Pellsons Perceivings

[PR19_Kit]

I'd been planning my retirement for my entire 30 yrs with the same firm beforehand, putting away every penny we could save, so when I was 65 that was it. Well, plus another 3 months so I'd served EXACTLY 30 yrs to the day.

Then what happened? Disaster, as my last day was April 1st 2008 and what happened right after that? The Big Crash, and a large chunk of my pension fund just vanished and no-one told me until it was too late. 

That wrecked a lot of out plans, and I'll never get my house into the state we wanted, but I'm still alive at least, and I have a hefty stash to get through yet.

[NARSES2]

I was lucky in that I'd always had a Final Salary Pension scheme from the age of 16 and once I reached 55 British Steel offered me a year to take it up to full pension, so I said "thankyou". 

[Pellson]

I'm not likely to reach any pension age, so I've written it all over to the significantly better looking half. And I have a stash that'll last my days as well, so I'm good enough. Work is what it is, and mine isn't that bad after all.

[zenrat]

I admire your stoicism mate.

[NARSES2]

I admire your stoicism mate.

As do I 

[Pellson]

I admire your stoicism mate.

As do I 

No need really. First, wasting the time I have on being annoyed won't bring neither joy nor pension, so it seems much more reasonable to just carry on.
Second, you should see how stoic I am when a bolt is stuck as if welded in place on the Defender. It's a good thing dents are styling on that car.. 

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No modelling done whatsoever. Weather is too good, the garden needs to much work as do two of the Land Rovers. Annoyingly, while I've been able to diagnose the faults, i need spare parts I haven't at home, so I'll have to wait for deliveries. From UK. And, to be honest, Boris's delayed teenage revolt didn't do international trade any good, did it?
Ah, well. More time for another beer in the sun instead.

[Rick Lowe]

No need really. First, wasting the time I have on being annoyed won't bring neither joy nor pension, so it seems much more reasonable to just carry on.
Second, you should see how stoic I am when a bolt is stuck as if welded in place on the Defender. It's a good thing dents are styling on that car.. 

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More time for another beer in the sun instead.

Attitude is everything, or so they say... Kudos to you for Getting On With It.

And you make the Beer in the Sun sound like a penance... 
(there again if you don't like beer, like I don't, I guess it would be...)

[Pellson]

Lots of annoying small tasks currently preventing my state of mind to reach modelling mode, and no realistic view for an imminent change either.

Also, the Ukrainian war is increasingly bothering me. While it is amazing that the intruders have left the entire northern flank, the situation in the south is more worrying with a stale mate around Mykolayiv and Mariupol all but overrun. God knows what atrocities are taking place there..

But worst is the situation in the east where I am really quite uneasy with the prospect of encircling of Ukrainian formations in western Donbass. Such an event could easily turn the tide of war in a direction directly threatening all of Ukraine and thus all of free Europe, in the longer term. I really hope I'm unnecessarily worried here.

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To distract myself, I spend time looking back at the end of the Cold War, contemplating the possibilities of a different chain of events in Germany in 1991-1994. My take would be a more locally driven rebellion against the weakened Soviet rule, but followed by a rather swift reset of the latter, leading to:

1: a rapid and largely peaceful unification of the two German states

2: a swift repatriation of Russian soldiers, but

3: annexation of large parts of their equipment in the face of the rapidly re-emerging threat.

As the Soviet Western Group of Forces (WGF) stationed on German soil was more than twice as big as the East German military (the NVA), the second point would be quite important in order to secure the integrity of the reunified Germany. Also, the NVA would have to have been less loyal to their former brothers in arms than in reality in order to make it realistic to rather than disband them, realign them, weapons and equipment intact and even resupplied and augmented by the stuff left by the Soviets. Whether the rest of the WarsawPact would have been dissolved as well in my scenario, I haven't yet decided.

Not a very logical chain of events, perhaps, but it is intriguing to picture the MiG-25PD in Luftwaffe colours and the T-80BV tank in Bundeswehr camouflage among others. And THAT does tickle my mojo a bit.

But now, I need to sleep. It's cold as f**k outside and it's snowing violently. Not really what I'd liked to have seen on an April Friday, and quite energy consuming, both physically and mentally. A lovely warm spring afternoon would have left me both warmer, happier and less tired. But it is what it is. And summer shall still come. Eventually.

[Old Wombat]

Don't under-estimate the Ukrainians, mate. I have a feeling Mr Putin's army could be in for a big shock if they try that.

Hammer & Anvil!

[Pellson]

The idea of a Foxbat in Norm 81 won't really leave my mind, but viewing the Shelf of Doom^TM over the skyline of half built projects on the building table, it seems that such a MiG really should be a project best left for the next Luftwaffe surge. They do come every now or then..

Another thought crossing my mind is that I really, really should organise the table again. Currently, it's plain disaster, and probably the main reason for the total lack of progress over the last week or so. Maybe that's tomorrow's pensum?

But right now, the furry little fellow is nagging for a night walk, so I'd better get to it.

[NARSES2]

But right now, the furry little fellow is nagging for a night walk, so I'd better get to it.

It nagging you, or you nagging it ? 

[Rick Lowe]

Don't under-estimate the Ukrainians, mate. I have a feeling Mr Putin's army could be in for a big shock if they try that.

Hammer & Anvil!

Hope so, I think they're holding the line for the rest of Western Europe.

[frank2056]

Don't know if this will make anyone feel slightly better, but this article, "I Commanded U.S. Army Europe. Here's What I Saw in the Russian and Ukrainian Armies. " by Mark Hertling is enlightening and somewhat hopeful.

Then there's the video/propaganda of the Ukrainian goddess dealing with a Spetsnaz...

[PR19_Kit]

Don't know if this will make anyone feel slightly better, but this article, "I Commanded U.S. Army Europe. Here's What I Saw in the Russian and Ukrainian Armies. " by Mark Hertling is enlightening and somewhat hopeful.

It certainly makes me feel better, and confirms what I've been reading in numerous reports on the fighting in the Ukraine.

Putin may have bitten off more than his teeth can chew...............

[Gondor]

I thought this might help brighten the subject a bit



I certainly made me smile 

Gondor