Another pointless thread

Stay happy.
I don't want to turn this into a melancholy thread.
Happy retirement to you and everyone else who has done it or planning to do it. Enjoy life, enjoy your family and enjoy your photography.

edit meant to post before Gwyn.

That's the bedrooms and staircase hoovered, play time again

Is the expression "Lucky Dip" a contradiction in terms when using that facility on the National Lottery web site. I think a more realistic name for it would be "Most Probably Not Lucky Dip"

Is there such a thing a "Military Intelligence" or is that another contradiction in terms :

Regards

Having spent 12 years in the military, I can vouch for the fact that Military Intelligence is most definitely a contradiction in terms.

I retired just over three years ago, (normal retirement age). I was offered to stay on part time as a consultant, but I declined, worst move of my life. I have regretted it ever since, now just a grumpy old git, with no purpose in life, as my work, was my whole life.
Just like a race horse put out to grass to see their time out.

So, yes be very careful what you wish for.

Take care.

The answer is to have interests and pursue them both before and after "retirement" - I put that in quotes because it's as much a state of mind as anything else. Just because you stop doing a job doesn't mean you have to retire from active life....

I don't plan to ever retire as such, so we'll see.

I definitely won't miss this job. some of the people maybe, but not the job.

John, you look too young to retire.

I'd like to congratulate you on your perceptive and keen observational skills.....

Once you retire, work doesn't dictate where you live any more.

My wife retired in 2004 aged 52 and moved to live in our 'holiday' home in southern Spain. After selling our house and passing on the day to day running of our family IT business to our son, I followed in 2006 aged 56. I was allowed to visit occasionally though

Neither of us has ever regretted it, and I too wonder how I found the time to go to work.

My wife has her own activities, mostly involving country music club and line dancing. Activities that she had to give up many years before retiring from UK due to chronic (long term) arthritis made worse by UK weather.

I too have my own interests, photography being one, and I still don't seem to get enough time for that either.

When you are committed to doing a job to earn money, your horizons are not that great for most of us. After you retire, your world is your oyster and you can do what ever you like, wherever you like, within the financial means that you have available. So it makes sense to move somewhere in the world where your money will go further. Spain was the answer for us. It was much better of course when the exchange rate was nearer to 1.50€ to the pound than the current 1.14€.

Many people choose to use family ties as a reason/excuse not to make the move to a new life. We also have those ties and chose to live somewhere where we are only 7 hours away, door to door, from our family.

In our part of Spain, Region de Murcia, we enjoy almost year round sunshine, with a couple of iffy months at the beginning of each year.

Would I move back to UK, or anywhere else in northern europe? Most definitely not.

Living in spain is not without its problems and challenges, but hey, I can deal with them mañana.

Oh, and just to dispel all the rumours of our having loads of fiestas (party time) in Spain. We don't, we have only one. It starts on January 1st and ends on December 31st.

John, was the photo taken before you became a moderator.

If only I could tell you, but the Secrets Act (nothing official about it) means that my lips are sealed....in other words, not telling!

I spent three years studying it. A few classmates went on to Sandhurst afterwards, not entirely sure I'd have wanted to be anywhere near them on a battlefield!

In terms of Military Intelligence, Eric Frank Russell described the essence of the situation as "Baloney Baffles Brains", which sounds reasonable. He was at Sandhurst in the early 1900s so maybe not much has changed?

I`m with you Stan - Prostate Cancer,Ruptured Bowel and all - I`ve given up sex,drink and smoking - I ain`t giving up breathing - camera,garden,computer,books,music and liquorice and my lady...........luvly jubbly

Tony

All this talk about retirement, we're almost developing a point!!

Day one of the kitchen fitttng, all's going well except..

Mid afternoon I hit my thumb with a slightly smaller hammer, the one I'd been waving around prior was a BIG hammer, a nice little bruise started.

8:30 this evening was a visit to the local small injuries unit as the pain in my hand was un-bearable, had an X-ray followed by a hole in the thumb nail to release the blood, and pressure.

Now sat watching Doc Martin, the thumb has stopped throbbing and the wine is going down well.

Glue a drawing pin to the head of the hammer. Next time you hit your thumb/finger with it, you'll already have a hole and you won't need to go to the hospital. Sorted.