Yes you can fill gaps, but not all gaps are worth filling.
In terms of pension it’s worth doing especially if it’s going to be your only income and/or private pensions are limited.
Yes, NI contributions can be checked easily on line. That is really worth doing, we discovered my BiL didn’t have contibutions credited to him when he was out of work and receiving benefits. It was sorted but took a while.
Yes that is a very important point you need to study the numbers carefully and/or get financial advisor advice. I can’t remember the exact numbers but my gap filling went along the lines of something like this. I was short by about £77 over three years and I needed three lots of £200 to fill the gap. I thought fine I’ll pay the £600 and get the full state pension. Then I went online and looked at the breakdown.
The first £200 bought me £38 of pension
The second £200 bought me £38 of pension
The third payment of £200 bought me £1 of pension
A bawbag?
As we were walking the dog this morning, I was thinking about the scaffolders due to put up scaffolding tomorrow preparatory to our solar installation next week and all the preparatory things I still needed to do.
Then a neighbour contacted us to say there was a scaffolding lorry waiting outside our house. Turns out the scaffolding company had rescheduled us to today, but no-one ever thought to tell us.
Anyway six hours later it’s been erected and now there are various things I need to do while the scaffolding is up!
In the meantime we have lost access to Sky TV for a couple of weeks and I notice that my FM aerial has been rotated through 180 degrees to get it out of the way of people walking along the scaffolding. I might be using more internet radio for R3 for a while.
Unfortunately they are just brilliant at redesigning cars
Interestingly I don’t currently work Wednesdays either - it’s worked well for several years and primarily allowed me to do a group tennis session (or two) I enjoyed but that’s getting very hard to book onto these days and the group dynamic isn’t quite the same. Some of my work is flexible and can be done at any time.
While the midweek break is very nice I’m tempted to change as I lose momentum between Tuesday and Thursday and think I might prefer to just have a much longer weekend and a more continuous working week.
If I drop hours it’d be at least another day I think and there may be some benefits trying to ditch Mondays simply due to the bizarre way leave allowance calculations were changed a few years ago to benefit those who didn’t get paid Bank Holidays Mondays (fair in many ways but reduced leave allowance for some of us less than full time)..
What do you fancy doing in the voluntary sector. its something I fancy doing when I pack in paid employment.
Battersea Dogs (autofill suggested frogs!) Home maybe - you need to commit 6 months which wouldn’t be a problem, but the commute would be longer than Oxford St so I’m not sure.
I’ve worked most of my life in human social care and working with animals would be a refreshing change.
Or…working p/t in a record shop! That appeals.
I wondered about the same when I was moving to cut down. I also discussed it with my management, and the view was expressed that a solid block of work days, together with second level cover when I was not in the office, would be a good compromise, and I was happy to agree to phone support - from the comfort of our conservatory! 
It worked well for my final 2-3 years, covering 3 or 4 sats during integration….apart from when I got some sort on Covid like virus over one Xmas**. I was scheduled to be on 24 hour call for the holiday period, but ended up spending three weeks flat out! LOL
**this would have been 2017/18? A couple of years before the now infamous pandemic. Long story, but serious breathing issues, couldn’t lie down to sleep, so had to be propped up in the lounge. Couldn’t get to sleep - I watched a lot of David Attenborough’s finest! 
And I confess that at the time (at my age) I wondered whether “this was it!” The medics were at a loss, tried a number of things, but this was a couple of years before Covid. Now obviously I survived, but with a few minor longer term issues.
When I finally got back to work, I discover that a colleague had got back from holiday about a month before it all kicked off with me…..and he’d gone sick at the same time. And guess where he’d been for his hols……..
Happy Daze!
It’s maybe also a sense of it being easier to turn on out of office responses once a week.
Not worked today but did check emails earlier this evening to respond to things I started earlier in the week to save time tomorrow.
I like the flexibility but it doesn’t make a clear break from working to non-working day if you get my drift.
I’m bit too far away for Battersea, but animal rescue / welfare sounds good, I’m spending a lot of time at our local Hospice, and from what I’ve seen / experienced, that’s something I’m considering volunteering for as well.
That’s something out there away from our current paid employment that would help others and fulfill the void leaving full time employment brings 
Hope all goes well and calmer days are ahead for all concerned
Ian
Thanks Ian. Definitely not well at present but as with all things one thing a time.
The Petite Panthers allowed me to sleep until 7 before requesting breakfast and suggesting I get up and make myself a coffee after giving them breakfast. A bit later I renewed the house insurance with a new company, as my current insurer is no longer offering house insurance. A 10-minute phone call to the company my current insurer suggested, and a comparison site search, seemed to offer the best value against the cover offered as standard. Briefly discussed a couple of minor amendments and made them. I was pleasantly surprised that the revised quote was a few pence lower, so I paid then and there. Breakfast and a second coffee to celebrate such a painless transaction.
Mid-morning, I met a friend for a walk and coffee in a lovely garden. Now semi watching the Basque Country Tour, will pay more attention when they get closer to the finish. A good way to spend a Thursday.
A while ago in the Guardian there was an article written by a middle aged woman who had terminal cancer but the wonders of medical science allowed her to live longer than predicted. She was weak.
I managed to push my cancer into remission but at my age we share similar horizons.
Her first job every morning before rising was an energy and strength accounting. What needed doing that day;what could be left in order to boost another days workload.
I follow her principal.
I banked for three days and have used the warm weather to sort the garden. Half an hour or even a quarter before resting.The twizzle clothes line was a great help sometimes,after a short crawl,help raise me to the vertical.
So never give up as the years mount. Great to be alive even if I do ache like…
Good on you Nick.
Another example of the positive (bloody minded?) attitude shown elsewhere on this forum by @Dan_M .
Best wishes to you.
All the best from me too Nick. Keep on fighting.
Best wishes Nick, having goals is important keeping busy is also helpful. Take care.
