The Retirement Thread

[welsh dragon]

Coooeeee. 3 deg and a real pea souper fog wise.

Stay safe peeps

 

[Drago]

I have risen!

Glorious sunshine here.

 

[Drago]

I'll continue to buy from Halfords but I will never again trust my local store or the associated local workshops to fit or repair anything.

I find fitting car headlight bulbs very fiddly. Over the past six months my local Halfords, on two separate ocassions, has fitted a new bulb for me. This winter my headlights became progressively so poor it was dangerous to drive. I called into my local garage. One of the co-owners took a look. Neither bulb had been fitted correctly. I explained, the comment was "Never ask Halfords to fit anything." Advice I should have heeded fully

Two weeks ago I needed a new battery. Halfords fitted this. Yesterday parked by a remote Cumbrian beach, three miles from anywhere and the car won't unlock and then start. I have a battery pack for jump starts. When I went to take off the positive terminal cover the whole thing lifted away in my hand. The lead had not been tightened on to the terminal. I replaced it, thumped my fist on the cover. Bingo, started first time.

Who could possibly f*** up fitting a car battery?

When we got home I went down to Halfords, spoke to the manager and explained I wasn't complaining but felt he needed to know his instore fitters had made basic errors on three ocassions in six months.

The manager while appreciative didn't think to ask if the battery terminal needed checking again.

A tale rrom a Volvo forum I lurk upon.

Guys had a dashcam fitted at Halfords. Neat job, it worked, he was happy.

Some months later the car went in for some work (possibly a recall, can't remember) and the dealer discovered the excess cable for the dsshdam had been taken up by wrapping it around the curtain airbag in the NS A pillar!

 

[Dirk]

Morning all

 

[Drago]

Warming up quickly. Hints of frost down in the industrial estate, but thats 55m lower altitude so I guess the colder air pools there.

 

[numbnuts]

morning, it's bloody

 

[Drago]

Morning Jon. You should get out on tour with the band to somewhere warmer.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It takes away your ability to drive a car, nothing more.

In my friends case what he was spending each year for barely a 4 figure mileage would comfortably pay for taxis for many of the journeys he did, and his feet still work and hes planning on using them as best he can. Other than the grief of having vehicles to the dispose of the loss of my ticket wouldn't worry me in the least, and not driving for a month after my TIA worried me not the tiniest bit.

Chin up @numbnuts . It may not happen, and if it does think of it as an opportunity to take stock and rejig your lifestyle to accommodate you new needs, and maybe even some new interests.

Music practiced, house tidied, done a bit more rubbing down on the Volvo front bumper, planted my carrot seeds. Relaxing with a pretty prandial coffee.

Yes - it just removes your ability to drive a car

BUT

for some people their whole social life - and a lot of their family life - requires a car

so maybe they play bowls - and the nearest bowling green is a few miles away
and they can;t walk or cycle that far

or their family lives several miles away - like ours
they can;t "just pop over and see the kids" any more and have to reply on the kids to remember to visit


When I stop driving we will probably only see the grand kids once a month or so
and my wife will be stuck in the house a lot

not driving is a lot more than "oh you can just walk" - because some people can;t

 

[Drago]

Yes - it just removes your ability to drive a car

BUT

for some people their whole social life - and a lot of their family life - requires a car

More fool them.

People drift through life without a thought for the future and then moan when their lack for planning bites them on the ass. Remember the 7 P's.

Mrs D has MS, sarcoidoisis, diabetes, is partially deaf and blind in one eye. There may come a time when she cant drive at all.

Im 10.5 years older than Mrs D, so the day may come where age or infirmity knock driving on the head for me. I've already had a TIA which temporarily kept me from driving (not that I found that a hardship.)

Because im sensible, and because I've never been lazy or stupid enough to allow myself the become totally car-dependent, I've planned ahead. I know the day may come where one of both of us may be unable to drive so we moved to the edge of town to somewhere within and easy walk of shops, doctors and library, and an easy bike ride, walk, or bus (were 10p metres from the bus stop) into the town centre.

I've done this, hopefully, decades before the necessity of doing somis thrust upon me, so there can be no last minute ditching about ot being able to afford it etc.

Shopping can be delivered. The vast money saved on cars would easily cover the odd trip out of town for the mason, bowls, brownshirt marches, whatever, with serious cash to spare.

So I have no truck with that argument. People's lack or foresight and planning about the inevitability of ageing is completely avoidable. They only get caught out and find a major crimp on their lifestyle because theyve allowed it to happen.

I can remember a time when people took responsibility for themselves instead of moaning about being caught in a situation they could have easily avoided if they werent too bone idle lazy to do the homework when they were able to. Hope for the best but plan for the worst - if people are too stupid to live by that mantra then I've no sympathy. Bemoaning it is a waste of breath, it doesn't change a thing so why bother?

In Jon's case the mechanics of daily life are probably not going to be an issue. Its the things he did for pleasure that may became awkward or impossible. Now is the time to start thinking about potential ways around that, of finding skmething else to enjoy as I gently suggested to him yesterday, and being a sensible chap with legions of prog fans supporting him thats exactly what he'll do. Id be thinking safe then insurance, petrol, and tax money in a jar and invest in a nice dropstitch kayak andnuse the cash for taxis and coaches. Hes down at the moment, but he's a clever guy and he'll figure it out.

 

[Dave7]

A glorious day.
Got the ice off the car and was at Aldi for 07.50.
Just been for a short stroll in the park. Saw 2 Song Thrushes but not much else.