewing that is, not drinking…

In summer when harvest is plenty, or fresh fruit supply is cheap, I make sure to buy some extra cherries.

I invite the grandchildren to get rid of all the kernels (and give them some jolly delicious cherry pan cakes, cherry ice-cream and well, a sip of homemade cherry liquor their parents are enjoying…) and freeze the cherries.

Any day in autumn when the heating is on and the temperature in the house is stable, I take the cherries out and start fermenting them.

Always make sure to start off with some wine-yeast in some sterilised apple-juice and sugar. I just buy the sterilised juices in the cooling section of the supermarket, those days that I would boil cherry-juice myself are far over.

Once the apple-juice is yeasting well, use it to add to your cherry bottles, put the waterlock on it and there you go!

What I do is making sure I have some small bottles of cherry-yeasting-wine to consume when it’s fermenting.

I just love bubbles in wine and I can’t drive all the way down to the BodenSee in Germany to taste their "Süsser" or half fermented wine.

Drinking only the small bottles also makes sure my big bottle keeps as clean and healthy as possible and can "yeast in peace".

For those who want to try making wine at home, make sure you buy something that’s called a hydrometer : it’s a little thing that looks like an oversized fishing gear that you throw in your juice.

the hydrometer sticks out of your brew (like a straw) and you can read a number with which you can calculate how much sugar you need to add in order to get a wine of a decent amount of alcohol. (too much sugar won’t get you anywhere, so it’s an important accessory).

You can buy it at any decent chemist’s and the plastic ones are quite cheap.

In the end it’s not about exact science, it’s about brewing something at home that tastes good, so no need for the expensive hydrometers.

Once you are yeasting, make sure to put the bottles on a spot where the temperature is more or less constant.

Also shake the bottles from time to time as yeast not only needs sugar but also oxygen to flourish.

After that, it’s sit and wait and make sure to try the little brewing bottles from the 5th day onwards

Technorati Tags: home brewing, home brewing tips, wine

I am one of those grandparents caring a lot for my grandchildren, especially now that I am retired and have the time to "run around a bit". Ok, I admit, running is a big word and my children are doing great raising my grandchildren.

Just that I needed to make a special interference and take my grandson’s teacher out for lunch…

History repeats itself

When I was a child, my teacher asked me: give me a name of some rare food. Since I am the descendant of a poor but resourceful family, my answer was "muskrat".

All I remember then was getting a beating which now will fall under child abuse. All I could think of: should I rather have said cat or pigeon or squirrel?

Anyway, I couldn’t be bothered if my teacher was too stupid that in many restaurants muskrat is served as water rabbit.

But I did get bothered when history repeated itself.

My grandson got a big punishment when the teacher asked him: give me a name of some rare food. His answer was "beersoup".

You would expect a teacher to know more about food, but it seems in the Burger King and McDonalds age, teachers don’t have a clue what their ancestors have been eating.

Being a fanatic wine and beer consumer myself, I do treat my grandchildren on a delicacy called "beersoup".

Not the normal cheesy beer soup you would eat before dinner, but a sweet and creamy dessert or tea time treat beer soup with peaches, cream, eggs and cooked beer.

Yes, once the beer is cooked, it doesn’t contain any alcohol and is safe for kids. Of course this knowledge I am not going to tell to my grandson… yet

Changing the course of history

I started to make some beersoup and brought it over at lunchtime to that silly idiot that calls himself a teacher. It’s quite easy: just make a "sweet cream-sauce" using, beer, cream, eggs and sugar and poor it over your peaches. I first caramelise my peaches in a sugar-beer mixture.

Back to our teacher: did he love my beersoup and … was he embarrassed that after finishing it when I told him that this was called "beersoup", the same beersoup my grandson got punished for.

I mean, what does a teacher really expect you to answer when they ask you to give a name of some rare food?

Anyway, as a grandparent caring for my grandchildren, that was the least I could do, and should have done 40 years ago… yet those days catching water rabbit was rare… .

Now being retired I have the money and the time to educate teachers…

Technorati Tags: beersoup, grandchildren, grandparents, grandparents caring for grandchildren, muskrat, teachers, water rabbit

Apart from marrying the world’s most beautiful women, Brad Pitt hobbies include:

• interior design,
   
• architecture
   
• nature
   
• collecting functional metal art pieces
   
• collecting furniture.

Now this post is not entirely about this little brat, but more about retirement and hobbies. Although when it comes to marrying the world’s most beautiful women, it’s a wise choice not to wait until you are retired. Especially not when you made your fortune already being in your 30’s.

Hobbies and retirement

First question my doctor asked me at my yearly check up after I retired was: "do you have a hobby"? According to him, people with a hobby live much longer than people without a hobby.

Now for me that was a needless question, as I love to spend a lot of time in my garden. And I took up blogging as well, although it would be ideal to have a wireless Internet connection so I could go blogging under my cherry-tree in my garden

Dying standing up

I needed to write this post because this Sunday in church, our retired butcher just stood up and died…

For him, his shop was his life.

He only closed his shop earlier this year and like I said: his shop was his life… no more shop and the poor guy passed away…

What are ideal hobbies when you are retired?

Of course that’s entirely up to you. Just try to remember what you loved to do when you were a kid and pick up from there.

My brother in law who retired 2 years ago quit smoking and at the same time enrolled in a photography-computer course. Meaning he learns how to take a nice picture and then plays around with it in Photoshop making slide-shows and all that.

All you need is a simple camera, a simple computer and… lots and lots of time! It’s an ideal hobby, especially when you learn to look from a different angle to the things you see in your every day life.

It’s always fun to get an email from him, as his pictures are original, not the normal forwarded jokes you get from everybody else. It shows what he is doing and how the world looks around him. And it keeps him away from those deadly cigarettes!

He also subscribed on a website where he sells his pictures for a very small fee. That is: if you need a picture, you pay a few cents to put their pictures on your website.

Making pocket-money is always great when you are retired I find, I do miss the monthly paycheck that used to come in but I love the extra pennies I make like selling my chicken eggs

Not to mention my waffles and my wife’s cakes when people are not buying enough eggs. We could start a bakery but hello: we are retired and we just do it for the fun of it!

Now my brother in law is not making a fortune yet selling his pictures. Unfortunately, he is still a far way off to take pictures from celebrities like those 2 latest Brad Pitt hobbies… But again: it’s the hobby part that’s the most important part.

Technorati Tags: beautiful women, brad pitt, brad pitt hobbies, Extra money, hobbies, photography, Retirement

Our cat is showing symptoms of duplicity of humankind like in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Dr Jekyll

We found our Dr Jekyll 4 years ago. We heard some kitten softly screaming in a ditch, most likely abandoned by their owners who don’t know there are shelters that take in kittens for free.

Dr Jekyll was full with fleas and very malnourished, so my wife, a true cat lover, took her in, hand-fed her, kept her warm at night by changing a warm water bag every 2 hours…

As you can see in the picture, Dr Jekyll turned out to a quite healthy cat, and is our best weapon in keeping mice away from the corn and cereals we feed to our chicken.

Mr Hyde

Like any good feline, Mr Hyde loves to go out at night killing mice and roaming
around in the neighbourhood. So far so good.

But with temperatures below freezing last few days, Mr Hyde is no more hunting mice but bringing back big game like a squirrel and a bird of which the English name escapes me (is this really what’s happening past retirement: words you knew as a kid suddenly disappear…?). Anyway, it looks like a Thrush and it’s getting quite rare here…

Same with squirrels, there aren’t as much as there used to be when I was a kid, and with a cat like ours roaming around at night, things don’t look good for the "native wildlife".

Maybe I should go and buy him some mice and let them loose at night…

Technorati Tags: cats, dr jekyll and mr hyde, duplicity, duplicity of humankind like in dr jekyll and mr hyde, humankind, Pets

Let me answer you ‘how do snails reproduce’ : kind of like normal people: when they drink too much beer, they think they can be superman in bed, but what really happens is that they snore like a bore…

Almost the same with snails: they love the smell of beer yeast and once they get drunk, they die…

Now that’s good because I don’t want snails to reproduce in my garden. Or not too much that they start eating all my October cover crop seedlings. I know, autumn is a hard time for everybody and I do sacrifice my beer in stead of drinking it and keep warm

Main thing is to put a plate at ground level. Fill it with beer and the next day you just get rid of the snails drowning in your beer.

In the picture they have sold me a "plate with a roof" on it, so my precious beer doesn’t get diluted after each and every autumn rainfall.

How do snails reproduce? Not in my beer-garden!

Technorati Tags: bore, how do snails reproduce, snails, superman

How long does the flu last without taking antibiotics? 5 days at most

Well, let’s cross fingers that this flu is not going to last any longer. When I was working, I never had any off day because of the flu, and now being retired and for sure having all the rest I can get, I get the flu! And it isn’t even winter yet, let alone autumn…

Ok, I must admit I took the mom of my neighbours to the doctor and had to wait there for 3 hours. Lots of coughing going on in the waiting room, so most likely I got it from there.

So I am taking it as easy as possible and drinking lots of warm tea with lemon and honey. Especially the honey is of importance as it contains natural antibiotics.

I tried the first day of my flu only to medicate me with red wine, but that didn’t seem to work at all

Meanwhile drinking lots of home made chicken and rice soup. Which is a good way to get rid of some of the old chickens ranging around in my garden, as there is plenty of supply of new chicks running around here, there and every where.

My wife told me to get a vitamine B-12 flu shot like she had seen on an episode of Kimora… Yeah, right, these people are most likely promoting stuff in their show in stead of talking about "their regular daily life". I have been in marketing, so done that also

So how long does the flu last? Mine is in day 3 and still not better. If after 1 week your flu isn’t finished and you have been resting as needed, then better go and see a doctor!

Technorati Tags: antibiotics, flu, Health, home remedies, honey, how long does the flu last

I like the idea of credit cards for women because my wife has one and she is extremely happy with it.

Being a woman, she likes her card because she feels it is specifically tailored to her and her needs, and not just to the general population that includes the opposite gender.

Women in most cases than not manage the home finances and as such when applying for a credit card will look for the best one available in the market by going online.

Creditroom.com is a personal finance webpage that caters specifically for women and no wonder; it was started by women as well.

Here is where women can browse through the website to look for offers by the various banks and get all necessary information relating to rewards programs, APR, balance transfers, balance transfers fees, annual fee, Online credit fraud etc.

Women can then apply online and it is easy, fast and totally convenient for the busy working mom or working women.

If you do have a bad credit history or no credit for that matter, there are also cards available specifically for this so apply online and in most cases than not, you will be able to get instant approval.

We will give you a few free retirement speeches that you can customize to your own needs and ideas. Nothing wrong with using free speeches, as nobody will be listening anyway, unless you mention their names.

If you are as lucky as me to have a devoted secretary, you can ask her to write your retirement speech. Technically it won’t be free as the company is paying for it.

Anyway,
I asked my sexy secretary to write my speech and in return I wrote her appraisal letter way in advance.

I read my retirement speech out for the first time during my retirement party. Nothing could go wrong basically as I was one step out of the firm already

2 free written retirement speeches

Advertising your website of ‘after retirement business’

Advertising your own new retirement website is a great way to find out 2 things:

• who is actually listening to your retirement speech and
   
• who is actually interested in you by visiting your website later.

Here goes:

I found this free retirement speech at my new website called "Retirement Jokes".

 

It is hard to believe this day has finally come. I have to say that I have mixed feelings today. It is wonderful to look forward to a future of more leisure and getting around to many of the things that I always said I would do “someday”, but I also feel some sadness at leaving what has been such an important part of my life.

 

This company is like a family and though I know I will see many of you around town, this day is kind of like moving away from home. It has great promise and yet, knowing that I won’t see the members of my family every day anymore is hard to imagine.

 

I won’t see XXX every day as I walk into the building, there at the front desk. I won’t see YYY at the desk in front of my office door. I won’t see all the rest of you in the hallways and the lunchroom and we won’t be having those daily chats about the ZZZ and the AAA and when the winter is going to be over. I will miss all of you and all of the conversations, not just the ones I have mentioned.

 

But it is time to move on. I have enjoyed my time here at ABC International and I know we have done some great things.

 

I thank BBB for making this a great place to work and for all the support you have given me over the years. This is a great company and I know you will continue on continuing with the growth and innovation that has been the hallmark of this organization. I hope all of you feel as fortunate to work here as I have.

 

On a personal note I’d like to thank CCC for her tireless work on my behalf. And, my wife, DDD thanks you too because she knows that without you I would have been home later every night and she and the kids would never have seen me. Thanks for helping me and also for so often pushing me out the door when I thought there was just one more thing that needed to get done.

 

And thank you to DDD for your tireless support of me over these years. I love you, honey, and I look forward to all the plans we have made.

 

Thank you all for being here today and having this wonderful party for me. I feel richly blessed. Be well and I’ll see you around.

Always make sure to thank the tea-lady!

Well thank you, XXX, for these kind words. It was indeed XXX years ago that I set my first steps a bit trembling inside this head office. Had I known then what a roller coaster ride we were in for I might have trembled even more or turned right back to head out.

 

But ignorance was bliss in those days! I thought, innocently, that accepting XXX bribes was a natural thing to do. Good enough for a Cabinet minister’s spouse; good enough for me, I thought. But seriously, I was so blessed to be given the chance to help make this business into a household name.

 

I only want to say a few words myself – I’ve done enough speaking for a lifetime!

 

But I do want to tell you how much I have appreciated some of the people and things that make this company so special – not just the business side, but the fun and laughter we have had – to say nothing of the long nights labouring away at last minute documents and deals.

 

As for XXX teatime treats – I think that’s what I am going to miss most!

 

XXX was right. I am leaving but I will be watching your progress with interest and I shall indeed be back.

 

I am certain you will all go on to achieve far better things than I did. If my legacy to you was time spent building this firm up, your legacy to me is one of comradeship, faith in teamwork and an abiding passion for XXX (things to eat or to drink).

 

I have just one final point to make – that is to thank you for the wonderful present. How could you have guessed that it was just what I wanted!!??

 

I now raise my glass to you and say farewell.

 

Thank you.

How to write a retirement roast speech

Of course humor is in the eye of the beholder. Make sure you don’t touch religion nor politics, other than that, try to make fun about:

• the first funny blooper, mistake or what have you about yourself! It’s always funny to joke about yourself, so you don’t step on anybodies toes.
   
• differences between when you started versus now
   
• important events and accomplishments everybody in the firm knows about
   
• the fact that you will keep in touch with everybody, therefore need some volunteers to do the job…

Don’t forget: the above free retirement speeches all come with a money back guarantee!

Technorati Tags: free retirement, free retirement speech, free speeches, retirement speech, retirement speeches

If you are a woman and looking for credit card offers, you can’t go wrong with CreditRoom.com which provides credit cards for women online.

We all know how tremendously useful a credit card is when making purchases and it beats having to carry cash around all the time.

I do find it extremely handy when traveling overseas.

Though a credit card is useful and convenient, you have to ensure that you get the best credit card that meets your requirements and which has the best lowest APR for example.

Most women who are homemakers do run the family finances and as such it is imperative that you do the required research to get the best offer that is available so the next question is how does one do that?

If you go to CreditRoom.com, you can review al credit card offers by the various top banks and you can get information on the lowers APR credit cards, balance transfer cards, best credit cards etc.

If you decide to transfer your balance from one card to another to take advantage
of a lower interest, there are cards that offer no transfer fee.

So go online to CreditRoom.com and you will be surprised as to how much you can save by taking advantage of the offers that are available.

This zucchini cold soup is ideal on a hot day (like 2 days ago), overly delicious with pieces of smoked salmon!

If it starts raining like today, then you would most likely feel more like a warm Zucchini cheese soup recipe or a Zucchini potato soup recipe made by a real chef :-).

Zucchini cold soup ingredients

• 1 big onion, sliced
   
• 2 big potatoes, cut into pieces
   
• 2 zucchinis, cut into pieces
   
• 3 pints (1,5 liter) of chicken stock or vegetable stock (made fresh or with chicken stock or vegetable stock cubes)
   
• about 1 cup (200 ml) cream
   
• 4 pieces smoked salmon
   
• 2 garlic cloves
   
• pepper and salt to taste
   
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped herbs (basil, parsley and dill)

Zucchini cold soup preparation

This zucchini soup is fast and easy to make, ideal for a guy like me

1. Cut the salmon in fine slices, add the fresh herbs and a bit of olive oil and set aside to marinate.
    
2. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pot and saute the onion.
    
3. Add the potatoes, zucchini and garlic and saute a few more minutes.
    
4. Add the stock or water with cubes, increase your fire and bring to the boil.
    
5. Let the zucchini soup simmer for about half an hour.
    
6. Add the cream and use the mixer to puree your zucchini soup.
    
7. Taste and add more pepper and salt if needed.

Serve this zucchini cold soup over the salmon and fresh herbs.

Technorati Tags: cold soup, hot day, salmon, smoked salmon, zucchini cold soup, zucchini soup recipe