Retirement

[Mister Fishfinger]

No retirement here yet, I've still got 6 years left on the mortgage.

After that, who knows? I'm not really one for long term planning anyway.

[KiwiCol]

A mortgage? I remember those. Haven't seen one for years, ah the good ole days aye.

[Mister Fishfinger]

A mortgage? I remember those. Haven't seen one for years, ah the good ole days aye.

What can I say? Houses here are really expensive. Either that or I don't earn enough, take your pick.

[owen426]

Same in oz, I'm lucky to live in a small town where they are still affordable but my city bound friends are looking at a million dollars for a family home a commutable distance from their jobs.

[KiwiCol]

A mortgage? I remember those. Haven't seen one for years, ah the good ole days aye.

What can I say? Houses here are really expensive. Either that or I don't earn enough, take your pick.

Agreed, they are really expensive over there. I have a very modest home, a few toys though, but that's just how I prefer to live.

[grog]

houses here are getting expensive, not so much away from coast where i live. only 100 ks from brisbane and maybe the best weather and beaches, easy to see why. id hate to be borrowing to buy as a young bloke. they still do.real estate still a lottery, you need luck. not all good stories. my dad died 9 yrs back, mum didnt want to live there anymore. 26 acres, biggest house you can imagine. 5 acres clear, rest bush. bad selling time, we tried for 12 mths. 2 yrs previous valued at at 1.3 mill. we sold for 660 g. wasnt a good outcome but thats how it was then. today it would sell in 5 minutes for 1.5. you win and you lose. her new house in town, a bargain, all good. has doubled in price.

[Irish in Oz]

Grog
That is real estate you have to buy a sell at the right time, I was lucky with that outcome in the past, but I'm not interested in investment anymore. However I have set myself up to go from a 4 bedroom to 1 bedroom accommodation to suit my needs and income from other.
As you say it is stuffed for the young one's and I have 4, so the house I have will be available if needed and the other the ex has can be used as needed as well, so there you go all my hard work left to the kids.
That's why I'm retiring early and going oversea's while I can

[grog]

Irish, our kids n grand kids use our house often. i could do the buy n sell to make lots. not interested. 25 yrs here, i just like things that work, user friendly. my job, my bike, my wife, my golf club. they all fit the bill. used to have a stable full ofbikes, not interested now. i love what you blokes show, amazes me. for me now, over 60, still feel 30, happy with what i have. life is all good. id miss my job if i retired. id miss my 14 if ever forced to sell. its good to be happy with your own stuff.

[Kiwifruit]

Good words Grog.
Wife and I been busy improving our property over the last few years.
Sent mum off last week.....makes you stop and think. Had an agent round this week. Last property we sold privately, thats where our bike came from. I always say the Real Estate agent bought us our bike. Then folks say you didnt use one. Exactly !!
We are thinking that times are a changing. We have had a change in Government. A coalitition of the losers.
There must be more to life....diabetes is starting to lift its hand to cast a slight shadow over my future health. I guess we speak a language we both understand there Grog. Being a tradesman my hands shoulders and elbows would have been grateful of a kinder existance.
We are looking at our options, we would dearly love to travel. You only have to look at Pete's trip report of their journey to Norway to get one fizzed up about a bit of touring. I cannot think of anything more pleasant.
We are lucky to live in a pretty good little country that will always be home.
My kids are doing ok, wife's lad is in China teaching; he's doin good too.
The bride and l have a few years untill retirement, l have quite a few less than her. She would love to take in some of the flower and garden shows of Europe and the UK.
So to hell with the expense, lets feed the cat another goldfish. In 2018 we look forward to doing some of those things. Oh and we or rather l would enjoy putting some faces to the names on here beacause as the old boys say...... you are a long time under the grass.
In the mean time the bikes full of juice and the weekends here. Enjoy yours !!
Cheers lads 

[gsxbarmy]

Everyone has their own view on life and what they want from it. My kids are all grown up now and moved out, and work was (literally) killing me - No time to myself as on 24x7 callout and work schedule. My blood pressure (whilst still at work) was ridiculous - usually around the 165/170 over 90 and not reducing down when it should at night (so not really resting, brain constantly active), I've got 3 replacement discs in my neck courtesy of my job in IT (from carrying a laptop around all those years, as well as overnight cases etc where I used to work away from home a lot) and I had a stent put in my lower left ventricle in 2012. Oh the joys of my job as was as a Global IT Programme Director managing programmes usually in excess of £200M. Lost my Dad back in 2003 and my Mum on Christmas Day last year.

Doctor told me quite simply that if I didn't slow down, then life itself might slow me down permanently. So decided enough was enough, especially after seeing both parents in their twilight years with dementia, and arguably lose out with enjoying life after working hard all those years , decided it was time to call a halt and enjoy life.

Now I'm almost horizontal, blood pressure way within limits now no pressures of work, no calls in the middle of the night, go out on the bike when I want to, wake up in morning and decide then what the day holds. Travel when I want to. Rode the Wild Atlantic Way (again) this year for 10 days. Just toured Aus for a month which is something the wife and I always wanted to do but could get enough time off to do whilst still working. NZ scheduled for Feb/Mar 2019. Couldn't do that if I still worked.

With some jobs, enough is enough. Life is too damn short. Or some jobs can make it shorter than it should be. There comes a time to get the work/life balance right and have "you" time and do the things you've wanted to do for a very long time. And that comes at different points for different people.

Retirement for me is great. Nothing to do - all day to do it.

[Irish in Oz]

Irish, our kids n grand kids use our house often. i could do the buy n sell to make lots. not interested. 25 yrs here, i just like things that work, user friendly. my job, my bike, my wife, my golf club. they all fit the bill. used to have a stable full ofbikes, not interested now. i love what you blokes show, amazes me. for me now, over 60, still feel 30, happy with what i have. life is all good. id miss my job if i retired. id miss my 14 if ever forced to sell. its good to be happy with your own stuff.

So do my kid's use house often but I don't have grand kids, but they love to show the toy's that they where brought up with. Anyway they are on their way and will be back to borrow all the relic's I have.

[KiwiCol]

I love this site!   What a great forum and group of members we've got here. 

[gsxbarmy]

I love this site!   What a great forum and group of members we've got here.

Yep, one big happy family, which is what makes this site so great.

Bet the original designer of the 14 never thought that with producing the 14, they would also forge many worldwide friendships for so many years - I mean the 14 is now 16 years old (first released in Japan in March 2001). How many other single models have that record - still with a strong following?

[KiwiCol]

Us lot would put an Akra & PCV on it, just to release a few more horses for drag racing down the retirement home corridors.   Yeah!

[gsxbarmy]

Us lot would put an Akra & PCV on it, just to release a few more horses for drag racing down the retirement home corridors.   Yeah!

GSX1400 Wheel Chair drag racing.........that could be an interesting project!!!!