At the wheel of Lady Lucy
It’s 10.30 am.
At 5am I woke and packed my bags, I cycled over to Waterloo. There was no train, I took a bus to Barnes, there was a train.
At 8.30 am I got to Lady Lucy, unpacked the boat and my bags and by 9.30am the boat was ship shape.
I had two parties coming on the boat today. I don’t know them, I trusted them as I trust all guests. They haven’t turned up. They didn’t respond to the mails during the week or mails this weekend.
You might ask why I bother!
Be bothered!
There’s a simple answer; because if you don’t bother, no-one else does. If we all stopped bothering , there wouldn’t be much fun left in the world
The world is full of people who don’t bother, of whom the rude people who booked the boat and didn’t show are just examples.
And most people say
“why should it be my job – when there are many other people who could do that job better?”.
This links to my blog earlier this morning.
Why should it be my job to try and restore a West Indian lady’s faith in pension?
Why should it be Angie Brooks’ job to hold the hands of those who have lost their retirement savings?
Don’t beggar your neighbour!
Here is my friend John Mather with his answer to the questions my blog this morning was posing..
Henry why does the complication of the law become the fault of the IFA ? Often bliss is based on ignorance in many fields
The world over the meek will inherit (nothing) and the belief that they will is an example of mis selling by religions
I don’t agree John. Your philosophy is one of self-reliance, we are all reliant on each other, even you John! The meek , the quiet, the gentle, and easily imposed on may well submit to the scammers, but they will be loved – that is their inheritance.
I am sitting on my boat alone but have a beautiful morning to think about these things. Of course I would have liked to share my boat with these rude people but I have moved on.
There is no space for recrimination, we can only do what we can for each other and if some people don’t want help , we must find new people to share the love with.
Next week, over 60 people will come on Lady Lucy for the five days of Henley, it will be beautiful and thanks to my guests not turning up today, the boat will be in the best possible shape!
The only thing to do with a beautiful thing like Lady Lucy or “love” is to share it. Yet the mill pond here at Hurley is full of boats that never see life beyond their moorings and pensions are full of people who have all the answers and never want to share them.
Whether your property is intellectual or made out of mahogany, it’s value is in sharing.
I’ll raise my mug of tea to the millions of people who bother. To those looking after others, to those struggling to look after themselves, to Mums and Dads and grandparents.
To the river Thames, to Angie Brooks, to my Minister Lesley Griffiths (whose sermon I will have to watch streamed again). To my Mum and Dad who did (bother).
To the 250 IFAs who bothered to turn up in Peterborough, to Al Rush who bothered!
To all the people who bother – a toast!
Why I bother!
Henry Thank you I do enjoy your blogs and as a recipient of your generous hospitality keep up the good work it is appreciated
However you need to be careful of confirmational bias
I refuse to get involved with the current state sponsored (£1.2bn) pension miss selling fraud where the population is compelled to contribute an inadequate % of salary and fooled into thinking this is going to be sufficient to provide a meaningful income beyond work
Sure I teach self reliance and hopefully increase the numbers in my own modest way
Increasing the number who have the capacity to help the less fortunate does work in the long term
Encouraging more and ever increasing reliance on the few does not end well
which is why in my short 44 years of advising I observe that one dumb ass pension act follows and replaces the last *20+ year legislative alchemy. The real issue is to create a more productive economy not a reliance and dependency on others
The politicians with their own 40ths scheme may never understand
Have e a great day on the river I am delayed 10 hours on BA from Montreal to LHR
KIND REGARDS
JOHN
(*roughly after 7 years)
Hello Henry, long ton no see. I was hoping to catch up with you at the Pensions & Benefits show on Wednesday but it seems you’ll be in Henley.
We’re like ships passing in the night (or day) as I was in Henley today for a Birthday lunch in the Angel on the Bridge (I used to live there from ’75-’81 Henley not the Pub) and held many a business meeting on the jetty with feet in cool water and Brakspear in hand.
Rotten you can’t rely on people to honour arrangements, total bad manners. Similar to those who left you in the lurch last year and cleared off leaving their mess. Their loss.
I can update you on the scams and I’d recommend a major lobby of HMRC to offer an amnesty to those tricked by criminals – they’ve lost their pensions and don’t deserve being kicked in the teeth by the authorities. Unfortunately that’s what is happening all too often and those commissioned to protect the members are instead first in the queue to take their slice of the tiny cake left having already written to the members saying they won’t get anything back and frightening them by saying they’ve broken the law. Then insteps the law who takes more. No-one is protecting the victims, the officials all have an agenda to pay themselves first and members are at the back of the queue.
Hope to see you soon. Enjoy the Regatta. Bob
Thanks Bog – I was on the river on Sunday but without much of a crew! If I had had a crew, you’d have seen Lady Lucy passing the Angel. Thanks for your kind words, I hope all is well with you!
“Whether your property is intellectual or made out of mahogany, it’s value is in sharing.”
Funny you should say that just now. Only yesterday my boss Hilary Salt and I put ourselves in front of an audience of MPs, a baroness, DWP officials, academics and actuaries, to present our best ideas for employer sponsored collective pensions and invite their scrutiny.