A Family Sized Challenge

I had a family christening to attend today, the youngest daughter of my sister-in-law. For me, it was another one of those awkward family gatherings that I used to cope so well with. Now it is just a struggle, something I never really enjoy and hours of wishing I was somewhere else. I do wonder if I manage to hide how I really feel. I've never really been any good at small talk and prefer for others to speak to me. I'm OK when that happens, but I simply don't have the courage any more to start a conversation myself. The confidence I once had has all but gone. This is how I am in 'family' situations. How different it is at my Tuesday A&D support group. I'm at ease there and I feel able to start a conversation and keep it going. I'm amongst friends there, people who were a few months ago complete strangers, but people who now know more about me than my family. I know this sounds mad, but it is true. For there is so much I am able to discuss with my friends that I wouldn't dream of mentioning in the presence of family. I know my friends feel the same way, so perhaps it is more common than I'd realised.
Alcohol does give me a degree of temporary false confidence, but it doesn't mix well with the tablets and I soon find myself becoming very drowsy and often get a headache. I do find that since my illness, I am left pretty much to myself and rarely does anyone attempt a conversation with me. I think this is a natural reaction - some people prefer to steer clear.
How relaxed I feel now I am set free and back in the safety of my own home. I can be myself here and jig my leg as much as I want without stares from those who like to judge. I can feel like this in one other place, each Tuesday amongst those who understand me and accept me. Why can't family be like this and why does it feel so foreign to be amongst them?

I have my father-in-law's notebook computer to repair. He's managed to get some kind of virus on to it. I know when he calls what to expect. It's always something to do with his computer, and my heart sinks at the prospect of having to help him. It's not so much the task, it's more the explaining why it has happened. How do I tell him he's simply downloading too much junk? How do I tell him not to click the download button on every game he comes across? It's such a dilemma and being the only 'IT guy' in the family, it's a burden I simply cannot escape.

We had a mini-tornado here last Thursday. The weather has been freaky all week and local events have been cancelled due to the heavy rain. I managed to capture the twister on my camera phone on the way back from a visit to the library. It had caused some damage which was evident from the number of roof repairs taking place the following day. It's not something you see every day...

I have a date for my NHS Volunteer Service interview - it's on the 3rd of July and being a Tuesday I'll be at the venue anyway. It's all a formality really as I've been in the role for some time, and like any similar role, a CRB check has to be completed.

Finally, it's an evening dominated by football once more and the roads around here are wonderfully quiet. Oh how I wish they could be like this all the time. Followers will know by now that I'm not exactly a fan of football, perhaps another reason why I feel so awkward around my football-loving family. I'll be checking the score of course, and if it goes Italy's way then tomorrow is sure to be a day of misery... If we do well, then we face Germany, and part of me does get ever so slightly excited by the prospect - but that's all!

Another step forward

Today I received a letter from the bus company I'm soon hoping to be working for. It asked for me to sign a copy and return which I did straight away. It also said that they would be in touch to let me know the date and time of my medical. Provided I pass this, then they look forward to welcoming me to a 'rewarding and enjoyable' career. Little do they know that this has been my career of choice since I was old enough to speak. So I'll wait now for the appointment details for my medical. As I mentioned previously, I am on a strict diet in the hope that I can get my weight down. I'm not starving myself but I am cutting out all the snacks I used to eat during the day and the evening. I've actually managed to supplement them with carrots, which I do enjoy and also find quite filling.

In other news, my parents today received a letter from their bank telling them they had credited their account with the money paid to those crooks at First Class Trucking Ltd, who recently went into administration whilst owing tens of thousands of pounds to many unfortunate people. What I do find ridiculous though is the fact that having credited the money they also threaten to take the money back if it's found that the course was made available. I would have thought common sense would dictate that the money should be credited once the investigation was complete and the bank had no doubts whatsoever that the vendor was at fault...
Call me Mr Picky but surely that's normal practice?
So I'll be writing a further letter to them pointing out the error of their ways.
Some good news then and certainly a significant step forward in my grand plan but an erroneous outcome with the bank...

On the vegetable garden, birds have been eating my seedlings so I have deployed garden netting in the hope that I can prevent them from getting close to my plants.

Having blamed the birds, I have just caught a slug on its way to munch through another of my seedlings. Luckily I was able to stop the bugger and deploy him swiftly to next door's garden...

Vegetable Garden Update & Some Possible Good News

I had a call last Thursday from the guy that interviewed me the previous day in Peterborough. He had an odd question to begin with - my weight. Apparently there is a weight limit for driving that I had to be under. I told him I was and he replied 'thank God' followed by 'provided you pass the medical, you've got the job'. That was fantastic news. They are sending me a letter which should arrive in the next few days. It should tell me when my medical will be. Hopefully it will be next week and provided I pass this I should start training soon after.
It'll be great to get back into work doing the job I want to do and be able to help my wife with the bills. Needless to say, I'm chuffed to bits and can't wait to start training behind the wheel. The medical is the only thing standing in the way at the moment. I am diabetic - type 2 treated with tablets - and I do take a good few tablets each day. It shouldn't prevent me from driving though, provided I keep the diabetes under control.
So, I'm just waiting for the letter now. Peterborough is a good 45 minute drive from where I live but provided I leave enough time, it should be fine. After all, I enjoy driving and I used to do the trip to and from work for several years previously.

My seedlings are really starting to shoot up. I have broccoli, spinach, carrots and cucumbers on the go at the moment as well as my tomato vines. I'll prepare the ground in the next couple of weeks to receive the plants once they're a little stronger.

I'm also having a go at growing some herbs - rocket, thyme, coriander and mint. At our local 99p store, I picked up rather a nice honeydew melon growing kit so I'm giving that a go too! Well, why not? What we don't have a use for I'm sure the rest of the family will be glad of.

Oh, in preparation for my imminent medical (whenever the company decide to let me know), I am on a strict diet. Basically, I'm eating loads of vegetables and steering clear of anything fattening. It's not easy but it's certainly worth doing. My aim is to lose about 6-8 lbs. I've developed an odd craving for carrots which do an excellent job of keeping the hunger pangs at bay.

So now I'm waiting for that letter to arrive, to confirm to me that I didn't imagine the interview I had last week and subsequent phone call offering me a job pending a medical. I really hope it arrives soon. My mortgage insurance company are getting picky, more so than ever it seems, so any good news I can give them will be a good thing.

I'm keeping a close eye on the weather. It's bright, sunny and warm. In fact the sun is quite hot when it emerges from behind the clouds. The storm clouds are gathering though - we are forecast very heavy rain this afternoon and thunderstorms in places. I'm holding off watering my vegetable seedlings and tomatoes just in case.

OK, that's an update on where I'm at right now.

Interview

I was surprised to get a call this afternoon from the company in Peterborough I had applied to only yesterday for a driving role. What's more, they wanted to see me at 3pm giving me a little over an hour to get ready and drive to their offices in Peterborough. I arrived just in time having been diverted via Cowbit and I was seen straight away. The interview went well. I was tested on basic arithmetic, highway code and health and safety. Despite having no time to prepare, I did manage to pass, which I'm pleased about. I suppose the more interviews and tests you have, the better you get at them.
After a few more questions, I was told that I would know if I've been successful in the coming five days. It's a training role to begin with but once training is complete and I've gained my license, I'll be put on a 'nursery' rota. This consists of a variety of shifts starting at 5.30 in the morning and ending at 12.30 at night.
I'm not going to get overly-optimistic at all as I've been bitten too many times in the past. I did my best - at short notice - and that's what matters. I know I'm a good driver and I know I can better myself to gain a professional driving license. I hope they know that...

Progress!

I received rather a nice call earlier from a company I had sent my details to a few weeks ago in relation to transport jobs - Translinc in Lincoln. They provide specialist transport for the county and local bus services to rural communities. To my utter surprise, the nice lady at the other end asked me if I would be interested in driving for them. Wow - a complete shock! I almost lost my breath trying to respond to her, I think she could tell I was happy... They run little buses 8-14 seaters providing an on demand service for rural villages which then connect with the main bus network. The job would be to drive one of these on a full time basis. I's exactly what I've been looking for. Also, having read about my struggle to gain my full PCV license, the nice lady informed me that they provide full training for their drivers towards their full PCV enabling them to drive larger buses and coaches. I could not believe what I was hearing. There is hope! She told me she would call on Monday with a time so I can visit the depot for an interview with the manager there. I can't wait! What a difference a call can make...