What's made you smile today?

[The Panda Nut]

I went to fold the seats down on our Leon on Friday to find they were hanging free. The hinge bolt had come out. The first thing to fall off I think in 20 years

On close inspection I found the hinge bolt is retained by something akin to a door lock. A quick shove with a screw driver and the 'lock' opened. The hinge bolt was replaced and when I shoved it back in its slot the seat lock moved back into position locking the hinge bolt in place. Joy of joys 5 minutes to fix. What a clever idea!

 

[DaveMcT]

Made me think that the few with electric cars are probably feeling very smug right now, maybe rightly so. Until the electric runs out.

No worries Lekky wont run out, but they can't tax the fuel and they dont charge road tax on zero emissions cars so we will simply get charged by the mile. Either by spy in the cab with monthly bill (with extras for speeding) or you cough up after each mot. Petrol will of course continue to be taxed so drivers of older cars will be getting stuffed both ways.

Think I'm barking? Kim Jong Dan Andrews of Victoria State Australia already has the plans going through and NSW is close behind.

 

[Cheest]

Today, 1 October, was to be start of the last month of my career. My employer asked me last month what it would take to stick around for another 6 months, so I asked for the moon in regards to cash, benefits and responsibilities. I figured they'd say no and come back with a green cheese offer that I could ignore.

Damned if they didn't bat an eye and met my request. And them some. A 30% pay increase, return of all benefits that were cut when they started this unholy experiment, the final say if a product is ready to ship or not, and this was their addition, a $5K bonus on 30 June if I don't get pissed and walk off the job before then.

On Monday, management notified the Sales and Service staffs that I was staying until the end of June. Jeez, you'd thought I'd won the lottery with all the phone calls I got thanking me for sticking around.

 

[jimboy]

Nice one bud. I was forced to take early retirement, only by a year, to shield my son with special needs. My private pension during my welding days dropped on my door mat during this time and I was amazed by what I’m getting Happy days.

 

[portland_bill]

No worries Lekky wont run out,

But recently we had to fire up two coal-fired power stations, due to the link from France's nuclear having suffered a fire, and will be offline until early next year.

I wonder if we now have to pay import duties on the electricity from France?

but they can't tax the fuel and they dont charge road tax on zero emissions cars so we will simply get charged by the mile. Either by spy in the cab with monthly bill (with extras for speeding) or you cough up after each mot. Petrol will of course continue to be taxed so drivers of older cars will be getting stuffed both ways.

Think I'm barking? Kim Jong Dan Andrews of Victoria State Australia already has the plans going through and NSW is close behind.

There's an irony there, with Australia's electricity being produced by dirty coal, being used to power EVs. I understand that Australia's coal is very dirty when burnt, and they supply lots to China.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Today, 1 October, was to be start of the last month of my career. My employer asked me last month what it would take to stick around for another 6 months, so I asked for the moon in regards to cash, benefits and responsibilities. I figured they'd say no and come back with a green cheese offer that I could ignore.

Damned if they didn't bat an eye and met my request.

I had a double retirement "experience" My "real job" came to an end when my employer called me, and a couple of the other older chaps, into the office and, very honestly, said to us "you guys are costing me too much" - we'd been there for years and were on the top rung of the salary and benefits scale. "I've got an offer for you if you take early retirement". The offer wasn't spectacular but it wasn't bad either however what swung it for me was that he was enhancing our pensions up to what they would have been if we'd stayed until normal retirement age. So he was giving me 15 years of pension free and all index linked! I jumped at it and have never regretted it. Then I went off to do my gardening/grounds maintenance job with a charity (I was salaried staff - needed an income until the pension stuff kicked in at age 65) which I did until I was 65. However they seemed to forget I was nearing retirement age because a couple of weeks before I was due to go my line manager approached me with "We haven't actually managed to find anyone to replace you" and she stood looking at me. I was very committed to that job as our workforce were learning disabled people and I couldn't just walk out on them so I agreed to work on for a weekly salary. Six months later they sent a chap out to shadow me and it was very quickly obvious that he knew a lot more about gardening than me but not a lot about learning disabled people and almost nothing about machinery. I felt he was going to find running the squad very difficult and he would not be able to maintain the machines so big bills for servicing and repairs seemed inevitable to me to say nothing of the down time due to "non runners". Being able to fix the machines out on the job when they won't go makes an enormous difference to the work load. However no-one seemed to take notice and roughly a week later I was retired and going through the "golly I'm feeling strange not getting up at 06.30 and going to work" stage of retirement. A little over a week later I dropped into work just to say hello to everyone and see how things were going. "The Lads" were all delighted to see me and it made me feel very special that they were obviously missing me but the fellow who was supposed to be managing the squad made it clear he didn't want me around. So I left. Nearly two months later I went back again only to find the new chap had disappeared and the squad was being disbanded. I took a wander around "my" sheds and the machines were in a hell of a state. I recon most were unusable. That really hurt as those machines were "my babies", right from the big Ferris ride on down to the smallest rotary "walk behind" for going round the edge of borders and flower beds. Although the organisation I worked for is still very much in business they seem to be concentrating on home support mostly - a very worthwhile and much needed endeavour of course - but the gardening squad seems to have been disbanded for good which I think is a great pity because the more physically able got a lot out of it and I believe it gave them a very real purpose in life.

The pension from my 15 years with the gardening squad is pitiful but the index linked one from my main employer is actually keeping the wolf from the door very nicely.

Retirement is a whole new life and you should think very carefully about what you are going to do to fill your time. Too many of the chaps I've worked with spend their time either at the golf or bowling club, or both, propping up the bar for a lot of the time and getting fatter and fatter every time I see them. My advice would be to keep busy. I've got the family and especially the grandchildren who generate a fair bit if DIY repairs. Then, when I can find the spare time away from them, I've got my cars, horticultural machines and, sometimes, an old motor cycle. There's always my own garden if that's not enough. I intend to keep on going 'till I drop! What's retirement?

 

[Cheest]

Retirement is a whole new life and you should think very carefully about what you are going to do to fill your time. Too many of the chaps I've worked with spend their time either at the golf or bowling club, or both, propping up the bar for a lot of the time and getting fatter and fatter every time I see them. My advice would be to keep busy. I've got the family and especially the grandchildren who generate a fair bit if DIY repairs. Then, when I can find the spare time away from them, I've got my cars, horticultural machines and, sometimes, an old motor cycle. There's always my own garden if that's not enough. I intend to keep on going 'till I drop! What's retirement?

Though put on hold now until June, there are plans. One is to become a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Coach. Pay is in the neighborhood of $500 for a 16 hours over the weekend. Others are to deliver parts for the local auto parts place part time(They've already offered me a job just because of my toys), volunteer at the local farm museum, and get a place at the old farts table at the local breakfast restaurant just to be the one pain in the a$$ bald headed old left wing hippy.:slayer:

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Others are to deliver parts for the local auto parts place part time(They've already offered me a job just because of my toys),

Me too! the wee garage at Golden Acre, a ten minute walk away from me, is one source of budget tyres for me. I've known the owner for maybe, oh, 35 years? Not Buddy Buddies but my face is well known. Anyway he must have heard I was now retired and came tumbling out of the garage one day to offer me a job as parts/tyre delivery driver. "Bit of pocket money for you, give you something to do and keep you out from under the Mr's feet". I was almost tempted but actually I'm not that hard up for cash (although all this energy expense may alter that?) and I've plenty to do so politely turned him down - don't want to completely burn my bridges behind me, because you never know do you?

 

[jimboy]

Aye Jock, I’m in the fortunate place the state pension starts up soon as well, and when Mrs Jimboy retires, she will have the works pension as a lecturer, then the state as well. I’m getting very used to this easy way of life at the moment.

 

[Cheest]

Mrs. Cheest has been retired the past six years and loves it. Grandkids and our new to us home are her life now.
My younger brother sold his share of his business to his partners for an obscene amount and retired at 56. He says everyday is a Saturday and is restoring an old farm property with all his free time.
Youngest sister was a US Forest Service employee since she got out of college and retired at 55. She says she laughs as her other half heads out to work and spends time with her horse.
My Mom and Dad retired at 55 and 52, respectively. They used to say that they wondered when they had time to work.
This leaves me and my kid sister. Kid sister is retiring next March, on her 65th. She'll be spending time on her chunk of land, competing and volunteering at Nordic sporting events, and riding her bicycle.

 

[Cheest]

I put new graphics on the Ural sidecar yesterday.

I'm thinking I may need a second one for the back bumper of the DeSoto.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Aye Jock, I’m in the fortunate place the state pension starts up soon as well, and when Mrs Jimboy retires, she will have the works pension as a lecturer, then the state as well. I’m getting very used to this easy way of life at the moment.

Don't worry Boris will ensure rampant inflation, no pension increases, no action on social care and soon he will have taken and wasted all your funds and you will have to beg on the streets after all the Fiats have been taken away as gross polluters and you are already a pariah for still having a petrol car... So normal service will be resumed......

Stop b well smiling. There's nothing to be happy about.

Retirement is a whole new life and you should think very carefully about what you are going to do to fill your time

Well I made myself unemployable - must be 5 or 6 years ago. I have still so much to do I don't have time to go to work. If I can ever get my health mended I would consider some part time work to bring in some money.

My advice is look after your health and fitness in retirement, if you have this you have better options!

The roof leak on my daughters house in Manchester was fixed yesterday. Amazing, "would you like us to do it tomorrow"? and they did. Lots of photos sent of the issue and the fix. It looks like a proper job at a sensible price too.

Some good decent tradesmen do still exist. I can now put my cheque book away and have a well earned rest.

Yipee

[QUOTE=portland_bill;

I wonder if we now have to pay import duties on the electricity from France?

Yes. I say renationalise all EU owned utilities and without compensation!!

There's an irony there, with Australia's electricity being produced by dirty coal, being used to power EVs.

Each time the power source changes fuel there are substantial losses. How using EV's is supposed to improve matters is a mystery. Even if electric power is more effective logic says this who;e approach is nonsense unless we get all electricity from renewable non fossil fuel sources and thid doesnt include the gas currently used.

But hey ho the VW e/i Up is carbon neutral! Just like their diesel cars are? How are they allowed to get away with this unbelievable claim??

 

[DaveMcT]

Australia has one of the lowest take-ups in EVs across the world. On top of that Kim Jong Dan Andrews (the idiot who locks down the whole state for one case of Coof) is ruching for an EV mileage tax that completely take away any point in having one.

The build CO2 of Tesla cars is repayed after 18 months of average driving (15K miles) using the average USA electricity CO2. Some areas are more hydro and solar other are heavy into coal. Teslas are extremely efficient on the power they use. US EPA says that Model 3 gives the equivalent of 123 miles per US gallon (about 155 miles per imperial gallon). In other words, Model 3 goes 300 miles on a little over 2 gallons of petrol. Even if the lekky was 100% coal fired, it would beat most petrol cars.

Other car makers need to wake up. Batteries are not cheap and simply chucking in a bigger battery shoves up costs on cars they already sell at a loss.

 

[varesecrazy]

I believe youve hit the nail on the head there.. its not a statement of fact

A bit like the Bentley Car Factory is also 'Carbon Neutral'..

They spend the Regional Governments cash incentives to 'BUY' Green BrowniePoints.. from that everso nice man in Nicaragua whose second job is to Grow new Rain Forest..

Then potentially sell it a hundred times over.. cynical.. who me..?

 

[StevenRB45]

Well I guess it depends on how believable any of these claims of carbon neutrality are.

Eg....given I use vpower and the shell app for the car shell off sets the carbon produced from me driving it.

No reason for me to ever go electric eh? To be fair not entirely sure that's actually true but pretty much the same can be said for carbon neutral manufacturers.

Tends to work along the lines of...my factory has caused x amount of pollution so I've bought or protected the correct number of trees to balance it (in theory).

It's a nice idea that somewhere someone is planting trees on my behalf....

 

[The Panda Nut]

Remembering to use the FF discount code at S4P for the first time. I must have spent several hundreds and never done so before.

Daffo MOT due in the next few weeks so I thought I would change the broken bump stop / gaiter and wiper blades. Pleased to give the requested £ to charity from my saving. FF will get the rest.

 

[Cheest]

Jack the Ribber kindly took over "How the DeSoto works." and "What the hell is a DeSoto?" chores at the local car show so I could wander around.

Probably the last show car show of 2021 the DeSoto will entered in.

 

[macp]

Driving and then immediately buying my Panda.

 

[jimboy]

Today was one of those days where I really felt I should be doing something useful, hard to explain, I’m very laid back but I’m just too lazy at the moment. When I get this feeling I tend to wash my cars. My daily sits at the side of the house in a lay-by type parking and gets all the crap off other vehicles going up and down our road.

OK, proper wash and wax time, took me hours, a good old hand wash, then a wax by hand. Was going to use the polisher but got carried away by hand, and of course couldn’t be arsed looking out the polisher…. The wax obviously took the longest, I wasn’t counting, but I reckon 3/4 hours. Dodgy knee is now killing me Like a sad git, I take a peep at my hard work, spots of rain now are just bedding off…

 

[portland_bill]

Signs have gone up in our road warning of works for the next 3 days. I assumed we were to be 'tarred & gravelled'. Hopefully there is no splatter to 'rustproof' the Panda, as removal with white spirit is tedious.

Then we got a letter in the door, from the county council, titled, "Re: Micro-Asphalt" That alone caused a laugh. Someone somewhere is feeling very pleased with inventing that title.
The first sentence contains, "...will be undertaking micro-asphalt surfacing maintenance works..."
It then describes the tar & gravel process a little.

I guess every house had this letter, but I'm sure there will still be a car or two left on the road tomorrow. A shame if they have to surface around them, fun if they have them removed.