New Beginnings

The Leaving....
And so the countdown begins .. 4 days left at my job.

Thankfully we have found someone to (try to) take my place. I'm sure she will be fine, eventually.

4 days in which to teach my replacement how to back a trailer - cos none of the guys here can do it without taking an hour accompanied by much swearing and cursing and losing of tempers.

4 days in which to teach her everything I've learned about this business over the last 3 years and 9 months. Pass on to her the intimate knowledge I have of this business; it's history with various clients, the relationships between the people who work here, when it's wise to speak up and wise to shut up. Impossible task, I know, and I know the others will find it hard for a while not having me there, but the boss has always said that no one is indispensible. They will go on, the business will continue to grow and I wish them all the very best of fortunes.

I know I will be sorely missed, but it is time for this little black duck to move on.

Show me the Money? No, It's not about the money.
I'm not upset about the fact that to get someone new they had to offer more than I have been getting paid - the boss did hint to the question as to whether I would stay for the salary and bonus they are now oferring - but he new that for me it isn't a matter of money; it's about life.

I have no idea whether any kind of departure celebration has been planned, other than I will take cake in on Friday. Other than the boss/owner I am the longest serving employee.

It doesn't really feel yet as though I'm leaving, though that did start to creep into my consciousness when the new girl started. But it still hasn't really hit me yet; that next Monday I will not be working with these people, will have to learn to say a different name when I answer the phone .... will be able to sleep in for an extra hour if I choose, or maybe I'll still get up and do something useful instead - like some Tai Chi (hmmm going by the weather lately I think I'll be staying in bed snuggled under the doona!), will only have to fill my car once a month instead of every fortnight, can dash home for lunch if I feel like it!

New Beginnings ..
So a few new beginnings for me in the week after this. Fingers crossed it proves to have been a good decision.

In Other News..
My gentleman caller (yes I'm still trying to find an appropriate term) and I are going well. I see a lot of him during the week the children aren't here, and usually we manage to get together a couple of times in the week they aren't here. It's not that they don't get on, it's just that whilst my kids are no longer kids (at 19 and nearly 18) and have their own things to do they still do like to have their mum around just in case and they're both home-bodies just like their mum and dad, so I like to be here when they're here.

I don't know that it will be a particularly long term relationship as he has plans to move back to NZ at some time, and I don't know whether I would go with him. I still feel that he is in this deeper than me, but also believe we both know this isn't 'it'; and I'm OK with that, and I think he's ok with that too.

Sewing
I'm doing a small amount of sewing at the moment - I'm making matching pyjamas for my gentleman caller and his 5 year old son. He mentioned it would be really great to have matching ones to take back with him when he goes to NZ for a visit in just over a week, and we couldn't find anything appropriate in the shops so I said I'd make some.

He's told me a number of times that what he wants to do 'when he grows up' (this is the gentleman caller, not the son!) is to be a pirate - so when I saw the skull and crossbones flanalette I knew it was just perfect.

The sons' PJs are done other than the drawstring and the dads' set is cut out.

As I'm not known for speed in actually completing a garment I am off to the sewing machine now cos I have one week and one day to get these finished!



I still read all your blogs regularly even though I don't write much in here, so keep writing everyone!

Ciao fer now

Oh .. and in other news....

I have a new job! Though don't start for a month as I wanted to give my current boss as much of a chance as possible to replace me before I go.

The new job is similar-ish to what I do now, but it's only 10 minutes from home. I may even be able to ride to work when the weather is amenable (but I'll have to check if there's a shower there first!)

Salary is lower than I get now but after three months, and with the new tax breaks coming into effect on 1 July I'll be earning the same as I do now.

For me these days, life is more about balance, and I certainly can do without sitting in my car for about one and a half hours every day getting to and from work.

It was difficult handing in my notice; I've never had to do that *ever* before.

So, it's into the unknown for me come 2 July - fingers crossed that it works out.

Expensive Roast Dinner

Who would ever have thought that a marinated beef rolled roast dinner could cost $1400.00?

I certainly didn't, but it did.

But no, it wasn't really the roast that cost so much; more it is the price we have had to pay for our own laziness.

See we had a yummy roast dinner and feeling all full and content none of us felt like doing the dishes, so we didn't.

The biggest problem of all is that someone didn't clean the scraps off their plate. Qetesh found them delicious - including the string that had been left on the plate.

A few days later she deposited some of it (orally) on the carpeted stairs (why is it that in a house of almost entirely hardwood floors she always manages to be ill on the carpet or rug? - one of life's little mysteries I guess) . Four days later I realised something was very wrong - she wasn't eating.

Long story short, there was still some roast string inside of her and it caused some fairly serious damage. She is now without some of her intestine but one week after her week in the hospital she has become playful again and is back to her old self - except for the shaved bits on her neck and leg and a *very* bare belly.

Back to the vet this week coming to have her stitches removed and see if she is allowed to start eating hard foods again.

Moral of the story - if you're not going to do the dishes at least scrape the plates clean!