Retirement (or Last of the Summer Wine)

Hi all "The Delights of Volunteering" Whilst the subject of being a volunteer is open to all ages in our community, the social urge or surge often comes with retirement. You know, that time in your life where you haven't a minute to spare. One thing that I am sure about is the benefit that I receive from volunteering, no matter what it is. The fact that our minds are occupied on a subject that we are not forced into doing, but just doing it is for some a reward in itself. The gratitude shown by someone who has benefitted & actually acknowledges the help that they have received is awesome. Some volunteer activities are a learning curve too. My knowledge on the subject of info-technology can be fitted onto a postage stamp, but what I have learned has all come from my volunteering activity on this web-site. Some of our members are not officially listed as volunteers, but their forum contributions are enormous, which I am sure sharpens their skills in much the same way. There are disappointments though, after you have devoted your skills in an area, only for someone to roughshod through it. Being a volunteer does not make us immune to basic human nature, but whilst we are seeking to help someone else, our minds are diverted from our own scenarios however gloomy they might be.

Yes, volunteering can be a thankless task sometimes, especially if you are something like a club secretary. People can be quicker to offer criticism than help. I recently spent a month in Austria, house-sitting for a young couple who were back-packing in Burma. They had a dog who was as thin as a rake when I got there but I managed to get her fattened up a bit during my stay. They did say how healthy she looked but otherwise were quite dismissive of my help and did not even reimburse me for things I had to buy for their dog. I had planned to stay the night of their return so I could drive back to Hungary in daylight but ended up leaving at about 9 pm.

Hi all Bank Interest Rate Cut Good news for some, but investors will need to keep their eye on their own bank accounts, where some banks may start charging interest as well as costs on credit balances.

Hi all Walking for our Health Most of you know that I enjoy walking. I cannot walk far at any one time, as a childhood full of orthopaedic surgery on my feet & legs has left a legacy of arthritic joints & muscles. I have always known that, & have always known that I must maintain walking, as if I stop walking, the chances are very high that I will lose the ability to walk, completely. That is the reason why I make the best use of my free bus-pass, as it means that my joints are resting in between walking, whilst I am using public transport or enjoying the odd cuppa. Today for example, following on from my Belgrade breaky meating, I travelled by bus, tram & train to see a one time gin distillery in Langley Green, not far from Smethwick, where I met a former work colleague who was an assessor for Britannic Assurance who attended the site professionally as you will see why. I say one time gin distillery, as one day in 2012, the site was the scene of a huge fire & explosions that destroyed the homes of sixteen families nearby. I have often seen the ruin from the carriage window, so today I decided to have a closer look at the ruin before it is fully dismantled. Even with the passage of time I still felt the agony & fears of the folk that suffered on that dreadful Monday in 2012. The sad news Reconstruction Most of the sites that I visit happily are not the scenes of tragedy or mishap, as just a mile before it, is one of Thomas Telford's earliest examples of his fabulous skills as he constructed Galton Bridge. One of Telford's finest, almost on our doorstep if you have a Centro issued bus-pass. Back to today, even using public transport as I have, I have still walked at least six miles or two hours walking in total, yet I have no excessive feet or ankle stiffness. I could never walk a marathon, a half marathon, or any marathon as I would have to rest for five minutes after every ten minutes of walking.

Re your visit to Langley Green above, Philip . . . Blaze leads to big fine - report

Hi all & thank you M.R. My friend Frank, was a former full-time Q/S at Courtaulds before moving to Britannic Assurance. He triggered my interest a few months ago as he knew that the judgement was close. Thank you for your link.

Hi all Well, today my holiday from retirement is over for a couple of weeks, as I venture out with one of my volunteer activities which I am so looking forward to. A full day today & tomorrow too. I am asking this "most sincerely folks" as Hughie Green used to say, why have I always been in a disposition where I have so enjoyed my schooling, work & now retirement. Am I simple, easily pleased or what? In spite of so much hate in the world, hurt, warfare & destruction, I look forward to most days as though each day was my first day. I am not immune from sad issues just as not everything in our garden is rosy. I have a very sad ongoing issue currently, yet somehow it doesn't penetrate into my inner being. I was with a group of friends yesterday, similarly enjoying what they were & are up to just like me & one of them asked this question.

Hi all Volunteering can be so rewarding, which is my experience. My focus on volunteering has really lit up since I played for a funeral for my friend Frank Miller, who died over a year ago, but was volunteering right up till his end. He would often be seen heading the volunteers at Walsgrave hospital, long before he actually retired from paid work at the GEC. If he saw folk in a pickle, he just waded in no matter what & usually got it sorted. My trips with patients have had spin offs for me that have given me delights in various directions in my hobbies & interests.

It's Bank Holiday Erm . . . what's the use of that where you're retired?

Hi Midland Red, Hi all I am having a Pam at home day today. The hustle & bustle of retirement catches up with us sometimes, both you & I enjoy our outdoor interests & pursuits yet I am so enjoying this nothing-day. I later might just get my art-box out & label Hounds Hill station platforms with platform numbers. Just for you, I will snatch a new picture of a DMU parked, motor not running in platform 2A. Later in the day will run via Leicester to Cambridge. Hounds Hill is made to look like a double track through station, but we operate it as though there is just one through line, which is why we generally keep the nearest platform line clear. That gives access to Grove as well as Longford Park Goods loading. The lines visible, disappear into a small three line fiddle-yard (hidden sidings) which are just long enough to accommodate three coach length, or very short goods trains. The DMU has emerged from one of them, crossed over to platform 2A. That is when I realised that the platforms are not numbered. I quite like having a Platform 2A or at least an A or B end. That sounds good, hey! The platform 2 line seen disappearing under the town, the "B" end, is used as the UP main goods siding. If you could see through under the bridge, there is a modelled goods platform, which also houses the staff facilities & the carriage cleaners store room.

Brill! I'm firmly sat in front of the telly watching the 50 over semi final, Warwickshire v Somerset, from Edgbaston YOU BEARS

Update: Well done, Bears - through to another Lords final, led by Coventry kid Ian Bell with an unbeaten 94