General Chat

Retirement age was 60 when I retired, Maggie, although I went to 62 and only retired because of my OH's health.

I had to take a reduced work pension because the age of retirement for our work pension scheme was 65 for men and women.

I accepted that and I am glad that I did because my OH is still with us with his schoolboy sense of humour which still arouses in me the desire to clonk him over the head!

To paraphrase Mandy (Dick Emery) and, I think, the earlier Hylda Baker, 'He is awful but I do like him.'

(By the way, I believe my tendency to put off things to tomorrow may arouse the same tendency in him, the believer that procrastination is the thief of time.). It takes all sorts ..... :-D

JoyLouise - Do you know me??? Those are my tactics to a tee! :-D :-D
I also pointed out I have cats - one of which spends most of his time outside, and I'd hate to be accused of cruelty, by keeping him in. If I moved to a flat, I'd have no other option but to have him put down. ;-)

Have to admit, Ann, if it was a flat they were trying to foist me into, I would be digging my heels in, and shouting about the pandemic! Clearing out 30 years worth of 'stuff' on my own (I don't drive) is rather daunting - no-one can help me, due to the pandemic, but, it appears removal men can come in and touch all my stuff!!!

I (fortunately) have no mobility problems at the moment, and have 18 months before I retire. Do you remember when retirement for ladies was 60, and henceforth women were treated as delicate flowers?

Yes Maggie try as hard as you can for that bungalow. I know how hard it is when old age brings unexpected walking problems (not myself). A bungalow now would do you for life. Good luck

Maggie, I'd grab the chance of a two-bedroomed bungalow with grateful hands.

I expect you'll push the fact that your grandsons have to stay with you when their mother is needed on-shift for the NHS. I certainly would.

Play 'their' game, strike while everyone's backing our health service to the hilt.

Push, push, push - gotta be as devious and canny as some LA staff can be. Creaky knees on the horizon? Any arthritis in spine and hips? Need one-storey dwelling ....

Good luck!

You need a good old fashioned bedpan Maggie :-D :-D the cats would love it too.

No, Sylvia. I could attempt to continue to pay the Subsidy, but I need to feed the cats!

However, rather than a 1 bed flat, I may be able to move into a 2 bedroomed bungalow. This would mean paying a bit of 'spare room subsidy, but it would be half what I'm paying now.
I'd also still be able to have my grandsons over when my daughter works weekends. She works for the NHS - is working from home now, (she's immunocompromised, due to drugs for her Crohns) but once the pandemic is over, will be back to normal work.

I'm getting to the age when it would be nice to have a bathroom on the same level as my bedroom - at the moment, by bedroom's upstairs, the bathroom is downstairs, as far away from my bedroom as it can be :-(

oh dear, maggie :-( :-( :-(

That sounds miserable.

Have you got any appeals process against it??

Actually, Ann, I'm likely to be moving out!

Due to the pandemic and vast unemployment, I've been on DWP.
Even though I've lived here for 30 years, been employed most of that time, and would own the house if I'd bought it, (ie, my rent has paid for the house), it's deemed too big, so using the 'Spare Room Subsidy', the Government has priced me out. :-|
Weird how MP's can have multiple 'spare' houses, or even spare rooms in the places they stay in London when in Parliament (that the taxpayer pays for) but I can't have a spare room, isn't it?

Had I been a pensioner, this wouldn't have happened, but being one of those women who were told (in my case) at the age of 56, that I'd be working for another 10 years, I am now considered a 'drain on society'.

Only another 18 months before I get my pension (but that may change).

On the positive side, I really hope the new people have noisy teenagers! :-D :-D

I suppose you could hope they would move Maggie but they seem to have put too much into the property for that. Maybe the son will move out when he gets older and take his hammer with him.

Oh - yes please, JoyLouise!

The irony is, I've lived here for 30 years, and had a few neighbours.
The houses were built in the 1930's, with 'proper' brick walls throughout.

One set, with teenagers, I never heard. The dad played electric guitar - he soundproofed the attic, and played up there.

The ones before the current ones, were a young couple with toddlers.
Craig (the dad) knew about the soundproofed attic, and he and HIS BAND used to practice up there - complete with drums!!!
The most I heard, if I was upstairs with no radio on, and listened very carefully, was the very faint sound of music. If I turned my radio on, I couldn't hear anything.

I still can't work out how a PVC door can be slammed as hard as my current neighbours slam theirs!

Would you like to borrow my younger grandson, Maggie?

He comes complete with two sets of drums, guitar (he is Grade 7 so practises daily), a didgeridoo, some kind of keyboard (the piano is still at my house but he can bring it) and a range of other musical absolute necessities. He reads music like a pro and is always willing to have a bash so, get out any instrument you have.

He mght be just the job to shock your neighbours out of their complacency.

I'll make sure he brings you some ear defenders. <3

By the way, he can come with a few noisy shoot-and-holler computer games if you so desire. <3 :-D

Crikey, Sylvia! I hope she didn't get the job, as well!

Pleased to say, no hammering yesterday - however, my fingers are crossed for today - you know what they say about speaking too soon :-(

I initially said 'no noise' yesterday, but they continue to thump up the stairs and slam doors. My radiator radiator rattles when they 'close' their front door. :-S

I've tried making similar noises - it's very difficult!!!

Gawd ................. loud private phone calls remind me of a scary experience we had some years ago.

We stopped in a town about 200 km away from here for lunch on our way to the cabin.

Sat down in a booth ....... it was an old-style diner, and they used to have those disc players in each booth, but the food is good.

Soon we realised the woman in the booth in front of us was talking on her phone, husband and child left and went outside into the parking lot. We could hear every word the woman was saying, and she was talking about children in care that she was involved with, all kinds of details that should not have told to anyone but another professional.

Finally, I went to her and asked if she could please talk more quietly as we could hear every word and it didn't seem right. I got a real dirty look from her

I continued on towards the women's washroom, and another customer stopped me as I went past and thanked me, she said it had been going on all through lunch.

As i came back from the washroom, the woman with the phone was at the desk paying her bill, still on the phone, and gave me more dirty looks.

I sat down, and watched her go out the door into the parking lot, OH and I looked that way, saw her husband and son leaning against a pick-up truck about half way along the lane leading directly towards the window next to us. He started forward to meet her, she jabbered angrily to him (from her posture), and then pointed directly to where we were.

They got in the pick-up, he drove out of the parking spot, turned to directly face the building, and came down the lane at full speed towards where we were sitting.

OMG!

Luckily he had a bit more sense .............. slowed and turned to leave the parking area, but not without waving a finger towards us.

Later, the cashier told us that the woman had said she was from Washington or Oregon, and that she was up to that small town for an interview with a child care society :-0

I don't know whether she had seen the threat from the pick-up or not (the desk faced the door out to the parking ............ but I can't help hoping that the woman didn't get that job!!


It wasn't as if I'd asked her to stop, just speak quietly ............... the other customer was on the far side of the cafe and had heard every word.

Oh I love those "private" phone calls, had a lady glared at me in the park the other day as she obviously didn't want her call overheard...duh don't walk around the park talking loudly into your phone then! :-D

I know, Caroline! Talk about up their own!

They also take 'private' phone calls in their garden - at 90 decibels.
Sometimes (but not often) I regret having really good hearing.

Had another 3 hours yesterday, In the end, I lost it, slammed a door a few times and swore a lot!

This morning, I decided to clean a plastic cat carrier in the bath (which is right next to them). Gosh what a loud noise hard plastic makes against enamel! :-D

Then I went shopping. So far, no noise. They may have got the hint.
It wasn't just me they were bothering - they're mid-terrace!
I reckon they were disturbing the residents of at least 6 houses.

No-one minds a bit of DIY - but constant hammering ...............

Love the fact they complain about a little noise from your washing machine, sometimes I really think some people are so into themselves they have no idea how they affect others!

:-) :-)

Well, when I went into the garden, I could hear it very well from there!

I'm going to see what happens tomorrow.

The hammering's stopped now.

What really annoys me, is that I couldn't have an afternoon snooze!!

You can't put up with this I would get on to the council asap have you any neighbours that would back your complaint up I believe inspectors will come out to check it all it's just not acceptable you should expect peace in your own home Barbara

It's still a council house, and an 'extension' can be built with permission - and by registered, approved builders.
Him next door isn't any of the above.
The 'shed' is double layer breezeblock with insulation between the layers, and wood on the outside - so it looks like a shed!
It also contains a wood burning stove.
Guess who took pictures as this was going on :-D

The hammering today, stopped at 3pm.

Whoops! Spoke too soon - he must have been having his dinner. Re-started at 3.35