Apple muncher's number crunching

apple_muncher

The last of the jasmine has gone. Yay!

I've had a fair few hours of work this week, spread over 4 days. I've been driving in the semi-darkness!

Pip had a big meltdown this afternoon and I found him when I was back from tutoring, so it had already lasted 30 mins. With no one to be there and help him to regulate his emotions, he was unable to stop. He's now exhausted, all the more so as he's not had a big one for months, so it hit harder as his body has become more relaxed.

beanielou

Sorry to read that. 

apple_muncher

Thank you beanie. It was tough. Thankfully, with him being NEET, we haven't had to worry about studies.

We had a fab bonfire and some fireworks on Sunday and Pip had a few friends over, which was lovely. And it was before the rain arrived, phew. The house still smells of bonfire!

peb

Hoping Pip is recovering. Sounds scary for all of you 

apple_muncher

I'm glad to have finished my invigilation at one centre, even though I do enjoy it there. I have bits and bobs at my 2 other centres over the next few weeks, but they are closer to home, so Pip copes better with me being out.

I had a tough gym session this morning, which was good for me. I was very very pink-faced when I then went to shop in liddle  .

Thanks peb - it was hard with Pip because it's been months since he had such a big one. He's just about back to 'normal' now.

apple_muncher

I take back what I said about Pip being back to 'normal'. Poor kid, it really floored him.

The DWP people are now nearly 3 weeks late with letting Pip know that they have made a decision about PIP. Sigh.

We have had our first contact (ha ha - think Star Trek!) with Pip's NEET caseworker. She was fab.

Big sis is coming to visit for a few days and will base herself here while she goes hither and thither to anywhere south Birmingham where she has friends! And she has lots of friends!

I've started listening to an audiobook called Burnout to Brilliant. I'm only 25 mins in to it, but her suggestions of what burnout can look like resonate like a clanging gong for me, for a larger number of years than I had though at my last teaching post.

apple_muncher

Well you could knock me down with a feather! 

Yesterday, Pip called the PIP assessor after being given the number by the PIP people when he'd phoned them to ask if they had any idea how much longer he'd have to wait, as it had been over 4 weeks since he had an assessment call where he'd been told that he'd hear in 2 to 3 weeks. (I win the longest sentence award!)

The lovely lady looked over Pip's record and said that he needed an assessment (????🫣) and could we get to Ashford or Wandsworth that afternoon. Nope. No chance. Then suddenly, a phone assessment became available for the next day (ie today). And it shouldn't be a long one as he'd already had a phone one (or so we thought) where he'd given information to them. Maybe up to 40 minutes.

The call came through today quite promptly but on the landline. It rang once and then cut off. Twice. So I pounced on it the third time. Then the connection cut out after 4 mins. Then after another 2. Then she changed where she was calling from (which meant that she could no longer record the meeting as pip had requested. Fortunately we were also recording it) and was still cut off. I suggested she call on Pip's mobile and that worked well.

And 2 hours and 9 minutes later, we finished. Exhausted.

My cynical side wonders about the 'mishaps'. They say they will try to call you 4 times within a 20 minute window and if you don't pick up, your claim goes back. But the phone was only giving one ring. They agreed to record but that failed because we were repeatedly cut off - interestingly never mid-sentence... And it lasted more than 3x the maximum time we'd been told it should. And we're the mishaps deliberately done to trip us up??? If so, they failed.

Anyhow, it is done. Now we have to wait 6-8 weeks tohearuback. We can do no more but pray. 

In additional news, I spent a happy hour tidying up the garden after the bonfire and fireworks we had a couple of weeks ago. And digging up soil as part of my Grand Garden Design.

Tomorrow pip will need to do nothing. I plan to go to the gym and to liddle, to go and invigilate in the afternoon, and big sis is staying over as she starts her return travels back north. I'm also working on Friday, all day, and have a fair on Saturday.

teapot2

What a palaver 😡

beanielou

What a blooming palaver indeed.

apple_muncher

Today I did my one and only Christmas fair at Pip's old school and I made about £110, which is lovely 😎.

Tomorrow I need to empty out all the boxes I put the items away in, and sort them into a more logical order. Pip needs a do-nothing day, as he came along with me, which was incredibly brave of him and I'm so proud of him. It was great for me to have someone there with me too.