Time for Something Completely Different...

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My retirement is now only hours away. At some time tomorrow, sooner rather than later, I hope; I finish my current career. I've worked in telecoms for over fifteen and a half years now and although it was not my choice, it was expedient at the time that the job effectively chose me.

I was at the time in the unlucky position of having lost a lucrative freelance job which had given me a lot of travel opportunities and paid pretty well. But it went wrong and I was going bankrupt, so what the hell; go get a 'real' job. I was fortunate that at, to be realistic, the quite advanced age of fifty, to get anything halfway decent. As it turned out, after a ridiculously short telephone interview of three basic and apparently banal questions, and a wait of a week or so, I got the  job.

It has been challenging in many ways. Physically, it can be a tough job to do, what with climbing, lifting heavy stuff, a lot of driving and working in all weathers. In fact, after the first winter, I wasn't sure I'd make it past two years in the job. And here I am. I think fifteen years is a decent time at bat and it's a good time to leave and let younger people take up the cudgels.

My good mate Gwilym Davies has recently retired, but after fifty years in the job. Heroic doesn't come close in my book. I can't imagine it. While we were closeted at home listening to records and smoking ourselves stupid because of the school strikes, Gwil was just starting out on a lifetime's work with the company.

Chwarae teg, boi.

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