Ok, so here's the deal. Google has stopped support for Blogger publishing blogs
to remote websites. Which means that I can't deliver the snappy blog that I used to, with support for comments.
Instead, I have to create this "blog" page manually and update it whenever I have something to say. Only you can no
longer reply directly - instead you'll need to email me at the usual address. Sorry about that. But at least the content
will be of the usual standard. For better or worse... Paul
Saturday 20th March 2010
I guess it's not too surprising that whilst I was able to easily find time to write the daily blog during the
Trans-Am trip once I've returned home and back into the thick of working life, I can't find the time any more.
Or the inspiration to sit down in front of a computer screen and pour out a flow of words describing the events
that occurred since the previous day. Days blur into one another, and whilst each features something unique, they
lack the wide variety that only travelling can really bring.
So please accept my humble apologies for leaving you devoid of my ramblings. I will try harder, and as life
becomes more interesting - which it inevitably will very soon - then perhaps I'll find the inspiration to write
more frequently once more.
In the meantime, life goes on. I'm getting closer to the day when I finish my traditional working life, at least
for as long as we can survive off our savings. I leave full time employment at the end of April. That's going to be a shock to
the system for sure, but I am really looking forward to it. No more early mornings catching the train to London,
squashed into a tiny seat unable to breathe let alone get the mountains of work that passes through my inbox done.
No more seemingly pointless meetings, no more frustration at the time it takes to get anything done, or the endless
people that need to be "consulted" in order to make something happen. But also no more intellectual challenges that stretch
my knowledge and test my powers of reasoning. No more laughs with those colleagues who really do make me feel like
continuing despite my desire to spend my time elsewhere. I'm going to miss some of the people quite a lot, whilst
others not a bit. But I've made my decision, and the future looks much more interesting without the 50 or so hours a
week work steals from me. Just hope we can manage without the steady income that selling my soul for the last 30 years
has brought in...
But I won't know until after I've left how it really works out, and as with all plans I've ever made, the only thing
that seems certain is that it won't be quite as planned... but as always, it will
probably turn out better than expected!
Meanwhile, we have put our home up for sale. We're still no closer to finalising the compensation claim, which we are
reliant on in order to commence the "Good Life" dream, but putting the house up for sale is a start. If
you're in the market for a beautiful 4-bedroomed family home with spectacular views, then you could do a lot worse...
and at just £175k it's a real bargain... details here.
We did think we'd sold it a week ago when we had a lovely couple and their 2 daughters round
to view it. They fell in love with
the house, then the following day went to see another that had a larger garden and a garage (the 2 things our home
lacks) and bought that instead. Fools.
As for other news, well, I'm doing something really exciting next week, but exactly what you'll have to wait until
next weekend to discover... I should get round to updating the blog
over the weekend, as I'm sure I'll have something worth writing about!
Sunday 14th February 2010
It's been quite a while since I last created a blog entry. 2 months in fact. The shock of returning to
normality has been, well, quite staggering. Normality is always a relative term, and in my life, normal
usually involves a lot of different things. This time has been no exception. We've had the excitement of
Christmas, new grandchildren (the gorgeous twins Izzy and Becky), a new bike, the snow, Tracy's boys
staying over, Carlie going back to Uni and now we're about to put the house back up for sale again.
In addition, I've been trying to determine what I want to do now that the big motorcycle adventure is over.
I've a few ideas, but until they start to crystallise, I'm going to keep them to myself. You'll be able
to read about them here, though, as and when they start to happen.
One thing I will reveal is that I've resigned from my job with Lloyds Banking Group and am currently
serving my 3 months notice period. It's part of a bigger plan to have a better quality of life, but it does
feel rather scary at times, knowing that I won't be receiving a large deposit in my bank account on the 23rd
of each month as I do at the moment.
As Bob Dylan so aptly put it, "The times they are a-changing"...
