My post-lockdown commute back to work

[Mendip]

^^

Yes, a nice thought... but she's less than half my age and this continues to be an issue in this part of the world.


^^^^
OhOh, thanks so much, that's fantastic information. I have at least one very difficult hurdle but everything else is possible... I meet all the criteria but just have to get onto it all.


But just as there's light at the end of one tunnel there is of course plenty of other shite going on... it's just one of those years.

On the BBC radio this morning it was announced that Sweden is in the worst state of Covid since the pandemic began. Intensive care beds in Stockholm are 99% occupied and they're becoming very worried indeed.

Some Swedish government guy interviewed was complaining that people still aren't social distancing properly and taking it seriously enough. I really think the time for giving 'strong advice' is over and maybe it's about time the government started to make laws. It seems to me that Sweden is on the brink.

And it doesn't stop there...

I had this email from my accountants yesterday...



Hello,

Due to Brexit from 1 January 2021, you will need a Residence Permit to work in Norway. Entry to Norway will be refused without a Permit.
To get a permit, you will need to have the appropriate qualifications and also be paid a market rate.

What we know so far is explained on our website and at the Norwegian immigration service.

As more information becomes available we will let you know. But time is pressing to get this dealt with.

It appears this might significantly affect the salary and tax you have to pay in Norway from 2021.

Kind regards,



Each residence permit costs about 600 quid and only lasts the duration of a contract. It takes around 10 weeks to process an application... yet I usually get only a few days notice of a job. As things stand this has effectively ended the possibility of onshore work in Norway for the future. Offshore work on vessels appears to be unaffected, thankfully.

It also seems that post Brexit, UK citizens will be at the back of the queue for work. I'll be allowed to spend no more than 90 days out of every 180 day period working within the Schengen area. I'll be in the same situation as my Russian colleague who has to leave next week because he's used up his day allowance in Schengen. So basically, what I've done this year won't be possible next year. Oh, and also my tax liability in Sweden changes from January 1st... yes, you're very welcome Lom!

How I fukkin despise Cameron, Johnson and their ilk. These thick, monied Etonian wankers who play with peoples livelihoods for their own political gains. It's all a game to these tossers who've never achieved a fukkin useful thing in their entire lives... just lived off daddy's money while shagging and lying their way through life.

Bunch of cnuts, the lot of 'em.

But anyway, if one good thing has come out of Covid, it's made companies much more open to people working from home. Now that I've got established with these guys I'm hoping that will be my way forward and they've already shown interest. I may have just been very lucky with my timing here. Maybe this stupidly long work trip will have future benefits other than the immediate boost to my bank account.

Roll on 2021!

[Dillinger]

^ You sound like you'd be a lot of fun at TD's New Years countdown

[Dillinger]

if one good thing has come out of Covid, it's made companies much more open to people working from home

I'd have thought you'd have about the same chance of working from home as a deep sea diver, rigger or sailor

[lom]

Oh, and also my tax liability in Sweden changes from January 1st... yes, you're very welcome Lom!

Every tax krona which can increase my pension is welcome, thank you for your contribution Mendip!

[Mendip]

^ You sound like you'd be a lot of fun at TD's New Years countdown

I haven't been invited anywhere yet!


I'm just pissed off today.

Ya know... I moved to Korat 14 years ago to semi-retire and take things easy...

The b@stard pound has never stopped going down since the day I arrived, the oil industry has had two major downturns and my life has never been more complicated and I've never worked so much.

And now with all the problems around Covid I'd totally forgotten about Brexit.

But the fact that I'll be donating to Lom's pension fund from January 1st has made me feel better!

[helge]

How I fukkin despise Cameron, Johnson and their ilk. These thick, monied Etonian wankers who play with peoples livelihoods for their own political gains. It's all a game to these tossers who've never achieved a fukkin useful thing in their entire lives... just lived off daddy's money while shagging and lying their way through life.

Bunch of cnuts, the lot of 'em.

First time I seen you....angry

Let it out; you are not wrong

Oh, and also my tax liability in Sweden changes from January 1st...

Deductions, my friend

Double households etc

[helge]

The b@stard pound has never stopped going down

Let's all 'red' Snakeeyes

But the fact that I'll be donating to Lom's pension fund from January 1st has made me feel better!

Sacrilege !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[David48atTD]

Yes, a nice thought... but she's less than half my age

Your point being?

Maybe she's a secretive pea fan, searching for a like minded soul.


^ highlighted in green to avoid confusion

[lom]

highlighted in green to avoid confusion

if that was your intention then you should have checked the spelling instead..
no doubt of what thoughts you had kinky Dave

[David48atTD]

if that was your intention then you should have checked the spelling instead..
no doubt of what thoughts you had kinky Dave

opps, thanks for pointing that out (updated now) ... my bad.

I have 6yo boys and anything pee and fart turns them into giggling 2yo's

[Saint Willy]

but she's less than half my age and this continues to be an issue in this part of the world.

]

Shouldn't that be a bonus, rather than an issue?

Each residence permit costs about 600 quid and only lasts the duration of a contract. It takes around 10 weeks to process an application... yet I usually get only a few days notice of a job. As things stand this has effectively ended the possibility of onshore work in Norway for the future. Offshore work on vessels appears to be unaffected, thankfully.

It also seems that post Brexit, UK citizens will be at the back of the queue for work. I'll be allowed to spend no more than 90 days out of every 180 day period working within the Schengen area. I'll be in the same situation as my Russian colleague who has to leave next week because he's used up his day allowance in Schengen. So basically, what I've done this year won't be possible next year. Oh, and also my tax liability in Sweden changes from January 1st... yes, you're very welcome Lom!

Sorry to hear that.

[OhOh]

QUOTE=Mendip;4194622]Due to Brexit from 1 January 2021, you will need a Residence Permit to work in Norway. Entry to Norway will be refused without a Permit.
To get a permit, you will need to have the appropriate qualifications and also be paid a market rate.

What we know so far is explained on our website and at the Norwegian immigration service.[/QUOTE]

But your in Sweden, yes?

Your accounts have sent you a Norway specific requirement.

I would suggest you inspect your contract.

Speak to your boss either:

1. Double shifts to complete you currently programed tasks prior to Dec. 31st. At an enhanced rate
2. As your work appears to be computer based and meetings, arrange a suitable secure connection and perform your work and attend meetings remotely, from the UK. Again rate enhanced, to cover any UK taxes to cover the unforeseen plus setup/fees. To work within any yet to be announced let alone legislated, Swedish modified requirements

They have seen your work abilities which they have deemed acceptable. If Sweden goes into lock-down and remote working becomes mandatory, where you sit is irrelevant. Your record on delivery is proven.

[Mendip]

^ In 30 years offshore I've had regular work in Norway... it's always been a great safety net in times of downturn. There's always work in the Norwegian Sector and I have everything set up for that just now.

This is my first ever work in Sweden... not having a North/Norwegian Sea border and no oil and gas industry the Swedes have never been much of a presence in the industry until now. These guys I'm working for are a small outfit trying to break in to the oil and gas side of things, which is what I meant by lucky timing. I may hang my hat here for a bit, especially now Norwegian work seems so difficult post Brexit.

Even just two weeks from the end of the year no-one knows what will happen, which seems incredible. Maybe I'll need a Schengen visa to work in Sweden and maybe I'll have limited access? All things considered, to work from home will be the best option and if one good thing comes out of Covid for me it will the change that's happening across the industry with a revolution in remote working and the Swedes have embraced it. Offshore work seems unaffected, it's just onshore office work that will be the problem and I plan to set myself up for that at home.

But as for double shifts to the end of the year... I'm doing 11 hours a day as it is!

Working in the UK will also be full of issues also. I'll have to take the hit, if it happens, for the few days I'll be here in Sweden during January, post Brexit. I'm booked until 11 Jan as it is, so not a big problem.

Happy Christmas Lom!

[OhOh]

I'm doing 11 hours a day as it is!

How many workdays in January?

Send me your passwords and reference manual. You look at videos for the unexpected right?

I'll sit in for a while.

[Mendip]

^ I'll think about it...


And this was always going to be the problem with buying my Christmas booze early...

One shitty day and the whisky is opened.

I've resisted it for nearly a week so am quite proud of meself really, but it doesn't take much.



And the cause of the shitty day? This remote working is all well and good, but....

I have an issue with my project which would normally be sorted out in ten minutes with a few people sat round a table. But no... my project coordinator is sat somewhere in The States, my immediate line manager (there's many levels of management here) is sat in the Caribbean because she 'can't' get a flight back to GOT, two processors are sat in the UK... one in the Reading office, one at home, and the chief cartographer/GIS is sat at home in Gothenburg. My charts are being made by a certain French colleague who is also a fine cartographer/Acad. This problem has gone round and round all day with nothing solved... everyone cherry-picks the bit they want to get involved in and ignores the rest, forgets to copy the original people in an email, and so it goes on. Headless chickens. After a fruitless day I finally got the hump by 5pm and fukked off, did my 20 minutes rowing and then opened my whisky!

I'm paid by the day... it shouldn't matter but my head is fried and I want to get finished now. Early January really is my limit.

My Russian colleague was due to leave on Wednesday because his Schengen allowance is nearly up (a situation us Brits may soon be in after January 1st... but let's not go there right now) and I was hoping he'd get a big segment of the project finished up before then... but can ya bladdy believe his flight back to Russia via Heathrow next week is in jeopardy because the b@stard baggage handlers at LHR are going on strike... so he's off on Sunday instead... bollocks.

On the good side I bought some Bluetooth speakers so we can have some festive music for our Christmas dinner! I bought them on Swedish Amazon, and... this is the weirdest of countries... they got delivered to the local supermarket where I picked them up last night.



Roll on Christmas... roll on New Year, and roll on getting home. I'm really missing it now... they're all waiting for me.

[Mendip]

^ And who noticed that Tommy's got a hard on!

[Edmond]

deep sea diver

The first rhyming slang I learned (London, I'd guess around 1993)

The 2nd was 'Ayrton Senna.' (a tenner)

[Mendip]

^ Nigel Benn... a ten.

[Edmond]

Yeah, we only wanted to buy some hash off some blokes in an Escort.


Didn't know we'd end up bilingual.

[Mendip]

My first car was an Escort... Mk I, sky blue and F reg.

Same age as me.

What a heap of shite it was. It was so knackered it couldn't even get up a hill near us without going down to third.

If I wanted to impress the girls I borrowed my Dad's Talbot Solara... that's how bad my Escort was!

[Saint Willy]

^ And who noticed that Tommy's got a hard on!

um, no, I didn’t. Euw.

[ootai]

Roll on Christmas... roll on New Year, and roll on getting home. I'm really missing it now... they're all waiting for me.

Mendip
You do realise that when you eventually get back to Korat things won't be the same after all the time that has elapsed.
Your digs will all bark at you and want to bite you.
Your daughter will be 10cm taller and 10 times more sassy than when you left due to having run amok while you were away.
The gardener will tell you that nothing works so that is why the yard is a mess ready for you to clean up.
And your wife will be like all wives and greet you with, "Where's the money honey?"

You might then want to turn around and escape.

[lom]

Happy Christmas Lom!

Wish you and your family the same!

[Mendip]

^^ Yeah, but apart from that it'll be great to get back home!


Anyway... FFS...

There's gonna be three people here for Christmas holding the fort.

My good self, a certain French colleague and an Egyptian guy who seems to have turned up.

Before our North African friend arrived I was planning on a traditional English roast turkey with all the trimmings... well, with just the two of us a roast chicken at least.

I'm a considerate kind of guy, so accepted there will now be no bacon across the top of the chicken to baste it, and no bacon rolls or sausages roasting alongside. A bit disappointing, but no big problem.

Now I'm told that the chicken will have to be halal. I mean... OK, I'm happy to forget for once my disagreement with halal slaughtering methods, but where to get a halal chicken in Gothenburg and why should a simple meal turn into a problem?

I says I can't do that, but at least you can have some veggies? Oh... not happy to eat roast potatoes contaminated by fat from a non halal chicken.

A planned Christmas dinner for two with Christmas carols playing on me new Bluetooth speakers, plenty of vinglögg and maybe a bit of whisky to seal the deal has started to become a bit complicated.

Like I said... FFS...

[helge]

Now I'm told that the chicken will have to be halal. I mean... OK, I'm happy to forget for once my disagreement with halal slaughtering methods, but where to get a halal chicken in Gothenburg and why should a simple meal turn into a problem?

I think all chickens slaughtered in Scandi , is halal

It's just some guy reading a verse from the Koran


There is a lot of christians in Egypt btw

He isn't one then ?


Edit:
In 2017 98 % of the chickens was halal. in Denmark