General Chat

Ah and I thought I had converted you :-D

Never, never, never!!! :-D :-D :-D

My son and eldest gd have been to watch the local team this afternoon. She really loves footie and is definitely a tom-boy!! She was texting me with the scores for them and MU!! I can hear the crowds cheering when I go into the garden :-D :-D

I used to be able to hear all the crowds from Wembley stadium. I will never in my life forget the noise when the final of the 1966 World cup was played. I can now only hear our village team supporters :-D

The 1966 final was brilliant. Even I can admit to that!!

Well, it's back to the grind tomorrow, so an early start. How thrilled am I??
I am off to the land of nod to count the number of days to the weekend, instead of sheep!!

Sleep well, LG. I'll catch you tomorrow evening, hopefully <3 <3

It is probably the one match I will never forget myself. Nite nite YG sleep well <3

Good morning one and all. :-D :-D :-D :-D

Morning all - Hope today hasn't been too traumatic for YG. With the threat of redundancy hanging over the office, it it won't be a happy place to work. YOu keep saying that you are going to give up work. Perhaps now is the time?

Good to see you posting Pauline :-D

Survived yesterday's gathering, with yet more left-over's to consume including 2 new boxes of chocolates to go with the large box given in November which as hardly been touched. It will feel good to be able to put away all the spare chairs and Christmas Crocks. The decorations stay up until 6 Jan.

Morning DET. I am trying to sumon up the energy to get stuck in. Just sorting out all the Xmas gifts into their permanent homes instead of stacked up in my office :-D

Morning LG - at least it isn't as bad as when the children had loads of new toys to try and find homes for ;-)

:-P :-P :-P :-P :-P. I most certainly don't miss that. H has that problem now ;-). Even though she had a major turn out and throw out in November there still seems to be no space

Good afternoon everyone. I am starting to take down the Christmas decorations, just leaving a token few up until 12th night.

YG. I can relate to you with the threat of redundancy hanging over you at the moment. My OH was told December (2011) he would be redundant in April 2012, and he is still there, some of his colleagues have gone and some are due to finish early in the new year, OH is now due to go around May this year. It has been like the sword of damocles hanging over their heads. The whole process of the redundancy has been so poorly administered and has left many people under dreadful pressure and stress, the company is very large USA owned, and do not seem to have a clue what is going on. I hope your experience will be better, redunancy is never easy, but at least OH will end up with a decent package, plus a few extra grey hairs... Good luck YG.

Good afternoon Paula. Well my Christmas has just gone back up in the loft,lock stock and barrel. :-D

Hello LG.. I am waiting for OH to come home and ours will be back in the loft too. I love the decorations, but like to see the house back to ""normal". My sister brought me a pressure cooker for Christmas, I have not used one for 20 years, I can't remember why I stopped using it. I have just made a steak ale ale pie, so fingers crossed for the end result.

Oooo that sounds lovely. I have never replaced my pressure cooker which got badly damaged a good few years back. I found it a godsend when all the kids lived at home. Now there is only me and OH so I don't really need one but I am going to invest in a slow cooker.

I have just remembered why I stopped using it. I brought a slow cooker about 20 years ago, and used that all the time. Mine was a God send when I was working full time, however, I still use it now I am retired. I usually prepare something the night before, and leave it to slow cook if I am going out for the day. Its such a nice feeling to return home and have the yummy smell of the food cooking. I am sure you will love yours

My daughter has one and uses it for when she gets in from work and usually has a scrummy tea waiting for the 2 little ones after school and nursery.

Afternoon - we still have a pressure cooker tucked away in a corner from when we were first married. I still occassionaly use it.............as a saucepan to boil/steam a steak and kidney suet pudding. It's the only pan we have which the pudding bowl fits in :-D

I do like the idea of a slow cooker, but wouldn't know where to store it. May be get rid of the pressure cooker? After all, Suet is supposed to be bad for you!

Haven't managed to put the garden chairs away yet. They go in the under stairs cupboard with an egress outside. And it's raining. Never mind, I do feel happier now that everything else is put away. We don't clear the decorations until 12th Night, so that's a job for the weekend.

Paula, assuming your OH is pre-OAP, don't forget to remind him to brave the Job Centre and claim JSA. He's paid in, time to claim back. Mine wasn't made redundant, but his Contract did end about 3 years ago. The job was finished, so it wasn't as if they were cutting back and we knew several years in advance that the time would come. With no jobs that he was willing to apply for in his field and seniority, we lived on savings until he could claim one of his private pensions.

The hardest thing he found 'at his age' was the lack of social contact and mental stimulation. Since you've mentioned the Golf Club, as long as he continues his membership, it sounds as if you'll end up a golf widow ;-)

Thank you DET, OH has been told by a friend who is in the same position he will not be able to claim JSA as he will have pension and redundancy, plus savings, but there is no harm in trying. I don't think I will become a golf widow though, as I already have started his list :-D :-D

Ah! The List! Mine's stilll working through his as I (and sometimes him) keep finding new things to add to it :-D

When the time comes, it really would be worth checking out his eligibility. It depends on the exact terms of his payment. As long as he isn't old enough to draw his state OAP, unless the rules have changed recently, he should be entitiled to 6 months of something in the region of £62 per week. It's not (or at least 3 years ago, it wasn't) related to what ever savings you/he have or private pension payment.

He'd have to sign on every 2 weeks, and produce a log showing what effort he's made to find work. Mine wrote in something like, searched Job Sites, Networked, looked at specialist publications, signed up with Agencies. If something had fallen in his lap, he might have taken it, if the day rate was right and he could get a good accomodation allowance.

Choose between a high priced experienced man in his late 50's who is likely to genuinely retire in a few years, or a 40 year old with 20 years experience 'hungry' for work as he has a family to support and able to grew into the job, and any employer would pick the younger man. Cheaper and more years in him, if nothing else ;-)

-DET- my OH was due for redundancy April 2012, he is still working at the company becase of his experience and specialised knowledge in this area of engineering. Believe it or not last week during the Christmas break he was "head hunted" by a rival company, he will be 64 years young bless him in February and can't wait to retire, of course when he sees my list he may very soon be looking for a part time job.