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Camperman's bio
Married 42 years with 3 adult children. We took early retirement in our 50's to pursue the 'good life' - more like the tough life !
I'm a DIY nut and together with my OH, we've restored a 1830's house and garden.
Hobbies include DIY, cookery, gardening and Travel. We have been Motorcaravanners for over 30 years and have travelled widely round UK & W.Europe. Favourite country (outside Scotland) is Germany. -
Camperman's latest comments
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28th May 2021Camperman commented on:
Relocating to ScotlandA late reply to your post, but 15 years ago, after a long exile in Hampshire, we took early retirement and relocated to N. Aberdeenshire. A bit a long story, but it was the one of the best things we ever did. Being from the north (although not this area) we were familiar with the culture and found it no problem fitting in. We bought an old traditional house with a good sized garden in a small village. Instead of looking at our neighbour's fence, we have open fields and quiet roads. On the down side, all the local shops have closed, but it's an easy drive to the nearest town. Broadband is also pathetic - about the speed of a carrier pigeon. Still, people are friendly and easy going. No matter what you want, somebody will know where you can get it. My mother was from Glasgow (Dennistoun), but we aren't city people. If I was to live on that side of the country, I would have looked at Largs or Wemyss Bay area.ViewDate:
28th May 2021Camperman commented on:
Bangkok - has anyone been there?Years ago before I retired, a colleague went on a visit to Thailand and ended up marrying a local girl. It's a convoluted story, but to cut it short, she ended up returning to the UK with him. I was relating this story to a drinking buddy who was an M.O. in the Royal navy , to which he commented, "I've never been to Thailand, but I've treated plenty of people who have"!ViewDate:
15th Jul 2020Camperman commented on:
Saga's perfect for Silver SurfersRelax Lunarstar. The Saga crowd looked as if they were having a great time. We're a couple of old crumblies ourselves. Growing old disgracefully and loving having a good time - but organised holidays are not for us.. We're much too spontaneous..ViewDate:
10th Jul 2020Camperman commented on:
Saga's perfect for Silver SurfersThanks for your response. i hope you and your family have avoided the dreaded virus. Things here in rural Scotland have been very quiet, but of course the farming and fishing have gone on as normal. Shopping was a bit of a nuisance, but gradually returned to near normal. We were disappointed to have had to cancel our planned holiday to Vienna and Bratislava in march, but at least we didn't lose financially. Hopefully we'll re-book for early 2021. All our planned theatre visits were also cancelled - in fact all our plans were pretty well scuppered. We love the freedom of the Campervan - we've had a series of them over about 40 years and it's becoming a very popular lifestyle. However, we are rather 'fair weather' campers and we have 2 or 3 holidays by air / hotel every year. In out late 60's we enjoy a bit of comfort too! All the best for the rest of the year. Stay safe. George.ViewDate:
29th Dec 2019Camperman commented on:
Just joined so I'm introducing myself.Auldquine, a name like that suggests a touch of Doric. I'm living in N.E. Aberdeenshire , but originate from the other side of the country and lived for the longest time in Hampshire.ViewDate:
27th Dec 2019Camperman commented on:
What kind of travelling do you like?We don't use Facebook at all however we do look at reviews on Tripadvisor. OK, some reviews to be taken with a pinch of salt, but they do give a general indication of how good or bad something is. We prefer to make all our own arrangements and not travel with a group. We like to be spontaneous and usually have little more than a vague idea of where we might go. We don't have "smart phones" or Satnavs - just a map and maybe a tourist guide. We tend to avoid the "must see" places and look for things off the beaten track. It's worked well for us over many years. We're both in our late 60's now, but haven't lost the spirit of adventure. It's probably even stronger now. The younger ones can do whatever they like. We don't need their social media or have our heads glued to a phone. We're having too much fun.ViewDate:
27th Dec 2019Camperman commented on:
Saga's perfect for Silver SurfersI'm glad that you enjoyed your cruise, though to us it more closely resembles our idea of hell. I remember my working days when I would fly weekly from Gatwick to Europe. After the "We're off to sunny Spain" brigade, there was the happy SAGA holiday makers. The queue for the check in was like a sea of blue rinses. This must suit a lot of people - everything laid on and organised, but we've always booked our own holidays and travelled, often with no real idea of where we were going or what we would do when we got there. Early and late season, we fly off somewhere and in summer, it's off in our campervan. No idea where we're going in 2020 and we rarely book (if at all) more than a week in advance.ViewDate:
26th Dec 2019Camperman commented on:
What to do when we retireIf you're anything like me, you'll soon wonder how you ever found time to work. It had always been our (my wife and me) ambition to retire at 56, not 65. When there was a big re-organisation in work, we took the money and ran - all the way from S. Hampshire to N. Aberdeenshire. We bought a 1830's house which we restored and cultivated the garden which was rough and overgrown. We've acquired new skills from bricklaying to roofing. During the course of this we became friends with two ladies who had quit the academic life to start a market garden. We help them from time to time in the garden and also with them, raise rare breed pigs and sheep. Retirement also gives us time to visit shows at one or other of the Aberdeen theatres and our National trust membership provides great places to visit. Oh, and we can have our holidays during term time! Now I don't suggest that this is the life for everyone, but after careers in IT and education, we could never have imagined the path our lives would lead. Do not be afraid of retirement. Go for it, do things you've always wanted. Travel, learn new skills, take up a sport - and grow old disgracefully!ViewDate:
30th Nov 2015Camperman commented on:
MOVING HOME ALONE ......AND TO A NEW PART OF THE COUNTRYAfter living for many years in Hampshire, but working through UK & Europe, The OH and me decided that we should "retire" in our mid 50's. There was a big " re-organisation" in work and I took the opportuniy of a generous severance payout and a company pension and we set about planning our escape. To cut a long story short, we moved almost as far as we could and still stay in the UK. Several reasons - partly Scottish family, but also you can buy an awful lot more in Scotland for the same same price as in England. We found an old house in Aberdeenshire and set about restoring it and the garden. This meant learning a lot of DIY skills, but fortunately our neighbours were builders and were a great help - showing us how to do things and lending us tools. We also became friendly with two lady academics who decided to escape the 'rat race' and establish a market garden just outside the village. OH helps them with the gardening, and I help with maintenance. We get paid in fresh organic veges! We also raise our own rare-breed pigs which we butcher for pork, bacon and sausages. It did take a lot of our savings initially, but now I'm 65 and have a number of pensions, I now 'earn' more than some people in work! I don't regret one moment of the decision and I hope that anyone who does up and move, enjoys the same satisfaction as us.ViewDate:
30th Nov 2015Camperman commented on:
Car Parking at HospitalsYes, Sueki4. Not only do we (in Scotland) have free parking at hospitals, but free prescriptions and free eye tests. I don't want anyone to jump up and down about what the Scots have, but instead lobby your MPs to bring England up to the same standards as the rest of the UK. You can also mention bus passes at 60 and no bridge tolls. -
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