jasper123

Oh Pegie, yes that must have been a terrible blow for you and Hubby, if only his company could have waited a little longer, just a few more months would have been better cause you had plans on your hubby and Dogs joining you in July wisent it? I echo Fish,s comment that I to believe you did the right thing in moving back to Scotland, OK now you need some really good news, vibes are going out to your Hubby in Canada from me,

Beedubya

Oh Peigi, I am so very sorry to hear this news about your hubby's job, life can be so damned hard going at times.

I just don't know what to say to you, hopefully He upstairs is moving in His mysterious ways to make it all right for you in the very near future.

When I did the long commute I tried to look at it in a positive light as an opportunity for snoozing, reading or plain doing nothing, I know with your positive attitude you will be feeling that too.

Lots of good luck and good vibes coming across The Universe to you and your family.

ldyinlv

Hi Bee,

Just checking in to say hello..not long now for you and Don..
I am enjoying getting to know the UK again. Yesterday went to Melton Mobray, home of the pork pie. It was market day, and the hustle and bustle was nice, great fresh fruit and veg, and wonderful baked goods...
Had a wonderful hot Pastie for lunch freshly baked..
I am all squared away with the NHS, just waiting to get my NI number, had to send away to find it. Other than that, the weather was really windy for a few days 60 mile an hr gusts, but yesterday was very pretty and sunny. Today gray and rainy. It is a nice change from blue skys and hot..
Jackie.

black swan

Jackie, have you visited Newark yet? I think it is about 20miles from Grantham where you are. My parents retired there many years ago so when we returned to the UK from Adelaide, Australia we went & lived there.

I loved the small historic market town of Newark on Trent. The castle where King John died centuries ago. The church spire where one can still see where a canon ball went through it during the civil war. I read that Oliver Cromwell kept his horses in the church, although at the start it was very much a Royalist town.

Try & visit on a market day. Used to be Wednesday & Saturday but probably more frequent now. In Spring they may have trips up the River Trent in one of the barges.

I regret that we returned to Oz (Perth now) & often get homesick for Newark even though I am from South London.
I read the Advertiser on line & it said the market had to close early due to the strong winds.
Paula

kmthor

our company started laying off last week...times are tough all over

jasper123

Well let me think not sure exactly how many times but yeah quite a lot mate, I go to St marys hospital Every Tues & Fri for my UV light treatment, and each time I go there to the dermatoligist ward I get to see a new nurse, I think I have gone through them all now not sure, and everytime I go a nurse asks me Oh ---- where are you from? and so yesterday the nurse who cared for me asked ----- where you from then love (in a real thick Pompey accent) she had very striking jet black hair, nice young lady, --- so before I could reply she said no dont tell me your either American of Canadian right? so I said nope Im a Pompeyite just like you, she said com on your aving me on right? so then I just told her the quick story, I got it down pact now,
Lived in U.S. FOR 36 YEARS, just came back to my home town of Pompey to retire and live the rest of my sorry life,
I have made an appointment at my Docs office to have my ears syringed on 22nd -- one of the nurses there do it, you have to put olive oil in your ears for a couple of weeks to soften the wax first, but there really bunged up, me Mums getting hers done next week, hey cheers Ive never heard of a doctors office do that in the US, maybe they do? but over there I always did it myself after a few days of the olive oil with one of those rubber flushers you can buy there at the drug store, nice to get it done profesionally though,
Hows your favorite show lately ----- Doc Martin, No offense but I watched it once and I just didn't get it, but I saw one whole episode and I remember I was (REALLY HAPPY that it was finally over with,
Later pal,
Rodney.

ldyinlv

Yes, I was in Newark the day the market was closed, there where a few hardy souls still working, but it was closed for the most part, it is actually where my parent go to shop, because alot of the shops in Grantham have closed.
Jackie..

dunroving

We lost 350 last year to early retirement and voluntary redundancy and we just got an email to say we will lose another 100 this year, not necessarily through voluntary early retirement/redundancy (i.e., could be compulsory redundancy).

You see these figures on the news and feel bad for those who lose their jobs (which we should - I feel fortunate to simply have a job of any kind).

It's also hard on those left behind - we are down to half the staff we had 2 years ago, but same amount of work (more, probably, with all the new "initiatives" being implemented ), so do the maths - our individual workload is just becoming unsustainable. My guess is pretty soon, we will have people taking sick leave for work-related stress and things will be even worse.

An additional effect is that other (support/admin) departments are the same - so when you call them they don't answer the phone, or you leave a message or email, and they don't get back to you, because they are barely keeping their heads above water ... so you can't even do your job as efficiently as before because you are constantly waiting on others to do their "bit".

sallysimmons

I went through that a few times when I worked in corporate America and I feel for you guys.

I saw a recent survey that said 65% of US employees are unhappy and plan to leave their jobs as soon as the economy picks up. I'm sure the same is true in the UK. When things do finally turn around, a lot of organizations are going to be shocked at how much turnover they experience because they treated their employees so badly.

Our economy is doing better than the UK's though. Personally I think it's because our government is taking the complete opposite approach to the Tories' austerity measures, but whatever the reason we're growing - albeit slowly - and the UK is shrinking.

jasper123

Hi everyone,
Well I thought I would tell you about what I found out yesterday, I phoned the UK ----- D.V.L.A main drivers licence replacement number, and I said I passed my driving test in London in 1963, but I have lived in America for the past 36 years, but now I have just recently returned to UK to retire and now live permanently, in all that time being away I have lost my old paper licence so how can I get a replacement?
So he just took my name and date of birth and got my info up on line within seconds, he asked me what address did you live in when you held a British licence? I told him the same as where Im living now --- my Mums house and I gave him the address, and he said yes thats the address on my screen, and he said last question what year did you start living in U.S. ---- I told him 1977, he said yes thats the year it shows that you turned in your British licence for an American one, the authorities always inform us from other countries when a U.K. licence is turned in for one of theres,
So he said all you have to do is pick up a D.I. form from the post office and fill it in sign it and enclose a passport size photo, also theres a place on form to write your (Passport number only) photo does not have to be countersigned by anyone, and you (MUST) enclose your U.S. licence and send in the official DVLA envelope and within 3 weeks I will receive my new UK photo driving licence, there will be no charge cause you are over 60 and the licence will be valid until my 70th birthday at which point I will have to re-new my D.L. and every 3 years after that I just need to renew licence and when picture expires you need to update picture too, ---- ( so they have a separate expiry date for the picture on the D.L.) pretty cool Huh
And he said that as I originally passed my test on a manual transmission in UK then I will be permitted to drive either an Automatic OR a manual transmission,
Well thats for anyone who is interested, So basically its no different whether you are a Canadian or U.S. driver licence holder you can just swap your licence for a U.K. one,
Take care,
I had a nice dinner last night, Faggots mash & peas Emmmmm really tasty,
Rodney.

sallysimmons

That's great information as I also had a license there in the early 80s. Thanks!

However, we didn't have to turn in our British licenses in Canada - we actually had to take a whole new test, so I hope that doesn't mess things up for me.

jasper123

Hi Sally, as weve said before both countries US/UK have its faults and there flaws, Ive only been left US for 9 weeks, and I remember just before I left Vegas they were forced to cut a whole bunch of police officer jobs and teachers got the axe and just about every level of local and state government had to be tremendously cut not just employees being laid off but lots of services like welfare and social services for the old and unemployed and disabled cut cut cut and cut some more to try to improve the deficit of over one billion dollars I think it was, and that was just for little ol Vegas,
So nevada unemployment figures when I left were at almost 15% --- highest in the nation and ----- all the other States werent doing too well either and most with huge deficits and all phases of state government services had to be cut ruthlessly, ---- ,my point is where exactly do you see any growth in the United States lately?
And yes of course U.K. is in much the same boat now too, we have to cut 10,000 police officers by 2012 all across nation, good time for criminals I would say, and lots of other things are going to be cut too, and I m not just talking about the NHS,
But Sally where do you see the US growing? and how can you say that the U.K. is shrinking?
Just wondered thats all
Rodney.

jasper123

No Sally Im sure that makes no difference at all, I think Ed said that she just swaped her Canadian D.L. for a UK one, and she was in Canada most her life, she was I think she said only 9 when her parents took her over there from Scotland.
Rodney.
PS to tell you the truth I thought I lost my UK licence all these years, and I laughed when he said on the phone that I turned in my UK licence in US in 1977 for a U.S. one, and all this time I thought that the DMV in Reno in 1977 made a mistake and gave me a D.L. just like that without taking a driving test, I still cant remember handing in my British licence but obviously I did, well it was a long time ago I suppose, so I said no wonder I couldn't find it all these years,
Bottom line is he said you must surrender your American licence, he said no one is allowed to have more then one drivers licence,
I didn't say anything but I later thought how strange that is --- cause I have two passports, one U.S. and one U.K. ----- Oh well go figure
Rodney.

islandwoman120

This is a story worth sharing:

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-w...-get-him-back/

curleytops

ED So sorry to hear about your husband's work, it's very worrying to have to deal with at the best of times and I know with being so far apart there are times when you just feel like you can't do much to help. Hopefully spring's not far off and that the house will move when the weather gets better then you can all be reunited again. You've been a strong lady through all of this and my hat's off to you! Chin up, thinking of you

Jasper That's great news about your driver's license and whether or not you plan to do much driving but at least it gives you the option. The public transportation network is great there but sometimes it's just nice to get a run out in the country isn't it?