Further Adventures of the Excellent Cats

[TheShellBeach]

....... calling all the excellent cats from the last thread.

Stop chasing shrews, mice and birds and join us here.
Less well-behaved cats especially welcome.

And I'm in a slightly silly mood

I wish we could put little videos up here. Frederick has taken to sitting on top of a mini chest of drawers, on top of the (empty) wine cabinet. When I approach him, he makes the most pitiful meowing noises like he's stuck and can't get down.

What Frederick means@RumNotRun is that he wants to jump down and knock everything over, and he doesn't want you to distract him.

P.S. have now had three Flake Cornettos.

(And I always thought you couldn't name change mid-thread)

Looks like I'm wrong.

My Fred would not be so naughty! He is a sweet angel 😇 (although he has knocked over the Hallowmas tree many times and tried to attack everything else on the top of the cabinet)

I now really want a flake Cornetto, I don't think I have ever had one.

I think MN changed the rules so that your username will always default to the original username you used first on the thread.

But, it doesn't stop you changing name as a one off within a thread (as I did above), so it's done nothing to get rid of sock-puppetry at all 🙄.

@RumNotRun He looks like a very beautiful ornament
@Grumpyoldpersonwithnamechangedcats I bow to your superior knowledge. You are Wise in Many Things except how to repel TC.

Oh Papergirl1968, what an amazing feat. I cannot imagine doing anything like that. I've never seen it in real life but it looks very big!

I've never had a flake cornetto either but they sound delicious and are proper holiday eating.

Frederick is very handsome, Rum. And another great name for a cat!

There was a great sense of camaraderie up tyere, with people helping each other, much like I imagine there is on Snowdon etc.
Sorry to derail the thread again but wish me luck for this afternoon, guys. I've been summoned to a meeting with my boss about problems with my work. I've been worried sick since I was notified two days ago. I know my brain tumour has took a toll on my memory and concentration but I thought I was doing ok. I already lost one job because of my tumour (contract terminated on the day after I was diagnosed). I just have a bad feeling about this, especially because this meeting seems to have been deliberately scheduled for just before I go off on ten days leave, and my line manager seems to have been avoiding me and was evasive when I asked what the meeting was about.
I feel sick and I know I'll get emotional because I cry at the drop of a hat these days.

Oh Paper I am sorry. Sending you very very best wishes for it being ok xxx

Really sorry to hear that Paper. Hope your work meeting goes better than you expect.

Paper, darling, it sounds really horrible and cruel, too.

Surely you have enough to contend with - I hope the meeting isn't as bad as you imagine it's going to be. Waiting, and anticipation, are usually the worst part of meetings like this.

Are you permitted to take a colleague or a union rep with you?

And are your allowed to record the meeting? (I mean audio) because that would be useful if you ended up at a tribunal.

I thought that workplaces had to make adjustments for employees' disabilities.

How awful Paper. Make sure you get everything in writing including minutes of the meeting, and take your own notes so they can't pull a fast one on you (as happened to my sister). I think an awful lot depends on whether you're on contract or permanent staff, and if the latter how long you've been there, and many other factors. The organisation itself can make a big difference to how you are treated, and worth checking their own disciplinary terms & conditions.

Have a quick look through the government web site before you attend, there's plenty in there about what is and isn't fair & reasonable. It also gives some guidance on the kind of things a tribunal will take into consideration.

Shell the term is reasonable adjustments, and I think is only required when someone has a registered disability?

Forgot to add - if they knew about the tumour before taking you on, that can affect how they need to treat you, what is considered fair/unfair, and would be a factor at any tribunal.

I was doing a lot of research late into the night as I couldn't skeep.
They knew about the tumour but whether they made reasonable adjustments is debatable. I don't lock up at night in case I have a seizure. However they haven't really taken into account that some things like patient registrations are a right faff and as I haven't done many I need complete quiet to focus which is impossible when the phone is ringing non stop, colleagues are bellowing away answering other calls, and patients are banging on the glass screen to attract your attention.
it's debatable whether a brain tumour counts as a disability. It does when it comes to me getting a free bus pass and I get a small amount of PIP. But to legally qualify as disabled a disability has to have a significant impact on your life. When I was keeling over with seizures I would say it definitely was but now most of the tumour has been removed, I'm not sure. But a side effect of the anti seizure meds is concentration and memory problems so...?
Thank you all for the support and advice. I will definitely ask to record the meeting and take notes, and report back later x

Good luck @Papergirl1968

Personally I'd say it would qualify as a disability as it still has an impact on your life. I know people have a tendency to play things down, "it's not that bad" etc, but realistically the tumour has left you with ongoing issues and your employer should bear this in mind.

Adding my good luck wishes too Paper. I would say that qualifying for a PIP counts as a disability but that's just my opinion and I don't have any actual knowledge. Agree with what everyone says about recording the meeting. They should have given you enough time to arrange for a friend or union rep to come with you. Check what the policy is because I was once told that often it's not so much about an employer's decision but about the process. ACAS is a good resource too:

https://www.acas.org.uk/

🍀🍀🍀🍀

That is totally shitty. All the best.

Lasagna and Cannelloni looking like butter wouldn't melt... The beasts got into DS' bedroom and through the window onto the catio roof. Las was on next door's fence terrified, came straight to me to be carried in. Loni did 'Help poor little me, I can't possibly get down' but eventually stepped into the comfy box we were offering him. Screen is going up Sunday!

I AM NO LONGER A CAB ADVISER
but a fair while ago I used to be one, a paid Heath Adviser, advising clients at their GP surgeries. This is my take on your situation, @Papergirl1968

Unfortunately, IIRC, sickness, though not culpable IYSWIM, can mean that the employee has brought about a situation called frustration of contract. This protects the employer from continuing to have to employ someone whose illness is affecting their work. The employee's illness is causing them to"frustrate their contract with their employer" IYSWIM, and no-one is to blame.

I am so sorry that you are in such a difficult situation. Please do not act on anything I have said in this post. Consult CAB or another Welfare Advice organisation if the news is bad. They are insured to advise you, and are very effective.

Oh a bit of cheerful news this otherwise rather depressing afternoon - I just got a text from DWP saying I have been awarded PIP!

Bit shocked in a (good) way, was expecting to wait the full 8 weeks before hearing from them rather than after 4 weeks. And as I'm not actually dying, or a limb has fallen off, I assumed they would reject my claim & I'd have to appeal.

It wasn't until recently talking to my DSis that I realised just how much my back & leg impacted my day to day life. Then when I had the assessment interview, throw away comments I made were taken very seriously - things like putting away shopping deliveries in 3 phases so I can sit between each one, not having been to the cinema for 10 years as I seize up after an hour, or having to borrow DSis/nephew to change high up light bulbs as I fall off steps.

Next step is wait for the letter & see if they've scored my mobility (or lack of) high enough for me to qualify for a Blue Badge for the car.

So now I'm officially disabled in 2 ways, mobility and neuro-divergence 😎😼

Very good news, Allergic.
If you get the higher rate of mobility, you're entitled to get a car on the Motability scheme.

Okay, more bad news today.

DD1 has noticed diminishing vision over the last few months, so she ended up at Moorfields, and as well as having uveitis (again) she has been diagnosed with bilateral cataracts. She's in her thirties.
They want to operate in six weeks

I have/had bilateral cataracts. I had one done about 4 weeks ago if you recall, and will get the other one done soon. It really isn't a major op - done with just eye drops rather than an injection for anesthetic and takes about 5-10 mins for the actual procedure. No pain during the op, and you don't see the surgeon heading for your eye with instruments in hand!

The difference it makes is incredible, and of course as they put an artificial lens in you don't have to worry about it coming back. Yes you do still need glasses for any vision correction you needed before the cataracts formed, but the clarity and intensity of vision afterwards is shocking (in a good way).

VERY unlikely to get the higher rate of mobility.

I can still walk 30-40 yards before I need to stop & rest the back. I can still do many things around the house, though they take many times longer than they used to. I can look after myself mostly, just not do much lifting or things that need me to stand for a while. I can get myself to work as long as I drive, though it can take ages to get out of the car if a journey is more than about 45 mins e.g. traffic issues.

But tbh I'm grateful for anything I can get right now!