Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

As has been mentioned by several folk here, today I have mostly being getting made redundant. 

 

C'est la vie, I'll not be the only one, there will be a lot of folk out of work around the world before all this is over. 

 

I/we'll be OK thanks, I have a small pension from years of government work, at 61 I have little chance of finding alternative work in the current situation, so I think perhaps I may have retired.  Also Mrs NHN is but a youngster and still works full time in a decent job.  It would also be very difficult to go and work for someone else after effectively working for my best mate as an almost equal for over 6 years. 

 

So we went from 8 employees to zero in 7 months.....and believe me we tried everything, and thought we had done OK after Christmas when we re-organised, and  then Covid came along and scuppered the whole thing.  John's wife didn't die of CV19 BTW, it was entirely un-related but very sudden, in fact in her sleep, but that really put the kybosh on it.  He had a week off last week to think things over, and the result is what you see - or don't, as we have disappeared.

 

So thank you all for your support, and trade in the past.  I'll still be here!

[jamie92208]

Neil, very sorry to hear what has happenned and I hope that you and your other half will be OK.  Retirement isn't too bad, I've only been practising it for 18 years. The only problem is that there are no days off.

 

Jamie

 

[polybear]

Bear's thought for the day:

 

Taxpayer goes to a restaurant for din dins at half-price.  Restaurant sends the bill to the government.  Government does loads of ludicrously expensive admin, then tells the taxman to shaft the taxpayer to get all the money back....

Meanwhile, non-taxpayer also gets half-price din-dins - and taxpayer gets shafted for that too.

Is Bear missing something here?

 

Thoughts go to NHN, and to Donk & Friends.

[New Haven Neil]

It seems Donk is little bothered by events....

 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

So thank you all for your support, and trade in the past.  I'll still be here!

A “heart” by way of rating seems grossly and almost obscenely inadequate. 
 

Through no fault of one’s own having the rug pulled and life turned so abruptly upside down deserves so much more support than the mere click of a keypad button across cyberspace. 
 

Father was made redundant more than once. The final time came when he was 62 and working for a small industrial concern run by, as he put it, a complete crackpot. He never worked again.  I can relate a little to Neil’s situation because

of that although the closeness of the Manx community and the very personal reasons behind the TS closure might make it feel much more personal. 
 

Please be assured that there is always a hand of friendship and the offer of support extended here. I may know nothing about motorbikes and have always said I wouldn’t be seen dead on one never mind alive. But here we are family and one’s loss is a loss shared by all. 
 

Full marks for trying everything. The odds are heavily stacked against many businesses right now. Hold your head high knowing TS went out winning and as one of the best. With some of the best people. 
 

Best wishes and good luck for all your tomorrows. 
 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Thank you Rick - that's quite a write-up.

 

Anne's loss was difficult for the NHN's, as they and us are/were of course 'besties', so it's very, very personal as well as business matters here.  I haven't talked about it much on here in respect of John's feelings.  Debs and I miss her terribly.

 

The staff at Trackshack have always basically been friends, or become friends shortly after being recruited, we're a close bunch.  That made closing all the harder of course, but the relationships remain strong, especially amongst the modelling members - there were two non-modellers, but even then I have known one of them for 18 years, he used to be MY boss elsewhere back then!

 

Retirement here I come - the Paneer railway may get finished now!

[polybear]

9 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Retirement here I come - the Paneer railway may get finished now!

 

Come on in - the water's lovely....

 

[Andrew P]

14 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Thank you Rick - that's quite a write-up.

 

Anne's loss was difficult for the NHN's, as they and us are/were of course 'besties', so it's very, very personal as well as business matters here.  I haven't talked about it much on here in respect of John's feelings.  Debs and I miss her terribly.

 

The staff at Trackshack have always basically been friends, or become friends shortly after being recruited, we're a close bunch.  That made closing all the harder of course, but the relationships remain strong, especially amongst the modelling members - there were two non-modellers, but even then I have known one of them for 18 years, he used to be MY boss elsewhere back then!

 

Retirement here I come - the Paneer railway may get finished now!

All the best Neil, I can relate as I was made redundant at 60, and went into panic mode for 24 hours, until my wife said, why not look at early retirement, two days later and I felt like I had the rest of my life to look forward to.

I took off my watch, and haven't worn one since, and now at 70, it's been 10 glorious years, other than a couple of minor health scares, (small stroke and Heart Attack) but I recon I've a lot of livin to do yet, and a lot more TRAINS to run.

[polybear]

8 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

......... it's been 10 glorious years, other than a couple of minor health scares, (small stroke and Heart Attack) but I recon I've a lot of livin to do yet, and a lot more TRAINS to run.

 

Minor?  Blimey, you're obviously a man not easily phased....

[Debs.]

Popped in to check on activities; consider yourselves 'chucked' 

Hugs all `round as appropriate. 

[polybear]

Look out....low flying Awls at seven o' clock, out of the sun.....

[simontaylor484]

Neil,

 

I can fully sympathise with your situation as I am currently staring in to the abyss of losing my job through health reasons it's not an easy thing to think.at such times especially when you have lost a  close friend.

 I have only been around this part of the forum for a couple of weeks and found people to be very friendly and supportive Thanks to one and all

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Phew - nearly posted a Paneer photo.  Lulled into a false sense of security!   Just survived....

 

Thanks Andy, I have had 3 bouts of orthopaedic surgery in the last 7 years and am paying the price for that now a little too,  there is nothing further that can be done surgically now - retirement will help a lot, less time on my feet will help. Then bl**dy diabetes arrived too, to put a cherry on top.  Shouldn't complain, other folk have had far, far more to cope with.

 

 

[AndyB]

Neil all the best to you and your trackshack colleagues. I can only add that if success is measured by excellent customer service, then you and your colleagues have most certainly excelled! If retirement does indeed beckon then it is well deserved. 

[Erichill16]

Evening all,

Sorry not up to speed again, getting a bit of a habit. I have gathered than Neil is apparently taking enforced early retirement, well make the most of it, I’m sure you’ll  enjoy it. Not a lot happening here, Syds here for the week so taken him for a couple of walks and bit of paperwork been the high lights of today.
Hope everyone is ok,

Goodnight,

Robert

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I took early retirement over 12 years ago just short of my 60th birthday and it was the best thing I ever did. Of course all of our individual circumstances are different but in my case the lunatics cockwombles had started to take over the asylum and I was glad to get out.

20 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Neil,

 

I can fully sympathise with your situation as I am currently staring in to the abyss of losing my job through health reasons it's not an easy thing to think.at such times especially when you have lost a  close friend.

 I have only been around this part of the forum for a couple of weeks and found people to be very friendly and supportive Thanks to one and all

 

 

 

Simon, I hope you are in a good pension scheme that will give you an adequate income. I spent most of my working life in a busy payroll department and it was noticeable that those who stayed on till they were 65 did not last as long as those who went earlier, even those who went on ill health retirement lasted a lot longer. 

[iL Dottore]

Sorry to hear about the recent bad news, Neill. It’s not a fun experience being made redundant (been there, done that, got the T-shirt-twice). However, at least your experience will be made tolerable by the prospect of retirement and the ability to give your body some well-deserved “love and attention” Certainly, for some funny reason, tediously boring things that you hated doing because “it was for work” will suddenly become much more enjoyable (and a lot less stressful as well). That, at least, is a prospect to relish.

 

Sadly, I have ALSO heard many distressing things about “retirement”. Firstly, you will have SWMBO’s undivided attention - this, contrary to popular belief, actually means more work than you could have ever imagined;: she will have LISTS for you to work through at her convenience. Secondly, you will no longer have any excuse for avoiding those friends with whom the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is most applicable. “Dear old Charlie” who previously you managed to see just a tolerable twice a year, will suddenly be popping up on a infuriatingly regular basis. Finally, and most critically, the opportunities to disguise the number of modelling tokens spent on our most important of hobbies, will be severely, and I mean severely, curtailed. 

Fortunately, I am not yet retired (and the type of work I do does mean I could work for as long as I want to). But (to use an Americanism) “ I feel your pain“

 

Here’s hoping for a more cheeful August for you

 

iD

[New Haven Neil]

32 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Neil,

 

I can fully sympathise with your situation as I am currently staring in to the abyss of losing my job through health reasons it's not an easy thing to think.at such times especially when you have lost a  close friend.

 I have only been around this part of the forum for a couple of weeks and found people to be very friendly and supportive Thanks to one and all

 

 

 

 

I originally came here when I was ill after some fairly gruesome hip surgery to correct an abnormality, to kill sometime while I couldn't even sit up properly - I found this to be a superb supportive place, free from the bad manners and snidey comments that many fora seem to attract.  Everyone has been really great, and I hope you can find support here too, you will see you're not the only person on here that suffers with black moments.  A problem shared.... 

[simontaylor484]

I have a couple of pensions but the problem is that I am 43, I will just have to wait and see what happens its in the hands of doctors and specialist 

[New Haven Neil]

iD, there will be no modelling tokens!  Not for a few years until my state pension kicks in too anyway.  I have a fair old stock of things to build/improve/find that will keep me out of trouble for a few years.

 

The 'honey-do' lists have already been posted, SWMBO works full time in the Big City so I have to knuckle down now and do the washing and cooking.  #sigh#

 

Donk is made up though, he likes human company, I am his minion.  Here I'm his punkah-wallah! (out of sight).

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

There's this lot too, high maintenance I can tell you!  Just ask Polybear.

 

[simontaylor484]

Looks like donk will keep you busy and out of mischief

[Coombe Barton]

I am very, very fortunate. I've been made redundant five times in my life, and landed the current employment when I was 52. Been here ever since, and just going on. (and, according to Sandy, on and on and ...). 

 

It knocks you for six, it really does.

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 02/08/2020 at 06:37, PatB said:

Why is it so unacceptable to be an introvert content with one's own company? 

I can do both states, but have quite enjoyed the side of lockdown which means I don't have to appear to be enjoying the company of certain individuals who should have been put down a long time ago.

[simontaylor484]

A similar thing happened about 10 yrs ago I lost my job,got better got a new job that I loved sadly the problem has recurred i hope it will.Be a temporary setback