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I don't really know how a public sector pension works. I was offered one at work after I had been here for 2 yrs, and so I said yes as it was effectively 'free' money - my employers contribute every month, but I do not add anything to it, so I guess it's pretty tiny! But it does seem wrong if the contributions that YOU have made are then reduced as presumably you didn't have to make those contributions, you only did so because you could afford to at the time and you were being sensible and planning for the future. So in otherwords if you had banked the money instead of paying it in to the pension, you would still have it. Or am I completely wrong?
I personally don't think losing 1 day of school is going to harm the kids at all, I am more thinking of it in terms of the inconvenience to parents etc. I assume then it won't curry much public support because of the inconveneince, and surely alienating people from your side is the last thing teachers want.
Congrats Vixo! Glad it went so speedilly in the end. PP are you still hanging on??
Pension - hmm I think I've heard of them. My IFA despairs of me cos I say nope I need the money NOW. I quite simply don't have the £300 a month he wants me to put aside. Who in the name of the wee man does have it? I think I put away £80 a month. That's the grand total of my pension scheme. I'm going to be seriously broke but I figure as long as my house is paid for by then then I might be OK! Plus he said something along the lines of retiring at 60 and I laughed in his face. Who can afford to retire at 60? 70 maybe.
Argh, no rest for the wicked - "mummy I'm hungry"!
Congratulations Vixo and welcome to the world Eliza. I think it's a lovely name. I knew a Liza, but not an Eliza.
Boo to the squits Caro, Abi has had them recently too although she's been fine within herself. Maybe there's some weird bug doing the rounds?
I was umming and arring about Oliver anyway as it is such a popular name and for some reason I don't like the idea of people saying "which Oliver?" and him constantly being referred to with his surname too.
We didn't tell anyone about Abi's name until she was born. Who can say "eww!" when they're being introduced to a newborn? We've a couple of other names up our sleeve I think but up our sleeve they'll stay until he comes out!
I've spent the day with my big brother today. Some of you may remember he was considering moving over to the UK from Canada. Well he's been over to look for houses and decided that actually, Manchester is still the sh*t hole that he left all those years ago so he's going to stay in Canada. He popped down to Gloucester for the afternoon and we went out for pizza. It was soooo lovely to see him and for him to meet Abigail It'll probably be another few years before I get to see him again. I cried when he left but only after he drove off. I miss him.
Congrats again Vixo. x
Congratulations Vixo and welcome to the world peerie Eliza! Lovely news, love the name. What is Isabelle thinking of her little sister? Hope you are arecovering well.
PP - Canada is a great holiday destination! We went to see my close friend in Nova Scotia a few years ago. We didn't have the twins then (found out I was preg on that holiday!) but had the other 4 kids. Great country. I wouldn't move from there to Manchester(or the UK) either! Alwasy sad when you can't see family and friends as much as you would like.
We had 2 days of the most glorious weather. Warm and sunny, have hardly been indoors. Loving it. Sophie got home this morning after her Edinburgh trip. She has had a great time. Super to have her home.
20 miles on the bike this morning and 6 mile run this afternoon. Foot feeling a little bit niggly though so going to have to take another rest day tomorrow I think.This time next week I'll be in IoW - eek!
My friends went to Toronto for a year - he is a consultant, no idea exactly what in but googled him once and he was on the news having done something mega impressive in renal surgery. They are still there. They went when Anna was one. I think it's 9 years now! They say they can't move back because you simply cannot replicate their lifestyle back here. We probably wouldn't move away from family but when you are out there it's mega tempting. Sadly there is no need of Scottish qualified lawyers out there either
jealous of the good weather Lotte - it's blimmin awful here!
We've had a 2nd note of interest and the woman wanted to offer on Friday but was waiting for a call back from her building society, plus it turns out that my solicitors were at the Musselburgh Races Ladies Day! Hope hope hoping for an offer early next week though worried I might need to go to a closing. Would rather just take the first offer assuming it's a good one - they do know someone else is interested and tbh I have no interest in people psyching one another out. and it coming down to a matter of 100s. I want a fair price for the house nothing more and secretly I liked one couple far more than the other and would like them to have it.
Don't tell Andy but I just spent a fortune on wallpaper in the laura ashley sale because the stuff I have in Lou's room is on half price so I just bought 5 rolls on the assumption that she is very unlikely to have a room that needs more than that to do one statement wall no matter where we live. He'll kill me if he finds out - I've even arranged to send it to my work instead
I accidentally managed to click on a lovely dolls house style door stopper for her birthday. whoops!
PP I totally relate to not wanting the wee man to be known by his surname. I have been known as Claire B or Brewster for half my life. I am now Mrs N to all my work colleagues. All because in 1974 there were about a zillion little girls christened Claire. We had 6 or 7 in my year at school and there were even two Claire Bs!
CM, I have both those genes. I am not a huge fan of non carpeted lounges but that is cos I feel the cold and I find wood baltic. Not to mention the enormous dust balls that float about. When you are as clarty as me you need some good old fibres to catch them under the sofa
I like wallpaper but usually just as a one wall and it's not exactly overwhelming - it's the Molly Spot paper, pale pink with multi coloured polka dots! We've always just had paint until this house and I have really got into the idea of paper. I think it's partly cos some of the walls are not brilliantly finished as they've had so much stuff go up and down on them over the years so they kind of need something on top to hide it!
Lotte, glad Sophie is home safe and sound. I hope the rest helps, you'll be great this time next week!!!
Caro, I'm now 18/40. It is going quicker this time, the weeks are flying but there still seems a long way to go. I had a bit of a scare earlier- thought I saw a little blood and then my imagination ran riot. Baby still kicking
And we think we're coming back to London in Aug, not that anything is organised yet!!! Hubby has interview 04/07 for something that would sort us out, so fingers crossed, but I'm trying not to think about it all as I can't control any of it and lack of planning stresses me out!!
Pensions - I think I'll get double-screwed if /when I go back to the nhs, because I'll have been out too long to go back on the old scheme that I paid 7 years into, and will have to go into new average pay-which like Janie will involve part time...however my brain's not functioning enough for all that at the mo'!
Oh JT I hope you feel better soon, it's so much worse when you all have a bug as nobody is well enough to look after the others! I do totally sympathise with your pension dilemma- so unfair that money you've paid in seems to be shrinking when you expect it to grow. Others who haven't made any provision at all get their pensions made up too so there often isn't much difference even though you've worked all your life! I do think the system is crazy and not sure how they should/ can address it. I also work for the nhs and to be honest I saw the other side of the coin where part-timers suddenly went full time and did nights to boost their final salary and retired on a good whack which they hadn't really earnt over their career; no way is it fair that your full time contributions should be wiped out just because you go part time for a spell whilst raising your family?
EF- hope you find a way to sneak the paper into the new house! I struggle with hard floors too as the dust and debris seems to multiply even when nobody is in the house. I can leave the kitchen floor clean and come home to find crumbs, footprints, fluff and stuff....weird.
JB- I hope that is somekind of half yr target ?! You must be feeling good if you are doing any running/ cycling so hats off to you, but take it steady....
Lotte- are the games on TV, I am more than happy to cheer you on from here?
PP-sorry to hear your bro has changed his mind, facebook and skype make it easier to stay in touch but it's the same as a hug xx
Just whizzed up to Luton to collect a friend after work, now home, dinner gobbled and I need a shower!!
hmm all this talk of pensions has made me think I really should join a union again.... as I said earlier I quit in disgust when the airline staff striked but it really leaves me vulnerable.....
hubby wants computer again (it is his laptop but our house PC has died)..... may have early night so I can get up before him tomorrow and make an effort to pull his box of maltesers from the drawer for fathers day.
Lily was either going to be a Mia or a Lily and we'd decided that before she arrived. With Issie she was nameless for about 2 days until hubby suggested Isabelle. And lastly for Anna the name was always on my list but hubby had previously said he didn't really like it that much but as soon as she came out he changed his mind and said he thought she'd suit the name, which she does.
Best excuse I ever heard for not using a name was something somebody said over on the pregnant mum's thread, the mum-to-be had suggested the name Daniel to her partner whose response was "No, Daniel rhymes with spaniel". Can't remember who said it but it still makes me chuckle.
JT - hope you all get over the sickness bug soon, when we had it recently it was horrid so know what you're all going through.
I'm feeling very middle aged today as we paid the deposit for our conservatory this afternoon. We went to see one they'd done in the area and the saleswoman admitted that she really needed to make up her sales figures for the week so if we signed today she'd give us another £900 off! Couldn't really say no after that and as we'd already pretty much decided we were going to go with them anyway and we'd been willing to pay the price she quoted previously. Really scary is that they start work on it a week on Monday so we're preparing ourselves for a few months of chaos what with the conservatory, fitting a new kitchen and the other building work ...
Right, red wine beckoning so best go!
My friend had a 3rd scan yesterday as she had had a low-lying placenta (which has thankfully now moved) but she found out that her expected little girl called Lily is actually going to be a boy! Imagine if she hadn't had that 3rd scan?!
Hope you get over it quickly JT, not nice when you all have it, thankfully has never happened to us - we seem to do a relay or just alternate who catches each bug!
N is very bothered by something today, must be his teeth we think though even Nurofen didn't seem to help. Fingers crossed he's not up all night...
Just had a nice meal with hubby which I cooked him for his birthday - a Jamie Oliver 30 min one (which invariably take about an hour to make!). Finished off with a nice bottle of fizzy rosé
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Congratulations Vixo on the super speedy arrival of little Eliza. Look forward to seeing some pics on FB soon.
We are heading up to Virginia tomorrow to join a big group of friends at the lake house of one girl's family, so looking forward to it but so much to do before we go, ugh! Is about a 9 hour drive so we will go as far as we can face tomorrow then the rest of the way on Monday. This is a much needed break for us and our friends are all so lovely with Max that they will probably give us a bit of a break every now and then too. No other little ones going but one friend is 17 weeks pregnant, so close to you Joh, will be interesting to compare your experiences.
Hope the poorly ones among you are all better soon.
RB - special Happy Fathers Day wishes to you for tomorrow. xxx
Happy Father's day RB. Are you doing anything special? I hope you have a lovely day.
My ear infection appears to be back, hence me being up at this unearthly hour on a Sunday morning. It's been going on for 3 weeks now and I'm peed off with it. Back to the quacks first thing tomorrow I think.
TT, have a lovely holiday, I don't envy you that drive though! 9 hours with a one year old....eek!
Very exciting re your conservatory Karen. Hopefully the building work wont cause too much of a disruption.
I hope your household feels better today JT. Horrible when everyone is ill like that at once.
I can't believe you're 18 weeks already joh! When will you know if you're coming back to the UK? Is it likely to be before the baby's born?
I might try and get some more shut eye.......
oh dear, PP. when i saw the time of your post, thought it was going to be a labour one! hope you can get seen tomorrow. is it worth trying to get an OOO one today? sure they would see you as you are so heavily pregnant...
T was terrible with names. everything i suggested was 'no' on the grounds that it rhymed with something or was associated with something. luke / puke; anna / piano (doesn't even rhyme!!); owen / hargreaves. couldn't have the name of anyone famous or anyone controversial or that he didn't like. couldn't have a name that had ever been used in the family by anyone - even if we never saw them and i had never met them. couldn't have a name that rhymed with anything. it was a real trial!
Poor you PP, ear infection is so not what you need at this stage. I remember having an eye problem in 2 of my pregnancies and trying not to take any pain relief as I was pregnant - just felt like crying all the time it was so horrible. Definitely get yourself back to the docs in the morning. Fingers crossed they can give you something to clear it up completely this time. Hope you got a bit more sleep too ...
TT - sounds like a lovely break, and if Max is the only little one there I'm sure he'll be spoilt rotten, and you might even get time to go out for a run
. Good luck with the 9 hours in a car, at least Max isn't old enough to start with "Are we nearly there yet?" which Issie now says as soon as we get in the car to go anywhere!
CM - from everything we've heard about T before doesn't surprise me that he was a pain about names too, but Anna / piano?? durr!
Have woken up this morning with terrible DOMS, actually not sure can call it DOMS as it's only from yesterday's exercise; hubby is starting a new Boot Camp circuits class on a Sunday morning so he took me down to the forest so he could do a run through yesterday. I haven't done a circuits type class since I was at school and while it was actually quite fun I can confirm that burpees are still absolutely horrible
Oh dear, Issie has just been putting lipstick on - best go and clean her up.
Happy Father's Day everyone!
I didn't get up until 9am and Abi is still sleeping! Poor Mr PP. I had intended for him to at least have a cup of tea in bed but instead I've come downstairs to find he's done all the dishes from last night, had a tidy up and is now about to take the dog out for a walk.Not the father's day I had in mind for him but hey ho!
Anna/Piano???? Does he have a Dick Van Dyke accent or something CM?
PP - glad you got a bit of a lie-in. now isn't the time for you to be worrying about father's day!
no - T's a geordie, actually. but he was soooo diffcult about names. he would come up with stupid names, like cuthbert, and insist he was serious about them. the only sensible name he ever suggested was noah, which i like, but to me it is a bit too old testament. but then he would go stupid and declare beelzebub, jehovah etc. and i would just despair because we were making no progress! he did it to wind me up. the daft thing was that he never made any genuine suggestions (other than insisting on noah for a boy - which he didn't get. ha!). and for a girl he would just say things like prunhilde and myfanwy and i would just give up trying to talk to him about names. if E had been a boy, she was going to be benjamin (ben) noah. thought noah was safe enough as a middle name. i always wanted a little girl called Anna (even though i don't do names ending in 'a'). think it's the Anna Karenina connection but have always loved Anna. but that was never going to happen. i think he also kept going on about 'fannie annie' or something. god i don't miss all that!
EF, laughing at your Internet accidental shopping. Are you going to tell your husband you packed the wallpaper when you get to your new house
Hope you are enjoying the new addition to your family.
Sorry. haven't had time to read the several pages I've missed now. Very busy here, going to Menorca next Sat (woo hoo!) and have far too much work to do. Should be doing some now whilst madam is asleep. Did manage a 4 mile run this morning as the morning sickness has subsided a little, felt great so must try and squeeze another one in before hols.
Horrible about the ear infection PP, sounds nasty. Wouldn't be worrying about fathers day, I was meant to cook hubby a giant sausage and egg baguette for breakfast this morning when he got back from his cycle but he ended up doing it all (whilst holding our poorly daughter). Did get him a card from Mags and a giant dairy milk though (which I mustn't eat....)
TT- enjoy the break, except the 9hr drive!
Right, must go do some work
Not sure Janie, I think I lose final salary as can't return to old scheme, but it's something I need to look into. Hubby is English, but works for FCO. We will be somewhere in August (baby due Nov), just not sure where!
Janie, hope you are now all fully recovered.
TT, good luck with the drive! We have about 400miles to do next Sun, which is a Polish long weekend...I don't even want to contemplate how long I'll be in the back seat for, trying to entertain J. Think cramped A3, no air con, single carriageways full of pot holes, crazy, potentially drunk, drivers and you get the picture! But it will be less awful than the train!!!!
CM, you are well shot of him.
Karen, boot camp sounds fun! Hope you're recovered now
JG, hope N is better today. We are continually teething-9 more to go!
Did 5 miles this morning at 8.30 pace which is the furthest since the marathon.