After years of basically getting pissed off trying to get an Android phone to work, or even make a bloody call, I decided to go back to an iPhone. So today I ordered a new iPhone 6SE. I’m sure I’ll get pissed off with it in a week, but it can’t be any more annoying than my HTC M8, plus its half the size. I also bought myself a birthday present, after all, what a forty-four year old needs is a 20 inch bike to get to the gym on, plus it was a good price. I still can’t understand what Standard Life have managed to do, but as it looks like it’s fairly set in stone I’m not going to complain about it too much.

Just started work and I got an email about a Geocache 0.6 miles away, I downed my coffee and headed straight out, I got it within thirty minutes of it being published, and was ‘first to find’. Weather was nice but chilly. Walked Sasha and went out for a run this evening.

I need to repair the heating and the coffee machine this weekend. Joy.

I logged into Standard Life first thing, what it told me was totally bizarre, I’m going to leave it to settle down for a few days as at the moment it makes no sense whatsoever. So spent the day bug hunting again, I want to get all the art issues out of the way before starting on my next bit so I don’t get any interruptions. Walked Sasha, was a little bit rainy and inconsistent, but we got round no problem. Walked to the gym, did Pump with the woman who overdoes her eyeliner. Built up a little extra time this week so I can get out a bit on Friday.

So for one day at least I didn’t look at any pensions or investments. Bug hunting pretty much all day. Nice weather though, walked Sasha. Went out for a nice run this evening and then bottled the last of the wine. Yield was twenty-eight and a half bottles, so can’t complain. Now trying to sort out airport parking, do have the option of an executive car from a friend of mine, it’s a bit pricey still, mind. We may end up going the night before as it’s a Sunday, then having a relaxing night and just going to the airport the day after.

Started pretty much on time. Work was fairly dull, finishing one bit off, and then sorting out some issues with an old project, that kept me going for pretty much the whole of the rest of the day. Walked Sasha in rather annoying drizzle, which turned heavier on the return journey. When I got back I finally stopped peeing around with my spreadsheet and finally did a transfer into my pension. So this one and the scheduled one will put quite a large lump sum into a new pension. Since all the rules have changed and you no longer have to buy an annuity I’m now treating it more like a thirteen year tax free investment. The rules of course may very well change again, but as it stands you can’t draw it down until you are fifty-seven and then only 25% of it is tax free, after that it’s treated under normal tax rules. Walked to the gym, did Combat, walked back and did far too much work. Rinsed my bottles, the Pinot will be ready to bottle tomorrow.

Started this morning with coffee and breakfast for three. Did lots of accountancy things. I soon got up though and vanished to Argos to pick up a present for Jamie (I’m nice you see, I give random presents). We then went off to Swindon to the outlet centre, where he failed to buy anything and I bought some rice bowls and a vest. Came back and started looking at the GoPro video of mother from yesterday, one thing I can hear through all of it is her humming. And moaning about her bloody camera. The mid-position valve is shot on the heating again, I need to strip it down and have a look, so the hot water and heating are all on together. Had a bath, now I’m about to cook a curry for me and the dogs. A good week all in all, enjoyed it. Roll on the next one.

So after the usual coffee and paper reading I checked the weather. Tomorrow was not going to be great. I phoned mother and asked if she was available late afternoon, I got a bit of a diatribe about her having to pick her glasses up, but apart from that fine. I phoned Ben and he called me back forty minutes later, we were booked in for five fifteen. Went to the Mall with Jamie, looked at the new iPhone 6 SE, yep, thats for me. Came back, printed out a log and then went and picked mother up. I gave her a flight briefing in the car and we arrived at Staverton at five. Signed all the paperwork, walked her out to the aircraft. Surprisingly she managed to get into it without too many problems. I faffed about and did everything I needed to do. After engine start she started pissing about with her camera moaning that it wasn’t working. I would have thought that if you had an event coming up and you were unfamiliar with it, you would have perhaps tested it first? When I spoke to her in the morning I asked if she had charged it, she said it only used the battery for the flash. I rest my case. I took off, she looked somewhat panicked and was trying to grab hold of anything she could. By the time we were at about eight hundred feet she was fine. We had a hell of a head wind, so the journey down to the Severn bridge took ages. We got up to over three thousand feet and crossed it. Went up Filton airfield then got a view of her house and then over Stoke Gifford and a view of mine. Back up the M5 to Gloucester, that was lightening quick with a tailwind. Landed no problem. It was a great flight and all went according to plan.

Okay. There are not many people who can say, “I’ve flown my mother, over her house, in a helicopter.” So there’s one for the bucket list. All I have to do now is swim with dolphins, bang Dillon Samuels and lick chocolate off Adam Rickitts ab’s, then I can quite happily exit life with the ‘fulfilled’ tick-box, well and truly ticked.

To be honest, considering it was only my second flight with a passenger, I was as relaxed as hell, and that really helped. I knew what I was doing, was confident in it and more importantly I had faith in myself.

A good day. But thankfully, not a good day to die.

Started vaguely on time. Spent a long time finishing off some work. I’ve actually managed to get a hell of a lot done this week, quite pleased overall. We took both dogs out, Dillon lasted about ten minutes before Jamie took him home, I continued with Sasha. Walked to the gym, did Pump and a session with Laverne. Did a bit more work. Now fairly focused on this weekends weather forecast on wether I kill mother or not.

So started this morning at 7:30AM. For two reasons. One I wanted to knock off at 4PM and the other I wanted to be in a call queue at 9AM. First goal was achieved. I set up three phones cyclic calling the number, one finally started ringing, it got answered in four minutes. I put it on speaker and started the digital recorder. To cut a long story short I got the guy to state no less than three times that the payment would be made in this tax year, even if the payment isn’t taken until the next. It’s apparently all to do with tax dates, same as an invoice, when you issue an invoice the date it’s issued is the date on which you have to pay tax on the amount, not when you receive the money. The pension goes from the date they request the money, not when they get it. Anyway, I have the full twelve minute conversation on file. Rest of the work day was uneventful, I actually got a hell of a lot done. Walked Sasha and then drove up to Staverton at 4PM. Got there at just gone five and did the flight planning, we took off at about half-six. Nice flight, down the estuary, over the bridge, which we did at 4,000 feet, just so we could do an engine off autorotation from one side to the other. Interesting fact, with little wind you can cross it in about a 1,000 feet of altitude. Then flew up Filton airfield other mothers house and then probably within about 1,200 feet of mine before going back up the M5. A lovely flight, landing was way too fast, easier with a bit of wind, which there was none. Drove back and then went for a short run.

Spent far too long on the phone today talking to people who didn’t really know what they were talking about, which made it quite interesting. It’s all down to when a direct debit payment is going to be taken and it looks like it’s after the current tax year which is useless. I think I may have to cancel the direct debit instruction and just pay it manually. Although trying to get hold of anyone on the phone is neigh on impossible at the moment anyway. I’ll try and phone them again tomorrow and then give up.

Didn’t have a great nights sleep, actually I basically didn’t. Still had a load of work to crack on with though so just got stuck in. Walked Sasha, it was very cold but dry. Went out this evening for a run, the heavens opened with freezing hailstones on the way back, but nice that it’s light in the evenings again. Booked in with Ben for Thursday evening, get the planning out of the way.