Week 2 and Treats

I have now done two weeks at my new job, is it all making sense, um no!!!!  Barry left on Friday, that is whose accounts I am taking over and my boss is away all next week, so I feel its going to be a real challenge and stressful week.  Everyone is saying that I am doing really well and that I have picked up on things very quickly, it sure doesnt feel like it though.

I am hoping the weather is better next week as I would like to have a wander around Bletchley Park in my lunch hour, there is so much to see there, various museums, harrier jet, wartime huts, lake and lots more.

I had bit of a shopping spree on Ebay, things that I needed and things that were not necessarily needed but made me feel better.  As my new job involved meeting clients, holding training sessions I thought it best to get an organiser, found a nice one on Ebay but was a bit disappointed when it arrived as it is supposed to be "personal" size but its actually "pocket", I also got a new phone case as mine is broken:

I also bought a small dressing table, its just the right size for my room and apart from a couple of scratches it is in great condition and a real bargain at £12.50, I also got a new shower, same model as what is in there at the moment, to try and make fitting it easier and I also loved my old shower, cant wait for that to come and be put in,

 

Today I spent half the day down the garage as the EGR valve was not working which meant I could not always accelerate, unfortunately it still has a fault but as it is wiring it will need an electrical mechanic type person to look at it, I will ring round MK garages on Monday to see if I can get it booked in somewhere, fingers crossed it accelerates ok and doesnt chuck out too much smoke until I can sort out getting it done.

I am not looking forward to Monday, I have court at 10.30am, hopefully the conclusion to my compensate case for an injury I incurred 3.5 yrs ago, it certainly has dragged on and I am not hopeful we will be successful as my key witness is refusing to attend court, she was the only reason they continued with the case, so I am not very happy.  Why do people come forward to help but then when they are called upon they let you down???  Answers on a postcard please to"I am such a mug!"

My back is not coping very well with sitting down at a desk all day but I am hoping with time it will ease.  I have a new lodger moving in tomorrow as my last one left when I was at work, no warning, nothing, just a note and the key through the door *sighs*

Shellie B

Highs & Lows of Week 1

Well I survived week 1 at work, only just, it was a very hectic first week which included a trip to the Ireland office, see my blog about it with photos. I thought my head was going to explode as so much information was fired at me and its not used to being so active, am hoping this week is easier but I have invested in some Red Bull just in case.

The excitement of surviving my first week was soon dampened when I got home as my lodger had moved out whilst I was at work, was absolutely fuming as he had promised he would give me a months notice etc after the way Laura left and I had also told him about the other bloke who left when I was at work, anyway I contacted one of the other guys who was interested in the room before and they were still looking and will be moving in next week, disaster averted as I need the rent money to finance my first month at work.

Was going to make some Easter baskets this weekend as I cant seem to sit still when watching TV as I feel I should be doing something, but as I did not make a note of the measurements I used I need to wait to get a photo from Sophie before I cant start any of them, which is very frustrating as i could have got quite a few done.

I also emailed my Cruse lady last week but as usual she has not contacted me, I am really fed up with that too as this is the time that I need to have a session with her to talk about work etc and how I am feeling, she is such a lovely lady but I just feel so let down by her all the time.

Have done my ironing ready for my next week at work and now I am going to do my nails, went to the chippy but it was closed so nipped to the garage instead and have a tuna sarnie, monster munchies and a double decker, not a healthy sunday dinner but better than nothing.

Am so tired but going to try and stay up until 9pm, I have been a bit naughty and been using my co-codomal as a sleeping aid, this is probably also why I was not feeling very with it last week but I was worried I would not sleep and probably took more than I should each night, anyway this week I am not going to take any, have hidden them away in the cupboard, I have also made a pact with Tarquaydrawers that we will go to work every day, we still have the forefeights to decide upon but hopefully we can help each other go to work and be positive.

Shellie B

Head in the clouds

Well as the title says I really have had my head in the clouds this week:

I have been to the lovely Emerald Isle with work, its been a hectic week but WOW what an amazing time I have had and Galway is lovely and so is everyone who lives there.  I must admit I was a bit scared with I saw the plane that I was going in and a wave of claustrophobia set in but was ok once I was safely in my seat and never took my seat belt off for the whole flight, we took off from Luton airport around 8.30pm on Monday..

Galway at Night

The flight stopped off at Waterford, we picked up a couple of people and then headed to Galway, we landed 30 mins early but nice man on the desk called the pre-booked taxi for me and they came straight away to get me, checked in to the hotel only to find the card used to book the room had been declined but they were very understanding and said it could be sorted the next day.  Hotel was sooooooooooo posh, my room was like a little apartment, I felt like a celebrity being away on a work trip and surrounding by luxury.

I unpacked, which was handy as I found the kettle and tea/coffee in one of them, made a decaf coffee and had a shower, I finally fell into bed around 12am.

Had a few hours sleep and then went and had my full irish brekkie before being picked up at 10am, that night I went to the Bistro and had a dinner instead of sitting in the room on my own.

It was soon time to pack and leave for the airport again, got a better view this time of the aircraft and as we left about 5.45pm yesterday I actually got to see more out of the window:

Waterford

Galway

Arrived back into Luton around 8pm, SlinkyLynne picked me up and treated me to chippies, then after driving home I got back around 11pm, I think I am going to have a good rest this weekend after a very hectic first week but I am in my element and loving it!!!!

Shellie B

Chocs away!!!!!

My last week at home has been quite busy, sold over 50 dvd's via Ebay, so I have been busy printing order slips, labels and packaging up orders, I kept on going to different post offices as I didnt want them getting fed up of me and all my parcels.  I only have 2 orders not paid for, have emailed them today as a reminder and I still have about 20 packages to send.  Unfortuantely paypal decided they were going to put a hold on ALL my daily sales so my money is just sitting in limbo until I either get feedback or 21 days has passed.  So yesterday I spent most of the morning emailing each buyer asking for them to leave feedback once the item has been delivered to hopefully speed up payment being released.

Today has been final preperations ready for tomorrow, after having a dilemma about my case being to big to be classed as "Carry on" baggage I emailed my boss and he has kindly offered to lend me a "Carry on" bag to use, otherwise it will cost £20 to take my case.  It is very difficult to know what to take with me to Ireland, am only there from Monday night until Wednesday evening, I have packed 3 tops, just incase they want to take me out to dinner whilst I am out there, I have also snuck in my swimming costume as I might try and go swimming at some point. I will do a bit of ironing this evening whilst watching TV and have dug out my trusty sandwich box, I also have my "pill box" which is my best buy ever.

I originally got my weekly "pill box" as I have to take my meds twice a day and I can never remember if I have taken the evening one, now I fill it up with a Multi Vitamin, Cranberry tablet, Primrose Oil tablet and Ginseng tablets, I am sure that I now rattle but hopefully these little boosts will help me have some energy etc now I am back at work.  I have also dug out a different handbag to use, more pockets, easier to carry etc.  I have my passport for ID and my printed out Itinerary, I am only taking one pair of flat pump type shoes, less to carry and will also be more comfy if I am walking or standing around a bit and of course I have my toiletries.

A couple of extra things I am taking with me are some lovely "good luck" gifts I received through the post, my first one is from the wonderful Cupcakejojo and is a Guardian Angel, I had one of these pinned onto a bag for years but unfortunately I lost her a couple of years ago, now I have a new one and she will be guiding me though my next journey.  My next gift was from the delightful Sophieissmall and it is a really cute cupcake "cross stitch" which I shall take with me to keep me focussed in my hotel room in the evenings.  I also received a beautiful "Heart" scissor keeper from the very generous Talkingbeads, this was a thank you for all the crochet help I had given Jean.

Finally I got a tweet from the very talented cupcakecastles who is sending me one of her heavenly "Cupcake Clocks" as congratulations to me.  I am so shocked over the wonderful generosity from the world of "Twitter", I only really started using this when I was signed off and found myself at home all the time, now I have a wonderful group of loyal friends on there, you all know who you are!!!  They always offer me such words of support and comfort, I have never had a negative response to any of my tweets, without them I would never have started my crochet, opened a Folksy shop or even started blogging.  All these things and these wonderful people have helped me get to where I am today and of course, it would not be fair if I did not mention my poor long suffering friend "SlinkyLynne", who has put up with me for years, never turned her back on me, no matter how bad things have got and someone I know I can trust and turn to for sound advise and support.


So I am all packed and ready for my next adventure, I hope you are ready too as you are all coming with me........


Shellie B

Medically Fit at Last

So I have been to the doctors this morning, bit disappointed as I could not see my regular doctor who has supported me through the last 8 months of hell, as I wanted to share with her my great news about the job I was offered last week.

Anyway, locum doctor has signed me back to work, was not really interested in what I had to say, just kept on about how I have come there with great news etc etc, well after some chatting she agreed to increase the dosage of my meds as I feel my mood is not where it has been or should be, just wish they had done this a couple of weeks ago when I asked.

I have had a busy week sorting through various things around the house I can sell, I have sent off 3 mobiles for recycling for cash and sold over 80 dvd's, this is all raising approx £150, which sounds great as I really need the money for fuel etc until I get paid from my new job, but Paypal have put a real dampner on it all as they are holding EVERY single payment.  I emailed them right away and got this response:

• Your total Feedback score is 100 or greater-  (currently you only have
63 feedback score)
• Your average DSR is 4.5 or greater- (currently you have No DSR)

Unfortunately my feedback from Folksy is not taken into consideration on this decision and also I have no idea what DSR means?  I have emailed them back explaining so far I have incurred over £30 in shipping fees and asked them to release some of the funds, not holding out much hope.

On a plus side my bargain Black Suit Jacket I bought from Ebay for just over £4 arrived and is absolutely lovely, great quality, dusky pink lining, looks very expensive and fits perfectly, I also received my order from JD Williams, as when I sorted through my wardrobe I discovered that nothing fits me anymore, so now I have enough work clothes to see me through until payday, hopefully with the return to work I will start to lose some weight as I will be more active and my existing clothes will fit again.

Even though I am excited to be starting work, as I will have a purpose and some structure back into my life, I am a bit apprehensive as I am having to go to their Ireland office in Galway for some training, the guy I am taking over from is based over there.  This means I will have to fly all on my own, normally things like this would not bother me but after being shut away in my house for 8 months it will be a real shock to the system, at least I will see Slinky Lynne before I fly out as she is kindly letting me leave my car at her house and will take me to the airport Monday evening and pick me up Wednesday evening.  The hotel I have been booked into looks very posh, hopefully they will have wifi so that I can keep in touch with everyone.

Back is killing so going to take some Co-Codomal and be spaced out for most of the day *starts floating on fluffy cloud..............*

Shellie B

Do you believe in fate??????

I have always believed that we go through certain things in life to set us on the right path for the future and that things happen for a reason, however hard they are to deal with at the time but in the long run it was the correct thing to happen.

For example, I was so devastated when Laura told me she was leaving but now John has arrived and we get on so well, his arrival also meant I could afford to have my hair cut on Tuesday, not that I go anywhere or see anyone, I just wanted to feel better about myself, it also meant I could get my mobile phone reconnected, things all in preparation for when I would be ready to find some part time work, hopefully in March/April time when the doctor would sign me back to work.

After 7 months off work I have been really struggling the last few days, I have been wallowing in self pity as not happy with my weight and about my lack of motivation, even though I know only I CAN change these things, my head still could not make my body move, I have also been dreaming about family members, I cannot remember the exact things that happened but I know they were trying to encourage me, make me believe in myself, at the time I could not see the message as I was just too sad that they are not here anymore, it has taken today's events to understand it all.

So what did happen today that is so monumental in my future, well when I woke up I had decided that I would go for a walk whatever the weather and however I felt, I got a bowl of cereal and sat at my pc, chatting on twitter etc, CupcakeJoJo talked to me about how I was feeling about myself etc which really helped me and then I checked my emails, I was just about to delete my junk mail when a familiar name jumped out at me, I quickly moved the email to my inbox.

Firstly let me explain that I have not have a permaneant job since Dec 2008, when I was made redundant, I have been doing temp and contract work to keep the pennies coming in but then in June 2010 things took a turn for the worse and I have been signed off ill ever since, around that time my contract was coming to an end and I had seen a perfect job advertised, so applied.  I sailed through the telephone interview, which was a conference call with 2 directors, which I didnt realise until the end, otherwise I might not have been my normal cheeky self, but it must have worked as I was asked to attend an interview.  The final decision was very close between me and AN Other, they have described the decision as more like a toss of a coin as it was that close, unfortunately I was not successful but in hindsight that was the best thing that could have happened.

So imagine my shock when I saw the email had come from that company where I had only just missed out on such a great opportunity.  They explained that they are expanding and had another position available but before advertising they would like to discuss it with me, as they had remembered me and were very impressed.  I fired a quick email back asking for more info and went for my walk to think things through, i.e.am I ready to go back to work full time, will the doctor sign me back fit again, do I have enough confidence to impress them again?  When I got back we decided I would attend an interview at 14.30pm today, panic then set in to find something that would fit and I would look all office like and efficient for meeting up with them.

Now this is where fate comes into it, if I had been successful back in June there is no way I would have been able to keep the job down due to the ups and downs of coming of meds, stopping drinking etc, if I had not had my hair cut Tuesday I would not have had so much confidence with how I looked, if I had not had my telephone reconnected I would not have been able to call them to inform them when I had arrived as I could not find the office.

Anyway after an hour of chatting I was offered the job, for the exact money I was hoping for and it is a permaneant job, I get 20 days holiday plus the 8 public bank holidays, it is set in Bletchley Park, home of the Enigma Machine, the grounds are amazing and so I will have no excuses to go for a daily walk at lunch time, apparently we are also allowed to go and look round the various museums/displays they have there too.  I must admit I nearly crashed the car when I drove past a submarine, let alone the Harrier Jet, there is also a huge pond with benches so will be lovely in the summer.  My first week I will be spending 2 days in Galway, right next to the Racecourse, for some training.  I am still in shock and wonder when I will wake up.

So do you believe in fate, I know that I do, I always have, things certainly do happen for a reason, even if they are really devasting, they are things we have to go through to grow and discover who we are, they make us stronger and define our character.  Some people say I am a bit dippy or my sarcastic sense of humor can make some people wary of me, I am not confident about myself but I am confident in my abilities, I have been told before that people feel intimidated by me something to do to my looks (yes I am laughing too) but at the end of the day I am just me, I have seen and experienced all kinds of bad and good things, they have molded me into the person I am now and I would not change a thing.  I treat every person I meet exactly how I would like to be treated, if you wrong me then you lose my trust and friendship, simple.

I really feel that this is the path I have been waiting to take but the time was never right for me to take it, I am now ready for the next chapter in my life.  I could not have achieved this all on my own and owe so much to the continued encouragement from my friends, old and new, thank you all for believing in me and I cannot wait to show you all how right you were in having this faith in me..........

My new workplace in the background

Shellie B

Short Back and One Side...............

After months of not being able to afford to have my hair cut, I booked in to a salon I have never been to before, Regis, prices looked reasonable and Salon looked very nice, clean and professional, not some side treat blue rinse jobby if you know what I mean.

I arrived a bit early as I wanted to have a look through some mags first as I had no idea what I wanted to have done but I just knew I wanted something drastic as I was feeling drab, old and frumpy.  My stylist was Libby and she was sooooo helpful, did not seem huffy that I didnt have a clue what I wanted done and was so eager to help me decide.  They also had some foam thing they put on the edge of the sink when washing hair, because I have had my head surgery at the base of my skull, I always find these really painful, but I could rest my head completely on the sink whilst it was being washed, did not get a head massage though when conditioner was put on but then we cant have everything.

Libby cut my hair in stages as it was quite long and she didnt want to cut it all off and I then decide it was too short, she talked me through what she was going to do before she did anything to make sure I was happy, I cant recall ever having that kind of customer service before in a Salon.

Soon there was a new me starting to emerge and I was liking what I was seeing in the mirror, Libby dried my hair exactly how I would have done it myself and took her time over it, I could really tell how much she loves what she does.  After 5 years of living in Northampton I have finally found a hairdresser that I am really happy with and will deffo be returning, I might even treat myself to a few dashes of colour next time.

I have posted some pics below so you can decide what you think of the end result or if you maybe prefer the longer style I had before:

BEFORE

AFTER

Below are pics of side views as one is longer than the other but you cant really see if from the picture above:

SHORT SIDE

LONG SIDE

Am so over the moon with my new hairstyle, my hair is shinier, more full of life and I feel like a new person.  I walked around town afterwards with my head held high and did not worry about the occasional few looks I got from people, am ready to face the outside world again!!!!

Shellie B