Coby: 'My husband and I are five-and-a-half years apart in age. So he was eligible for retirement earlier than I was. During a wonderful holiday on a Greek island, we made an on-the-spot decision. We would retire at the same time. It has entered the family chronicles as the "Karpathos Accord”, she says with a laugh.

Since then, they have been enjoying their retirement to the fullest. 'I never dreaded this new phase, in fact I was really looking forward to it. We didn’t make any specific plans. That wasn’t possible anyway, since the country was in lockdown because of Covid.'

That meant no big parties or faraway trips in the first weeks of retirement. Coby: 'It was the spring of 2021 and like everyone else, we walked and cycled a lot. It wasn’t possible to do very much more than that. But we did prepare ourselves for retirement and talked a lot, but we made no real plans. Furthermore, neither of us gradually reduced our working hours, instead we went from a full-time work week to an empty diary. The empty diary and not having to set an alarm clock was a huge luxury for me.'

That was very different when she started working as an 18-year-old. Working as a nurse was physically and mentally demanding. She decided to change course and started studying law in the evenings, it was a busy time. This took her to TNO, through, among other things, a job at the Ministry. 'I still regularly have lunch with former colleagues and I read TNO's newsletters. That means I still have some idea what’s going on at my former employer. I really like that.' 

Although she didn’t make any specific plans for that first initial period of 'retirement', she deliberately took time to wrap things up with her colleagues and her work. ‘Wrapping things up and saying goodbye to my colleagues was important. I took the necessary time for that. It really closed the circle for me.'

She is aware that the start of retirement life can also be very different. For example, when someone is forced to take leave from work due to ill health. ‘That’s much more complicated and then it’s even more important to prepare yourself well.'

Every day she enjoys the small and big things that cross her path. Almost literally in fact, because what she enjoys most is going out into the countryside with her camera. Or just into her own garden. ‘I’ve done my best to create a bird and insect-friendly garden, with lots of flowers, plants and hiding places. Native plants are also good for bees, butterflies and all the other creatures in the garden.'

She delights in watching these temporary residents. ‘Often there’s a bird of prey, a sparrowhawk, in the garden. Fascinating birds that I try to capture on camera. The other day, the sparrowhawk caught a young bird. Very distressing to see of course, but that’s nature.'

Besides birds, butterflies can also rely on receiving her special attention. She counts them weekly for the Butterfly Foundation. 'There are around 53 species of diurnal butterflies, and a total of 2,400 butterfly species. We don't often see them, especially when it rains. There are quite a lot of white butterflies, but fortunately I also counted a greater number of peacock butterflies this year.'

Coby not only loves animals. She also took a first aid and paediatric first aid course. 'And recently I signed up to be called up and deployed during events, such as sporting events, for example. I’m also a CPR civilian responder. Often, you arrive even before an ambulance and you can make a significant difference as an emergency worker.'

What is retirement life like for her? 'Taking a nice long trip is obviously fun. We certainly enjoy doing that, but I think it's mostly about enjoying the little things in life. My husband and I are very good at doing that together.'