Monday 28th January - Shed Up, Back Out, Pain In

Well, it's done people. The Garden Shed Scandal's over with. It's come into existence after two days work.

And, as a result, I'm in agony!!

I don't know what I've done, but I felt my back "give" Saturday morning as we began to lay the foundations for the shed. Thank God we did the heaviest work Saturday, because after getting up Sunday Morning, my back was crippling me.

And it still is now. The sudden, sharp, intermittant pain shoots down from it's (now) permanent home around my cocix, straight down to the back of my right knee. As I get a seizure it immedately sends me almost to my knees. Sleeping is impossible due to the consistent pain and seizures.

The shed had to be finished off by my neighbour, who was supposed to have been helping me, and, to finish, the wife had to make an SOS call to the son to return home with a friend to fit the roof on. Because, at that stage, I could hardly walk, let alone physically work.

So, I'm walking around at about one mile a fortnight, cannot ough, or worse, sneeze, and am doped up on my daily intake of Anadin Extra and Ibulieve cream.

I think I'm down the doctor's tomorrow somehow.........

Saturday 26th January - A little bit of the past

Isn't it amazing how the past comes back to life sometimes? Last Thursday, I was escorting my manager on one her sorties into Fakenham when we walked around the market.

And saw the Group 4 Security Van you can see in this photo.

When I was a teenager, my Dad worked for Group4 at their head office in West Bromwich (near Birmingham) and he brought me one of the vans then as they were actually sold by Group4 when they came out in the 70's.

It was probably this van that started my hobby of collecting the die cast models of cars and such like, of which I have loads today.

Sadly, the plastic Security Man and gold bullion bars are missing that originally came with the van. But the combination safe on the back door to the van still works.

And this amazing blast from the past only cost £1.50, much less than what my Dad paid for it originally.

The van now has pride of place in my collection, next to my Z Victor 4 Police Car I brought off ebay 2 or 3 months ago.

And I can actually see parts of my past rather then just remembering them.

What price memories?

Wednesday 23rd January - Holiday Day 5

So, what have I done for my first five days of freedom then? Well, I may be on holiday, but I'm busier than ever.

A patrol around the Household Mansions Grounds last Friday morning revealed that another two fence panels had fallen victim to the wind. So, my day on Tuesday was taken up repairing the obvious breach in the Household's security.

But, owing to the fact that those Metapost spikes I had earier used - twice- were becoming glaringly obvious as useless, I've repaired the fence this time - properly.

Permision for the release of £28.00 from the Household Coffers was secured from my manager, and we ordered two new 9' posts. This time, the Metaposts were totally disregarded as I dug holes 3ft down and concreted the posts in. With very strong cement. After allowing the cement 24 hours to set, I re-established the family's security yesterday.

And afterwards, I carried on getting the grass up. One half of the back garden is now grass free. I have been delegated garden duties again on Saturday, as my manager has arranged for a neighbour to come across and give me a hand putting up our shed. After this, I'll concentrate on getting the grass up from the other side of the garden.

Today, I went for my doctor's review. Owing to the fact that I have had no marked difference in the way I feel with the anti depressant tablets I'm on, we've established that my depression is not medical - it's psychological/behavioural. Advanced therapy has been suggested; and which I've declined - obviously, the way I feel is part of me, and no tablets can change that.

So, I've got to:

(a) accept it

(b) find new ways of dealing with it.

So, I'm now being weaned off the AD tablets, halving my dose for two weeks, then down to half that again for another two weeks, followed by another doctor's review as I start my quarter dose.

On the business side, I've got another 6 hours work to do on the web site and it's done. I've now got 5 books printed up in paperback, and even if I do say myself, they look pretty smart.

I'll be playing full time business man for a week from Monday. At Last. Months of incredibly painstaking work is done, and it's over.

The shop's open for business. Here we go!

Thursday January 17th - Hooray, Hooray I'm on (Christmas) Holiday!

Well, that's that my Christmas & New Year Shift over with then as from 7am this morning, and I'm on Holiday, at last. As everyone around me had 10-14 days off for Christmas as I worked all through it, this is my Christmas Holiday!

I shall allow myself a brief period of celebration before starting my final push to get the business re-established by the end of the month, working around, and in between, the household duties my manager has kindly allocated me for my attention.


So, no JOB (Just Over Broke) for two weeks. Two weeks without getting soaked through because of the rain as I was Monday & Tuesday night, (although it did stop raining at 2.30am in Kings Lynn on Wednesday, half an hour after getting back into my office soaking wet - that always happens to me!). Now I've got a wicked case of the lurgy, having just woken up with the flu, sore throat and everything. Why Now?


Two weeks of unmitigated freedom, free from rules, regulations, people, 12 hour shifts, procedures, safety boots, & florescent jackets. Hopefully, I won't have to go out very much either. Need to, and want to, just stay in for a bit now. The criminally insane, slow driving pensioners can annoy other people for a change!


Two weeks. My life, my rules, my way (Subject to terms and conditions of my manager's approval and The Teenage One and Proper Boyfriends' occasional taxi request off course!).


Only one small upset so far this year. Regular readers will know that I've recently remortgaged (three months ago) and I wrote to the new company on 10th December, asking them not to cash the Direct Debit for January as I wanted to make a cash payment. I even sent them a £400 advance payment against the January payment.


For the first time since moving to Norfolk, we were in front with the mortgage. Our little Christmas miracle.


But the mortgage company tried to cash the direct debit. Twice. Resulting in some £67 in fees for the bank in return for their time in bouncing our payment.


So I and my manager went to see our account supervisor at the bank - who told us that, as the bank were not at fault, they wouldn't refund us under the Direct Debit guarantee.


So, the mortgage company have had their second recorded delivery letter from me, this one not at all pleasant, informing them that I had reported them to my bank for breaching the Direct Debit guarantee and demanding the return of the bank fees caused by their sheer, stupid, corporate incompetence.


I have my own rule when dealing with anything financial - and that's to ensure that everything is in writing and sent recorded delivery. Telephoning people's no good - ever tried to get a bank to retrieve a taped phone call? Despite all the warnings, saying that "your call will be recorded for monitoring and training purposes" they can never seem to find THAT particular recording you really need. That's one lesson I've learned from my battle with the Inland Revenue - now calling themselves HM Customs & Excise. But that's another, long and heart breaking story for another time.


So I don't take chances anymore. Everything's in writing and sent by recorded delivery. Isn't it a good job I did, in this case?


Advantage Lending? Try Disadvantaged Lending!


Anyway - I'm on (Christmas) Holiday - I have two weeks of better things lined up. And the mortgage is still up to date. Bottles of Bailey's to be opened and sampled. Not doing too bad am I?

Saturday 12th January - Have You Ever?

Ever lost your keys and couldn't find them at all, only to have them turn up somewhere really silly later?Or, when you have a really difficult problem, do you ever have to "Sleep On It?"

Or has something ever been on the tip of your tongue, or have you said "I'll think of it later", and you did, just as you said you would?

Congratulations, you've been using a natural brain function, which does have it's own proper name, which I can't remember (Doh!) but is commonly known as the unconscious computer. (Yes - we're back to my pyschology again!).


Basically, when you're back's up against the wall, and you've exhausted all options, and you stop trying to sort the problem out, the unconscious computer takes over. It's really a two stage process.


You feed the conscious mind all the facts, including, say, looking everywhere for the keys, you give up and stop trying to sort the problem out (important), the unconscious computer takes over and sorts through all the information you've fed the conscious brain, and sorts the problem out for you.


Nature takes over. If the problem's urgent, the unconscious computer kicks in urgently - that's when you find your keys in that really strange place that you can't remember putting them. Other, really difficult problems take longer, but it still works. You'll get your answer in hours, days, weeks after. But the Unconscious Computer won't work if you're still working on your problem consciously - it can't - it can only sort out the problem in the unconscious - when you're not thinking about it, in other words.


The solution comes as an urgent flash of inspiration, a feeling that you must do something there and then. And, normally, you do it without thinking. Sound familiar?


Now you know this process, you can actually train yourself to physically use your Unconscious Computer (UC). OK, why am I talking here like a head doctor?


Basically, I've had one of these urgent flashes of inspiration. Uncannily urgent too. Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm looking at leaving my JOB (Just Over Bankruptcy) at the end of this year to start working for myself full time. Now I've set the problem, my UC has gone into overdrive.


And I'm getting this flood of ideas, action plans and everything. Unbelievable. Net result - I'm excited, and rather than trying to sort out my "problem" with fear, and dread, I really feel like throwing caution to the wind.


And leaving my JOB tomorrow.


But I won't - (it's called responsibility). But from somewhere, this amazing feeling of excitement has filled me from top to bottom. I'm sidetracking into publishing with the, literally, hundreds of files I've brought with resale & reprint rights. Because, even in recession (thank you Labour - but that's another story) people still need help, information and DIY manuals to save money. And I've already started - I've got three books printed out already.



As my Christmas and New Year shift comes to an end (really!) my web site is almost finished as well.So I'm still on target for relaunching everything by the end of the month. Other than that, it's been fairly quiet at work, and I'm looking forward to Thursday morning because I'm on holiday then - I'm taking two weeks out as this shift finishes - this is my Christmas break!!!! I'm really looking forward to breaking open those bottles of Bailey's I had for Christmas - I haven't been able to drink since Christmas Eve morning - and I'm really looking forward to sampling the mint chocolate Bailey's for the first time.


I can't have much though (anti depressants ) but hey, a couple of glasses won't hurt surely? Mind you, the tablets ran out on Thursday and I can't get to the doctors until 23rd January as they're fully booked - so you never know, a couple of glasses might turn into three or four!


Well, it's (my) Christmas, isn't it?

4th January 2008 – Happy New Year Everyone!

Better late than never eh? Thanks millions to all you guys who took the time to give me support and advice throughout last year – you're all wonderful!

And now, it's 2008, and it's time to move on. My main ambition this year, as I think you know, is to build up enough resources throughout the year to enable me to run a business full time from this time next year. Remortgaging, and building my part time business, should enable me to do this.


Just got to keep up the repayments on the mortgage for the next 10 or 11 payments and I should be half way there. It's a brilliant ambition, and it's one that gets my fire burning!


But, some things don't change, either (as you'll see by reading today's second blog, immediately below this one). You'll never guess - the heating oil ran out - again - this time, 6am on Christmas Eve! We've been using electric heaters in the two front rooms, and the rest of the house is, well, let's just say cold. We've definitely got to get this heating problem sorted out - soon - as the boiler is using far too much oil - before we had this new system installed, we never used to run out of oil, 500 litres would last us a quarter.


And, since we've had this absolutely crappy (Modern) system installed, the oil doesn't last so long. So much for these ultra modern, environmentally friendly, reliable, economic (??) new systems. Our old system was 57 years old before it died - and boy, wasn't it a lot better than this modern piece of junk we've got now!


I've ordered more oil for delivery on my next payday so there's only about another week left now. We got through it. Again. Somehow.


The Household was rocked by another shock as well just before Christmas. My daughter, The Teenage One, has found herself a boyfriend. A Proper Boyfriend. I met him for the first time a couple of weeks ago and he now comes to our house once a week, on average, and spends an afternoon with the Teenage One.


So the Teenage One has turned into a lovesick Teenage One. Isn't young love just beautiful?


So, I've had to utilise an Emergency Coping Strategy as I'm seeing my Little Girl grow into a woman. Not easy for us Dad's is it?!


Okay, so my new years resolutions this year - to try and take one day off a week from the Job, and the business, and to do so without feeling guilty about doing it. To be more organised, neat and tidy. To handle every piece of paper just the once - so it's read, dealt with and filed the same day. To keep my blogs at both IMM and blogger.com upto date and to post at least twice weekly. Try and wean myself off the antidepressants. But give up smoking first. And, finally, to make every mortgage payment on time.


And the main ambition of all, is to leave my job by this years end.


Wish me luck...........

Pensioner Driver of M8? BEG

Here I go again. But, suprise, suprise, this pensioner wasn't doing 38MPH on a 60MPH road.This chap couldn't even cope with a lit 40mph road.


I found this pratt, complete with his Trilby hat (No, really!) on the main road in between Knightshill Island and the Gaywood interchange last night at 6.40pm.


This pathetic example of humanity was driving (I use the term very, very loosely) at speeds of between 15 - 25 mph in a 40.


With his rear fog lights on (it wasn't foggy)


He stopped in the middle of the road for no reason, without warning.


Twice.


He braked, slowing down to 15mph, everytime someone passed him on the other side of the road.


That's only about 12-15 times then in, what, a mile and half?


Totally oblivious to the queue behind him, and I guess, everything else around him (but he did like the white lines on the road).


He turned off right at the Gaywood lights as you head into Kings Lynn, with the Gaywood turn on the left.


So, does anyone kow this pratt? If you happen to end up behind this dangerous driver you have my sympathy. Especially if, like what happened to me and about eight cars stuck behind him, you can't overtake him because the other side of the road's really busy..


It's about time these compulsory tests came in for these....these.....people. Prefably, once a month,if not weekly, making the culprits take their test on 60mph, unlit roads at night. Only then, will we be able to ban these really dangerous drivers from our roads. That makes it safer for the rest of us.


And it's about time the Police started to concentrate on the roadworthiness of the drivers, not just that of the cars.