Quote from: Slim on April 24, 2024, 02:10:53 PMNurse Campbell has been touting a link between the third "booster" COVID vaccine and a rise in the incidence of cancer. Unsuprisingly, it's bollocks.

Phew! That's good news! I wondered where she'd got to 🙂

I'm really looking forward to packing in work in August after notching up 44 years for the same company. I joined Post Office Telecommunications as an apprentice on 1st September 1980 the day after my 17th bithday. When I joined, retirement was set at 60 years of age and from the age of 18 we paid into the defined benefits pension scheme which was designed to provide a lump sum and an annual pension based on half your final salary after 40 years service. However.....It all changed in 2009 because it was too expensive.

The final salary scheme was replaced with one based on career average pay and the retirement age was increased to 65 years of age. I think (?) we also had slightly increased contributions too (of course, the benefits already built up under the previous scheme were not lost). However.......A number of years later this too was deemed to be too expensive so it was junked for a defined contribution scheme (roulette wheel!).

Last year some of my colleagues opted to initiate a 'Flexible Retirement' option which allows you to take the defined benefit part of your pension and continue to work for a maximum of two years (salary plus pension). However.....BT has periodically offered quite good redundancy packages ('Voluntary Leaver Scheme' - recently been capped at 12 months salary). A lot of engineers in my role are of a similar age and most were hoping one day we would benefit from VLS. I duly decided to go for the Flexible Retirement Scheme but not before I made equiries about whether a VLS package would be coming down the track in the near future. I was told it was most unlikely. With that in mind, I had a decision to make on how to take my pension (min. lump sum, max lump sum, PIE etc.). Happy with my decision, I 'pressed the button' last June and started the countdown to my last day of work being no later than 31st August 2025 (my 62nd birthday).

I never intended to work until that date and decided that I would take a year of the pension payments before quitting. I informed my manager about six weeks ago that I wanted 31st August this year to be my last day of employment. I was happy to be leaving on my own terms at a time that suited me.

However.....the shine has been taken off my leaving due to a VLS being announced just a couple of weeks after I gave my boss my termination date. This means that colleagues of a similar age, in a similar role will now be walking away from the company with over £40K redundancy. The few in my position were pissed with the situation and a snotagram was sent to my senior manager. Stock reply stating the redundancy package would not have been offered to me anyway because I'd opted for Flexible Leaver Scheme.

 I feel I've been a bit unlucky but when you factor in the pension payments for 12 months, interest on the lump sum and the fact that I've been erroniously paid a call-out retainer for nearly six years (even though I have brought it to management's attention at least three times!), I've done OK. I've also enjoyed what is possibly one of the best engineering roles on the company and for the last five and a half years I've been blessed to work in a stunning part of the world (Gloucestershire Cotswolds) with little or no managerial interference whatsoever - probably the most enjoyable period of my career. So I needn't feel too sorry that I missed out on a wedge of cash that, in truth, I don't need. I've also been fortunate enough to squirrel away the maximum into my DC pension from my salary for the last few years and probably won't need to touch it for quite a while. All I need is for the BT share price to fly. That would be gravy!
 
If I hang on to the lion's share of my unused annual leave, I should be leaving around mid August. It all sounds great unless........WW3 ruins it all

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on April 19, 2024, 02:47:33 PMGot train tickets to Newcastle through Trainsplit to replace the ones I've returned to Cross Country trains at a much cheaper price 

Trainsplit? Was that set up by Mussolini?

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on April 19, 2024, 02:45:25 PM

Quote from: Slim on April 19, 2024, 12:45:33 PMYes, and Mussolini made the trains run on time.

I think I could put up with Fascism if that happened 

Where's the modern Mussolini?

I think Slim is suggesting he is sitting as an independent MP for NW Leicestershire    

Quote from: Thenop on April 19, 2024, 07:34:51 AMHappy to see all the succes stories in buying houses. I have been a bit less fortunate, I am renting a place after selling the house some 12 years ago with a huge loss. Mostly to do with health and self preservation: the health of our neighbours was in jeopardy because I would have killed them (both sides), and self presentation to keep me out of prison doing so.
No more buying for me for the forseeable future, the prices are ridiculous over here.

Anyway, it's Friday, which makes it a good day always.

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. To have bad neighbours must make for a miserable existence.

Quote from: Slim on April 19, 2024, 12:25:14 AMAbsolute clowns, but a lot of thick people have been taken in. I don't think Bridgen is one of them. He's just trying to salvage a career out of their ignorance at the expense of people's health and lives.

I'm literally represented by the most dishonourable, irresponsible MP in the entire House of Commons, and I voted for him. But I'm looking forward to cleaning him out of there.

His efforts here bring to mind those he made to reveal the truth about another scandal:

Phenomenal response from the public gallery following Andrew Bridgen's speech on excess deaths today in the House of Commons

Quote from: Slim on April 18, 2024, 08:22:52 PM

Quote from: David L on April 18, 2024, 07:01:39 PMWhen I look at that picture, I can smell Brut 33

Interesting. I get Old Spice.

Just watched it. Enjoyable. Just found this after a Google:

The pilot episode was released in 2021, one of six trial shows, commissioned by BBC Wales. Three further episodes were announced as a joint production by BBC Wales and BBC Studios in 2023. The full series debuted on BBC Two on 17 April 2024.

Of course, in the three years since the pilot, the exponential rise in ridiculous societal change means there is even more material for the writers to work with. I think it will mainly appeal to a niche audience so it will be interesting to see if the idea has legs.

I have to say the Capri's bodywork was in great nick but if the clouds of smoke are anything to go by, the motor needs some attention. Nice that Brut 33 got a mention 

Quote from: Slim on April 18, 2024, 06:47:12 PM

Quote from: David L on April 18, 2024, 06:05:36 PMThis was on a few years back. Not sure whether it was pilot episodes but I thought it had sunk without a trace. Surprised to see it back. Amusing, in the most part, for our demographic.

We've recorded it to watch later. I hope it has the wokerati frothing at the mouth!

I was thinking about that last night. In some ways it does have the BBC Woke trademark - the colleague he shares an office with is gay, his best friend is black. Btu although Tony is obviously an unreconstructed '70s male with no sense of political correctness or propriety, he's not completely a unsympathetic character and some of the jokes work both ways. I think it's pretty inoffensive in both directions.

People like Mammoth really did exist, my driving instructor was one. So were one or two of the people I knew at RR.

When I look at that picture, I can smell Brut 33

Quote from: Slim on April 18, 2024, 04:12:54 PMWatched the first episode of Mammoth last night. A PE teacher is frozen in an avalanche in 1979, and revived perfectly preserved in 2024. A bit like Life on Mars in reverse. Loved it. Especially liked the dialogue with the lesbian PE teacher he shares an office with. BBC2.

This was on a few years back. Not sure whether it was pilot episodes but I thought it had sunk without a trace. Surprised to see it back. Amusing, in the most part, for our demographic.
We've recorded it to watch later. I hope it has the wokerati frothing at the mouth!

Quote from: Slim on April 18, 2024, 04:23:46 PMhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/04/17/emma-raducanu-company-profit-commercial-endorsements/

The body of the article is paywalled, but the headline pretty much says it all. That winning serve at Flushing Meadows turned out to be very lucrative.

She could make as much on 'Only Fans'. She'd pick up less injuries.....possibly

Quote from: Slim on April 18, 2024, 03:24:25 PMOur mortgage deal is due to expire in May, so I phoned Santander to arrange a new one. But the best deal they could offer me was going to cost me an extra £200 a month, because it's a very short term (due to end in December). The only other option was to pay the whole thing off now.

So they sent me a redemption statement, I did the sums taking into account interest I'd lose and I've just paid off our mortgage. I made a payment of nearly £49,000 using a smartphone app (we were due to pay them £43,600 in December).

Paid mine off in 2010. Promptly re-mortgaged to finance a buy to let. Took out a second mortgage five years later for a second rental property. Our current borrowing totals £246k.
We will have to remortgage to cover £120k next year. It's likely to be considerably more expensive so will possibly pay it off.

The Who - My Generation (accompanied by Slim's insightful notes).
I've never heard it before but the last track 'The Ox' really highlights the fact that Moon's previous band was 'surf-rock' act The Beachcombers (source: Qobuz - 'artist notes')

My Generation: The Very Best Of The Who is a superb collection with all the essentials on there.

Quote from: pxr5 on April 16, 2024, 04:09:32 PMProg for Peart

A two day music festival in Abingdon, Oxfordshire set up in memory of Neil Peart of the band Rush which donates all profits to brain cancer research.

I've just found out about this. A bit far to me, but I'm tempted - especially the Friday.  Friday 12th July & Saturday 13th July.

https://www.progforpeart.com/

Went to the very first in 2021 as it's only a few miles away. Headliners were Bravado.  However, that was the only one that featured a Rush tribute which is a shame. The guy that organises it is a massive Rush fan and they do a great job raising money for glioblastoma research. For that reason it should be a regular on my gig calendar but I do struggle a bit with listening to Prog that I'm not familiar with. If you don't, it's well worth checking out. The Northcourt is a cracking little venue, Moving Pictures are playing there this Saturday. Normally a good beer on too!