Its getting nearer just worked my last weekend ever can not explain the relief I felt when Sat/Sun ended Mon- Fri this week then Mon-Thurs next week. Thurs being my last working day its slowly trickling around. Just getting ready for work as I write this weather at the moment here freezing just had a very long hail storm episode.

Looking forward to the spring meet P4 still under cover been in a couple of times all looks well.

Morphy

never did like the reds or the morning star?? been retired for 8 years this year, live quite happily on the state pension with a good quality of life, a 8 year holiday so far is quite good and long may it continue

Best of luck, you will soon join the ever growing band of Eriba pensioners😎 retirement is great, I was down the van at 7 this morning just gave the area below the awning rail a spray off and dried it before coming in for breakfast, then it will be a light polish followed by a wax

We are hoping to be away again very soon hence the preparation, enjoy your last few work days and take care,

The last few days of my working life were curtailed rather abruptly. I had been due to go at the end of February 2013. On the 1st of February, after most of my colleagues had gone off for the weekend, the boss brought me the news that I would be leaving that afternoon!! Ten minutes later I was in the car driving home after a working life spanning 49 1/2 years.

After a couple of days of shock, I've settled down into retirement without wishing to go back. No stress, and plenty of time for trips away in Audrey, our Troll.

The irony was, when we looked at the figures, we could easily have afforded to leave work a couple of years earlier, but were held back by all the "what ifs" and "yebbuts"

Enjoy the final days of your working life and then move on to better days.

Keith

I have been retired for 5 1/2 years now [aged 65], and my wife who was only 53 at the time was made redundant 4 months later. As she was due to retire at 55 in her company, she elected to take early retirement at the same time, that's when we bought our Triton which we have been away in for at least 63 months, camping in 14 countries, places we would probably not have been able to afford to see otherwise, retirement has given us the time and freedom to do the things we have always wanted to do. Bored ? I haven't got the time
Dave

I think the thing that makes the difference is money. If during your working life you've belonged to a good and secure pension scheme, then the only difference between working and retirement is that you don't have to go to work. Life can be very comfortable, with the mortgage paid off, the kids off your hands, and enough dosh to indulge yourself. If, on the other hand, you have to scrape by on the state pension alone, yes, you can eat and pay the gas bill, but there's not a lot left over for the kinds of thing that make retirement all it's cracked up to be. Obviously there's a "moral": look after your future by putting a bit aside while you're earning. Be prudent, and stay out of the pub. But not everyone's in a position to be prudent, to contribute to a handsome pension fund, and with more and more people forced into self-employment and Zero-hours contracts, things aren't likely to improve.

For me, eighteen months into self-determined semi-retirement, I've been lucky — so far — and I haven't looked back, so it is everything it's cracked up to be.

What I like is we are all very different, from different areas, upbringing, qualifications, jobs we've had etc.

I worked in my parents shop on a caravan site back in 1960, I was 7, most days after school I would bag potatoes, and replenish shelves. I was a "pain" at school and used to get detention regularly, but I skipped it to work in other shops or my newspaper rounds, I'd get the slipper, stick, cane or ruler for skipping detention, but used to laugh at the teachers, they simply could'nt understand the corporal punishment was over in seconds, detention took at least an hour!

I left school and worked in supermarkets (they were Spar / Vivo then) but I left after a manager took an axe to me and I suffered 17 stitches in my knee, he suffered more, broken nose and a black eye!

I went home via the Army recruiting office, that was a Wednesday and on Monday I was at Farnborough on my 1st day of basic training. I did 24 years adult service and reached the rank of Warrant Officer, I get over £1100 in my hand pension wise. I came out in 1995 and ran a National Distribution Centre for Jewson, (pension to come from them at 65). Then I worked for Wincanton Logistics as a Despatch Manager (pension from them at 65) then I worked for SERCO on contracts for the Government, I was made redundant at 55 because they lost the contract.

We have good savings and get a good return at the moment, so we are happy.

I had a mortgage for a bit over 11 years as I paid more than I needed each month. We had 2 endowments which guaranteed £20000 one paid out £52100 the other £27000.

Not bad for a kid who lived in a caravan until he was thirteen, used to be called a Gypsy by kids, left school with no qualifications, and never received a penny in benefits!

Proud of myself, just a bit, I would do it all again, the good and the bad, no problem.

I think it's great that we are all older, wiser and hopefully in good health and that we can enjoy our retirement, well done to you all

Us too Bryn and good luck Morph

As a baby boomers born in the 1960s it's all going pear shaped before I can get my pension. My company final salary pension was frozen with 25 years service. The next eleven years will go into a stake holder pension relying on the shocks and scares market and then no doubt thrown away on an annuity that will probably only buy me three curly wurlys a week. My state pension has gone up to 67 and I bet it will go up again before I can reach it. I can see I will be living in the Eriba when I retire rather than holidaying in it.....

Live for today and keep an eye on tomorrow.......

Agger I am surprised your Eriba hasnot morphed into an Airstream by now the amount you polish it

I retired (made redundant) at the age of 50 and said that's it no more work as we financially OK (wife still working) however moved to Cornwall to enjoy the county in 2004 and decided to volunteer to the National Trust a couple of days a week. Got offered a seasonal job by NT so thought why not bring in pocket money for holidays.
11 years on now working full time for NT and looking forward to September when I hit state pension age. Just got promoted to Manager status, think my career time clock has gone a bit wonky specially as most new "managers" for the trust are usually late twenties, female with a degree.
It does go to show us oldies can hang wid the young uns