Sunday 30 October 2016

It Never Rains, But It Pours

Hello dear readers! 

Well, we're in! 

Yes, after what seems like a lifetime, we are actually, properly living in our new home. It may be unfinished, it may have a slight air of an abandoned building site, it may still smell slightly of paint but it's ours, and, thanks to the hard work of family and friends and  a few sticks of furniture... It's habitable. 

It's a welcome bit of news in what has been a rough couple of weeks. 

One Step Forward
Long time readers will be more than familiar with the roller-coaster of a year that will forever be remembered as 2016. Sometimes it has seemed that every time that myself and my wife Tina have taken two steps forward we have been pushed back a step and a half. 

Well it's happened again. 

First of all there is the news that at the moment we are short of numbers in the Seated Perspective household to the precise tune of one cat. 

Cat-astrophe!
We have two cats to go along with our dog and our pets are all very much part of our family. It was therefore a little upsetting when we reached the new house, having dropped of the keys and said goodbye to our old place for the last time with just the aforementioned pooch. It took several visits back up to the old place (luckily only three streets away) but finally we had one cat safely deposited in a closed room and the second one sitting non too calmly in her cat carrying box and on her way to join her. 



It was at this point that Sunny (the cat's name) decided enough was enough and made a break for it. I'm not sure how she managed it but she forced the door of the cat box open and ran. This was Tuesday and she hasn't been seen since, despite nightly patrols back and forth from new to old house. We have got a charity on board with us, who are going to help us with some professionally designed fliers and whatnot, so hopefully our want-away wanderer will soon be safely back in the bosom of her family. 

Work In Progress
So, that's one. The second setback is that I have regretfully left the employ of the debt charity that I have been working for since February. This wasn't entirely my decision and in fact I was deeply saddened to see those doors shut behind me for the last time.  
It wasn't the easiest place to work, from an access point of view if nothing else. 

The fact that getting in for the start of my shift meant three separate lift journeys was certainly less than ideal. This was further complicated by the one disabled accessible toilet that serviced the whole eleven story building being located seven floors beneath the floor I worked on, and partially open to the general public. There's nothing like waiting patiently for those oh so necessary facilities only to have three teenage girls spill out when the door finally opens to really put a virtual spring in one's virtual step. 


via GIPHY


But, and here's the thing, it was still the single best place I've ever worked . The job was worthwhile, with a real sense of making a difference in the world being one of the very real if unofficial perks. The people there too were, to a man & woman, some of the nicest and most supportive I've ever worked with. There will always be that one training group I've blogged about before (see The End Of The Beginning) but from the colleagues by my side right through to the team leaders and managers... it really was a very special place. 

Onwards  and upwards though. Maybe this is the right time to spend a little time in reflection. Given how my last two positions have ended it might be the time to look at something other than customer service/data entry jobs. I'd love to do something with the written word, it's just knowing what really; that and how an uneducated northerner would even start to go about it. 

My Word Is My Bond
The final bit of misfortune is the attitude of the landlady we are leaving. It is becoming increasingly apparent that if we want any of our deposit money back then we are going to have a fight on our hands. 
 Admittedly we  are not leaving the place in what you would call pristine condition but then we have been living there for four years. It's no showroom.  




There has been a wheelchair user resident for four years. There have been pets resident for four years. This was all known by our landlady, and she has even visited the property a couple of years back and should possibly have noticed at that time the way the wallpaper was scratched by the cats. She should also have cottoned on to the way my chair has caught some of the doorframes (No special accommodations or adjustments were made before I moved in).  None of this should be a surprise. Nor should the rampant damp problem we've been living with or the eccentric and highly musical plumbing we've continuously mentioned. All of this should have been reported back after each and  every quarterly inspection. 

We'll see what happens of course, and I'm realistic enough to not expect anything like the full bond back . Some portion of it would be good though, especially as we've spent a couple of hundred quid on the place in the last two weeks. 

All Change
Still, as they say, a new broom sweeps clean and whist it may be all change for us at the moment it's also an opportunity to make a fresh start and to reflect on where we're headed and how we are going to get there. 

For now though there's a cat to find, a garage to unpack and a job centre to visit. That, I think, will do... for now. 

Until next time ...

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