Stuff stuff

Tara had a good time at the Prom. Lots of happy pix on her FB.

Tara - all dressed to kill!

Life's difficult at the moment. Lots of things need sorting.

I need a new job but there isn't much going now, especially in teaching. I suppose one good thing that happened was that I got an interview at Haverigg even tho I didn't get a job. They were so disorganised. They didn't seem to know what I should have brought with me. Left me at the gate for 20 minutes before fetching me. Not even a drink of water. As for feedback, I am still waiting.

The JobCentre have put me with this company called A4E who are supposed to help me get the skills required to get back to work. The woman looked at my CV and basically said there's not much I can do to help you and I don't know why you haven't got  job yet. Still, she offered to make an appointment for me with the enterprise manager who might get me funding for my proofreading website.

Think I will need to move out soon. Running out of money. Not sure there is anything much cheaper for a 3 bedroom house. Bit depressing.

The BBQ was great. Beautiful day. Everybody who came along had fun and ate lots. So relaxed. R said it was the most relaxed BBQ she had ever been to. C helped get the BBQ going and then Hari took over. Robert arrived an hour or two later and the two of them sat there nattering and cooking with their drinks and lots of food. Most of the food was cooked already and just needed a bit on the BBQ for the charred look - and taste! People brought along salads and I had lots of soft drinks. Two of Tara's friends turned up on bikes and another was brought by her mum. They just chilled on the blankets...... Adam had a couple of friends too. They played football, swingball and boules (!). They did disappear into the house to play computer games for a while (quelle surprise, as they say....) but mostly ran around having fun. Just a very pleasant afternoon.

Me......

Tara and friends......

Boys doing man stuff....

oh well, why not?

Time for a natter......

My neighbour, R and Farmer J

Landlord wrote asking to visit, but I said I was busy and suggested another couple of dates. However he turned up anyway and looked around the outside. Then he wrote a stinking letter through the letting agents, saying I had denied access and there was rubbish everywhere. Not sure how he made out that I denied access and the rubbish was recycling and all bagged up to be taken away so..... I was a little annoyed. Considering that they ignore my comments and suggestions about what needs to be done and the lack of action when things need to be done, I think he has a nerve.

Kids came to see me before setting of for three weeks with their mother. Adam was ill Wednesday night and Thursday - gastroenteritis the doctor said - but feeling happier today. They both looked as miserable as I felt. Hopefully we can keep in touch via phone and maybe they will have some internet access.

Hari and I will be looking after the dogs over the next 3 weeks. Get the garden tidy and maybe get rid of stuff to tip or charity. Make it easier to move. Hmm, August or September?

Looking forward to Leeds Music Festival but the dates clash a bit with Tara's results, though she may come with friends. Should try some sightseeing too. Any ideas?

Friends

I am fortunate that I can make good friends. I needed them over the last three years. Wish some of our so-called friends, who had known what was going on, had said something. The outcome might have been different. Though, once one has taken the first step, getting the trust back is a long, arduous job.

I made friends in school, at University, while teaching. Some of these I have lost contact with but there are two who are still around. One is KFA, who is Ghanaian, and married an Austrian. I have visited him in Vienna and hopefully will do so again with the kids. He did Electrical Engineering - I ended up with loads of friends from the EE Dept because they seemed to run the Overseas Students Societies. We shared a flat for a year which was entertaining. It was always fun to observe K as he got into debates with people and ran rings round them.

The other one is PB, who was Head of Chemistry at my first teaching job. He was very supportive of me - wanted the school to use me properly. I was the highest qualified Chemist but the school used me to teach Physics. Anyway, I later got into aggravation with the school on grounds of Racism and P was always there to talk to, even if he did not understand the issues. He got very concerned at the effect of other  teachers' actions on me - I burst into tears in his room during a free period in school. The HoD and the deputy head (whose initials were HH - 88!) had been having fun at my expense in the staff room, doing an Asian accent, supposed to be mine. Had they ever actually heard me speak or was the turban too big a barrier? They then proceeded to make decisions which were discriminatory against me. My union here was a big help. They supported me without hesitation. Just in case you think I am paranoid, there two other Asian teachers in the school, who felt the same way about how how they were being treated. The Head's idea of doing research on Racism was going into the playground and asking two 13 year old Asian girls whether they thought there was any discrimination in the school.

Anyway, I digress. Since the split, it has become very apparent who my friends are. Some people whom I supported and thought were my friends turned their backs on me, which was disappointing. A couple of people in whom I confided passed the information straight along which was helpful. I kept half a dozen very good friends who have been brilliant. Kept me sane by talking and listening to me while I vented my anger and frustration.and misery, giving me a sanctuary to escape to, even though a couple of them had their own challenges. I have made really good friends with my neighbour. We have got on really well since they moved in last September.  We get on like a house on fire and her family are great. They held a huge bonfire party last year, the week before my one. We all had a whale of a time. R has never managed to live down the fact that a can of beans was in the bonfire by mistake, exploded and shot out and hit me on the arm, leaving a big mark on my sweatshirt and  huge bruise on my arm. Her family have been teasing her mercilessly about trying to kill her new neighbour......

Like I said, in other blogs, I made some good friends online and they have moved into my rl to an extent. We IM, FB and skype, so we pretty much know each other  - three pretty decent women who talk sense to me. Shame they live so far away. Things with AM are progressing slowly. Gives me a hard time but there's lots of fun and mischief too.:)