Posted in August 2008

Monday 11th August – Keeping On Keeping On

Source: knightrider45
Monday 11th August 2008, 5:26pm

Well, that's another week gone by then

By 7am Tomorrow morning I'd have finished this weeks work - that's 8 twelve hour shifts, so I'd have worked 96 hours straight through - plus the travelling of course, so all told, my shift this time around was about 110 hours - thank God the usual Sunday Knights Hill Caravan bedlam isn't so bad at the moment.

I'm struggling to remember what a 35 hour week's like to work.

I think I might have picked up a casual part time job as a result of last weeks blog, and although the work's on an as required basis, the occasional extra earnings will make a difference to my financial life!

And it's a bit on the physical side as well, working in the fresh air, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Workwise, nothing to report really. We had this really stroppy lorry driver come in last night who was in a hell of a rush to get back on the road. Stroppy attitude, full of aggression, for which there was no need. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall of his cab when he ripped all his hoses and air pipes off when he drove away from his tank as he dropped it - and forgot to disconnect all the pipes from his tank first in his rush to get away. Immediate lorry breakdown - the driver ended up delaying himself almost 3 hours. Oops.

Have You Ever.....

used one of those commercial hole punches? You know, one of those that hold hndreds and thousands and thousands of little, circular bits of paper in the bottom? At work, ours is located on the front window sill, as this is where we do most of our paperwork. Have you ever picked one of these hole punches up and the bottom piece of rubber drops off? By an open window?

Cue the scene - I have just picked up the hole punch, the bottom has dropped off, and there are thousands and thousands of white circular bits of paper being blown around the office with the wind coming in through the window. Took me a good hour and half to clean the office to save me being told off by the cleaner!

And of course, it always has to happen when there's "customers" in the office as well doesn't it?

Permalink | 0 comments

What can I say when words are not enough?

Source: knightrider45
Sunday 3rd August 2008, 10:41pm

July was a really difficult month! So many sudden changes! And now, weÂ’ve started a new month.

And in the words of that TV advert, yesterdays gone. Today's a new day. A chance to start over again. So, let's go for it!

As well as the upset over the new employers last month, I have to report that Middle Daughter has broken up with her boyfriend and has, temporarily, moved back in here with us. Complete with dog.

Which has greatly upset the family cat, who moved out for a few days, finding refuge at a neighbour's up the road. I think we went through a week or so when we didn't see her, but she's started to move back in now as the House Manager now leaves a bedroom window open for her, with the bedroom door kept firmly shut, keeping the dog out. Gradually, the cat is spending more time in her sanctuary again, but it does come with a bit of a downside.

She doesn't come home most nights until midnight-ish. As she climbs in through the window, she walks onto the windowsill, making her way around the bedroom over various dressers and tables and stuff; quickly darting across the bed when the tables run out.

So occasionally, we are woken by the sound of a poltergeist; with various bottles, combs, brushes and ornaments being knocked off the tables, waking us up with a start. Then, with a minimum delay of just seconds, she darts across the bed as we're just starting to make sense of all the noise.

And this is often repeated at 3 or 4am when she decides she wants to go out again!

And we've discovered the dog has a bit of a door fetish; she barks like crazy when someone shuts a door somewhere, every time the doors shut. Especially at night.

So now, the Household is taking on it's own sense of madness.

And, on the normal side of things, I've paid the mortgage last month, including the additional payment, so I've kept the house another month. Throughout last month, I've been looking for part time work; and have, literally, emailed every single agency in and around Kings Lynn. And you know, I've only had one reply, and that didn't amount to anything either. See? Because of my shift pattern, I can't even work for an agency who, by default, are always short of staff.

So, it's got to be the car boots and markets, hasn't it? This is the only way I can get extra money and being able to drop it if overtime comes up at work. From my point of view, there's just no other way. And has the News Of The World have said today, the "normal" family household budget's going up by £3,000 a year because of the extra costs of food, heat, light and petrol. So the situation's rapidly getting worse.

And I'm the only one who can, and must, stop this from getting even worse.

What can I Say Now Words Are Not Enough?

I find this blog really hard to write. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end?

I think the wife has fallen out with me, gradually, over time perhaps, but it's definitely happened. There's an hell of an attitude here now, I am sometimes ignored, sometimes too much of a effort to listen to, am now NEVER told anything about my family (not even that Middle Daughter was moving back in with us), and I think, becoming just a liability, an irritation, a thorn in every one's side around here.

It's not my imagination - it's really happening. I've noticed things "not quite right" on and off for, well, for ages really, certainly since before last Christmas. I can't put it into a single word what's going on, but how long can I pretend everything's OK when the wife, laughing, joking and being brilliant with the neighbours, is exactly, 100% the opposite, with me, often within seconds as the front door closes? I told Middle daughter, months ago, not knowing she was having problems as well, that I can't make her mum laugh any more. And it's true.

Permalink | 0 comments