7 September 2011 (Wednesday) - Bras and CDs

A week without coffee, and no discernible effect on the insomnia; I’m going back on to the stuff. Also my blood test results have arrived with those who should be looking them up. I am reliably informed that I did mostly OK – but it would seem my thyroid’s not what it once was, and my cholesterol could be lower. All things considered, 7/10: could do better.

Which, as blood tests go, isn’t bad.

Work was OK – work was more than OK – work was good. Initially I wasn’t sure how I’d get on (temporarily) relocating to the Kent & Canterbury Hospital. But I’m rather enjoying it. The journey isn’t too bad, really. The people with whom I’m working are a good bunch, and the workload is much more manageable than that which I am used to.

And then home. Within minutes of arriving home the doorbell rang. ‘er indoors ^TM had been advertising her unwanted tat on Freecycle (an Internet site on which people unload their unwanted tat to pikeys). A “rather delightful lady” had called to pick up that which ‘er indoors ^TM  was giving away. Fifteen old bras, and a leaking air-bed. I couldn’t believe it – who on Earth would want fifteen used old bras, and a leaking air-bed?

I then spent a little while mucking about on the telephone to the bank and the building society. Twenty five years ago when we took out the mortgage we went with a financial advisor. Big mistake!!! Leaving aside the fact that it’s my father in law, we’re not so much having problems, as having a painful time of it all. Had the mortgage been done directly with the bank or the building society, then I rather imagine that the various financial institutions would have spoken with each other. But having had a financial advisor organise it all, everything seems to be operating in isolation.

 As it is we’ve had to get the endowment money (as a cheque) and pay it into the bank account. Actually getting that cheque wasn’t easy, and we paid the cheque into the bank account today. I then had to persuade the building society to wait for that cheque to clear, and to wait for me to come into their branch to pay off the money we owe. What with one thing and another that cheque won’t have cleared before early next week.

The building society had a plan to convert the money we owe them into another mortgage, and charge me seventy quid for doing so.

It’s all problems I really don’t need.

Yesterday I was given a CD. Tonight I thought I’d listen to it in the car. The car’s CD player wouldn’t play it, and now the CD is jammed in the CD player. I can’t budge the thing. I’ll take it to Halford’s on Saturday.

And then to the astro club committee meeting. Our chairman is a wonderful fellow – trying to keep order at the committee meeting can only be likened to trying to herd cats. But we had a really good time; and achieved quite a bit too. All sorts of plans for the next few months. Why not come along to astro club on the last Friday of every month….