Cherry takes the reins

badmemory

I think speaking to the union is an excellent idea.  Also not working because you are retired, even if early, is not the same as not working as you are now.  You will not be having to think about going back to work.

Floss

badmemory said:

I think speaking to the union is an excellent idea.  Also not working because you are retired, even if early, is not the same as not working as you are now.  You will not be having to think about going back to work.

That's a really good point - your overall wellbeing will benefit if you are in a position to do this. I have a plan to begin reducing my hours from when my mortgage is paid off 😉

Cherryfudge

badmemory said:

I think speaking to the union is an excellent idea.  Also not working because you are retired, even if early, is not the same as not working as you are now.  You will not be having to think about going back to work.

So true! At the moment the thought of possibly going back to work is bad enough. I think I need to find something else.  

I rang the Union but got an answerphone so I've left a message.

Floss said:

That's a really good point - your overall wellbeing will benefit if you are in a position to do this. I have a plan to begin reducing my hours from when my mortgage is paid off 😉

I reduced mine a few years ago when I had an accident following a run of shifts. I can't guarantee I wouldn't have had it anyway, but I was tired and made myself keep going. The shorter hours were definitely better, but just before I went off I had a batch of extra hours so I was tired again.

The window cleaner came this morning - embarrassingly I found the brambles that have been shooting up had placed themselves in the way of his access to a window, so I lent him the secateurs to cut his way through! They were on my to-do list (honest) but not urgently far up.  

I have completed part of the job application and done three loads of laundry. I've also trekked across town to find a pharmacy with the right kind of eye drops: it seems a persistent dryness is an infection and I must have had it about four weeks. The eye drops feel really nice!
.
On the way back I bumped into a colleague who I've not seen for months and we had a chat. She's such a nice, positive person, so it was a shock when she said things at work are really bad and very pressured, and someone else has just gone off sick. She did invite me to her running group, though, which was very kind. She knows I like to run, and I admitted it's been too hot for me recently.

I've had a lot of difficulty concentrating on stuff for the job form but I went through the person spec and made notes, and I've looked a few things up. Debating whether to take the laptop tomorrow and do some work while DGD has her nap, but it's probably better to use the time to do a bit of background reading. The online application form thankfully comes partly filled in as the employer is the same as the last application, but the 'why I am wonderful for this job and you really want to employ me' bit wasn't geared to this post and is outstanding.

I decided to go to the shops on the way down to church - DH's team is cleaning this week so that meant I could get access to do the plants. On the way I called at the supermarket for cheaper tins of fruit and they had reduced the packets of seeds from £3.49 each to 87p each. I gave in and got courgettes and butternut squash for next year despite still having courgette seeds from this year's packet. Those never germinated, so anther packet is probably a good investment. By the way, a fifth ghost pumpkin has sprouted out of six planted.

I also got to chat to DH's colleagues, so I've done really well for outside the house/therapy/work contacts today.

Meals have been finishing up some soup from the freezer for DH and yet more chicken chasseur for me. I'm fed up of it so the last bit is in the freezer.

I have to be up early tomorrow. Lunch is made and in the fridge, a battery is replaced so DGD's musical book plays music again (DH says this is a debatable benefit) and I must have plenty to wear after all the ironing I've just done.

Spending:
Household (window cleaner) £6
Garden £1.74
Housekeeping £3.80
Medical £6.88

Cherryfudge

Most of today was spent with DGD, we had a good day. I took her for a lunch time walk because that usually gets her to sleep in the pram, and took the opportunity to pop into the supermarket, mostly for snacks for her.

In the morning the Union rep rang, which has been helpful and he's offered to accompany me in the proposed meeting with management, but asked that I get a medical opinion first on fitness to work. Only later in the day did it occur to me that the manager might be wanting to talk to me about a couple of concerns I'd raised with my immediate manager, as well as the possibility of redeployment. I'm not sure I'm up to going through that stuff again at present, so I'll let the dust settle and take the next stage carefully before I get back to either the manager or the Union person.

I've just about completed the application for the relief job: it was majorly difficult to get down to but the end result is about 850 words of why I'm wonderful (:D). I can't meet all their criteria but it's still not too bad an application, and I do think it could be a good match for me.

I've also contacted a former colleague for a reference. He asked about work so I've explained I'm off with stress, and he's supportive. I know he struggled with the pressures too. Getting the balance of explaining about me without giving away things that are confidential to work: that's tricky. I think it's fair enough to talk about my own experience so long as I don't give away identifying details of others or go into descriptions of what's happening (not that I know so much after so long).

Spending:
Housekeeping £4.25

Cherryfudge

Application submitted: I woke up in need of a weekend off but having dreamed I had been to early rehearsals for a production next Tuesday and I had lines that I wasn't sure of and hadn't been to rehearsals for ages or heard anything from them, and was double-booked for Tuesday if they were expecting me, and how on earth was I going to find out what was expected of me?!  

So I think work is getting to me.  

I did discover that my manager's manager is actually off just a bit longer than my immediate manager so I don't need to engage with her email yet. I've sent to her to ask what it is she wants to speak to me about, but now I've seen her out of office message I suppose I need to let the man from the Union know the timescale, such as it is, or he'll think I'm not engaging with the process.

I'm doing more work for work, because I'm off, aren't I?

So, today: DH is picking raspberries. Not so many as last year because of the hot, dry weather while they were growing, but still half a jug full. There are a lot of gooseberries but they aren't ready yet. We decided against the car boot sales as we both need to rest, and this afternoon we have places booked to go to a friend's ordination in York. That will be about a six-hour round trip including the service, which is enough for today.

I've also messaged a friend about our Tuesday group: not a huge amount to arrange but it's good to have that 'box' ticked, and it could lead to cake...

Sun_Addict

Good luck with the application 🤞

Cherryfudge

Thanks SA.

I will have to be careful as I'm starting to obsess about needing a job - in reality I'm three quarters of the way through sick leave on full pay and would still receive half pay after that (from the middle of August). If I get a job on redeployment, my salary would be protected for a year, and DH had an effective 'payrise' not long ago (he increased his hours some time ago and it didn't get fed through to his basic pay, but now he's been refunded and should be on the correct amount). We have savings that I don't want to use... but I guess that's what they're for. And being at this point has a lot of benefits like enough rest should I make the choice not to fret or overcommit elsewhere, time for hobbies and the chance to branch out.

Today started stressful but ended up as a really nice day. We got the coach to our friend's ordination, which was in York. The weather's been sunny and windy, and the Minster was beautiful, as was the service. We had time beforehand to nip to a favourite café for takeaway cuppas which we took to the Museum Gardens, once we found a corner out of the gale that suddenly hit us. Apart from that brief foray, it's been mostly sitting down. The Minster is a huge space and the acoustics are wonderful, and made the most of he music, which was a mixture of old and new.

We got back after seven and got a portion of fish and chips between us, which made a good end to the day.

Spending:
Housekeeping £7.50 (chippie) plus whatever DH spent at the supermarket for tomorrow.
Travel £18
Donation £5
Entertainment £6.40 (I've decided to get small coffees and see if that small saving works for me - this one was fine - DH always gets juice or an Earl Grey which is often a bit cheaper than coffee).

Another thing I've noticed is a tendency to put things on my credit card from mid month so as not to go overdrawn - and that's so not a good idea, unless it's planned and I know exactly what's left in the account. So this coming month I need to practice better habits and be more aware, which will be more of a challenge as we're away for a few days and I know there's a meal out on the first night (family meal before a wedding).

Floss

Maybe think of this as a rainy-day period, which is what you've been saving for? It's difficult as you have things to be resolved with your workplace but if your boss's boss is off then nothing will happen yet. Would it be worth a conversation with your union rep about your August drop in sick pay - if the reason you are off is work-related, there may be some flexibility.

badmemory

Excellent thought there from Floss.  I was under the impression that sick leave caused by the workplace could trigger a better outcome.  They will of course get away with it if they are allowed to.

Cherryfudge

Thank you @Floss and @badmemory, I hadn't thought of that but I'll see what I can find out. Goodness knows what the staff bill will be at my workplace - last I heard there were three of us off long-term sick - but the cost is not my problem. If they hadn't pushed us so hard, they would have a better situation.

It's been a good day today as I helped with the pre-schoolers at church again to start with, and a little boy was signing in Makaton which I picked up on and was able to get him a biscuit! My Makaton isn't extensive but it's useful. Afterwards I chatted to several friends, then we went home for lunch (nothing too exciting: chicken pieces with baked potato and sauteed veg. The potato wasn't good so I chucked mine out: that whole bag was a bit dodgy but this one looked okay when cooked. Anyway that saved me a few calories and I didn't miss them!).

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours in the garden and the overgrown lane behind the house. The overgrowth had got so bad that I couldn't get the green wheelie bin through, so I ended up hacking down nettles and brambles behind several houses in order to put un-compostable softwood cuttings from the hedge into Council recycling. Great exercise, and I'm pleased with the results, but I'm not as strong as I was which is an odd feeling. At least I'm healthy and have a garden, though. Those are two huge blessings.

This evening I remembered to have a look at finances because the texted warning for the credit card gives very little turn-around room and I don't want to get hit with charges. Nearly £600 on the card, eek. When I looked into it, £253.48 was car insurance which we set up to come off that card so we could get some loyalty card points. That's been sent through from the other current account now, so should be in place to pay the CC tomorrow. Same goes for the £65 on my CC that pays for another day of holiday later this month, and £70 out of my inherited money that was used for something special. I will see if I can make it all stretch to allow for the dental check-up money (also paid on the CC) without switching any more around. At any rate once those sums have gone through I can pay the CC fully, allow for the planned savings to go out of the current account and still have money for the month's food!

Nothing actually spent today.

I've also been doing a bit of research on proofreading: I started to learn it many years ago and it occurred to me that it would be something I could do from home and which wouldn't depend on physical robustness (if there's such a word. Robustiosity?). Please don't judge on the basis of this thread, as I'm very lazy about proofreading here! There is an introductory course which I could afford (inherited money would be used, but it sounds to me like a good investment). My difficulty is not whether I could do the work, but whether I could overcome the attention deficiency enough to get stuck in. That's where going out to work is easier.

ETA: made a batch of rhubarb and ginger muffins too. It might be down to me to eat them as DH wasn't well and is being careful what he eats. Not sure what's behind this: it could be coming off the trial medication or it could be something he ate.