Dave; "Cancel Christmas"

[DaveB]

It looks like we'll be getting a rush contract at work. I'd booked a few days off over Christmas & New Year, but was intending to just take it easy at home. It looks like I'll be working right through, possibly weekends included. This suits me fine and I'll have plenty of leave due come the New Year.

When it's all over in February I can then go out and buy my shiny new Triumph adventure bike and plan a really big trip around southern Africa, probably in April outside school holidays. Deserts, spectacular coastlines, tar roads, dirt roads, mountains, wild animals, a few towns, scenery as far as the eye can see, 6,000+ km, shipwrecks, whales & dolphins, bushman paintings- all the normal stuff.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

 

[DaveM]

Well at least you still have something cool to look forward to so it is not all bad. I worked the one year over Christmas and was called out just as we were sitting down to Christmas lunch and that sucked

 

[DaveB]

Oh no, being called out as you sit down for Xmas lunch must have been horrible. I must add that I'm usually half cut by the time I sit down for Christmas lunch.....

No, this isn't bad at all. I had a hol back in August and although I'd like one now I can't say I'm in need of a break. For the first time we were basically just closing down at work over the Christmas week and for the first time in 30 years I was looking at a proper (2 to 3 week) holiday next year outside of school holidays- virtually a new experience for me. It now looks as though that can definitely happen.

 

[DaveM]

Well I will be going on leave as from Friday and I tell you it cannot get here fast enough. This year it seems that I really need it but I suppose as you get older you need your leave more.

 

[otherwise]

We have very generous leave entitlements once you have 10 years service in Australia. I only took 4 weeks a year and saved the rest. During my last 2 years of service I converted my leave to twice as long at half pay. For the last 2 years I worked 5 days a week, 3 months on and 3 months off. Result was I eased myself into retirement and living on slightly less money, it worked for me.

 

[DaveB]

Leave entitlement varies enormously from country to country. Typically here, once we've completed 5 years' service we get 20 days a year. That plus 11 days of public hols gives us just over 6 weeks a year- not bad.

Just about all companies/organisations here now stipulate the maximum leave you can carry over at financial year end. Where I work that is 25 days max. Any more and you forfeit it! Forever! And they have completely stopped paying out employees in lieu of leave- verboten. I think the reasons behind it, from a government and trade union point of view, is that everyone is entitled to leave, everyone should take leave cos it's a good thing to do & everyone should be treated the same.

 

[otherwise]

We get 20 days plus public holidays from day 1 of employment. Also from day 1 you start to accrue long service leave at a rate of an additional week each 60 weeks but can't take the long service before 10 years of service. All leave can be converted to leave at half pay therefore take 40 days a year, and you can salary sacrifice to get the 40 days at full pay.

 

[CarlS]

DaveB, I am glad you have a new bike to look forward to. I am looking forward to this Christmas - for the first time in a long time.

 

[DaveB]

Carl, I've got my heart set on an adventure bike. That's why I bought the 6yr old XT660R Yamaha a year ago. I feel (hope? ) that it's taken me from total novice dirt rider to a reasonably proficient beginner dirt rider. Just as important, I've really enjoyed riding it on dirt roads and trails.

It's time to take the plunge. But will it be a Tiger 800XC or the Adventure 1200 with wire wheels? The 800 is easier to handle offroad and is considerably cheaper; the 1200 has that fantastic engine, shaft drive & tubeless tyres. I can't really afford either, but that's not going to stop me .

My current debt level vs my personal GDP is somewhere between Italy & Greece levels . The difference is mine are secured loans . A little more will hardly be noticed, will it?

 

[CarlS]

LOL Dave, I fully understand your reasoning. My XC is the first bike I have ever financed. I usually do not go in debt for toys.

For me the Adventure is too much bike for off road riding. I am definitely not a skilled off road rider; but I am learning. The 800XC is about the biggest and heaviest that I can handle off road. It is a truly wonderful bike and comfortable to travel on to get to those off road spots.

 

[Rocky]

I had the same job (employer) for over 30 years and as the years of srvice mounted up my annual leave went up in incriments. In the later years my leave had increased to the maximum of six weeks.
Only once did I take the full six weeks off because after that amount of time you're almost into a retirement mode and I didn't want to go back to work. I was happy in my job, but after so much time to myself I began to realize that maybe I didn't like it as much as I thought and began to look forward to retirement.
After that I broke my leave up into two and three week segments, but when the date for retirement arrived I was gone like a shot. I bought my first motorcycle in 34 years and rode happily into retirement.
Last Friday I started on my twenty first year of retirement, yeehaaawww!!!

 

[CarlS]

Retirement is GREAT!

 

[Rocky]

Retirement is GREAT!

It certainly is
I watched many of my older co-workers retire and pass away in only a couple of years. I found that very shocking, but of course lifestyle and genetics has a lot to do with that.
I vowed that it wasn't going to happen to me. So far it's working

 

[CarlS]

I have seen that all two often. One has to keep active and do things, even in retirement.

 

[Rocky]

I have seen that all two often. One has to keep active and do things, even in retirement.

It's really pathetic how many people have no hobbies or interests away from work. When I retired there were a few co-workers who could have retired years ago, but stayed on because that's about the only life they knew.
The husband of my wife's best friend is getting close to 80 now and all he does (and from the day he retired) is sit in front of the TV all day wasting his life. We have nothing in common so we're not friends at all.
He's a nice enough guy, but of course, he thinks that I'm some kind of maniac for riding around on motorcycles exposing myself to all kinds of dangers.
But who is really living his life???

 

[CarlS]

I agree with you totally. Some people are afraid to live.

 

[DaveB]

Wow. I started this because of a little blip about to happen in my life and thought it would be nice to share. And it's turned in to a whole discourse. Thanks!

When my late dad retired in 1978 the first thing he did was to research & document the family tree. Fascinating stuff (there was no 'Genes Reunited' back in those days). The second thing he did was to do mucho research and write a book (first time he'd ever attempted that). I was amazed. The third thing he did was to only where a tie for functions (sailing club). He had 19 years of retirement and I know that he enjoyed 18 of them. My thread is not about retirement; it's about the next 3 months of my life. I'm not too far short of retirement age and I'm loving this conversation!

 

[CarlS]

Your dad used his retirement years to follow his dreams and enjoy life!

 

[keystiger]

You guys are RETIRED!?!?!?!?!?!?! Crap I can't keep up with ya'll now Maybe you can take care of me when I retire.
Many happy more years (and miles) to you all.

 

[Rocky]

You guys are RETIRED!?!?!?!?!?!?! Crap I can't keep up with ya'll now Maybe you can take care of me when I retire.
Many happy more years (and miles) to you all.

I'm blessed with great physical health (mental is questionable ) and I feel more like 35 than 75.
I've been retired for 20 years and these have been some of the best and most fun filled years of my life.
Getting back into motorcycles when I retired was one of the best decisions of my life. It gave me a whole new range of interests and I've ridden in some wonderful places.
It truely is a blessing to still be able to do this at this age.
Here's to more of the same