Crepeys Not Crêpes

[Cremolafoam]

Oi over here hags

Oh God, Cremola, that is terrible. I'm so sorry.

Re job itll be down to the union to negotiate terms. Unfortunately TUPE doesn't cover us as our whole office is so specifically trained that there are no compatible jobs across the organisation. So due to massive sell off/ transfer of ownership we are being booted out. There are 41 of us. No warning at all - in fact we were in the middle of negotiating a higher pay grade due to changes in accountability.
All been a complete waste of years of time. We have 6 months and then - nada. So officially I'll be a statistic by march. Yay

Dad is miserable- as he describes it he can't understand why he is on a ward with wee old men.( he's 83)in a different hospital from mum. So I'm running between them( done 60 miles in car today)
Fuck I'm knackered. Have taken 3 days leave this week- I mean who cares now?
Just want to be around for dd who is a wobbly wreck.
My cup of shit runners over

Dad is in a different

Sorry that was a bit garbled. Thanks for lovely supportive messages
Off to soak in tub with audiobook

Bugger me Cremola. That's just the shittest week ever. Makes my passport woes look like a veritable jape.

I suppose you've got six months to find a new job. Will that be at all possible?

Oh Cremola, sending you some unMNy hugs {{{{}}}}

It puts DD's foul mood all day resulting in me finally rising to the bait in proportion

Crem sorry to hear about your tough week - hope things get on an even keel this week.
Good luck Ruby!

Thanks so much everybody. I really appreciate all the good wishes. It has been the week from hell - feel like I'm in a goalpost and having balls kicked at me from all angles and not saving any of them.

Keep calm and carry on i suppose.

Off to see if we can get Dad moved this morning. Mum is still out of it so hasn't really grasped that dad is also in hospital.
Am letting sister sort mum and I'm helping with her kids. Bringing them up to see dad tonight in hope it will cheer him up.
Union meeting tomorrow about package so can only hope they go in hard and sort something half decent out for us.

Blimey it's all going on - but I'm ok actually - perhaps its shock??

What you want to do is go shopping. Despite the looming possibility of having to buy two standby tickets to holiday on my groaning credit card, I have bought two new things from the refreshed Orla Kiely range at Uniqlo. There are some shaped tunics that are nice!

Shortly to buy a dress from Brand Alley.

Have emailed my MP re passport. Mumsnet threads made me do it.

Cremola - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Herbs - shopping as therapy - dangerous! Do share some links!

I had a one hour dash around the shops yesterday - they all had "20% / 30% off everything" deals for the new season. I bought a lightweight oversize top in Warehouse (doesn't look quite so high at the front on me), but couldn't find anything else that I fancied. But it was the first outing for the Top Shop Mighty boots which I bought a couple of months back, and boy, are they comfy.

In car news, I found out that my poor bashed car has been brought to the insurance company's repair place, which coincidentally is about 200 yards down the road from my office. I spoke to a Very Nice Man, who told me that there was about £10k of damage to the car (which is worth about half that), so, as expected, it will be written off. DH and I are off to Guildford later to test-drive something new and expensive.

Ladies. I bought this, but in the green colourway which has now sold out. A rare online 'win'.

And this scarf, to brighten up those long winter evenings.

Oh and this frock for £25 off of Brand Alley.

And considering these M&S boots. Is this wise?

Cremola and Herbs, crossing fingers for both of you.

CV can't see your top or your Orla Kiely stuff Herbs, but am liking the Mighty boots and Brand Alley frock I am NOT buying any more clothes. Apart from needing a navy cardi which I couldn't find anywhere last season.

Cremola - how awful, what a terrible week. Hope your Mum and Dad are doing better now, horrid when things go wrong with no warning.

As part of your redundancy, can you negotiate for them to pay for you to go to a career coach-type person? At least then you get someone to objectively look at you and see what your alternatives are - there will be far more than you can imagine while you are running about panicking about having to find a new job. Have been through a lot of this with dh over the past few years so you have my hugest sympathies.

Ooh actually, you won't be able to see my Uniqlo tunic as every one of them seems to have sold out! Bizarre. I suppose if the worst comes to the worst I can sell it on eBay to pay for my standby flights to Malaga.

Spoke to a v helpful person at the courier company that distributes the passports, who said she'll do all in her power to get it to us on time. But until they have the passports from the passport office, she can't do anything.

I've even written to my MP, hoping she can use her influence! No word as yet. Perhaps I can expect a question tabled in the commons later.

Greedy buggers. A tunic that was only on Uniqlo's site today is already on ebay, starting price £38. It was only £19 in the shop.

Herbs - this Brand Alley thing - any good? The dress is certainly lovely, and a bargain. Is it a bit like TK Maxx?

Cremola - I've only been made redundant once, and I also had six month's notice. The company paid for us to meet with outplacement consultants. They were a bit like pyschologists, in a way - helping us put aside the worries and negative thoughts for a while, focus on what we needed to do, and develop strategies for looking for jobs. I was prepared to be cynical, but it was quite a useful exercise.

And yes, it worked, and I had something to go to once the six months was up. Turned out to be the Job From Hell, but that's another story .

It's like secret sales - you sign up, and it emails you everyday with its current brands on sale. Sometimes it's last season, and sometimes it takes ages to get the goods, but it's bargain city.

I'm afraid my only experience of redundancy was being told 'right, you're being cut then', but that was for a small lefty organisation in the early 1990s.

Poor old DD1 had a dreadful experience getting to school today, involving a bus that didn't come for ages, and then zoomed past just as she'd left the bus stop to walk; ended up having a total melt-down and I had to walk with her as otherwise she would clearly have run home and locked the door . All part of Y7, but not the fun bit. OTOH she is in a Performance on Saturday involving dressing up as a suffragette. Another girl is going to bring in handcuffs, she told us cheerily over supper. DP gave me a Stern Look as I bit back the urge to ask (a) why she had them (b) if they were furry

We have several pairs of handcuffs. However, they are quite small and mainly plastic and came with a variety of dressing-up sets that ds has received over the years

I have passed all my weedy little computer exams - Yay! I was rather pleased to get 100% in one today. :)

MI one of my friends was relating a story involving another of her friends and a pair of handcuffs. I wonder if it is the same mum?

Well done Stropps!

I bought my Very Dull Cousin some furry handcuffs and chocolate body paint for Christmas one year, together with a book called "Sex Tips for Girls." Apparently she and her (equally dull) husband went home, very suddenly, after lunch with the parents on Christmas day. She emailed me later to say it was the "best Christmas present she had had."

MrsS

I am shockingly overdrawn this month (large mortgage payment, school stuff, etc, etc...) and I need to go and buy ds a bike tonight sigh

Cremo - hope things are getting better.
Herbs - couriers are good (dp needed his passport in a hurry and they said Monday and actually delivered on Saturday - well they tried, but as he isn't at work on a Saturday they failed :) )

Meanwhile not sleeping well because of the return of the hot flushes....I thought I been there, done that...

I'd

Oh S&B news - someone mentioned cardis, I bought this which I love v. v. much..... :)