Trials and Tribulations

Not much to report from Magpie Towers. It's been a very trying week I'm glad it's over.

Thank you for all the outrage over the builder next door nicking land, I should have clarified we rent not own, otherwise believe me I'd have been in there giving him what for!
Instead I took pictures and reported it to our rental agency who came out on behalf of our landlady on Wednesday to measure and take more pictures. Apparently a cease and desist letter will be winging it's way to the builder very shortly, so there's mud in his eye.

We did a little bit more of the mammoth patio clean. This time round it wasn't so bad as I was prepared for just how much mess Himself was capable of making!

Only the last strip at the side there to go. No idea what that big grey splodge in the middle is, clearly something of a different mix got spilled at one time!

Work has been a bit of a nightmare, we had an interview day on Monday and I wore a new frock. New in that it hasn't managed to have an outing since I bought it a little while ago.

It's a bit big around the boobs but fine under a cardigan until I get round to taking it in.

Anyway to set the work scene, we have one head of department and 3 managers in my office. Of those the head of department and one of those managers in on long term sick right now, one other manager finishes on Friday for a year's maternity leave and the last one goes on holiday for 3 weeks on Wednesday. We also have 2 empty posts right now, so to say those of us who are left are feeling the strain is a bit of an understatement.

I also realised I had managed to lose a stone out of my engagement ring at some point. It's one of the pinprick sized diamonds so not something I'm likely to ever see again but very upsetting none the less. I've had the ring 15 years now so I'm kind of attached to it.

I took it in to get a quote on replacing it and came away thoroughly patronised. I think the girl thought she was being friendly and chatty, well she was certainly chatty.
When I said it was Miss not Mrs for the name she went "Oh you're STILL just engaged" "Oh bless you" in such a pitying voice I couldn't decide whether to burst out laughing or punch her.

She clearly thought that I have been stoically waiting with my upper lip stiffened for Himself to finally come to his senses and marry me.When the truth of the matter is he'd gallop down the aisle faster than his feet could touch the ground if  I'd only agree to it, so it's actually been me who has balked at the idea all these years!  

In fact a couple of friends joked that maybe this was a sign and I should finally replace the engagement ring with a plain band, but frankly that seems like a very expensive and excessive way to replace it to my mind.

Then on top of that our washing machine died, and being the notorious tightwad she is, our landlady replaced it with the cheapest piece of junk she could find. I'm absolutely gutted. We have gone from a very reliable workhorse to something that barely scraps a 1 star review on various sites on the internet and even the washing machine engineers call it 'cheap and nasty'.

 It has such a small drum capacity I can't even do the bedding in one load!?! That's only a duvet cover, 2 pillow cases and a sheet by the way, it's seriously that tiny.
The average 40 degree cycle also takes a whopping 3 hours and 20 minutes from start to finish. So not only am I going to have to do many more washes than before they are going to take me forever.

We don't have the spare cash at the moment but if we did I would seriously look at buying our own machine and asking for this thing to be taken away. It really was a shit way to end a shit week.

Having said that we did go out for drinks on Friday night. Someone I used to work with at the library was leaving for pastures new. We met in the K.A (King's Arms) which was kind of weird, I haven't been in there since I left the library 5 years ago. It's the pub right opposite the library so always full of students and library staff.
The funny thing was they have clearly redecorated and yet they have just put all the old pictures back up in exactly the same places, right down to the incredibly faded Guinness adverts above the noticeboard!

 I remember them doing the black and white photo shoot of all the staff and regulars back in 1989 so in a way it's quite cool that they still have those pictures up nearly 30 years later but god it made me feel old.