A whole new world, for now

in_need_of_direction

I have meetings today. Yesterday was spent dealing with client payroll that the manager didn’t have where it should have been. This meant a lot of wasted time which wasn’t good.

I got roughly a third of the way through a contentious task which is good. I got home to find progress in the kitchen though I do think that our days with these units are numbered. They have been rebuilt at least three times and there are now two small gaps that could catch damp. For now though, I just want to get back to functioning.

I also nabbed dh last night and we talked through two dilemmas and emails were issued. The saga of the post office bank account rumbles on. I got a letter stating they had registered my subject access request on 04 July which was actually more than a month after I made it though was the date upon which I issued a reminder. They still have my £100. I contacted the number they provided and it didn’t give an option to deal with a data protection query. So, another email was issued. I am probably going to complain to the information Commissioner’s Office. I’m just fed up giving energy to things that other people are paid to deal with but don’t.

Rant over, need to see what delights today will bring.

Today I am grateful for
Earlyish identification of an issue
DH especially his tea making abilities
A place where I can shut out the rest of the world

Cherryfudge

I came across this and, for some reason, thought you might relate.

in_need_of_direction

Love it though we do have some small progress. He has agreed to take next week on leave. Today will be a busy day. One of yesterday’s meetings postponed to today. Two other clients need stuff from me and I need to chase a third to be able to ascertain my availability as I’m holding a day for them.

On other news, I finally paid June’s money from the business account. I also paid dd £50 i owed for work that she had done. I was hoping to juggle and avoid a raid on the emergency fund. That won’t be happening.
Right, I have a client call booked in in 15 mins. Better get the machine fired up.

Today I am grateful for
Feedback
A laugh as provided by cherry
The emergency fund

beanielou

Have a good day:). Xx

Cherryfudge

I'm glad I gave you a laugh . I hope your busy day goes well today, and the manager being on leave next week frees you up to make huge progress.

Emergency funds aren't just for disasters - just sometimes they are the elastic that makes things fit.

in_need_of_direction

Here’s the thing. On one level, I see the burst pipe as a disaster but I still want to cover it out of available money. It’s more than £7k! I’m so protective of our savings.

So, at that client, another staff member called in sick. The manager has not mentioned that he’s off next week to me. I’m wondering if he’s going to hide behind staff shortages to avoid using his leave. I asked him for various documents yesterday. He doesn’t have them all but won’t admit that to me. I’m tired of it.

Today I need to sort out some meetings for next week as there is an uncertain commitment in my diary. I also need to get a cut and colour booked in.

Yesterday we had a mini disaster that will cost us money. Turns out the matching tiles we bought don’t match and I think it’s so obvious. I hate it so they need to go which means new tiles are needed for right round the kitchen worktops. DH tells me it’s not noticeable but it hit me as soon as I walked through the door. It did send me into a bit of a spiral. I gotta wonder why I’m doing tough work when I can’t even afford to replace some tiles while making do with an old kitchen that has gaps now it’s been put back together. It’s not like we are making big inroads into the mortgage. Some days I’d just like to see where the point of it all is.

I’m earning less than I did ten years ago, have no pension provision, am tired and less able to take time out from the clients. I finished up a job at after nine last night and have an 8.30 call to make today. There has to be more to life than this. Still, until there is, I’d better get motoring.

Today I am grateful for
DD moving one step closer to full professional registration
A compliment received yesterday
DH’s support re the tiles. It’s weird but as he’s the main breadwinner, I feel I need his permission to spend

jwil

Sorry you are feeling rough, it's horrible when everything gets on top of you. Hope the day improves x

Cherryfudge

You have so much going on! It looks from here (which admittedly isn't a detailed view ) as though your professional skills are recognised and wanted and this one client has been a bit of a road block... but I can see it matters to you to see it through, so perhaps once that particular work comes to an end, you could treat yourself to a pension? Or could you start one now - so you will have more contributions and also because it will help how you feel.

That's a massive sum for the burst pipe. :eek: I think if it were covered by buildings insurance you would have gone down that path already, or if it was caused by the builders (sorry I can't remember if that was so), are they not insured? I know there are also insurance schemes with utilities companies, or there used to be, that provided some cover for pipes... but then again I don't see you as the sort of person who misses something like that.

It's a real shame about the tiles too. I agree, once you've seen they don't match, it's very hard to be happy with them, and probably worth getting all new ones just for your peace of mind, but tiles always seem to me to cost more than I'd hoped. (Says she whose kitchen has the remnants of 1960s tiles and they are in such a state I would be forbidden to produce commercial food at home! :eek:) I wonder if there is a market for the ones you already have, to recoup some of the cost.

If it's any consolation at all, you have motivated me not to be like your manager: I'm about to face a box of paperwork and find out just what's in there as I too have papers that I can't easily locate. At least I'm not trying to manage anything, I don't think I have the skill set.

in_need_of_direction

Cherry, your posts here quite clearly show your management abilities. We didn’t go the insurance route for a few reasons. We were getting other work done that started this whole process and the entire thing would have been delayed with us getting less than half the cost back. Our renewal would also probably have increased too. That said, we thought it’d be maybe £2k less but we are where we are.

The manager is off next week but has failed to do any kind of a handover. I’m annoyed. There is an annual event due to take place next week and insufficient staff numbers for it to happen. I’m about to issue the email pointing this out to trustees.
I am losing sleep over this job and that is unsustainable. Yesterday we had a look at tiles, we have one more shop to check today. It closes at 2 and is across town so i need to get motoring.

Today I am grateful for
An invoice that was paid yesterday
A takeaway courtesy of dh last night
Seeing the danger in something and avoiding it

Cherryfudge

Thanks INOD . I am pleased to announce I have decluttered 22 pieces of paper (though that's from half the ones I'd piled on top of the box I need to sort out.

I see what you mean about the insurance - sometimes you have to go for the more expensive option because of longer term advantages. I'm still sorry you have such a hefty bill looming though.

I hope the email to the trustees stirs things up a bit, though I suspect existing staff will be left plugging the gaps like that boy in the Dutch story who rescued the town when the dam began to break down. Not, as you say, sustainable.

Any luck with the tiles?