Settling In

I have been in my new job for 3 weeks now and I suppose you could say the honeymoon period is over.  Not that its not fun or anything just that I am now part of the team and the furniture so therefore I should know what I am doing and who is who and who works at what branch and so on.

Every time I do something that I haven't done before I think....I'll only make that mistake once or only ask that person once what to do and I will only go down to the train station once to collect tickets without the reference no. - yes I did that! 

I have an extraordinary long day - again pretty normal to the Brits, something that I should have realised from my first job here - work hard play hard is very much the motto despite the world thinking that the Brits are a bunch of layabouts.  I do get 35 working days leave a year though so that should sweeten the blow.

The weather is absolutely dismal here at the moment and I really cant wait to feel some sun on my shoulders.  I am planning a trip to SA and thinking that I may have to wait until after summer just because I cant bear to waste a day here that may be 'good' weather and be in the SA winter (which is really the same as a bad summer day here). 

Phew!

Well I got it - the job!

I don't want to go on about being surprised particularly after all the position is what I trained for when I left school and went to college.  It will be challenging though but bring it on I really need it.  My family are of course hugely proud of me and relieved I think to know that I shall be 'back' from next week.

I will be working in the city which will also take me back to my first job because that was really the last time I have worked in a city centre and I am so looking for to it.  Living out in the countryside is lovely but being in the city reminds you of how small you are in the grand scheme of things that feeling of anonymity which I think I crave sometimes  whereas here everyone knows us even if they don't smile and say hello.

So a BIG week for me starting Monday.  Thanks for the support as always!

X Factor

Have you ever thought about putting yourself through the horror of competing on something like the X Factor? As a person with little or no talent in anything of that nature I could think of nothing worse.  

Yesterday I went for my 2nd interview for the job I mentioned in the last post.  I was firstly subjected to an hour long test which wasn't too bad after all,  I was fairly relieved I was a nervous wreck about whether I would manage. 

I then faced the two guys I would be working with for over an hour......flip talk about stress!  Me on one side of the desk them on the other, firing squad came to mind.  They were very pleasant and didn't throw too many difficult questions my way but whatever you answer you come away thinking I should have said the opposite.

 'What would be your favourite part of this job?'

 'What would your previous employer say about you?' 

 'What are you not very good at??'

'Would getting to work 15 minutes early and leaving 15 minutes late worry you?'  - 'no not at all I don't have a life outside of my job??

You get the drift.

And after all that it's between me and 2 other women so I feel like I am standing on a stage with a woman either side and drum roll.......the winner is.........

Frying My Brain

I am studying at the moment.....nothing exciting just Word - yes just Word and Excel, I am admittedly doing the 'more' advanced stuff but Word nonetheless    I suppose just from reading that last sentence you can tell that I am not in the best frame of mind - doubting myself, not giving what I am doing any worth or that it would have any relevance to you (reader).  I haven't used any form of Ms Office for over a year so I have to brush up and gosh is my brain burning!

I am feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment, I really do have a lot going on in my life but it looks like I have nothing going on in my life.  I am once again in the unfortunate position of looking for a job.  I have been working for a wedding chair cover company for just over a year and they have decided to move the sales team down to their warehouse in another county.  So I have been made redundant.  Pretty simple really and all on good terms I even went down to the warehouse and trained up the new 'ladies' and got to see another part of the UK - Kent which is really really nice even at this time of the year.  I nearly took the wrong lane on the highway (on purpose) on my way down, it was so tempting to just drive through the tunnel and think that I would pop up in Paris!  But nah I stuck to the 'right' lane and did the 'right' thing.

so I am job hunting hence the Word and Excel brush up, and I went for an interview last week for a really super position could be a bit fast paced for me but at the same time within my capabilities (if I sufficiently brush up on my Word and Excel).  I am now waiting to see if I get called for a 2nd interview which will entail tests.  Working in this country can be really tough they expect a lot from people! I am also a little nervous of the people here because they are really so different.  If you watch Downton Abbey notice how no-one has an opinion or if they do they don't have the balls to share it!  No-one shows any emotion - nothing, and my worst - people don't greet each other instantly - they mutter and warm up later, something I repeatedly forget. Me being the tell you my life story in a day (make that an hour) kinda person this is very challenging!!  My DH works in a large office now and complains of the same thing but like anything you get used to it with time.  

All in all this is not a good time of the year for me to be in this predicament as the weather is so incredibly dull in Jan/Feb but I wont bore you with the muddy garden and 2 dogs and a daughter that is studying equine management that chucks her muddy boots off at the door when she comes home at night (inside the door btw).