Why I decided to 'reverse retire': At 60, I left my comfortable life in Somerset to rent a flat in London - I'm happier than ever at my busy job and love grabbing a cocktail after work

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Why I decided to 'reverse retire': At 60, I left my comfortable life in Somerset to rent a flat in London - I'm happier than ever at my busy job and love grabbing a cocktail after work
Published: Jan, 18 2025 09:42

Your twenties are for roaring nights out at clubs with sticky floors, high heels and sprinting to make the tube - while your later years demand quiet evenings in the pub, falling asleep to Midsomer Murders after dinner and a lush pension fund. At least, so goes the fable.

 [She moved away from her cosy life in Somerset and braved being back in London - where she rents a mansion block in Fulham, along with her cat Milo - after feeling that the countryside left her in a 'rut'. Pictured in London]
Image Credit: Mail Online [She moved away from her cosy life in Somerset and braved being back in London - where she rents a mansion block in Fulham, along with her cat Milo - after feeling that the countryside left her in a 'rut'. Pictured in London]

But why should life after a certain period be about gathering cobwebs and pacing around the local garden centre?. Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, life coach and author Fiona Harrold, 60, dubbed the sexennial decade 'your new forties' and encouraged other women her age to embrace the bustle and hustle of city living.

 [Fiona said that her expertise has allowed her to make smarter choices as shortcuts to success at 60]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Fiona said that her expertise has allowed her to make smarter choices as shortcuts to success at 60]

She moved away from her cosy life in Somerset and braved being back in London - where she rents a mansion block in Fulham, along with her cat Milo - after feeling that the countryside left her in a 'rut'. Initially, Fiona revealed, she was excited to move to leafier neighborhoods and idyllic suburban scenes in her fifties.

 [Fiona found that the stretches of greenery and quaint charm which once enticed her were starting to feel overwhelmingly uneventful. Pictured in the countryside]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Fiona found that the stretches of greenery and quaint charm which once enticed her were starting to feel overwhelmingly uneventful. Pictured in the countryside]

'I fell in love with Somerset in the summer of 2019,' she recounted. 'Driving down from London, my spirit soared as soon as I saw Glastonbury Tor rise up in front of me. 'The tower sat on top of a hill and had a magical pull that made it hard to look away. I was visiting a friend whose house sat at the bottom of the Tor and when she opened the door to my bedroom, the window looked directly onto the Tor, the place pilgrims had been visiting for centuries in search of peace.'.

 ['After a few years I just began to notice how long the winters were and how dark, without city lights,' she remarked. Pictured country living]
Image Credit: Mail Online ['After a few years I just began to notice how long the winters were and how dark, without city lights,' she remarked. Pictured country living]

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