Card fraud

Me. Again. But this is important.

I was possibly the most complacent person when it came to credit/debit card fraud probably because I always thought it affected people that earnt more than me! However, one of my cards has been hit again. First it was my Capital One credit card and kudos to them for reacting so blimmin’ swiftly, and now it’s my current account debit card.

I noticed a really strange transaction for £16.82 and I could not for the life of me place what it was. The problem is that I do most of my shopping online. (Actual shops are not designed for grumpy people with poorly knees.) And so I often get strange entries on my account, but despite this I can usually account for them, but something about this entry made me call my bank because I really, really didn’t know what it was. Anyway, it had already been flagged up by the bank’s anti-fraud team and it turns out it was indeed a bogus transaction. (Bogus is such a great word.)

They are investigating and I’m being sent a new card and will eventually get the £16.82 back, but had I not listened to my instincts, it would have led to several more small transactions and then usually one big whopper of a transaction when they realise the dodgy activity hasn't been spotted. So this entry is just to tell you to check your online or paper statements and seriously don’t be such a goose that you see something odd, but then don’t do anything about it. Because the next thing, you’ll be a shop trying to use your card and 17 overweight security men will jump on you… actually I’m not sure that’s true, but you get the idea. Check and double check again because these toe rags really are out to get you...

Stella does London!

This is what I'll be on tomorrow!

Rugby tops and wedding chic

I have bought a Canada rugby top! I did so for two reasons, one I love rugby tops (all different ones; teams, nations, one-offs) and two, I had nothing to wear this Canada day and a girl should be able to dress for all occasions. Our very good friend who is also Canadian has talked about a Thanksgiving do – yes Canada has Thanksgiving, tsk! – so if an invite is forthcoming, I already have an outfit.

(We also said we’d bring homemade pumpkin pie. Now we just need to hope our pumpkins grow well… or at all!)

This morning I got my formal ‘competition winner’ invite to go on the Stella Artois Airship tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to it, even though I am scared of heights :0)

We went round a friend’s house last night. He is the intrepid leader of the DUC (Dulwich Ukulele Club) who are, of course, playing at our wedding and we needed to sort out all those pesky little admin details like where the band is staying, what time to set up, what to play etc. It was a very pleasant evening chatting and laughing and sitting in the garden with a glass of wine…

Now those that know me, know that I’m not swayed by trendy, I don’t aspire to hip BUT there is something very cool about having the DUC at your wedding because like it or not, there is a certain cachet in having a band that’s been hyped in the Guardian and the Indy…

Bless! We're being all cutting edge and not even trying! (And yes, I'm sure it did no harm at all that brother of intended wife plays in the band...)

I walked in and found flowers on my desk this morning. This is the last day that I’ll see my boss (I’m working from home tomorrow and she’s on holiday next week). It was a sweet gesture, but what with her taking me out to lunch this week as well it feels like we’re dating!

Right enough of this random nonsense. I need to do some work and then I think I’ll do the crossword. People seem to be under the impression that I’m a clever little stick and it’s true I do have a fairly large vocabulary, but I’m rubbish at crosswords. The day before yesterday I got 12 clues (2 of which subsequently turned out to be incorrect) and yesterday I only got 5 clues. What can I achieve today? Who knows or dares to wonder!

Ride 'em cowboy!

Picture taken at this weekend's Wild West party. I was going for a mean sheriff look but actually ended up as one of the Beverley Hillbillies...

Competition!

I've just won a competition and the prize is a trip over London, this Friday, on the Stella Artois airship! I'm very excited. I won for a piece of writing I did on what makes the perfect pub (and let's face it, the amount of time I've spent in pubs, I should know!) I shall take lots of photos and of course blog about the experience afterwards!

Animal cruelty

“LONDON (Reuters) - Cruelty to animals is rising fast in Britain's "affluent, throwaway society," the RSPCA said in a report on Wednesday.
Among the worst incidents were the discovery of a dog's decaying body chained to a radiator, a cat kicked to death for having muddy paws and 316 rats crammed into just eight cages.
As many as 137,245 alleged acts of cruelty to animals were committed in 2007, a 12 percent rise on the previous year, according to the annual report by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society," said Tim Wass, chief officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate.
"They're bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off. Today's must-have item quickly turns into tomorrows cast-off.
"Worse still, some animals are violently abused because they don't meet their owners’ unrealistic expectations -- like the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving."
Amid the grim statistics, many pets are now enjoying new lives in good homes after the RSPCA intervened, including a dog so thin rescuers were unable to identify its breed and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier whose owners had cut its ears off.
Wass said the cruelty figures might have been worse had it not been for the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act in 2007, which allows the charity to intervene more quickly when there are cruelty concerns.
"Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear," said Wass. "Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific."
The RPSCA was particularly concerned by the 34 percent rise (1,917 people) in convictions for cruelty to dogs in 2007 as well as 13 percent increase (119) in convictions for cruelty to horses.
"Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty -- from violent outbursts to extreme neglect," said Wass.
"But that's what makes this year's horrendous 34 percent increase even more shocking: it's a massive increase on an already high figure."
British courts also issued 861 banning orders during 2007, preventing people from keeping animals in future if they had been convicted of cruelty.”

I read this story today and it made me feel sick. I hope it does you too. Not that I particularly go out of my way to shock on my blog, but animal cruelty is horrific and is often linked to, or part of, cruelty to humans as well (inc. things like domestic violence and child abuse).

I watched Send in the Dogs on ITV (I think) last night. It’s a series following police dogs. There are some officers that are not only dog handlers, but who have been specially trained to identify dogs regardless of how mixed breed they might be.

They pulled over one young man who had what looked like a soppy Lab cross and which they claimed had pit bull in him. My partner was a bit surprised but I thought it was fairly obvious in the muzzle area and the shape of his head that he was terrier crossed. More sinister perhaps – and not immediately obvious – was the amount of scars on his muzzle, ears, head and neck. This was or had been a fighting animal. The young man said he was upset that his dog was being taken away. Personally I thought he should have been slightly more upset at the violence and cruelty he was perpetrating and the anxiety and pain he was causing his animal, but I’m an old fashioned sort…

When we were looking to adopt another dog we checked out lots of websites such as Mayhew, RSPCA, Battersea, Dogs Trust etc., and we came across some truly awful stories. Stories that made you cry and your stomach twist. I think prison is too good for some of these people...

Pluto and Bess were abused and neglected but remarkably they were the lucky ones - and so were we. There are so many that don't make it, or do, but then never get rehomed...

Fizzy vitimins and lunch with the boss

I will not miss my commute when I stop working. At all. Two hours and twenty minutes to do 12.5 miles because of accidents, fires and road works! I’m actually glad to be in the office and that’s saying something.

Last night I came home, took care of the animals and then went to bed to read. Laying down and with the fan on it didn’t take long for me to fall fast asleep so I feel much brighter this morning.

Yesterday my boss took me out to lunch and it was nice. She’s actually away on my last week (next week) and so wanted to say goodbye. The food was good and we ended up (not surprisingly) talking about everything but work. I think she might be feeling guilty! But to be honest I didn’t want to talk about work anyway, so it turned out to be very pleasant.

Talking of guilty, I should mention Berroca… (How random!) It’s the fizzy vitamin tablets and they very kindly sent me a blogger’s relief pack full of fun and silly and not-so-silly stuff several weeks ago because they liked my blog. It contained a dead Fred pen holder, a key ring that makes the same sound as popping bubble wrap, a stress ball, pen, some Berroca (natch), a drinking glass and my favourite: a big button that plugs into your computer that when you press makes exploding sounds and your screen goes black! So I rather enjoyed all that – thank you Berroca, and as for the effectiveness of the product…? (Drum roll?)

Pretty good actually. It does give you a pep and vitamins are good for you so you can’t really go wrong. And it doesn’t taste bad either so there you go. We’re saying yes to Berroca and if anybody else wants to do product placement on my blog, let me know. Although if something is rubbish I do say its rubbish – you might want to consider that!

I saw on Facebook that a friend of mine J was crowing about how he had been mentioned on this very blog yesterday, and how another friend had not been mentioned. Now obviously I try to only mention people in context, and as it was J that we travelled up to Shrivenham with last weekend, he got name checked (although I tend to only use initials). BUT in the interests of fairness and harmony, good morning Phil, good morning Jason. Now you have both been mentioned and I would like to say that guarantees some kind of fame, happiness or even a small reward, but sadly not. Although I am happy to give you a Berroca tablet each?

40th birthday party's and sad goodbyes

We had a lovely walk this morning. Bess was off lead and we met Charlie and her owner and all three dogs walked along happy to be together and out in the sun.

I could have quite happily stayed in bed, with the fan on, gently snoozing the day away but seeing as I have less than 2 weeks in the office, I figured I had to get up and get on. Very tired though – partly from a brilliant weekend and partly from having a sore back and knees.

We drove up to the Cotswolds on Saturday, my partner and I and a friend of ours. We dropped him off at his hotel and then got to our hotel in plenty of time for a Panini and a rest. The theme of the party was Wild West and the birthday boy (boys actually because it was also his partner’s birthday and together they both worked really hard on the party). There was a bucking bronco (my partner lasted about 28 secs!), moonshine, saloon girls, a raffle, a rare appearance by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, a discount bar and the piece de la resistance was Boogaloo Stu and Princess Twinkle Knickers. Yes, birthday boy had brought Shinky Shonky to Shrivenham! (Shrivenham, where he lives, is a tiny little village in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside – it will now never be quite the same again…)

Boogs was as ever eccentric genuius personified (on da stage and in da house) and Twinkle did a cheeky little number with some strategically placed fans and a new use for spare wine bottles. Storage issues can be so vexing... not anymore...

I was supposed to be a sheriff but actually looked like one of the Beverly Hillbillies. Although my fake moustache was a huge success and there are various pictures in existence showing the moustache in several guises (it wouldn't stick to my face so it either hung off to one side, or I stuck it to my breast or shoulder).

I danced too much – hence being in pain now – and we had an absolute stonker of a night. He had even laid on shuttle busses to get us to and from our hotels. We collapsed back in bed just after 1am. Which wasn’t bad seeing as we had been going since 6pm!

The next morning we headed to Sainsbury’s for a surprisingly good cooked breakfast in the café and then to the pub where after a quick drink we said our goodbyes and saddled up our horses…

We were further delighted to find that when we picked up Bess and Pluto from their boarding mum, they too had had a wonderful weekend and we all headed home tired and happy.

Unfortunately I came home to find I didn’t get a job that I wanted and we later on that evening had to say goodbye to a very good friend who is heading back to NZ for good. It was the first time she had met the chickens and Bess so we sat in the garden for an hour and didn’t think about saying goodbye until we couldn’t avoid it any longer. You get cross with yourself for never making enough time until it’s too late but it isn’t too late of course, we fully intend to visit her and I suspect she will be back for a visit at some point soon. I must invest in a web cam now though; I have several friends overseas and it would be nice to catch up face to face from time to time even if we are several thousand miles apart!

Corners

We turned a corner this morning! Actually we turned several…

As I've mentioned before, Bess is happy going to the park for a walk but the problems start when she gets there, basically she freezes. So this morning we set off in high spirits and I had everything crossed that she would get at least a bit of a walk, but I wasn’t expecting much. At first she was reluctant to move again so I thought we would have to stand there and watch Mr P enjoy his morning constitutional but slowly, very slowly we started walking and before we knew it we were going round the entire park! In fact, it got to the point where she actually greeted two other dogs and tried to chase Pluto (we still have her on the lead as loud noises and sudden movement startles her and she makes a run for it). I was so proud! We all got home exhausted but very pleased with each other. It doesn’t sound much but when you think how frightened she was, it’s a pretty big thing.

I’m exhausted. I did lots of tidying and cleaning yesterday evening and then had a late night. Consequently the desire to crawl under my desk for a nap is very strong… perhaps I can say I’m going for a meeting and then no one will be surprised that I’m not at my desk for an hour? Except that I snore. That could be embarrassing...

Manuka honey

We went round to see Pluto (and now Bess’) boarding mum last night because they are both staying there this Saturday when we go away to our friend’s birthday party in the Cotswolds and we mentioned that Bess has an aytopic skin rash. We currently use Sudafed cream but don’t really want to want to start on steroid cream and other more invasive treatments. Her partner then mentioned that he had been looking after a German Shepherd with a similar aytopic condition and the dog’s owner had used manuka honey and it had cleared up after 4 days! So this morning I’ve been reading up on manuka honey and can’t understand why everyone isn’t using it – seriously! Internally it can treat ulcers, digestive problems, coughs and chest infections and externally it’s been used for years on burns, rashes and other skin conditions. I’ve just ordered some cream for the dog and some honey for me! I might start having a spoonful in a cup of tea. Anything that can help protect me from colds and chest infections has got to be worth a go and I might find I use it more regularly than propolis which tastes vile…

The first meeting went well last night with J and B (boarding mum and her partner) and they seem to have fallen for Bess as quickly as they did Pluto. It was nice to see Bess come out of herself even more and fascinating watching the interaction between Pluto and Bess in a different setting (with other dogs as well). Bess we think is smitten with P but he is still a little unsure about Bess, although he does like her. And despite being younger P seems to have assumed the top dog role even though he hides behind my legs when her tail is wagging!

Unfortunately I’ve just had to order an extra tall baby gate because Bess has learnt how to jump over our existing one, which we use to keep them both in the kitchen at night. Consequently we’re all a bit tired this morning.

Other than that we’re muddling along nicely…!

Yeeha!

As ever, it’s been busy!

It was my stagette do on Saturday. My best man and his partner arrived late afternoon with a spectacular bunch of flowers, a bottle of champagne and a card. I felt very special! We headed out for dinner just the four of us, then I said goodbye to my partner and we headed over to the Yard for drinks and a several more bottles of champagne. It was a really good turn out – about 30 people for little ol’ me! And some friends I hadn’t seen in ages. My only fear is that I didn’t get to speak to everyone as much as I would have liked – especially when the beer, champagne, Guinness and vodka shots kicked in! My best man had organised a lovely notebook for people to write messages in and several disposable cameras so people could take lots of silly pictures. What are the odds of loads of unflattering shots of me turning up on Facebook?!

Unfortunately my best man wasn’t feeling too well so had to head back to ours so some friends whisked me in a cab to the Two Brewers in Clapham where the night got even fuzzier. Apparently I spilt half a pint on one of my friends… I felt really bad… what a waste of beer? :0)

Then another friend and her partner deposited me back home – unable to remember my name, but safe and happy! Seeing as they live the other side of London, dropping me home was particularly generous and I think I owe them several drinks for that.

All in all a very good night with very good people – you can’t ask for any more than that…

Sunday I was very, very ill!

Today I had a job interview. Really good job and if I got it, it would mean I jump from redundancy to employment without all the usual stress and fuss! It went really well and I’ve got everything crossed, but I need to wait until the end of the week before I hear anything.

And in the meantime, Bess has been settling into the Livingstone household with remarkably little fuss. Her tail is something of a menace – she gets overexcited and wags it with such force that it actually really hurts if she catches you. She belted Pluto in the eye and it went all red and bloodshot and we had to bathe his eye several times before we saw an improvement. He’s been avoiding her back end ever since! We’re having a few problem on walks i.e., she doesn’t want to walk. She’s excited to go to the park and then freezes when we’re there so I’ve been standing there letting Pluto burn off energy while she and I watch on. I’m keeping things calm and positive – even though deep down I am a bit frustrated because I enjoy walking the dogs and want her to have fun and have exercise. I hope she will very soon come to realise that walks are fun and that there is nothing to fear, but that’s the thing when you take on animals that have been so badly treated, they often need a little longer to settle and you just have to be patient and loving. We’ve already discovered she has a good appetite and a sense of mischief!


I’m hoping the rest of the week is calmer and then Saturday we’re off to the Cotswolds to help a friend celebrate his 40th with a Wild West themed party. Can’t wait!

Sloooooow

One more hour before I can leave the office and go and pick up the missus and then pick up Bess… god it’s going slowly… it might even be going backward…

58 minutes…

Smile for the camera...

I’m as giddy as a kipper! We have sorted out the wedding photographer! For some reason – for some very strange reason seeing as I am a photographer and know how important it is – we didn’t initially give much thought to wedding photography. (Well only enough to realise that it was hugely expensive!) Anyway, lately we’ve come round to the idea that whilst we would like our friends to take lots of photos and send us copies, there really is no substitute for a proper set of wedding pics. We asked one person and they thought they could do it, we negotiated a price but then it turned out he couldn’t do it after all. But I have now asked a work colleague to do the job and he said yes!

He may not do photography full time but you wouldn’t know it. He is very professional and his photos are stunning. Some of his landscapes are truly breathtaking and his style with ‘people shots’ is flattering and intimate. (As you can tell, I rate him very highly!) Anyway, I didn’t even think of him to start with and then yesterday in an apple falling on your head sort of way, I suddenly thought, what about Robin!? Like I said, he said yes this morning and we’ve agreed a price and we are good to go…

He’s also a genuinely nice man and so will be easy to work with. I think to be a good photographer you have to be able to get people to relax. A tense subject is very difficult to photograph!

We pick up Bess later which is another reason I’m excited.

I slept long and well last night. I was in bed uber early and probably asleep by 8pm. I did wake up a couple of times. Pluto who was lying by the side of the bed, helpfully decided to warn me of some impending doom – right in my ear, at full volume – around 11pm. I had to scrape myself off the ceiling and we never did establish what the problem was. Probably a leaf fell past the window or some such... He got put in the kitchen after that.

I pick up my wedding suit tomorrow which is another reason to cheer – not least because it’s another fat tick on our wedding ‘to do’ list!

45 days!

Its 45 days until I get married. FORTY FIVE DAYS! I can remember just after getting engaged last summer, how the year leading up to the wedding stretched out before us – the actual event being so far away as to seem almost unreal. (Except when we had to start paying for stuff of course!) And now it’s only FORTY FIVE DAYS away! I’m very excited. We’ve done well. We’ve organised the wedding we want, within our budget and with all the frills but none of the fuss. And I thoroughly recommend this getting hitched malarkey because marrying someone you really, really, really love is very cool!

We have run into one minor issue of wedding etiquette and I sought counsel from a lovely friend of mine who got wed last year. Our gift cards (saying we have a gift voucher list at John Lewis if you would like to get us something) were not ready when we sent out the invites. Consequently we’re having to send them out now, which I did yesterday. But although the vast majority of people can make it, a few can’t and so we were left wondering, do you still send them a gift card? Now we’ve been told, just because someone can’t make the actual day doesn’t mean they wouldn’t want to contribute – they don’t suddenly become invisible just because they are not there at the wedding! And so yes, if they are good friends, then they would like to have the option of getting a gift voucher or not. Anyway, he recommended I blogged about it in case others had opinions. So if you do, drop me a line…

I will send cards to the few who sadly can’t be there and hope they know my partner and I well enough to know that really, their good thoughts are far more important than a gift voucher any day of the week.

I should probably change the subject entirely by telling you I’m a scab. Two unions have gone on strike and I had to cross the picket line this morning. It’s hardly like the miner’s strike but it still didn’t feel very nice. They have a point: low pay rise + high cost of living = unfair, but it does feel a little futile. I don’t think the council will offer more.

I only got three hours sleep last night and bless me, I do look a bit rough. It was hot and I had lots on my mind so I lay there hour after hour thinking quite the strangest thoughts (including remembering the day I left home!) Part of me thought I should get up and do something, but then another part of me thought if I lay there and tried to stay relaxed I would eventually drift off. I did. At 5.30am and my alarm went off at 7am!

My organic burgers and homemade sweetcorn relish was a big success last night. Unfortunately I made rather a lot and we have to have it again tonight!

Only one day left before we pick up Bess…!

Forgot to say...

I am much better after my biopsy last week. It seems it takes me a week (for some reason) to get over it. Clearly I'm just a very sensitive flower!

Not much, but hello anyway...

I have been super organised today – its pay day and I’ve done lots of personal admin and paying of bills. But I made the mistake of going to the post office in my lunch break and ended up queuing for over twenty minutes. But I did get to listen to people talk REALLY loudly on their mobiles about their pointless lives which was… interesting… and then I picked up the wrong sandwich in M&S but apart from that, everything went well!

I haven’t blogged in a couple of days because I’ve been tired and busy. Not a great combination. And to be honest, this won’t be the most interesting entry I’ve ever done either! We’re looking forward to picking Bess up on Thursday and I’m making homemade organic burgers and salad tonight but that’s about it…

Anyway, hello all!

(PS. My partner had the best stagette do ever!)

Not arsed

I couldn’t be arsed to blog yesterday, sorry. I’m devilishly tired at the moment and we think it’s because of the biopsy. The lump is in the thyroid and of course the thyroid controls energy levels. I was in bed again by 8pm last night and apart from strange dreams, didn’t really stir until my alarm at 7am. And I still could do with a nap! It will pass, it did last time, but it’s a pain for the first couple of days…

We have sorted out the adoption of Bess. We’re just waiting for some paperwork to arrive which we’ll sign and send back. Because she gets very stressed when she goes back to Battersea, we’re actually going to pick her up from her fosterer. We can’t wait! We’re doing it next Thursday.

It’s my partners stagette do this weekend! The two people who have organised it have done a great job – and its top secret so she doesn’t know what’s happening! Everyone is coming to the house first so I guess I will be playing barmaid before they all head off to wherever it is they’re going. I’m really pleased for her I think she’s going to have a fantastic time…

I’m trying to do some work but not really managing at the moment. I don’t want to do nothing in my last month – quite the opposite – but feeling as tired as I do I’m having trouble even responding to emails! Maybe I’ll achieve more from home tomorrow. At least I can have a lay-in and then an afternoon nap if necessary :0)

I’ve got to take the car over to the garage tomorrow to check that no damage was caused when the car went into the back of us on Friday. I’m hoping that everything is OK. I don’t want to find out that there is a ‘hidden’ problem and the car is off the road.

Right, I need to drag myself back to some work. It’s like pushing a large rock up a big hill at the moment!

Pluto and Bess

We took an unexpected day off today and went over to Epping Forest to introduce Pluto and Bess. They like each other! It went really well and we're hoping to formalise the adoption this weekend!

Dolly 2

In four days I’ve been made redundant, had a car crash, gone to Cardiff, seen Dolly Parton, been to Battersea to get another dog and had a biopsy. Oh, and we went to Asda. S’all go!

I picked up my friend J on Friday afternoon so we could drive to the concert in Cardiff and while stationary at lights a car went into the back of us. I went postal. I got out the car and yelled what the fuck have you done?! Not helpful but as I’m sure you can appreciate, I was a little vexed. Anyway, we pulled over and remarkably and I do mean remarkably, there appeared to not be a scratch on Maddy (our car!), the boot closed fine and subsequently when we left, she drove fine. Not a scratch. Thank god I didn’t have my handbrake on and was first in line to pull off when the lights changed; so when the car impacted we rolled forward and then I applied my brake. However, I am going to have the car checked over for any damage my inexperienced eye cannot detect. I have since had a sore upper back and neck and a headache as well, but here’s the thing – I am a bit stressed at the moment so I don’t know whether these symptoms are as a result of the accident or as a result of a tension headache because I did have a headache before the accident and my shoulders do get very sore as a result.

Anyway, the rest of the journey was uneventful and we arrived safe and sound. The hotel was lovely! Very posh. We had a deluxe twin room and spent a few minutes freshening up before heading out. We ended up at the Kings Cross (ironic really) a gay pub where we ate and had the first of many drinks! Cardiff was crawling with Dollyites and there was a rash of pink Stetsons and tour t-shirts. The concert was at the International Arena and after food we headed over feeling very excited!

The concert was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was without exception, the best concert I have ever been to and it felt a privilege to be in the audience. She did monologues between songs and was incredibly funny and warm and she had us in the palm of her hand.

Her voice was stunning. She has lost no power with age – in fact her voice is as supple and strong as it has ever been. She did some old favourites like 9 to 5 and Jolene and also material from her new album Backwoods Barbie. She also did an acappella version of Little Sparrow and I cried because truly it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. When she tours again, we’ll be there. I resent the ever increasing ticket prices of concerts and it really puts me off, but I don’t care what she charges next time, my partner and I will definitely go. To think I grew up listening and loving her music and for some reason assumed I’d never be lucky enough to see her live. Just goes to show you!

After the concert we headed back to the bar and got very merry and then headed back to the hotel bar and got merrier still! Other than some idiot smoking where s/he shouldn’t and setting off the fire alarms, we slept very well that night.

I got home Saturday afternoon feeling happy and tired and went to a bar-b-q in the evening but by 9.30 I was practically asleep so we headed back home.

We had discussed getting another dog and then by serendipity, we found Bess. Bess is between 5 and 7 and a Staffie/Mastiff mix. She had been kept in a small concrete yard and been used as a breeding machine. She was got rid of and rescued by Battersea and now lives with a fosterer (who is a fantastic woman) because she became very depressed in kennels. We all met for the first time yesterday and fell in love! She’s a quiet and very gentle lady that would just like a home to call her own and lots of love. We’re setting up a play date at Epping Forest next week so Bess and Pluto can meet and then hopefully we’ll go forward with the adoption. The family is growing!

Finally, this morning, I had to have another biopsy on the lump in my neck. (You can’t actually see it just in case you feel compelled to stare… although as I think I’ve said before it would make a change from people staring at my breasts…)

I find the whole thing painful and stressful and unfortunately we discovered this morning, that the lump has grown. I will get the test results in a couple of weeks but in the meantime I have to meet a surgeon in case it needs to be removed. Bit of a bummer but nothing I can do.

So for once I don’t feel pathetic when I say, I’d just like a day in bed please!

(The pictures perhaps don’t need explaining but one is of Bess and one is of Dolly! I didn’t know how to use my partner’s camera and so took lousy pics at the concert, but this one is at least recognisable.)

Dolly 1

Dolly was AWESOME! Will blog tomorrow...

Decision

Well for those loyal readers hanging on to my every crisis, I'm taking redundancy. Yep, I talked it over with the wife and it was a no-brainer really. I feel excited and full of energy. (And already making plans for the 2 months I'm taking off to be a perfect housewife, lol!)

I won't exactly miss the place either. Let's face it, my life goals are clear: to have a small farm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by kids and animals and visiting friends and, to write full time. It doesn't exactly tally with working in a stuffy office, being prevented from doing my job well and stressful commutes!

At least I can use the time off to find us a house in Cornwall.

Before you think it was too easy, I did actually spend almost all of last night staring at the ceiling unable to switch off my brain. I think I thought of everything - serious and trivial alike, but it's the right decision and I'm just grateful I can make it.

In fact suddenly I feel very aware of all that I do have to be grateful about. Isn't that strange? Not that it's a bad thing, we take too much for granted at the best of times, but it's like I have becomely acutely aware of the fact my life is a charmed one. Yes, we have bad weeks and ups and downs and even some very serious stuff to deal with but then I look at what I have and feel that my life has balance and meaning and pleasure. And it's because of those things, and those people that I can make this decision and be brave!

I'd better be one hell of a housewife!

Tonight we're off to Cardiff to see the wonderful Dolly Parton, a legend long before the word became cheapened and virtually meaningless. I'm so excited and on that note, need to get going - I have so much to do today before I can even think of hitting the road.

Enjoy your weekend. I know I will.

So long, fare well...

Well, its official, I’m to be offered a redundancy package. I think I should be upset, or worried, but actually I feel excited and a bit nervous. The nervous part is obvious: it’s better to be in work than out of work, especially when you have responsibilities, but the excited part is less obvious. I hate my job so maybe this is exactly what I need? Maybe I can sense something much better is just around the corner? I really don’t know. I’m due to have a meeting this afternoon to discuss it further but I will then take the weekend to talk to my partner and have a good think about what to do…

I think the part that makes me really a bit scared is that although I’m very employable and have a great CV, I’ve been out of work before and its soul destroying. Admittedly I didn’t have a part time business which I do now (Dog Wise) and my life is much better organised and financially more secure but really, unemployment sucks. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. The first couple of days, weeks even, you really love it: you wake up when you want and then you don’t have to face a stressful commute and bullshit at work, but after that the worry creeps in. What if I can’t get another job? What if I’m washed up? What if my partner has to support me? What if we become really short of money? What if I become addicted to Cash in the Attic? What if I start to eat too many biscuits and washing only every other day, and then every other week…?!

So there you have it. All change on the western front… grab life by the balls or it will kick you in the arse… or something like that anyway.

In the meantime though, I just need to get through this meeting about the redundancy and then I shall head home and open a beer and sit in the garden with my dog and my chickens and count my blessings.

And of course, I have Dolly to look forward to as well!

Keep buggering on

I find out this week whether I’m going to be made redundant or not. The fact that I can’t stand my job is neither here nor there, especially as one of the problems with my job is the person that happens to be engineering my potential redundancy…

Despite this hanging over us, we are as Winston Churchill advised, buggering on. We went to the Canada Rocks concert in Trafalgar Square on Monday and saw some great bands (I particularly enjoyed the McDades and the Trews). It was a bit of a pain not to be able to enjoy a beer after a very long day at work but I did manage to enjoy a bison burger! And having the car, meant we were able to drop some friends’ home later on, which they appreciated.

Tonight I have to seriously think about going to bed around 8 or so. I am SO tired. Part of it is stress but part of it is staying out late on a school night – I just can’t do it anymore!

Martha is much better. We suspect she was egg bound as this morning we discovered a very pale egg and she’s already looking happier. And talking of animals, we are making positive steps toward getting another dog. Nothing is certain I should add and we may decide for one reason or another to wait until we actually move, but hopefully we will be going to see a Staffie called Bess soon. She is a gentle soul, six-years-old, who had a shitty start in life and would now like to be loved and looked after thank you very much. And frankly, we think we could be the people for the job!

Reading some of the stories about the dogs broke my heart, it actually made me cry. One organisation had recently rescued a young female mixed-breed who if you moved too quickly toward her would lay down and cover her head with her paws and shake because she was so frightened of being beaten again. She is currently being fostered and has only now stopped screaming (their words not mine) when you touch her collar. Another dog, the owner had sliced off their ears and tried to dock the tail themselves. Others were so starved they were deformed. It makes you despair and it frightens you that we live in a world where people do that – and not just to dogs but humans too. I do think that in those circumstances jail is too good for these people. That maybe there is something to be said for an eye for an eye…

There's another Churchill quote that I like and which I have particularly related to at various times in my life, "when you're going through hell, keep going". That's exactly what these animals did, lets hope there's a happy ending for all of them.