Good days and bad days...............

...............Thankfully mostly good days!!! Life has been a bit hum drum the past week or two - just trying to keep up with normal routine things. And trying to keep in touch with my friend Lynne from over at The Giggle Fest. 
But more of that in a mo......




The good days................ Well, big drum roll here please................Matthew has started his new job!!!! Yahooooo!!!
He has been out of work since this time last year. It has been really hard to try and stay positive. Loads of job applications and some interviews. Sometimes the number of hours just wasn't right, or he was told he didn't have the experience or whatever.
But a couple of months ago he went for an interview for a Support Worker job. It was with a company who help support various people - learning disabilities, elderly, people recovering from addictions. The interview went well and he waited.
A couple of weeks later, he got a call to offer him the job, subject to references and the disclosure. The references were fine. The disclosure took a while to come thru. NOT i have to say because he has done anything that would show up. It's just that the way it's done has been changed in the past 8 or 9 months and people are still trying to get used to it.


In the end, it was fine. So he got a call asking if he could start last Sunday.
Could he??? MMmmmmmm - duh - YES!!!!! He'd have gone in that day if he'd been asked!!!


So far it seems to be going well. Since Matthew took his redundancy from BT nearly 8 years ago, this is the kind of job he has wanted to do. He seemed to go round the houses to get there mind you, but he has at last got it. He's worked in Care Homes - not really what he wanted - too regimented and the residents seemed to end up sitting in the day room watching mindless tv while the carers moaned and bitched. He worked as a postie - mmmm - less said bout that the better - not a nice environment. An women are meant to  bitchy!!! Try men!!!
He worked as an industrial cleaner.
Ok - it was money and really put him off eating in some places.


But this year he hasn't sat about - he did some voluntary work with Epilepsy  Connections. And I have been feeding him a lot of stuff about Peter's support. Like it or loathe it - it seems to be the way that the Council wants to do its support to people like Peter.


So i think it all helped. The first week went well and he has 3 training days next week.


The not so good stuff is Lynne's son Jack. Long story short, he's just not been well tha past 6/8 weeks or so. I feel for Lynne and her daughter Holly. I'm in Glasgow, they're in Elgin - good couple of hundred miles apart and i can't even go and make her a cuppa. They have been doing the "Grand Tour" of hospitals on the East Coast of Scotland.


 Not got to the West yet- and i'm kinda hoping it stays that way!!! Not that i don't want to see them - it's just that if he ends up at sick kids here in Glasgow, it means he's really not well - not just a bit not well ,but blue lights, sirens and maybe helicopters not well. And i don't want that.


I have sent emergency chocolate supplies to Lynne to cheer her up. It's not much, but i'm hoping it helps.


SO - that's been me the past few days. Making sure Matthew gets up and then checking FB or my texts to see how Jack is doing.


So tomorrow is another day and another week. I hope it brings better news for Jack and Lynne. 

if nothing much is happening here..............

.....................Why do i feel as if i'm running around so much?!?!?!?!


I know - i shouldn't really complain - it keeps me out of mischief and away from the ironing pile!!!


At long last tho, we are getting a handle on our workers. We now have cover for a wednesday and it means i don't have to hang about college like a spare part waiting for Peter! Cheryl is doing the pick up and entertaining for just now.
So i went off and did some shopping this morning and then headed home - i almost expected a call from the college to say no one had come to get Peter. They are pretty useless  about stuff like this and expect us to jump. 


My paperwork got sorted and i headed to the Lawyers on Monday. No mean feat to get outta the door!! I had to bribe the cat with some cheesy dreammie treats (the treats cats crave so the packet tells me!!!!) Having got her out of the dining room and closed the door, she decided to flee up the stairs. 


So there was me, standing having a conversation with a cat about how i HAD to get out and would she PLEASE get down the stairs and into the kitchen so i could close that door and, well - get out!!


Like the cat understands EVERY word i utter!!!


She prob does - just chooses to ignore them!!! Bit like the rest of the family - she is learning fast!!!


I did get into town, only to be accosted by Matthew's Auntie Chrissie, who had just met him on the bus!!! Matthew, being a typical man, had given her the bare bones of how we all were - she just wanted to add the meat to it and find out how we all really were!!!  Chrissie is lovely and she would never walk by without saying hello.


So eventually, i got to the Lawyers. I feel better now that the stuff she needed was there and given that i have had no call to say otherwise, i'm kind of assuming it was just what she needed.


Peter and i went to see Arthur Christmas yesterday - we found it good and Arthur and Grandsanta reminded me a lot of what Peter and my friend's Dad on Skye are like!! Just nice to see 2 generations doing something together!!! I will not give the story away, lest any of you wish to go see!!!!


Now that i feel better and am not going to moan about any more, i'm going to go and make a start on some of the captions and photos i have printed out for the scrapbook i'm doing!!!

Never enough.........

......................Hours in the day or days in the week!!!


I feel as if i've been running around trying to get some things done and not really getting anywhere. 
Just as well i'd had those few days on Skye to relax, laugh and enjoy with Linda.
Mind you - Peter was relaxing, laughing and enjoying with Lachie, so i was happy about that!!!!


Since coming back, i feel as if my ear has been stuck to the phone to sort out things, my bum on a seat at meetings or knee deep in paperwork and not finding the bit of paper i need.
Actually, i lie about the paperwork - i haven't even got that far yet, but i know i won't find it and will need to phone and get a replacement!!


First thing to do last week was to phone to check that Peter's respite for the weekend was ok. The person who deals with it had phoned while we were away.
Only trouble was , she was out of the office and they couldn't access the files needed.
Tuesday i phoned the respite family to explain - and Chris said "oh, heck, just bring him down and we'll sort it later. You know the funding is in place.


I also had a meeting with Enable to meet a new worker. Her name is Sarah and she's lovely. She's covering the thursday shift, so her and Peter are doing Art Class together. We still have to work on wednesday cover - we thought one person might be available, but they're not too keen on going swimming.
In between all this, i had to phone the Lawyer to organise an appointment to deal with the renewal of the Guardianship order we have for Peter. We have to make some changes on this, so that will be fun.
By friday, the respite was officially confirmed by the office and i had Peter's bags packed.
Done, dusted and he was going!!!


So we had a fairly quiet weekend.
A bit of shopping, started some ironing and  not much else - i seemed to lack the energy!
I picked Peter up from respite yesterday - he had a great time!! He'd been swimming and to a Halloween party . He and Sarah had gone out guising on monday evening - he came home with enough sugary sweetie things to last him an age and nearly £8!!!!


The lawyers this morning - had to fill out paperwork and thankfully, we should get Legal Aid for the application. The medical reports themselves can add up to a few hundred pounds alone before we even get a mental health report. I don't grudge paying for things, but this is one thing that i would not really be able to afford - and it's something we really need to do for Peter. Especially the financial part of it. The council have said that  we need that in place for the bank account that will eventually have Peter's support budget in it.


So it was off to the bank to ask for up to date statements, back home to look for stuff. I have found one thing we need and think i know where the other is. I may need to make a call or 2 to get another bit of info, so that'll be done the next day or so.


And i wonder why i feel so tired?!?!?!?!?!?


Just as well ASDA have Southern Comfort litre bottles on a special offer just now - i think i'll be needing a scoop or five before the week it out!!!!