Leeds Music Festival

Good things about Leeds Music Festival

Adam being allowed in free

Helpful staff

The people around the campsite

Sitting round the campfire

The walk to the main arena on the first day

Bands like the Lumineers, Imagine Dragons, Jake Bugg, Green Day, Alt-J, Bastille, Biffy Clyrow
Biffy Clyrow's show

Cleaner toilets

Roast Pork baguettes
People not giving a shit about the rain
The atmosphere

Bad things about Leeds Music Festival

Being greeted by a begging monk as soon as my car stopped
Parking a mile away from our campsite and having to carry everything

The 3 afternoons and nights of rain

Muddy swamp

The walk to and from the arena every other day.......

Listening to the Lumineers playing Stubborn Love

The lead singer of Green Day

Eminem

Thoughtless, drunken arseholes, Bullies, A few racists

Mostly horrible food - and getting the s__ts

Horrible toilets on Sunday - Adam refused to take a picture....

'Helpful' staff who knew f – all about the site or camping
The commercialism

Funniest Moments

Talking to s drunken stallholder trying to get me to buy stuff
Jordan wanting us to come and get him
Jordan trying to teach Adam the paradiddle.....
Adam seeing boobs on the big screen............
Putting on the Smurf onesie
Jordan putting on the chimp onesie
Joe putting on the diamonds
Nick with his beige suit...... after he lost his shoes
Drinking all the bottle of mead which was meant to be shared
Geoff talking to the mad Welsh woman
Everbody being fascinated by the 'dwarf' female with the big........ personality

Holidays with kids......

I just filled in a job application form yesterday for an online tutoring agency, got interviewed nd had the references taken up. Hopefully will get a few hours a week tutoring online. £20 an hour - not brilliant but it's work and money so can't sniff at it. If I can get 15 hours a week that will put me on working tax credits which might help. Nothing from agencies but not really expecting anything as schools are off.

Have the kids full time at the moment for three weeks. Been on a long walk round Hest Bank which we all enjoyed including the three dogs, especially the lunch at the cafe afterwards.

Tara And me in Lancaster

Adam, thinking about eating pigeons?

The dogs at Hest Bank.

Wandered round Lancaster and did some shopping at ASDA / Walmart; such attractive - not! - people there. Mind you they probably think the same of us. I remember the first time we went to ASDA was when we lived in Croydon - late 80s - and my sister came to visit. They used to do a £1 breakfast available all day. We were totally amazed and talking about it in the cafeteria, saying it was a good deal for people when they needed somewhere to go to if they didn't have a job etc....... Think we embarrassed a couple of guys near us; they gave us dirty looks as they left!  Chilled at home a lot - too lazy / too broke to do much. Kids getting up t 1 pm doesn't actually help with going out. Got a lot of gardening done. The weeds have been decimated. We can see the beds..... lol.

Watched Chelsea play Hull at the pub - and tried hard not to fall asleep after 30 minutes. It was sooooo boring. God, I hope Mourinho does not bring his old style back, much as I like having him back. Not sure it's a particularly good idea him coming back a second time. Coming back does not seem to be a positive move for many managers. Keep wondering how long before Uncle Roman gets pissed off and fires him. Sorry, I obviously meant - before they part company through mutual agreement...... Kids had fun at the pub, just messing around with their phones and taking silly pictures. Talking about football to a Liverpool supporter.

Celebrated Hari's birthday at Pizza Hut with Robert. Kids had a mad time Talked a lot. Made rude jokes...... Adam tried to act mature. "Can we please stop telling Uranus jokes..../" Spoiled it  bit a few minutes later by asking Robert when he came back from the toilet> "Did you have fun with Uranus....?!"

Started packing for Leeds. Wish I hadn't left it till the last minute. Think I left half the gear at M's place. Oh well..... Just have to cope. Hope it doesn't rain. We are gonna try to cook one meal and eat out for one meal. Have an alcohol stove. Loads of snacky things and easy cook stuff. Not looking forward to the loos or the showers. Was almost tempted to get a ready set tent with hot showers and security etc but they charge £320..... :(

Would like to go somewhere after we get back... See what I can afford. Camping in Garstang?

Jill's getting old. Seemed very infirm the other day, perked up yesterday and was bouncing around. Still, she is very shaky, almost blind and a deaf. Can't be long..... :( Not looking forward to it. We have had her for 16 years almost. Hari, then 4, named her after his baby sitter and Tara was nearly one when she came. Kids want a replacement but .......

Update on Jobs and Agencies

Haverigg Job

I eventually got some feedback which said I was an excellent teacher but not a course manager. Oh well. Carry on going. I would like to ask them if they were so good at managing, how come the security gate did not have a badge ready for me, why did I get left standing for 20 minutes - the next candidate was waiting in the office, with a coffee - and why did they not know what I was supposed to have prepared.

Agencies

No change in my opinion of Reed, Capita and . Keystage turned out to be useless too. I left them my phone number twice. No ring back.

I have a date set for my Tribunal with Randstad. My opinion has got worse, if anything. I read their submission to the tribunal judge. It's full of inaccuracies and their defence is that it was someone inexperienced who contacted me. How is that  a defence? Apart from the fact that I heard him asking his colleagues what he should do, he passed me on to his manager and the Compliance Officer. They were pretty useless. 

Proofreading

Got one or two bits of proofreading work from a friend. Have contacted some people but no joy. Still it's a start. The A4E people gave me some useful advice. I will try to work on that and see what happens. Basically see if I can go through student services, keep advertising, send leaflets out through a school uniform supplier, have an information stand at open days in schools and unis. Could do with some funding though..... which, surprisingly, hasn't been forthcoming.

Not much to apply for...... Been told to dumb down my CV - again! Lmao.