O/S Daily Saturday 7 October 2017

Floss

Am currently surfing t'interweb with a warm fluffy tabby on my knee, watching the traffic trundling past our house. We live on a main route into / out of town that the locals use when the Lights are on so as not to go on the illuminations routes

DH is playing with the Kenwood sausage maker and the meat he bought this morning...he is off to the Borders tomorrow to stay with an old friend of his for the friend's wife's funeral on Tuesday so am hoping he takes some of the sausage mountain with him as there is not room in the freezer for them all

We've got some local game for tea tonight, to be enjoyed with game chips, h/g french beans, bread sauce and a bottle of red & Strictly followed by last night's Cold Feet and some new-job-fizz

maddiemay

I am 68 and retired at 61, I was one of the last lucky ones to be able to draw state pension at 60. I had not intended retiring, but the very small company that I worked for folded so no choice. I decided to give myself 6 months off (worked from 16 to 61 with no breaks) and then look for something part time, found that I enjoyed being a lady of leisure, then illness kicked in so never went back. I was lucky that mortgage had been paid off and OH had reasonable pension. For me the main reason for being OK financially is that we can now manage with One car, I would struggle to run my own vehicle now.

Gers

Gers wrote: »

I 'retired' aged 61. Went back to part time teaching aged 62. A six month break from long distance travelling, toxic working colleagues (not all) and the start of my superannuation did me the world of good. Sitting around for longer would have been deadly.

Mind you I resigned from work, moved from Newcastle back to Scotland, renovated a seriously dilapidated cottage and sorted out my priorities in that time. Having a pension and a salary was a liberation. Only having a pension was not so good! My small hours of work now gives me back my liberty.

Just to add that my SP doesn't kick in until July 2019. I lost out on the second move of pension dates. My health is fine. My grandparents (and even parents) were so much 'older' than me at my age, the war years certainly took their toll. I'm probably a baby-boomer, if I understand the term properly, and so one of the hate figures of the current generation.

My wine arrived at 4.00pm and the chap hadn't been to Glen Coe yet! Wine and vinegar stashed away in the small barn. Think I need a trip to Costco next for loo rolls! Can't run out over winter.

Old book finished, new book started, old wine finished, new wine not started!

meanmarie

I retired at 62, having been on sick leave for a year, I would not have been eligible to retire until 65 and couldnt think about going back. I have spent the intervening 10 years knitting, sometimes looking after grandchildren, and travelling.....on several memorable occasions to meet otherMSErs. Travelling seems to have gone on the back burner as OH no longer likes to travel.....I need to get myself back into the mindset of travelling alone.

Lainey......I think that you would be wise, and happier, to stay at home.

Cranky....please take care, the cleaning can wait.

We are having some repair work done to the roof........roofer advises that he might get away with just replacing the slates (unfortunately not with the original Blue Bangor ones), but said that when he strips the slates he could find anything, which could cost as much as €20k.......not a possibility for us at present, so we are going with an option that will tie the slates together and waterproof the roof....may only last 5/10 years but we may be able to afford a proper job then.....or we may have passed on and made it someone elses problem!!

Take care everybody

Marie

snoozer

I left work five years ago at 53 to help look after mum and dad and apart from a brief foray back to work I haven't had paid employment since. I can take my work pension from March but I have at least 7 years for state pension. Luckily DH can afford to keep me, we made sacrifices over the years to pay extra into his pension so I've told him if he leaves me it will be war. He retires in December and is worrying that he'll be bored, silly man, I'll keep him occupied (no sniggering at the back).

LaineyT

Another 53 year old here and I dropped down to part-time work 5 years ago when the mortgage was finally paid off. As many are aware I left work last September to care for my Mum and am now thinking about going back into sort of paid employment with an eye on my pension pot. No doubt the goalposts will move again as far as the state pension is concerned

ancientofdays

Thank you. I am still working at 66, I went down to part time, only a bit, this week and the previous week I have worked additional hours to cover for one supervisee,. I.find that I am getting more and more tired nnow. I could have claimed my state pension 5 years back, am letting it build up. I also was able to do a flexible retirement thing so to counteract the lower salary, I also pick up a pension, I think I'm quite lucky in that.

My job is emotionally taxing. I am starting to think that I'm just too old, there isn't any one now older or more experienced, I am not sure that is a good thing maybe I am getting set in my ways.

I think am just a bit down so no worries, I'll just carry on. Someone has to, we need to have one family member actually earning a living.