I am planning another, the basic premise of the book is a chapter is one week in the main characters life, he is the village idiot but more importantly a compulsive liar. He is still living with his mum at the age of 29 so we can take him anywhere from here. I originally wrote this as three short stories which ended up as three chapters. When writing about a fantasist there's no real parameters.
Yeah know what you mean, I’d love to learn Italian but too old now, and like you I struggle with English
Well, I am ploughing through the Simon Island book, but I have been inspired by the author to relive my seventeenth year by buying and restoring a 1974 250 Mk III. That year ended with me in A&E having taken a fall on some oil outside the police station. See how I get on this time….. failing that it’s a book about a teenage twat whose dreams ended in a pile of broken bike, a lot of blood on tarmac and a close shave with the law
My son in laws step father had a stroke and died a couple of days ago, just coming up to retirement age. I had a long chat with him at a family party in the summer, he was intrigued by my book and thought he may have a book in him. He was wondering how he would fill his days, he was a fair guitarist so it was the book or learn Spanish. Sadly that's it, a lifetime as a pilot, over and out, perhaps there's a lesson for all of us, use it wisely and treat it with respect, you just don't know.
My mate of 40 years who ended up as a 20yrs airline pilot retired 2 years ago. Best pilot I've ever known, but he died in a weird/freak light-aircraft accident in April (he was the pilot) and will never see 67. I was with his widow & kids this weekend, helping them start to deal with his biking & other stuff. Don't wait to do what you want - even if it's only reading a book...
BTW, that deferring your state pension to benefit from a higher eventual pension income is now toast due to the state pension now above the frozen £12,570 annual allowance making pensioners tax-payers.
My old boss deferred his state pension till he was 70yo to get a bigger lump...........he kicked the bucket two months after reaching 70. Never defer your pension......take it while you can
Yes, it was only ever worth it if you were pretty sure you would live long enough, but now pensioners are tax-payers so no point.
I don't the the tax situation has changed at all regarding receipt of State pension & taxation? State pension was less than your personal allowance, still is now and guaranteed not to be taxable until the end of this government. Or have I missed something?
I think we are both right, but either or both could also be wrong From April 2026, the full state pension will be worth £12,547.60 – just under the personal allowance of £12,570 (the amount you can earn each year before you start paying tax). But from 2027, even if the state pension rises only by the minimum 2.5%, it will exceed the personal allowance for the first time. This would have resulted in some pensioners facing a tax bill, even if they had no other sources of income. The Treasury told Which?: 'As the Chancellor has said, over this parliament, those whose only income is the basic or new state pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.’ But she could not clarify if you have deferred, so over the personal allowance of £12,570, you would not pay tax. Then of course you can earn up to £1,000 in interest tax-free if you're a basic-rate taxpayer. BUT then how does that work with "those whose only income is the basic or new state pension without any increments, will not have to pay income tax.’
The Chancellor has said that Pensioners will not pay income tax provided they don't receive income from anywhere else except their State Pension -during this term. So in real terms nothing has changed. Which means: "but now pensioners are tax-payers so no point." is not true! LOL.
So is it that by deferring the collection date, the amount you receive increases, so it could exceed the £12, 547.60? We surely shouldn't throw shade on LAB for increasing the State Pension to a higher amount?
Totally agree, just a bit of shame for not increasing the lowest threshold to help keep the lowest paid from having to fill out annual tax returns.
If you are basic rate but have income below the £12570 so you don’t actually pay tax, you can earn an additional £5000 of tax free interest on savings. I transferred my occupational pensions into flexi drawdown and kept a chunk of tax free cash to use as income, so I could make myself a non tax payer. I retired at 60 so won’t pay any tax until I get the state pension at 67. When I managed a team of financial advisors mostly advising on pensions I was surprised at the number of customers who wanted to blow their tax free cash and take max income, so generating a potential tax problem. i have been fortunate in that despite the volatile markets my pension pot is more than I started with despite taking nearly 4 years income from it.
Congratulations on your book. I've just got the Kindle version. I let you know how I get on with it in due course (if you want to know).
