Thinking time...

Although I'm back to the previous occupation of finding one, it does give me much time to think. Time to think about things, and when I look at it I'm quite lucky really. I have a decent life with a wonderful partner, I have a nice (or soon to be nice home) in a good part of west London (within the borough of Ealing) and everything is fine.

Yet sometimes I mourn for the things I left behind in Hull. Like going down to the observatory with Paul, Allan and George late on a warm summer evening (and in the winter too), the Society meetings, Sammy and her coffee shop, watching the football, all the friends across the City and all the old familiar places. All these I miss, yet I know this chance of a proper life that I have now is great, and what I should have had a long time ago. Hull would never have got me moving forward, stuck in a comfort zone as I was. Its all worth it now....

Hmm, the brown stuff might be flying soon...

Just got back from chat with the agency that placed me in the job I recently had, and from what they are saying it might mean that the ordure is about to start whizzing through the air for the company that employed me. Seriously. I might not be in it up to my neck but I sure might well be the cause of it for other people. Heh. And you know something, I don't care too much, apparently the company owes me a days holiday pay, plus I was never paid for either of the Bank Holidays that happened while I was employed there. That's just the tip of the iceberg, more later on when I get to hear about it. However the agency have offered to have a word with other local companies that they know who deal in the same products as the original company, which help I was happy to accept.

I'd like to welcome the newest subscribers to the Yahoo site, good to see you all, some of you know me well, or just know me. Especially young Gillian, I haven't forgotten the buckets of water or the cooking oil in the coffee, she knows what I mean, I have a long memory! If you want to read posts from the past I believe the link is on the bottom of the Yahoo message this came in...

Life's a B*tch...

Ok I know its been such a long time since I updated here, but a lot has happened since then.
Ok, in the middle of April, I managed to get work, at a company that produces windows and double glazing, and after a tricky settling in period, everything was going swimmingly. I was starting to enjoy my time there, the work wasn't TOO arduous and I was making friends with the other people in the office. That was interesting in itself as I was the only european in that office. Many times conversations were flying over my head, being in punjabi. Now some people would have taken offence at that but I figured, well if its something I need to know they will tell me! However yesterday (Friday 6th), I got called to see the personnel office, to say that due to a problem with my New Deal financing (i.e. the Employment Services were not forthcoming with any), they couldn't afford to keep me on. At least it wasn't for the quality of my work or my timekeeping, which I was assured was very good on both counts. I had noticed though, that the orders were not really coming in, in sufficient numbers, to keep two people busy putting those orders on to production system. Some days the total orders reached about 30-35 windows, which is about a couple of hours work for two people. Last year it was quite normal to get orders totalling about 100 a day, which would have been a challenge for me. So its back to scanning the papers and harrassing the jobcentre. So many plans ruined, ah well.

The one good thing that came out in the time since I posted last is that my football team, Hull City, have finally reached their dream in being promoted to the Premiership, the ultimate league in the world. After finishing 3rd in the Championship, they earned the right to enter the playoff series and after two devastating displays against Watford, whom they thrashed 6-1 over two games, they faced Bristol City at Wembley. Just getting this far was enough to make all City fans proud, but Wembley! We'd never been there before! On a warm Saturday afternoon, the teams fought an absorbing game, which was never a thriller, and an amazing 20 yard volley from the old campaigner, 39 years young, Dean Windass, sent Hull City in the Promised land. There were tears of joy as the final whistle went at the end of the game, even from me, and I was sat in a pub cos I couldn't get a ticket. Oh yes, two milestones reached in just 3 weeks, the first visit to football's most famous arena, AND a season in the most lucrative league in the world. Of course some pundits are saying we won't survive but let's just wait and see...