As most of you know the last 6 months have been a real nightmare for us. DSD (9) was diganosed with a rare strain of leukaemia in September Long fight ensued and she finally got into remission in February but still has two years chemo ahead of her.
My beloved grandad died just after Christmas and it's taken a huge toll on the family. It wasn't unexpected, he decided he missed my Nan too much and gave up the will to live and stopped going to dialysis, we knew it was only a matter of weeks.
I quit my job end of February to ill-health and the day after Pete (Morbius) got laid off from his job
If I didn't laugh I'd genuinely cry ~ My doc issued me with a medical certificate four weeks ago, it was supposed to be for Benefit reasons but we've been told that as we've only worked part-time each over the last few years then we haven't paid enough contributions to be entitled to any benefit. Despite our income being under £100 in total each week and the rent and council tax being £69 a week, we can't get free school meals either so thats £13 a week on top leaving us with little to live on! We're still not entitled to a penny!! We do have student loan paying out at the moment but because of all the hospital visits, petrol, extra food and lost income from the last 6 months we've had to pay back all we've loaned form people and the bank. So there is very very little left.
Pete can't work at the moment ~ I refuse to let him as he's catching up on missed uni work when Carrie was ill and only has 4 weeks left to recover 3 months work .. he's wanting to work nights as well to get the income but working nights driving, sleeping 5 hours and then putting 8 hours plus in for uni is not my idea of healthy working. As soon as Uni is finished in 4 weeks he's already got a full-time driving job lined up anyway so we only need benefits for 4 weeks!
Decided to cheer us all up and decorate the bathroom, stipped a few times off and the plaster underneath was rotten so we called the council out and they agreed to replace it I explained about my stepdaughter etc, we can't have her here with the building work as the dust can get into her lungs and the mould can make her seriously ill.
Three day job
The came on Monday and ripped out my suite, revealing a rotten joist, floor and major cracks in the wall .. more disturbing was the large breezeblock wall was sitting on floorboards, most of which were rotten
When I say sitting .. I mean sitting ... 6 floorboards no joist and nothing underneath except my kitchen!
They went and asked their boss to call a structural engineer. Leaving me with no toilet facilities for 24 hours.
The workmen came and refitted the toilet on tuesday and another engineer was sent out! He wasn't a structural engineer!!!!! He went away promising to get the structural engineer to call me! No call Tuesday, no call Wednesday and no call Thursday GRRRR. Despite calling into the local housing office twice a day it seems this man couldn't lift a phone and explain to me when he was coming out! So I've had to wait in all week on the off chance that someone turns up!
Anyway yesterday I lost my patience completely, took a load of photos and printed them out and headed upto the housing office, armed with the phtos, the repairs handbook issued to tenants that lays out their charter etc. Well surprise surprise when the receptionist rung this Engineer he arranged to come out this morning at 9 am ... my Dad got here at (he used to run his own building firm and so wanted to hear what this man was going to do). Engineer arrived at !
Took one look at the wall and said okey it needs to be repaired, I'll head off to the housing office and sort it out!
We can't have Carrie near the house whilst this work is going on so that's two weekends that we've had to say no now as well as having no sink or bath.
My pc died in August and we've had a massive delay through the insurance company getting it fixed and the day after my new pc turned up ... pete's laptop died! He's in the middle of an assessment and was loading the crime scene photos onto the laptop off the camera to transfer to my pc via the network and the laptop died wiping the camera card in the process so all pete's assessment photos are on the laptop! It was classified an urgent 5 day job and tomorrow it's 3 weeks since it went, and despite more phone calls hasn't been returned yet. The assignment deadline is Monday! So he's in panic about all that ~ the pics aren't just for him but for his group so if he fails to deliver they all fail!!!!
So the first certificate was for 4 weeks .. I went on Weds to sort it out with the doc and told her about my house and she signed me off for 8 weeks, so now I have to go through the nightmare of submitting weekly work sheets re working from home as I'm signed off sick and shouldn't be working, but my doc has agreed that this is "therapeutic" and the income is so low that it's negligible !!!!!
I still hadn't heard back from the hospital about the abnormal cells they found on my cervix over 8 weeks ago, despite ringing and leaving numerous messages. However, I rang earlier and the secretary told me a letter was on it's way and something about a smear test needed .. but I don't know whether that's as a routine follow up or the need more, Iguess it's good news as if it was bad news (I would hope) they would have been in touch by now!
We were out most of the day so decided to pop into the housing office to chase progress and have now been told that the structural problems are so bad that they are looking for a house for us to move into - lock stock and barrel
whilst they do the work. However, the area where we live isn't fantastic and we have a large house with large furniture and the house we will be moved to is unlikely to be carpeted, have curtains and as we have a fitted oven/hob we can't take ours with us :(Then we;re going to have to move it all back, we won't be allowed to decorate for a while. Bear in mind we;ve only been here two years and have spent thousands getting the house how we want it the only rooms needing decoration were the bathroom and my kitchen needs finishing :(
I "work" from home too!
So my three day job will now stretch until at least the end of May. ! I need a new wall between my bathroom and Haydns bedroom and our bedroom and the landing. New floor in Haydn's bedroom, the bathroom, our bedroom. New kitchen ceiling from where they need to replace the rotten joists! Possibly brickwork repairs to the back of the house and at least 3 rooms will need replastering.
The reason on my sick note!!!! Stress and anxiety ........!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sorry for the whinge on here but right now we all need to some love and verbal hugs from you all.
I won't be doing the Grand National Sweepstake - huge apologies but I just don't have it in me right now.
Emily
:kiss: 
:? :? :? 
