Get a grip woman!

beanielou

Glad that you had a great time

Suffolk_lass

Thanks both - we always go back to the same areas in Italy but I think our addition of 4 days in NL was just great. We went to Venlo in Limburg (right down south in NL, the bit that juts into Germany) and then on to near Dordrecht. We explored both towns (more so Dordrecht, which was a medieval delight, and the oldest town in South Holland). and we rented a couple of electric bikes. We were so impressed with these (and of course the Dutch set up for bikes is just amazing). Definitely under consideration for our van travels. We like the idea of cycling to the local places we want to visit and a proper Dutch basket means shopping also becomes more straightforward, without needing to break camp to sort it. Our concerns that we would not get any exercise are without foundation - we were shattered after 2 days on bikes and our ahem, sitting bones were suffering too!

Busy_Mee1

Great to have you back SL. It sounds like you had a great trip. Was this in your new camper van ? The electric bikes sound like a great solution for the van.

Hope the pension and lump sum arrive on time. Mr Mee still hasn't heard anything from CSP . He is going to chase it in a couple weeks.

Suffolk_lass

No this trip was in the car, and staying in Villa, Hotels and B&B, which all adds to the fun.

I recall being concerned that I had not heard anything from CSP but I got my figures just about 6 weeks before my final date and took a few days in the lead up to Christmas to do my final lump sum calculations (the best of my last 3 was the oldest year so there was indexation to add to that ). As long as he has confirmation from his HR people that his leave calculations are accurate and that it has all gone through he should be OK. Then he just fills in the final form and sends it back! - I hope MrMee's is as straightforward!

Busy_Mee1

That is reassuring SL, I have been hearing horror stories from other retirees about how long it took. His should be straight forward. He has worked 43 years full time for the Civil Service and his best year will be his most recent year.

Mine will be more complicated as my best year ended in June 2018. I am toying with just taking my Classic Pension to lock down my best year and then doing the partial retirement thing and keeping my Alpha pension going for a couple more years. I only have a couple of years in Alpha and the actuarial reduction is greater because pension age is 67 on this one.

enthusiasticsaver

Sounds like you had a lovely time and Congrats to your DH on his retirement. Hope his lump sum is sorted soon. I can vouch for electric bikes having treated ourselves earlier this year. They are great around here as Cornwall has more than a few hills

Suffolk_lass

Considering doing a bit of seasonal temporary work to assist with the four years of NI Conts I need to maximise my state pension. :think:

beanielou

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Considering doing a bit of seasonal temporary work to assist with the four years of NI Conts I need to maximise my state pension. :think:

Sounds like a wee plan

Karmacat

Ooh ... do you really want to? I'm thinking of my own reactions, not yours ... my word.

enthusiasticsaver

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Considering doing a bit of seasonal temporary work to assist with the four years of NI Conts I need to maximise my state pension. :think:

How does that work if you only work part of the year? Does it matter if you only work for a few months?

I am 4 years short but I am claiming NI credits from my DD for looking after my granddaughters one day a week for 2018/19 so that is one year. That apparently counts as a full years contribution.