Mind the gap!

Today I jet washed my patio. I borrowed a fairly powerful jet washer from a friend at my previous work (my last day at ACMC was officially yesterday!). The patio gets really dirty and mossy over the winter, and with all the extra rubbish, wet weather we have had lately (although luckily we missed the worst week by being away on holiday!), the patio was in a bad state and when you spray between paving slabs or in muddy gaps, it all just sprays up violently and you get splattered! It took just over 3 hours, but the results are fantastic. Unfortunately some of the mud was transferred to me!

Cue the photos…….

Oh No….I’ve got a job!

Since I was made redundant, I spent the first day mostly panicking about how I was going to earn money to pay my mortgage and bills….then I spend the rest of the week frantically looking at as many job websites as possible and large companies with vacancies, contacting a couple of recruitment agencies, downloading application forms, sending off CVs and letters, and writing lots of stuff about how great I am at work and all the great stuff I done (so much so that I almost convinced myself). I was doing a bit of the same the next week, but also had some interviews booked. I was also starting to rather enjoy the fact that I was out of the routine of getting up for work, dressing in work stuff, being told what to do by others, staying at the office all day, then coming home tired and lacking in energy to do much at home.

By the end of the 2^nd week, I’d been to 3 really good interviews for jobs that seemed better than my job at ACMC and also for more money. What’s more, they all seemed to really like me and suggest that I might be suitable for their jobs! Wow….what a boost to my confidence!!

Then by week 3 I was off on holiday with Toni and Liddi (more of that later….and yes you will be subject to lots of photos!), still with no promise of a job or money to come back to. Scary!!

I came back to an urgent message to contact one of the recruitment agencies that had sent me for an interview to arrange a 2^nd interview for Monday 2^nd July. The job was partly working as a PA to 3 directors, and mostly being their Marketing Co-ordinator. It sounded good, and I felt I would get along just fine with the 3 South African directors. I’ve dabbled in marketing and I was fairly sure I could bluff my way in the rest. A bloke had done the job previously and apparently done it really badly, so I surely couldn’t be worse? At least they thought I would do a great job!

I then also heard from one of the other companies, and was promised a 2^nd interview there too. All was looking good and I had a choice to make. The next day, I got a call saying that the South African’s really liked me and thought I would do a great job, so wanted me to work for them, and were offering more money than they first suggested (and about £4,000 more than my last job!) I thought about it for a bit, and asked if we could increase a bit more, so another £1,000 was added (wayhay!!) and I accepted the job. Now the 2 other companies have also asked for 2^nd interviews, so I will have to turn them down, but it feels so good to be in demand!

Obviously I was excited about getting my new job, but it is also scary to think that I now actually have to DO THE JOB!! And I have been rather enjoying my time off work. Getting lots done at home. Decorating the spare room, jet washing the patio, catching up with appointments and phone calls, meeting friends, and just really enjoying being out of the routine of the working day. I shall miss it all when I have to get back to the reality of working for a living! Oh well, back to reality (and a bit more money!!).

So goodbye pigs….hello modular buildings! I start work on Monday 16^th July at Waco UK Ltd. They build, sell and rent ‘modular buildings’. So if you want one….give me a call!