Now the central heating is installed, we’ve been thinking about selling our house and downsizing to maybe a retirement flat in a secure complex.  Therefore after visiting Mum in hospital last week, we went off to visit a couple of flats that were specifically for ‘Over 55’s’, just to see what they were like.

The first flat was empty and as we waited for the estate agent to arrive we thought we’d ring the call button and then perhaps the manager could show us around the communal rooms.  A disembodied voice came over the security intercom to say that they could not let us in until the estate agent arrived.

As we sat in the covered porch out of the rain, Sam was uplifted at the sight of a bike shed to one side of the car park.  Peering further in the dark we could see four covered mobility scooters taking up every inch of available space.  Sam made a wry comment that his 1200 cc Suzuki motorbike would take up at least half the space in the shed on its own.

When the estate agent did turn up, she pressed the call button again, and the same disembodied voice stated that she would need a key to get in.  The estate agent then had to phone her manager, who phoned somebody else.  The somebody else turned up with the key after a 20 minute wait.

Good security then!  We were impressed, and followed on towards the flat.  We passed by a communal lounge filled with walking frames and wheelchairs, giving me an eerie feeling that I was back in my mother’s very sheltered housing complex.  Residents passed us in the corridors who had been 55 quite a long time ago.

The flat was tiny.  Sam and I came to the conclusion that we would never be able to get away from one another!  We felt like two caged animals. The second flat we viewed was not much better, although there was space to park our cars and his bike.

Looks like it’s going to be a bungalow instead.  We’re not ready just yet awhile for carpet bowls on Tuesdays, a singalong on Thursdays, and Bingo on Saturdays.  The flat would have been great for my mother though, and with all her health issues she laughed like a drain when I related this tale to her.