Early Risers.

[TheSignalEngineer]

35 minutes ago, polybear said:

You can pay an awful lot each year into an AVC Fund

I don't know the present limit but when I filled up my fund it was 17.5% of salary for total pension contributions. I started mine when the children went to Uni as pension contributions were deducted from parental income for grant purposes. (Oh yes, back in the days when students got free tuition and maintenance grants).

My children both got grants as I managed to get my taxable income below the cut off point an as BR were encouraging people to plan for early retirement or redundancy they were matchong the additional contributions. By the time I got to 56 I was about to bust the limit on how much pension and tax free lump sum I could take so the tax man started to get interested. I worked out when to give notice so I could finish on 1st January but because of annual leave owing, Bank holidays and lieu days I only did 5 days in December.

[PhilJ W]

I was in the lucky position of being in payroll and having the necessary details at my fingertips to calculate to within a few pence what my pension would be after tax. I left at the end of March but due to accrued leave I didn't work that month and I also had another months leave due so there was double pay for that month. 

[The Stationmaster]

4 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I don't know the present limit but when I filled up my fund it was 17.5% of salary for total pension contributions. I started mine when the children went to Uni as pension contributions were deducted from parental income for grant purposes. (Oh yes, back in the days when students got free tuition and maintenance grants).

My children both got grants as I managed to get my taxable income below the cut off point an as BR were encouraging people to plan for early retirement or redundancy they were matchong the additional contributions. By the time I got to 56 I was about to bust the limit on how much pension and tax free lump sum I could take so the tax man started to get interested. I worked out when to give notice so I could finish on 1st January but because of annual leave owing, Bank holidays and lieu days I only did 5 days in December.

BRASS II was a good  AVC scheme but it had a nasty habit of BR's matching of my contributions stopping because I was over the limit and nobody telling me!

 

The Bear's tip is the way to go and is exactly what I did (more or less) - I was able to have the employer put a sum from my redundancy payment equal to 1.5 times my annual salary into the pension fund as a lump sum.   With the level pension I was going to be pretty near to the Inland Revenue limits (as they then were) whatever I did so I withdrew the maximum allowed tax free lump sum (c.1.5x pensionable annual salary) from the pension fund and also got more or less the maximum allowable pension.    The pension fund were very helpful with quotes for various lump sum/pension combinations and fortunately the numbers worked out pretty well for me and I made a substantial saving on tax.  But it meant that part of my accumulated AVC money could not be used as pension (and due to some poor advice from the dimwit in Human Remains I understood that I couldn't get it back so didn't ask for it - he should have been shot for telling people rubbish like that).

 

 

 

[AndyB]

Evening all.

Psst, Mike, your dear lady wife is looking over your shoulder....

 

 

All this talk of St Ives and findings in the dunes....

So about 20 years ago I was dispatched by the office to Carbis Bay for a few days.

 

Walking across the golf course around 5 o'clock one morning I heard the clanking of chains behind me. The clanking sound got closer and closer....and closer.

 

In the mist and pre-dawn light a strange, bulky figure resolved itself into the form of the town's mayor in full ceremonial regalia.  

 

I should probably mention we were both heading to the same early-morning press event! Rather than a recital of Einer Kleiner Nacht Musik by the St Ives Nude String Quartet. 

Sadly.

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by AndyB

[tigerburnie]

Early night tonight, out after a mythical Salmon tomorrow, I can't actually remember the last time I caught one, as it's all catch and release these days, you'd think one would give me a pull on the line, even if it lets go again(they often do).

G'night all.

[Coombe Barton]

 

... cooking less black this time.

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/postcards-from-the-periphery-2020-11/

[Happy Hippo]

On this day, 75 years ago, this building was complete.

 

A few hours later, the world changed forever and this ruin was all that was left standing close to ground zero at Hiroshima.

 

Now know as the Genbaku Dome it is a part of the Peace Memorial Park.

 

 

Rather than use an official posed picture, this is one I took in the evening when we visited Hiroshima last year as part of our trip to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

13 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

Any one else getting the advert for the "worlds best balls trimmer" along the right hand side of the page..............................................what the *!*?

At least it was just "sack" and not "crack".

[Happy Hippo]

11 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

Early night tonight, out after a mythical Salmon tomorrow, I can't actually remember the last time I caught one, as it's all catch and release these days, you'd think one would give me a pull on the line, even if it lets go again(they often do).

G'night all.

This is an army fishing rod:

 

[AndyB]

From memory I believe visiting the Peace Park is part of the school curriculum and every child has to visit it and learn about it. 

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[Gwiwer]

Good night all.  Sleep well.

[polybear]

25 minutes ago, AndyB said:

From memory I believe visiting the Peace Park is part of the school curriculum and every child has to visit it and learn about it. 

 

Though I  understand that very few younger Japanese have any idea whatsoever of the Japanese Prisoner of War Camps, atrocities etc etc.  They're not mentioned....

Edited August 5, 2020 by polybear

[simontaylor484]

22 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

At least it was just "sack" and not "crack".

I had an advert pop up on you tube earlier for Manscapes deoderant for your balls and a£@e crack would you believe what they try and sell.

The message they used was use deodorant underarm why not use it on the smelliest part of your body

[PeterBB]

7 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

In my misspent youth- more year's than I care to admit to, I helped to plant up the Dingle and I can tell you it's bl...y hard work pushing a fully laden Danish trolley down to the where they were needed.

Welcome to the world of ER and may you find solace and help as needed as you add your comments, views ,needs etc.

[simontaylor484]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Though I  understand that very few younger Japanese have any idea whatsoever of the Japanese Prisoner of War Camps, atrocities etc etc.  They're not mentioned....

In fact in Japan it is not taught at school about atrocities carried out by them in either the nanking massacre of Ww2.

I remember an outcry a few years ago about people worshipping at a temple where there are remains of A grade war criminals

Not that there is anything wrong with Shinto or any other form of religious worship.

 

By the way Knights of the Bushido by Lord Liverpool is worth a read if you can locate a copy. But it is not for the faint hearted

[PeterBB]

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I don’t recall ChrisF mentioning whether or not his printer has a wireless or network connection. There are still printers that just have a usb connection to a computer. I used to have a printer on my computer desk. Now they are all in the study near Aditi’s computers. I do get some audible feedback if Aditi is in the study to inform me something has appeared.  
Tony

I too have a printer that has a specific connection to the computer although not USB a mobile is US in this case ... its the same with bank statements - when printed and sent by the bank there is no hassle but online, if you can get online, access takes time and you bear the printing costs of a format that is not so nice and uses much more paper.

 

Crumbs, able to post two blog comments on a single visit (but nit the first time of booking-in) ... reminds me that I was just reading an NHN comment about ''no permission typo' when I had the same.

Edited August 5, 2020 by PeterBB
Remembered earlier evening read

[Debs.]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Though I  understand that very few younger Japanese have any idea whatsoever of the Japanese Prisoner of War Camps, atrocities etc etc.  They're not mentioned....

I fear the carpet bombing of Dresden etc., doesn't feature on our National Curriculum.....all perhaps with good reason; that these are lessons beyond those about apportionment of blame; rather to learn the whole concept of avoiding the cause of such conflict ever again. 

[simontaylor484]

Just before bed i have been having a couple of minutes watching bats flying about in the light from the street lighting fascinating creatures to watch.

[tetsudofan]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

On this day, 75 years ago, this building was complete.

 

A few hours later, the world changed forever and this ruin was all that was left standing close to ground zero at Hiroshima.

 

Now know as the Genbaku Dome it is a part of the Peace Memorial Park.

 

 

Rather than use an official posed picture, this is one I took in the evening when we visited Hiroshima last year as part of our trip to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

 

 

 

At that time I was two weeks old and Dad was still in the navy training for the invasion of Japan.

 

About 40 years ago when my parents visited me in Japan we all visited Hiroshima to see the Genbaku Dome and the museum... Dad didn't say much.

 

Keith

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Relatively busy day was had today. Had a call from ataxia nurse this morning and as it was a phone consultation no blood was taken! (I hate needles). Then took Syd for his morning walk, only a quick one though as we had arranged to take mil out to do her grocery shopping. Then took Syd out for his long daily walk, an hour and a half or so then back home for tea, and then a bit of shed time.

Meeting tomorrow with members of MRC to discuss what work we need to do to make new club rooms habitable and how far the budget will go regarding luxury items. At the moment the roof leaks, all the windows and doors have been smashed, wiring and copper pipes stolen and the outside (only) toilet has been smashed. Other than these things we could move in tomorrow! Oh forget to mention the piles on pigeon poo and dead pigeons on the rotting floor. 
At least we got rid of the woodworm infestation earlIer  so thatS one thing less to worry about.
Good night,

Robert
 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis is starting to grumble again so I'm going to rub in some more Voltarol gel when I go to bed tonight.

46 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I had an advert pop up on you tube earlier for Manscapes deoderant for your balls and a£@e crack would you believe what they try and sell.

The message they used was use deodorant underarm why not use it on the smelliest part of your body

Be very careful when spraying deodorant's on such delicate parts otherwise you might find it an eye watering experience.

[TheSignalEngineer]

9 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Be very careful when spraying deodorant's on such delicate parts otherwise you might find it an eye watering experience.

I was doing bucket & sponge duty for our office football team one night. A player got hit squarely in the crown jewels by a free kick and collapsed to the ground. I ran onto the pitch brandishing one of those pain relieving freezing spray cans. When he spotted me approaching he got up and ran off as if nothing had happened.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The weather today has been warm with quite a bit wind, (outside), but it didn’t stop getting out and getting some gardening done before dinner, but the afternoon rain meant that none would be done after dinner. 

 

So after dinner I gave the control panel it’s final top coat, this will now be left until weekend, when I’ll give it a coat of varnish prior to applying the lining and lettering for the track work. I then cleared out the under floor storage area so that I can fit underfloor insulation, which will then be followed by some permanent lighting in there. Hopefully I can make a start on that tomorrow. 

 

Goodnight all