Clarity

You've got to agree. I'm game for almost anything. Even when my school-chum called me and said that she thought that dressing up in pinnies (handmade from Ikea curtains)



would be a good idea (I'm not there, I'm taking the photo!), and also tripping along to a Singalonga Sound Of Music in Winchester would be something I'd enjoy.

I was doubtful. Very doubtful. But I like singing. And I like an evening out. And I like Julie Andrews. (If it was Petula Clarke I don't think I could have managed to force myself to go.) So I thought I'd give it a try.

It was a blast! Never have I seen so many men dressed as nuns. What is it with men taking any opportunity to dress in womens' clothing? They were all leering and really enjoying every moment!



There was an intermission which was nice, a blast from the past enabling us to go and get some much-needed drinks and Pringles. The whole event was four hours long. I enjoyed it much, much more than I thought I would, and I'm up for it if they ever do a Singalonga-Mary-Poppins or a Singalonga-Wizard-Of-Oz.

How very strange that I should have enjoyed it so much!

Well, the interview went well - so well that I've just been called and offered the position! I'm not going to count my chickens though as I now have to wait for them to take up references and they will send through a contract and offer letter. Salary has not been discussed yet...... I have provisional start date of 14th August though, so I'd better get on with enjoying what time off I have left.

I'm surprised to be offered the job as it's very responsible and will have direct reports. I'd written it off as I managed to leave my mobile phone on the boot of the car when I drove away..... not the best omen!! I realised this some miles on and turned around to see if I could find it, and find it I did, in the middle of the road with the cover ripped up. Lucky it hadn't bounced into a verge or gutter or something. I thought the phone was a goner, but after investigation I found that it still worked fine and had only slight cosmetic damage. I've ordered a new cover on Ebay. And people say that Motorola Razrs are fragile! I Don't Think So.

I went to the doc's this morning and can officially say that I'm cured, and the remaining irritation should clear itself up quite happily all on it's own. This is a huge relief. Hopefully my stomach will now slowly get back to normal and my energy levels will rise. Not that they haven't been - the last part of last week and the weekend I did not have to have a sleep during the day and talking is now not such a pain.

Which is a very good job as I have an interview during which I need to give a presentation on Thursday..... :-(

I have a friend who is showing a strange and worrying new trend. She bought a share in a mare. The mare seemed to be getting fat and lazy, so Caroline put her gradually back into work. The mare had a problem with her joints or something, so had a form of radium treatment. Shortly afterwards, a surprise foal appears in the field!! No-one had any clue that the mare was carrying.

Caroline was bereaved of a number of her beloved rats to old age. She bought two new rats and shortly afterwards discovered one of them was "expecting". She (the rat) then produced nine more. They are small and very cute and fast! I enjoyed playing with them, although we kept losing count.



Whatever next??!!!

Everyone I have spoken to warned me. Everyone said that these antibiotics would make me sick to my stomach. I wasn't expecting to have effects which strongly remind me of my long-departed IBS (departure aided by Aloe Vera gel). I used to describe the effects as feeling like my stomach was trying to eat itself. It's back. I sincerely hope the effects are temporary.

I visited the Mater this weekend to carry on a longstanding tradition. We have always gone to the cinema to see the Superman movies together, and I didn't see why this should be any exception.

I liked the movie. The casting of Superman was good, although I think the fella will need to grow into the role. His Clark Kent was not as geeky, bumbling and amusing as Christopher Reeve's interpretation, and I felt that the whole movie revolved far too much around the Superman/Lois/Richard love triangle. The film contains lots of preparation for films to follow - Lex clearly cottons on to the fact that the father of Lois' son is Superman and not Richard for example. The film was supported by an excellent refreshing of the previous Superman movies' score - a real blast from the past for those of us who grew up on a diet of Superman movies in the 70s and 80s.

I was shattered the next day as we hit the hay late and these new antibiotics are affecting me more than the previous type did. I spent a long time in my mother's fantastic garden, watching a gang of sparrows that have moved in who ignored my presence almost completely.



She's a clever gardener, my mum. I also had the pleasure of visiting my little sister's new flat in Bishops Waltham (never been there before, but a nice little town!) to see how she and Max The Consummate Murderer (a proficient hunting cat!) are doing. Both are looking well and happy.

Unbelievable. I went to the doc's again this morning to have my chest listened to, and I've been told that although the infection from my lung has cleared (which is great) the infection is still there in my bronchial tubes and I now need to embark on a week's course of a different antibiotic (Erythromycin, four times per day, for those who have any clue what that it) to clear that area up.

I am so fed up. I wanted to be tidying and gardening and cycling and all I am is ill and woozy and sleepy. OK, I'm feeling miles better than I did a week ago, there's no arguing that one, but still not well enough to be doing all the things I want to do. Why couldn't I have identified and treated this whilst still in employment?? Why do I have to have this on my time??

OK. That's my rant. And now I've had my rant, I need to figure out how to still enjoy this time. I mustn't let this ruin everything and wreck my mood. Positive thinking.... Ommmmmmm......

I just spent fifteen quid (I was lucky, it should have been thirty, but the lady took pity on me) for a pest control professional to come round and tell me that the worrying traffic of common wasps, hornets and paper wasps that Ian and I have watched over the past week or so is not because we have a nest or nests in our garden, but because our neighbour has taken to leaving grapes and sultanas out on his bird-table which is just over the other side of the fence.

All duly removed, sealed and put in their wheely bin.

And this is after I had done my duty in informing them yesterday morning that I was getting pest control in to deal with a suspected wasps' nest.

Humph.

Not quite. It turns out that the illness that I thought was a summer cold and might vanish any minute now turns out, almost three weeks later, to be a rather nasty lung infection on my left side which is currently being blatted with 1500mg of Amoxicillin per day!!!!

I'm half-way into the course and can see an improvement, though not as much improvement as I would like. I'm very tired and can fall asleep at the drop of a hat at the moment.

Still, at least I know now I'm not infectious and can have visitors! Relief. I'm getting so bored of this now.

It came on with a burst of dizzy fits and an irritated throat on Sunday 25th June. I pushed through it like an idiot for the whole of the following week as I needed to do some quality handover to my colleague in The Netherlands. I then left work and collapsed in a heap, convinced that a few days of bed rest would sort me out.

Two weeks later...... sigh. This is not how I envisaged spending my well-earned month off. Extremely frustrating. Still, as soon as I stop getting nosebleeds from the coughing I'll know I'm on the mend..... :-(

This is the First Official Day of my Gainful Unemployment. Now it's all happened I can clarify - for the first time ever in my working life I have applied for and received Voluntary Redundancy. Why have I done it? That's a hard question, and one that I'm not entirely at liberty to answer, but it has mainly to do with the enhanced package I have received (many thousands of pounds more than I would receive had I been made compulsarily redundant), pending offshoring, colleague morale and basically being fed up with this style of working.

It's time to try something new! I have enough that, if I'm frugal, will keep the wolf from the door for probably just under a year if all goes well. I might stay in IT - I have an open mind and would like to see what else may present itself.

I'm not going to rush into anything - I have time to let things sort themselves out in my head, and the incredible luxury of being able to have a time-out to think what I would like to do next.

Many of my colleagues were refused this opportunity, ostensibly due to "operational necessities". The compulsory redundancies are starting this month. I count myself as very lucky indeed.