Friday 7th March 2025

Planning for stopping work has been ongoing for some time. One of these has been a mobile phone: in that since starting work, I have not had a private ne, just the work one, only when I reach data limits for non-work stuff do I not use it, not that I have reached such a limit.

I asked IT if I could keep my work number, and they said yes, so sent me the PAC code, giving me a month to sort out a new phone once I got back from Denmark.

On Wednesday, I got the new i phone 16, looks the same as and 13, other than one lens less on the back.

We set up an account, and then had to wait for the wheels of technology to turn.

Wednesday night my old phone stopped working, or stopped being a phone, then through Thursday and into Friday, we waited for news from "3" that the account was live.

That news came at ten on Friday.

The reason for sticking with Apple was the ease of transferring data from the old phone to the new one, which proved to be true. Even if initially, typing in numbers on the screen required multiple presses of each key.

But I got it done, and once passwords set up, it took 13 minutes to transfer the data, and the old phone quietly died.

I had a day of meetings, four back to back in the morning, and little time between.

But time flashed by on what was my 11th day prior to retirement.

I am counting.

At one, I logged off, and waited for Jools as we had an appointment in Dover to have our jabs.

I even found my old RAF medical docs, which when presented to the nurse brought forth a squeal of delight, as no one keeps vaccination records.

Well, I do.

"You'll feel a small prick", oh yes, the old ones are the best.

You might feel off colour over the weekend, just rest, she said.

And we came home via the village library so Jools could collect a couple of Robert Harris books, then down the hill to Chez Jelltex.

Four.

Time for a brew, then shared a pizza.

At six, I did the quiz and won, as the AI generated image for Belladonna clearly showed the fruit of Atropa bella-donna, Deadly Nightshade. Among other things.

So, I was one of only eight to get it right, and the first. Ten points to me.

We celebrated by having toasted hot cross buns and a brew for supper.