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phil d

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The other day I was feeling a bit maudlin, and started to think about my past, I wasn't feeling particularly good about myself, I suppose everything has been getting to me and I was going on a bit of a downer, reading an article that said that with all that had gone on lately with Covid, it was unlikely that anyone over 50 who'd lost their job would ever work again. 

Anyway my wife, poor sod, she puts up with a lot, started talking about what I had done over the years, True, after serving my apprenticeship I never really stayed with a firm for a very long time, I think a couple of years was as long as I stayed, I'd move on for more money, or if bosses started giving me a load of carp.

Well we began talking and she reminded me of some of the stuff I'd done, I worked on the refurbs on two significant buildings in my area right to the finish, I designed, built and installed all the electrical and control gear on a large grain storage facility, I worked at British telecom, then Virgin media (senior tech), I helped one bloke go from being a one man band to having a fairly large and successfull local firm. I travelled the UK for 3 firms, one doing betting shop refits, one doing work for a large supermarket chain, and finally doing railway work. I worked on several interesting projects, basically I'd end up staying with firms for a few months until their lads got the hang of something, then there was my life outside the electrical industry, I had an opportunity to do a police driving course and came out as a level one driver, (pursuit trained), I trained a police dog, and even did dog handling for a while, I happened upon several nasty road accidents and in at least 2 cases helped save lives,the memory of  one, a young girl, will stay with me for ever. Even when I was ill with my breakdown I was still at it, in one week I helped arrest 5 lads I caught breaking into a shop and a couple of days later I bagged myself a drink driver after she hit a car and drove off! When nobody would employ me due to my mental health issues I volunteered with the local fire service on the incident support team and in twelve months I attended more 'shouts' than anyone else on the team.

I loved the emergency work, I helped recover cctv images on two cases, one involving a suspicious death, and the other on a murder that made the national news (can't say more on that one), a few weeks ago I was coming back from a job and came upon a road accident on a major road, there were only two cops at scene and the road needed closing, I'd shut the road, set up a diversion and was busy directing traffic, before I realised I'd better call the comms room and tell them what I was up to, they love it when they're short handed and I roll up at a job, it's like having another traffic cop on scene, I always attend the roadside debrief afterwards.

I don't see much of my own kids but I have a great stepson living locally and a couple of really good grandkids, the lad drives his dad mad when something breaks his first thought is 'lets ring grandad', he drives his dad mad each time they drive up the motorway and pass the grain store, ' my grandad built that' he says proudly.

My grandaughter is great too, any time she wants to know anything it's 'I'll ask grandad, he knows about everything', apparently it's not because I'm clever, it's because I'm really old, lol. She did a talk about me in junior school once, she was only about 7 or 8, and got a bit muddled with her thoughts, the true facts about me helping the police and working with police dogs and the bit about my hobby of shooting (I gave it up when my mental health deteriorated) sort of merged into one and she proudly announced to a shocked class, and teacher, that ' my grandad is the most important person I know, he goes out at night and catches bad people, then he takes them to the farm and shoots them'. That took some explaining to the teacher I can tell you, mind you it earned her a lot of respect from the other kids, none of their parents or grandparents were 'hit men' lol.

I've trained a few good apprentices over the years and it's nice to know they're out there doing the job and training other young lads and I have lots of friends on forums like this one.

Looking back, it hasn't been a bad life after all really I suppose. I think I just needed someone to point out the good things I had done when all I was looking at was the negatives.

Well, that's a little about me, maybe it's time I got on with writing that book I kept saying I  was going to write. Take care everyone.

 
Re the "over 50's not finding work again"

I am just on 58, and self employed.  I plan to hang up my tools at 60, so not long now.  I am sure I can keep ticking over until then, but if work really drops off when the reality hits and the recession bites I have the safety net any time now to push the button and put my largest pension into payment, so it frankly does not bother me that I would never get a "proper" job again.

 
When our mortgage gets to zero I’ll be stopping, so about 4 years from now.

my misses can retire at 55 next year and get her bullet proof NHS pension - kerching 

 
I lost my job in March this year and got another within one month ,I thought that I would never get a job at my age (59) but I did and very quickly I think it took longer for the paper work then to find a job, I had two job offers by in 8 weeks ,so don't give up 

 
Well I’m 51 and jacking my job now, am I worried no not at all, I’ll wait while January and within a week or two expect to be back at work. 
although I kind of think that this rule doesn’t apply to the technical trades?? Desk jockey then maybe?? 

 
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