Post what's on your mind

[678904673]

There’s no substitute for a rasher sandwich and a mug of tea when you get home after a few pints of stout.

Personally I like a nice big bag of chips with lashings of salt and vinegar. Mind you my stomach doesn't thank me for it the next day

[KHD]

No matter what size shed I get built they always seem to never be enough. I got a 10 x 12 foot potting shed put up a few years ago so I can have a convenient store next to my polytunnel. I now can't get into the back of it and have to remove everything to get at the pots I want in the back of it. How the fook did I end up with so much stuff in it!

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[Del.Monte]

Nature abhors a vacuum - like the way the spare room in a house always fills up.

[KHD]

I wonder should I hold onto these plastic bags as they might be a collectors item in a few years time ?

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[Hairy-Joe]

I'm also looking at the mess in the garage thinking how many skips if crap is there. The problem is that there's a lot of old stuff that I'd think is rubbish but it could be worth a few bob.

I'm currently look at old metal Tayto tins, the tins that they came to the shops in. The issue is that all that remains of the label is "TAY"

[Diamonds of Frost]

I can see your seeds K

[NickNickleby]

Mrs N doesn't know I got an insurance quote the other day, in preparation for getting back the motorbike I gave to my nephew nearly two years ago.
He has signed the Registration form for me.
This may be my last post.

[CelticRambler]

I think it's lovely. But I would have to knock down all the houses around it so I could have SPACE. If I had that much money to spend, I'd probably buy a small island where no one else lived.

If I had that much money to spend, and wanted something that ugly, I'd opt for a property such as this 25-bed chateau near Le Mans with 8ha:


But me being me, I'd more likely opt for a more tasteful construction in a more attractive location, with fewer bedrooms (only 17) but a bit more land (10ha). Oh, and 1.2 million of those euros to spare for stuff like re-decoration and new furniture and the like.

[KHD]

I can see your seeds K

THATS IT Frosty!

Always wanted to say that to you.

[Diamonds of Frost]

THATS IT Frosty!

Always wanted to say that to you.

[Diamonds of Frost]

If I had that much money to spend, and wanted something that ugly, I'd opt for a property such as this 25-bed chateau near Le Mans with 8ha:


But me being me, I'd more likely opt for a more tasteful construction in a more attractive location, with fewer bedrooms (only 17) but a bit more land (10ha). Oh, and 1.2 million of those euros to spare for stuff like re-decoration and new furniture and the like.

I prefer the first one. It's spectacular. The second house gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[CelticRambler]

What is the world coming to? Ordered some cheap plastic crap from my favourite Chinese seller of cheap plastic crap and it duly arrived, direct from China.

"Made in the USA" it says on the box.







* In the interests of full transparency, it was in fact a cheap, well-made steel lens spanner that was my main order; the plastic crap was a small add-on because it looked like it just might come in handy from time to time. And on first inspection, it doesn't look to be too crappy.

[CelticRambler]

The (French) peasants are revolting. Again. And this time really taking the mickey. Macron & Co. want to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64 and has proposed legislation to that effect. The recently defeated Left has tabled eighteen thousand amendments to the bill. Because, you know, working a 35-hour week until you're 62 is so physically and morally debilitating.

[Hairy-Joe]

Hey CR, is there any talk of how the state will afford it due to a aging population?

Edit, I cant say much as I'm planning on going to slow down working early as well. I'm more thinking of working part time or take long holidays between jobs (couple of months at a time).

When I've enough saved to no longer "need" to work, I'm going to start the plan above.

[CelticRambler]

Hey CR, is there any talk of how the state will afford it due to a aging population?

Plenty of talk from people like Macron, and others with a realistic eye on the gaping black fiscal hole, summarised in one single phrase: "we can't carry on like this." As things stand at the moment, a significant majority of French people spend more time living as pensioners than as economically active workers - especially if they've worked in one of the several sectors that benefit from preferential early retirement (53-55y). To plug the funding gap, the obligatory contribution demanded of every worker was increased a few years ago - accompanied (of course) by much protest and breaking of windows.

I have no objection to people taking early retirement, or partial retirement. That's effectively what I've been doing for the last ten years. But I do think it's completely daft to think that a system that was originally set up to give a you few work-free years to get your affairs in order before kicking the bucket has been converted into a sacred "quality time" reward for doing nothing out of the ordinary while you were fit and able.

My only complaint is the explicit discouragement of offerng/doing more than 35 hours a week, when it makes a lot more sense - for me, anyhow - to work flat out for a fortnight, then take two months off.

[isha]

Wouldn't it be useful re this issue if governments (and people as a whole) quit the fetish of effectively (with travel) 10 hours X 5 days a week being considered the "respectable" thing to do. We are trained up to it from 4 years old. A norm that has babies in creches in satellite towns for up to 12 hours per day, people gasping to cook and hear each other in the evening, and weekends where people must shop and try to squeeze in maintenance jobs etc.

I think a good many of the early retirees might be quite happy to job share on a civilised basis, a couple or three days a week, and other similar humane and person - centred arrangements. If those retirees had the opportunity to do so for years before their 60s they may be delighted to stay on in work for many more years.

I work with several part time retirees in a team that spans all age groups and the older people make a fantastic contribution to the whole vibe of the place.

[Hairy-Joe]

Well Isha, my plan is when I can afford it, I'll be doing something like that for a few years before winding down to nothing. I'm looking at my neighbour, in his 80's and still working as a consultant. He's now down to one afternoon a week.....

My version of affording it is that I have enough to survive if I don't work. Then all the work is just gravy.

[Bishop_Brennan]

My own opinion on the Eurovision is they should send Dustin every year, the only way to answer that joke of a competition is with another joke.

[CelticRambler]

Wouldn't it be useful re this issue if governments (and people as a whole) quit the fetish of effectively (with travel) 10 hours X 5 days a week being considered the "respectable" thing to do.

Many, many years ago (I think I was still in Ireland at the time, so that's going back a bit) I remember a discussion about the "culture shock" suffered by many men who were unceremoniously dumped into retirement at age 65 having known nothing but a life dictated by the rhythms and demands of their work. The contributor suggested that it would be more beneficial for society as a whole for people to gradually phase themselves out of the 9-to-5-Monday-to-Friday (as it was back then) leaving the youngsters to work crazy hours while they had the energy (and to get paid for it), and the oldsters to take their transferrable skills into alternative non-commercial activities once they didn't really need the money any more.

Sounded then like a good idea to me, and still does.

[JayZeus]

I’m 45 now. I’m retiring at 50. Come whatever may. No kids, no mortgage, and a long-term and ‘secure’ passive income in place netting me the equivalent of about 80% of the mean industrial wage and that will pretty closely index with the consumer inflation index. That’ll carry me to whenever the state decide I can retire.

Made the decision 5 years ago to make this happen. A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck means I’ll be well set at 50 to get TF out of the poxy rat race. I’d retire tomorrow if I could. I’d need to live to about 150 to do all the things I want to do with my free time. To hell with all the trappings. I’d rather fund my own modest ‘pension’ now than to have my time spent pointlessly by an employer for any longer than I can help.

Can’t wait. I hate the great con of it all. Just robs you of your life really.

[BrianD3]

I’m 45 now. I’m retiring at 50. Come whatever may. No kids, no mortgage, and a long-term and ‘secure’ passive income in place netting me the equivalent of about 80% of the mean industrial wage and that will pretty closely index with the consumer inflation index. That’ll carry me to whenever the state decide I can retire.

Made the decision 5 years ago to make this happen. A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck means I’ll be well set at 50 to get TF out of the poxy rat race. I’d retire tomorrow if I could. I’d need to live to about 150 to do all the things I want to do with my free time. To hell with all the trappings. I’d rather fund my own modest ‘pension’ now than to have my time spent pointlessly by an employer for any longer than I can help.

Can’t wait. I hate the great con of it all. Just robs you of your life really.

That passive income at age 45-50 is brilliant. A reasonably frugal person with no mortgage or kids can have a great life on that.

I am in that age bracket too and am increasingly conscious that life is passing by very quickly, far too quickly to be spent grinding away for some employer who wouldn't piss on me if I was on fire.

I've been building towards retirement for years and could probably have gone by my early 40s but was forced into leaving work anyway by having to become an unpaid carer for a family member. If I hadn't saved like a mofo all those years I'd still have to work and my relative would now be in a nursing home.

[DeletedUser]

I'm 53 in a few weeks and I'm happy to crack on till I'm 70 - I love my job (I dont right now as I feel like shyte and everything hurts ... damn bug!!)

But generally yeah - I always think if you want to retire early, and can afford it - absolutely go for it. If you want to work on longer and are blessed with good health, go for it.

My place used to kick you out on your 65th birthday but have now made it possible to carry on.

That being said I'm due a lump sum of my pension at 65 and so may decide to fck it and tick things off my bucket list - swimming with great white sharks off the coast of Cape Town is #1 and has been since I saw Jaws at 12!!

Good luck BrianD3!!

[KHD]

Best of luck ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately I'll have to love you all and leave you. I've put in a couple of rough posts lately which is not who I am, but I've went and posted them and its not right on the recipients of these posts as they are good posters. I've had a tendency recently to lash out at people, which is not good for the health or general atmosphere of the place so on that note I'm heading for the hills. I was going to disappear quietly but that would be rude as your are all a great bunch of misfits. I hope you all understand that I have to do this and nothing at all personal to any of ye.

Best of luck to all, keep the place rolling as Gubu is an extremely important outlet for people, no matter how small the site is, its out there and available to people who wish to discuss topics and have conversations that are not interrupted by over zealous moderators or groups of weirdos ganging up on posters.

Anyway enough of the negatively as this won't be allowed on Gubu. Good luck and will be back again some stage in the future.

[DeletedUser]

Best of luck ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately I'll have to love you all and leave you. I've put in a couple of rough posts lately which is not who I am, but I've went and posted them and its not right on the recipients of these posts as they are good posters. I've had a tendency recently to lash out at people, which is not good for the health or general atmosphere of the place so on that note I'm heading for the hills. I was going to disappear quietly but that would be rude as your are all a great bunch of misfits. I hope you all understand that I have to do this and nothing at all personal to any of ye.

Best of luck to all, keep the place rolling as Gubu is an extremely important outlet for people, no matter how small the site is, its out there and available to people who wish to discuss topics and have conversations that are not interrupted by over zealous moderators or groups of weirdos ganging up on posters.

Anyway enough of the negatively as this won't be allowed on Gubu. Good luck and will be back again some stage in the future.

If you need a break, do take one but come on back soon - you seem good folk!!!

[isha]

I have not noticed particularly rough posts, disagreeing is normal. Being positive all the time is fairly fecken toxic, I really dislike enforced positivity or camaraderie. We're not meant to be saints or full-time Buddhists. If it wasn't for grumpiness and cursing and bad tempered cantankerousness, there's plenty of things in life I would not be able to push through. Including the heaps of shyte that's going on at the moment for me. But fair enough do what feels best for you. Enjoy the arrival of spring. It better be around the corner is all I can say!!