The Retirement Thread

[steveindenmark]

I am sure some of you have been in this position.

At the age of 66, I have just recieved my first UK pension payment. Next year I will start getting my full Danish Pension and I have been recieving a very nice police pension since 1993. The mortgage is paid. We are financially secure, with more money coming in than we can spend. If only was the case when I was thirty.

I am still working 5 days a week but reduced my hours to 5 hours a day, 2 years ago. I am a sail maker and like my job and have worked for the same company for 21 years. They have always looked after me very well.

I was talking to a friend in the bike shop 5 weeks ago. He had just bought an e bike and was a keen golfer. He was 72. I attended his funeral last week. He was having a bit of trouble with his hip. When he went in for a check up they found a tumour and he went down hill quickly and died.
It was a huge shock for all of us.

Talking to friends and ex collegues from the police. They are all telling me that if I can afford it, retire as soon as possible and enjoy life. Because you never know when it is going to go wrong. My friends death has brought that home.

But my mind is still fighting with it. I did say to a collegue that retirement would be like admitting that I am getting older and heading for the last third of my life. He did point out that whether I retired or not. I would not be able to avoid that reality.

I am now right on the brink of letting my employers know that Friday 16th May 2025 will be my last day at work. May 15th being my 67th birthday and official pensioner day in Denmark.

But biting the bullet is a big step to take.

My partner, Jannie, retired about 5 years ago and said that I must decide. But she has a big list of tasks, ready and waiting. Maybe thats the problem.

I would appreciate any words of wisdom or encouragement as I know a lot of you have been through it.

 

[screenman]

I am extremely happy that I have not fully retired, getting money put in my bank for something I really enjoy doing and for people whose company I enjoy is a bonus. Doing what I do does not stop me from doing anything that I want to do, if it did then things would change I guess. 31 years of police pension, you have done well there, well done.

 

[welsh dragon]

I am sure some of you have been in this position.

At the age of 66, I have just recieved my first UK pension payment. Next year I will start getting my full Danish Pension and I have been recieving a very nice police pension since 1993. The mortgage is paid. We are financially secure, with more money coming in than we can spend. If only was the case when I was thirty.

I am still working 5 days a week but reduced my hours to 5 hours a day, 2 years ago. I am a sail maker and like my job and have worked for the same company for 21 years. They have always looked after me very well.

I was talking to a friend in the bike shop 5 weeks ago. He had just bought an e bike and was a keen golfer. He was 72. I attended his funeral last week. He was having a bit of trouble with his hip. When he went in for a check up they found a tumour and he went down hill quickly and died.
It was a huge shock for all of us.

Talking to friends and ex collegues from the police. They are all telling me that if I can afford it, retire as soon as possible and enjoy life. Because you never know when it is going to go wrong. My friends death has brought that home.

But my mind is still fighting with it. I did say to a collegue that retirement would be like admitting that I am getting older and heading for the last third of my life. He did point out that whether I retired or not. I would not be able to avoid that reality.

I am now right on the brink of letting my employers know that Friday 16th May 2025 will be my last day at work. May 15th being my 67th birthday and official pensioner day in Denmark.

But biting the bullet is a big step to take.

My partner, Jannie, retired about 5 years ago and said that I must decide. But she has a big list of tasks, ready and waiting. Maybe thats the problem.

I would appreciate any words of wisdom or encouragement as I know a lot of you have been through it.

Go for it but only if you want to. There is no point in retiring if you don't really want to and are only doing it for someone else.

 

[Mike Ayling]

I am sure some of you have been in this position.

At the age of 66, I have just recieved my first UK pension payment. Next year I will start getting my full Danish Pension and I have been recieving a very nice police pension since 1993. The mortgage is paid. We are financially secure, with more money coming in than we can spend. If only was the case when I was thirty.

I am still working 5 days a week but reduced my hours to 5 hours a day, 2 years ago. I am a sail maker and like my job and have worked for the same company for 21 years. They have always looked after me very well.

I was talking to a friend in the bike shop 5 weeks ago. He had just bought an e bike and was a keen golfer. He was 72. I attended his funeral last week. He was having a bit of trouble with his hip. When he went in for a check up they found a tumour and he went down hill quickly and died.
It was a huge shock for all of us.

Talking to friends and ex collegues from the police. They are all telling me that if I can afford it, retire as soon as possible and enjoy life. Because you never know when it is going to go wrong. My friends death has brought that home.

But my mind is still fighting with it. I did say to a collegue that retirement would be like admitting that I am getting older and heading for the last third of my life. He did point out that whether I retired or not. I would not be able to avoid that reality.

I am now right on the brink of letting my employers know that Friday 16th May 2025 will be my last day at work. May 15th being my 67th birthday and official pensioner day in Denmark.

But biting the bullet is a big step to take.

My partner, Jannie, retired about 5 years ago and said that I must decide. But she has a big list of tasks, ready and waiting. Maybe thats the problem

I would appreciate any words of wisdom or encouragement as I know a lot of you have been through it.

If you are happy at work why not ask your employer about working one or two days a week and ride your bike for some of the Free days you now have.
Find some volunteering opportunities.
Help your partner with the house work.

 

[Paulus]

Good morning all.
It's wet a d windy outside,
Today's plan is to travel down to Camden Town and then walk along the Regent's Canal to Kings Cross where we have a table booked at an Indian restaurant called Dishoom. We have eaten there before and is really good.

 

[screenman]

If you are happy at work why not ask your employer about working one or two days a week and ride your bike for some of the Free days you now have.
Find some volunteering opportunities.
Help your partner with the house work.

He can do all those things now, though. I do. I do a little work, as some of you may call it, seven days a week still. Some days may only be an hour in the office, but it gives me a purpose.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Good morning all, very windy here, set to remain so all day. Temperatures have risen though, 15 to 16 forecast. Tomorrow looks like more of the same.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I am sure some of you have been in this position.

At the age of 66, I have just recieved my first UK pension payment. Next year I will start getting my full Danish Pension and I have been recieving a very nice police pension since 1993. The mortgage is paid. We are financially secure, with more money coming in than we can spend. If only was the case when I was thirty.

I am still working 5 days a week but reduced my hours to 5 hours a day, 2 years ago. I am a sail maker and like my job and have worked for the same company for 21 years. They have always looked after me very well.

I was talking to a friend in the bike shop 5 weeks ago. He had just bought an e bike and was a keen golfer. He was 72. I attended his funeral last week. He was having a bit of trouble with his hip. When he went in for a check up they found a tumour and he went down hill quickly and died.
It was a huge shock for all of us.

Talking to friends and ex collegues from the police. They are all telling me that if I can afford it, retire as soon as possible and enjoy life. Because you never know when it is going to go wrong. My friends death has brought that home.

But my mind is still fighting with it. I did say to a collegue that retirement would be like admitting that I am getting older and heading for the last third of my life. He did point out that whether I retired or not. I would not be able to avoid that reality.

I am now right on the brink of letting my employers know that Friday 16th May 2025 will be my last day at work. May 15th being my 67th birthday and official pensioner day in Denmark.

But biting the bullet is a big step to take.

My partner, Jannie, retired about 5 years ago and said that I must decide. But she has a big list of tasks, ready and waiting. Maybe thats the problem.

I would appreciate any words of wisdom or encouragement as I know a lot of you have been through it.

There’s no point in retiring if you don’t want to.

 

[Dirk]

Morning all

Blowing a hoolie out there this morning.
Off to Minehead on the steam train at 11 am.
MrsDs picking up some new glasses from Specsavers.
Lunching in Wetherspoons.

 

[PaulSB]

Coooeee. A wild and woolly night here. Windy ( not me ) and rainy.

The bite on my foot was driving me mad and I gave in to scratching it which of course made it even worse.

I've now slapped some antiseptic cream on it.

16 deg here and still windy, again ( not me)

Stay safe peeps

When I was a child my mother treated our itchy bites this way. She would push her finger nail hard across the centre of the bite in two directions to form a visible cross. Sometimes we got calamine lotion as well!

I still do it today, not on children, on myself. It works.

 

[Dave7]

There’s no point in retiring if you don’t want to.

We are so individual
I retired, aged 63 and never looked back whereas others eg Screenman enjoy what they do too much to pack it in.
Which is a long winded way of saying you have to do what suits you

 

[Dave7]

A good sleep last night...... woke at 0730 which is late for me.
Stomach ache is so much better, I even feel a bit of breckie Coming on.

 

[welsh dragon]

When I was a child my mother treated our itchy bites this way. She would push her finger nail hard across the centre of the bite in two directions to form a visible cross. Sometimes we got calamine lotion as well!

I still do it today, not on children, on myself. It works.

I think I was too hot in bed. I must admit I had a good old scratch nd ended up with a really red sore foot. What an idiot

 

[PaulSB]

Morning. "Good" isn't an appropriate description! 🤣 Pouring rain and high winds all night and it looks set to continue. We have two golden foliage Acers in the garden. They are beginning to turn autumnal red.

Awful sleep.

Another hospital appointment today, this time with Max Fax. It has a very long medical name but even the hospital signage calls it Max Fax. This is the consultant who will recheck the broken eye socket and advise again. I'm expecting to be discharged.

If I am discharged this means the Personal Injury side of the crash will kick in. A local farmer is about to feel the full force of two major insurers and a top 100 legal firm* banging on his door.

* Leigh Day, the firm BC recommend, are involved in far more than I had appreciated. I keep reading their name in the national press.

 

[PaulSB]

That was a very noisy night.

I didn't realise you lived close enough to hear my wife snoring............or it travels along way.......which at 2.00am seemed the more likely reason......🤣

Geez, I feel rough.