13 Moons part 2 - Freebird & Frugabulous

taxi73

great weight loss...well done.
for that extra childcare do you have any friends that may have her...if I lived closer I'd have helped you

boredofbeingathome

Difficult one on the child care lula- would it be worth having a natter to any of the other mums? One or two may be at home and you could always come to an arrangement.

Lula-Hula

Hello again,

I was so busy bike riding along the canal & catching up on everyone else's diaries that I completely forgot to update my own :doh:.

Not a bad thing really as it would probably have been all moany about what an idiot my boss is. Short story is :

I know how tricky it is to gain access to certain sites & that you cannot cut corners, every detail has to be spot on accurate. We get given a job at short notice & I advise it cannot be done correctly within the time scale & we need to put back a week.

Gropey tells me to cut corners & wing it. I disagree strongly, and both Cockney Rebel & contractor back me up. I appeal to Grumpy, who yells at me to sort my own problems out & that the contractor is exactly that & doesn't own the company, but that Gropey does. I fume, seethe & rant inwardly but proceed as instructed knowing damn well it will all fall apart.

Today it all falls apart. I tell Gropey I knew this would happen if we didnt' follow the correct procedures & he has the gall to say " so did I" :eek::mad::mad::eek: & completely ignores that he was the one who ordered me to go ahead.

Jeeeeez I don't know how I keep my hands off his throat.

I work for idiots. Not with idiots, but for idiots. Two grumpy old men who haven't got a clue about management, direction, motivation & how to retract false accusations or admit mistakes. They don't deserve to be in business .

So, it was a NSD & we went for a bike ride & I watched The Apprentice & then had a bath & went to bed early. I was woken up at 1.15 by a text from the school reminding me that photo orders have to be in by 9am on friday :huh:. The time was probably due to network being jammed but I've had no photo proofs or order form to hand in.

This morning I interrogated DD who agreed there had been nothing. I went in to school office on my way to work & dizzy woman then remembered that the whole year had been away on the trip so hadn't received them.

The job palaver rumbled on all day at work & I ended up telling Gropey that it would have to wait until monday because I'm not going in tomorrow to sort it out . Client cant get all work permits organised til then so that's great as Highly Annoying will be back by then & he can deal with it. I give up.

Rant over

RosaBernicia

Deep sympathies Lula (hug)

unfortunately I am concluding that idiots are unavoidable. I have just got my set a renewed contract with the commissioners immediate agreement to everything I asked for - the largest one in our organisation, supporting at least four employees jobs - and promotion at the highest possible level, despite both the technical team screwing up and the teensy fact that I was doing masters exams in the same week. So if anyone else is put at risk of redundancy this year it won't be through acts or omissions of mine, it will be entirely due to the idiots further up.

Then I had a chat with one of the managers who told me if I want to 'excel' and go up a grade I will have to do X. To which I quietly explained that I have been doing this for 2 years and apparently very successfully. She hasn't got the slightest scooby what my job actually involves and does not appear to understand the level of people I have to deal with. I somehow restrained myself from asking how many of the other managers on my grade were undertaking similar work, or have equivalent qualifications, and what else I might have to do to distinguish myself (because I know there flaming well aren't any). And resolved to get out of there and find a fresh set of idiots to work with - they say a change is as good as a rest.

Anyway oops sorry for rant hijack, I am glad you stood up for yourself - even if they don't have the b***s to apologise they will recognise that you were right.

Rosa xx

Lula-Hula

Rosa - sorry you have hassle too. We are so much more fabulous than this hope you're now finally able to relax a bit after stress of exams. Treat yourself to something lovely & hijack away, although it's not really, mi casa, su casa & all that
xx



Ok,

after work I whizzed over to nearby garage to see if they could do a service & mot on the car while I'm at work. Place near me is great but means I have to lose the car either on a friday or saturday & I don't like that.

Garage near work offers a £5 discount as I work in the town & promises to have it ready for when I leave work.:T.

I shoot to Sainsbugs to get some shopping & spend a cheeky £37.05p ( after tillspit deduction) of which £32.05 is on groceries. The rest is me stocking up on loo rolls while on offer .

I get home & have just finished putting shopping away when DD arrives home after club to remind me that it's open celebration evening tonight. I'd forgotten so we head up there & as usual after half an hour I'm feeling a bit spare so I come home & she stays with her friends.

I investigate banking & discover that I am indeed a genius; I had £38.60 left in my current account to spend & the shopping has come in at £37.05p. :j.

I empty DDs bag to find the order form for photos & discover that it will cost me £18 :eek:. Aside from sensing that they are on a mission to fleece every last penny out of me before the end of term; I recognise that this wont be covered due to Sainsbugs spend.

I breathe a sigh of relief that I sneakily went against my own declaration & decided to do shopping on the CC :whistle: with a view to paying it back along with regular repayment.

I breathed another sigh of relief when I realised that CB is due this monday & again on the monday after we come back from holibob.

I think that's everything up to date now so to answer all your questions :

Karma - sorry, I completely missed your post about waitrose & I havent seen the new ads at all. I've not been in there for a while either - my heart may belong there, but my purse belongs in Sainsbugs these days

Taxi - bless you hon, that's very lovely of you :A

BoB - I'm thinking of ways to get round it but to be honest, all the mums I know,work too & usually draft in grandparents or their OHs to cover if they cant. Was thinking of DDs friend who came here this week we've often helped eachother out. Trouble is, she lives next door to lovely childminder :rotfl:.

I may be able to do a bit of dealing with Gropey who is usually very understanding on these matters & knows I don't take advantage.

I reckon that as I've paid for 3 full weeks of summer scheme, I could do those 3 fridays instead of having my day off to myself & ask him if I can take the last 2 days of august &/or 1st September in lieu.

I could then just take 2 days hol for the monday & tuesday of the next week. Would be quite nice to have those last few days with DD anyway. Or, I could ask lovely childminder if she can have DD for the 3 days of one week & still take the othr 2 days off. Even that would save me £75 .

It will work out somehow, just as long as I don't have to pay £180 as that will not be conducive to the next stage of my plans.

Back later
xx

Karmacat

You are the mistress of living a good life and juggling money to do it! You'll do it - and Gropey & Co will miss you when you ascend to the next stage of the Wonderful Plan!

Lula-Hula

Good morning to all,

it feels like ages since I had a friday to myself & I must make sure not to waste it.

I've done one load of laundry already & due to weather it is on the airer at the moment. I seem to only have another 2 loads to do this weekend ... but then I admit that I haven't explored the darkest recesses of DDs room.

It's been a while so I feel that a 3 day task list is due. I've been inspired & shamed into it by reading of Karmacats plans to be housewifely :rotfl:.

I never got around to my daily 30 minutes of exercise yesterday so have to make up for it today. I'm planning to take a stroll along the canal to next village where I can take DDs disposable camera to be processed at Boots - they're offering an extra 100 points so definitely worthwhile. I can also take along the carrier bag of clothes to the charity shop.

Normally, this would be a dangerous place to go, but as the only cash I have is £1 I feel I won't be led into temptation.

It's quite bizarre actually not to have any cash & this is why home-job enables me to do stealthy spending. No home-job this week means no cash in the hand. It also means no pocket money for DD as that's what I pay her out of, but I feel that she's had plenty of treats recently & has certainly cost me enough so she can wait a week. I do have cash available; Pocket Money = £200, Present fund = £150, Fun fund = £50 & the Semi-sealed Pot = £150 but they're such nice round tidy figures that I can't bear to break in to them :rotfl:.

I need to confess to a chocolate incident last night; there was a biccie in the packet that I bought for DD, & then there wasn't. It was in my tum & I don't even remember consuming it. Scary.

I've now discovered Liquorice Tea & it is superb. I'm developing a bit of a thing for flavoured white teas, still struggling to enjoy the green stuff & with another 70 odd tea bags to use I need to stop dithering. Liquorice tea is very expensive. I had to buy some usual twinings stuff yesterday at £2.37 & then saw this liquorice stuff on the shelf at £1.89 so grabbed it quick. (Design dude introduced me to it earlier this week & says it's not always widely available). It was only when I got home that I realised there were just 15, yes 15 tea bags in the box :eek:.

Googled & have now found some clipper ones on offer at a much more reasonable price. At 12p a teabag I need to make this nectar a daily treat. I'm away now to buy some tea bags & bid on a sweet little shelf to hang in the kitchen & display them all on. ( I still have £9 in my paypal account )

Task list to follow ...

Lula-Hula

In no particular order



- Return non-fitting impulse buy items from whence they came

- 3 loads of laundry

- Take bag of stuff to be charitized

- Take DDs instant camera to be processed

- Complete all forms relating to High School & post them

- Vacuum everywhere

- Catch up on all surveys

- Email some rellies

- Visit other rellie

- Ironing

- Make plans for holiday trips

- Do some real holiday costings ( as opposed to the vague ones in my head)

- Clean the bathroom

- Clean the kitchen

- Wash all floors

- Buy more liquorice tea bags

- EXERCISE PROPERLY

- Drink one, & only one bottle of delicious cider

Karmacat

Thats a good list! But I have to tell you, I've stopped the houswifely stuff at least for the moment - I was scrubbing the shelves that go in the oven, and I can tell my arthritis is going to kill me this evening, so I stopped for now. Have to get it done tho - they're so dirty, the encrusted dirt is falling off :eek: I'm really glad I haven't cooked in there before now. I don't see how they can *ever* have cleaned it :eek:

Sorry

Loving the chocolate incident. Sounds like a film:D

Lula-Hula

Still not left the building;

Knock on the door to reveal man in dodgy suit circa 1970 something proffering leaflet & inviting me to an event at Twickenham.

I'm mildly exicted being an occasional rugby fan ...

He then continues that said event does not involve rugby & having taken a closer look at leaflet I recognise that it contains those dramatic sky scenes & what looks suspiciously like a man with a beard & flowing robes hovering amongst the clouds.

Thank you but no I say politely & he retreats.

Five minutes later another knock at the door & I wonder at all the excitement & gentleman callers I'm probably missing by being at work.

This time it's a man proffering a box. Large cake maybe ?

Turns out it's the stuff I ordered from joe browns about 2 weeks ago. Not exactly speedy delivery service. I'm excited as this contains the fab hat & swim shorts. Excitement fades to exasperation as both are too large, way too large.

Good as far as the shorts are concerned & yet surprising where the hat is concerned; my ego's not exactly shy & retiring according to Grumpy . Realise that style wouldn't suit me anyway & wrap it all back up again to return to post office.

Will now have to withdraw cash from bank to pay for return :mad:. I also have that stupid feeling of being let down & the need to replace my 'loss' with something. Maybe some liquorice tea bags or pretty piece of china form charity shop.

I'm going now. Right now.