RETIREMENT SORTED LAST DAY 19th AUGUST

thankfully sharp eyed Tony O'Mahony spotted that the new Hardy family bench was in place at the cemetery but found that they had spelt Berta 'Bertha' anyway nice spot and they are going to get it changed in the next week. Mandy and I will pop along and have a look and do some tidying up after I've had my pre-operation medical and physio sessions next Wednesday.

So with lots happening suddenly it all seems to be falling into place and I've been emailing people at work, contacts, colleges etc and I've already got quite a collection of very nice best wishes. I'm going in on the Wednesday 19th Aug and the next day before my op I'll have off, that will the end of 40 years which have seen a progression from Wm Press & Son Ltd to Press Construction, AMEC and latterly Amec Foster Wheeler, I feel as if I'm a rat leaving a sinking ship the FW takeover really became an Albatross around their neck. Thankfully it all suits us quite well and it means that I get my notice in cash which means no tax. This will tise me over by supplementing the pension from the company until the beer money from the government starts when I'm 65.

It is of course one of those major life markers we pass through, a very low key pass mind you and by now I'm not that sorry to be getting away. The training and all the work we've put into developing courses and getting government accreditation really goes into hibernation , I'll just be getting everything wrapped up and enable a smooth transition for our clients internal and external via our existing trainers.

I've got the van washed along with my little car, even done the inside of the cab. Then I've loaded the Kent stock and some of our packing for the weekend. I've also done some weeding, mown the lawns, strimmed the edges and fed the birds. I'm no downloading the 3 hours of truck film I got over in the Wakefield area of Yorkshire and should have at least one DVD done tonight and the clips on Youtube.

photos then from Yorkshire, there were lots of Stobarts as ever, anyway I'll be attempting to blog via the Premier Inn internet so fingers crossed and if anything goes wrong I'll be back home Monday night.