Welcome to the blog

Encore Stories: Real Adventures in the Third Phase

Welcome to the blog — the beating heart of Encore Endeavours.

Here you’ll find real-life stories, practical guides, travel notes, creative adventures, wellness insights, gardening updates, and the occasional slightly chaotic moment from someone figuring out retirement as she goes.

These posts aren’t polished perfection. Browse around, share your thoughts, and feel free to contribute your own stories.

This isn’t just my journey — it’s yours.

Everyday Adventures

Crafting for Christmas: A Mixed Bag of Magic, Mishaps & Merry Making

There’s something about Christmas that seems to bring out the crafter in all of us. Maybe it’s the glitter. Maybe it’s the mulled wine. Or maybe it’s simply that irresistible urge to make something—anything—that says, “Look! I tried.” This year, Christmas crafting rather crept up on me. One minute it was August and I was admiring my tomatoes; the next minute, it was November and suddenly everyone else seemed to be churning out felt gnomes and hand-rolled beeswax candles like

3rdphaseencore

Nov 29, 20253 min read

My Accidental Love Affair With Golf

If you’d asked me a couple of years ago whether I’d ever pick up a golf club, the answer would’ve been a firm, confident, absolutely-not-in-this-lifetime. My previous attempts — all two of them — had ended before I’d even escaped the first hole. I’d swing heroically, miss disastrously, and walk away wondering why on earth anyone voluntarily did this for fun. And honestly? For years, golf felt like this slightly mysterious, slightly posh hobby that the lads (my sons) suddenly

3rdphaseencore

Nov 20, 20254 min read

Stung Into the Club – A New Chapter in My Bee Adventure

With training sessions buzzing along at the Bee Society site (and me not allowed to join in for the next four weeks!), I wasn’t ready to press pause on my bee learning journey — not during one of the busiest times of the year! So, rather than hang up my bee suit and twiddle my thumbs, I reached out to a lovely friend and fellow beekeeper to see if I could tag along with her for some bee time. Thankfully, she said yes. Bee people are good like that. Off we went to her second s

3rdphaseencore

Aug 14, 20253 min read

Buzz Off to a Good Start: How I Fell Into Beekeeping (And Got Stuck There)

I’m not entirely sure when the bee thing started. One minute I was pottering about in the garden, and the next I was signed up for an 8-week beekeeping course, dressed head-to-toe in a suit that made me look like I was either off to the moon or preparing for an aggressive paintball match. The course, run by the local Beekeeping Society, was a mix of theory (wax this, brood that — I nodded a lot), and hands-on time at the Society’s apiary, where the bees did their best to act

3rdphaseencore

Aug 8, 20253 min read

Grandparenting on the Go: A Motorhome Adventure Through the Rockies

When your grandchildren live far away, it’s not always easy to maintain a close bond. Our granddaughter is six, our grandson nearly four, and while we visit when we can, we've had to get creative. Over time, I’ve tried everything from sending letters and painted cards to postcards from our travels. WhatsApp videos and FaceTime calls also help bridge the distance. But nothing beats time spent in person . So when the opportunity came for us to take the little ones on a week-lon

3rdphaseencore

Aug 8, 20254 min read

Welcome to the blog

Everyday Adventures

Crafting for Christmas: A Mixed Bag of Magic, Mishaps & Merry Making

My Accidental Love Affair With Golf

Stung Into the Club – A New Chapter in My Bee Adventure

Buzz Off to a Good Start: How I Fell Into Beekeeping (And Got Stuck There)

Grandparenting on the Go: A Motorhome Adventure Through the Rockies

3rd Phase Encore Endeavours