This afternoon we had an appointment with the chap who was to take photographs of the house for its House for Sale schedule. The DP made the appointment.
(I would have made it for next week to give me a chance/time to do the major declutter.)
So I was up at 5.30a.m. to do my bit.
( I had my Art Group yesterday morning and am still collapsing in an afternoon.)
At 10 I had to be at a board meeting at the Lighthouse Museum. Hence my early start. I did quite a bit, including the bathroom cleaned.
I gave the DP a list of what was to do, as I shot off. He was not happy to remove things aka House Doctoring and said, "They are buying a dream."
Well, yes, but not ours.
The Kitchen with window sill almost denuded of mass of orchids, only three flowering at the moment.
Dining room, still looking like a Doctor Who scene - but they are 'buying a dream'. (Psychedelic Nightmare.)
Sitting room. The above photographs are from the DP. The Photographer, who had a much larger lens than the DP, went into each room and CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND HIM ? Also moved stuff around, which I had said to do should he wish. He moved the chair in the sitting room where I always wanted it! But the DP doesnt. (Its his chair.)
Tomorrow morning we have our first viewing of our list of potential future homes. The second is Monday. The owner of the one on Monday works 'off shore' as many do round here. (Oil industry.) So our viewing is by the handyman of the solicitor. I am sure he will know all about the house.......At least he can turn the key.
Serious stuff going on around us is birth. Fortunately I am past all that.
Feathers and furry beasts increasing all around us.
Serious stuff but very pleasing.
Now let us go back a bit. Remember I was up at 5.30a.m. to do my bit. Well one of my bits is the bathroom I use. The DP has the shower room upstairs. So I cleaned the bathroom to within and inch of its life. It gleamed.
On my return from the board meeting the photographer followed me in so I did not visit the bathroom. When he had gone I did visit the bathroom. Immediately I saw the bath.
"
Why would the photographer stand in the bath?" I asked the DP.
"Oh, that would be me. I was polishing the shiny bits."
Definitely getting serious here.
I was chatting to a bloke today and he said, "Its not all about how much money you make, its about enjoying what you do."
Well its nice if you can do that, in fact its wonderful if you can do that, but when you have children, or other dependents then there isn't the choice is there.
Four kids, and I am still beating myself up, I breast fed the lot of them,they had home cooked food, but it was MINCE, was all we could afford, so far no one has showed any signs of BSE. (Although two are vegetarian now.) (Bloody annoying when they come to visit.)
I am extremely fortunate that I am now retired, with a state pension, (ho ho) and a small works pension and partner ditto. No mortgage due to downsizing. Financially I have never been so well off in that bills are budgeted for, therefore paid, and apart from keeping a careful eye on the expenditure I can pretty well do what I want.
But it hasnt always been like that.
Since leaving school I have worked as local government clerical officer, barmaid in a Cornish Hotel,
Proof reader local newspaper, main error, " We sat and saw her stinking", instead of "We sat and saw her sinking.",
Trainee Consumer Protection Officer, Trading Standards, qualified as Consumer Protection Officer, (Diploma in Consumer Affairs = DCA, after my name, ) Senior Consumer Protection Officer, made redundant when the Tories took over, best case, "So,when you described this car as being in 'Mint Condition', you knew it had a hole through the middle?" I won the case, although gathering the evidence I had a pitchfork thrown at me.
Was redeployed rather than redundancy so became a Finance Clerical Officer, got pregnant, became Registered Childminder, got pregnant, set up and ran Playgroup, got pregnant, ran toddler group and playgroup, got pregnant, became a Market Researcher as well as toddler group and playgroup. I am getting tired just reading this again.
College,age 40, became fully qualified Nursery Nurse, NNEB after name, now DCA, NNEB. Along with legal qualification and child development qualification became Inspector of Childrens Day Care for Social Services, role now taken over by OFSTED.
I could not find any images of female inspectors, so ....what does that tell you on Womens Day.
Had 'burnout' one down from nervous breakdown, another story, retired on ill health, but stilll had to bring the pennies in, so -checkout operator at Morrisons,
and special needs teaching assistant with responsibility for three behaviourally challenged primary school age boys, one of which dragged me up a corridor by the hair; funding cut and despite my making vast improvements on all three, including the one who dragged me up the corridor, enough is enough - we moved to Scotland and we then set up and ran a bed and breakfast. Phew.
Then had to deal with people from all over the World, chilli with scrambled eggs (?) Mumbai, the USA's "Waal I have a wheat intolerance, " "How do you cut all that graaaass?" (USA,) Well actually its a field of Barley....
Now retired. And can now really enjoy what I do. Well, it never is that plain sailing is it.
But thats another story. A current one, and looking back on all that, well most of the time, I did enjoy it.
My goodness, how did I do all that, and why?
But I did. Enjoy life. Now what about you?
