MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Around about this time 40 years ago in July 1985 I set up my little 'soft furnishing' business. With a loan from a relative and a small room to work from (also from a relative) with cheap rent.
Off I went into the big wide world. Luckily there were no responsibilities at the time and with hard work and determination it took off. Today I'm much older, wiser and have responsibilities. Everyday the work has been different. It's been interesting and stressful, but somehow I made a living and have had some wonderful customers. Some of these customers have been very well known, some have been amazingly wealthy and some have been really down to earth and saved hard for some decent curtains, I hope I've treated them all equally.
I just wanted to say there won't be a gold watch or a gold plated pension, also I'd like to say thank you to the many STWers on here who have purchased curtains, blinds, cushions or have had things altered. It's been interesting, tiring and as the years have gone on harder to earn a decent wage.
Anyway where the hell did the time go :O)
I presume that post means that you’re retiring?
If so, then I hope that it’s long and happy and that you enjoy looking after your garden and the wildlife. X
Time seems to be accelerating too. Following junior growing up provided a reference but the years since he left home have become a blur.
Enjoy the (free) time you have left Bunnyhop (and nbt).
Anyway where the hell did the time go :O)
The world is popularly thought to be round, but in reality is shaped like a giant flower pot with a drainage hole in the bottom, the time gently leaks out through that. Obviously the deep state don't want people to know, but if you do your own research, you can eventually get to the truth.
Scientists are secretly working on plugging the hole or at least making it considerably smaller, but without proper care, the danger is that time could inadvertently happen in ultra slow motion, which would be extraordinarily dull.
People will scoff at this, but I've yet to hear a more realistic explanation.
I presume that post means that you’re retiring?
If so, then I hope that it’s long and happy and that you enjoy looking after your garden and the wildlife. X
Thank you. Not total retirement, but part time working.
As anyone with a certain type of business will know, there is stock to clear and running down a business could take a couple of years. NBT wants me out of the workroom pretty sharpish as it's one of the nices places in the house, with stunning views and lots of space.
BWD - you have too much time on your hands to think up that 'cough' little gem of information.
BWD - you have too much time on your hands to think up that 'cough' little gem of information.
All based on bona fide, peer-reviewed research published in reputable journals and independently verified by uz dog, who you still haven't met. He'd like you. He likes anything associated with bunnies it seems 🙂
Yep definitely coming round to see Sprocket very soon.
Yep definitely coming round to see Sprocket very soon.
To see BWD & better half, while ignoring the puppy
Well done @Bunnyhop I hope you manage to wind the business down in your own way and not get stuck in the "One more job" situation.
I also started out in the big world of work in July 1985, though I did try retirement from June 2022 but have been doing part time since Feb 2024 but with no real stress.
I guess it's harder to just stop if its your own business, particularly if its something you have run for 40 years!
Watching the Live Aid highlights, gave me a shiver, as that seemed like yesterday too.
Enjoy it. 👍
We stepped away at the end of March and are enjoying every minute of it.
No regrets
To see BWD & better half, while ignoring the puppy
Definitely, he gets more than enough attention from people already.
He's grown a bit since you last didn't see him though 🙂
In other - where did all the time go? - news, I collected my Mk2 GTi from the garage I use over in Glossop and realised I'd been a customer there since the last century. How did that happen?
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so,"
wise words… what IS for lunch btw??
customer there since the last century
last millennium even!
Op - I had no idea what you do for a living, assumed IT just like the STW stereotype 😂
That must be a big decision to make.
Whats in the future ? I had forced retirement (redundancy) placed on me at the start of the year. 6 months out of work made me realise i wasn’t ready to retire. I’m working again now but know now probably another 5 yrs and I will be done with work
customer there since the last century
last millennium even!
I still wear SOCKS I bought in the last millenium :O
I had forced retirement (redundancy) placed on me at the start of the year. 6 months out of work made me realise i wasn’t ready to retire. I’m working again now but know now probably another 5 yrs and I will be done with work
interested in this, as in a similarish position, having climbed off the exec career merry-go-round at the end of June, rather unexpectedly…
how did you know you weren’t ready ? A thought/mind thing, or financially driven ? Age related ? New job in similar role to previous ?
Please don’t answer if questions a bit personal !. I am 60 next Feb and financially could get by ok, but haven’t developed my thoughts yet !
It’s tricky to know when to stop. Many people are desperate to retire. Others retire early and can’t cope.
I absolutely love the actual work. However some customers expectations of what they can get for their money (my work is all hand finished) is astounding.
I won’t miss going out after work and measuring people’s windows (no charge) and not knowing if I’ve actually got the work, luckily this never happened with regulars.
The only reason I’m carrying on is to run down the stock.
If anyone wants to buy some curtain related sundries at cost price let me know 😀
Where did the time go?
I wish I knew, I'm nearly 50, I still act like I'm not. Cycling to work, ooh look there's a cross country route I'll go that way. Bouldering last night, I only started this about 5 years ago, then had a pandemic shaped gap for a bit (doesn't that feel like a lifetime ago now too?). I've done 'stuff' after every work day this week, I'm shattered and missed the dog, so working from home today and off oop North for the weekend, then before you know it Monday is back, and then it'll be Three word Friday again in no time. Then it'll be August, Then Christmas, then skiing then ....
Good luck with the semi retirement, even more time for long ski trips?
Good luck with the semi retirement, even more time for long ski trips?
Thank you, that is indeed the plan. Also more short cycling trips.
I absolutely love the actual work
Ah can you retire if you’ve never worked 🙂
Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Mark Twain
I’m still dancing around the edges of my retirement, I also like doing what I do but…..there’s more to life 🙂
how did you know you weren’t ready ? A thought/mind thing, or financially driven ? Age related ? New job in similar role to previous ?
I am a little younger at 51.
Finance wise we are lucky as my wife has a well paid job.
Being made redundant was at first (although hard to take) an opportunity to reset and move away from all the b@llocks and stress that goes with middle management.
6 months of biking when I wanted where I wanted, doing odd jobs around the house etc was great, but you can only do so much of that before you have done it. Also all your mates are still at work, so you can get out biking etc but no bugger else is about.
It did surprise me that sadly there were a few men probably 50+ in a similar boat to me out biking ie been made redundant etc.
Mrs FD will be working for some years yet. A lot of the retirement stuff would be going away for extended periods of time, and I would way to do that with her.
I then began to just realise I still had more to give and wanted more.
Going for jobs (middle management etc again) I was careful only to select jobs I really thought I could make a difference in. If at interview I didnt like the feel of things I would just walk away.
My current role is only fixed term. At one point I would have hated that ie lack of control, but now I see it as giving me control over my future. ie it if gets all b@lloxey i will just walk.
I haen't worked since age 42 and have never run out of jobs or lacked company. Madame Edukator works 3 1/2 days a week which is the time it takes do do the DIY, play guitar, prepare the bikes/wax the skis. There's lots of things to do in the week. Horse riding Thurday morning, roadie club Tuesday afternoon in Winter or morning in Summer, ski when there's weather window, swimming twice a week or more in Summer, reading, STW... .
I absolutely love the actual work. However some customers expectations of what they can get for their money (my work is all hand finished) is astounding.
I'd love my job if I didn't have clients 😉
Enjoy your (semi?) retirement, I'm certainly counting down the days til mine!
I was at a work bbq a few weeks back and one of the young lads I was having a beer with asked how long I was in the company.
So to answer a question with a question I asked him what age he was. After he told me he was 25 I told him I started working in the company (not my first job) 7 years before he was born 😀
Where did those years go ???
@MrSparkle - no one has commented and I think that is a fantastic pun !
Congratulations on semi retirement - I did it last year but it seems to have developed into a 3 day a week job and a payrise but I enjoy it which is the crucial difference. Hope to see you in the Grand Massif next year - we'll be there in January and March, apres haunts likely to be Spot, Blackside (which will be under new ownership as Jean-M has sold up and retired, although he's going to there Christmas/early Jan) and Thursday nights at Hotel Totem.
Look out for short arse in bright blue helmet and bright green Norrona jacket with tall git in purple helmet and ????? jacket as he has so many!
Might be interested in helping you get rid of some of your stock 😉
@sprootlet, I did indeed like MrSparkle's pun. Glad you're enjoying your semi retirement. I'm just fitting in work around other things atm, but hoping to be more organised in the next few weeks. Going to be able to say no, to some of my more 'troublesome' customers.
We would love to ski with you again (my shoulder will have fully recovered by then). However this season we're in St Foy and later Tignes. Maybe next season.
I've been selling quite a bit of curtain fabric and other workroom sundries on Vinted, but there's 40 years worth of stuff in there :0)
Most of my time goes waiting for pages to load on this forum!