Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

News just in about the Dawlish railway line: http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/...mprove-safety/

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Well theres good news about older people getting Jobs in the U.K. NOW, just recently I remember reading ---- last year I think that instead of the old rule where you cant work past 65, well now you can work till you drop!!!! if you want to, although I think that new law only really covers people who have been with there employer for a while already,
But as long as your not too fussy in what kind of Job you do, I think you should be able to get a Job as a store clerk anywhere, no matter how old you are, as long as one still has a brain that functions fairly well, and of course there are no serious health issues,
I notice whenever Im in Asda shopping I see a lot of cashiers who are at least my age 69 and many look like there in there late 70's and early 80's still working to supplement there old age state pension,
Also homebase and B&Q and other supermarkets, etc I see many staff who are elderly, most of these Jobs are only minimum wage ---- but that isn't really too bad when you consider that the British minimum wage is close to £8 per hour -------- or around $12 or $13 per hour in USD ---- with at least 4 weeks paid holiday to start with, and all the public holidays fully paid which there are many of them over here :thumbsup: and all the paid sick pay which can be quite a few months every year that they are normally entitled to by law!!!
the benefits from employers here just go on and on, dont really understand how some employers make a profit!!! but they must still do well otherwise they wwouldn'tbe able to stay in business,
People who work at just average jobs over here seem to be taking holidays, a lot of them every year, and many holidays to sunny places in europe and other places like canary islands, and Thailand is a popular place for brits to go for a few weeks, and they seem to love Florida and Las Vegas,
Me thinks ----- All the decades I was in America I never got more then one or two weeks paid holiday from any employer, so like most average wage earners in the U.S. I never took a holiday, the only time I took a break was about once every 5 years I would pop over to England to visit my folks,
but these days over here in UK it seems that people who make normal wages --- like you know normal people, seem to go on an awful lot of holidays, people seem to be holiday mad over here, I think its mainly cause most people are tired of the UK weather and they escape to the sunshine for a few weeks as often as they can, so in that respect if you like ---- people I suppose these days are a lot better off in the UK then when I was living here in my Youth, as long as they have a secure steady Job of course, and many do!!! and of course you have the wealthy pensioners too, not me ;) but lots of pensioners are very well off and very comfortable in the UK, and they like to travel also,

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Not to mention the number of Brits that have second homes. (Little bit of jealousy here).

And another thing the temps have gone way up now here in the West. 100 degrees. On my home page I copied a photo someone posted showing it raining. What a Beautiful sight.

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Today I took a field trip to Riviera Terrace, the street in Dawlish that saw the worst destruction in February's storms. The area is now mostly restored, and I got these photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/island...7645037086273/

It was still, a lovely visit, and the only sounds were the geese flying overhead, and the two trains that passed by. There is a lot of cosmetic work still to do on the seawall, and there is talk of rebuilding a section to make the coastal path accessible at high tide. Railway workers still in evidence on certain sections of the sea wall. And the house which lost it's frontage is being worked on now - there are little fluorescent tags on many corners of the walls - I am assuming to see if there is any movement of the building?

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

All youze lot that get fed up with the British weather (I jest) can get on the plane and come over here and suffer with the heat that we have. It is the 3 rd of June and it is already as hot as as it is in July. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Grumble grumble.;)

Cheers

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the D Day Landings, where the Allies (British, Americans & Canadians) arriving in Occupied France to liberate them from Nazi tyranny. HM The Queen is in Normandy today for the commemorations, along with many other Heads of State.

I'm listening to the BBC Radio shows as they are giving extensive coverage today of the events of that day and there many conversations with the soldiers, airmen and sailors who took part in the D Day Landings.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0202pwp

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045c4pj - a special programme on BBC Radio 2, (currently live as I'm typing, but will be available online later)


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ion-D-Day.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/

I wonder what Rodney is doing today? I know that many of the ships left from his hometown of Portsmouth and there are some events taking place there today - I think the Red Arrows have done a fly-past too.

Rodney; did your Mum (or/and Dad) live in Portsmouth during the War? She must have many memories of War time......

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Well, that is good news, Rodney! I hope to make more than minimum wage, though. I have great skills. I am just concerned age will make it more difficult to find work. However, if I were to make minimum wage for starters, it's okay. When I get there, I will already have begun to draw my company pension and as soon as I am over there, my US social security. I am hoping I can save most of those two for three or four years and have I nice little nest egg by the time I retire. It's my way of recouping some of what I lost during the economic downturn in the USA. I also want to do freelance work as well as have a full-time job.

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Gosh, those pics really give an idea of the damage! It must have been horrendous. Even so, it is SUCH a pretty place!

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Lest We Forget

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Lots of celebrations all around the South Coast, especially from Portsmouth to Wey mouth where many of the ships and troops involved left from, there were also celebrations at Bletchley Park, where the code breakers not only deciphered the German codes, but used 5th columnists to send messages to the Germans that the invasion was to be at the Cap de Calais, a very sucessful ploy as it diverted a huge amount of German forces and armour there, and even in October '44 they were still there waiting for the invasion that never came. It shows how good the false messages were, and how good the agents were that got them believed. people working at Bletchley were sworn to secrecy about thier roles for 25 years. It wassn't till 1974 that the role Bletchley had during the war was fully explained.

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

I am so tired of living in the USA!

I got some news yesterday that means my circumstances here are changing - i.e. no job and having to move within a month. I can't say much but the owner's circumstances are changing and naturally this affects me.

I can either use my savings to go home or to re-establish myself here but, if I do that, it will be another year or so at least before I can go home. As a result, I am trying to go home now. There are two flies in the ointment! One is the 12 weeks (at least) it takes to renew my passport. I just can't wait that long so I would have to enter on my US passport which means my pets would have to fly the next day - unescorted! That's the second fly in the ointment! It "might" be possible that a friend here will escort them to the UK if I buy her ticket - not sure yet. However, surely that would put them in the same situation as if I flew with them! The problem there is that if I fly with them with a U.S. passport, it looks as if I am planning to stay in the UK and that must not be the case when entering with a U.S. passport. My friend would be in the same situation, although an American.

Why is life never simple!

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

For the last 12 months I've been looking at places for sale in this area. I am so disappointed it is an unreal feeling. Small, dirty, filled with mould, rising damp, wet rot - you name it, it's here. And the worst thing is people seem to accept that as just fine. When I say small - I mean small. Smaller than I currently live in as a tenant. I made myself feel ill by looking at prices in the US, specifically Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA and Sarasota, FL - places I like and know. What would I get for a similar sum of money? A decent house, with land to move about on. I am very unsettled again, wondering if I should contemplate leaving in the near future or just move within the UK. I will soon have to make a decision and I am unsure where to start. There is Windsong thinking of returning, and me thinking of leaving! If the US had a decent medical program I probably would leave. I miss my friends, and keep in touch daily - I have really never left the US emotionally. Like Barb said last year - once a ping ponger, always a ping ponger. She has pinged back to the north, to Cumbria. :(

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Yes Englishmum my Mum and Dad went through the whole 6 year war in Portsmouth, my Dad was a home guard shooting down the german planes as they were bombing the Dockyard and the rest of the city whenever there was an air-raid, my Dad also worked in the dockyard, they thought he would be better suited helping to repair the damaged ships rather then fight over there,
he was a carpenter, but he was a shipwright too,
I was born June 7th 1945 which was a month after war ended, but when my Mum was about 6 months pregnant with me she was taken to a hospital in Liphook a village not too far away, cause the bombs were still dropping on Portsmouth and so it was not safe for expecting Mothers,
did you know that rationing did not come to an end until 1953?
and when I was a boy I remember horse and carts coming through the streets, they were trade people, and I will never forget when you crossed the road you would have to be very careful at not stepping into the big piles of horse dung, and people would scoop it up and stick it in sacks and use it for manure in there allotments, when I was in the Junior school I wore short trousers and jacket, (school uniform if you were a young nipper back then) it would be weird to see that today, oh so many changes through all the years, some very good, and some not so good, but I sure am happy that the computer and the world wide web was invented ---- otherwise I would never had met all you fine people!!!!

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

I have been watching, on TV, these old veterans describe their experiences during the war and I don't think I fully understood what they went through. They really sacrificed for us. It is humbling to say the least. Many of them flew from England in those B17 bombers and they seemed to be on suicide missions because of the advanced anti aircraft guns that the Germans had.
The bombers that were fortunate to return were so shot up and were very poorly patched up before being sent out again.

I was born before the outbreak of the war and I was so young I didn't fully understand what was going on. I lived in Liverpool at the time and it really took a battering from the German bombers. My mother took us four kids and put us in the Anderson air raid shelters when the sirens sounded. Imagine that having four small children and no husband to help you ( he was overseas).

Cheers

Re: Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
 

Islandwoman and Windsong I hope you see a solution.
I understand Islandwoman the housing situation because I share your discouragement at finding a house that is affordable. I also compare the prices of what you could pay for a home in the US but I wouldn't swap places. I would stay in Dawlish. You will find something.

Windsong you are in a situation were you could gamble. Can you get a rush on your replacement passport?

Cheers