Kenneth, 72, retired five years ago after more than 40 years as a civil engineer on transport and infrastructure projects across London. He lives in west London with his wife, Margaret, a retired teacher.
7:30am. Wakes and puts the kettle on. Tea comes first.
8:15am. Breakfast. Margaret makes it, because she loves to cook, while he catches up on the news on his iPad. When it is ready they sit together at the kitchen table: two fried eggs, toast and butter.
9:00am. A 45-minute walk along the Thames, and a slow one. It is not that he cannot go faster. He likes the challenge of taking his time and noticing the sights and sounds, rather than hurrying through some exercise. He tries to do the slow walk and coffee three times a week, always on weekdays to miss the weekend crowds.
9:45am. Coffee at the shop he likes, six minutes from the house. A decaf latte, his usual. He chats with the barista for a few minutes, having got to know all the staff over the years.
10:00am. Home not long after ten. He relaxes for a while before the garden.
11:00am. Gardening for about 45 minutes. He rakes leaves, pulls weeds and gets some of the plants ready for the cold.
11:45am. Inside to warm up, because it is chilly out. He spends a few minutes replacing the two kitchen lightbulbs that have been out, now that the new ones have finally arrived in the post. He likes to potter about the house and feel useful.
12:30pm. Lunch at home. Margaret is out meeting a friend, so it is just him, with leftovers from the homemade pizza they had last night. BBC Radio 2 is on while he potters and makes it.
2:00pm. Out to the local hardware shop for a few bits that are on sale.
4:00pm. His favourite chair, another cup of tea and close to an hour of reading. He finds the afternoons can feel rather repetitive.
6:30pm. Dinner with Margaret. He chops and preps the vegetables while she does the cooking. He is not much of a cook, but getting better at it is something he is working on in retirement. Today it is fish with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.
7:30pm. Television, for a couple of hours. Afterwards he and Margaret talk about the weekend, when they are visiting friends in Oxfordshire.
10:30pm. Bed.
After the interview, Kenneth was asked how retirement is going so far, and whether it is what he expected. He spent years looking forward to it, and he enjoys the freedom. Not having to get up for work is lovely, he says, but “sometimes I do miss having something to get up for.” He also misses his colleagues, and working towards something tangible. “I suppose I’m still figuring out what retirement is meant to look like for me.”