I’m slacking somewhat in my quest to break my record of
visiting as many
“unique” pubs as possible, especially after hitting the magic
100 at the middle of last month. Some might accuse me of
“resting on my laurels”,
although in self-defence, I’ve had several other distractions that I’ve had to
attach more importance to.
The first of these is my impending retirement which, after 50
years of being a wage slave, can’t come quick enough. I mentioned previously how,
after a few, ill-conceived changes within the company, has managed to completely
change the dynamics of the organisation. The end result being, the place is no
longer somewhere that I enjoy attending, and whilst with the benefit of that wonderful thing called “hindsight”, it would have been sensible two years ago, when I was
approaching that biblical milepost of “three-score years, and ten”, but it was not to be.
Life is full of
“should have done” and
“ought to have done”,
but I didn’t, and it’s been quite a sharp learning curve getting myself up to
speed with the world of company pensions. This is really practical stuff that
ought to be taught at school, but of course it isn’t. So, after immersing myself
in the world of annuities, pension drawdowns, deferment, and more that a bit of
crystal ball-gazing, I’m finally seeing some clarity.
I’ve set a provisional retirement date of the start of
March
2027, and whilst I’ve dropped a few hints to a few of my more trustworthy
colleagues, I haven’t yet handed in my notice. This brings me on to the other
distraction, which is our upcoming cruise, the third one of the year, and also
the longest. I won’t go into too much detail here, although I expect I shall upon
our return. Suffice to say I shall only be taking one suitcase, as opposed to
my wife’s three.
We shall probably need to cut our cloth accordingly, once I
do depart from the world of work, but like this forthcoming voyage, which has
been paid off on a monthly basis, the same applies to the sailing booked for next
June. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to taking more short breaks closer to home,
and the freedom and mobility afforded by not being tied to a particular employer,
the
UK will be our oyster, alongside the more occasional trip overseas.
This was meant to be the lead into a post concerning a relatively
nearby pub that reopened, a few months ago, following a period of closure. It’s
a heartening tale of renewal and coming back from the dead, so to speak, and it’s
also a story of resilience that proves the resilience of the pub trade, despite
all the pitfalls, barriers and restraints imposed on it, by modern
Britain. Until next time then, where there’s something a little more
in keeping with the spirit and the usual ethos of this blog.
