Trying not to dance

The day started off a little badly, not terrible but not as it should have done.

My alarm didn't go off as it should have done, so I overslept (although some of the credit for that goes to the blogger I was chatting to on msn until I fell asleep). It seems that ET had turned my radio alarm off yesterday instead of letting it switch off on its own at 8am as it does every day. So at 7.30 I left the house a few minutes late only to discover that my car was not parked in its usual place. When will I learn???

Last night DC was going into the City with his work mates. His car was untaxed so I said he could borrow mine if he got a few bits of shopping for me first. He said he wouldn't drink and would be home early. Oh really!!! So why was it that when I rang him he was 'just leaving'.

Just leaving!!! Just leaving where??

The City and not just the city but the part furthest away and in the rush hour!!!!!

He finally arrived home with my car at 8.20 when I should have been at work before 8.00am. I finally got there at 9am. I'm not worried that I will have to make up the time though. I am always early, only take 30 mins for lunch and nearly always work 30 + mins later than I am meant to.

Anyway my day got better, mid morning I was given a piece of cherry and coconut cake (don't tell Trixie). One of our temporary temps makes cakes for a cafe and brought some in. It was very nice even if I am trying to be good.

But the best was saved for later.

Mid afternoon I was asked to look after the phones. As I returned to my desk from a foray into accounts NL was asked to go to the boardroom for a moment. I had an idea what that was about but was still suprised when he returned to his desk, put his coat on and was gone. so the deed has been done, my main source of stress in last few months has gone at last.

So I am trying hard not to DANCE, I want to dance and sing and show how happy I am. Less stress, less work, less frustration, less complaints.

Just to top that I have just been given an envelope containing £500 cash. DC is trying to sell his car and buy another cheaper one. The seller wasn't there today when DC had his day off but will be there tomorrow when DC will be working until 5pm. So good old mum has to go put a deposit on it for him or maybe even pay for it. Generously DC has said I can keep the extra £5. Now what shall I spend it on?

two very different days I don't want to repeat

All week I have had trouble sleeping with this rotten cough. Each morning I have woken feeling dreadful.

Thursday I knew from the outset was going to be a hard day workwise. It isn't helped by the fact that I have become used to having my early mornings to myself, being up and out before any other member of the family. Every 4 or 5 weeks DC is working the early shift 8am until 4pm, but he still doesn't need to be up and about as early as me as he works closer to home. As from last week JA was back at school which means I must make sure he is up and out of bed before I leave the house. Then at the start of this week ET started college, for the first couple of days he had to catch the 9am train so that wasn't so bad but Thursday and Friday it was the 8am train. Wednesday OJ went back to college, catching the same trains as ET. This has been DC's week to work early. So the last few days have seen all 5 of us getting in each other's way as we get ready for the day ahead. aaaaagggrrrrrrr.

Thursday morning I was sorting myself out when ET got to the shower before me, drat that is going to put me behind schedule. Plus I need to go to the garage on the way to work to get some money. SF was meant to call round on wednesday evening (he even rang to tell me he was bringing me not only the money he had borrowed but the £100 he pays me each month) he didn't turn up. Whilst I was waiting for ET to finish in the shower I heard the travel news a lorry had over turned on the motorway diversions were in place. I text PB in case she hadn't heard it. By the time I had showered and dressed I was later leaving than I had wanted considering the possible traffic problem. At the garage there was only one person serving and a couple of customers taking for ever. Finally setting off I could see as I came down the hill towards the motorway that already the traffic was slowing down even though the overturned lorry was at the far end of the motorway just where it becomes an A road.

I wasn't going to sit in that! I diverted myself to go up over the hill but there was more traffic than normal for that time in the morning going that way. Obviously others had the same idea. As the road crossed the motorway I could see below me 4 lanes of stationary red lights. As the hill road climbed higher I joined the back of the traffic crawling along at 20mph but at least we were moving unlike the traffic below. Because it was still early and the weather dull I could see lines of headlights trying unsucessfully to escape the city, while similar lines of red lights sat waiting to circumnavigate the same city. Turning on my radio I heard that the overturned lorry contained gas canisters, an exclusion zone of 200m was being implemented. Nothing was moving in either direction down there.Meanwhile the traffic on the hill had become stop start as other vehicles tried to join us from the various lanes that criss cross my favourite road. Eventually I arrived at work after an hour (a journey that would normally take me 20 minutes). Every road in the area had become gridlocked. Boss Lady is usually in the office by 7.30 didn't arrive until after 8.30. It didn't matter which direction you came from you had to get caught in the problems.

By the time I arrived at work I was feeling quite poorly, at first I thought I was out of breath but soon realised that even with my cold my breathing was fine but my heart was beating 20 to the dozen. It took me a good half an hour to feel calm, I know this had nothing to do with the chaos on the roads, I was not stressed out about that. I was also in a lot of abdominal pain which I worked out to be trapped wind probably as a result of all the coughing I had been doing over the recent days and nights. A couple of pain killers soon eased that problem.

The office has been strained this week, with NL seemingly oblivious to the unacceptable amount of problems his incompetence has been causing. It has been noted that for one reason or another from the middle of August until the middle of October there is not one day when every member of the sales team are in the office. However it is becoming increasingly evident that NL is more of a hinderance than a help. We cannot carry on this way, something has to change. I have over the last couple of months been alarmed to discover that where I had believed myself to be very patient and enjoy teaching people on a one to one basis, I can in fact be very impatient with this young man. (as a person he is a perfectly nice young man). I try to be friendly towards him, but I CANNOT WORK WITH HIM. If it had been anyone else I could have taken some time off to get myself well again even if it was just a case of leaving a little early, but he cannot be left unsupervised. I dread to think what has occurred today while there was just him and BG(part time) and the boss. NL cannot even be trusted to take a message, it seems to be asking the impossible for him to obtain the name and company plus phone number. (there sure are a lot of "chaps" in his world).

Anyway I finally got home from work and collapsed in a heap on my bed feeling as though I had been fed through a wringer. While I dozed JA took it upon himself to feed all four boys. OJ was very impressed, as of course was I when I heard. SO Thursday was a day I don't want to repeat again in a hurry.

Today Friday was another day I don't want to repeat too soon but for very different reasons. I had sat up chatting to my mentor until gone midnight before being industriuos on my laptop, finally managing to fall asleep around 2am only to wake up at 5am Again!!! (thats every day this week). I was awake when the boys were getting ready for school/college, but too tired to get up. I dozed off again not needing to be at my mum's until later. I arrived at my mum's house in glorious warm sunshine. Managing to squeeze my car onto her drive I left the windows open about 5" to stop my car getting too hot in case DC used my car to transport people to the crematorium (I was going in the Limo).

I had plated up the food for later and was enjoying a cup of tea when my brother D his wife S and R (who I will tell you about another time, it is very complicated)all arrived. As we sat chatting the clouds burst open just then DC and JA arrived running from DC's car, they were soaked. Everyone kept telling me that my car windows were open, tossing my keys to DC he turned and ran back out to close my windows for me. Poor lad when he came back in he was soaked to the skin. My mum tried to dry him off with her hair dryer but that wasn't working so I suggested we iron his shirt, that worked lol. Its a good thing we still had plenty of time. As per usual T and his wife J (Tom and Jerry as D calls them) arrived not long before we the car was due to arrive.

My Grandpa didn't follow any faith so this was not a religious funeral, we started off with some Greek music as he had always loved Greece this was followed by my mum telling the story of her dad's life. Next some quiet reflection time as we listened to some bird song to celebrate his love of the New Forest. Next the part I had been dreading, I stood in front of these people (most of them my family) and read out the memories I had written down from the times my brothers and I had spent with Grandpa as children. I have always had problems with speaking to a group of people, one or two I can manage but more than that I feel my face turning red and my eyes water. But I was prepared to give this a try in the knowledge that if it became too difficult the Funeral Director would take over for me. However I managed to keep reading to the end and apparently read it well and clearly so that even in the back row I was heard. I was complimented even on the way it was written. My memories were followed by the reading of "Death is nothing at all" by canon Henry Scott-Holland. We finished off with a rendition of "The Essex boy" Brass Band music that he loved (especially appropriate for a man born and bred in Essex).

At the end of it all I can say that it was a lovely funeral and the lady from the Nursing home who came along left saying that she wants hers to be like that. But I shall repeat that that this day s not one that I want to do again just yet.

Of the dozen funerals I have now attended this was the second that was more a family celebration of a life than a religious ceremony. Do you all know what kind of funeral you want? Will it be a burial, cremation, a green funeral, will your passing be mourned or your life celebrated? .

shock horror

Tonight DC quit from the band that he built up from the age of 12

They started out as a 4 piece band, he was lead guitar but also did some of the singing until his voice began to break. For a while they became a 5 piece band, at this point 8 years later there have been a few changes in band members but DC was one of only two original band members left. DC has always enjoyed not only the taking part in playing. But also the designing of CD covers, badges and T-Shirts. Right from the start he was the driving force behind the band, arranging gigs, recording etc. He has written a lot of the music and lyrics for the songs they sang, they have never been interested in doing covers.

So this is the end of an era or is it.

Will he stick to his guns or will he miss what has been the most important part of his life for the last 8 years (other than his g/f of 4.5 years).

From what he was saying on Monday he wants to concentrate more on his art work than his music.

DC jumped

Things at work have not been improving with NL. After 2 months he is not improving, it seems to be one step forward two steps backwards. I have not been tearing my hair out so much in recent weeks because I have not allowed myself to become stressed. However Boss Lady has been getting increasingly frustrated with him. It is looking very likely that he won't be there in a month's time. The question is will he jump or be pushed.

There is a woman (Ruby) in the accounts department who I have never mentioned before. She works part time, has been there since March and is currently on her second job as she did not get on very well in the first. I had heard rumours about her (I don't know much about her ) but yesterday I heard this noise. It was a noise I recognised but didn't think anything of at the time even though it is not something I have ever heard before during a working day. There was a slight commotion at the other end of the office and NL began to giggle. Being slightly deaf I asked him what he was laughing at. Apparently Ruby had fallen asleep and begun to snore. Since then I have noticed several times that one or other of the accounts staff have had to wake her.

'Ruby .......you went again'

has been heard at intevals throughout the day. I have also heard that she fell asleep in the ladies toilets yesterday. Her boss PB has been getting fed up with her inability to learn her job, added to this falling asleep, I wonder how long it will be before she either jumps or is pushed.

As from today I have started leaving work at 4.30 instead of 5pm, (not before time according to Boss Lady). But the reason I left on time today and will do tomorrow and for how ever long it takes has nothing to do with work or even family. My daily drive home generally takes me around 30 to 35 minutes unless there are any traffic problems. Yesterday it took the usual 30 minutes to get as far as my town. I joined the queue of traffic on the hill waiting for the lights at the top, But I soon realised that we had been stationary for too long. As I watched, it became evident that traffic was not progressing along the road I would be turning into at the top, for the last 2 miles of my drive home. Eventually we began to crawl along, taking 40 minutes to drive the last 2 miles. What had caused this traffic problem I wondered as we kept creeping ever nearer to my home. All became clear as I reached the shopping precinct about 500m from the turning towards my home. Temporary traffic lights at the junction beside the place where they recently pulled down the pub SF used to frequent.

Traffic lights for some 'Essential Gas works' .....................it must have been a huge hole in the road to cause such problems.........but hang on I didn't pass any holes in the road...........WTF was that all about. Later I went to ASDA and noticed that it is in fact 3 way traffic lights, it isn't the main road that is being dug up but the side road. This side road is not overly busy, plus it is easily accessible from the road I use to get to my home. However the main road ..............without any holes being dug...............was being held up by these lights ..............in the rush hour for what reason!!!!! So because of these lights it took me 1hr 10 mins to get home yesterday (PB left after me and took 1hr 25 mins to get home). Today we both left work earlier. Today I got past the hill, the lights at the top, the road along the back of the town that overlooks the Motorway far below. Turned into the main road heading towards home, as I reached a bend in the road about 200 yrds on I joined the back of the traffic. It was 5.02pm I got home (little over 1/2 mile further) at 5.25pm grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

If only there was another way home, of only there was any road I could take to avoid these road works, unfortunately there is not. There are three roads into town and at that time of night both the other two are very bad day in day out, so there is no way to avoid getting stuck.

Rant and spilling beans

Two Posts tonight.

Firstly I promised to tell you more about my big date but I also need to rant.

NL is still driving me mad at work, I now have to believe that it is youthful arrogance as opposed to youthful enthusiasm. Yesterday, he had a call from the agency that found him the job, I know it can be difficult to be totally honest when they phone to see if you are doing ok especially if they phone you at work when you are surrounded by your new colleagues. But he told her that everything is going well, no problems at all. Later our boss asks him how he is getting on and again he says he has no problems.

ahem I would like to wring his neck for him, he is so cocky thinking that he can do it. I don't mind if he asks me questions or for help but the problem is that he prefers to just get on with it on his own. Very commendable except that he doesn't know what he is doing. Who is it that has to unravel everything and put it right? me of course..........grrrrrrrrr

Because he had made so many mistakes on customer orders I now have to check every order before he puts it onto the system. Highlighting customer purchase numbers, account numbers, address codes, making sure all the product codes are correct and the quantities are as they should be (most products are sold as singles even if we only sell them by pack size but a few items are the other way around, it takes time to get used to this. If he takes an order over the phone I have to check that he has got the account and product codes right the quantities are correct and it gets sent to right address. Today he took an order from one of our longest running accounts. This customer speaks very fast and doesn't give product codes just brief description, he expects us to know what he 'always has'. I didn't know he had taken this order until after it had been processed and was ready to be taken to the warehouse to be picked and packed. Nobody had checked this order and all he had were the product codes and quantities. I asked him if the customer had given him the codes (knowing that this customer never does). No he had written the descriptions on an order form then copied it onto a new order form because his writing was confusing. I wanted to staple the two together incase there are any discrepancies then we can see where it had gone wrong.

'I got rid of it, I am confident I have done it right and it wasn't necesary for it to be checked.'

we will see when the proverbial 'merde' starts flying.

I would be quite happy not to have to check everything before he does it as then I could actally get some work done myself but I have been instructed to do this and it is doubling the work.

To make matters worse there have been a few changes in the warehouse which our Company shares with several others. The space under our office has been used as storage room for our Company, but now it is going to be used by another company so they are building a new room, this involves lots of drilling and hammering. I did have to laugh this afternoon when we were all trying to hear what was being said to us on the phonecalls there was a thumping on the wall by my pc, it was Pedro nextdoor thinking it was us doing the drilling.

I was not at my brightest this afternoon but I could have strung up the cyclist wh wanted to comit suicide at my expense. I had almost made it home, just passing the local parade of shops. I saw the cyclist stationary in the bus stop (he was wearing a high vis jacket). I was just thinking how white his hair is when he began to cycle down the road, so I pulled across nearer to the middle of the road to give him more room. But I had to slam my brakes on when he suddenly with no warning shot across the road without even looking to see what was coming. I'm not sure if it was his intention to go to the Dr's surgery across the road but I very nearly got him there quicker the twat!!!!