Paid off the £31,000! BUT - still scrimping!

HairyHandofDartmoor

Happy belated birthday SSG  🎂🎈🎉🎁. Sorry I missed it.

I can't believe you only have one week left until you retire 😳. It's gone so quickly. How exciting 🍾🍾🎉🎊. You have a brand new life ahead of you to visit family, go on holiday and indulge your hobbies. And because you've been so sensible with money you can afford to enjoy your retirement 😁 .

Have a lovely weekend.

milann

Hope you have a lovely last week at work. It has come around so quickly. 

Sun_Addict

Enjoy your final week at work 🥳🍾

dawnybabes

Sings ....... It’s the final countdown

Munchin

Hi SSG - happy belated birthday and have a lovely final week

Seasidegal58

Thank you everybody!!!!!😀

Well it finally - happened!  I retired on Friday!  I can't believe it in some ways - it still doesn't feel quite real. I was really busy up until the end - I think if everything had been normal and all staff were in the office, everyone would have been at my goodbye drinks except me!🤣

I had gone into the office last week to empty my desk and cupboard - it turned out to be a lovely day - my BF who works on my team made a point of coming in that day as we haven't actually seen one another since the first lockdown. Her boss was also there who is our team head - he took us over the wine bar lunchtime as he had booked a table outside - it was a lovely sunny day and all the tables had been taken - it felt like old times and almost normal. A couple of other colleagues who were in that day came over as well and we had champagne and toasted my retirement. My friend bought me a belated birthday M&S voucher and her boss bought me a beautiful bouquet of lilies. All in all it was quite emotional - my last ever day working in the office. 

On Friday afternoon our MD sent a lovely email to all staff telling them that it was my last day and I had loads of replies wishing me well which made me quite choked up. The firm are going to fund a belated goodbye drinks party for me later on in the year and they also made a generous donation to the farewell gift which originally was just going to be made by the team.

I also had some really nice emails from so many of our clients wishing me well and two sent me two truly stunning bouquets - I have so many flowers I have run out of vases and had to put some in my Pimms jug!

I also had lovely retirement cards - some from my virtual MSE friends - thank you - you know who you are!😘

I'll still be keeping in touch with my boss quite a bit - I said that he and my replacement can ring me anytime re any questions on work. He's coming up to the office later in the month so I am going to go up to the City and we are going to have some lunch and then he wants to take me for a more slap up meal later in the year. 

So work is now well and truly finished - it was odd - yesterday I felt absolutely drained - my first day of retirement!  I didn't do a thing!  

Today I met my friend for brunch as our usual haunt is now serving meals outside on their deck. It was so nice to have a proper meal outside in the sun. 😎

AND - I have made the decision that this will be my last post on this diary apart from putting a link to my new one which I'll be posting tomorrow and will be covering my retirement journey

I hope all my MSE friends and those who have been reading this diary will follow me over to the other side. 🥰

So - I'm now going to get ready to watch 'The Line of Duty' finale with like what seems like the rest of the U.K.!😂

dawnybabes

Ooh exciting new adventures await 🥰

Sun_Addict

Happy Retirement 🥂🥳 Looking forward to following your new journey. We’re still catching up with LOD, will get there eventually.

savingmore

Congratulations on your retirement, and it’s sound s like you had a fab and emotional send off.   Will definitely join you on new thread.  Yippee.
Just finished LOD.  very disappointed in way it ended, a bit of an anti climax I think. 😭

milann

Despite the circumstances it sounds as if you had a lovely last visit to your office. 

Relax and enjoy the new adventures 👍