System Failure !

doingitanyway

The dentist is expensive but at least you are able to do the treatment.
I hope you enjoy your exercise tomorrow.

another_casualty

Thanks DIA 😼
I am lucky to be able to do that 🦷as you say .


This year has been a strange year regarding my life on universal credit . 

I have built up a credit card bill, plus going into an overdraft . But on £317.00 a month initially  at the time , plus paying out for boiler repairs and service charges etc ( plus this unexpected dental treatment) I couldn't see any other outcome tbh . 

Bizarrely , the Covid situation has helped me ..for now !  It meant that I got the decision of having Ltd Capability For Work awarded to me from the tribunal without having to attend a hearing in front of a judge etc. 

Plus the PIP award , was given to me , after considering my case via a phone assessment.
The service charge payment , is a very grey area indeed . Trying to find if I qualified was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack . I had to send my bill for service charges to the decision makers and they decided after I politely asked a few months later where I stand .
All this meant that I couldn't properly plan anything . I was paying every bill and carrying on.

However, 🤞 I now have a chance  to put things in a more tidy order next year , with the awards given to me 🏆and in theory will be properly debt free for some time . 

That's the plan anyway . 

Last night  I had a massive bout of tinitus for a few hrs . A side effect of one tablet of my medication . I wasn't feeling the greatest this week tbh . However, I had a great sleep last night which helps 💤🛌.

lots of tidying up over the weekend . Mr trainer this morning 🏋️and possibly seeing my friend today .
Enjoy the weekend ⛅️💦⛅️

another_casualty

More goings on today ..
I went for my walk this morning 🐾 5 consecutive days .
I had my video session with mr trainer 🏋️🥵. He is happy ,and impressed . 

I've just had a call from the work related chap📞 . A longer call than usual . However , I have found a lot about my situation as to what happens now, and what happens in the near future . 🙀
It's amazing how much you find out about yourself , that you don't realise initially .
Covid plays a part in the way things have been summed up about me , and the way I'll try to summarise things here . 

In a way , it's a good job that my personality is an open book so to speak and I often ramble too much in my diaries . It's here so I can see my progress . 

When talking to the chap today , he did tell me that the programme I'm on with him ends in February . He is a really nice chap , who has been great for my motivation and confidence
It was him that recommendrd I try for pip . 

He told me that , as there isn't a chance of employment at the moment due to my personal situation and the Covid situation , his bosses were going to transfer me away from him to a different advisor . ( The scheme is Gold ,Silver ,Bronze  in terms of getting people back into employment and boost confidence . I'm on silver ) That would put me in the Bronze Category abd I'd have to start all over again . He has successfullly 🤞managed to keep me on his books 📕.  

He mentioned my mental health issues ( which I accepted due to neighbours etc) and the fact that he knows I live alone and doesn't want me to deteriorate . He mentioned my music 🎼🎸and said that I should push ahead with it . I mentioned about being sanctioned or losing universal credit , but he basically said that they wouldn't dare .
That is a relief , and has given me a chance to potentially pull my finger out and socialise more . The trouble about my condition , is that I can't play gigs or practice evenings as everything collapses. However, the talk I had with him was brilliant . 

I did ask what happens after February , and was told more or less, that I just go back to the job coach and they'll more or less leave me alone because of the LCW and PIP, plus mental health issues I have , which I didn't realise . He has seen the ups and downs ,and so have many here so it'll be interesting to see how my life goes from here .

I'll leave it there ...

 

doingitanyway

I agree that you should push ahead with the music in any way that fits with you. I have commented before that you seem so much happier when you are pursuing music. I'd love to see you socialising more in a way that your health can be accommodated. Hope your weekend is going well.

moo121

Hi AC just popping by also and noticed your good news about PIP.  Glad you've been awarded it, must be a bit of a relief.   Another one here who thinks you should take this opportunity of a breather from all the job search stuff to pursue something that interests you.  Go do some music and then tell us all about it. 

Moo

another_casualty

Thanks @moo121 and DIA 😼
I had a chat with mr trainer 🏋️After the Tuesday session , and asked him about the mental issue side of things .  He thinks I'm mentally strong and I handle things very well ,and I'm no different from most people . Something like that . I think I'm due a call from the work related chap again tomorrow . A strange situation I'm in , in a better way than expected so far with my universal credit life . I am / have bern one of life's worriers especially when it comes to work etc. I never thought that I'd be in this situation and had the jeremy Kyle experiences of rows and harassment in my mind along with other depressive thoughts that kept me taking a few positions that were not right for me just to keep me away from all of that as long as I could. Now I'm in a situation where so far I'm treated better than I thought would be the case. I know in the future I'll get over zealous people trying to stop things but I won't get carried away and just keep doing what's required as and when . I'm just not prepared to go on buses or trains for some time yet 🚞🚌

Ive just seen Mrs dentist this morning 🦷 . Another £250 🙀 . However , today was when I tried out the partial dentures . Felt odd , and I'll have to adjust etc. What happens next , is that next Thursday my new dentures will be ready and although another £250 to pay it means that all going well , they should be done and bar a follow up appointment the following week no more dental appointments until spring time 2021 subject to Covid .
I hope the follow up appointment is free. It's not listed on the itemised bill that I have a follow up appointment after next Thursday . So we'll see ..

A week of slow progress and things breaking 😾
Two days ago, the lever from the drinks dispenser on my fridge freezer snapped.
I just received a replacement from a shop on eBay . Great stuff ! £17.50 . I've just got to google / you tube on how to remove old unit and replace with nee one . 

Yesterday , one of my animal sourcers broke while washing up . I have 2 others, but would like to get a replacement . I got them from Home Sense about 3 years ago . I can't go there due to Covid , but will do when Covid is finally out of the way .

Lasr weds I purchased musical item which was faulty. I sent it back following day. Refund never Came back to me yesterday , so eBay stepped in and at 3.30 this morning I got full refund . 

The majority of this week has seen me continue walking 🐾plus going through some more clutter and making headway into having my stuff tidied up in the small bedroom .
As there is no sign of james yet, I am burrowing away trying to make as much headway as possible for when he is available . All going well, I may not have to spend as much on storage and I may be able to make things much more spacious this week than it has been over the last few weeks . I'm doing the same to the kitchen , so I'm kept busy . 

I received the new council tax starement as promised . My account is £61.85 in credit.
I still have to cash that £80 something cheque in to the bank when I can .
On the stement it shows total amount payable for 2020-2021 -£ 61.85  your account is in credit by the amount shown .

I haven't been watching much on Netflix over last few months , but I stumbkd upon the Danish  tv series Borgen.  I saw it on bbc4 a few years back , and was thinking about it a few weeks back . I won't cancel Netflix this month . 

Sun is shining 🌞, so I'll leave it there ..

another_casualty

Things still ticking along ⏰ .
Usual sleep patterns etc 💤🛌. . I received a cheque from Poole council for £61.85 
This means I guess , that there is no more council tax to pay until April 2021 .
I didn't walk over the weekend , but did this morning .🐾 I was going to go straight into one of the video workouts , but there's a glitch in the system . It happens now and again , and I'll do something later 🏋️🥵. I haven't been doing as much at home as I should , due to feeling unwell or spending time decluttering and getting the flat in order. One day..

I have met my new  upstairs neighbour this morning . He has no electricity due to changing suppliers etc and not au fait with the setup in the meter cupboard . Very nice chap.
They seem to like it here so far 🤞. The communal area has been immaculate since their arrival and I can't ask for anything better. Again 🤞. So the same situation between the docile arrogant landlord , and the letting agents . No key for meter cupboard ! 

If I didn't like them I'd be reluctant to help, but I sorted things out by having a chat with the managing agents and forgot the basic thing that he should contact the letting agents if there are any problems . It's Monday morning . 😸

As I'm typing this , I receive a nice thank you note put in my door from the nice neighbour .

I thought I'd try Ocado , and see how their system is for online shopping .🛒.totally useless!🤬 It's better if I say nothing more about them . 

I may try Waitrose again, but I had loads of hassle with my details not being recognised .
That was around Christmas time. I'll see later on if I can be bothered .
The sun is shining 🌞.
I'll leave it there...

doingitanyway

All sounding good AC
You are still sounding positive.
Good to hear the new neighbours are nice people.
I used to use Ocado but as they stopped delivering Mr W food I have no need of them anymore. Also, they are charging silly money for deliveries.
The sun is shiny here too so I will be off for a walk soon to catch some rays

another_casualty

The week so far : 
I bizarrely managed to get a Christmas slot with Waitrose online . 🛒 This includes a turkey crown 👑. 

The session with mr trainer on Tuesday happened .🏋️ It happened in a way that his wifi was down , but I followed one of the video workouts he has on my webpage . We had a catchup on the phone afterwards ☎️

The flat is still in transition . The situation now is that the clutter has been moved out of 5he small bedroom , and will be setup as the music room again today 🎼🎹🎸🎧
Having said that , the hallway and main bedroom is cluttered and I have to sort that out as best I can . There are still jobs for James , but m trying to avoid having unnecessary cupboards built etc . 

I've just had  the dentures fitted by Mrs dentist 🦷🦷. Another £250🙀.
They don't feel too bad , and I have an appointment next week to check on how they are.
Hopefully not too much  more to pay . Next Thursday should be my last appointment this year. It brings back memories of when I used to hide my mums false teeth . I have a denture box and instructions on how to look after them . 

I was going to meet up with my friend today , but rain stopped play 🏏. Although it has got sunny all of a sudden 🌦☀️.
There are road signs outside my flat telling drivers to check their brakes . Everytime it rains there is a massive puddle which builds up outside my flat, and the council do try to fix the problem but seem to get nowhere . The only worry I have , is if somebody comes back from the pub and decides to Chuck the signs by my windows and shrubs . On good Friday in 2018 a few yobs chucked a road sign outside my window damaging some shrubs .Annoying . 

I have to look into when I'm allowed to take the less than £6K out of my pension to put me back in the black so to speak . I understand it's once a year , and the previous time I did it was in December . Not sure if I have to wait the full 12 months . Hopefully all will be fine and I won't need to repeat that next year.🤞as the decisions have gone in my favour for now and all bills are still being paid . 

I'll leave it there for now ..💦🌦

another_casualty

My sleeping patterns all over the place .💤🛌. Joint pains etc . 

When I opened my blinds yesterday morning around 7.30 am I saw a hooded guy with grey tracksuit bottoms sleeping horizontal on the bench acros the road from my flat .
2 people tried to speak to him at different times , and no go. I saw him moving , and eventually he left around 9am . That kind of thing puts me on edge . Hopefully , it's a one off. 

I met up with my friend yesterday lunchtime . We had a couple of coffees ☕️☕️, but the coffee shops were packed . We were going to have a Guinness in the pub, but my friends track abd trace app didn't work in the pub for some reason. Anything that is organised by whichever gvt is in power is always problematic . So we spent more time trying to find a place and sodding about ,than actually being able to settle. Annoying .
I felt a bit breathless as I didn't eat much . 
While we were queuing up in one of the coffee shops, I got a call from the work related chap. He will phone me on Thursday at 10 am ( or so he says ) with another action plan .
I think he'll nag me for not doing that excel exam . Tbh, there's not much I can do in the present situation . I'm not going on buses or trains . At a push, I could get the train for one stop , but I'd rather not see anybody as the risk is now amber 🚦

I have finished the music room this morning 🎼🎸🎧. I'm not feeling the greatest , and I feel unmotivated . Same with the rest of the flat ..unmotivated ! I aim to move my backside tomorrow morning and find some places for my clutter ..and to tidy up kitchen etc .
well, I aim to 🏹😼
The dentures don't feel too bad . I looked at the instruction manual , and it was advised to leave it for 3 weeks or so before seeing Mrs dentist 🦷🦷. So I'll cancel this Thursdays appointment and rearrange . 
lots of rain as forecast 💦💦. 

Clocks go back an hour tonight ⏰
I'll leave it there for now 💦🌂💨