Arrived Friday night, I caught up on rest and we watched some TV together, Saturday he was working till 4 so I caught up on sleep, and today we’ve just milled around a little, but still it’s great to be here, and I love being back in my own bed.

In other news I’m having trouble confirming my identity and relcaiming my World of Warcraft account, URG! I hate having to contact customer support.

I’m also praying the CRB check comes through this week, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

The CRB is in the final stages according to the online tracker, but as far as I’m aware, it’s the last stages that take the longest to process. The checks are sent off too the local police department to finish everything off, and they are not under any oblication to complete it within the 60 day guideline! I’ve already waited a month through them loosing the check when it arrived at their department.

In other news the pins and needles I was experiencing in my left hand was actually not related to my migraines (thank god..). It is in fact a trapped nerve in either my shoulder or my wrist so the GP informs me, but going by the pain in my shoulder as well, I’m guessing that’s where its all happening!

Seeing Richard tomorrow so that will inevitably take my mind of everything.

I’d majorly prepared for this interview. I’d gone through absolutely everything I wanted to say to the employer, I’d run it over in my mind a thousand times! But it turned out I didn’t need virtually any of the information I’d prepared. The questions she asked where really quite simple.

She covered the main points, basically asking questions about things I’d listed on my application form. She also asked why I thought I would do well in this kind of job, what I thought I could bring to the company, and what type of personality I thought I had. I must have given all the right answers, as she told me she was very happy to give me an offer of employment!

I am so relieved. The place I’ll be working is such an improvement on where I would have been placed with the other employer, with the benefit of Dove Court only being 5 minutes down the road! What a bonus!

We’re now waiting on the CRB check and my referees to be contacted, and then i’ll be working full time! The hours will be 33 per week to start with, given them some leeway if they need cover for extra shifts. I’ll also get 2 weekends off in each month, which will be nice. Some shifts could be 8am till 8pm though, which will absolutely kill me!

As far as my health, I’ve had two full blown migraines in the past week, and we’re not really sure why. Its the first time it’s happened in a good 6-8 months. We think it may be down to the sheer excitement of everything that’s been happening, and the possibility of my eyes still trying to adjust to such a big prescription difference with my new glasses!

As far as my health goes, I’ve been absolutely shattered. Along with the migraines, I’ve had a stinking cold, and life has just been rotten! I’m looking forward to getting back to work though, in the hope that it will help improve my health.

Anyway, i’m going to link to some of the major articles regarding this, in the hope that someone, somewhere may read it and actually learn something.

Firstly, BBC radio 4 today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8975000/8975412.stm.

Secondly, from the BBCs main page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-11204884.

And lastly from UKWIRED: http://www.ukwirednews.com/news.php/87946-Study-shows-ME-CFS-virus-link-found-in-children.

Fingers crossed that the sudden surge of updates in the News and Press may actually lead to something positive.

I was put through public schooling. My own personal experience is not one that I think would have been different if I was in in a private school. I was bullied heavily and I feel that to certain degrees will happen everywhere.

I do however feel though that when I have children, If I had the financial means, I’d do what ever was possible to make sure that they had the best start in life possible. The public schools in the area where they would be brought up are nothing to be desired, and private schooling may in that case be the only option. It wouldn’t have anything to do with being posh, and being able to afford it, it would be down to the safest environment for them possible.

In general though, I feel that the private schooling offers so much more than that of being sent to a public school. I lost out in so many ways through the school that I attended.

Would I do anything possible to make sure that my children have the best start in life? Yes, of course!

The most major update from the last entry is the offer of provisional employment working as a community support office in varies care homes for sick people. I had the interview a couple of weeks back after applying to the same firm where my dad works. Was surprised to of even got an interview to be honest.

I really did make as much of an effort as possible for the actual interview (although not all made the same amount of effort to my shock). I really did feel the interview had gone well, I tried to show as much passion as possible, and prove that I was worthy enough to complete the job at hand.

I had to wait an agonizing two weeks before I heard back from Hilton Care. How frustrating! It was so stressful, each day questioning whether I’d actually done as well as I thought I had. I did finally hear from them though with part good news, part bad. They said that I’d had a fantastic interview (as it was the first real one I’ve been to I was really pleased).

Unfortunately the position I’d applied for was no longer available (she said the hours weren’t there). She did however say that they really wanted me working as a member of staff. So confusing. They offered me a position as ‘BANK – Community Support Worker’. At the moment I will cover sickness and holiday in the 6 care homes over my local area. Involves a fare bit of commuting around on the varies shifts, and will not know for certain where I will be placed, or if they will need me at all on any given day.

I was told that I would be given the first refusal if a full time position comes available, at which point they will place me in one fixed location. I was hoping it would be a great way to gently ease back in to being at work, but from what dad says they are constantly looking for cover, so probably not!!

We are currently waiting for the CRB check to process and my referees to be contacted. It’s definitely been a great feeling, knowing I will be working soon.

The Job center advised me to keep looking for work, until the firm offer of employment has been given. So that’s what I did. And to my surprise, I managed to get another interview with a different firm, this time in a residential home about 3 minutes down the road from where I live, and this time a perminant position right from the beginning! They asked me to come back in in a couple of days after filling out a full application form. This time though they will tell me there and then If I have the job, at least thats a blessing!

Really worried about letting the other firm down, but at least this time I know I have a back up offer, if I need it! Both employers will offer me the chance to take an NVQ in care, which sounds fantastic to me.

All of the change in circumstances as really made me rethink the direction I’m heading in, and I really hope that the new job may be able to help in all of that! The one major concern is my health, as always. That’s for another post though I’m afraid!

One thing I am ready to RANT about though is my current hunt for a job.

I know I need to work to survive financially (and I’m not denying that), but the search is so so so difficult. I’ve been applying to 3 or 4 jobs a day, which i definitely think is a respectful amount and on average, only 2 out of 10 jobs i apply for get a reply from the employer letting me know I’ve not been successful; the remaining 6 completely ignore me!

I feel really insecure about my employ-ability. Due to not finishing school because of being ill, i never received careers advice and i never received help building my CV. So i think that’s why i always second guess myself when i send a covering letting to an employer, as i never fully know if the things I’m saying is the type of thing they are looking for.

I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity working as a Customer Service Advisor before I had to relocate, but that’s the only work experience I’ve got, and coupled with my age, I really feel I’m fighting a loosing battle!

I had a really good pre-interview last week, which i felt went really well at the time, but it’s been several days now, and still no word back. Maybe I’m expecting too much too soon?

I also sent an application in to the place where my dad works, working as a support worker in varies homes in the area supporting disabled and very ill patients. It would probably be the most demanding type of work for me (aside from standing in a factory for a whole shift doing nothing but moving my hands from one place to another). It really is something I’d be interested in persuing, so I’m really hoping they invite me for interview, which is where i really feel i can really show them who i am as a person and why they should employ me.

It’s all so frustrating.

Just a bit of a moan really. Rich and I really have tried to not let our intolerances affect our lives. Harder said than done believe me! We always liked eating out. Not necessarily Mc Donald’s or KFC but we really did enjoy going out of an evening to sit in restaurants. That all changed!

Take your average Chinese restaurant for example. We’ve encountered in the past chefs in these types of establishments who do not even know what the word ‘dairy’ means. At which point I just give up.

Other restaurants we’ve been too, fail to have sections on their menus that detail which foods contain allergens. They’ll mention what vegetarians can and can’t eat but not what WE can and can’t eat.

I think to date I’ve only been to a handful of restaurants that were actually accommodating to our needs. Life becomes a battle of ‘you can’t eat that’, and ‘no way, that’s not safe to eat’. I wish I could focus on what I can eat, what is safe. It’s a shame that that list is limited at best.

Fast food establishments I avoid, petrol garages I avoid, actually, I avoid anything and everything that wasn’t put into my shopping basket by ME.

Due to having to follow a wheat/gluten/dairy free diet, I’ve only been able to eat the loaves of bread from the major supermarkets. They are very small, very crumbly, and very expensive! Me and Rich where going through so many of them per week it really was breaking the bank. So after I long debate I decided to go for the Panasonic SD256 Bread maker. It was a little pricey, but was one of very few models that had a gluten free setting!

My breadmaker

I’d said to dad  just after I put the ingredients in that I expected to have to experiment with the machine before I found the right combination, but boy was I wrong. The mix I used consisted of Dove farm White bread flour blend (gluten and wheat free), water, sugar, salt, one egg and cider vinegar. The ingredients have to be put into the machine in a certain order (so the manual said). The lids then shut and the timer is set!

Flour blend i used

The resulting loaf:

The first Loaf!

The resulting slide of bread

I am so super happy with the results. It really surprised me how easy it was to do, and the results where just AMAZING.

I’d like to start by dispelling the myth that me and Rich have split up. That’s completely not the case. Many people have said that “Oh, are you still together then?” yes we are, completely. Nothing has changed with me and him; we’re still as close as ever. We’ve dealt with the long distance before, and we will deal with it again.

My dad has done so much work to get the house ready for me to be back in the house again, and its very heart warming. My bedroom is fantastic (even with the funky carpet). The TV Ariel is now working, and I can enjoy all four channels in bed, and the new shower curtain is fantastic.

I have a sparkly new pc table too which Kira has decided she quite likes to sit under.

New pc table, with Kira attached!

The garden, well, what I can say. The dogs have just lived in the garden since we got here. Kira has absolutely loved the freedom, and that’s super lovely to see.

Today’s the day that the last of the garden gets fixed up! The last side of fence is being put up, and all of the nasty bushes down the right hand side are being taken away, yay!! It’s going to make the garden look a lot bigger. Although Kira did like to sleep under the bushes, so she’s lost her hiding place!

The bushes have gone!

Aside from the above, not much else is happening at the moment. Just trying to work out when I’ll be able to see Rich, as it’s really tough leaving him!