More retail therapy

Have had a whole day off work today- heaven. Went for some retail therapy with my mum (she is the only one who will put up with my incessant whinings of "does my bum look big in this") and spent too much money. Oh well.
Had to boost our energy by stopping off for a drink and slab of cake in Marks & Spencer. When the lady served my cake she pulled out of it what looked suspiciously like a long hair, dropped it on the floor and then proceeded to put the plate on our tray! I don't think she realised I was watching. When I asked her if she had just removed a hair from the piece of cake she just said "I think it might have been, or it could have been a fibre from the strawberry jam"- since when has strawberry jam contained four inch long fibres? Not impressed.

Worst ever chat-up lines

I went to put petrol in my car yesterday on my way home from work- not a time or place I would expect to be chatted up. I must have looked like I had been drawn through a hedge backwards and was wearing my not so attractive work clothes, yet the guy behind the till still felt I was worthy of his rather poor chat-up lines.
Him: "Hello, how are you?"
Me: "Fine thank you, and yourself?"
Him: "Very well. Very well now that I have seen you. Yes, very well now that I have seen you."
At this point he leans forward to read the logo on my T-shirt and I start inwardly cringing. He makes another couple of random comments and I am willing my card transaction to speed up. Then, "Are you married?". WHAT?! Fortunately he was just in the process of handing back my card, so I just looked at him rather stunned, said thank you and walked out, leaving him starting to say something else- I just dread to think what!

Busy busy busy

It's been a hectic few days. I would say I am glad it's the end of the week, but I am at work all weekend yet. Interviews are over and went fairly well...apart from the two that cancelled that is...and the one that didn't turn up....and the one who was slightly late having had to buy a new pair of shoes on her way because she got caught in a torrential downpour and didn't want to squelch into her interview....and the one whose belt burst off just as she was leaving the interview room! Surprisingly, despite all that, we have found two (hopefully) very good new staff members. I do enjoy interviewing, I have met some really colourful characters over the years.

It rained...

....a lot! Other than that it was a successful day (no children lost or gained), if somewhat exhausting. Interviews tomorrow- should be interesting.

Variety is the spice of life

I've a bizarrely varied week at work ahead of me. Tomorrow I am taking a group of disabled children and teenagers to Drayton Manor Park, Wednesday I am at a training session all day, Thursday I will be interviewing for new staff and Friday I will be delivering training to 25 new volunteers. Somewhere along the line I will need to fit some paperwork in too, though I am not sure quite where at the moment. I think I must have the most varied job in existence...and definitely the best job!
Wish me luck for tomorrow- success will be gauged by us returning with the same number of people we left with (hopefully these will be the same individuals as well). Hope it doesn't rain.

A good weekend

I've spent a very pleasant weekend in the company of Mr Vole. We went to see the new Harry Potter film on Saturday- very good. It had the odd shaky moment and a lot of the detail from the book was passed over, but on the whole it was excellent. I couldn't believe the queues of people waiting to get in, I'm guessing it will definitely be a box office success.
Yesterday was spent mooching- isn't that what Sundays are for? Had a bite of lunch out and then pottered (sorry, no pun intended) around Waterstones, just to feed the Vole's book buying obsession. I did think at one point he was going to go into a frenzied rage around the store on spotting a sign above a case of books about cycling that said "Peddle Power". Appalling. A quiet word was had with the shop assistant who said that the sign had been produced by the Arndale store- not sure which was worse, the fact that they had made such a dreadful mistake in producing it, or that someone else had then put it up without spotting the error. Grrr.

Ooh, parcels!

I like coming home to find parcels waiting for me. Today I had a lovely big box delivered and what should I find in it but a Radley handbag! I don't know where that came from. Perhaps it was from when I accidently found myself on the Radley website and accidentally clicked on a rather nice bag (I think I may also have accidentally given them my address and card details- careless of me)! I must stop this unhealthy obsession with Radley- I now own five handbags, one wallet, two purses, a passport holder, a key ring and an umbrella. What shall I buy next?

It's good to be back...not

Well, it's been back to work for me today after my annual leave. I can't believe the amount of paperwork that was covering my desk this morning- ridiculous. I think I've done the equivalent of a week's work in one day- I need a holiday!
I've been shortlisting job applicants this afternoon. It was SO depressing. I know that people are desperate to find jobs at the moment, but it is really frustrating when three quarters of your applicants don't even meet the minimum requirements for the post. I was amused by the applicant whose job history included being Santa on more than one occasion- he stated the reason for leaving this job as 'seasonal work'! Well, I never would have guessed. As much as it would very useful for us to have our own professional Santa, I am afraid to say he won't be gaining an interview. Finally managed to shortlist eight for interview, so have that excitement to look forward to next week- I love interviewing!

Mmmm, chocolate

I've been feeling a little sorry for myself this week- my cold seems to have developed into mild flu-like symptoms, though I am feeling a little better today. Being ill gives me the excuse to eat chocolate though. I am a bit of a chocoholic- I don't buy it for myself that often but if it is put in front of me I cannot resist! I'm afraid that yesterday the chocolate bars at the till in the supermarket kept shouting at me (damn those retail psychologists) and in the end I gave in and bought a Cadbury's Double Decker. They must be one of my favourite chocolate bars, though as with many things in life, they aren't as good as they used to be. On that note I ask, what things in life do you feel just aren't as good as they used to be?

Big Brother is watching....

Well, I'm pretty confident I passed my passport identity interview. It's scary how much information they have on you- I began to wonder at one point if they knew more about me than I knew about myself! They asked me for all addresses I have lived at and with whom I lived, the date my parents got married, my grandparents' names, who my brother lives with, any loans or mortgages taken out in my name, any store cards I own...the list goes on. I did offer them the name of my teddy bear but they didn't need that information. It shows though just how much information the Government holds on us as individuals and how very little privacy we have in our lives.

Identify me

I have to go for my passport identity interview tomorrow. I have managed so far to go my whole adult life without venturing out of the country, but am due to visit Barcelona with my friends in September. I thought that having my passport photos taken was traumatic enough, but now I have to undergo a half hour grilling to prove I am who I say I am. The bizarre thing is that I don't have to take anything with me- no driving licence, no utility bills etc- so I am slightly unsure how they are planning to prove my identity. We shall see tomorrow.

Feeling sorry for myself

Why is it that as soon as you get some time off work, your body decides to pack up on you? I've got a stinking cold and am feeling miserable- not so much because I feel rotten, but more so because it's made me waste a day of my annual leave doing absolutely nothing. Grrrr, I am not impressed. Did eat some chocolate which cheered me up somewhat but now I feel sick too. I am determined to feel better tomorrow, I WILL NOT BE ILL....and, no, it is not swine flu.

Coincidence?...

We have our first case of swine flu in Stoke-on-Trent. Funny how it has broken out just after my new car arrived from Mexico....

Fancy making a mint?

I don't suppose you usually look too closely at the coins in your pocket. It may well be worth your while to do so. The Royal Mint have manufactured 200 000 new 20p coins without the date stamp on them and are now recalling them all, offering £50 for each one returned! Get checking your pockets!

It's way too hot....

I'm not a lover of high temperatures. Having spent an uncomfortably warm weekend at work, you would think I would be keen to keep cool on my day off. No. Instead I have spent all afternoon baking in a kitchen that has now reached temperatures equating those of a sauna. What's more, I won't even have the pleasure of eating my wonderful cakes as they are for our summer fair at the weekend. I did get to lick round one or two mixing bowls though and now feel a little sick! I think I would make someone a good wife. Any takers?

By the way....

....did I mention, I've had a new car!

Death of the cassette tape

I have collected my new car today. I successfully managed to contain my excitement over the last week but now I am like a big kid at Christmas! I think I may just leave it on the drive to look at and commute using public transport so as to avoid dirt, scratches and dastardly children trying to climb over it (I am sure that is how my old car got a dent on its bonnet). Or maybe not.
I have also finally entered the technological world by having an integral iPod dock; no longer will I be playing compilation cassettes on my car stereo. I love my iPod but I will miss playing some of my old indie classics that were copied from 7" singles (yes, I am afraid I am a vinyl junkie). Must search around for some of them on iTunes, though I fear some may just be too obscure.
I'll leave you with a couple of photos of my Beetle.

Bug alert...

After expecting a wait of six months for my new car, my Beetle is ready and waiting for me!!! I am sooooo excited. Can't quite work out why it has arrived four months earlier than estimated- hope they haven't forgotten to put the engine in!

At the car wash..

...or not. Got up this morning, earlier than I would have liked, to go to a car wash that had been organised to raise money for the Playground. Arrived at my destination after a horrible journey along the A50 (I hate that road) in the pouring rain to find out it had been cancelled. So now I am fluctuating between being cross that I missed out on a Sunday morning lie-in and relieved that I haven't had to spend four hours cleaning cars!

More training

I seem to have done more than my fair share of training recently, some of it good (the day's training and half-day seminar I attended on autism were both excellent), some of it not so good and some just plain boring. Yesterday's course fell into the latter category. Health and Safety must be the most tedious topic in existence- the most interesting part of the day was the test at the end (or exam as the trainer liked to call it) and that only took ten minutes. I was also slightly unnerved by the somewhat extreme sweatiness and laboured breathing of the trainer, I was concerned at one point that we may have to put our First Aid skills into practice! His face was absolutely pouring with perspiration and I found myself willing him not to drip all over me as he was handing out paperwork- not pleasant.

Something for the weekend

I'm glad it's finally the weekend. It's been a long and hectic couple of weeks at work and I am in need of a couple of lie-ins! Just wish I didn't have to spend half of my first day off doing housework.
The postman brought me presents this morning. My Sarah Waters novel has arrived along with the Fleet Foxes album which I have been meaning to buy for a while. I also had a nice parcel of new clothes arrive- knowing me though, most of those will probably end up being returned!
No plan for the rest of the afternoon, but am out tonight with friends.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I've been on an equality and diversity training course today. It wasn't bad but I can't say I learned an awful lot, except for how annoying and narrow-minded some people are (but then that isn't much of a surprise either). I won't bore you with all the details, but my favourite moment of the day was when one women said "I don't understand why you can't call someone a Paki- isn't it the same as calling someone Scottish?". Need I say any more?.....

I'm back...

I appear to have failed to post anything new for the last week- being busy at work and not having anything particulary noteworthy to write about (with a bit of laziness thrown in for good measure) are my excuses. I am still busy at work and still have nothing of note to post but am feeling a little less lazy so I thought I would take the opportunity to have a bit of a waffle!
Having worked all weekend (not nice in all this heat, yuk) I had a day off yesterday- yes, a WHOLE day! So what did I do with myself? I thought I'd pay a visit to that hole of a town called Hanley. Not the most pleasant of locations, but it does have book shops. I managed to buy four books and only spend 95p which I thought was a success- three novels by Kazuo Ishiguro (they were on offer!) and a David Lodge novel. Thank you Adam for the book tokens! I also have the latest Sarah Waters novel on its way to me in the post so, all in all, a good book week.
My real purpose for going out was actually to get my passport photos done. Well, that was fun, especially for someone who hates having their photo taken. At least I can send off for my passport now, and hope that it arrives by September!

Car troubles

I've had a new lamda probe fitted...or, at least, my car has! What, you may ask, is a lamda probe? Well, for those of you who don't know, it is attached to your exhaust and monitors fuel emissions. I learned something new there! More importantly, it cost me £235 to have it replaced- I think I've been had. At least my car got a complimentary valet...perhaps the real reason for the expense was that my car was so dirty!

Bank Holiday frolics

We went on our customary bank holiday jaunt to Manchester yesterday. I wouldn't like to say that we are at all predictable in our choice of destination, but this has been at least the sixth year running that we have whiled away our time in this fashion. Not that I am complaining, I had a great time. We just need to hone our decision-making skills over eating establishments before we spend five days away together in Barcelona later this year or we may well come back not speaking!