Redundancy

Well as the tiltle says this blog is about redundancy. Pete's redundancy. Yep for the 3rd in as many years Pete has been made redundant again. we found out this afternoon whilst sitting in McDonalds getting Hannah a treat for being such a brave girl about her injections. the first thing that jumps to mind is 'how are we going to pay the bills' and we have quite a lot of them. Fortunately the mortgage got paid today so at least that doesn't need finding. I can always work extra hours at McDonalds but its not gonna help all that much. Pete has applied for a job as a student paramedic in the North East but that might not be for another 6 months. So how are we gonna cope? I haven't got a clue and to be honest I dont do 'having faith' very well. I can just see that no money is coming in and we're screwed. we're already sitting in the overdraft and that could very well go over. pete has the offer of work here and there but in this climate we all need more than that. So we are just another statistic being added to the unemployed register. I'll update you all as things go and hopefully (we pray) Pete will get this job in the north east. Apart from it being a job with more security in it that previous jobs he's had, its what he would really like to do.

Speak, Lord, for thy servant is listening

I wanted to write about an experience I had just recently. I was praying on Sunday about when we would find out some news and pete's application to the London Ambulance Service. I heard a voice in my head saying next week, but thought it was just me thinking it. I told Pete and he asked if I had an answer to which I said no. Anyhow on friday when the post arrived I was upstairs and looked over the banister rail to downstairs and saw the post on the floor. On the top was a third A4 envelope with stamping over it, so i asked Hannah to bring the post up to me. Joshua came to help as well and you can probably guess what that envelope was......yep a letter from the London Ambulance Service! So much for having faith and believing that it was God speaking to me. (my class report would say something like must step out in faith more).

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday and I am 32 years old. I was excited yesterday but then today its just another day really. Mum & Dad took me and Charlotte to see Riverdance - The Final Tour so that was exciting to go and see. We didn't know until we got there. I think as time goes by birthdays dont get as exciting as they used to be. Finances are so tight so its difficult to splash out. Oh well. Life is going on pretty much as usual. Work, School, Church. We have Spring Harvest to look forward to and finding out which school Hannah is appointed in about two weeks time. Might take to kids out to Pizza Hut for tea tonight. Pete's out all night as well today so I might just treat myself.

Still Here

Hello, this post is really just to say we are still here and I haven't posted for a while because there is not a lot to post about. I haven't broken any other bones is my body, the car hasn't broken down, the kids are happy so life is pretty normal at the moment. However it is half term and the kids and I are having a mini break by staying over at Mum & Dad's (just half an hour away!!!) I'm taking the kids for out for lunch at McD's today and tomorrow we are going to Westonbirt Arboretum so I might have more to say about that and maye some pictures if I remember the camera. I will try and blog soon.

Our trip to Holland

In October half term -last week in October - we took a holiday to visit some friends in Holland. We took the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland. We left our house on the sunday at about 9am and did a family 'tour of duty' visiting various relatives that live in the Essex/Hertfordshire area. We were booked onto the overnight ferry which didn't leave Harwich until 23.45hrs.
We got onto the ferry about 11pm, found our cabin and settled in for the night. Pete and I had to share the beds with kids as they were bunks which aren't really suitable for small people. We arrived in Holland about 6am and after passing through customs ventured out onto the open road. Thankfully SatNav reminded us that we needed to drive on the right hand side. The journey to Amersfoort was about an hour long and very flat, apart from an area called the dykes which is just outside of the ferry port which the roads had been raised up (all man-made) to stop flooding as the area is below sea level. It was a lovely drive (i can say that as I wasn't driving!!) but thank goodness for SatNav. Whilst we were there we went to a place called Zaanse Schans which had lots of windmills and is situated on the River Zaans. We climbed up inside a windmill, had a look at the cheese shop, saw a clog demonstration (the Health and Safety people would've gone mad - no protective glass for the tourists to prevent them getting hit by stray bits of wood, wooden posts as seats. You can just imagine someone with a clipboard writing all these things down, you wouldn 't get away with it in England). We went into Amsterdam on the train which Hannah loved. Went on a canal boat trip and I almost got run over by bikes too many times. They even have multi-storey bike parks which are crammed full of bikes - you wouldn't see it over here. We spent an afternoon looking round Amersfoort, getting a little bit soaked. We went to a cafe and I had the most delicious hot chocolate, it was just lovely. They also had a kids play area on the first floor which was great for the kids BUT there was no stair gate to prevent kids from falling downstairs. (The HSE would have those clipboards out again!!) I do like the Dutch attitude though, I think in this country we no longer allow people to use their common sense or parents to look after their kids. We've probably gone too far down the line of protecting people from themselves. Anyway enough of the politics.
We had a lovely time away, and it sadly came to end all to quickly. Back to work, reality sets in again.

update on broken arm

this is really going to be a short blog just to update anyone who actually reads this. my arm is healing nicely and i need to be using it. Doctor was not happy that i still had the sling with me, i debated about taking it with me and it was a gabmle i lost. anyway it is now in the bin. I am going back to work monday week and i have my final appointment in early december, so then i will get the x-ray pictures and can then post them on here.!!!!!

The broken arm

Well, its been a while since i last blogged. it is 4am and both Pete & I cantr sleep so we're both downstairs on our computers. I know its really sad. Anyway, my arm. It is now out of its bandage and kind of left to its own devises in a way. I'm not allowed to put pressure on it but am allowed to exercise it a little. i am seeing the consultant on friday to see what is going on - how thw bone is healing etc. I can post some pics of the lovely scars I have to show for it as well.

Anyway, what else is happening in our lives..... Pete started his new job mid- September and is enjoying it. He works from home so if there is no job booked in he doesn't go into work. Oftentimes the jobs he has booked in are cancelled so he is free for the rest of the day. Last sunday he started to lay the patio which is good but the pesky neighbourhood cats keep pooing in the sand.

Hannah started pre-school at the beginning of the month, attending 3 days mornings a week. We now move onto 4 mornings a week for this month and after the holdiays we go to 5 mornings a week. I dont know about her but I am knackered from having to get up so early every morning.

She's really enjoting it, painting, play dough, going outside etc. This week we also have an outing to a local arboretum which'll be quite exciting, and the christmas outing is to clearwell caves so i hiope to be able to get on that trip as a parent helper.

When i'm back to full health I hope to take josh swimming once a week on my day off whilst hannah is at school. He is such a little character and such a boy - investigating everythting, copying his sister, wanting to more than his body will allow etc

Anyway that is about it for the time being.