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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / November 2007Biggest Birthday Present Ever
My government pension at age 65! They hadn't written to me, but a phone call discovered that they'd been writing to a wrong address because the official street addressing and post code databases get my address wrong, and they had decided to overwrite my own personally supplied address with the "obviously" more correct official version. When I had a heart attack I struggled on at work because I needed to build up my pension and pay off my house mortgage. When sundry further problems culminated in a diagnosis of diabetes I decided I'd rather stay alive, and took whatever early retirement money was available on my personal work-related pension and headed for the hills. My financial boat has been leaking rather worryingly since then, but the arrival of my govt pension goes a long way to fixing the leak. I'd have been satisfied if all I'd been able to do on retiring was to halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and delighted by how much my health has improved :-)  SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] > My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and > delighted by how much my health has improved :-) Such are the blessings from GOD... ... wonderful. Hunger is wonderful. It is when all our needs have been met that we are hungriest :-) Many more blessings to you on your birthday, Chris. Please know that when you receive these from GOD, you will be hungrier :-) "Blessed are you who hunger **now** for you will be satisfied." -- LORD Jesus Christ (Luke 6:21) Amen. Be hungry... be healthy... be hungrier... be blessed: http://TheWellnessFoundation.com/PressRelease Prayerfully in the infinite power and might of the Holy Spirit, Andrew <>< -- Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Lawful steward of http://EmoryCardiology.com Bondservant to the KING of kings and LORD of lords. > My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and > delighted by how much my health has improved :-) Such are the blessings from GOD... ... wonderful. Hunger is wonderful. It is when all our needs have been met that we are hungriest :-) Many more blessings to you on your birthday, Chris. Please know that when you receive these from GOD, you will be hungrier :-) "Blessed are you who hunger **now** for you will be satisfied." -- LORD Jesus Christ (Luke 6:21) Amen. Be hungry... be healthy... be hungrier... be blessed: http://TheWellnessFoundation.com/PressRelease Prayerfully in the infinite power and might of the Holy Spirit, Andrew <>< -- Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Lawful steward of http://EmoryCardiology.com Bondservant to the KING of kings and LORD of lords. happy birthday and congratulations chris! ;-) enjoy and best of health to you in the up coming year! witchy Well done and Happy Birthday! > My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and > delighted by how much my health has improved :-) >My financial boat has been leaking rather worryingly since then, but >the arrival of my govt pension goes a long way to fixing the leak. > >I'd have been satisfied if all I'd been able to do on retiring was to >halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and >delighted by how much my health has improved :-) Good for you Chris, I'm very happy for you. :-) Cheri Very Happy Birthday & improved Retirement-ability!! SignatureDonnaB shallotpeel, T2 since June 06, USA, last HbA1c 5.3 "Run. People are coming. They must not catch us here Definitionless in this strict atmosphere." - Gwendolyn Brooks : Very Happy Birthday & improved Retirement-ability!! Like she said! Welcome to the wonderful world of pensions:-) It couldn't happento a nicer guy. Wendy >My government pension at age 65! Happy Birthday :D Is that all you Scots get at that advanced age? :P Nicky. T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid D&E, 100ug thyroxine Last A1c 5.6% BMI 25 Happy Birthday Chris ! ! ! do you get 'gold cards' now? :-) kate >>My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > D&E, 100ug thyroxine > Last A1c 5.6% BMI 25 > Happy Birthday Chris ! ! ! > do you get 'gold cards' now? :-) Not sure what a "gold card" is. I've a free bus pass card since I was 60, which also gets me all sorts of discounts when I flash it. SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] > Happy Birthday :D Is that all you Scots get at that advanced age? :P They are also allowed to start wearing something under their kilts. SignatureAndy H (Type 2 in Greater Vancouver, Canada) >> Happy Birthday :D Is that all you Scots get at that advanced age? :P >> >They are also allowed to start wearing something under their kilts. Given Chris' climbing hobbies - let's hope he got early dispensation :P Nicky. T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid D&E, 100ug thyroxine Last A1c 5.6% BMI 25 >>My government pension at age 65! > Happy Birthday :D Is that all you Scots get at that advanced age? :P You can take your work or personal pension at any age, of course more than pro-rata reduced, unless you can take advantage of a special early retirement deal (which I was lucky enough to be able to do). At age 60 we Scots get free medical prescriptions and a free bus pass to anywhere in Scotland, any time. Women get their state govt pension at 60, men at 65, although you can defer it if you like, in which case it increases. Pensioners often get discounts to other services and purchases. I think it's mandatory to offer pensioner discount if your organisation gets any public funding. I've just discovered for example that I get useful pensioner discounts on the photographic facilities offered by a local studio and gallery, in some instances such as printing and mounting as much as 50%. A particular difference from English health care is that in England a lot of just helping an old person such as with shopping and dressing is counted as not nursing and the old person has to pay for it unless they've already bankrupted themselves, whereas in Scotland it's counted as nursing care and is free. There's probably a few extra benefits I now qualify for at age 65. It'll take me some time to find out. For some reason it's difficult to find out what these are, and difficult to claim them when you have. That probably explains why so many old people fail to claim them. You don't think They could have done that on purpose, do you? :-) SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] Happy Birthday Chris. What a wonderful gift to be eased of financial worries. Loretta >My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and >delighted by how much my health has improved :-) Glad to see you got it. Mine won't come due for another 4 1/2 years, but when it does I suspect that my Superannuation from my RAAF years will be just enough to cancel it out; ours is means-tested. But it does give a few discount benefits. Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter. -- http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com Psyllium, Fibre, Muesli and Nuts >>My government pension at age 65! >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >>halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and >>delighted by how much my health has improved :-) > Glad to see you got it. Mine won't come due for another 4 > 1/2 years, but when it does I suspect that my Superannuation > from my RAAF years will be just enough to cancel it out; > ours is means-tested. Mean Bastards! I've always wondered why they call mean testing means testing :-) SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] >Mean Bastards! I've always wondered why they call mean testing means >testing :-) Agreed. Paid taxes since I was 16; but some years ago they worked out that the baby boomers were going to retire in this decade and they got even more parsimonious. Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter. -- http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com Psyllium, Fibre, Muesli and Nuts >>Mean Bastards! I've always wondered why they call mean testing means >>testing :-) > Agreed. Paid taxes since I was 16; but some years ago they > worked out that the baby boomers were going to retire in > this decade and they got even more parsimonious. Impressively far sighted bureaucracies you've got there. Ours mostly freak when when the baby boom generation hits them, claiming that nobody had told them it was coming. SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] >My government pension at age 65! And Happy Birthday! Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter. -- http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com Psyllium, Fibre, Muesli and Nuts Well done, enjoy it for many, many years, Chris. I hope you go out, live life to the full. No need to live life conservatively .. go on cruises, holiday to exotic places ... do walk abouts ... Get out from under the smog and dank, unhealthy air over there ... And tell us all about the fun you have Oh yes, and get a good camera to allow you to show off the photos of places you have enjoyed ! Very best wishes, Frank - I'm 2 years away from it now ?? what can I expect as a decent retirement pension ? "Chris Malcolm" <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> a écrit ... > My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > halt the degeneration of my health. In fact I've been surprised and > delighted by how much my health has improved :-) > "Chris Malcolm" <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> a ecrit ... >> My government pension at age 65! > Well done, enjoy it for many, many years, Chris. > I hope you go out, live life to the full. No need to > live life conservatively .. go on cruises, holiday to > exotic places ... Cruises and exotic holidays are out, can't afford them. > do walk abouts ... Yup, walking is within my financial budget :-) > Get out from under the smog and dank, unhealthy air over there ... I live in Edinburgh, Frank. Frequent rain and wind keeps the air pretty clean for a city :-) > And tell us all about the fun you have > Oh yes, and get a good camera to allow you to show > off the photos of places you have enjoyed ! I've already got a good camera. I'm lucky to live in a city very plentifully blessed with such amazing views that in many places if they had just one of them they'd organise bus tours to it. Here you just have to walk round the corner to find another one :-) Here's a recent sunset from the city centre: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1673808197&size=l Here's a view taken a hundred yards from that one which was used in a local travel guide: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1377101834&size=l And here's one of my favourite views on one of my favourite local walks. It's best viewed in the original size to appreciate the full sweep of the amazing perspective. http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1015860455&size=l I'm also only a mile from the seaside (and a few miles from this place): http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=737534888&context=set-72157602392643777& size=l or a few miles and several hundred feet up to the views from the top of the biggest hill in the city: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=487104840&context=set-72157602392643777& size=l So you see, I don't need to travel to an exotic place, because I already live in one :-) > - I'm 2 years away from it now ?? what can I expect as a decent > retirement pension ? The standard full govt pension if you've paid the full entitling amount of National Insurance contributions for men currently runs at 119 pounds a week (approx $238). The UK Govt pension web site will give you a free personal pension quotation if you give them your NI number. SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] >> "Chris Malcolm" <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> a ecrit ... > [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] >119 pounds a week (approx $238). The UK Govt pension web site will give >you a free personal pension quotation if you give them your NI number. Hi Chris, You are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place! I spent about a week in Edinburgh one time, and I have personally experienced the beauty and charm of Edinburgh. Also, I have been to most of the places in your photos :-) Will, T2 > My government pension at age 65! > They hadn't written to me, but a phone call discovered that they'd > been writing to a wrong address because the official street addressing > and post code databases get my address wrong, and they had decided to > overwrite my own personally supplied address with the "obviously" more > correct official version. [snip] > My financial boat has been leaking rather worryingly since then, but > the arrival of my govt pension goes a long way to fixing the leak. I wrote that after the first letter they sent me which was a formal letter of award telling me how much pension I was going to get. They then sent me a second letter, which contained pages of warnings about deductions from my pension which they said might apply to me. It said that I would later receive my official letter of award which would include all the deductions which they had imposed. It wouldn't actually specify any of these deductions, it would just tell me the total after subtracting them all. This second letter with all the rules and calculations was to inform me of all the possible kinds of calculation that might have been done to reduce the size of my pension. It was apparently so complicated to decide and explain which actually applied to me that at the time of writing they hadn't yet done that. But they would have done that when they sent me my award letter. In order not to make the award letter confusing they wouldn't include any of the deduction details on that letter, just the total. So to clarify the omitted calculations from the letter they were later going to send me, they were sending all of the missing details from the second letter in advance in this first letter. Except because they didn't yet know which details applied to me they were sending the whole lot which might apply. But I had actually got my letter of award first, before the second letter instead of after it! To make things worse the second letter then said helpfully that it cancelled any previous correspondence I might have received. So was my first award letter a mistake, or was it just a mistake that they sent it first? Or was I due to get a second revised award letter? And how would I ever find out which deductions had actually in fact been made? I read both letters several times very carefully. It was impossible to work out what was going on. I consulted the government pension web sites. After hours of reading I was still mystified. I had wanted to avoid phoning them because you have to listen to music for ages which they interrupt now and then to tell you how valuable your phone call is. But I gave up and phoned them. I expect to see just how valuable my phone call was when I get my next phone bill :-( They apologised for how busy their phone lines were. They told me that nobody is able to understand these letters. Goodness me, I wonder if that might have something to do with how busy the phone lines are? It seems that the correct thing to do was to ignore the second letter, which had by mistake been sent after the first letter instead of before it. According to my apologetic informant that is a very common mistake which does confuse a lot of people, quite apart from the fact that the second letter is well known to be incomprehensible anyway. He said they can't understand it themselves so it's not surprising I couldn't understand it. There are two ways of explaining this absurdly incompetent correspondence I've had from them. The first is that that they're just a bunch of complete nincompoops who ought to have been pensioned off on grounds of govt-related-dementia years ago. The second is that they not only want to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to discover whether they're getting all the pension they ought to be, they want to scare them off from even trying to find out. Hm. Just as well these people are only doing something unimportant like deciding pensions instead of something important like running the country! Chris Malcolm >> My government pension at age 65! <much snippage> >There are two ways of explaining this absurdly incompetent >correspondence I've had from them. The first is that that they're just [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >deciding pensions instead of something important like running the >country! Sometimes I get the feeling that I would, rather than deal with a government bureaucracy, nail my penis to a burning building. Then I realize that while it would be less painful, it would not eliminate the need to deal with the bureaucracy. Congrats on getting your pension started. I just received my third monthly cheque today, and the process of applying for it was surprisingly easy, probably because it was all online and automated. SignatureLarry, T2, Saskatchewan, Canada. DX 24 Aug 07. D&E Metformin 2000mg, Ramipril, Simvastatin Last A1c 8.1 (at DX) >>> My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >realize that while it would be less painful, it would not eliminate >the need to deal with the bureaucracy. Of course. You'd need a carpenter's tech school diploma, a building permit, and a local authority Design Approval for the penis-nailing, including an environmental study, concurrence from the neighbours on street-scape effect and likely changes to traffic patterns and parking as expected spectators come to view the event. Not to mention waiting until the arsonist gets similar approvals. >Congrats on getting your pension started. I just received my third >monthly cheque today, and the process of applying for it was >surprisingly easy, probably because it was all online and automated. Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter. -- http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com Psyllium, Fibre, Muesli and Nuts Chris I have two words oy vey So Sir Humphrey has trained his replacements well then (- -) =m=(_)=m= RodS T2 Australia >> My government pension at age 65! > [quoted text clipped - 77 lines] > > Chris Malcolm |
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