Sorry for not posting
for a while, but I was waiting to see how some things worked out.
Posting a 'plans' post
is always a bit tricky as things change, don't work out, other things
come along, etc – perhaps 'hopes' or 'aspirations' would be better
words!
2018 is going to be a
year of changes for me – I'm 60 in April and don't like my job, so
have decided to leave my job just after my birthday and follow one of
two 'plans'.
Plan A is to find
another job and work for another 2 or 3 years before retiring. I get
my work pension at 65 and my State Pension at 66, so should be able
to save enough to live on after a few years. Have been looking around
for another job, but no luck yet. Although it's technically
illegal to discriminate on grounds of age, we all know it goes on and
I've had the 'you did your qualifications a long time ago' comment
from one employer. I'll keep looking to see if I can get anything,
and could those who know what I do let me know if they see anything.
Plan B is to sell my
house, move somewhere cheaper, and retire and live off the money I
make. I've made the calculations and it should be possible – just
have to do some work to make my house ready for sale!
Either way I'll let you
know as things progress.
If I do retire, or get
a job where the scooter is not suitable for commuting, it'll be for
sale so if anyone is interested, let me know.
I've previously
mentioned that I'll be selling my Yamaha SZR660 when the weather
improves, so that will be me down to the Bonneville and the Honda
CL350 'project'. If I retire I'll have no excuse for not getting it
finished!
Back in November 2016 I
went on a work trip to France to see a piece of equipment that was
being built for my company. I've to return at the end of this month
to see a similar piece of equipment that's being built for my
company's new plant in Singapore. Unlike the last trip, this time
we'll be flying from Glasgow Airport (5 miles/8km from my house),
travelling by hire car rather than public transport, and spending a
night in Paris before driving to Vendôme.
I'm the only one of our group who can drive the hire car, and our
hotel is about 50 metres from the Arc de Triomphe, so I've got this
to look forward to!
I'm
planning on going to Spain this year and have started Spanish lessons
in the next village to me. These are being held in a pub as there's
not really anywhere else to hold them. It's a fairly straightforward
conversational class, so hopefully I'll be able to pick enough up to
get by.
I
don't know how long I'll have to go on the trip, if I'm working I
probably won't be able to go for more than 2 weeks, but if I'm
retired I'll be able to go for as long as I can afford.
I've
a couple of ideas of places to go, so it'll be a case of working out
a route taking them in. More later, but my friend Maureen lives near
Madrid, my friend Jane will be moving to Murcia, I've always wanted
to go to Barcelona, and I found this bike event in Northern Spain,
so
I could work out a route taking them in. Also, there's a ferry
service starting from Cork in Ireland to Santander, so that's another
'possible'. If I go to all the places in Spain I've mentioned, this
is the approx route.
Another
plan I have is to go to a music festival. I've never been to one, so
was looking about for one that I thought I would enjoy. This one
looks like having the best line-up, and being near the South Coast,
could be taken in as part of my Spain trip.
