Staying on track to be MF and ready to support my daughter at 18

ElmoR

Been in a 2 week work vortex for the past while. Finally starting to feel like it is slowing down a bit and maybe I can have a bit of headspace/life again around the edges. It's been a perfect storm of obligations on the teaching and research sides, deadlines converging and unavoidable. Ah well, we survived. It wasn't helped by a quick dash up to Scotland for one night and the dash back the following day in the middle of those two weeks on the weekend. 10-12 hours in the car in total!! DD needed to see her Grandma and cousins etc though, it was coming up for almost 2 years since are last trip North. The way the government has been handling things, I feel almost certain there will need to be another lockdown, so while the border was open and hotels would take people, we did a dart. The puppy was very well behaved, she wins a star for good behaviour.

FInances ticking along and a great boost with pay from additional work done in January coming through. Went straight into the SiPP. FIRE goal one reached the 60% mark too

Greenhouse news - tomatoes and cucumbers in their final pots now. Spuds, garlic, shallots, onions all growing nicely. Last years chilli pepper plants are still producing peppers, though I've started a new plant from seed and that needs potting on now too. Friends bell pepper plant is growing nicely. I don't have any more floor space in the greenhouse now but there is top and shaded lower shelf space. Not sure whether I should start anything else? The watering was getting out of hand, so I bought a solar powered drip water thingy that can run from my water butt, hopefully DH will be able to install that soon.

DD finished her mock exams and passed her driving theory test! She's had two lessons now too

Second jab tomorrow...

Book progress, oh dear, nothing here. But I did look at the tips KC suggested and I feel a bit better about the idea. Perhaps for this week I shall give myself a mini target of 1000 words...

Have a good week all, enjoy the sunshine!

ElmoR xx

Karmacat

ElmoR said:

Been in a 2 week work vortex for the past while. Finally starting to feel like it is slowing down a bit and maybe I can have a bit of headspace/life again around the edges. It's been a perfect storm of obligations on the teaching and research sides, deadlines converging and unavoidable. Ah well, we survived. It wasn't helped by a quick dash up to Scotland for one night and the dash back the following day in the middle of those two weeks on the weekend. 10-12 hours in the car in total!! DD needed to see her Grandma and cousins etc though, it was coming up for almost 2 years since are last trip North. The way the government has been handling things, I feel almost certain there will need to be another lockdown, so while the border was open and hotels would take people, we did a dart. The puppy was very well behaved, she wins a star for good behaviour.
I think you may well be right about what's about to hit us from the UK government   and with a DD, it's a good idea to take advantage of the break to get up there and see family.

FInances ticking along and a great boost with pay from additional work done in January coming through. Went straight into the SiPP. FIRE goal one reached the 60% mark too
Congratulations on the 60%!

Greenhouse news - tomatoes and cucumbers in their final pots now. Spuds, garlic, shallots, onions all growing nicely. Last years chilli pepper plants are still producing peppers, though I've started a new plant from seed and that needs potting on now too. Friends bell pepper plant is growing nicely. I don't have any more floor space in the greenhouse now but there is top and shaded lower shelf space. Not sure whether I should start anything else? The watering was getting out of hand, so I bought a solar powered drip water thingy that can run from my water butt, hopefully DH will be able to install that soon.
Can't believe you managed to carry on growing things when you've been so busy!  I mean, I *do* believe it I'm just envious

DD finished her mock exams and passed her driving theory test! She's had two lessons now too

Second jab tomorrow...

Book progress, oh dear, nothing here. But I did look at the tips KC suggested and I feel a bit better about the idea. Perhaps for this week I shall give myself a mini target of 1000 words...

Have a good week all, enjoy the sunshine!

ElmoR x

Sigh ... I have my driving test, but I've never driven, and it would be *really* good if I had some independence.  My brother has suggested an electric little car, and I'm seriously thinking about it now.  Good luck on the jab!  And yay, a prospective writer 1,000 words in a week should be doable if you want it - best of luck!  Post here, yay or nay  

ElmoR

Morning all

Well then. The work vortex didn't let up and, after nearly 18 months of working flat out, without acknowledgement by line managers, the wheels finally came off the wagon. Headaches and shingles. I have a little over two weeks of sickness leave now. It's funny, but as soon as the GP said you are working in a toxic environment and it's no wonder you feel how you do, a pressure valve released and I could see how deep into a pit I had dropped. In the HE sector the managers are definitely emotionally blackmailing staff into 'going above and beyond' for our students. Some colleagues are having a good skive, others pick up that slack too. The conscientious ones have been going 'above and beyond' for more than a year now and it wasn't sustainable. Idiot managers. Time now to get the work-life balance back to something sensible. Step one, a complete switch off. Step two, off load any task that isn't counted in the work load model. Step three, stop doing things that are not compulsory/ volunteering / helping others - if it ain't in the workload model, it ain't getting done.

I was so cheesed off at one point that I applied for another job. Will let you know if I get short-listed! I'm going to be scanning the horizon for a new job more carefully now. I had hoped to tough it out for another 7 or so years but no way I can manage 7 minutes at the moment! I might cope with 7 months after this leave?

Ticking away in the background is the financial escape plan. I'm still a way off any FO status. Currently at 61.2% of goal one, the bridging pot. I did make some progress on the writing though, am up to 37K words now. I'll try to keep adding 1000 words each week or two.

Time to catch up on everyone's diaries now...

ElmoR xx

 

Karmacat

So sorry to hear you have shingles!  Definitely switch off right away - shingles is no joke, the pain can be intense, and some form of it can last for years - I've had it twice, once in my *teeth*, believe it or not, and I can still get nerve pain all over my lower face that stops me in my tracks for the whole day.

"If it aint in the workload model, it aint getting done".  Excellent motto!  Plus, excellent writing  

Cheery_Daff

Sorry to hear you've had it so rough ElmoR 😕 Definitely a good plan to stop volunteering for stuff. Sadly the voluntary stuff often seems more interesting at my place! I've just volunteered for something that lasts a couple of hours - at least there are boundaries...

Hope you're feeling better soon. Singles are vile - Mr Cheery had it a couple of years ago 🙄

South_coast

Oh my! It's so frustrating when the conscientious folk pick up the slack from the slackers - I can definitely relate to that (and is partly why I gained a target on my head and was ultimately picked for redundancy last year 🙁) Take care of yourself and hold that head up high!

ElmoR

Thanks for the sympathy @Karmacat @Cheery_Daff @South_coast

Last time I had shingles (also work stress related) I looked like an extra for the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Dreadful experience. The outbreak is quite small so far...I recognised the signs and caught it quickly hopefully?

DH has given me a talking to. I need to change my behaviour at work and that is always tough to achieve. Maybe can try wearing a rubber band on my wrist?? Will use this week to get on top of the garden. We bought a mini chainsaw thing and I'm going to zip round all the bushes/shrubs this week...Usually it's hand clipping and takes ages, but the chances of losing a digit are less...

DD's entire year group has been told to self isolate, very annoying since she is double jabbed and is doing a government PCR test voluntary survey/experiment, so she definitely doesn't need to be home. But I suppose it would be rubbish being the only one at school and the lessons would still be via teams.

The puppy is in seventh heaven with all the hoomans at home...the cats are making regular pit stops too.

xx

Karmacat

How you doing, Elmo?  

ElmoR

Thanks for dropping by Karmacat

Still a bit unsettled but hopefully will find a way to do better. With a bit of hindsight, it's possible I had burnout? Lot's have been talking about it and listening to what others describe, it sounds familiar. I want to get back to feeling more like myself. Would love to get rid of the cynical, negative mindset that's taken up root in my head too. 

Back to work for two days next week as a phased return. The list of tasks is mounting up and holding back from diving straight in to tackle it is tempting, but going to try to not make the same mistakes...

Hey ho. The finances are ticking along on auto pilot now. Passive beating FIL's active picks.

DD back to school next week, fingers crossed for no more burst bubbles. DH has rigged up the solar powered watering system in the greenhouse, will monitor the effectiveness and tweak it. Surprised at how many cucumbers are growing, hope they taste OK? Am thinking lots of Greek salads...Just need the tomatoes to catch up...

Failed on the writing this week, too close to the bone to want to think about.

Have a good weekend all,

ElmoR xx

Karmacat

Yup, ignore the writing when you're burned out - solar powered greenhouse watering system, and associated cucumbers, are much more attractive!  Take it easy - unexpected sun here, which is lovely.  Hope you have something equally nice