Normandy

Well got back last night from having done a tour of Normandy on the bike. Foolishly I took a rucksack. Everyone else had panniers.Not a good idea when u r doing 132 miles in 3 days including some tasty hills. I thought the plan was to go down the avenue verte which is like the cuckoo trail but so much better. Its 4 times as wide, landscaped , quality tarmaced and flat. Easy for chozzers like me to do 14 mph with ease. It will eventually go to Paris. We went on it to Forges les Eau via Neufchatel where the cheese comes from. However, Ken the avid tourer and leader had exploring ideas which is why we ended up doing 51 miles yesterday.The most Ive ever done is 34 to Laura in Maidstone and thats without a rucksack. Lets just say i did it and learned about myself! Moral is dont put 3 stone on ur back u stupid sod!
Id put some fotos here but didnt take my camera due to the weight!! Will post some hilarious ones the lads took later. There were 7 of us, Roy Tanner and a load of medics from the NHS. Good banter was had and Pete a technician had us all in fits of laughter with his stories. So funny.
I think I frightened the guys up one of the hills. It was a big long one and the only way I could get up was to press the adrenaline button and blast it so I did, overtook them all but when Im giving it stacks theres a horrible gasping for air comes out of my mouth. I think they all reached for the defrib! Anyway met some new friends, needs a bum returf and a serious shoulder massage. Good stuff this retirement lark!

Yes grandad I did have a good time. Thank you very much.

Wedding weekend

Just had a good if long 'in the car' weekend. All of us..thats Gill Laura, Poppy Emma ,Me and Tom went to nr Skipton for the weekend to Pam and Erics daughters wedding. Hired a 7 seater which was 6 so very tight. Everone vaselined up and off we went with poppy of course since she is the smallest having the most space! T and L drove..well u dont buy a dog and bark yourself now do u! 8 hrs up 6 back..phew....and got lost satnav strugggled up the north and we ended up on the postcode 6 miles from where we wanted to be.I can laugh now!Anyway it was a good weekend and nice to see some ex collegfe old friends after so long. Pops stayed up til midnight. Really wanted to sleep but too much going on.Party animal at 7 months!

Good weekend

Busy weekend. Went over and stayed at Laura's in Maidstone on Friday night. Had a curry then up early...left with Poppy at 5am to view a car in Gt Yarmouth..miles away from Maidstone I hear you ask. In fact it was 2 and a half hrs and that was quick driving. Stayed on the limit all the way! As you can see the car is a bit tasty 34000 on the clock and 4 yrs old. Offer accepted so we've now gotta pick it up this week. Reason for sale is that theyve just bought a reasonably new Range Rover Sport! Anyway that means Laura can get rid of the crap cars she has. She did get a tug from a very enthusiastic traffic officer from Kent last week on her way home with Poppy which tipped the balance to buying a newer car. Kept her 10 mins..looked at the tyres..how boring. Why dont cops catch burglars any more! Theyll be doing speeders next!

Finished the box hedge finally today..yippee..looks very nice if ur into box hedge. Dug all the old roses out too.Must have a bonfire.

Another week on its way!

Laura came down Sunday with Poppy so we tried out her new swing on the pergola. Did she enjoy it or what! Work continues..not many working days left. Had some real successes. Managed to get my proposal through the command team to reduce by up to 19 Sgts with cost savings of £2-300k per annum and no risk issues. Not bad for someone who didnt want the job in the first place. I havent enjoyed the posting but there is a bottom line. I get paid a salary to manage and deliver and its irrespective of where Im put. Debates been had so get on with it frankly. Others within the organisation would do well to remember that but no we are so fluffy that moaners win with HR! Time to retire? Also an interesting meeting with training and by some adjustment should save about £10k this year. So in all while others in the job are doing nothing to tackle the current financial climate Ive saved £70k+ per annum getting rid of two jobs, potentially £250k every year for the future and £10k per annum in overtime. Ive also managed to push through a £1.5 million project at Hastings that others fiddled around with. Im quite proud that despite me being irritated by 'being dumped' for my last year Ive really got on with it. The phrase be true to yourself springs to mind. There Ive got that off my chest! Millsy u do go on..always gobby!Planted a stack of box hedging dont know how many hundred but have been up at 5am the last 2 days to do them (I was awake anyway) . Those of u who sleep would have missed the fact that there was a heavy frost yesterday...bracing in my shorts.! Tom would be mortified. He takes the p*ss each time Im in shorts at home telling me it upsets his girlfriend!! I do understand but carry on regardless.!

Took Pearcey out for a meal this week to thank him a little for the support hes given me over the years. I am most grateful to him particularly when I was ill with ME at its peak. Weve worked well together.Taking some from Brighton for brekkie today. Final date for working now is Sunday 13th June 3am. Retirement formally on 28/6 midnight. Commutation should be in the bank account the following morning....yippee!

Am off to see the Chief before I go and Gill may come if she can get freed up. I have some serious things to discuss on direction of the Force and more importantly how we can give real discretion back to the front end on response etc. Got offered an exit interview too from someone in HR who is their lowest grade. Thats what a HR restructure does you see! I refused. Ill have my exit interview with the CC! Ive never been one for status but please! Complained to AR who agreed with me and offered me an exit interview...I said Id do it in the car to Cardiff for the SA game!Haha

Its been an interesting week at work and believe it or not I worked the full 4 days. Pearcey said today Millsy u working a Friday and I worked it out that its actually my last but one.A bonus too. I had forgotten to take off the 27th and 28th so spoke to duties suggesting that I may have to move some of my days Ive pre booked and they run the programme finding another 4 days for me to take in ex gratia. So 18 working days left and with the 5 Ive taken with Tom, Scott , Public Order training then its 13 actually doing some work ...allegedly. Its all coming on top..yippeeee. Had a cpl of hours down at the new stadium. Looks superb. Took 44 pics which are on my facebook site.I also just went to collect the bin from the road and as I walked across the drive I saw a fawn bolt from the drive gate . Went and got my David Bailey. Sadly the fawn was the far end of the field but managed to get it with the telescopic..if I hadnt then you lot wouldnt have believed me. Really good news today too that Nigel Waterson lost his Eastbourne seat and its been taken by Stephen Lloyd Lib Dem. Tim Mottram and me now wished we'd gone to the count to see Nigels demise. I watched it on Facebook....ooooo hark at me.....and it was about 3.15am! Weekend is here. Thinking of cycling to Uckfield tomorrow on a long trip ie finishing there b4 coming home. Going to have a cha with Pearcey. Gill is going to Bluewater with Laura and the Popmeister and I really dont want to spoil a good day out for them! Must plant the rest of the box hedging too..only about 300! Haha

Rugby tickets for the South Africa game arrived too. Managed to get some £25 tickets..cheapest welsh rugby in years. It was Kayes last day at worek too. Shes taken redundancy. Gills mum has had an offer accepted ona warden assisted flat and is moving out from being with the brother in law. Good for her. A big decision at her age.Flat sounds great..warden assisted etc

BH Weekend

Pretty good weekend all in all despite the rain. Kaye and John, Tom and Emma, Laura and Poppy all arrived so we had 9 including Mum for Sunday roast. Two legs of lamb just about did it! Cant beat the old reunion.
Whilst we having lunch a fox walked across the lawn to the front! Cheeky sod. I went round the orchard expecting the chickens to have been mutilated but they were all ok so they got locked up for the rest of the day. Bring back Hunting- they are sods but of course the animal rights people and anti hunt just see the fox being killed. Perhaps they should come and pick the chickens up off the lawn when the fox has had a bit of fun. No doubt Cameron will bring it back in if elected which seems likely.
Built if thats the word a new box hedge in the front garden. Gill did the research and drew the plan so I planted 100 box this morning after a lecture from gill about my behaviour! She finds me hard to manage when things dont go to plan..hehe. I do sympathise with her and became a good boy and finished it all off. Shes not totally happy now its laid so Ive got about 30 mins work to redo...only another 350 box to plant!!
Back to work tomorrow and a full day..yes I know whats one of them! Theres a few things I have to tie up before I go like why does it cost £20k in overtime to train Custody Sgts during the year. Its because bizarrely the centre call the shots.Its always been that way. Tomorrow itll change..hehe. Im going to suggest they vire the money to me from their budget if they get resistant. That should make a few people choke.
Hoping to adjust the diary to go to the new stadium in Brighton wednesday to take some pics.
Saw Scott F-L today he came around to try to fix the alarm system. Failed unusually but gave me the name of a good alarm engineer. Also came with 2 car seats good old boy for the Popmeister and an invite to his hogroast post his extension build. Hes a good mate.Looking forward to going on patrol with him in my last week. No doubt there will be trouble ahead!! haha. My last official street fight with the druggies! Would be wrong not to keep the reputation intact now wouldnt it!!