Oh what a week !!!

Well , glad that's over and not all in a bad way.
Monday I went to the hospital - good news , the eye is getting better , my preds have been lowered and I've lost more weight (must start doing regular sessions on the Wii fit)I still have a lovely bruise from my bloods but I suppose you can't have everything ?
Tuesday was the grand opening and everything went brilliantly . The food (I ordered it while I was off ill so wasn't sure about it) was enjoyed and commented on by everyone. The Mayor and his driver where lovely and I even tried on his chain !!!! The owner of the business came down from head office with a couple of others and all where impressed. The cake (with logo) was lovely. We had a class of kiddies from the nursery class at the school and they where quite edible in their gourgeousness !!!!
So all in all went really well.
Wednesday went to a meeting at area office - wouldn't you know it , it was snowing again !!!!! Useful day - met people friom other shops to put faces to names , learnt some very useful info about how the business is run (? ran - not sure).
Thursday , Friday back to normal - supposedly ! I have a locum while my boss is living it up in India and although he's a lovely man , he is very slow and has over ordered loads of dressings , bandages etc which I had to return. He has also upset the nurses and generally caused chaoes and is away for his lunch dead on 1 and away home dead on 6 even if there is still work waiting. So needless to say, I have been working my socks off which is not a bad thing but I have not been able to keep up with my own work and I have him for another week. We worked together half day yesterday (Saturday) and I still didn't finish what I wanted to do.
I'm off tomorrow (day off in lieu of Saturday) and intend to get second Hep B jab and some socks and knickers for Ellie and I in town .I have ordered a new phone - a blackberry curve - which should come tomorrow. I have loads of stitching to do and I got the Cath Kidson book 'sew' with the makings of a bag, this week so want to get that started (need to pick up some heavy duty stitching thread first though)
Still working our way through Christmas chocolate but being sensible (don't ask how I can put the words 'sensible' and 'chocolate' in the same sentence !!!!)
Last but not least , thanks everyone who has taken the trouble to comment on my blog or even just stop by. I can't always reply on your blogs for some reason (Erma and Manic Moms come to mind) so please don't think I haven't tried.
Take care
Jan

My baby boys all growed up !!!!

Last night I got a text from my first born to say that he'd asked his girlfriends dad for permission to get engaged to her !!!!I'm speechless - not by the action of getting engaged , more by the fact that he's suddenly become traditional.
It was my little girl's 10th birthday last Monday . Oh please, please slow down world - where have the years gone ?
On another note , Wednesdays snow resulted in a bad fall on the way to work in which I twisted my knee and badly bruised my hip so I was home quaffing pain killers Wednesday , Thursday.Friday I got up to go to work and ended up hugging the big white telephone - may have been a reaction between tabs and painkillers - so didn't go in then either. My boss flew off to India yesterday to see his family and be thoroughly spoilt - I fully expect him to come back 4 stone heavier.Today is hospital day hope I get a gentle blood sucker today. Tomorrow we have our shops grand opening . As I was off at the end of the week , I couldn't help with the prep and it doesn't bode good that boss is away and we have a locum in situ . The Mayor is coming and all head office dignitary. Wednesday I have to travel again to Bristol (hospital there today) this time for area office meeting.
Snow has all gone and we now have rain and flood warnings - happy , happy , joy , joy !!!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Yes the snow is still falling here. Dd's school was closed today so she's been happily Wii'ing (!!!) with DH apart from when he escaped out to the pub and to get some urgent supplies - milk ,bread and chocolate covered strawberries (I didn't prompt him , honest)
The postman brouught me a package from Jacqueline at needleprint - five Quaker charts for the price of 3 . I have my knitting (jacket for DD) and sewing ( still owe some pieces that I've not caught up on with work and illness.)So I've got plenty to keep me busy. My Wii fit arrived yesterday but haven't used it yet. Joined Rosemary Conley online so we'll see how that goes.
Still suffering with cough and yesterday woke with a really painful toe - don't know the cause but it's not my usual tendonitis and the pain is really bad so hobbling around.

Thoughts for 2010

I copied these from another blog which apparently had copied from another so I don't know the originator but I think I might try to live by these thoughts - I won't make any resolutions this year as I get so annoyed with myself when I don't keep them
1: When in doubt - just take the next small step.
2: Life is too short to waste hating anyone.
3: Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
4: Make peace with your past so it won't screw-up the present.
5: Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
6: Your children get only one childhood.
7: Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
8: Be eccentric now - Don't wait for old age to wear purple! (I love this one and VERY often wear purple!)
9: No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
10: Frame every so-called disaster with these words. 'In five years, will this matter?'
11: Forgive everyone everything.
12: The best is yet to come.

The end and the beginning

This year I ended one job and started another.
Today , fittingly , we had a 12 day old baby girl in the shop and dispensed a prescription for a 102 year old lady . Beginings and ends - where will they take us?
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and many more of them.
Take care

Rebellious Body

Well after being unusually healthy since August and hoping that I'd finally turned the corner healthwise, I woke Wednesday with very bad upset stomach . Couldn't risk the bus journey to work (more than an hour with no toilet access ) so rang in sick. Slept most of the day in the hope of recovering but woke with sore throat , temperature and swollen glands - developed ear ache as well later so had to text to say I'd be back Monday.
Didn't think I'd be able to do Saturday - Bath - but I felt better after resting a few days so it probably was my body in protest mode.
The American Museum at Claverton Manor http://www.americanmuseum.org/default.cfm/loadindex.198 was decorated for Christmas with a Flights of Fancy theme. We met the ladies of the Sampler Guild http://www.thesamplerguild.co.uk/ and started with a lovely cup of coffee and home made cookies then made a raid on the book shop and Christmas decorations. Then it was back to the cafe for lunch - for Ellie baked potato with lots of cheese , for me butternut squash soup and chunky homemade bread. Then we toured the house , with Ellie hunting kites with Father Christmas notes attached.Then it was back to the cafe to meet up with the ladies and compare goodies !!! Then home by train , bus and foot - shame about the rain .
Forgot to say the wonderful quilts and hook rugs are amazing and well worth a visit on their own

Will the rain ever stop ?

I don't think I've seen so much rain.
It was my turn to work Saturday yesterday (only till 1pm) . We only had two customers - this new place is like a ghost town !!!
Went into town after work to shop but it was so busy I just bought a pair of work trousers (one size down !!!!) and a bright red wooly hat - feeling the cold travelling to and from work . I wanted a parker style longer jacket but couldn't see what I wanted so came home and went to bed for a few hours before DH and DD came back from Banbury (Hockey !)
Friday Dh picked me up from work and we had dinner at the carvery near work - it was lovely and relatively cheap, no wonder it was so busy.
Received my first Christmas decoration - need to get my booty moving and stitch mine. The cold and dark has stopped my incentive to stitcjh at the moment. I have some pictures to post but need to download them from my camersa first.Ellie did a song and dance display in town as part of an area schools initiative of 70's pop.
I won't be going to DH's works Xmas dinner this year as DS can't look after DD and I don't finish till 6 which puts me off rushing to get ready and out.

Two weeks gone already

Well , I'm into the work routine and it's okay - the long hours and bus travel is not fun so I'm still looking for work closer to home. New boss seems okay and workmates are nice. Business is terribly quiet at the moment but will pick up once people know we're here. Some trouble with local children but we've told the police. Hospital tomorrow and I start my Hep B course. Arm still sore from swine flu jab and I feel a bit 'fluey' at the moment . Got some stitching done (finished the RR at last) . It's so dark with the weather that I'm having problems seeing to stitch

Seems to be working

So , I started work on Tuesday - buses not too bad although it is a long journey.Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday we where just unpacking goods and putting up shelves - sorting out the shop. We had lunch Tuesday and Wednesday at a carvery - yum and Thursday we all went to the local chippy - another yum !!!!Will have to sort out sandwiches or I can see myself ballooning and since I've lost almost a stone since I finished last job , I don't want to gain!!
On Monday I start normal times (was on day off Friday). We have a busy day with the press and baloons. The Pharmacist who we'll be working with wont be starting till a week Monday.
I'm booked in for my flu and swine flu jabs (as i didn't have a jab when I had my presumed dose of swine flu ,I still have to have the jab) on Friday the 13th!!! wish me luck !

Saturday Fill ins

1. Plans and schedules coursework, needlework,washing .

2. I'm happy when things come to fruitfulness .

3. The last thing I drank was orange juice .

4. One of the most valuable things in my life is sleep .

5. I like seafood and goats cheese on my pizza.

6. Dear November, I'm ready to rise from the ashes .

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sewing, and Sunday, I want to get ready for the excitement Monday!

yes - so I'm a horrible person

I had two more interviews last week - one job was absolutely perfect , everything I wanted, but I was accepted for another less perfect job. I hung out for the goodie and was told I hadn't got it but had done a good interview - woopie dooo - ungrateful b***h that I am. So I've got a job - not so perfect but okay. Thank you everyone that have wished me luck and have looked out for me - I promise to do my best and let you know how I do

things are moving forward

It feels like interviews are like buses - nothing for ages then they all come along at once.
I got my hair cut - smart spiky pixie style.
My two interviews went really well and I've had one job offer already , but I'm waiting to hear about the other one before I accept (is that greedy ?) . The offer I've had will mean two buses - bus into town and back out , and working every other Saturday morning with a day off in the week .The other job is central , office hours and no weekends but is temp to cover maternity with a chance of permanent. I also have two more interviews - one on Wednesday for a job closer to home and the other Friday which is again two buses. All the jobs have positives and negatives and I can't help feeling that in the current economic climate , I can't afford to be too choosy.

Busy days

Well , last week was quite busy . I've started studying for my CeFA qualification , but a bit of a viscious circle really. Have paid half but I can't sit the exam until I've paid it all, I can't afford the rest till I'm back in work but I won't be sent for an interview even until I've sat the exam !!!!
I went on a jobseekers seminar which was actually quite useful. It made me think about the jobseeking thing differently and I revamped my CV.
Signed on for the first time yesterday - not as much an ordeal as I expected . Had hospital appointment as well which was positive despite being there more than 2 hours ( they had two try's before getting my blood sample so a bit bruised and battered !!!) . My eye is a lot better but the Dr want's to keep me on 5mg Pred for another couple of months (till next appt) as it's the flu season and my flare ups usually occur when I have an infection.
On another note I have 'two' interviews tomorrow for very different jobs !!! One in the morning and one in the afternoon , so I'm off to get my hair tidied and trimmed today.
Princess Anne visited Ellie's school yesterday http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/4690980.Princess_Anne_visits_Lyneham_families/
Ellie was in the group singing whenshe arrived and they also did a bell ringing display of which Ellie was the lead bell .
Today Ellie is having a 'taster day' at the senior school even though she has another year before she moves up - her class is mixed and there are children a year older who will move up in September.
Tomorrow they're on half term (already !!!) . Dave will be taking her with him to hockey because I have the two interviews.
So wish me luck for tomorrow peeps.
Take care

Things I have discovered (rediscovered)

It's lovely to be able to take / pick up Ellie from school . To listen while she tells me about her day or what she'll be doing . When I was working I'd see her for 10 minutes in the morning while I did her hair (always traumatic !!!) and in the evening for about an hour before she went to bed to read before lights out .
To sit and catch the last of the decent weather with the porch door open either reading , sewing or on the computer with Jazzy by my feet.
To have lunch with my DH at a country pub before picking Ellie up in the afternoon.
To eat when I'm ready instead of when it's time.
To have a lie in when I want.
To have time to do things that I put aside as weekend jobs then found out the weekend went t quickly or was used as recovery time after a 'bad week'
I'm now 'over the other side' of my upsetting past and more relaxed , I've lost some weight and have started a course which I hope will get me back into work
Just had a call - might have some admin work for six weeks starting Monday

Lots to say - if you want to 'listen' !!!

I haven't posted in ages because the dreaded 'depression' thing was rearing it's ugly head. I know about this 'cause I suffered quite badly ( culminating in chemical intervention) back in 1998 before fell pregnant with Ellie ( her failure to thrive was a cause for worry as to whether the tabs had affected her ) . I didn't want to go the tab route this time so took to my bed and slept off the problem - it works for me. Yes I'm still B & T but that's me - I harbour grudges.
I had a lovely weekend starting the 18th though when Ellie and i stayed in Bath for the Jane Austen weekend. The plan was for her to join the promenade but I didn't get my act together- despite having both pattern and fabric - to make her dress. So we watched instead.

And Ellie joined the lovely couple in the bottom picture for a photo - maybe next year ? !

The weather was glorious all weekend and there was a really good farmers market in the complex (ex railway station) opposite our hotel. We saw Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs in 3D and ate at TGI Fridays and we went to the Egg theatre and saw the Clever Clogs and the Cunning Princess. Excitement at the hotel Sunday morning at 7.30am when the fire alarm went off - Ell and I rushed out in jammies and coats to be told that somebody had burnt the toast !!!! I managed to lock myself out of my room so had to go back to reception for another keycard still in Jammies !!!!

Life then settled down to daily computer job applications until I signed on Monday just gone. I'm booked into a seminar next week and I've had one unsuccessful interview but lots of 'you have been unsuccessful on this occasion however we where impressed by your CV and will keep you on our books. Now, today all this changed , I won't say more as I'm a bit superstitious but , I may be back in work next month so wish me luck.

Oh, one other thing , I was right about FF , he'd already decided way back I was going - he's taken on 'Santa's little helper' his yes man who washes grapes !!!! I can't do nothing about it although I reckon if I hadn't signed the agreement I'd have had a really good case for constructive dismissal.

Take care peeps

all over bar the shouting

Well , busy week this week , spent most of it signing on with agencies the good side is that I've been told that my CV is 'good and strong !' and they should have no problem placing me . The bad news is that my sleep has gone to pot and I feel so tired all the time.
I sign the final paperwork on Monday then that's that, I'm officially unemployed . I had to apply for my birth certificate as I can't find mine.
The weather is beautiful at the moment and it's nice not to be tied to an office.
Yesterday when I was at an interview for an agency , there was a repatriation at the place where the interview was - we stopped the interview and went outside to pay our respects while the cortege passed through - so sad , these young people no longer have the chance of walking in the sunshine - it put my problems in perspective.
Have a lovely weekend and take care all my bloggy friends

Feeling a bit calmer

I've decided to bow to the inevitable. I went to see the solicitor yesterday and she's going to try to negotiate a better settlement. FF has already put a temp in my place and given him all my work. He'd again rearranged my desk while I was away but I put everything back. I'll have to clear it out next week.
I've started to job hunt .had lunch with friend S. who has been with me throughout and supported me. She is angry on my behalf and even went to see the director to try to make him see sense to no avail - ff has won.
Just need to see what the future will bring. Another friend and colleague who has supported me throughout J. gave me his email - wish he had been my manager.
Am booking with the same lady for holiday next year - that'll be something to look forward to.

Meme for 8

I stole this from the lovely Fhina aka 'A Woman of No Importance' http://wildatheartblog.blogspot.com
The rules are:- Mention the person who tagged you. (check)- Complete the list of eights- Tag eight others and let them know.
1) Eight things I am looking forward to :
Getting closure on my work problem
Stopping the horible steroids
Losing weight after stopping the horrible steroids
Being able to fit into some of my clothes again
Christmas
The Jane Austen festival in Bath
Eating a tub of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Yoghurt
Stitching on some of my current projects after a hiatus caused by bruised eye
2) Eight things I did yesterday
Visited Solicitor
Had lunch at Starbucks with good friend
Sent hate waves to FF
Decided it's not worth the effort
Filled out job applications
Left work early because I could
Realised that I do have friends who care
Thought about where life is headed
3) Eight things I wish I could do:
Argue objectively without bursting into tears
Stay in current job
Murder FF without reprisal
Draw better
Win the lottery so it didn't matter
Finish what I've started!!!
Afford a City and Guilds course in Stumpwork
Do a course at Hampton Court
4) Eight places I would like to travel to:
Florence
Sorrento
New Zealand
Australia
Canada
San Fransisco again
Boston
Ireland
5) Eight places I've travelled to:
Austria
Malta
Cyprus
Holland
Belgium
France
USA
Germany
6) Eight people to tag:
I'm taking a leaf out of Fhina's book here and not tagging (some people have expressed a dislike for being tagged and feeling obliged to do something ) so choose yourselves but please let me know if you do this and pop in a link for me
Thanks

Well It's happened

This time next week I will probably be unemployed.
I got back to work yesterday to be handed a letter saying my final review was to be next Tuesday and FF was still not satisfied. I then got called in to my Director who offered me £1500 and a months wages to leave quietly having signed a disclaimer.
I went to CAB at lunchtime with my friend and colleague who has supported me through this and today I have an appointment with a lawyer - her initial reaction was that it's obvious by the pay off offer that they want me to leave so lets try to counter claim for larger offer.
I feel sick to my stomach and can't believe this is happening. I asked for more time as I have to see a solicitor and was given just an extra days grace.
I really don't know what I'm going to do - we need my wage.
All prayers etc welcome

Back off holiday

Well , that's it for another year !!! It seemed to go so quickly .

The bad news is I spent the first day for three hours in casualty after waking looking as if I'd done ten rounds with Mike Tyson. Turns out I had a spontaneous bleed - down to the drugs / condition. I left casualty looking like one of jack Sparrow's crew. Quickly changed to sun glasses - not so bad as the weather was gorgeous all week so didn't look out of place. So it turned into an easy going lazy week with walks on the beach and plenty of rest for me.

We went to the conservative club ,ate at the Sea marge Hotel and the White Horse pub. We also had a day in Norwich and ate at Waggamammas - a first for DH and Ellie who where both suitably impressed

Then back to rest at the cottgae.

Ah well back to work tomorrow - wonder what FF has done to my desk this time ? !!!!