My Life That Happened In #20
Episode #19
… May 2025
Thursday 1st
I am still learning my new position at work, I was mentally fatigued when I woke up for work this evening. Although today was a little busier than usual, tomorrow will be more of the same. It is something I have to get used to.
I am still waiting to find out whether I won the new position I applied for. I don’t think I have, but I won’t know until they tell me. Interestingly, I found out one of the people who applied didn’t get it, and he was more qualified than I was, so what’s going on?
My rota has been changed; I was on a four-week rota, and I am now on a two-week rota. The instant benefit I have gained is a couple of days’ holiday.
Friday 2nd
I finally found out the results of my interview. It was given to someone else, but I made the final two, which makes me happy and okay with the results. The person who got it was more experienced, so it went to the right person. I am glad I was one of the final choices. And I have been encouraged to try again. They are interested in my future, which is different, but nice.
A downside to working at my place is connecting my phone to their system. It drains the battery fast. I could see it happening when watching my calendar widget. Every 10 seconds, it would refresh; that’s not normal. I only tried to connect to the wifi and it screwed it up so I have decided to factory reset my phone and it feels so much better.
Saturday 3rd
I managed to finish most of my First Aid duties today. I wasn’t sure I would be able to due to my new position, but I have done okay. One more to do that will have to wait until they open tomorrow. I am also involved in a side quest in the area where I am working. They have been having trouble getting hold of marker pens. They are an essential tool in gatekeeping.
Sunday 4th
My mission is nearly completed; we will need to tweak it a tad, but the side mission of the marker pens has been achieved.
The plan was to go shopping after work, but of course, I ended up on the sofa, slouching with my wife. I will get it done eventually. But for now, I have run out of butter. I know, the world has ended!
Applied for another job I found for the missus. I am not sure if she is 100% suited for the job, but I believe she is more than capable. If not, we are not giving up.
Monday 5th
A night off from work. Just the one, so I am creating a new video and finishing off last month’s blog. The plan is to do some shopping and get ready for bed for work tonight.
The internet has been giving me some problems, but I have nearly uploaded it all.
Received an email from work today. They would like me to serve food on the weekend. We will see what happens.
Tuesday 6th
The battle for a refund that the wife has been after from Littlewoods came to a head today. After waiting a month, the wife is taking no more of their bull. I gave emotional support by shouting angrily in the background.
The wife took a line from the Karens: “I want to speak to your manager,” and it worked. We are waiting for a cheque to arrive. It isn’t much, but that’s not the point. They wouldn’t wait a month if it were the other way round.
I took my wife to work, not before trying to post something for Vinted. Came back home to finish and publish April’s life blog, made food for work and tried to go to bed at a reasonable time. I failed.
My new MP3 player arrived while I was in bed. It is a little heavier than expected, but I like it.
Wednesday 7th
The wife is not well; she hasn’t had enough sleep, which has led to the start of an attack, so she is staying home. Hopefully, she can rest, and the attack will subside on its own.
I need to have some of the advisories, from the MOT fixed on Ne Ne, but I have been too lazy to do anything about it. I will do it, but I need to do it before the 17th.
Thursday 8th
I started my day off today. I took my wife to work and used this as an excuse to book Ne Ne in for some work. The mechanic was having some problems with his equipment, so they won’t be able to replace my tyres, but they can fix the spring. That’s booked in for Wednesday.
Just before going to bed, I booked Ne Ne in for some new tyres. I was going to have the same as those already on the car, but decided to go with what I believe, on paper, is a better tyre. That is booked for Saturday.
Friday 9th
Nothing much is happening today. I am finishing off, continuing, and starting some blogs. Also, I have to prepare some things for tomorrow or tonight. It all depends on how you look at it. For work.
I wanted to try fixing the Alphasmart Neo 2 I bought for the missus. So I took it apart to find that the battery plates were too corroded, even after giving them a scrub and a clean. So I will need to replace them, and it looks like a simple solder job to try to teach myself. All I need to buy is the replacements. Which isn’t easy, as I have to either buy in bulk or spend thirty pounds to deliver something that costs less than a pound.
Saturday 10th
I managed to get off work early, as there was hardly any work left and I wasn’t really in the mood to stick around. I asked if it was possible to go home, and they allowed it.
Ne Ne went to her tyre appointment to find out my booking wasn’t on their system. I made sure I had received the email confirming it, but they had no clue I was coming. They didn’t even have the tyres I wanted in stock. So I left, and they said they would call me on Monday. If they don’t, I will need to find someone else fast.
I got into my car to go to work. I normally go for a drive before parking in the employee car park. But tonight, something was off. I just sat there in the car and didn’t move. There was something wrong with me. I could feel something was coming. Emotions were building. So after sitting for ten minutes or so with the engine running, I drove to work.
Sunday 11th
At work, I did my best to explain my situation to the Team Leader and fellow gatekeeper. I was just on the tip of an attack, and I didn’t know which way it was going to go. On top of that, my eye strain was getting stronger, and I needed to find a way to relax my head. The only solution I could think of was to have a rage music therapy session. They were fine with it and allowed me to use their giant speaker to connect to my music.
And so commenced a two-hour session of Slipknot, which included an introduction to my Team Leader.
I again had to perform my canteen duties and forgot about the Cheese and onion pasties. But I had no problem getting rid of them all before they were thrown in the waste.
There must have been something in the air because everyone was severely tired today.
Getting home and putting my things in the washing machine, I forgot to check one of my pockets and ended up washing my MP3 player. The screen was flooded. It is now in the bin, but I saved the SD card. This wasn’t the new one but a cheap one I bought about a year or so ago.
I ended my day by going to bed and watching wrestling and Doctor Who.
Monday 12th
My day off continues with me sitting, writing this blog and preparing another video to upload. I have also been looking at other tyre shops, just in case. And I have found a couple of cheaper options.
When I got to work, I decided that I wasn’t going to wait any longer for the tyre shop to call me back, as I had a limited amount of time. So I booked Ne Ne in for a tyre change on Friday. I will drop her off after work and walk home.
Tuesday 13th
Returning home, the wife asked if I was taking her to work. It was like I had a choice. We had talked about some new furniture to put in the airing cupboard. We had already chosen what we wanted, so on the way to drop the missus off, we popped into my workplace and purchased the chest of drawers.
I was taken aback when I had to prove I worked there, as my photo card showed me with my hair back. Normally, I don’t do that except for work, so I took my hat off and then pulled my hair back to show it was me.
I spent some time thinking about what I wanted to do for Saturday, and what I would like to do is find a place to stay for Friday night. I was hoping to find somewhere semi-decent and as cheap as possible. It was last-minute.
Wednesday 14th
After work, I dropped Ne Ne off at the mechanics so she could have her spring replaced. On previous visits, they were pretty quick, but today, they seemed to want to take longer. I knew when she was being moved, and it was getting late. But the time I normally went to bed was the time they started on her.
I was still up, trying to nap on the sofa when the wife returned home. She ended up calling them, and we went over to pick Ne Ne up.
So tonight I wake up for work tired after not enough sleep.
My little present to Ne Ne, as she didn’t come with it. A document Wallet and owner’s handbook. I wanted something official, as the documents I received when she arrived were an A4 plastic folder full of paperwork, although not with a full history.
This turned up in an envelope that had been ripped open from the bottom and looked like someone had taken it out and put it back in again after finding something not valuable enough to nick.
I have booked a place for our visit on Saturday. The plan is to leave after the tyre change on Friday, and by then, I will have only one more advisory left to sort out. The place was the cheapest, which was on the way to the venue. It also comes with breakfast.
Thursday 15th
Nothing really happened today. I went to work and discussed plants with a work colleague. I came home to find one of the neighbours moving out. They asked to use and swap parking spots for the day so they could have easier access to load their lorry.
I told the missus about maybe a new plant friend for her, but she wasn’t interested. Later, I took her to work, and I returned home to rest before going to bed. I woke up to find a couple of parcels for me: My new case for my MP3 player and a part I needed for the Alphasmart Neo 2. I’m not sure if it’s the right size, but I will find out later.
Friday 16th
Work was a lot today. I was left to run the section for the first time, and it was… interesting. Normally, I would find it a little boring, but today was different. I did have a few problems. But I was able to sort them out. However, I ran out of time to deal with paperwork. I did leave a decent amount of photos for them to sift through.
Finishing work, I had to drop Ne Ne off at the mechanics to have the tyres replaced. I asked them how long it would take and tried to get it done quicker, stating that I work nights, so I needed to sleep. They stepped up. Getting home, I attempted to get some sleep while waiting for the call to pick her up.
That didn’t happen. I did try.
Ne Ne ended up with new tyres and a clean bill of health. I still need to fix the seals in the passenger side.
Going Away
We were packing for a trip away. Tomorrow we have a course. I have decided that we will spend the night away so I won’t be too tired for tomorrow. The car journey is nearly three hours. I know for most people, this journey would be nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I know I can do it. But for someone who has never done it before, there may be mental or physical consequences.
The wife had her first experience by purchasing some fuel for Ne Ne.
For those asking why I didn’t pay for it: this was her trip. Whenever we want to go somewhere, we work out if we can both go. If yes, the person who wants to go on the trip organises how we are going to get there and where we may need to stay. Well, that’s the plan.
In this case, the missus wanted to go on the course. The wife buys the tickets and pays for the diesel. I wanted to stay overnight, so I paid for the hotel. Food and extras depend on the time.
The drive down was okay, but I had to pull into a motorway service. My eyes started to feel the strain.
Another major event was Ne Ne hitting 100,000 miles. The wife didn’t take me seriously when I asked her to get her phone and take a quick picture, so I missed the chance.
The Room
We finally arrive at The Boot Inn. A pub/restaurant/ Inn/ B&B.
The room was really nice, better than the photos on the site. I picked this room because it had a TV.
The wife was in shock when she got the bill after we ordered some food for the room. From here, we ate our fill and relaxed for the rest of the evening. The wife complained that the bed was a little too tall for her. It did look like she was climbing a mountain.
Saturday 17th
We woke up early, but we had a decent night’s sleep. We had booked breakfast around eight. The course starts at half past two, so we had a little time to relax and wander around.
I have a slight tension headache this morning, so I have a quick cup of tea while we get ready for our pub breakfast.
Breakfast was okay. We were treated nicely, and the food was good. After we returned to the room, we rested until it was time to leave, while the wife continued to have trouble climbing onto the bed.
We were wrong about the kick-out time. Online, I was sure it said 11, but it was 10. So we grabbed our things and got back into Ne Ne. And as we didn’t know where to go, we headed straight to the garden centre.
We were 4 hours early and thought we would waste time by wandering around the garden centre.
Finding Things To Do at St Peters Garden Centre
First, we got our bearings wandering around and finding out where everything is. This place is massive, and the variety of things to buy is vast. They have a food shopping area and a restaurant.
The wife bought some plants and we placed them in the car. We came back, and the wife wanted to buy some fruit and veg from the shed outside the garden centre.
After some more wandering, we found a nature walk area, and as you walk around, you can view and pet the farm animals enjoying life. They also have a couple of shops for food and drinks, and a seating area.
About one o’clock, we went for some lunch. The food was expensive. They are pub prices, and although they have a large selection of meals to choose from, I found it hard to find something I wanted. This is mainly due to my liking simple food. I find it annoying when places try to upscale food when it isn’t necessary, adding too many ingredients together when it isn’t needed.
So in the end, I had the expensive bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries and coleslaw, and the wife had a cream tea.
Plant Time
It was time for the main event. We were still a little early, so we sat outside and waited. It wasn’t until I went in and asked if it was okay to come in that we all trundled in and took our seats.
I did get a little disappointed. It’s not a big deal. I had briefly glanced at a video, where he asks the furthest people had come. I thought 165 miles was far. And I wanted to step up, be all proud of myself and of that fact. But, of course, someone from America had come to the earlier course. The bastard!
Johnny, our host, took us on a journey about how he became who he is today, why he loved what he did and how he got there. I did learn a fair bit. Johnny is also known as a plantaholic. I do not know if he made it up, but he is proud of it.
From my first impressions of the man. That the wife is a fan of: He reminded me of another man named Adam Buxton from a show I used to watch in the nineties called the Adam and Joe Show. The show was weird. That is why I probably liked it. And Johnny is very weird, but in a good way. I think a nerdy, passionate, plant person.
Links
If interested, here are some of his links on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/thebeardedplantaholic/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXA5pny8fmOnKtyOS3nK7g
https://www.facebook.com/thebeardedplantaholic/?locale=en_GB
The Propagation Course
We were given a clear box each, and then we were taught how to create a propagation box with Johnny’s mixing formula. We both took notes on the sequence, and what certain things are and what they did. Although most of what was taught, the missus knew already. She engaged in speaking plant technical talk with Johnny, while I glazed over.
The price of the tickets is worth the materials you get back. The plant cuttings on their own, if you follow the instructions properly, could be worth a couple of hundred quid easily. And then if you succeed in growing the plants you had from the cuttings, take cuttings from them and so forth.
We were also able to take home some of the materials used in the mix, as much as we could get our hands on, which is also worth some money.
So we followed the instructions, taking full advantage of the amount of cutting we could have, and we filled as much as we could in our boxes. I may have overdone it a bit, but I didn’t care. The wife tried for the plants she wanted. I just thought, screw it. I am here, and I like free stuff.
My Box and the wife’s box
We left in the end and had a quick selfie with him. We packed our things and headed to the car.
Going Home
The journey home took a little longer than expected. I don’t know what happened, but as we drove along the A40, something went wrong. Thankfully, I didn’t lose control of Ne Ne, but I had to move over to the side. I parked on the shoulder between a slip road and the main road. I didn’t feel safe here. When the road was clear, I got Ne Ne onto some shevrons on the slip road, and then I inspected the damage.
The tyre had blown. After some faffing about, I managed to call the AA, and after an hour or so, they arrived. I could have just changed the spare, but I was concerned that there could have been more damage. So I waited. In the end, the AA bloke who was really nice and answered all of our questions gave us a clean bill of health and sent us on our way.
We eventually got home around 11.30 in the evening. Instead of just after 8. After we quickly popped into a service station and refuelled ourselves.
Sunday 18th
Today we relaxed, and I got ready for work tonight.
Monday 19th
After a slow day at work, I tried to buy a replacement tyre for Ne Ne, but to no avail. The company I went with before couldn’t find the tyre I wanted. So I am now at home trying to buy a replacement. He panicked when I told him what happened to the tyre. I think he believed that I was going to ask for compensation for the blowout. The thing is, I didn’t know if it was a bad road or a bad tyre. Sadly, there is no guarantee for my sort of damage. I read the information on their website.
Awoken by the Amazon delivery person. But I was late to the door. So I grabbed my dressing gown and rushed to the front entrance. Luckily, she was still there. I opened the door for her as I believe she was contacting another person to let her in. She seemed entitled as she walked past, announcing she was leaving stuff by my door. I said I know, but she didn’t listen. So, I followed her to my door and watched as she just dropped them without a care.
It was then she realised I lived there and scooped them back up, handing them to me, frantically apologising. Next door neighbour witnessed everything and laughed at what had happened.
It was when I reentered my home that I noticed that she had delivered the wrong item to us, and the wife later posted it in the building next door. She then contacted Amazon for an answer to where her parcel had gone.
Achievement: I had finally finished the complete works of Sherlock Holmes. It had taken me about fourteen months. As well as reading other books.
Tuesday 20th
Another day, same routine. I returned home to find my wife getting ready for work, and to find out Amazon had already delivered another item she had lost the day before.
Wednesday 21nd
We are low on some foodstuffs, so after driving my wife to work. I popped to the shops for some provisions. I still haven’t sorted the tyre out yet, I should get my finger out.
This new book is densely written. I don’t mean story-wise, I mean the words on the page. Most of the books these days, I would have read double the pages I have read so far.
Thursday 22nd
I am a little annoyed with work today. The manager decided to bitch at me for something that was not in my control. A driver was being a Karen because he believed something he thought was true, and when I tried to show him he was wrong, he shut up and went away.
The only good thing was that I got some practice on a counterbalance forklift. Doing something I had never done before. I loaded a trailer with pallets. Making sure the driver knew I had never done this before, he helped to guide me on what to do and where to go. And I did okay.
I have finished my first audiobook on my new MP3 player. I was enjoying it so much that I cried out when it announced that I had come to the end of book one. For those wondering, I am listening to a series I have loved since my teenage years: The Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster.
Friday 23rd
Another night off, so I’m resting and writing my blogs. That last excursion has taken more out of me and the missus than I properly realised, and I need a couple of days to catch up, but that isn’t going to happen, so I will take advantage of what I can get.
Whilst writing about one of my favourite book series of all time, the Spellsinger, I had an itch to look at the first book. Spellsinger at the gates. This book was the hardback version, which would be split into two when the paperback was released. But the first book was originally sold as a hardback of 450 signed copies. A few years ago, this book was selling for hundreds of pounds. But I have just found it. Several copies have been reduced in price, and I have just bought one. I can’t believe it. I won’t until it is in my hands.
This is a dream coming true. If this works out, I will try to get the rest of the series.
We had a visit from Homeserve today for the yearly service of the boiler. Today, the lady who came was being assessed, so this meant they were going through everything to make sure everything was okay. It did take a little longer than normal, but the boiler has a clean bill of health.
While the boiler was being serviced, the wife was asking questions as her anxiety levels rose. I was finally able to buy a new tyre to replace the blown one. For some reason, my tyre was hard to find. That’s booked for next Saturday.
Saturday 24th
I don’t want to complain, but I am bored at work. It’s not the workplace. It’s the actual job I am doing at the moment. I spend most of my time standing around, and when the jobs I have to do are done, I have nothing to do, so I have to search for work. I still have plenty to learn, and that is taking time and is not consistent. There is an expectation of me, but I don’t feel I am getting anywhere.
The wife wanted to buy some more boxes for her soil and ingredients. And the only place that sold them individually was Halfords, so that’s where we went. My brother wanted some advice on his plants. So the missus helped by providing some information and some of her soil mix with some spare pots. I’ll give it to him when I visit.
Sunday 25th
Today, for the first time I had an instant thought of walking out of work and going home because I was sick of the bullshit. I feel like I’m a burden. If I am doing something wrong, I want someone to tell me what is going on. But I stayed and continued with my shift like a good little soldier.
I will continue to learn until I have fixed whatever the problem may be. If that doesn’t work, I will move on to something else. I am not supposed to make everyone happy. I am here to learn, to do my job well and earn.
Monday 26th
Day off today. I have created a new video and uploaded it to social media. I have also written a small instructional PDF from my propagation course for a colleague at work, and I will print one off for my brother, whom I will visit.
Tuesday 27th
I worked and took my wife to work. And then I went to bed, read some more, and then went off to sleep.
My bag has finally arrived from China. I bought it through Temu. And for some reason, their delivery system is to send it by train. For the past few weeks, I have been watching it travel through the different countries until it arrived at my home.
This bag is a tad tough like leather, but it looks like it was made out of canvas, dipped in some hardening substance.
Woke up and went back to work.
Wednesday 28th
It was a busy night at work, where I continued with some Gatekeeping and also some canteen work. I am slowly working through the problem I have been learning.
Near the end of my shift, about twenty minutes left. The wife called and told me she was having an attack. So, after speaking to a manager, He let me go a few minutes early. I came home to my wife sitting and leaning against the boiler door. I talked to her while sorting myself out and the wife moving and changing positions, including face-first on the carpet.
Whatever works to make her feel comfortable.
I called her job, telling them that she wouldn’t be coming in, and when she was ready, she went to bed and rested for a few hours.
Thursday 29th
I thought I would treat myself by having my packed lunch outside on the picnic tables. My reward was being bitten five times all over my legs.
There may also be another change to my night chef duties. We will see what happens.
Friday 30th
The start of my day off after work. Nothing to do but try to relax and get some sleep.
Update on my bites: I now have seven on my left leg, four around my left knee. And three on my right leg. I am enjoying the pain.
But before that, I found something the wife had been looking for online at work. There seemed to be a shortage online, but in-store, there were plenty of them. I sent a picture to the missus as I was heading to my canteen duties. And about an hour or so after returning home, we headed back, along with some more new plants. We picked up the indoor greenhouse.
The book I ordered from Dallas, Texas, has arrived. I am not completely happy with the condition. But the book is 42 years old, and some sun bleaching has happened.
Saturday 31st
Continuing my rest time. We were going to go shopping, but we couldn’t be bothered, so we ordered online and are now waiting for it to be delivered.
I have been up since about half-past midnight. I did try to have a nap, but it wasn’t happening, and I have to go and have Ne Ne’s tyre replaced.
The replacement of the tyre was quick. I arrived around 10 am and left about 20 minutes later. I was impressed at how quickly it was done. The mechanic had worked out that I hadn’t had the tyre long, and I explained what had happened.
For many years, the wife has had this Mini system that hasn’t worked for some reason. She believed it was due to a blown fuse. I tested this theory by swapping it with another. Nothing. I had a look around the system only to find a switch. It’s been off all this time, and she had forgotten, so did I, that it was there.
I had a sudden burst of energy and needed to get something done, so I built the chest of drawers we bought from my workplace. And then the wife had the same problem, but I told her to rest. She can sort the closet out later. Of course, she listened to me and set to work while we waited for the shopping to arrive.
After we were done, she complained that she didn’t have enough space for her extra clothes. So I explained that’s what happens when you constantly purchase clothes. She didn’t understand. To her, I was speaking another language.
After everything was finally completed, I ordered Chinese food, and we spent the rest of the day watching Clarkson’s Farm.
Thanks for visiting. I’ll see you next month.
