Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Cheery_Daff

Thanks Redo. We think they're stringing it out themselves to be honest - she's been waiting at least a couple of months for them to arrange a date for the next official meeting and they're showing no hurry so far. She won't be going off sick this time - she took leave to go home on Friday (with permission of course) and plans to go in on Tuesday - probably with a lift for a few days as it's two buses and she's not used to her crutches yet. She's requested a pension forecast for retiring at the right time, and one for 2 months early - which would be in less than 5 months now. Not long to go. 

beanielou

Your poor mum. 

Cheery_Daff

Thanks Beanie. 

Well, I am satisfied with my garden exploits today 😊 Made a good start on the patio, planted out my birthday plants, and did some strimming - and before anyone brings up No Mow May (of which I wholeheartedly approve) there are plenty of bits i haven't strimmed, but I do want access to both compost bin and washing line without needing wellies 😂 We currently have over 11 acres of uncut grass, 8 of which will remain uncut til the cows arrive in a few weeks, another 1 uncut til July, and the remaining 2 won't ever be cut - they're the fields with the 1000 new trees in. And well over two thirds of the actual garden remains uncut.

Anyway, not sure why I feel I have to justify my grass cutting. I feel like every time I mention it, someone (usually someone who isn't managing quite so much grass) mentions No Mow May or rewilding and I feel the need to explain that I do in fact have a comprehensive management plan that involves both of those things AND a little bit of mowing as well 😂

Anyway, I figured it was best to do it today while it wasn't raining - it was so long that it takes forever to dry out, and I'm not around til next weekend now. 

Right, enough of that. Some money saving - we nipped out for supplies this evening and snagged a 9p pack of celery - most pleasing!

VintageHistorian

Sounds like your Mum has fallen foul of the Bradford score. It was (and probably still is) in use when I was in the Civil Service.

In theory it's to weed out the kind of people that repeatedly phone in sick on Friday/Monday to get a long weekend. In reality quite a few people go through a string of bad luck with their health that means they fall foul of it too through no fault of their own. There's better ways to deal with people trying to use sick leave as annual leave, without punishing people who are genuinely ill and terrified to call in sick lest they get "too many points".

themadvix

No need to justify your strimming Cheery! We will leave our front garden, but our back garden will be cut - and we have a tiny amount of grass compared to you.

 Hope your mum is feeling better soon - glad she went and got proper medical treatment.

joedenise

I suspect that it's the same for your mum as it was for me - it was cheaper to continue to pay her as she's near retirement than to early retire her!  I was on sick leave for almost 2 years in the run up to retirement and they finally retired me without any enhancement just 3 months before I was due to retire.

Hope she manages to get used to the crutches in time to go into work tomorrow with getting a lift in.  I assume she has an office job as you said she doesn't need to walk around in work.  Hope she heals soon.

ladyholly

I would appeal any sanction on the grounds if she cannot walk properly there is an h&s issue if there is a fire alarm. Will she be able to access toilets etc. Are there stairs to her work area. I am sure you can think of others.

ladyholly

Just seen she can use the lift but that would be out of action in the case of fire.

On a side note a friend who had had several sick days due to cancer treatment then had her husband die was asked if the reason for sick time would be repeated. Her answer "it wasnt likely her husband would die a second time."

Greying_Pilgrim

ladyholly said:

.......On a side note a friend who had had several sick days due to cancer treatment then had her husband die was asked if the reason for sick time would be repeated. Her answer "it wasnt likely her husband would die a second time."....

There are just no words for that, are there ladyholly..............🙁

Good work on the patio Cheery laying those... 6 inch(?) tiles isn't easy.  You're making great progress.

Greying X

greenbee

I once had a manager ask me what the 'worst case scenario' was when I was taking some planned sick leave for an op. He obviously meant in terms of predicted time off... my reply of 'well I might not wake up after the anaesthetic' made him realise that he probably needed to think about what he was saying