Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Friday, 24 September 2010
Changes are afoot
I could have blogged about my daughter trying to break her toe/foot by kicking my college bag but there's no point as this is not an unusual occurrence - she is dyspraxic and her propioception is a little off.
I could have blogged about starting back at college but, although it's all new stuff for me this year, it's just as easy as last year - so far.
I could have blogged about father-in-law's (FIL) move down to be near us and the extra workload on us but I won't because most of the issues are to do with his health rather than the bureaucracy and, therefore, personal.
This extra workload means I have even less time to keep 3 blogs running, as you will no doubt have noticed by the shortage of posts on any of them this month. Therefore I intend to amalgamate them all into one blog. This is very much a work-in-progress as I have yet to decide which of the 3 titles to keep, and which of the blog-hosting sites to use. Each has their pluses and minuses. So, it will be a week or so before I get to it.
I do have a new hobby that is eating into my spare time. I've switched off the AUTO functions on my camera and am learning to do-it-myself. This is a lot of fun, especially when friend J comes with me and we spend time over tea/coffee and cake going through the day's efforts. So, I'm going to end this post with some of the shots I took on Wednesday at Swanwick Nature Reserve.
I could have blogged about starting back at college but, although it's all new stuff for me this year, it's just as easy as last year - so far.
I could have blogged about father-in-law's (FIL) move down to be near us and the extra workload on us but I won't because most of the issues are to do with his health rather than the bureaucracy and, therefore, personal.
This extra workload means I have even less time to keep 3 blogs running, as you will no doubt have noticed by the shortage of posts on any of them this month. Therefore I intend to amalgamate them all into one blog. This is very much a work-in-progress as I have yet to decide which of the 3 titles to keep, and which of the blog-hosting sites to use. Each has their pluses and minuses. So, it will be a week or so before I get to it.
I do have a new hobby that is eating into my spare time. I've switched off the AUTO functions on my camera and am learning to do-it-myself. This is a lot of fun, especially when friend J comes with me and we spend time over tea/coffee and cake going through the day's efforts. So, I'm going to end this post with some of the shots I took on Wednesday at Swanwick Nature Reserve.
Monday, 6 September 2010
More crazy days
The last couple of weeks have seen us running about the country - to Nottingham, place of us grownups birth - on family business. Father in Law has been offered a sheltered flat in Park Gate, after being on the local council waiting list since March. So, two weeks ago, we had to go up to Nottingham to fetch him to have a look at it.
Fortunately he approved, so the council and the Housing Association whose property it is have also been busy getting the paperwork filled in. Last weekend (a bank holiday) I took him back to Nottingham to start packing and generally closing his life down up there. K came with me to help, and came back with some new bruises due to failing to use the door way as an entrance to a building. Dyspraxia rules!
We then spent all week packing up what he wants to bring with him, and taking piles of rubbish and old magazines/newspapers up to the tip. There's still plenty of tip work for us and a few more things to bring down but that will happen over the next few weeks. On Thursday I realised that K was due on scout camp at Thorpe Park this weekend (as in the following day). Needless to say, it didn't happen. I sent many apologies to the leader and explained what had happened. K wasn't overly distressed, especially after I promised her a day out at half-term to make up for being a sieve-head.
Father in Law seems to live 'in the now', with very little sense of urgency to plan ahead or remember chronology, so it has been very interesting. I left him a pile of paperwork to sort through and file - even bought a file and plastic baggies for him - but I ended up chucking it all in a box yesterday. Then, yesterday, he starts deciding what he'd like packing from upstairs. He's had all flippin' week to tell me that but waits till the van's outside (driven up from here by A, accompanied by D) and nearly all full. Minor grrrrr.
Once the van was loaded, and an early lunch was had, we all set off back down here. I tell you, my car could do the journey without any input from me; it's certainly done it an awful lot this year as we tried to sort him out. Father in Law slept most of the way down, and most of the time since he's been here.
Today we are moving into his new place. K & I have a hot date at Curves first thing - they're starting their weight management classes today so we can't put it off - then we'll head back; by which time most of the heavy lifting will be done and A will be done in.
We have to go and order/buy a new fridge/freezer for Father in Law. He assures me he bought it in the 60's, except that a) I know that style didn't exist then, and b) A can remember it being bought when he was about ready for secondary school (late 70's). Either way it was in no fit state to be taken anywhere but the tip. There was rancid milk accumulating on the bottom and going a lovely shade of blue, the drain pipe at the back was black with gunk, and it really needed a good scrub. It also stank. And don't get me started about the bag of cabbage that had turned to a vile, green liquid. Father in Law says he has no sense of smell and I believe him.
Before anyone berates us for letting things get that bad for him, it wasn't through lack of effort on our part. Up until the past 6 months or so we have been told politely but firmly to 'butt out'. There's not a lot you can do about that without alienating him completely. Six months ago he decided that he couldn't cope any more and that he thought he was becoming a bit forgetful (we'd been noticing it for a few years). Since then we have been making enquiries, plans, and generally scheming to sort him out. The local council here were happy to put him on their waiting list for somewhere suitable. I am organising an Occupational Therapist assessment to see what else 'adaptive' he'll need to make life easier - I'm hoping to get a Dementia Screening person in at the same time so he doesn't twig on. There will be plenty of home-made food in his freezer, and he WILL eat it - another issue caused by poor memory and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (too tired and breathless to eat) - as he hasn't got to walk far or use stairs to get to the kitchen any more. I will also be taking care of the laundry, making sure the pots are washed properly and the place is clean
Life is about to get a whole lot more busy for us. I'm hoping we'll see an improvement in his general health or, at least, a slowing in the decline of it.
When I got home yesterday there was a letter from the local college, where I'm going to do the Level 3 AAT qualification. Basically it was a 'you can get your course books from us on these dates, oh and by the way there was a mistake in the brochure. Your course day is a Thursday, not a Tuesday'. The brochure came out in June and it takes them till the beginning of September to tell us that we're coming on a different day. It's a good job I don't have other, unavoidable, plans for Thursdays, or have childcare to sort out. I've had issues before with this college's admin 'skills' but this is just pathetic.
Fortunately he approved, so the council and the Housing Association whose property it is have also been busy getting the paperwork filled in. Last weekend (a bank holiday) I took him back to Nottingham to start packing and generally closing his life down up there. K came with me to help, and came back with some new bruises due to failing to use the door way as an entrance to a building. Dyspraxia rules!
We then spent all week packing up what he wants to bring with him, and taking piles of rubbish and old magazines/newspapers up to the tip. There's still plenty of tip work for us and a few more things to bring down but that will happen over the next few weeks. On Thursday I realised that K was due on scout camp at Thorpe Park this weekend (as in the following day). Needless to say, it didn't happen. I sent many apologies to the leader and explained what had happened. K wasn't overly distressed, especially after I promised her a day out at half-term to make up for being a sieve-head.
Father in Law seems to live 'in the now', with very little sense of urgency to plan ahead or remember chronology, so it has been very interesting. I left him a pile of paperwork to sort through and file - even bought a file and plastic baggies for him - but I ended up chucking it all in a box yesterday. Then, yesterday, he starts deciding what he'd like packing from upstairs. He's had all flippin' week to tell me that but waits till the van's outside (driven up from here by A, accompanied by D) and nearly all full. Minor grrrrr.
Once the van was loaded, and an early lunch was had, we all set off back down here. I tell you, my car could do the journey without any input from me; it's certainly done it an awful lot this year as we tried to sort him out. Father in Law slept most of the way down, and most of the time since he's been here.
Today we are moving into his new place. K & I have a hot date at Curves first thing - they're starting their weight management classes today so we can't put it off - then we'll head back; by which time most of the heavy lifting will be done and A will be done in.
We have to go and order/buy a new fridge/freezer for Father in Law. He assures me he bought it in the 60's, except that a) I know that style didn't exist then, and b) A can remember it being bought when he was about ready for secondary school (late 70's). Either way it was in no fit state to be taken anywhere but the tip. There was rancid milk accumulating on the bottom and going a lovely shade of blue, the drain pipe at the back was black with gunk, and it really needed a good scrub. It also stank. And don't get me started about the bag of cabbage that had turned to a vile, green liquid. Father in Law says he has no sense of smell and I believe him.
Before anyone berates us for letting things get that bad for him, it wasn't through lack of effort on our part. Up until the past 6 months or so we have been told politely but firmly to 'butt out'. There's not a lot you can do about that without alienating him completely. Six months ago he decided that he couldn't cope any more and that he thought he was becoming a bit forgetful (we'd been noticing it for a few years). Since then we have been making enquiries, plans, and generally scheming to sort him out. The local council here were happy to put him on their waiting list for somewhere suitable. I am organising an Occupational Therapist assessment to see what else 'adaptive' he'll need to make life easier - I'm hoping to get a Dementia Screening person in at the same time so he doesn't twig on. There will be plenty of home-made food in his freezer, and he WILL eat it - another issue caused by poor memory and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (too tired and breathless to eat) - as he hasn't got to walk far or use stairs to get to the kitchen any more. I will also be taking care of the laundry, making sure the pots are washed properly and the place is clean
Life is about to get a whole lot more busy for us. I'm hoping we'll see an improvement in his general health or, at least, a slowing in the decline of it.
When I got home yesterday there was a letter from the local college, where I'm going to do the Level 3 AAT qualification. Basically it was a 'you can get your course books from us on these dates, oh and by the way there was a mistake in the brochure. Your course day is a Thursday, not a Tuesday'. The brochure came out in June and it takes them till the beginning of September to tell us that we're coming on a different day. It's a good job I don't have other, unavoidable, plans for Thursdays, or have childcare to sort out. I've had issues before with this college's admin 'skills' but this is just pathetic.
Friday, 27 August 2010
Don't be fobbed off - teachers DON'T always know best.
About 10 or so years ago I was told by my two's primary school teachers that a) D needed to write more, that he was bright enough but letting himself down by not writing enough, possibly lazy, and b) K was a daydreamer who could write more if she didn't spend so much time staring into space. Both kids were working at above 75% of the rest of the class so there was NO possibility of any special needs - ok, so you can see where this is going, eh.
Fast forward to 5 years or so ago, and after a year or two of home educating one or both of them the penny dropped that all wasn't well. I had many rows with D about his 'laziness'. In the end I took my concerns to my GP who referred us on to the community paediatrician - who complained that he was 'too old'. Maybe if school had said that things needed investigating then we would have been there years earlier, but hey I'm only a parent who expected the school to KNOW if things were a bit off.
D ended up with a diagnosis of dyspraxia (general motor clumsiness) and dysgraphia (issues with the mechanics of writing). We've since added some dyslexia to the mix as his spelling and pronunciation can be interesting/unique. He's happy as he has an Educational Psychologist (EP) report giving him permission to use a laptop in class and exams plus 25% extra time in exams.
K can be quite jealous of D getting my attention so at the time all his diagnostic work was going on I got a book out the library and read out some of the possible SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties - not to be confused with learning disabilities) that were going on with him to help her understand why he needed my attention at that time. At one point I read out about Irlen Syndrome - where the written word flies around the page, rather than keeping still - and she said "You mean, writing doesn't fly around the page for you?" The poor girl thought it was normal for this to happen so, of course, she'd never mentioned it. Cue a visit to the optician for some colorimetry testing (using different colour lenses till you find out which colour makes the writing stay still) and £100+ for the right pair of glasses. Not long after, I took her out of school as she wasn't coping with changing classrooms and the work load.
K has always been 'different'. Even now I'm not sure which planet she's on but it's not always this one. Her take on reality is not typical either but she tries hard to stay in this one - when it becomes too much, look out! Anyway, K found cursive writing too hard. All those flicks and ticks to get in the right place, especially when you have to work out how to join it to the next letter in the word. So, once she was out of school, I 'made' her print instead. She was much happier, and even more so when I passed her my laptop and told her to do it that way. She thought we were cheating till I told her I'd rather she'd be able to edit it till it looked right without any 'messy' comments that her teachers were happily doling out. Besides, who'd know. Plus her confidence needed a boost, and the ability to produce good, neat work was important to us all.
K also qualified for 25% extra time and the use of a PC/laptop in exams. This enabled her to get a C at Cambridge IGCSE English (similar to the old English Language O-Level in content) a year early. I only entered her to give her a taste of what was required. We were all gobsmacked with her result. By 16 she had added Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry (C), Edexcel GCSE Maths (A) and OCR GCSE Biology (C) to her tally and off she went to college, full of nerves (lots of people) and high expectations (AS's in Double Science, Philosophy and ICT). She soon made friends and her confidence and self-esteem grew.
I'd pre-warned the college's Learning Support Unit (LSU) as to what to expect. They were willing to help her with support in and out the classroom, essay writing workshops, etc. Unfortunately K decided that she was fine and didn't need the help. In January K had a full EP assessment done which she told me suggested dyslexia and dyspraxia - no mention of the Asperger Syndrome which I suspected might be in there somewhere. At parents evening her teachers gave me the impression that whilst she wasn't A grade material, she wasn't totally useless either. Unfortunately her AS results brought her crashing down to Earth big time (an E and 2 U's).
So I have spent the last week holding her and drying her tears. She was ready to quit college because she was stupid (something I hadn't heard in a while). To be honest I was very worried about her, hence another reason it has been quiet on here. On Tuesday of this week she had her course choice morning at college. Whilst she was in the hall having some lecture or other (Welcome back, here's how to fill in your UCAS stuff, etc) I collared the head of LSU and asked if I could see K's EP report as I hadn't had a copy. She said that Kshould have had a copy to give me but for whatever reason I never saw it. Anyway, we sat and went through it (I have my copy now) and it was a real eye opener. K's verbal and non-verbal skills are up above 90% (as in 90% of people her age are equal or worse than her). Her processing skills (as in what her brain does with the information she reads/hears) is 2% (as in 98% of people her age are better than her at processing the information). That is one hell of a discrepancy - in fact, less than 1% of the population would have this size defecit. Bl**dy H*ll!!!
It's no wonder she made such a bad job of her exams. To be fair to the college the LSU are not allowed to frogmarch needy students into extra support, unlike at school where they can (but getting them to admit there's a problem in the first place is damn near impossible if you're smart with it). As it was explained to me recently, if you are predicted C's then schools won't bother as you're hitting the league table requirement. It's only if you are predicted D's/high E's will they make an effort to boost you to the magic C and that all important tick in the 5 A* - C box in the charts.
We are currently researching assistive software/hardware that will enable K to get the most from her next 2 years at college. She needs something(s) to help her organise her written work (intro, middle, end), take notes in class (dictaphone, pre-made notes from the teacher, notetaker in class), make sure she has correctly interpreted what she is supposed to be doing (class assistant, follow-up in LSU), and honest feedback from her class teachers instead of "oh, she's lovely". K has totally changed her courses. Now she is doing a Level 3 BTEC in IT (continuous assessments that she can re-write to improve) and AS Photography (she's decent with a camera but time will tell whether she's arty-farty enough). Both teachers are aware of her individual needs - one of the teachers is dyslexic too so says she understands (we'll see) - so I'm hoping that things will be better.
The college has a policy that for each subject you drop you have to replace it. The double award Applied Science counts as 2 courses so she was expected to replace it with 2 new AS's. The head of LSU and I both agreed that, for K, this was NOT an option. The head of LSU said that if the curriculum management team wouldn't budge then she would play the disability discrimination card and to send them to her if they were awkward. Needless to say, all is now well for K and she has replaced 4 AS's with the equivalent of 3 AS's plus plenty of time in the LSU for dyslexia assistance/confidence building/essay skills/show us what you're doing and we'll make sure you're on the right path help/etc.
The EP report suggests possible assistive stuff and we are looking to try before we buy. I'm also hoping the LSU might have some to play with. Now I've had time to digest the report I'll be contacting the head of LSU to see if I can get an appointment for a week on Tuesday (K has to go in to get her bus pass/timetable/etc) so that we can start the ball rolling on some of this stuff. I've looked it up on the internet and some of it seems a very good idea - shame it's so darned pricey, which is why I want to get K to try it first. If it really is going to benefit her she can have it, I'll make the necessary sacrifices, but I'm not forking out hundreds of pounds to find it doesn't help her.
So ladies and gentlemen, should you find yourself in the position I found myself in all those years ago - kids aren't producing the work at an appropriate level/volume but are very clever and therefore can't possibly have special needs (according to the teachers) - make sure you get them assessed. Fight the school, LA, go to your GP. Whatever you do, don't think that the teachers know what they're talking about.
I feel that, in a way, I wasted the 4 years K was home educated as I didn't push a lot of dyslexia therapy at her. With D, all he needed was an alternative recording method (typing) and he was able to play on a level field. With K, she needed more and I missed it! Don't let guilt get you.
Fast forward to 5 years or so ago, and after a year or two of home educating one or both of them the penny dropped that all wasn't well. I had many rows with D about his 'laziness'. In the end I took my concerns to my GP who referred us on to the community paediatrician - who complained that he was 'too old'. Maybe if school had said that things needed investigating then we would have been there years earlier, but hey I'm only a parent who expected the school to KNOW if things were a bit off.
D ended up with a diagnosis of dyspraxia (general motor clumsiness) and dysgraphia (issues with the mechanics of writing). We've since added some dyslexia to the mix as his spelling and pronunciation can be interesting/unique. He's happy as he has an Educational Psychologist (EP) report giving him permission to use a laptop in class and exams plus 25% extra time in exams.
K can be quite jealous of D getting my attention so at the time all his diagnostic work was going on I got a book out the library and read out some of the possible SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties - not to be confused with learning disabilities) that were going on with him to help her understand why he needed my attention at that time. At one point I read out about Irlen Syndrome - where the written word flies around the page, rather than keeping still - and she said "You mean, writing doesn't fly around the page for you?" The poor girl thought it was normal for this to happen so, of course, she'd never mentioned it. Cue a visit to the optician for some colorimetry testing (using different colour lenses till you find out which colour makes the writing stay still) and £100+ for the right pair of glasses. Not long after, I took her out of school as she wasn't coping with changing classrooms and the work load.
K has always been 'different'. Even now I'm not sure which planet she's on but it's not always this one. Her take on reality is not typical either but she tries hard to stay in this one - when it becomes too much, look out! Anyway, K found cursive writing too hard. All those flicks and ticks to get in the right place, especially when you have to work out how to join it to the next letter in the word. So, once she was out of school, I 'made' her print instead. She was much happier, and even more so when I passed her my laptop and told her to do it that way. She thought we were cheating till I told her I'd rather she'd be able to edit it till it looked right without any 'messy' comments that her teachers were happily doling out. Besides, who'd know. Plus her confidence needed a boost, and the ability to produce good, neat work was important to us all.
K also qualified for 25% extra time and the use of a PC/laptop in exams. This enabled her to get a C at Cambridge IGCSE English (similar to the old English Language O-Level in content) a year early. I only entered her to give her a taste of what was required. We were all gobsmacked with her result. By 16 she had added Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry (C), Edexcel GCSE Maths (A) and OCR GCSE Biology (C) to her tally and off she went to college, full of nerves (lots of people) and high expectations (AS's in Double Science, Philosophy and ICT). She soon made friends and her confidence and self-esteem grew.
I'd pre-warned the college's Learning Support Unit (LSU) as to what to expect. They were willing to help her with support in and out the classroom, essay writing workshops, etc. Unfortunately K decided that she was fine and didn't need the help. In January K had a full EP assessment done which she told me suggested dyslexia and dyspraxia - no mention of the Asperger Syndrome which I suspected might be in there somewhere. At parents evening her teachers gave me the impression that whilst she wasn't A grade material, she wasn't totally useless either. Unfortunately her AS results brought her crashing down to Earth big time (an E and 2 U's).
So I have spent the last week holding her and drying her tears. She was ready to quit college because she was stupid (something I hadn't heard in a while). To be honest I was very worried about her, hence another reason it has been quiet on here. On Tuesday of this week she had her course choice morning at college. Whilst she was in the hall having some lecture or other (Welcome back, here's how to fill in your UCAS stuff, etc) I collared the head of LSU and asked if I could see K's EP report as I hadn't had a copy. She said that Kshould have had a copy to give me but for whatever reason I never saw it. Anyway, we sat and went through it (I have my copy now) and it was a real eye opener. K's verbal and non-verbal skills are up above 90% (as in 90% of people her age are equal or worse than her). Her processing skills (as in what her brain does with the information she reads/hears) is 2% (as in 98% of people her age are better than her at processing the information). That is one hell of a discrepancy - in fact, less than 1% of the population would have this size defecit. Bl**dy H*ll!!!
It's no wonder she made such a bad job of her exams. To be fair to the college the LSU are not allowed to frogmarch needy students into extra support, unlike at school where they can (but getting them to admit there's a problem in the first place is damn near impossible if you're smart with it). As it was explained to me recently, if you are predicted C's then schools won't bother as you're hitting the league table requirement. It's only if you are predicted D's/high E's will they make an effort to boost you to the magic C and that all important tick in the 5 A* - C box in the charts.
We are currently researching assistive software/hardware that will enable K to get the most from her next 2 years at college. She needs something(s) to help her organise her written work (intro, middle, end), take notes in class (dictaphone, pre-made notes from the teacher, notetaker in class), make sure she has correctly interpreted what she is supposed to be doing (class assistant, follow-up in LSU), and honest feedback from her class teachers instead of "oh, she's lovely". K has totally changed her courses. Now she is doing a Level 3 BTEC in IT (continuous assessments that she can re-write to improve) and AS Photography (she's decent with a camera but time will tell whether she's arty-farty enough). Both teachers are aware of her individual needs - one of the teachers is dyslexic too so says she understands (we'll see) - so I'm hoping that things will be better.
The college has a policy that for each subject you drop you have to replace it. The double award Applied Science counts as 2 courses so she was expected to replace it with 2 new AS's. The head of LSU and I both agreed that, for K, this was NOT an option. The head of LSU said that if the curriculum management team wouldn't budge then she would play the disability discrimination card and to send them to her if they were awkward. Needless to say, all is now well for K and she has replaced 4 AS's with the equivalent of 3 AS's plus plenty of time in the LSU for dyslexia assistance/confidence building/essay skills/show us what you're doing and we'll make sure you're on the right path help/etc.
The EP report suggests possible assistive stuff and we are looking to try before we buy. I'm also hoping the LSU might have some to play with. Now I've had time to digest the report I'll be contacting the head of LSU to see if I can get an appointment for a week on Tuesday (K has to go in to get her bus pass/timetable/etc) so that we can start the ball rolling on some of this stuff. I've looked it up on the internet and some of it seems a very good idea - shame it's so darned pricey, which is why I want to get K to try it first. If it really is going to benefit her she can have it, I'll make the necessary sacrifices, but I'm not forking out hundreds of pounds to find it doesn't help her.
So ladies and gentlemen, should you find yourself in the position I found myself in all those years ago - kids aren't producing the work at an appropriate level/volume but are very clever and therefore can't possibly have special needs (according to the teachers) - make sure you get them assessed. Fight the school, LA, go to your GP. Whatever you do, don't think that the teachers know what they're talking about.
I feel that, in a way, I wasted the 4 years K was home educated as I didn't push a lot of dyslexia therapy at her. With D, all he needed was an alternative recording method (typing) and he was able to play on a level field. With K, she needed more and I missed it! Don't let guilt get you.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Crazy days
Did you miss me? I've been away for a couple of weeks. There's plenty to tell.
K turned 17 and is ready to start driving lessons - gulp!
Exam results have been mixed. More on these as and when I get more information as to why.
Father in law has been offered a flat in a sheltered housing complex. As he lives 200 miles away and cannot pack for himself, I'll be clocking up frequent driver miles lending acontrolling helping hand. Any tips for keeping my sanity in amongst all the mayhem will be gratefully received.
Because of this, I am giving up on my temp job with the NHS. As things stand in the medical world at the moment it is impossible to be physically in two places at once (don't get me started on mentally), so I can't be driving off to sort out FIL and be at my desk. So the desk has to go (shame). At least until the beginning of October. After that will depend on how he settles. He knows and loves the area so it should go smoothly. But his health isn't good and will only get worse. I've never imagined myself as a carer so this could get very interesting very quickly. So if you see me out and about and I look haggard you'll know why.
K turned 17 and is ready to start driving lessons - gulp!
Exam results have been mixed. More on these as and when I get more information as to why.
Father in law has been offered a flat in a sheltered housing complex. As he lives 200 miles away and cannot pack for himself, I'll be clocking up frequent driver miles lending a
Because of this, I am giving up on my temp job with the NHS. As things stand in the medical world at the moment it is impossible to be physically in two places at once (don't get me started on mentally), so I can't be driving off to sort out FIL and be at my desk. So the desk has to go (shame). At least until the beginning of October. After that will depend on how he settles. He knows and loves the area so it should go smoothly. But his health isn't good and will only get worse. I've never imagined myself as a carer so this could get very interesting very quickly. So if you see me out and about and I look haggard you'll know why.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
HOLIDAY!!!!
Before you all get excited I'm not actually departing Dark Corner for anywhere else. We are staying at home and having some days out. Today we went to Brighton & Hove (both bits). A parked in Hove and we walked along the very nice promenade to Brighton. Hove seems genteel and really unspoilt by the tourist tat, preferring to save that accolade for its sister town Brighton. We found a nice little cafe in Brighton, The Bucket, where they make their burgers by hand from scratch. A bit of a wait but well worth it for the taste. The weather was very 'Mediterranean' with lots of sun and a blue sea, which looked very inviting.
We then mooched around the shops for a while. I managed to get A into an Ann Summers shop but we only looked at the lingerie. Nothing really took our fancy. Some of the phone shops have some appealing offers in right now. We might investigate those this week.
On the way back we followed the A259 and passed through Worthing. It also looks like somewhere we might like to visit for the day. There was an interesting-looking restaurant that served Chinese, Japanese, Singapore, Malay, Thai, Indian & Italian cuisine. That just about covers our family's culinary desires, so we will definitely give it a try. I'll let you know the name and a review afterwards.
Later this week we intend to go over the the island (Isle of Wight) for another day trip. In between all this galavanting around we will be doing more mundane things like finishing up in the garden (spray painting the shed and the rest of the fencing, moving a couple of bushes, taking out some ivy that is encroaching, reminding the clematis and the jasmine that it grows in THIS garden and not over the wall by the footpath, etc), making a start on getting rid of the carpet moths (not nice as they loosen the pile in your carpets, leaving bare patches - their favourite places are in the dark and rarely disturbed), and de-cluttering the study (just how many old PC towers can a man need?)
K & I will continue to fit in 3 visits to Curves each week. Our exploits there can be followed at another one of my blogs.
We then mooched around the shops for a while. I managed to get A into an Ann Summers shop but we only looked at the lingerie. Nothing really took our fancy. Some of the phone shops have some appealing offers in right now. We might investigate those this week.
On the way back we followed the A259 and passed through Worthing. It also looks like somewhere we might like to visit for the day. There was an interesting-looking restaurant that served Chinese, Japanese, Singapore, Malay, Thai, Indian & Italian cuisine. That just about covers our family's culinary desires, so we will definitely give it a try. I'll let you know the name and a review afterwards.
Later this week we intend to go over the the island (Isle of Wight) for another day trip. In between all this galavanting around we will be doing more mundane things like finishing up in the garden (spray painting the shed and the rest of the fencing, moving a couple of bushes, taking out some ivy that is encroaching, reminding the clematis and the jasmine that it grows in THIS garden and not over the wall by the footpath, etc), making a start on getting rid of the carpet moths (not nice as they loosen the pile in your carpets, leaving bare patches - their favourite places are in the dark and rarely disturbed), and de-cluttering the study (just how many old PC towers can a man need?)
K & I will continue to fit in 3 visits to Curves each week. Our exploits there can be followed at another one of my blogs.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Been a bit busy
Partying, that is! The weekend saw a birthday here in Dark Corner so I saw it as my duty to give my liver a good workout. It has now forgiven me. A bought me a Bon Jovi DVD. The jury is out as to whether I am in heaven or not. The lip synch seemed a bit out in places, some of the instruments hit the odd wrong note, and Jon sounded more out of tune than in. All in all, not the best DVD of theirs I own, and I own plenty. We did wonder if it was recorded at the end of the tour (Madison Square Gardens 2008) and if they were all tour weary. However, I did my best to make it rain, yodelling along to the tracks and thoroughly annoying the rest of the household.
Last week, friends of ours left to go home to the US (waves madly at Ann). Hopefully they will soon find a house and life settles down again. They'll be missed.
D goes on camp next weekend for a week. Unfortunately K chose not to so we parents won't get as much peace as we deserve. We are having the week off and will be alternating between de-cluttering the house and doing day trips. We might head to the island for a day.
My parents came down for the weekend. I now have a tidy back garden - thanks, folks. I need to go and buy a job lot of slug pellets and growmore, as well as a bucket of long-acting weed killer for the patio and drive.
On the job front, my official finishing date is the end of August but, as per usual here, I may be needed a bit longer. I'm not bothered either way but it'd be nice to have something concrete. Oh the joys of being a temp! I've applied for a few jobs but not heard anything back.
Roll on tomorrow. No work for 2 weeks. My job share fellow temp wanted to swap some days with me so I am working Monday - Wednesday this week. Then I'm off next week before returning to my normal Wednesday - Friday the following week, so for 3 days off work I end up with 1 day short of two weeks not working. Excellent!!!!!
Last week, friends of ours left to go home to the US (waves madly at Ann). Hopefully they will soon find a house and life settles down again. They'll be missed.
D goes on camp next weekend for a week. Unfortunately K chose not to so we parents won't get as much peace as we deserve. We are having the week off and will be alternating between de-cluttering the house and doing day trips. We might head to the island for a day.
My parents came down for the weekend. I now have a tidy back garden - thanks, folks. I need to go and buy a job lot of slug pellets and growmore, as well as a bucket of long-acting weed killer for the patio and drive.
On the job front, my official finishing date is the end of August but, as per usual here, I may be needed a bit longer. I'm not bothered either way but it'd be nice to have something concrete. Oh the joys of being a temp! I've applied for a few jobs but not heard anything back.
Roll on tomorrow. No work for 2 weeks. My job share fellow temp wanted to swap some days with me so I am working Monday - Wednesday this week. Then I'm off next week before returning to my normal Wednesday - Friday the following week, so for 3 days off work I end up with 1 day short of two weeks not working. Excellent!!!!!
Monday, 26 July 2010
Let them be bored
I know some of my readers are home-educators but there may be some of you out there who are dreading the next six weeks, having to listen to your little angels scream "I'm bored!!!" all day long. Either that or they're making your life a misery because you won't take them to a theme park twice a week, as well as swimming, bowling, ice skating, a trip to the beach, and other money-consuming wants.
Today's children seem to have the instant gratification bug, wanting everything today and more tomorrow. To their parents I say this, did your parents do all that for you when you were a child or were you encouraged to make your own entertainment. And that didn't mean being stuck in front of the TV (or in this age, a computer or game console) all day, every day either. Tell your parents that you were bored and I'd lay odds on the response being "tough!" or "so what?".
If you are already wilting at the thought of keeping them entertained and amused all holidays without having to take out the mortgage required to cover all what they'd really like to do, I have a few suggestions.
This is not a dig at anyone in particular, but a kick up the backside that some parents need to remember that their children are just that, children, and that whilst their wishes will be considered, the FINAL say is the parents.
Today's children seem to have the instant gratification bug, wanting everything today and more tomorrow. To their parents I say this, did your parents do all that for you when you were a child or were you encouraged to make your own entertainment. And that didn't mean being stuck in front of the TV (or in this age, a computer or game console) all day, every day either. Tell your parents that you were bored and I'd lay odds on the response being "tough!" or "so what?".
If you are already wilting at the thought of keeping them entertained and amused all holidays without having to take out the mortgage required to cover all what they'd really like to do, I have a few suggestions.
- Let them be bored. With a bit of luck they might actually (re)discover their imaginations and make up their own games.
- If they say they're bored, give them a household chore to do and make them do it. Next time boredom strikes they'll either ask if they can help with anything (you can hope) or they'll have hated it so much they'll put more effort into finding something to do that's more fun.
- If they ask to go somewhere and you are willing to consider it, tell them that there are certain things around the house that need to be done first. If they leave it all to you it will take too long and you won't be able to go. If they help it will all be done very quickly and you'll have more time to spend doing that fun thing.
- Limit those big days out to one or two for the whole holiday. They'll appreciate it so much more (eventually).
- Explain to them how much all these days out and activities cost and that you don't have all that money just lying around waiting for them to spend.
- If they're old enough suggest an 'entertainment budget' figure for them for the entire 6 weeks. If they go and blow it all on a day out, DON'T GIVE THEM ANY MORE. This is a life lesson about budgeting and will do them good in the long run when they start to live an independent lifestyle. You are doing them no good whatsoever by encouraging them to think that what they want is the only thing worth spending money on.
This is not a dig at anyone in particular, but a kick up the backside that some parents need to remember that their children are just that, children, and that whilst their wishes will be considered, the FINAL say is the parents.
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Who am I and what have I done with my real self?
For many years I have had little interest in my feminine side. Hair has had to be functional - wash, a quick blast with the hair dryer, brush, and go - and clothing has had to be comfortable - and stuff the 'fashion' of the season. So it is with some shock and excitement that I find myself becoming more interested in the clothes side. The hair still has to fit those criteria so I am going to get my hair cut shorter and have some highlights put in.
Clothes, however, are beginning to intrigue me. Today I even caught myself looking at skirts and dresses. Earlier in the week I was contemplating shaving my legs for the VERY FIRST TIME!! I haven't plucked up the courage yet but I think I might have to if I'm going to wear more feminine attire. I've got the shaver; my armpits get a short back and sides every so often. This is increasing as I have a new shaver that doesn't pinch and nick. I also have had a re-fit at M&S - and I hope the upcoming exercise and weight loss regime takes a bit off the cup size.
I've been told what colours are good for me, and they certainly seem to work for me. These are the summer colours - fuchsia pink, purple, teal, and things like that. I have to avoid earthy tones, including orange and terracotta.
Maybe it's a midlife crisis.
Clothes, however, are beginning to intrigue me. Today I even caught myself looking at skirts and dresses. Earlier in the week I was contemplating shaving my legs for the VERY FIRST TIME!! I haven't plucked up the courage yet but I think I might have to if I'm going to wear more feminine attire. I've got the shaver; my armpits get a short back and sides every so often. This is increasing as I have a new shaver that doesn't pinch and nick. I also have had a re-fit at M&S - and I hope the upcoming exercise and weight loss regime takes a bit off the cup size.
I've been told what colours are good for me, and they certainly seem to work for me. These are the summer colours - fuchsia pink, purple, teal, and things like that. I have to avoid earthy tones, including orange and terracotta.
Maybe it's a midlife crisis.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
What I did today
I went clothes shopping with Ros. The original spec was to find a 'business' top to go with my black jacket and trousers. We eventually (read several shops later) found some nice tops but realised that the jacket's cut and style just wasn't 'me'. Coincidentally in that same shop there were some lovely purple short coats which, although outside what I was looking to pay, was absolutely perfect. We ummed and ahhed over lunch then went back and bought it, along with 3 nice workwear t-shirts for £12. Then we decided to look for a simple business-style white blouse. Do you know how hard it is to find one?! We drew a blank.
Ros told me she thought I was 'summer' colours and after trying some of them on today, I have to agree. These are nice bright pinks, purples, certain reds and blues and a little bit of black. I'm to avoid orange tones.
Also, what is it with the sizing of clothes. In Bon Marche I needed size 16, which was one heck of an ego boost. In Peacocks I would have needed a size 20!! Tell me girls, which place would you rather shop in? Right, the one that allows you to wear the smaller size. So I shan't be going to Peacocks again in a hurry.
Ros told me she thought I was 'summer' colours and after trying some of them on today, I have to agree. These are nice bright pinks, purples, certain reds and blues and a little bit of black. I'm to avoid orange tones.
Also, what is it with the sizing of clothes. In Bon Marche I needed size 16, which was one heck of an ego boost. In Peacocks I would have needed a size 20!! Tell me girls, which place would you rather shop in? Right, the one that allows you to wear the smaller size. So I shan't be going to Peacocks again in a hurry.
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Another first
My daughter's first love is now, as of this week, her first ex - which explains why she has moped around the house in her pj's all week. She is a little upset about it and has had a cry in my arms. Now she's downstairs eating my best chocolate (with my permission) and watching Harry Potter (No.6, I think) with her Dad.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
The perennial question
It's heading towards that time of year again and A, being the caring, thoughtful husband that he is, has asked me what I want for my birthday. As usual there are two sets of answers to this. One runs to 'ha ha, stop kidding around' things like finish revampin en-suite, a new kitchen, a 'no snoring ever again' medication so we can share a bed every night (ok, so this isn't kidding around but no-one has invented one yet), my very own Ferrari 360 F1 Modena (with flappy paddle gear box), or a sprawling house in the country with acres of land between me and my next door neighbours ('cos I'm the sociable sort, you know). The other usually goes something like 'dunno, nothing's really took my fancy'. This is not strictly true as there's always ONE thing that takes my fancy ;-) but why wait till my birthday hehehehe.
I'm after a new camera BUT as I know absolutely nothing about digital SLRs I am going to make a nuisance of myself at the camera club in September and see if the some of the boys will let me play with their toys. The new camera will have to wait till next year some time. It would be a VERY expensive mistake to get the wrong one. (We are talking £500+ here so I need to be very sure I'm getting the best one for me).
So, I've settled for a serious session at a hairdressing salon. The goody bag that I brought home from the Ball on Saturday had a 20% off voucher for somewhere that charges silly money (to me who would make Scrooge look profligate with money for things like clothes or hair) to do even the simplest of things. I want a new style and some streaks of colour putting in. Just the sort of thing to make me feel summery and cheerful. It has to be low-maintenance as I don't have the time or the inclination to spend more than 10 minutes each day making it look presentable. It would also have to look good whether I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt or formal business wear. Picky, picky, picky.
I've already shown the kids what I want and, between them, it comes in under budget. Let's hope they remember.
I'm after a new camera BUT as I know absolutely nothing about digital SLRs I am going to make a nuisance of myself at the camera club in September and see if the some of the boys will let me play with their toys. The new camera will have to wait till next year some time. It would be a VERY expensive mistake to get the wrong one. (We are talking £500+ here so I need to be very sure I'm getting the best one for me).
So, I've settled for a serious session at a hairdressing salon. The goody bag that I brought home from the Ball on Saturday had a 20% off voucher for somewhere that charges silly money (to me who would make Scrooge look profligate with money for things like clothes or hair) to do even the simplest of things. I want a new style and some streaks of colour putting in. Just the sort of thing to make me feel summery and cheerful. It has to be low-maintenance as I don't have the time or the inclination to spend more than 10 minutes each day making it look presentable. It would also have to look good whether I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt or formal business wear. Picky, picky, picky.
I've already shown the kids what I want and, between them, it comes in under budget. Let's hope they remember.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Common sense is beginning to prevail
I was going to post yesterday about the Wrestling World Cup Final except that Blogger wouldn't let me in for some reason. As most of the world has already commented on it I won't waste time.
Instead I'll turn my attention to this. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is considering banning self-certification mortgages. About time too!! When these 'modern' mortgages were announced a few years ago I said that it would all end in tears. I mean, where is the sense in lending people hundreds of thousands of pounds without them having to prove they can pay it back?
The 'old-fashioned' multipliers were there for a reason. They made sure that you had some money left to live on after paying the mortgage AND made sure you could continue to afford the payments if the interest rates rose. These days people have mortgages that they can barely afford, let alone heat their property and feed themselves. I don't know what they're going to do when interest rates do rise again - and they will. A rise of 0.5% is going to catch a lot of people out and start a whole raft of repossessions. When we got our first mortgage interest rates were about 10%. We asked our advisor to work out what the repayments would be if rates rose to 15%, something he said wouldn't happen. Well it did, and we could still afford it (just).
Look at what has happened to energy and food prices in the last couple of years. Prices have rocketed, beyond what most people (experts and jo public alike) would have expected. It isn't just the traditional poor and/or working class who are having to decide whether to eat or heat their home. This is spreading upwards through the other social classes too. I wonder if this is what Labour meant by 'social mobility'.
More sensible mortgage lending will have a downward impact on house prices as less people can get a mortgage to afford the current silly prices; though there may be an increase in price as less people can afford to move (supply and demand at work). Hopefully, prices will settle to levels that are affordable for our young people.
Let's look at an example. Average starting salaries for graduates are between £20,000 and £25,000 (and assume that those without a degree will have an average start of much less). The average price for a one bedroom shared ownership flat (part buy-part rent) seems to be about £40,000. Owning your flat outright averages at about £100,000. This would be unaffordable to the graduate under the 'three times your salary' rules. The graduate would need a very large deposit AND have some to pay the legal fees. Like I said, prices are probably going to come down until they reach a level that people can sensibly afford.
I'll be honest and admit I have no idea how the part buy-part rent system works. Obviously the total outgoing must be considerably less than the mortgage would be on the true value of the property, but I do wonder how the difference is made up. Rents can only be lower than the mortgage outlay if the money borrowed (by the housing association) to buy the property is much less than it's value.
The rise in the number of properties available by this method shows how unaffordable property has become to vast portions of society. Maybe we should be doing like our continental cousins, where renting is the norm. It's only in the past 50 years or so that owning your own home has been attainable by the vast majority of the population. Before then this was only for the rich. Are we back to this? Do we want to be back to this?
I must admit that, having sampled renting and ownership, I prefer ownership. We can decorate how we want, rip out a fireplace that we don't like (or a kitchen or a bathroom) and, unless we are being repossessed (or compulsorily purchased to make way for a new road), we are not beholden to our landlord's whim as to how long we can stay there. My home is my security blanket (apart from my family, of course). It is here waiting for me when I get back from work. It is somewhere I can shut the door and keep the world out. I can put my feet up and relax. It is comforting, and I'd hate to lose it. That doesn't mean I'll never move from here. Far from it, I have some very definite ideas of where I'd like to live. It's that I am not constantly aware that the next letter from the landlord could be the 'adios' letter. This place is mine for as long as I want it.
Well, this has been a meander through the world of property possession, hasn't it. I hope you followed it.
Instead I'll turn my attention to this. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is considering banning self-certification mortgages. About time too!! When these 'modern' mortgages were announced a few years ago I said that it would all end in tears. I mean, where is the sense in lending people hundreds of thousands of pounds without them having to prove they can pay it back?
The 'old-fashioned' multipliers were there for a reason. They made sure that you had some money left to live on after paying the mortgage AND made sure you could continue to afford the payments if the interest rates rose. These days people have mortgages that they can barely afford, let alone heat their property and feed themselves. I don't know what they're going to do when interest rates do rise again - and they will. A rise of 0.5% is going to catch a lot of people out and start a whole raft of repossessions. When we got our first mortgage interest rates were about 10%. We asked our advisor to work out what the repayments would be if rates rose to 15%, something he said wouldn't happen. Well it did, and we could still afford it (just).
Look at what has happened to energy and food prices in the last couple of years. Prices have rocketed, beyond what most people (experts and jo public alike) would have expected. It isn't just the traditional poor and/or working class who are having to decide whether to eat or heat their home. This is spreading upwards through the other social classes too. I wonder if this is what Labour meant by 'social mobility'.
More sensible mortgage lending will have a downward impact on house prices as less people can get a mortgage to afford the current silly prices; though there may be an increase in price as less people can afford to move (supply and demand at work). Hopefully, prices will settle to levels that are affordable for our young people.
Let's look at an example. Average starting salaries for graduates are between £20,000 and £25,000 (and assume that those without a degree will have an average start of much less). The average price for a one bedroom shared ownership flat (part buy-part rent) seems to be about £40,000. Owning your flat outright averages at about £100,000. This would be unaffordable to the graduate under the 'three times your salary' rules. The graduate would need a very large deposit AND have some to pay the legal fees. Like I said, prices are probably going to come down until they reach a level that people can sensibly afford.
I'll be honest and admit I have no idea how the part buy-part rent system works. Obviously the total outgoing must be considerably less than the mortgage would be on the true value of the property, but I do wonder how the difference is made up. Rents can only be lower than the mortgage outlay if the money borrowed (by the housing association) to buy the property is much less than it's value.
The rise in the number of properties available by this method shows how unaffordable property has become to vast portions of society. Maybe we should be doing like our continental cousins, where renting is the norm. It's only in the past 50 years or so that owning your own home has been attainable by the vast majority of the population. Before then this was only for the rich. Are we back to this? Do we want to be back to this?
I must admit that, having sampled renting and ownership, I prefer ownership. We can decorate how we want, rip out a fireplace that we don't like (or a kitchen or a bathroom) and, unless we are being repossessed (or compulsorily purchased to make way for a new road), we are not beholden to our landlord's whim as to how long we can stay there. My home is my security blanket (apart from my family, of course). It is here waiting for me when I get back from work. It is somewhere I can shut the door and keep the world out. I can put my feet up and relax. It is comforting, and I'd hate to lose it. That doesn't mean I'll never move from here. Far from it, I have some very definite ideas of where I'd like to live. It's that I am not constantly aware that the next letter from the landlord could be the 'adios' letter. This place is mine for as long as I want it.
Well, this has been a meander through the world of property possession, hasn't it. I hope you followed it.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Take me to Vegas!
Last night hubby and I, accompanied by 4 friends, went to a Charity Ball. My friend, and ex-Pampered Chef boss, Debbie Casey is raising funds for Women for Women and last night was the finale in her fundraising efforts so that she can go on a bike ride through China to raise money for and awareness of this charity's work. If you would like to donate, click here.
Back to last night. The food was very nice. I discovered I like melon, the yellow-skinned green flesh variety, and creme brulee. During the evening there was a 'spot prize'. One chair in the whole room had the W4W logo tacked under the seat. Me, me, me!!!! For that I 'won' a bottle of pink fizz. That'll go down nice at my birthday next month. During the meal Debbie's girls were doing a tombola. They had a bag of home-made tickets, carefully sealed, and some had prizes. We had 3 tickets and won a bottle of pineapple Malibu and £30 of vouchers for a Mediterranean restaurant. The latter will go down nicely on our week's holiday next month. We weren't quite so lucky in the auction. The bidding for 4 tickets to watch Hampshire v Durham AND a signed Hampshire CC shirt went beyond our limit, so we didn't win anything there. Then the raffle was drawn. I had my eye on the 'Finger Buffet for 25 people' as it would come in very handy for said birthday. Unfortunately it was not to be. Instead I won a one night stay in an Executive Suite at the Hamble Retreat, 2 miles from home. Very nice, indeed.
Fortunately that was it; it was beginning to get embarrassing. There must have been 100 people there, many of whom left with no prizes at all. And then there was us with a bagful. But it would have been just as much fun if we'd won nothing at all.
Back to last night. The food was very nice. I discovered I like melon, the yellow-skinned green flesh variety, and creme brulee. During the evening there was a 'spot prize'. One chair in the whole room had the W4W logo tacked under the seat. Me, me, me!!!! For that I 'won' a bottle of pink fizz. That'll go down nice at my birthday next month. During the meal Debbie's girls were doing a tombola. They had a bag of home-made tickets, carefully sealed, and some had prizes. We had 3 tickets and won a bottle of pineapple Malibu and £30 of vouchers for a Mediterranean restaurant. The latter will go down nicely on our week's holiday next month. We weren't quite so lucky in the auction. The bidding for 4 tickets to watch Hampshire v Durham AND a signed Hampshire CC shirt went beyond our limit, so we didn't win anything there. Then the raffle was drawn. I had my eye on the 'Finger Buffet for 25 people' as it would come in very handy for said birthday. Unfortunately it was not to be. Instead I won a one night stay in an Executive Suite at the Hamble Retreat, 2 miles from home. Very nice, indeed.
Fortunately that was it; it was beginning to get embarrassing. There must have been 100 people there, many of whom left with no prizes at all. And then there was us with a bagful. But it would have been just as much fun if we'd won nothing at all.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
What's going on at the moment
Yesterday afternoon I had another session with my life coach friend, R. We talked about my future plans with particular respect to job-hunting. I told her that it was on hold for now as I was having difficulty dealing with the constant knockbacks/no replies. She helped me to see that there is nothing wrong with making big efforts to find a job then taking a few weeks off when the constant failure gets too much.
We also discussed my personal brand - or, the image I need to project to get what I want. We have made plans to go shopping in a couple of weeks to look at, and maybe buy some 'sharp and professional' business attire. Needless to say, A is already going a bit pale at the thoughts of it all. I have promised to be good and be more Primark than boutique. I am also considering getting my CV professionally done.
The plan was to start job hunting towards the end of September, assuming that my current contract finishes at the end of August. Well, this afternoon I got a call from an agency asking if I was prepared to look further afield for jobs - as in Poole or Andover - and the answer was 'not that far'. Anyway, the job they sent me for 3 months ago (the one I never heard back from, and they never phoned me back about) became a different role, one which I wouldn't have gone for (and neither did anyone else who they interviewed). This business have decided to fill this vacancy in-house from their sales ledger team, leaving a vacancy. So, I asked this job agency to get me in for that one. This agency don't generally handle jobs paying less than £14K (lucky them that they can be so choosy). I explained to them that this is an unrealistic wage for someone with AAT Level 2 but no proper work experience; somewhere around £12K is more appropriate. I repeated that I was interested in the position and could be negotiable on salary - apparently the company likes a bargain. We'll see what happens. I might just go on to the company's website direct and see what's what. Looks like I'm in the job market again.
We also discussed my personal brand - or, the image I need to project to get what I want. We have made plans to go shopping in a couple of weeks to look at, and maybe buy some 'sharp and professional' business attire. Needless to say, A is already going a bit pale at the thoughts of it all. I have promised to be good and be more Primark than boutique. I am also considering getting my CV professionally done.
The plan was to start job hunting towards the end of September, assuming that my current contract finishes at the end of August. Well, this afternoon I got a call from an agency asking if I was prepared to look further afield for jobs - as in Poole or Andover - and the answer was 'not that far'. Anyway, the job they sent me for 3 months ago (the one I never heard back from, and they never phoned me back about) became a different role, one which I wouldn't have gone for (and neither did anyone else who they interviewed). This business have decided to fill this vacancy in-house from their sales ledger team, leaving a vacancy. So, I asked this job agency to get me in for that one. This agency don't generally handle jobs paying less than £14K (lucky them that they can be so choosy). I explained to them that this is an unrealistic wage for someone with AAT Level 2 but no proper work experience; somewhere around £12K is more appropriate. I repeated that I was interested in the position and could be negotiable on salary - apparently the company likes a bargain. We'll see what happens. I might just go on to the company's website direct and see what's what. Looks like I'm in the job market again.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
I am a good mummy
Why? Because I have made waffleberry pie for pudding. If there is one dessert guaranteed to get my family's attention and undying affection, then this is it! D has decided it must be a healthy pudding as it has berries in it. I countered that with it must be really bad for you as it has loads of cream in it. Are you drooling yet? Here's the recipe.
And to thank me for my largesse K is cooking dinner - ham and mushroom pasta bake. I might suggest some garlic bread to go with it, but might not having just been shooed out the kitchen.
A is working late tonight, and doesn't read this blog, so he doesn't know what he's missing.
And to thank me for my largesse K is cooking dinner - ham and mushroom pasta bake. I might suggest some garlic bread to go with it, but might not having just been shooed out the kitchen.
A is working late tonight, and doesn't read this blog, so he doesn't know what he's missing.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Did you see......
....... The Bionic Vet last night?
This is the man who operated on Scoobs nearly 4 years ago, performing a dorsal laminectomy to help my boy walk properly again. It was a rather intense convalescence, as I was supposed to limit his activity for a few weeks yet the stupid mutt decided that trying to jump a 2 foot garden wall was much more fun. AARRGHHHH!!!!!!! It DID fix the lameness and occasional stumble but left him with a slightly wonky tail. Compared to the alternative - accidental severance of the spinal cord - it seemed a small price to pay.
All was well for a couple of years before the symptoms returned. Another visit to Noel showed that not only was scar tissue forming at the old op site and compressing the spinal cord again, but that a pinch point (caused by a bulging vertebral disc being directly under a bony overgrowth of arthritis) just below the neck was also causing problems. Given that Scoobs was 9 by then we all decided that his age was definitely against him and we should, instead, take a palliative approach to his care. A & I must have done something right as we had another fun-filled (and very expensive) 15 months with our wonderful hound.
Noel can come across as a bit gruff but his heart is most definitely in the right place and he is dedicated to the animals in his care. I have seen him become distressed after being unable to help a dog (and having to PTS on the operating table). I have seen him pull an 18+ hour shift (at the old place) when the portable - on the back of an artic - MRI broke and it took several hours to get a replacement. Did he cancel everyone? Nope, he stayed there till past midnight making sure every animal got the scan they were there for. He understood the anxiety being there was putting on the pets and the efforts we owners went to to be there in the first place, not to mention the nervous fits caused by our beloved animals going under a general anaesthetic. General anaesthetic is inherently more dangerous for animals than humans, especially the elderly kind like our pooch was.
So, hats off to the man!!!! If I ever have another dog, not that I'm planning that right now, and it needs neuro-orthopaedic help, he will be the one I expect to see.
This is the man who operated on Scoobs nearly 4 years ago, performing a dorsal laminectomy to help my boy walk properly again. It was a rather intense convalescence, as I was supposed to limit his activity for a few weeks yet the stupid mutt decided that trying to jump a 2 foot garden wall was much more fun. AARRGHHHH!!!!!!! It DID fix the lameness and occasional stumble but left him with a slightly wonky tail. Compared to the alternative - accidental severance of the spinal cord - it seemed a small price to pay.
This was taken about 6 months after surgery. Isn't he happy?!
All was well for a couple of years before the symptoms returned. Another visit to Noel showed that not only was scar tissue forming at the old op site and compressing the spinal cord again, but that a pinch point (caused by a bulging vertebral disc being directly under a bony overgrowth of arthritis) just below the neck was also causing problems. Given that Scoobs was 9 by then we all decided that his age was definitely against him and we should, instead, take a palliative approach to his care. A & I must have done something right as we had another fun-filled (and very expensive) 15 months with our wonderful hound.
Noel can come across as a bit gruff but his heart is most definitely in the right place and he is dedicated to the animals in his care. I have seen him become distressed after being unable to help a dog (and having to PTS on the operating table). I have seen him pull an 18+ hour shift (at the old place) when the portable - on the back of an artic - MRI broke and it took several hours to get a replacement. Did he cancel everyone? Nope, he stayed there till past midnight making sure every animal got the scan they were there for. He understood the anxiety being there was putting on the pets and the efforts we owners went to to be there in the first place, not to mention the nervous fits caused by our beloved animals going under a general anaesthetic. General anaesthetic is inherently more dangerous for animals than humans, especially the elderly kind like our pooch was.
So, hats off to the man!!!! If I ever have another dog, not that I'm planning that right now, and it needs neuro-orthopaedic help, he will be the one I expect to see.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Fats - the good, the bad and the downright ugly
Two posts in one day! Scary, huh?
I know my blog is daily reading forthousands a few of you, so here's my latest health warning. (Or rather, my only one apart from be safe in the sun). There was an article in The Times on Saturday, in their Weekend supplement (I can't link to it as they expect you to pay these days), concerning trans-fats and their closely related cousins hydrogenated fats. Apparently these are the seriously bad boys of the fat family, being blamed for the dramatic increase in levels of heart disease, certain cancers, strokes and diabetes. These are only the things we know about at the moment; this list may well grow over the next few years.
Now I'm normally quite sceptical about government advice on what is bad for me to eat, but if you could read this article you would see that our government, unlike the US, aren't saying much about banning these fats. In fact, the UK Food Standards Agency thinks that legislation would be "unlikely to deliver any significant health benefit" as our intake levels are "approximately half that of recommended levels". Hmmm, the government want us all to eat healthily, lose weight, get more exercise, reduce type 2 diabetes and heart disease, yet there's no reason to bring in legislation to ban the stuff.
Over in the States, whole areas have outlawed these fats in restaurants, whilst in California (ever the extremist on the health front) has intoduced a state-wide ban. Any food manufacturer who wants to keep their market share over there has removed it from their products. Are you outraged yet?
Trans-fats are made by processing polyunsaturated fats. These types of fat are runny at room temperature and quickly go rancid. By adding hydrogen to them - no you're not getting a complicated chemistry lesson on how this happens, it just does OK - their structure is altered and they become partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This gunk can be found in many processed foods including, but not limited to, popcorn, chips, cakes, biscuits. If you want to avoid it, and who wouldn't, look for products that are labelled 'all butter', or are made with a different fat. You should avoid anything that has 'vegetable fat', 'shortening', 'margarine' or 'partially hydrogenated vegetable oil/fat' in the list of ingredients.
So that's the ugly out the way. The bad could be attached to saturated fats, and until recently it was. Although it still shouldn't be consumed in great quantity it is less harmful than trans-fats. Saturated fats can be found in goods such as milk, butter, meat, some nuts and cocoa butter.
The good fats are the unsaturated fats, both poly- and mono-. Poly-unsaturated fats are the omega-3s and omega-6s. The ideal balance is 3 x 3s to 1 x 6s. Polys can be found in seeds, nuts and oily fish. If these aren't prominent in your diet it might make sense to take a supplement. Monos can be found in avocado, olive oil, eggs and lamb, amongst other things. Here at Dark Corner we do all our stir-fries in olive oil.
I've already discussed it with he who thinks he's boss (unless it's Sunday when it IS his turn) and I've bought some butter today, along with a butter dish - a proper pot one. All I need now is to work out if I can fry chips in olive oil, or whether sunflower oil is ok. Don't anyone mention oven chips, not unless you can recommend ones that taste like the real thing instead of cardboard/sawdust sweepings.
I hope you all find this of some use.
I know my blog is daily reading for
Now I'm normally quite sceptical about government advice on what is bad for me to eat, but if you could read this article you would see that our government, unlike the US, aren't saying much about banning these fats. In fact, the UK Food Standards Agency thinks that legislation would be "unlikely to deliver any significant health benefit" as our intake levels are "approximately half that of recommended levels". Hmmm, the government want us all to eat healthily, lose weight, get more exercise, reduce type 2 diabetes and heart disease, yet there's no reason to bring in legislation to ban the stuff.
Over in the States, whole areas have outlawed these fats in restaurants, whilst in California (ever the extremist on the health front) has intoduced a state-wide ban. Any food manufacturer who wants to keep their market share over there has removed it from their products. Are you outraged yet?
Trans-fats are made by processing polyunsaturated fats. These types of fat are runny at room temperature and quickly go rancid. By adding hydrogen to them - no you're not getting a complicated chemistry lesson on how this happens, it just does OK - their structure is altered and they become partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This gunk can be found in many processed foods including, but not limited to, popcorn, chips, cakes, biscuits. If you want to avoid it, and who wouldn't, look for products that are labelled 'all butter', or are made with a different fat. You should avoid anything that has 'vegetable fat', 'shortening', 'margarine' or 'partially hydrogenated vegetable oil/fat' in the list of ingredients.
So that's the ugly out the way. The bad could be attached to saturated fats, and until recently it was. Although it still shouldn't be consumed in great quantity it is less harmful than trans-fats. Saturated fats can be found in goods such as milk, butter, meat, some nuts and cocoa butter.
The good fats are the unsaturated fats, both poly- and mono-. Poly-unsaturated fats are the omega-3s and omega-6s. The ideal balance is 3 x 3s to 1 x 6s. Polys can be found in seeds, nuts and oily fish. If these aren't prominent in your diet it might make sense to take a supplement. Monos can be found in avocado, olive oil, eggs and lamb, amongst other things. Here at Dark Corner we do all our stir-fries in olive oil.
I've already discussed it with he who thinks he's boss (unless it's Sunday when it IS his turn) and I've bought some butter today, along with a butter dish - a proper pot one. All I need now is to work out if I can fry chips in olive oil, or whether sunflower oil is ok. Don't anyone mention oven chips, not unless you can recommend ones that taste like the real thing instead of cardboard/sawdust sweepings.
I hope you all find this of some use.
Hi there
I've been very busy living life - again. Sorry, but it keeps getting in the way of the blogging.
Anyway, I have news on the job front. I have lowered my hours to 3 days per week. Now the balance feels right; I can get my housework done, see friends, not feel guilty for vegging on the sofa for a few hours if the mood takes me, etc. This has made me much happier in myself, though I still get stroppy at the others if they don't pull their weight. (It took me a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get them this far. I'm not letting it slide now).
I also have news on the studying front. After much discussion with my nearest and dearest (and his dad) I have decided to go back to college in September to do AAT Level 3. I'm even going back to Fareham College! Some of my friends from this year's course are going back so I decided to join them.
Oh and my dad turned 70 on the 18th. I'll put up some photos when I get a chance.
Anyway, I have news on the job front. I have lowered my hours to 3 days per week. Now the balance feels right; I can get my housework done, see friends, not feel guilty for vegging on the sofa for a few hours if the mood takes me, etc. This has made me much happier in myself, though I still get stroppy at the others if they don't pull their weight. (It took me a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get them this far. I'm not letting it slide now).
I also have news on the studying front. After much discussion with my nearest and dearest (and his dad) I have decided to go back to college in September to do AAT Level 3. I'm even going back to Fareham College! Some of my friends from this year's course are going back so I decided to join them.
Oh and my dad turned 70 on the 18th. I'll put up some photos when I get a chance.
Monday, 28 June 2010
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