Adlington Life Magazine October 2026 by AdlingtonRetirementLiving

OCTOBER ISSUE 2026

Adlington Life A change might be the start of something wonderful

Moving home doesn’t need to be scary

Once upon a half term...

When scary things become great

Welcome

October

We can spend a lot of time wondering how a change might feel before we make it. What we discover can be quite different from what we imagined. Something we hadn’t considered before can turn out to suit us perfectly. A new place can feel like home surprisingly quickly, and a decision that once felt like a big one can bring new friendships, interests and experiences into our lives. This month, we look at some of the changes that can come with later life, from finding a home that suits the way you want to live, to making a move and settling into a new home. We also take a little inspiration from Vincent van Gogh and his belief in the value of getting started and allowing small steps to add up. Perhaps that’s one of the nicest things about change. We can’t always know where it will take us, and sometimes it turns out even better than we expected.

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Contents 04 07 08 11

Moving home doesn’t need to be scary Homeowners share what helped take the worry out of their move.

Lessons from the past: The Letters of Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh’s letters show that success comes from persistence, curiosity and small, consistent efforts rather than natural talent alone.

Once upon a half term... Granddaughter Lottie Gold discovers that the perfect retirement apartment isn’t just about the number of bedrooms, but how you want to live.

01 What pigment is responsible for the orange and yellow colours that become visible in many leaves during autumn? 02 What is the scientific term for animals becoming less active and lowering their metabolism during the winter months without entering true hibernation? 03 What is the name of the star closest to Earth after the Sun? 04 Which British naturalist sailed aboard HMS Beagle and later published On the Origin of Species? 05 Which ancient civilization is credited with developing cuneiform, one of the world's earliest known systems of writing? 06 What name is given to the spectacular meteorological phenomenon in which sunlight passing through ice crystals produces a coloured ring around the Sun? ANSWERS ON PAGE 06

When scary things become great The incredible true story of Frane Selak, a Croatian music teacher known as both the unluckiest and luckiest man alive.

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Choosing a route that works for you For some homeowners, one of the biggest concerns is the uncertainty that can come with selling a property.

Moving home doesn’t need to be scary October is traditionally a month for facing things that frighten us. For some, the prospect of moving home might be somewhere on that list. When you’ve lived somewhere for many years, filled it with memories and accumulated a lifetime of belongings, it’s understandable if the prospect of starting again somewhere new feels like a big step. There’s the practical side to think about, from selling your property and deciding what to take with you, to packing and moving day itself. Then there are the bigger questions. Will I miss my old home? Will I settle? Will somewhere new really feel like mine? The good news is that the reality of moving can be much easier than we imagine. With the right choices and support, many Adlington Retirement Living homeowners have found just that.

Part exchange can offer another option for those who would rather avoid a chain, estate agent fees and the possibility of a sale falling through. Instead, there is a guaranteed buyer and a clearer route towards a moving date. David had lived in his fourbedroom detached house in Rawdon since 1989 and loved his home and its views. When he decided to move to The Spindles in Menston, part exchange appealed because it gave him greater certainty over the move. “I found the way that they handled the part exchange and everything was good,” he said. “It took away all the worry of dealing with a chain. You hear too often about house sales going wrong

somewhere in the middle, and then you're all back at square one. I didn't have to worry about that and the time it saves is precious.” His neighbours Margaret and Keith made the same choice when they moved to The Spindles. The couple first visited The Spindles towards the end of August and moved into their new apartment in November.

Making downsizing manageable Of course, selling a property is only part of a move. After decades in a family home, sorting through everything you own can feel like an enormous task. That was something David experienced when he started preparing for his move. “Choosing what to part with was difficult,” he said. “My previous house was big. We had an awful lot of fitted storage and we filled it.” Support from The Senior Move

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When moving day arrived, Margaret was encouraged to leave the practicalities to everyone else. “They told me, ‘You stay in the coffee lounge and let us sort it out.’ My son and daughter-inlaw directed things with the removal men. And when I finally came up, the big boxes were already unpacked, and there was a gorgeous hamper waiting for me.

Partnership helped him tackle the job in manageable stages. His move consultant helped him organise items for charity and recommended removal companies. Margaret and Keith had similar support.

“The support you get with your move is fantastic.” Keith said: “We had a lady called Sarah from The Senior Move Partnership come to help us declutter.” “She measured up our furniture, checked if it would fit in the new apartment and created a plan,” Margaret added. It meant that rather than having to work everything out alone, they already knew what they were taking and where it would go.

A different kind of moving day Moving day itself can loom large in the imagination, but Margaret and Keith's

experience turned out to be remarkably relaxed.

“On moving day Sarah sent us off to enjoy a meal in the restaurant while she unpacked everything for us.” “We had no stress at all. We had a handyman to help us put the pictures up and everything. It was marvellous. We felt settled within the first week.” Margaret, who moved to Brookfields House in Newcastle-under-Lyme in March 2025, also appreciated having practical support with her move. After 49 years in her fourbedroom family home, she had plenty to organise. The Senior Move Partnership helped her work out which furniture would fit into her new apartment and produced a three-dimensional plan showing where everything could go.

“By the end of the first day, I was settled. It was such a positive experience.”

What if I miss my old home? For many people, however, the hardest part of moving isn’t packing boxes or organising removals. It’s saying goodbye to somewhere that has been home for a long time. David admits leaving his house in Rawdon wasn’t easy. “It was a struggle to part with that. I absolutely loved it and didn't want to give it up.” He had also wondered what life in a retirement community would actually be like. Once he moved to The Spindles, however, he quickly discovered a very different lifestyle from the one he had imagined. “There are lots of ‘first times’ for everything, like going into the restaurant or the coffee lounge. I quickly discovered that you can just go and sit Turn page to continue

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with other people and everybody’s very welcoming.”

“I went fully expecting not to like it,” she laughed.

Looking back, one of his biggest concerns never materialised.

She took one of her daughters along and returned several more times with different family members before Graham visited too.

“I thought I would miss the old place, but I don’t. Possibly that’s because it's such a different life that you're not really comparing one with the other.” Sandra and Graham had also loved their previous home, a riverside apartment overlooking the River Great Ouse. Retirement living had never been part of their plans, and, when changing circumstances eventually prompted Sandra to visit The Newells in Kempston, she admits she wasn't expecting to be won over.

More than a year after their move, Sandra’s feelings could hardly be more different. “It really does feel as though we've come home,” she said. “We've lived in Bedfordshire all our lives, our daughters are nearby and everything we need is here.”

Settling into somewhere new It can be difficult to imagine how quickly a new apartment will start to feel like home, when you’re still thinking about everything involved in getting there. But once moving day is over, furniture is

in place and pictures are on the walls, thoughts can turn to settling in and enjoying your new surroundings. Elaine and Richard moved to Brookfields House in October 2025 after more than 50 years of marriage and numerous house moves. Richard believes that experience has taught them something about making big decisions. “We've always tried to make decisions positively rather than waiting for circumstances to make them for us,” he said. “Looking back, some of our biggest moves felt daunting at the time, but they've usually turned out to be the right ones.” For their latest move, that feeling came quickly.

“We felt at home straight away,” Elaine said. “And excited, which is a lovely feeling.” So, if the thought of moving has been playing on your mind, perhaps it’s worth remembering that the things we imagine beforehand aren’t always the things we experience.

There may be decisions to make and practicalities to work through, but you don’t have to tackle them all on your own. And beyond them could be something much more exciting: opening the door to your new home and beginning to enjoy everything that comes next.

ADLINGTON LIFE

Lessons from the past:

The Letters of Vincent van Gogh Beyond emotional resilience, Vincent van Gogh’s extensive collection of 903 letters teaches us a highly pragmatic, unromantic approach to mastering a craft, handling failure, and overcoming decision paralysis. Rather than presenting himself as a naturally gifted "chosen" genius, his correspondence reveals a deeply self-taught, disciplined worker who viewed greatness simply as the accumulation of small, daily efforts. While the brilliant painter struggled immensely with isolation and professional rejection during his life, his private letters to his brother, Theo, are incredibly reflective documents on the nature of hard work and persistence: "As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed."

Greatness is Just Small Things Combined Van Gogh did not believe masterpiece paintings happened by a sudden stroke of lightning. He famously wrote to Theo:

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Van Gogh didn’t even begin painting seriously until he was 27 years old, and he was largely self-taught. Over his short decade-long career, he produced over 2,100 pieces of art including roughly 900 paintings, meaning he finished a new piece of work roughly every 36 hours.

"Success is sometimes

the outcome of a whole string of failures." Cultivating a "Golden Thread" of Curiosity Throughout his letters, Van Gogh constantly discussed the books he was reading, the science he was tracking, and the masters he was copying. The Van Gogh Museum notes that his desire to learn runs like a "golden thread" through his

letters. The lesson he gave: Protecting a small amount of time to stay curious and learn something new keeps the mind from rotting from boredom or routine.

Separating the Method from the Myth Many historians argue that Van Gogh didn't paint because of his mental illness, but in spite of it. His letters show that his work routines were his only source of stability. When we look at his advice, the value lies not in how he lived his life, but in his practical approach of breaking big tasks down, starting before you feel ready, and focusing on daily discipline over raw inspiration and that can be a valuable lesson at any time of life.

Once upon a half term... Lottie Gold was spending the day with Grandma when she noticed something unusual on the kitchen table. There were floorplans. Lots of them. “What are those?” she asked. “I’m choosing my new apartment,” said Grandma. Lottie pulled up a chair. “How many bedrooms are you going to have?” “I haven’t decided yet.” Lottie studied the floorplans carefully. “I know how to work this out,” she said. “We just need to find the one that’s not too big and not too small.” “Do we?” “Of course. That’s how these things work.” Grandma laughed. “I think it might be a little more complicated than that.”

The one-bedroom apartment

Lottie Gold picked up the first floorplan. “One bedroom,” she said. “What if it’s too small?” “Well,” said Grandma, “let me tell you about Bess.” When Bess first visited The Woodlands, she wasn’t even looking for a retirement apartment. Her best friend Margaret was interested in a two or three-bedroom apartment and had invited Bess along to a coffee morning. Bess had been looking for something quite different.

“I was looking for a small, cosy apartment somewhere else, but I said I’d have a look at a one-bedroomed apartment, just to see what they’re like.

“Although my flat is one of the smallest ones here, when people come to visit, they say ‘oh isn’t this lovely and spacious’.”

“I walked in and looked out of the window, and onto the big balcony, and I turned to Paul, from the sales team, and said I’ll have it! He started laughing and I said, no really, I’ll have it!

Bess also enjoys the communal spaces beyond her own front door, including the homeowners’ lounge, coffee bar and restaurant.

“I just loved it. All I could see was the garden and the balcony and it was exactly what I’d dreamed of having.” “And did she still like it when she moved in?” asked Lottie. “She loved it.” “My new apartment is the perfect size for me,” Bess said. “It’s lovely, and it looks onto the garden, which is great. I was surprised by how much storage there is. I’ve got room to spare.

“And what happens when people come to stay?” Lottie asked. “They can use the guest suite,” said Grandma. Cath, who lives in a onebedroom apartment at The Sidings in Lytham, has found that particularly useful. Her son has stayed in the guest suite when visiting, which Cath says “makes life a lot easier”. “So a one-bedroom apartment can be just right?” “For Bess and Cath, it certainly is.”

The two-bedroom apartment When Terri and Steve moved to The Newells they had another reason for wanting a second bedroom. They’re both still busy with civic and community commitments, so theirs has been transformed into an office. Lottie reached for another floorplan. “Two bedrooms,” she said. “Perhaps this one is just right.” “Perhaps,” said Grandma. “But what would you do with the second bedroom?” Lottie hadn’t thought of that. “Put a bed in it?” “You could. Or you could ask Terri and Steve.”

“And I know somebody who turned his into a library,” Grandma added. Now Lottie was interested. David had moved to The Spindles after many years in a large four-bedroom house. When he chose his apartment, the additional space and views over the gardens were important to him. “I’ve turned my spare

bedroom into my own library,” he said. “I have a big interest in history from about Queen Victoria onwards and in steam railways, so there’s quite a mixture of stuff. I absolutely love steam trains.” “So it doesn’t really have to be a spare bedroom at all,” said Lottie. “Exactly.” “It could be a dressing room, or an office or even a library.” “Now you’re getting it.” Lottie considered this. “So two bedrooms can be just right too?” “For Terri, Steve and David, they are.” Turn page to continue

The three-bedroom apartment There was one floorplan left. Lottie picked it up. “Three bedrooms,” she said confidently. “I know what you’re going to say. This one is too big.” Grandma raised an eyebrow. “Do you?” Lottie knew that look. “Not necessarily?” “Let me tell you about Joan and Bill.” When Joan and Bill chose their apartment at The Chimes, they knew exactly how they would use the extra space. “If there hadn’t been a three bedroomed apartment here, we wouldn’t have come,” Joan said.

The one that’s just right

“Perhaps you start by thinking about how you want to live.” Lottie looked at them again. This time, instead of counting bedrooms, she began to notice other things.

“I sew a lot, I do a lot of patchwork. I need my ironing board, my sewing machine and boxes of material. Bill loves reading and likes all his books around him, so he has his man cave and then the rest of the house is for both of us. We love it. It’s great.” Lottie thought about Joan with her sewing machine and boxes of material, and Bill surrounded by his books. “So they use all three bedrooms?” “They certainly do.” “And three bedrooms aren’t too many?” “Not for Joan and Bill.” “They’re just right?” Grandma smiled. “Exactly.”

Lottie looked at the floorplans one last time. “So which one are you going to choose?” Grandma gathered them together. “That’s for me to know,” she said, “and you to find out.”

“Yes.”

One apartment had a balcony. Another had a view over the gardens. There were different layouts and different places for furniture. And beyond the apartments themselves were lounges, gardens and other spaces to enjoy.

“And a two-bedroom apartment can be just right?”

“I think I’ve worked it out,” she said at last.

“Of course.”

“Go on.”

“And a three-bedroom apartment can be just right?”

“It isn’t really about the number of bedrooms.”

Book a tour

“Yes.”

“What is it about?”

Lottie frowned. “Then how are you supposed to choose?”

“What you’re going to do with them.”

To explore our range of apartments and facilities for yourself

Grandma pushed the floorplans across the table.

Grandma smiled. “Now you’re getting it.”

Lottie Gold sat back in her chair. This was turning out to be rather more exciting than porridge. “So a onebedroom apartment can be just right?”

And they both lived happily ever after. Well, it was a fairy tale.

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When scary things become great

Here is the incredible true story of Frane Selak, a Croatian music teacher widely considered both the unluckiest and luckiest man alive. Over a four-decade period, his disastrous travel mishaps repeatedly turned into miraculous survivals, culminating in a final twist of immense good fortune.

The Plunging Train The Blown Airplane Door During his first and only plane ride, a malfunctioning cockpit door blew open mid-flight. He was sucked out of the aircraft. The plane crashed, killing 19 people, but Selak miraculously landed safely in a haystack and woke up in a hospital with minor injuries.

The Flaming Engine His car engine caught fire while he was driving. He managed to leap clear of the vehicle just seconds before the fuel tank exploded.

The Cliff Dive To avoid a head-on collision with a United Nations truck on a mountain road, Selak drove his car through a guardrail. He managed to leap out the door and cling to a tree branch, watching his car plummet 300 feet into a gorge below.

While traveling by train from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik, the tracks broke, sending the train crashing down into a freezing river. Seventeen passengers drowned, but Selak swam to shore with only a broken arm and hypothermia.

The Plunging Bus A bus he was riding skidded off the road and into a river. Four passengers perished, but Selak safely swam to the bank with just a few cuts and bruises.

The Scorched Scalp A faulty fuel pump doused his car engine in hot oil, shooting flames directly through the air vents. He lost most of his hair but otherwise escaped completely unharmed.

The Ultimate Twist of Good Luck In 2003, at the age of 73, Selak's decades of catastrophic luck completely inverted. He bought a lottery ticket for the first time in 40 years and won a jackpot worth £600,000. After buying a luxury home, he decided that money could not buy happiness, sold it, and gave the remaining wealth away to family and friends to live a modest life. He passed away peacefully in 2016 at the age of 87, suggesting that sometimes, tough challenges are perhaps a very long setup for an eventual win in life.

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