Retirement

[IanH]

If you are in a position to retire then do it and enjoy it.

I retired 2 years ago after spending most of my life on the road working usually not less than 80 hours a week and often a 100 hours, maybe getting home 3 times a year for a week.  21st birthday in Saudi Arabia....hmmm.
Yes, I saw the the world, or over 50 countries worth it anyway and I was paid well in fairness to the company, but was it worth the high personal price I paid for it.......divorce, not seeing the family and all that stuff. On reflection I would probably do it all again in exactly the same way, though I'm sure a lot of you here would think I'm a bit crazy for saying so. Having said that you sort have to be a bit 'different' to do the job I did for as long as I did.

Do I miss it?
In some ways yes because I enjoyed so many aspects of my work, the different places, not having a boss to report to as such, the freedom and so on. But now I'm retired I'm trying to enjoy the home life that I missed even though I realise I can never get those years back.

Anyway, like I said, if you can do it then do it.
Don't lie on your deathbed saying 'I wish......' (that's what prompted me to finally buy  the 14)

And if any of you are passing my way then feel free to drop in. We didn't quite lose all our social skills on the road 

[Irish in Oz]

And I still have the original Bazooka on mine because it's to fast for me. Just remembered that's why I have a Katana and a GPZ900R

[Mister Fishfinger]

It's very nice to hear that people on here are enjoying retirement (and that's not sarcasm). Some folk don't know what to do when they stop work and then they just waste away. Clearly bikers are made of sterner stuff and have plenty of ways to occupy themselves.

I'm not moaning at all. I quite like my job (although like all jobs it has its stresses), and it keeps me in contact with smart people of different ages, races, cultures, whatever. When it comes to an end, as all things eventually do, I'll bid them a cheery farewell and join you guys in a life of leisure.

Looking forward to it (but not wishing my life away).

[Irish in Oz]

Looks like I'm not fully retired I got phone call so off to Sydney on Monday to repair broke down machine, I suppose I'll have to get up an hour earlier.

[KiwiCol]

That'd be time & a half or double time wouldn't it Irish?

[Irish in Oz]

That'd be time & a half or double time wouldn't it Irish?

And the rest lol.
I just can't resist the temptation of those big dollars. One day a week is enough, did 5 hours this week test and tag and they pay me for it.

[KiwiCol]

Nice, test n tag is tough work, so worth every penny.

[grog]

another retirement story, hope not getting boring. my mate retired 2 yrs ago. has 2 houses. one worth lots. he decided to rent both for a while. his mother in law lives in granny flat at main house. he rented main house to his brother. now, 2 yrs later. his m in law needs full time care, supplied by him and wife, they cant go away, needed every night. no money to put her in home. the rented house, some law prevents from getting tenant kicked out, lease wasnt done correctly by real estate. the main house was rented to brother, he wont leave. same story, hes there forever. now doesnt talk to brother but wont move. no legal way of kicking him out. mate lives in caravan at main house. gone back to work. he gets rent from both houses, none from granny flat. his life ruined for open ended time. lawyers did renting contracts but now all stuffed up, no comeback. just how life can kick you in the guts.

[Irish in Oz]

Nice, test n tag is tough work, so worth every penny.

No pennies involved. Got home about 1.30 and had a afternoon nap.

[Irish in Oz]

another retirement story, hope not getting boring. my mate retired 2 yrs ago. has 2 houses. one worth lots. he decided to rent both for a while. his mother in law lives in granny flat at main house. he rented main house to his brother. now, 2 yrs later. his m in law needs full time care, supplied by him and wife, they cant go away, needed every night. no money to put her in home. the rented house, some law prevents from getting tenant kicked out, lease wasnt done correctly by real estate. the main house was rented to brother, he wont leave. same story, hes there forever. now doesnt talk to brother but wont move. no legal way of kicking him out. mate lives in caravan at main house. gone back to work. he gets rent from both houses, none from granny flat. his life ruined for open ended time. lawyers did renting contracts but now all stuffed up, no comeback. just how life can kick you in the guts.

When it comes down to business don't have family involved or friends.

[Tony Nitrous]

Its 5.30am, I've been up since 3am. My minds doing overtime.

I found out yesterday my old boss had died. We worked side by side for 6 years. Even when he shut down a company I was the only one who went to the new one with him. We worked together on a mine camp driving 650k and lived in each others pockets. 40 or 50 hours a week for several years you get to know someone.

To anyone else he was an arse. He dodged paying bills and wages, and acquired stuff when no one was looking, he liked a drink and betting and was rugby mad.

I saw the other side of him. He took on a relatives kid when his left home, he loved his family, when he won some money he bought a car for someone down on their luck telling them it was for when he needed it (he never intended to use it). He went from being a large company owner at the top to being a labourer back in the trench shovelling gravel and back again.

To me he was a "Del Boy" type character.

Both my last two bosses have both died before retirement. I don't intend to. To be fair, none of us do, but I'm a bit more determined to downsize and get out of here now. I have a quite large mortgage, but its only half the value of my house. Enough equity to buy outright away from the inflated city prices.

[KiwiCol]

Sobering times Tony. When a death hits close to home, it really does make us reflect & consider our own mortality.  None of us really know how long we have left, so we should enjoy our time now & not have regrets of things we wanted to do but never did.

[Alan H]

Always remember that old age is better than the alternative.
But.
The biggest problem is that we don't know how long we have left, so don't fart about, get on with life today, just in case.
Book the holiday, go to the (whatever), do it (whatever 'it' is).
Life isn't a rehearsal.
I retired last year and currently doing my best to spend the care home money before the gubmint does it for me.
Imminent plan, downsize the house and upsize the garage. There will always be room for one more bike.

[lawrie]

Work for me started in 1963, & I've been fortunate to have had many enjoyable & very varied jobs, all engineering biased.
A personal tragedy forced me abroad for a few years, met the love of my life, made a pile, came back to the UK in '84, & managed to buy my present property for cash.
Then, 27 years ago we bit the bullet & started a small business, & we worked it right up until retirement at 65, her indoors didn't want to pack it in as it was still  working OK.
So I had a massive clear out of the 'toys' (Jag, kitcar, & over a dozen bikes )!!
Plonked a 30ft portacabin, a 20ft  & 30ft wood workshop & a 32ft 'proper' workshop around the gardens, & then we brought as much machinery as we could back home & carried on with the now downsized business, & its still going to day, so although now 'retired' for 6 years, we are still very much active, & loving it!!
Bought a little motorhome & bugger-off when we feel like it around the country.

Retirement, I LOVE IT!!!   

[Sweaty]

Well done mate