My Life That Happened In #34…
Episode #33
… July 2026
Wednesday 1st
My head isn’t great. I really should say my eye. It’s a good thing I brought my tinted glasses with me. I have my half-tinted glasses as well, but I felt I needed full coverage. It helps to subside the pain, but it fluctuates. Work helps to distract me, but it isn’t going anywhere.
Work was simple enough, only two trailers to come in, and they were already outside when I started my shift.
I discussed what happened at the Development Centre I went to yesterday. The higher manager I spoke to about my concerns said I was overthinking it, which is true.
My adventures trying to get rid of a trailer that has been abandoned in our yard seem to be going somewhere, as they are finally answering my emails. The slight threat of charging rent has them wanting more information. So I sent them images of the trailer and the paperwork that wasn’t signed by the driver who drove off.
After lunch, a meeting was cancelled, so I continued with what I was doing. I explained that I still wasn’t feeling great. And I was told I could go after finishing my paperwork. And I gladly accepted.
On the Sofa
I nodded off a couple of times on the sofa while I relaxed and worked out what I wanted for dinner. The missus eventually woke up, and I made my decision.
I decided before bed that I would try to finish as much of last month’s blog and start this month’s, and upload Monday’s video. It is not going too badly.
I saw an email on my phone from the trailer company, and they are coming to get the trailer. Arms raised in success.
After everything I did to try to go to bed early to help my head, I still ended up going to bed late. I blame Sky. I am trying to update my broadband; every time I get to the end, I get “technical difficulties”.
Waking up, I felt a lot better, but the ache was sitting in the background. But I will take it.
But also, I found out I have been bitten again. So happy about that.
I continued with last month’s blog release and got myself ready to leave. My latest video is nearly complete; only one more upload to go.
Thursday 2nd
As there was only one trailer in when I arrived, it would be the only one tonight. We started by clearing the excess that had mounted up over the past week, and when that was done, we began tipping the trailer.
I don’t think the food I made for dinner was the greatest of ideas. Or it could have been that a member of staff wasn’t feeling great, or the smell coming from the toilet when I needed to use it. Any of those factors, in turn, had given me gut problems when I got home. Cheers everyone!
It does feel a bit pointless half the time. We clear the area of stock that shouldn’t be on the bay, only to have it filled up again with stock that cannot be placed in the racking, or cannot go out on the shop floor. And other areas feel it’s okay to dump their stuff there, too. I get fed up with this a lot. But there’s not much I can do about this.
I tried again with the LOCAL LOCALs. At the moment, I gather information, pass it to the next person, and they do what they need to next. I admit I am getting the hang of this. But I need to be able to complete it all, at least once, to begin to feel satisfied.
At home, I was planning on finishing last month’s blog. Done and dusted. But of course, I sat on the sofa after finishing my routine. I even started on meal prepping. I only did breakfast. But that is still one less thing to do.
The Internet
The next big task was getting in contact with Sky Broadband. For the past few days, I have found a deal on MoneySupermarket.com. In the long run, it would save me money and increase my speed… By a lot.
For years, I have had to deal with what started with a 3 mb signal. When I had had enough of that, there wasn’t any fibre broadband; it hadn’t been connected. So I had to have 4G broadband, which went up to a 15 mb signal.
This was still bad. The weather dictates whether we get a signal. But recently, Open Reach connected the fibre, and now, with my new contract, I am going to get 500 mb, which is a bloody miracle.
“Mike” and “Laura” did their best to sell me a few extra things, but failed. Their names are “” because I was connected to a non-UK call centre, and I would bet they don’t have English names. When they started talking, I had to control myself, believing I may have called a scam line. But it went okay, and they took their time making sure the information was correct each time before proceeding.
I will have to wait a little longer, as I picked a date during my holiday. So I can be there and deal with the wife while she has anxiety, witness holes being made in the wall and all the dust, and the movement of furniture and putting it back afterwards.
The 20th can not come quickly enough.
I told myself I was going to bed, but instead I was nodding off, trying to complete last month’s blog. Eventually, I went to bed a lot later than I wanted.
Friday 3rd
Waking up about 1ish in the am, sleeping a little longer than usual. This is a good thing. I realised I hadn’t published my book report on Wednesday. So, before finishing my life blog. Which I should have published yesterday. I will start with the book report.
Publishing the book report, I was instantly distracted by LinkedIn. This is one of the places I share a link to. It showed my current job role description, and it was out of date. So, of course, there and then I had to fix it. That done, I finished sharing that post.
Next step: create an image for last month’s blog.
Here are the runners-up:
Once I had published everything, it was time to relax and rest for a while.
I started to get hungry, so I decided to cook my lunch and make something (cook) from the freezer.
While I was waiting for my food to cook, the lights came on for the missus’s plants. As always, a couple of them weren’t on a timer, so I switched them on.
I settled down with my food and watched a show.
Before bed, I did an online shop with the missus while she dealt with a headache.
Today’s exercise:
Walking into work, I found a trolley full of damaged plants for employees to take home. So I video-called the missus, and she had her pick of whatever she wanted.
Saturday 4th
Walking into work, I found out I was going to be on a truck for a while. But before that, some paperwork needed to be finished and this week’s worth of work needed to be double-checked.
I spoke to the manager about the plant’s trolley and suggested a plant that they might find a bit easier to heal and grow. If they do well with the plant, they could create cuttings and propagate more plants. My manager has a long way to go on their plant journey, and with my limited knowledge, I will continue to help where I can. They have taken my suggestion, and we will see what happens.
After finishing the paperwork, I jumped on a truck and started moving pallets to where they needed to go.
I tried again with the LOCAL LOCALs. I discussed the latest book club read with a higher manager. They recommended a book I will have to ask again about, as I have forgotten the title. I also recommended a book, The Yard by Alex Grecian. They seemed interested. While we talked, I was reminded of another book and showed them this website as I referenced a book report.
Taking the plants home, the wife slowly woke up and inspected them.
We sat and rested while we waited for the shopping to arrive. During that time, I went and nearly finished another book report. An email arrived telling me that some of my items were missing. I wasn’t happy, but there was nothing I could do. I will need to pop to the shop later to pick up the items.
Time for Bed
I eventually went to bed and had a read before falling asleep.
I woke up a couple of hours before my time, and after a while, I gave up trying to get back to sleep, so I finished my book. At the time, I didn’t know there was so much extra in the book that I didn’t need to read. And I finished pretty quickly. I am glad now that I get to pick out another book.
So, for now, I am using this time to write this blog, thinking about my newest read, and with some more distractions. I find there is another book in the series to be published this year, Girly squeal!
I googled a description of the book my senior manager told me about, which I had forgotten the title of, and I am thinking about getting a copy at the same time I have preordered a couple of books.
Sunday 5th
Another easy day at work, where I wasn’t needed on the loading bay. Back on the trucks, I was waiting for my work to come off the trailer that showed up three hours late. So while I waited, I helped out on the pick, which meant collecting pallets around the building and sending them to their destination.
I was lucky again; I didn’t have to cook, so I could relax and listen to my music while I worked.
We ran out of work, so I continued the paperwork for the trailer that came in.
My manager came to me and asked about this blog, wondering if I could make the images enlarge when you click on them, as some of them do come up small. I admitted that this had bothered me, and I wondered how I could remedy this. As someone asked, I’m motivated to find out.
I spoke again to my senior manager about the book he recommended. I told them about how some of them are a little pricey. But I also mentioned that I found a copy of the book they are after. And I would send them the link when I find it again.
Getting home, I relaxed and didn’t do much.
Making Things Bigger
I did a bit of research on enlarging images from my blogs. And I did find a solution. It isn’t perfect on the grand scheme of things. I will have to go to every blog and change the settings on all of the images. But there is a fix. It turns out that when I add an external link. If I go back into that same click-down box, there is a separate item that will enlarge the image for you.
All this time, I didn’t know. Go figure! So my next job is to enlarge all of the images. There are thousands. It’s going to take a while, but I will get there.
I stubbornly waited as long as I could and then finally went to bed.
Monday 6th
I woke up just before midnight with a bad back. I slept well, but my back wasn’t having it.
Today is my day off, and it is going to be a bit different, as I won’t be going to work at my usual time of midnight on Tuesday, but I will be attending a refresher course for my first aid. And a mental health first aid meeting before that. So I will need to be there at 8 am.
For now, I am watching YouTube and some other things I find randomly.
It was eventually time to have a nap, so I went to bed for a few of hours.
Getting up, we had to pop out as we were missing a couple of things from the shopping, so we got ready. I had forgotten I had a video being released, so before I got ready, I shared as much as I could on my social media.
First stop was to pick up a return. It was at a shop I didn’t know existed, but I knew where it was after a Google Maps search.
Next stop: Asda.
When we were done, we had to pick up and drop off a couple of items from the Evri and In-Post lockers.
One final stop at Home Bargains, and then we went home.
Here we put our things away, and I received the parcel that I ordered for NeNe. Some new brake bulbs.
Book Shopping
While we ate, I was looking for the book I had discussed with my senior manager. I found the book they were looking for, thinking I might as well get it for them instead of waiting to see them when they get back from holiday. It is going to take a while to get here from America. Also, I found the first book in the series and bought it for myself. That book is also coming from America.
During this time, my brother called. He bought me a book as well. Which was nice, and I explained what I was doing and then wanted in. But he wanted a different book by the same author, connected to the film Enemy Mine.
Behind on my blog, I did my best to catch up while the missus attacked her plants again. I also continued updating all of my other blogs.
The website doesn’t like me going through too many pages at once. I am forced to stop while the site recovers.
Tuesday 7th
I woke up at five and got ready for work.
Before leaving, I got everything ready for my next video and made some breakfast to have at work.
The plan: start work a little early to try to make up some of my lost time. I suggested this to my manager when I arrived, saying I would do the paperwork to lighten their load, and they loved it.
The next part failed. I was going to watch the Mental Health First Aider video call while I did the paperwork, but the link I had didn’t work, so I contacted them by other means and told them what happened. The final part was to attend the first aid refresher course.
I found out that the MHFA meeting had a different link from the one I had been given, and instantly, I was in the meeting, but there was no point, as I had to go to my course.
At our first break, I had enough time to pop into the book club meeting. It was only ten minutes, but I was glad I attended even that and also discovered the next book would be a Sci-Fi. I suggested the Firefly series. But not the first three books: I may have been wrong, but I think I only read the first two books.
For lunch, I used the free food voucher I had had in my wallet for over a year. And then, to find out it came with cake, so I had my second piece of Vicky sponge of the day.
It had been a long day, and I was glad to go home and rest before going to bed. But before bed, I finished creating my video and updating this blog.
Wednesday 8th
I’m back to the beginning because of everything that happened yesterday. I have had to change my shift pattern for today, which means going back to the hours when I started at this job, four to ten am. So I am up at one in the morning getting ready to leave.
While I am writing this, I am waking up while watching the second channel of Jenna Phipps, and uploading my videos for Monday.
I cannot wait for the new broadband to kick in, so I will not have to worry about interfering with the missus while she is watching her shows. And everything can be done quicker.
I didn’t take any food with me to work as I wouldn’t be having a lunch break. But I knew that 4 am was break time and the canteen would be preparing and laying out some hot food for everyone.
So I made up some jam on toast, and when it was ready, I had some freshly cooked chips with Mayo and Ketchup.
I have a feeling I could be completely wrong. But I think one of my managers wants to be a gatekeeper.
I also had a look from a manager, and I am not sure whether it was concern or worry, maybe about putting me on the shop floor.
The way I see it. I am being paid to do a job, and that’s that.
Then, when that was done, I went back to do the paperwork.
Taking Control
We had an unexpected delivery. And at the same time, I was placed in charge as my manager went home. Another colleague was supposed to take over. But I was there, and that was that. I didn’t care about being on duty. I had a couple of calls from people needing things. But my main concern was to get this trailer sorted. Get my paperwork done and get a copy of a piece of paper that should have been scanned a couple of days ago.
For the most part, I was successful. There was some stock missing. I am hoping I didn’t miss it, but I believe it never showed up. Fingers crossed.
Meal prepping should have been my first call when I got home, but I wasn’t in a rush. The last of the uploads was complete, and I decided to have something to eat and watch some wrestling.
Meal Prepping
Waking up, I had myself sweating again while I sorted things out in the office. A cleansing shower is needed.
Today is book report publishing day, and because I was concentrating on this, I had to shorten my exercise time by five minutes.
I am running out of time to finish the latest Jenna and Nicky video. So I may finish it tomorrow.
Thursday 9th
Just before I began work, I was asked for a favour. I wasn’t a hundred per cent on board with the idea. Until I was offered an early finish tomorrow. I pretty much jumped down their throat to do it. But holding everything inside when I said yes.
I was asked to stay until ten and take over as Logs Duty. Essentially, I would be in charge until it was time to hand over to someone else. Dealing with problems if they arise.
But before that, I continued with my main duties as gatekeeper.
The shift went well. We had three drivers unloading three different trailers, and one driver loading up another. The last trailer never showed up.
At 7 am, I had refresher training in the canteen. The manager would like us to try some new apps to fill in information instead of paper. And it looks like they want me to be a cashier. I’m not sure I care for that. One good thing that is coming out of it is that I will be allowed to cook chips again.
Back downstairs, everything was running smoothly, so I was able to have my break without any trouble.
Waking up, I find an email from work wanting to have a sit-down with my manager about the development centre. They want to give me some feedback on Wednesday.
As I will only be working a shorter shift, I decided not to take my meals with me. I am hoping they can last until Monday.
Another trolley of plants was left out. I video-called the missus so she could have her pick.
For breakfast, I made up some toast with some Philadelphia. It was a nice change. I may consider having it again later.
Friday 10th
Work was nice and easy. We had some damage from bad stacking, but apart from that, we had all of the work done before lunch. As I was working a shorter shift today, I decided to have a meal in the canteen. The meal was okay, and I had double lashings of gravy, mmmmmh Gravy!
I spoke to my manager about the feedback meeting; my manager is coming to fight in my corner, which is most appreciated.
I had done all that I could do to have everything up to date before leaving for home. It was weird leaving at that time, but I didn’t care. I was going home.
The plan for the day was to have a nap and continue with my blogs. The first part happened, but when I woke up from my nap, the missus had a spring clean through all of our albums, and mine were left on the floor to sort out. Now I am stuck in CD mode and have commenced what I wanted to do for years. Rip all of my albums onto the computer.
Updating My Collection
So, for the rest of the day, this is what I did. I first had to find a recent alternative to Windows Media Player: Legacy, mainly because it isn’t connected to a database anymore.
Originally, you would rip the CD, and the software would search the internet for the album’s information. WMP doesn’t do that anymore. It will rip it, but not the information. So after a brief search, I found EZ CD, which does the job I want it to do plus a little more.
I can convert the music to a better music codec. So now I am using AAC instead of MP3. I have tested it on one of my MP3 players, and it works fine. I would use FLAC, but the files would be too large.
As I slowly make my way through the CDs, I thought I might as well combine what I already have on my external hard drive and convert everything at the same time. This is going to take a while.
I was able to drag myself away to get something to eat. But I continued until it was time for sleep. The missus let me have one of the fans in with me; it has made a massive difference.
Saturday 11th
When I was fully awake, I was straight back to converting my albums and singles. It was very therapeutic, with a touch of anxiety. I still have a long way to go, but I can not stop now until it is all done.
I made a promise to my brother a few weeks ago that I would visit his allotments. Today was the open day. The missus was suffering from heat stroke; she couldn’t go with me. I wasn’t planning on staying too long as I didn’t want to stay out in the sun too long.
I met my brother by the car, and as I waited for him, I replaced the brake lights.
The areas we walked around were nice, and the open day itself wasn’t a big ordeal. It was contained in a small area.
The music was terrible, so after a burger and something to drink, I decided it was time to go. I left my brother there, and I headed home. I continued with my audio project.
A quick update on the plants I brought home from work. One of the three plants didn’t make it, and the rest seem to be doing okay at the moment. There is still a way to go, but it all looks good so far.
Sunday 12th
Back to the grind. I am not quite finished yet, and I am looking at my wife’s CD collection. I have to leave that alone until I have finished what I have done so far.
This is taking way longer than I thought it would take. I am editing some of the albums, getting them as close to uniform as possible.
I have to go to bed, but I can not stop.
Waking up, my head is a little sore, as if I have sunburned my head. But that doesn’t matter. I grab a drink, and it’s back to the grind. Having finished with my CDs, I made a start on any extra albums I have on my various hard drives. I have to remember I have a limited amount of time before work.
Monday 13th
I will not be a gatekeeper today. My job will be to replenish pallets to where they are needed.
But first, I have to write an email to an e-learning company. For some reason, even though I have completed the course. My profile shows I have completed half of it. But then, if I go to the next page, it states I have completed it.
This confused the people running the canteen, who kept telling me about it even though I had told them it was completed.
I have sent an email to the people who run the e-learning course. So now I wait for their answer.
Building up a good sweat, I was able to get my job done fairly quickly. But that wasn’t enough; after lunch, they went out of their way to find me some more pallets to put away.
I finished the shift by working on my LOCAL LOCALs.
At home, I finished uploading and sharing my latest video.
I recieved an email from the e-learning people; they have fixed the problem. So now I have officially completed the course again.
I am concerned about the book club. So much so that I have decided to step back and see what happens. The people who attended the last meeting have decided to change the way we do things, but have done nothing to update us on the progress of choosing the next book.
There should be strict rules when picking the next book. Changing your mind because you don’t like the genre is how we, the book club, will slowly fizzel out.
I decided to cook three days’ worth of meals instead of the usual two:
Tuesday 14th
I am back as the gatekeeper tonight, and I settle myself back into my role. There are a few things that need fixing. And I slowly make my way through them while I sort out the trailers that have come in.
Unexpectedly, I was called up to cook. And this is when everything started to go downhill. I had recently had some retraining in the canteen. And because of this, they wanted me to get on board with the new ways of doing things. I am willing to give it a try, but to do everything for the first time while I am preparing a large meal for everyone. Threw me for a loop while I was trying to catch up with myself.
The apps they wanted me to use didn’t work, so I could go back to how I normally do it. However, I was able to give the waste machine gadget thing a go. First time trying this as well; it took longer than I wanted, and I had a couple of problems, but I managed to do what I needed to do.
Back from lunch later, I got on with the paperwork. A couple of colleagues wanted to have a word with me.
Do I Want To Be A Rep?
They would like me to become a Union Rep. I was surprised they asked me to go for it. And I am unsure I would take the position.
While writing this, I realised that what they are doing is wrong. Fair enough; nothing illegal has been done yet, but I don’t like the idea of being pushed through. If I go, I will require them to follow the process, unless I am wrong.
I am not wrong, so I would want to follow the process.
The downside of this encounter was that my stress levels went up, and I needed to get my tinted glasses to help with my eye.
Just before leaving, a trailer turned up. I had to double-check as I recognised the shipment number. I had to reject it after speaking to my senior manager. This trailer was a no-show on the 10th. So it was four days late. I also had to explain to a driver who spoke no English and had to use a translator app to get them to understand,
Everyone seemed to have left happy.
Back home, I rested and explained what happened with the union. The missus thinks I am overworked, and I may be doing too much. Maybe she is right, but I will decide after my meeting tomorrow.
I woke up with what feels like a black eye without the bruise. I will put on my tinted glasses when I get to work. But for now, I will rest and de-stress as much as possible.
For some reason, I am having trouble with my latest sound for my next video, so I am trying another and have the same problem. I will try again; if not, I will have to go in another direction.
Wednesday 15th
It is going to be a busy night for change. We have plenty of trailers to tip, and everyone is eager to get on with it. Well, that’s the idea.
It all ran smoothly until a trailer arrived unexpectedly. It’s the trailer that was four days late, again. I was expecting someone else. But they didn’t turn up.
There were other problems with the trailer as well. The items brought in weren’t allowed to be scanned in. It was later that we found out someone had already confirmed the load, and we don’t know why.
It took some time, but we finished everything, and I got the paperwork done before my feedback meeting.
Before the meeting, I spoke to a couple of people about having a bug-removal device installed, as we were getting fed up with being used as a banquet for the gnats. We will wait and see what we get.
The meeting was short and straight to the point. I will have to go through the feedback and build a plan for the future, but everything went well as my manager expected.
And because of the information I received from the meeting, I was able to say yes to the invite to put my name down to try to become a rep for the union.
I Need To Read Before I Buy
I am a fucking idiot. The book I thought I had found for my senior manager arrived today. The only problem was that it didn’t. I didn’t look at what I was buying, and now I have the first of three books I was buying for myself, and another of the same book when it decided to turn up. Great!
There was a knock on the door, and we were visited by people installing the new intercom system. The company paying for this has forked out for a video phone system. Very Nice!
The missus wasn’t happy after they left, as they weren’t very professional. As in, they left unnecessary chips and marks that they didn’t fix. So it is something we will have to sort out later.
My eye is still hurting, but that isn’t my main problem. The internet is playing up, and an hour later, I am still unable to finish sharing my latest book report. I need to do my exercises as well. I was getting frustrated and about to write in my journal when suddenly the internet came back. So I did my exercises and finished sharing my blog.
Because of all this faffing about, I will have to watch the latest Jenna Phipps video tomorrow.
Thursday 16th
Work was fairly straightforward. There were my trailers to deal with, and apart from a no-show, it all went reasonably well.
I am trying to make sure everyone gets a chance to be a union rep. I don’t want anyone saying that they didn’t know about the Rep position.
My manager showed a few things and quizzed me on LOCAL LOCALs. Although some was still a little fuzzy, I had a click moment. Still a ways to go, but I am getting there, just a little more practice. My manager has plans.
When my senior manager arrived, I explained to them about the book I had bought and how I cocked it up. After a discussion, they said they would buy it off me. This helped me a lot.
There was a rush at the end to get the paperwork done, and I had to refuse help to a couple of people who needed it.
The drive home was a pain. The wife was waiting for me in the carpark when I arrived. Traffic was backed up toward the M25 and the bridge. This was due to an accident and road works. I don’t know how long it took before it settled down.
When I got home, I had to tell her I wasn’t going back out because of the traffic. I said we could go later when the traffic died down. She wasn’t happy being inconvenienced, as she had to get out of bed and put on some outdoor clothes.
It’s Nearly Here
Another hint that I will soon be getting better broadband was the delivery of my new Modem. Can’t wait!
Waking up with back pain and my head not feeling great, I grabbed a drink and sat on the sofa until the pain subsided.
This missus is on a Jurrasic park binge because of the passing of Sam Neil.
When I feel a little bit better, I head into the office to get on with my blogs.
The wife still needs to post her item and collect another. So after I told her, we could go whenever she wanted. She finally convinced herself that it was okay to go, so we went.
Parking up at Tesco, we posted at the Post Office drop-off point and then headed to the Evri.
Here, I had the wonderful opportunity to be slowly whacked on the side of the head as the door opened. Slowly, meaning I saw it open, and the door gradually tapped the side of my glasses. The missus thought this was hilarious. I closed the door, and we came home.
I am still having problems with my rear light, which means more money to spend, but I think I have a website that is setting my bad bulb spending straight.
Friday 17th
Stuck in doom-scrolling mode, I eventually dragged myself away and got on with my blogs.
I keep thinking about my choice of being a Union rep. Do I need it? Not really? So why am I doing it? I think it would be beneficial for me to learn a few extra things that could help my progress, based on the feedback. Also, I have a problem with how the current representation is being used.
The problem is that it isn’t. As with most things, it is there only when the members need it. There is so much potential that is being disregarded. Fair enough, I am not the biggest fan of the Union. But I know I could help improve it.
On the other side, it will look good on my LinkedIn and CV, and I can use it and ride it out until I find something new.
I remembered that I needed to buy some new bulbs. So I popped to my favourite site at the moment, Powerbulbs.
Working Hard
I have done well this morning and completed my latest video. I’m currently uploading it for Monday, and I have found that some other sites schedule their posts as well. I have updated this blog and finished off the next book report. I will check again, closer to publishing. And I have made my meals for the next couple of days.
I made a start on my next blog, but I thought I should rest. I have been working nearly all night, and it is supposed to be a rest day.
As I walked near the entrance, there were two trolleys full of plants. So I video-called the missus, and we went through what was available. There were some plants we don’t normally see, and I was a bit dubious about whether to get them. So I took what the missus asked for and left the rest.
Saturday 18th
Three trailers are in tonight, and before the end of the first hour, all three have arrived.
I was called away to cook at the very last minute. Generally, I don’t mind, but it is annoying when I am busy working on something else and I have to drop it because someone claims to be sick.
The book that came from America was in my lunch bag to give to the senior manager, and they were chuffed when they got hold of it.
I continue to make sure everyone has had a chance to have their name placed on the list for the Union rep. As we had a meeting, I could get as many names as possible.
During my break, I grabbed a couple of the larger plants and managed to fit them into NeNe.
The missus tried to be shocked and annoyed at the sight of the larger plants, but as she was still waking up when I came home, she was happy.
I was warned, but I wasn’t worried. However, I checked my bank account and my senior manager paid me the money for the book.
Breakfast again at work was four slices of toasted bread with butter and Philadelphia, an orange and a cup of tea.
Sunday 19th
Another easy night with a couple of trailers; they had already arrived by the time I walked into the building.
Our bug zapper was found and returned to us. We enjoyed the zaps now and then as our revenge was being served.
My job, apart from my usual job, was to get everything cleared that wasn’t supposed to be there before I walked out the door. It isn’t always the case, but I have returned from holiday to find that same pallets still sitting around and not being fixed.
A coworker did a brilliant job tidying the loading bay, and I was adding the finishing touches. Sadly, I had to leave all of that to go cooking, and I left instructions with my fellow gatekeeper to continue the work.
Upon returning, everything I had asked for had been sorted. I was happy. So I continued, completed the paperwork, and had a lengthy discussion about how to collect entertainment online. And the different ways to view it at home.
In Charge?
While talking, I was asked again about running the show when the managers are called away on the 4th of August. It shouldn’t be a problem. It will also be book club day. Nothing has been sorted for this month’s book. I am not getting involved.
A coworker was showing us a test that they had to do with the counterbalance, and I tried it out. The test used words and phrases that were never taught to anyone before. I even said it could be AI-generated. And I was a little taken aback when I failed the test with 80%. To pass, you need 95%. Which would mean I could only get one question wrong to pass.
I walked out and was ready to start my holiday.
I should have gone to bed early, but for no reason, I didn’t. The missus wasn’t feeling great, so she went back to bed with a hot water bottle.
Monday 20th
I woke up just before midnight, believing I had slept longer. My finger is swollen from being bitten. So, I am enjoying that.
Today was a big day. The internet was being upgraded.
But that is still a few hours away, and I am up in a severe doomscrolling session. And I need a nap.
There is going to be some furniture movement later with a bag of anxiety, but we will get through it.
After a nap and some food, we moved the furniture while we waited for the installers to do their job.
The installer arrived after one and went in a different direction than we expected from the video they sent. Instead of through the side of the flat, they came through above the front door. From here, we had to decide where the feed would go through the building to its final destination.
The missus and I talked for a few minutes and came up with what we wanted.
All the way through, this was a minefield of anxiety for the missus. I had to settle myself and keep calm while I watched her try to control it.
It didn’t take long; soon enough, everything was installed, and I was testing my router’s speed. I was very much impressed.
There’s a Problem
The installer soon left, and it turned out that the missus had been glued on the wrong thing when it was discovered that the installer had damaged the paintwork where the hole was made. I don’t think it was the installer’s fault, but a bad paint job. It didn’t matter; the missus wasn’t pleased.
The rest of the day was spent tidying up and slowly going through our stuff that was around the desk where the new router sits. I did have to make a quick call to BT to cancel the 4G WIFI router.
The problem with that was that the customer service guy had to be trained to close the account for the 4G modem, as they don’t use them anymore. But I get to keep the modem. I want to know if a SIM card exists that doesn’t need to be used every month, just once or twice a year.
Tuesday 21st
The plan for today is to rest. But that is never really the case, as we have run out of loo roll. So I said I would go and get some.
This led to a full-on shopping trip, leaving our flat. I didn’t realise how mentally exhausted I really was. As I drove, the light sensitivity was painful. As soon as I parked up, I changed my glasses, and I was able to relax a little.
The missus met, by chance, an old work colleague, and I left her to it while they caught up.
My wife eventually returned, and we went about our business and spent some money.
Returning to NeNe, I had them in my bag, so I thought I may as well do it now and replaced the rear bulbs.
Still needing loo roll, we popped next door and spent some more money in Home Bargains.
Here we found some new flavours for Dr Pepper. I think I have tried the blackberry before; I am not sure, so I grabbed one of each, and we left.
We made it back home and packed everything away. My mental fatigue was still floating around, but I needed less compression, so I changed my hat and rested.
Much, much later, I had something to eat, then went into my office and started back on my blogs. I also had to create a video, and I wanted to see how quickly a full three-hour video would upload. I was actually impressed. Instead of two-plus hours, it took roughly ten minutes.
Wednesday 22nd
I am having trouble getting started today. I slept well enough and ate, but getting started and finishing these blogs are my main priority. It’s taking a lot to get started. The wife doesn’t understand. Every time she comes in and talks to me or calls me to get something that she has access to closer to her. I’m slowed down by what seems like an extra five minutes. Maybe longer.
Writing this blog has stopped me from reading through my book report I have to publish today, but it has also helped me focus on one thing for a little while until I can get back to my report.
She did it again, and I have had to explain it to her. I think she gets it, but she still wants to call on me. My head is going. Time for a hat.
I managed to publish a book report, update this blog, and write another book report before stretching my legs. The missus wanted to try the Dr Pepper drink we bought yesterday.
Verdict: Blackberry for the win. The Creamy Coconut is okay; you can taste the coconut, but the Dr Pepper drink overpowers it. The missus prefers this. The blackberry flavour, for me, is the opposite. The taste is a lot stronger. The missus doesn’t like this.
I found something interesting on YouTube. Andromedia. A sci-fi TV series and a show I used to love has been released on its own Channel. So, of course, I subscribed.
And some more luck, two episodes of Jenna and Nicky to catch up on.
Thursday 23rd
A big day today; we are going outside. I don’t really want to, but I promised myself and the wife a long time ago. And we are going. I was planning to get out by just after nine, but the wife didn’t know and wanted to go by her plan anyway, so we left about an hour later.
The wife is taking over with her plants. I had to remove them from the bathtub so I could have a shower.
It was a nice drive until I had to find a place to park. I wanted to find the parking area that I saw on Google Maps. So, I had to ignore the direction I was given and move to the next street further on, next to the cathedral.
We arrived at this:
Baggins Book Bazaar
We are in Rochester for my part of the journey. I had been told about a second-hand bookshop a while ago, and today I get the chance to visit it.
The place is called Baggins Book Bazaar. Supposedly one of the biggest secondhand bookshops in England. I don’t know how true that is, but they do have a lot of books.
The shop attempts to organise categories and genres of all the books, but I don’t know how often they keep it up to date.
We spent an hour there, and I walked away with a couple of books, and the missus got one as well.
For your information. They know what they are doing when they price the books. Depending on the age and rarity, be prepared to spend some money. When we were done, we took a slow walk back to NeNe.
Pepper Hill Garden Centre, Gravesend
We are returning to a place the missus loved in March.
It didn’t feel as good as before. Or did we overhyped it for ourselves? I don’t think so. There seemed to be less than before, and it may have something to do with the construction in the centre of the building.
But we were there so the missus could buy “one” plant.
We were surprised by the section dedicated to Diddy Squat. And then we saw the prices; we slowly backed up and walked away.
I started not to feel great. I needed to eat. But after checking, I wasn’t prepared to pay the prices in the restaurant. So we grabbed some stupidly priced snacks and went back to the car.
We soon discovered that a fifteen-minute drive would be a little longer than expected. And that meant we hit the lunchtime traffic.
We had one little thing to do: drop off a parcel at the Evri drop-off point at Tesco, which meant NeNe needed a diesel top-up. During this time, the missus realised that there was a parcel to pick up back at Tesco. But she couldn’t find the email with the QR code to receive it.
I again asked her to install a different app so she could read her emails properly. So that took a while, and in the end I placed her email account into my phone and brought it up instantly. I was a tad annoyed by this because I needed to get home and eat, as I hadn’t yet.
Over an hour after we left Pepper Hill, we arrived home.
The rest of the day was spent resting, and the wife dealing with her plants.
Friday 24th
I woke up early, and my brain decided it was time to think about everything. So I got up.
I have decided that, as I am still on holiday, I will video call the next book club meeting. It is also a week early, which will help me that day as my shift has been altered.
The missus wanted to go and get some Leca, but IKEA has sold out, and I am not driving to get a £1 vase. So she is looking online.
The day was spent catching up with chores and finishing things off.
I went to bed a little earlier than normal. I tried to read for a while, but I was falling asleep, so I gave in.
Saturday 25th
Waking up early, I tried to get back to the blog, but I got stuck looking for albums to add to my new collection. It is going well, and I am adding music I wouldn’t have added before. It was mainly because I was concerned about what other people would think, but I have reached a tipping point where I don’t care anymore.
We both forgot.
Yesterday was our anniversary. We normally have something planned, or we do something together. Whatever we do, there is always something.
We have to make it up. I am not happy about this.
To make up for that, we ordered Chinese and watched a film, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
My phone made a noise. It was my week’s notice to see if the book I wanted had come out before the published date. And it had. So I ordered a collection for tomorrow. Which means I will need to leave home.
A little while after watching the film, I went to bed.
Sunday 26th
I woke up early. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I just didn’t, so I got up and went about doomscrolling. When the missus woke up, I had some cereal. And went into the office to make a stat on another blog.
The missus didn’t want to go out; she wanted to deal with her plants. So I got ready and popped over to Lakeside Shopping Centre to pick my book up from Waterstones. I did cock up as I wanted to try out my benefits card. But I forgot my Waterstones card to add the half point to my account. Every time you spend, you get a token. Just under ten pounds is half a point; ten or over is a full point. When you get ten points, you get ten pounds to spend at Waterstones.
After a quick look around, I drove to Home Bargains.
Parking up, I shit myself because of an optical illusion. I thought NeNe was rolling backwards, and I jammed on the brakes. It wasn’t until my brain caught up and understood what was happening that the car next to me was reversing out of its spot. It really freaked me out, so I had to spend some time to calm down.
The missus wanted some more of the coconut Dr Pepper. But sadly, there was none. I was there to buy a multi-plug. I found what I was looking for and bought some more flapjacks.
The missus finally changed her devices to the new internet. And she is now seeing the benefits with her Animal Crossing game.
Monday 27th
A day I have been waiting for has arrived. I am heading to Central London.
There is a celebration for Star Trek. 60 years old. And there are some props and costumes to view. It’s not a massive thing, but it is there, and I don’t often get a chance to see things like this.
My latest video has dropped, so I finished sharing it on all my social media.
The missus isn’t up to it, as she is concerned about her anxiety. But I encourage her anyway.
We left an hour later than I wanted. But we are out, and I tried to find the quietest journey on the train. It wasn’t going to go to plan, but we made it to the Science Museum.
What I didn’t know was that there is an underground tunnel (subway) connecting all the museums.
What I didn’t understand when entering the building. The museum is free, so why do I need to get tickets for something I don’t need to pay for? Except maybe to keep an account of visitors.
My objective for today is to visit all of the areas where the props and costumes are on display. And I think I did well.
The wife’s prediction came to fruition. Although it was not a full attack, her anxiety levels rose to a point of concern, but when she came back down, the rest of the day went well.
We walked into the medical area, and our mission changed. We explored the different items that most would find macabre.
Back to the trek…
We were distracted again…
And again…
The next couple of photos represent the airflow along a plane.
I do love me a Grandfather clock.
Okay, back to the mission
Before moving on, we popped to the toilet.
Thinking about coming for a visit? Top tip: use the unisex toilets. Trust me! They are around the corner from the main shop.
We entered the Star Trek shopping area and found some more displays.
Now I heard there was a captain’s chair I could have a photo taken with me sitting on. What I was hoping for and what I had seen online was not what I saw, and I wasn’t happy.
What I wanted:
What we got was Discovery’s chair.
But anyway, we sit.
After we were finished, I bought our items.
As you walk around, there are places where you can grab a pamphlet. Some have information; some have quests. I grabbed the ones that I found interesting.
I grabbed a couple.
Star Trek:
Medical:
Heading home, going back along the subway, I saw some interesting things on the wall.
It wasn’t long until we was back home
We rested at home in our own worlds before bed.
Tuesday 28th
Book club day, and I will be at home when it happens. I will be using a video call, as I can’t be bothered to go to work when I am on holiday.
The milk has gone off, so the tea tastes like crap. But I make do while I have my call.
Science fiction is the next genre again as it was picked last time but never used. So I am happy. I sent a list of recommendations for people to vote on.
The missus will not calm down as she is in battle mode. She has found some of her plants with eggs on them. No spidermites, which is a good thing just eggs. So she is cleaning the areas and removing and quarantining what needs to be fixed.
I managed to have something to eat, and I watched my wrestling. Summerslam is coming soon, and everyone seems hyped.
We stopped for a few minutes to do some online shopping.
E-mailing Waterstones. I’m trying to get my points back from the book I bought a few days ago. We will see what happens. And I sent them a copy of my receipt.
I need to buy some beard oil, and I am stuck in an endless cycle of research and have been stuck here for hours trying to find the best I can afford at the moment. I finally managed to get one; it isn’t the best, so I have heard, but it has the ingredients I want.
After some dinner and watching a couple of things, I retired to the bedroom to finish reading my book. And then went to sleep.
Wednesday 29th
Back to work tonight, and I need to get everything ready. The uniform was sorted yesterday, and I have to make one day’s worth of packed lunch.
I need to pick out a new book, so I chose two.
During this time, the online shop arrived, and I set to work bringing it in. One problem was that they forgot one of my ice creams. I am not happy about this.
Before my bath, I had to set everything up as the missus is using the bathroom as another quarantine area for her plants.
Waterstones sent an email confirming my points have been added to my account.
I stayed up a little later than I wanted, but I was able to finish my latest video and start to upload.
I have slept as long as I can, and after reading for a while, I decided I have things to do and finish off.
So I finished uploading the video for Monday and published my latest book report.
Next job is to sort out my next holidays. And that is complete. I also set up my next book report folders before catching up with Jenn and Nicky.
Walking into work felt a bit odd. Things I left nearly two weeks ago were still sitting outside in a trolley.
Thursday 30th
I don’t know what happened (I was told later); paperwork from the past couple of days. I later realised that three days of paperwork had been left unfinished. So that was my job for the shift: to attempt to fix it all.
And after I had to cook, I came back and finished it all while still being a gatekeeper. And then I could start on the paperwork for today’s shift and begin the paperwork for tomorrow.
It did take a while to get my head into gear, but I slowly ploughed through it.
Another concern was the bug zapper. Someone thought it was a good idea to place it above the main workstation that I use. I had thought the contractors had come back to realise it was the debris from dead bugs. I had to move it back to where it was a couple of weeks ago. And for my troubles, my finger got bitten.
Just before leaving, a trailer that came in the day before needed to be scanned. So I did what I could and left a message with my manager with an image of what was left to scan.
Nodding off on the sofa, I thought it would be best to go to bed. I read for a little while before giving in and falling asleep.
Barely awake, my face mask hanging off, I heard my wife’s voice ask if I was going to work. I said no, and she left me to it.
I had a headache, and my back was hurting. So I gave in and got up. And then decided to start editing this month’s life blog to get it ready for publishing.
Friday 31st
After a while, I decided to get something to eat and sit with the missus for a while. This is where I noticed what she was doing. She was actually relaxed. A rarity. She was curled up on the sofa, flying and helping people on the Animal Crossing game. She never does this. The curled-up bit. While talking to people on Facebook.
We watched a couple of things together, and she eventually went to bed. I was left to my own devices.
A little later, I went back to my blog until it was time to prep for the next couple of days.
Thanks for popping by. I’ll see ya next month.