positive job evaluation

A photo of me on teaching practice

How are you? I was delighted to get a phone call from you the other night and it gave me lots of food for thought, especially your comments about the African continent and African peoples as opposed to general cultural attitudes shown by peoples from Asia and the Far East. I still imagine that where I may end up will be largely luck – I don’t think I ever imagined I would live for this long in Luton.

I got some good news this week. My job was re-evaluated and my grade has gone up. What this means in financial terms is that the monies I have agreed to send A* each month will be covered without me extending my mortgage at this juncture – which has to be good news! I can also cover the car insurance for J1 (£1800!) and my solicitor’s fees with the compensation for my accident which only leaves me to find the money to put my old Citroen back on the road for another year which is manageable. I felt the gods were smiling on me this week.

I told you that I had got a date through for my decree nisi and I wrote to the solicitor this week stressing I needed all my house paperwork through before the absolute. I also questioned about my parental rights to take J2 abroad if I go overseas to work for a significant period of time and where the children stood in relation to inheriting from FH if he doesn’t change his old will.

I had a mortifying incident at Tesco last Friday where I had blithely gone on using my old card in spite of them sending me a new one and it expired so wouldn’t accept my bill. When I checked it at the cash point it said I had carried out an illegal transaction and at that point, worried that I hadn’t any money in, that someone had accessed my card or some other terrifying disaster, I trekked across town to Siobhan who lent me her card and allowed me to retrieve my melting purchases. Luckily all was resolved the next day, but God bless the Irish!

Siobhan is still in limbo as her ex, who has disappeared and can only be contacted through a solicitor, is now saying he wants half of the equity on the house which she is now prevented from selling but can’t afford the mortgage for.

Jenny (I am telling you all this to add to your imaginary cameos of these people) had a horrid experience last Friday where newly separated hubby Dave, who was telling her he loved her dearly and wanted to come back, walked into the same restaurant she was dining in with their 13 year old son, with lover (he was allegedly no longer seeing) on his arm. Much yelling and tears and in and out of the restaurant ensued (which I could never handle because it just sounds too horrid and traumatic for me to deal with). Anyway, she now has a strategy from Relate about boundaries to their trial separation, but as Dave asked her how much maintenance she wanted for their son, I’m not sure where his head is at. He did mention one amusing thing though. Apparently, the ‘separated’ men refer to themselves as ‘the damned’ – such laddish arrogance. When I told FP this, he said we should set up the female equivalent and call ourselves, ‘don’t give a damn’ which made me laugh.

Lots of late night meetings this last week, but interesting ones – an estate consultation on re-developing a shopping/community complex, a member review on the future options for Hitchin Town Hall, a Village Halls event at Barkway (quite a beautiful village just outside Royston that hosts the second largest stud in Europe), the AGM of the CAB and tonight (Friday) Scrutiny committee’s Area Governance sub group. The whole community centre/village halls/public halls agenda is at the forefront of district thinking at the moment with an asset management review. This week things have been hotting up and getting really interesting – plus some political machinations of the most extraordinary kind over a Community Development Officer appointment. The brain cells are fired at amber which is good.

A* goes to uni tomorrow and FH is giving her a lift up there. I’m OK about that though I think some people think I am lacking in maternal instincts not needing to perform that role myself. She has upset me a bit this week – not being around, but asking in a nasty way for money, but I am not falling out with her. Some of it is just adolescent self-centredness and Siobhan assures me ( and she had a dreadful time with her teenage daughter) that if she wasn’t sure I loved her she wouldn’t be confident enough to bugger off and do her own thing and not consider me. I am sure you will not agree with any of that!

I am vaguely angsting about whether I am capable of plugging the battery back in the car or where I will get it recharged if it has gone flat, a damp patch on the hall ceiling directly below the bathroom that I thought I had sorted (I think the bathroom tiles may need re-grouting), but otherwise all is well.

I think it’s OK to be tetchy and difficult as you actually express the beautiful bits in yourself in other ways, through your building projects and through the dedication and professionalism you bring to your work.