Apologies all I have left you alone for more than a day, but I do have my reasons. Like I said in an earlier post I had a manic weekend. Well I really did start my birthday off on Sunday. And a good job I did to as you will read.
Sunday was set aside for catching up with people and in one case pre birthday lunch. That went gloriously well and I got to spend an afternoon in the garden of a country pub, as the weather held nicely. It was only ended by the chill of autumn late afternoon, but by then I was starting to feel tired anyway as it had been a long day. My friend came armed with the best birthday present, tickets to my favourite event of the year, so I can get away the weekend before the dreaded scan results. A present I can't say thank you enough for.
I knew I would be tired today, although I didn't think I would have to turn the air a rich shade of blue just to sit upright. But there was only one thing on today's agenda, the annual dreaded flu jab. Dreaded because some years I react to it, but for me it is mandatory as I have chronic illness and also have had swine flu. Unlike most other illnesses swine flu is like flu normal and mutates annually so if you had it once you are prone to the next time round. I don't care about the reaction as I so don't want that back, it took me 3 weeks to be able to eat with out medication to make me eat. So whilst I was dragging my sorry tail out of bed inch by inch, mum ran round to collect an old friend whom we usually take with us for the annual stabbing. 2 hours later mum returns, friend has already had the jab as she was at the surgery a week ago so they did that at the same time, but she still sent my annual birthday gift which I have put away towards something special.
It took all morning for me to get upright and to the car and we went to the surgery in time for the circus that is called parking at the surgery. Once we managed a 27 point turn ( I joke you not I counted) I crawl/hopped into the surgery to wait my turn. Now because I was having such a rough day mum was going to take me into her appointment and they do both of us at once, so the moment she was called I started the crawl. Nice idea my own doctor had called me and steered me into her room. Jab done I went to escape till I was told other wise, I apparently am high risk for pneumonia and there is a jab for that so guess what happened? Yup a jab in the other arm for that so the risk of chest and ear infections is reduced. Fair enough if it reduces the the risk, until she said as I left, "oh you will feel ill for the next 48 hours or so from that." Wonderful! Did she not check what tomorrow is? Obviously not, cause I am now laying in bed feeling very sorry for my self. The pain in my back has now grown to all over my body, my face and body are burning but my hands and feet are like ice, and I don't want to eat.
So tomorrow looks like it won't be a birthday, but a duvet day, apart from the mandatory shopping trip for bread and milk I have to go on. Turning 40 isn't going to be some glorious party more than a whimpering tea light, with tissues and paracetamol I feel.
Monday, 8 October 2012
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Harvest in Africa
Part one of the church's harvest festival is done and the theme this year is Africa. A rather difficult choice I feel as having been to north Africa myself I know it is not the most reliable of places to have a harvest.
Still our church took up the challenge mainly because two of our members have been to various places out there over the summer holidays. One climbed mount Kilimanjaro, the other did some charity work in a village of the Masai tribe then went on to trek and safari for the final week. Two very different holidays, both with similar discoveries. That was that despite lack of technology, material wealth, running water or even guaranteed harvest, these people enjoyed live and sharing it with others. No language barrier was a problem, drawing and miming covered any difficulties.
What little they had they shared, what they were given in return was received with such gratitude, it was unbelievable, even the small things like a toothbrush or a comb. This two events aren't unusual in Africa either, as I was in Tunisia a few years back, before the recent upsets. Out there life is a little easier in the towns as it has a fair footfall of tourists, or so you would think. The average wage out there is £150 per month. Yet a carton of cigarettes is £10 and most people smoke out there. The cost of water and cola to us is dirt cheap at what was approximately 50p a large bottle, but to them it is high expense. There is free education right the way to and including university level available to them out there, but few families can afford to have a child not earning after 12 or 14 years old. Yet most people are fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, German even Russian. In fact the only language they seem to be stumped by is Polish, so if you ever want to avoid a conversation in a market place learn one phrase in Polish and you are safe, it worked for me. The recommended tip out there is 50p and trust me you go through a lot of 50ps out there, it is how they top up their wage.
That said the level of customer service is so high out there my 3 star hotel was equal level to most 5 star ones over here. I am notorious for creating a whirlwind in a hotel room, as I dash here there and everywhere. By day three even I was feeling bad for the kind of mess my house maid used to clear up after. But I could never catch her to tip her highly for her work, after speaking to the receptionist there, who also bent over backwards for his guests and to whom I left a £5 equivalent with, I found out that toiletries out there were very pricey and named brands were an impossible price. Bear in mind this is a country where a bottle of supermarket whiskey will trade you a made to measure leather jacket. So having cleared it with the hotel staff I left my poor maid not only a cash tip but all my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hair mousse etc, well they would only leak on the way home anyway. I mean these were full size containers not the travel size, and most only had a 1/3 gone, so there was easily a months worth, and some of them were good names like Paul Michelle, VO5 and so on, to me they are what I call every day brands, to them they are a massive gift. Apparently what I gifted to her was in total worth more than two months wage, to me it was just saving space in my suitcase.
I am not saying all this to make me look good, in fact its the opposite, I am trying to give those of you who travel to that continent an idea, as to how you can help. Those little items at the end of a holiday that you don't really need to take home, like shampoo and tooth paste are a god send to these people. Over here we take deodorant and shower gel for granted, to them its an expensive luxury. So as most of us travellers do instead of just ditching things we don't need to take home, see if there is anyone who would benefit from them, rather than leaving them for landfill. Even silly things like pens and pencils have become prize possessions as other people apart from me have found out.
Anyway back to tonight activities, we have also launched our shoe box campaign for Christmas, which usually get sent to children in orphanages in parts of Europe, well this year we are dividing it up between them and children in the charity projects in Africa, so that we can share the little luxuries in our life to give some basics to those who really need it. I have stated through out my blog that finances are more than tight whilst I am waiting for tests, but if I have to sacrifice one present this Christmas, so I can give a child some basic requirements I defiantly will. I won't say what I saw this evening opened my eyes, because I have seen it in the flesh, but it reminded me of what I had forgotten.
We may not be able to guarantee a harvest in Africa, but if every one gave them a small parcel or shoe box, we can sure ease they need and in return remind ourselves what we really have.
Still our church took up the challenge mainly because two of our members have been to various places out there over the summer holidays. One climbed mount Kilimanjaro, the other did some charity work in a village of the Masai tribe then went on to trek and safari for the final week. Two very different holidays, both with similar discoveries. That was that despite lack of technology, material wealth, running water or even guaranteed harvest, these people enjoyed live and sharing it with others. No language barrier was a problem, drawing and miming covered any difficulties.
What little they had they shared, what they were given in return was received with such gratitude, it was unbelievable, even the small things like a toothbrush or a comb. This two events aren't unusual in Africa either, as I was in Tunisia a few years back, before the recent upsets. Out there life is a little easier in the towns as it has a fair footfall of tourists, or so you would think. The average wage out there is £150 per month. Yet a carton of cigarettes is £10 and most people smoke out there. The cost of water and cola to us is dirt cheap at what was approximately 50p a large bottle, but to them it is high expense. There is free education right the way to and including university level available to them out there, but few families can afford to have a child not earning after 12 or 14 years old. Yet most people are fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, German even Russian. In fact the only language they seem to be stumped by is Polish, so if you ever want to avoid a conversation in a market place learn one phrase in Polish and you are safe, it worked for me. The recommended tip out there is 50p and trust me you go through a lot of 50ps out there, it is how they top up their wage.
That said the level of customer service is so high out there my 3 star hotel was equal level to most 5 star ones over here. I am notorious for creating a whirlwind in a hotel room, as I dash here there and everywhere. By day three even I was feeling bad for the kind of mess my house maid used to clear up after. But I could never catch her to tip her highly for her work, after speaking to the receptionist there, who also bent over backwards for his guests and to whom I left a £5 equivalent with, I found out that toiletries out there were very pricey and named brands were an impossible price. Bear in mind this is a country where a bottle of supermarket whiskey will trade you a made to measure leather jacket. So having cleared it with the hotel staff I left my poor maid not only a cash tip but all my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hair mousse etc, well they would only leak on the way home anyway. I mean these were full size containers not the travel size, and most only had a 1/3 gone, so there was easily a months worth, and some of them were good names like Paul Michelle, VO5 and so on, to me they are what I call every day brands, to them they are a massive gift. Apparently what I gifted to her was in total worth more than two months wage, to me it was just saving space in my suitcase.
I am not saying all this to make me look good, in fact its the opposite, I am trying to give those of you who travel to that continent an idea, as to how you can help. Those little items at the end of a holiday that you don't really need to take home, like shampoo and tooth paste are a god send to these people. Over here we take deodorant and shower gel for granted, to them its an expensive luxury. So as most of us travellers do instead of just ditching things we don't need to take home, see if there is anyone who would benefit from them, rather than leaving them for landfill. Even silly things like pens and pencils have become prize possessions as other people apart from me have found out.
Anyway back to tonight activities, we have also launched our shoe box campaign for Christmas, which usually get sent to children in orphanages in parts of Europe, well this year we are dividing it up between them and children in the charity projects in Africa, so that we can share the little luxuries in our life to give some basics to those who really need it. I have stated through out my blog that finances are more than tight whilst I am waiting for tests, but if I have to sacrifice one present this Christmas, so I can give a child some basic requirements I defiantly will. I won't say what I saw this evening opened my eyes, because I have seen it in the flesh, but it reminded me of what I had forgotten.
We may not be able to guarantee a harvest in Africa, but if every one gave them a small parcel or shoe box, we can sure ease they need and in return remind ourselves what we really have.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Sheer Frustration
This isn't about so much as about poor hubby. He has spent the last three days working his not so little tail off at what was meant to be an induction to a job, that he was promised was permanent 3 days a week
Yea right, all the way through, he was told he needed to be free to work minimal of three days a week, he would have to work 2 -8pm every day, and he would be paid expenses and £62 per each day worked. When he was sent for the job he was advised in the training period he would get £1000 a month then he would get £6.50 per customer from there on after. Come the final day of training, after paying to commute to the training every day of the three, he was then told he wouldn't get expenses until he had completed three surveys in training. Except each survey can take between 1-5 days work. Then they landed the big one, they can't guarantee the amount of work per week, the earliest he can start is in a weeks time and that is only two days work, and one third of his training. So in reality he could take up to 6 weeks to complete his training and in fact not make the £1000 in a month but instead it will take two months.
So the English translation is he has been scammed, and unless he sits around at their beck and call when they can be bothered to put him to work, he will never regain his expenditure. Then to make matters worse he has no contract with them so no come back to the company. So come Monday I am on the phone to try to get to the bottom of all this and find out if the employment agency knew and thus lied to he, or whether they have also been lied to. In the mean time hubby is now left demoralised and back at square one on his job search.
If you were to buy an item or hire a service this would be a breach of contract, but when it comes to employment there control is still in the hands of the employer, to do what they like, change the rules, and out and out lie. What is worse is the fact that the employee i.e. my husband has no contract with anyone so he can't do anything to recover the money lost let alone get the job he worked hard to get and was actually advised during the course he had.
That was yesterday and to be honest I thought that was the end of the incompetency in the world. Well I was proved wrong by the sheer lunacy of HSBC and the phone call I have just had from them, but I will save that for a blog on its own because that mess deserves a name and shame.
Yea right, all the way through, he was told he needed to be free to work minimal of three days a week, he would have to work 2 -8pm every day, and he would be paid expenses and £62 per each day worked. When he was sent for the job he was advised in the training period he would get £1000 a month then he would get £6.50 per customer from there on after. Come the final day of training, after paying to commute to the training every day of the three, he was then told he wouldn't get expenses until he had completed three surveys in training. Except each survey can take between 1-5 days work. Then they landed the big one, they can't guarantee the amount of work per week, the earliest he can start is in a weeks time and that is only two days work, and one third of his training. So in reality he could take up to 6 weeks to complete his training and in fact not make the £1000 in a month but instead it will take two months.
So the English translation is he has been scammed, and unless he sits around at their beck and call when they can be bothered to put him to work, he will never regain his expenditure. Then to make matters worse he has no contract with them so no come back to the company. So come Monday I am on the phone to try to get to the bottom of all this and find out if the employment agency knew and thus lied to he, or whether they have also been lied to. In the mean time hubby is now left demoralised and back at square one on his job search.
If you were to buy an item or hire a service this would be a breach of contract, but when it comes to employment there control is still in the hands of the employer, to do what they like, change the rules, and out and out lie. What is worse is the fact that the employee i.e. my husband has no contract with anyone so he can't do anything to recover the money lost let alone get the job he worked hard to get and was actually advised during the course he had.
That was yesterday and to be honest I thought that was the end of the incompetency in the world. Well I was proved wrong by the sheer lunacy of HSBC and the phone call I have just had from them, but I will save that for a blog on its own because that mess deserves a name and shame.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Busy Weekend Ahead
I am going to keep this short and sweet mainly because the next two days are getting so booked up that if I don't take it easy today I won't make it through the weekend.
I have gone from a week of nothingness to a weekend that doesn't hasn't got breathing space in. Not that I am complaining if I am busy i can't feel the pain. It is the Harvest festival at church which always means two things, the busiest weekend bar Christmas and the start of my birthday celebrations and so it stands this weekend. Not that I am complaining, I have no birthday surprises so I have to make the best of it.
So I am not going to go into detail now about what I am up to, instead I will blog what has happened after wards, when I am happy and tired.
I have gone from a week of nothingness to a weekend that doesn't hasn't got breathing space in. Not that I am complaining if I am busy i can't feel the pain. It is the Harvest festival at church which always means two things, the busiest weekend bar Christmas and the start of my birthday celebrations and so it stands this weekend. Not that I am complaining, I have no birthday surprises so I have to make the best of it.
So I am not going to go into detail now about what I am up to, instead I will blog what has happened after wards, when I am happy and tired.
Go figure this
I am some where close to screaming here, not through pain but through total bureaucracy. I am now a prisoner of the welfare system as previously documented, and unable to work till my consultant says otherwise, unless of course the welfare doctor totally disagrees with him.
So you can imagine my total frustration when I keep getting phone calls offering me work, especially as for 3 months prior to my backs total collapse I had been job hunting. Now all I am getting is offers of work till they come out my ears and I can't take any of them. Whats the bets that when I am finally ready to work I won't get a single call.
It is the well know syndrome called sods law in this house. When you need some thing it isn't around when you don't you drown in it. At the moment it is getting really tiresome as the thing I want the most is to Be up to being in work. earning my own money. Every calls is actually knocking me further down into a form of depression, because mentally I can do the job, but physically I can't manage the day to day trug into work or the sitting down for hours in a chair without needing to lie flat for half an hour to relax the spasms.
Every heard the saying the mind is willing but the flesh is weak, that's me. If I could block all these calls till the end of the month when I know more I cheerfully would, but I can't and whats worse is companies I have told wait till the beginning of November, don't they phone weekly or even more often. At the rate they are calling at I could have been employed 20 times over. But then is that the life I want to return to either? Do I want to remain in an office all my life.
The answer is a blatant no, I want more, I want to make my writing my life, but whether I can time will be the only judge. I have the talent and the academic side is almost finished, but would any one take the gamble? Become a newbie at 40 is a big leap,but if I get the option that's the leap I will make. In the mean time yes if I can I will return to the office. Won't stop my dreams and might stop the phone calls.
So you can imagine my total frustration when I keep getting phone calls offering me work, especially as for 3 months prior to my backs total collapse I had been job hunting. Now all I am getting is offers of work till they come out my ears and I can't take any of them. Whats the bets that when I am finally ready to work I won't get a single call.
It is the well know syndrome called sods law in this house. When you need some thing it isn't around when you don't you drown in it. At the moment it is getting really tiresome as the thing I want the most is to Be up to being in work. earning my own money. Every calls is actually knocking me further down into a form of depression, because mentally I can do the job, but physically I can't manage the day to day trug into work or the sitting down for hours in a chair without needing to lie flat for half an hour to relax the spasms.
Every heard the saying the mind is willing but the flesh is weak, that's me. If I could block all these calls till the end of the month when I know more I cheerfully would, but I can't and whats worse is companies I have told wait till the beginning of November, don't they phone weekly or even more often. At the rate they are calling at I could have been employed 20 times over. But then is that the life I want to return to either? Do I want to remain in an office all my life.
The answer is a blatant no, I want more, I want to make my writing my life, but whether I can time will be the only judge. I have the talent and the academic side is almost finished, but would any one take the gamble? Become a newbie at 40 is a big leap,but if I get the option that's the leap I will make. In the mean time yes if I can I will return to the office. Won't stop my dreams and might stop the phone calls.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Whats in a colour
People who know me, know I am not a pink girly person. In fact for a large chunk of my life I detested the colour. It brought back too many hideous memories of my failed miss pears entry of 1975 in a pink cutie dress with ginger ringlets. Fortunately I grew out of both the dress and the hair colour.
But it left a lasting scar of the colour. Then I grew up and being more a tom boy than a princess girl I resented the world of the barbie brigade and the pink tat that came with it. The 80's were not really a pink decade any way it was more neon and power colours of red and black, which suites me fine. I even enjoyed the 90's grunge of everything with black. Now I am nearly 40 am I softening or is the world putting a different meaning to colours, I don't know but my tolerance for the colour is increasing.
In the last week the colour has been brought to the forefront because of two different reasons. It the Tickled Pink month for cancer at ASDA and as a rule I normally succumb and buy something in bubble gum pink, or with pink trim, if just to support the charity, hence that pink tracksuit lurking in the back of the wardrobe and been re designated to pj level. Unfortunately the colour is now associated as a ribbon for the memory and hope of recovery of a 5 year old child who has disappeared. Suddenly the bubblegum attitude of the colour has disappeared and it has become a colour of hope and desperation.
It won't mean I go out dress head to to in a juicy couture tracksuit, sorry but I will look like a hopping marshmallow. But I may well dig out that little pink dress I have hidden with its handbag for going out over the weekend, just to prove a point. If I can accept a colour I blatantly hate, in the hope that it will bring awareness to a cause, so can anyone else. I just pray it helps towards the two reasons I am wear them.
But it left a lasting scar of the colour. Then I grew up and being more a tom boy than a princess girl I resented the world of the barbie brigade and the pink tat that came with it. The 80's were not really a pink decade any way it was more neon and power colours of red and black, which suites me fine. I even enjoyed the 90's grunge of everything with black. Now I am nearly 40 am I softening or is the world putting a different meaning to colours, I don't know but my tolerance for the colour is increasing.
In the last week the colour has been brought to the forefront because of two different reasons. It the Tickled Pink month for cancer at ASDA and as a rule I normally succumb and buy something in bubble gum pink, or with pink trim, if just to support the charity, hence that pink tracksuit lurking in the back of the wardrobe and been re designated to pj level. Unfortunately the colour is now associated as a ribbon for the memory and hope of recovery of a 5 year old child who has disappeared. Suddenly the bubblegum attitude of the colour has disappeared and it has become a colour of hope and desperation.
It won't mean I go out dress head to to in a juicy couture tracksuit, sorry but I will look like a hopping marshmallow. But I may well dig out that little pink dress I have hidden with its handbag for going out over the weekend, just to prove a point. If I can accept a colour I blatantly hate, in the hope that it will bring awareness to a cause, so can anyone else. I just pray it helps towards the two reasons I am wear them.
Car parks and cupcakes
In case the title is a little confusing I am attempted some thing I haven't done in months. To drive the car, mainly because I need to be able to drive by the end of the month, but that is a different story. So after many attempts to get up I finally braved the drive to the nearest supermarket.
Actually driving is a lot easier than walking for some reason and we managed it to the car park no problem. But what baffles me is the attitudes of drivers in car parks, for some reason common sense and sheer plain manners get left at the entrance. How there weren't multiple crunches in a half empty car park I will never know. From driving the wrong way round the place, to just plain not looking at what they are doing. It was so bad I seriously think it needs to be part of the driving test.
Once I finally found a bay out of harms way and far away from the sheer lunacy of it all, I began the hop to the store. It got worse! not only was I trying to navigate my way through the auditions for cars on ice or something similar, I was also avoiding kids on scooters amid this madness. Now I am not a parent and I don't pretend to be, but I do have experience with managing these little darlings and the one thing I am adamant about is keeping control on them. Even my god daughter will admit when she was little I was strict on her, but she never ended up in trouble because of it. Now a child of maybe 4 years old isn't going to be aware of the dangers of a car with reverse lights on, that's where a responsible adult is meant to be in control.. How that poor child never got hit I don't know, all I do know is because of her parents lack of control, the out come was one child in tears from pure fright and one scooter nearly embedded in my sticks with me on the deck. Still it was better than one squashed child, and her mother got the sharp end of my mums tongue, and that of the driver.
Anyway, we made it to the shop and did every thing we planned to, and mum the sneaky little rat got something past me. It wasn't till I had managed to drive home and collapse did I find out, I got a reward for my efforts A hand made lemon cupcake, two words nom nom. So yes I managed to drive and whats more I got my favourite cake just for trying.
Actually driving is a lot easier than walking for some reason and we managed it to the car park no problem. But what baffles me is the attitudes of drivers in car parks, for some reason common sense and sheer plain manners get left at the entrance. How there weren't multiple crunches in a half empty car park I will never know. From driving the wrong way round the place, to just plain not looking at what they are doing. It was so bad I seriously think it needs to be part of the driving test.
Once I finally found a bay out of harms way and far away from the sheer lunacy of it all, I began the hop to the store. It got worse! not only was I trying to navigate my way through the auditions for cars on ice or something similar, I was also avoiding kids on scooters amid this madness. Now I am not a parent and I don't pretend to be, but I do have experience with managing these little darlings and the one thing I am adamant about is keeping control on them. Even my god daughter will admit when she was little I was strict on her, but she never ended up in trouble because of it. Now a child of maybe 4 years old isn't going to be aware of the dangers of a car with reverse lights on, that's where a responsible adult is meant to be in control.. How that poor child never got hit I don't know, all I do know is because of her parents lack of control, the out come was one child in tears from pure fright and one scooter nearly embedded in my sticks with me on the deck. Still it was better than one squashed child, and her mother got the sharp end of my mums tongue, and that of the driver.
Anyway, we made it to the shop and did every thing we planned to, and mum the sneaky little rat got something past me. It wasn't till I had managed to drive home and collapse did I find out, I got a reward for my efforts A hand made lemon cupcake, two words nom nom. So yes I managed to drive and whats more I got my favourite cake just for trying.
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