Getting Back to Normal and More Life Changes

It was lovely to get home after our recent holiday. I always enjoy coming back to my own home and getting back into a routine again. It's been an eventful week in some respects.

We returned from the sunshine to rainy weather, which was a bit of a shock to the system. The result from my recent smear test was lying on the doorstep when I got in. It was negative, which was good and I don't need another check for 5 years thankfully.  We also came back to a time change, as the clocks had gone forward whilst we were away.

Unfortunately, I'd been troubled with toothache since we were on holiday, so I needed to book a dental appointment. It seemed to be radiating from one side of my mouth and I couldn't quite tell which tooth it was coming from, as it seemed to be coming from both the top and bottom.  I was a little concerned that it might be an infection or referred pain or something. It was very uncomfortable, but paracetamol and ibuprofen helped to control the pain. 

As soon as I got home more or less, I packed up the online sale ready to post off first thing on Monday. The next day, I was able to get back into my online selling account, which was good news. I'm going to focus more on selling things in the coming months, partly to make some money and partly to declutter things I no longer want to keep from my stash and various collections I have. I've neglected this lately, as I've been busy at work.

On Monday, it was back to work and LB was returning to her halls of residence. I was sad that she wasn't staying home longer, but she had uni work to do and several of her friends hadn't gone home for the Easter holidays, so she wanted to hang out with them. It's good that she's enjoying life there. She may come back for a night or two over the Easter Weekend.

Work was a bit of a rude awakening. I felt a bit rusty and it took a little while to get back into the swing. It was going okay until it wasn't and I think I've finally made the decision to leave this job. I can't see things getting any better.

In all honesty, I've been feeling a bit unsure for a while. Amongst other things, the hours are a bit more onerous than I really want, as I don't ever get two days off together, unless I book annual leave. I'm actually in a worse position in this regard than in my last job. At least I got two days off together every week in that job, so I had a kind of weekend. 

It's disappointing that I won't get to benefit from a recent pay rise, but finding a work/life balance and being happy or at least feeling comfortable at work is more important to me than the money. I know it sounds priviledged to say that, but because I've been careful with money in the past, I'm in a position to make that choice. I do worry that I won't be able to find anything else, but I can't let that keep me in a job where I'm not really happy.

On Tuesday, I managed to get an appointment with the dentist regarding the toothache.  He took an Xray, but didn't find anything that merited treatment and advised me to see if it wore off on it's own and to return if it got worse. I was relieved to be honest, as hopefully it won't require further treatment, but I'll just have to wait and see. 

I may try to book an appointment with the doctor about my ear on the same side, as I've been having trouble with it in recent months and I think it might be blocked or need syringeing. It may be connected or it may not, but I still need some advice, as I did have hearing issues in that ear earlier in the year.

I did a bit of work on my finances on Tuesday. I haven't been spending much money lately, so I will hopefully have enough to last me a few months, in case I can't find another job easily. It will mean a return to living more frugally, but at least I should have time to go to the gym again and do more sewing and gardening as the weather hopefully warms up. I've done virtually no exercise since working in this job and my fitness levels have reduced significantly in that time. 

I'm going to take a little more care when job hunting this time around. I'm not relishing starting from scratch somewhere else, it was tough starting this job and learning the ropes, so I need to be careful before accepting any offers, should I be fortunate enough to receive any. It's hard trying to fit into a new role and a new workplace. 

Wednesday, I was due at work at 5pm. LB dropped by in the afternoon before I headed off, to pick up some stuff she couldn't take with her earlier in the week, which was nice. Work was okay. It was pretty quiet. When I got home, we watched a couple of episodes of The Last of Us on NOW TV. I'm not sure if I like this series or not, but the episodes we watched weren't too bad.

On Thursday morning, I was up early to go volunteering. I took the bus again. I just can't seem to get back into cycling there at the moment. It was  a busy session.  There were only three of us, which is less than usual, but we got a lot of work done, which was satisfying. 

My toothache seems to be getting worse.  The painkillers are working for shorter periods, which isn't good. I'm trying to use hot water bottles to ease the pain between doses. I went to bed in the afternoon for an hour , as I was really tired after working late and then getting up so early.

I ordered OH's birthday present earlier in the week (his birthday isn't until May), while I still have some spare cash. He wanted a soup maker and the one he wanted was on offer at a good price. It arrived on Thursday and he proceeded to make us a Morrocan soup for supper. He used lots of veggies from the freezer that he defrosted. It will be good to help use these up and free up some space for the new crops we grow this year. Here's a picture of the one I bought him:

It's quite compact and takes about half an hour to make a chunky or creamy soup.

On Friday I handed in my notice at work. I was a bit upset. I was disappointed that it had come to this, but resolute in my decision, as there's only so much stress and rudeness that one can take. I just don't feel a good fit with the job. A couple of my colleagues who I told, were very supportive, which was very sweet of them. They and a few others are the only people I will miss. I agreed to work two weeks notice until after Easter. I'm wishing I hadn't, as I am only required to give one week according to my contract. But I felt guilty for leaving, which I know is stupid.

I was glad to get home and that it was done. I know I've probably disappointed people, but they'll get over it. I've got to do what is right for me. 

On Saturday, I was working 3 til 8pm. I did some shopping at a huge Tesco near work before heading in. I had a voucher to save £9 on a £60 spend, and I didn't want to miss out on using it. I bought lots of things that I can't necessarily buy at Lidl where I usually shop, so I am now stocked up on a lot of things, which will keep me going for a while.

Work was very busy, with very few staff on the tills, just me and one other, with occasional help. Lots of the customers were complaining, but you can only do what you can do at the end of the day. I'm counting down the shifts now until I leave. 

I found out that another colleague is drastically reducing his hours, as he's going back into education. He is a very nice young man, who is always happy and enthusiastic and is one person who has always, without fail, been very kind and helpful to me, when I didn't know what I was doing at the beginning and all the time I've worked there. I thanked him and told him that I really appreciated his help and support and that it had been a pleasure to work with him. I feel happy that I got the opportunity to say this to him before I leave.

So, it's been a busy and eventful week. Life is changing again, but in a good way. I hope your week has been a good one.