Rationing

Realizing that I possibly spend too much time seeking craft inspiration (and environmental good news) in a couple of social media offerings, I made efforts last week to ration my time spent 'online'.

It has meant spending a lot more time digging out compost heaps, walking around the neighbourhood doing rubbish picks, gardening, cycling, batch cooking meals that get divided up and put in the freezer for easy meals in the weeks ahead, and  generally avoiding sitting on my arse (which is when I tend to reach for the phone).

Doom scrolling: I had to look up the meaning of 'doom scrolling', and have satisfied myself that I am certainly not doing that, but despite being on the hunt for positive and useful stuff, I have definitely been spending too much time doing it.  I look for the positive stuff, but I have to admit that the algorithms don't seem to work so well in that direction.  If I find something I like, it feeds me that for a while and then seems to get bored and tries to serve up something else.  The result is that the feed which should be of things I have chosen to follow is all jammered up with 'sponsored' content (advertisements basically - things that want you to click a link and be taken somewhere else).  I am a deeply suspicious scroller; I don't follow links.

It has however been useful for tips and techniques that Martha and I can use at the Repair Café - mended and remodeled clothes are almost a fashion statement if my social media feed is anything to go by.  Truth is we have found few people willing to have colourful 'look at me' darning on the holes in their fav jumper or pair of pants/trews/daks.  (How many other words can you think up for trousers?  I have a few more.)

Speaking of deeply suspicious, I have been distracted from life generally by having to attend to scary financial stuff.  I might not be doom scrolling but it is hard to avoid knowing that lots of people arriving at retirement get scammed out of their life savings at the time of their transition from working to drawing on said savings.  Seeking advice has been somewhat nerve-wracking.  Your average UK financial advisor is not set up to discuss moving funds to another part of the world, but it turns out that I might be in a tiny minority of people for whom such a move is advantageous.  New Zealand and Australia have unusual (in world economies terms) pensions systems in that you pay tax on the income when you earn it, invest what you like in pension schemes and then don't pay the tax when you draw it out.  I can see the point - it means that high income earners pay high taxes at the time they are earning, and putting it away in savings schemes can't avoid that.

Here in UK deductions from income saved in approved pension funds is done before being taxed, and the pension is taxed on the way out later in life (when hopefully you have reduced the rate at which you pay that tax).  Strangely, as long as my pension savings are moved to an approved pension provider in NZ (and other criteria are satisfied) - my untaxed-on-the-way-in pension savings, will also be untaxed-on-the-way-out.

I'm still getting all twisted up inside about that; you know what they say about if it "sounds too good to be true...."

Anyway my brother recommended a financial advisor in NZ for the receiving end stuff.  I trust him so I trust her.  I told her I was getting all twisted up inside about this and she advised she had moved out from UK, moved her pension with her, and yes that windfall is all true and not scary at all.  That does make me feel a bit better ....

...and then I see Roland rat run across the backyard.  Now Roland is getting me all twisted up inside

Maybe I don't need any excuse to get all twisted up inside.  I do need Mr T's zen-like presence to put stuff into perspective.

Zen cat