Simple living in the country - back to basics

scandimore

Good luck with the interview prep cheery. 
Bad luck about the boots! 
Re: toilets stayed somewhere recently very authentically back to basics, if you needed the loo it was an outhouse down the lane in -3 degree temps. Can really see the benefit of a chamber pot now!! 

Baileys_Babe

KajiKita said:

@Cheery_Daff, Monster used to have a useful list of job interview prep questions, from the very obvious to some more subtle ones. 

@Baileys_Babe, I had the having to wake in the night to use the loo. I have sorted it through a mix of female specific probiotic taken daily and a twice weekly dose of topical oestrogen - I was loosely diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and these seem to be some of the recommended ‘fixes’. Took a bit of time to settle down, but it is now vanishingly rare that I wake in the night because I need the loo. 

KK 

Thanks, @KajiKita not something I've heard of I will keep it in mind.

Cheery_Daff

Thanks KK - that Monster list does indeed look like a monster list!! 😱😱 And that's without any of the more specific ones I would expect for something like this! 

Thanks Redo. No idea whether it's moved on - I've certainly never intentionally used that when interviewing people but I expect it's different in different places. We had to submit questions to HR for checking i think, and there were no changes, but maybe because ours accidentally fit?? This interview has already gone outside the mould of what I'd expect (there are seven people on the interview panel, including an external, for a start 🙄) so who knows 🙄

Thanks for the info about potential cures for night time toilet shenanigans, very useful! 

Had a nice evening with neighbours and their dog, and was able to declutter a dog toy we'd bought a couple of years ago for Mr Cheery's dad's dog who showed no interest at all. Toy has now gone home with neighbours 😂

We bought dessert, just meringue and ice cream and fruit, but neighbours also brought dessert (and much nicer home made mincemeat crumble) so ours can be used tomorrow - we have another friend coming over to stay. 

LPG tank filled today, still under the 2 year fix. That's up in April, not sure we'll get another tank full before then, might depend on the weather! Also no idea where LPG prices are at the minute, must check the LPG thread.

Had a letter from national grid saying our electric will be off for a few hours next week. No idea why - I'm sure the letter said, but Mr Cheery opened it while I was driving, and without his glasses he just read the big date at the top, and then we left the letter in the car. Must retrieve and check! 

Having a final night in the spare room with my coughing and spluttering (which isn't much now, but I'm still breathing heavily) and then back to the marital bed tomorrow when friend is staying - does mean I'llhave to wash bedding tomorrow morning as we only have the one set for this single bed. Hey ho. 

Right, sleep!

Bargainhunter30

I listen to a podcast called squiggly careers, which I found very useful for interview prep of you listen to the relevant episodes. Good luck 😊

Cheery_Daff

Bargainhunter30 said:

I listen to a podcast called squiggly careers, which I found very useful for interview prep of you listen to the relevant episodes. Good luck 😊

Thank you! I listened to a couple this morning, including one on interviews 😊 Looks like they cover all kinds of interesting stuff, so I've lined up a few more to listen to 😊

Listened while I was out in the field planting more yellow rattle seeds. Not finished, but over half way there now. 

Came back inside, and we'd left a bag of raspberries on the worktop which had leaked, staining the granite pink 🙄 Fortunately bicarb paste seems to have done the trick, although we're leaving it a little longer to make sure. 

Friend is on her way (slightly delayed by running into a lamppost while trying to get the bus, it seems...) so we'll head into town shortly and do a charity shop potter to look for an interview outfit. Which reminds me - I must return those boots! 

In the meantime, I've started my mega interview doc, got headings for all sections, and started filling it in...

beanielou

Just to make you chuckle!
I once went for a job interview & fell in the door.
Can't think why I dident get the job 

greent

Ooh - I'd struggle with the lack of a close bathroom! A family history of triple prolapses (womb/ bladder/ bowel) and now taking tamoxifen mean that sometimes I'll be up 4x/ night, sometimes once (and maybe once a month I don't get up - always joyous!) We have 4 loos here (1 on ground, 2 on 1st and 1 in loft conversion), so there's usually one close by - phew!

Cheery_Daff

That does sound handy greent! I think I'd definitely look for a bathroom closer to the bedroom in our next house - there were just too many other priorities this time round 😂

Friend stayed over last night, but Mr Cheery is off to see his dad today and dropping her home on the way, so I will have the day to myself 😊 Here's a vague plan...

10-12 OUTSIDE IN THE SUNSHINE

* Get the rest of the yellow rattle planted in the field
* measure the greenhouse panes and check if I can find the missing plastic one 
* pot up a couple of reduced plants i bought weeks ago that haven't made it into a planter yet
* replace the hay in the haybox

12-2 FOOD & HOUSE

* dinner
* meal plan for the week
* also make plan of what to batch cook and when
* get something in the hay box for later
* flylady home blessing

2-4 JOB PREP

* carry on investigating and writing my massive mega doc

4-7.30 BAND PRACTICE

7.30-8.30 TEA & PREP

* tea from haybox
* get food & clothes etc ready for tomorrow
* make sure study is tidy enough to work in

8.30 - WHENEVER MR CHEERY GETS HOME - FREE CHOICE

* study shelves?
* banking?
* blog post?
* napping on the sofa??

KajiKita

I vote for R&R on the sofa from 8.30pm to recharge for the week to come. We have a ‘date’ to watch the next Digging For Britain with Alice Roberts that we haven’t seen yet - a nice gentle end to the weekend 😊

This mega doc you are prepping for the job interview - I’m kind of hoping that you are not planning on learning it all, off by heart ….? 😳🤯😉😂

KK

Cheery_Daff

Ha, no, don't worry, I'm not going to be reciting it or anything 😂😂 I just want to make sure I have a really good handle on strategy, priorities etc, who's doing what already, where I might fit, who I might be able to collaborate with, etc. I was reading a lot of different documents and I was finding a lot of it going straight through my head so trying to keep track of the relevant bits without having to go back to every individual document. 

Clearly there's not going to be a quiz about whether I remember their strategic priorities, or who the head of whatever was in 2017 😂 But I went into my interview for my current job feeling like I already worked there because I knew so much about them, and I want to do the same with this one 😂😂 Feel like I can have a more intelligent 2 way conversation in that way - and also decide if I actually want to work for them in the process 😁