Month: April 2023

May – Shorth month . . .

/ Tony / Leave a comment

By that, I mean it’s going to be a short work/pay month. One of the downsides of working at the cafe is when it comes to Public Holidays. If it is a normal day when I would be working, I have to take the time off as either unpaid or accrued holiday. I normally get one day’s holiday for every month I work. They are usually quite good at allowing people to take a holiday that has yet to be accrued but not always. This financial year there will be eight days that I work that will be classed as Public Holidays. That just leaves me four days to take when I need them as an actual holiday. I’m lucky in that I can afford to take some of the days unpaid. The coronation has not helped although, I’m a little surprised that the May Day holiday hasn’t been moved to cover it.

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I need a few days next week with dry weather. The lawn (if you can call it that) at the front of the house needs cutting. That’s a bit of an understatement. It seems to have grown some jungle like qualities. I know it may sound like an excuse, but on the days when I have been able to cut the grass, it is either raining or had rained before. With a small lawnmower, it can be difficult if the grass is wet and as it is powered by the mains electricity, it’s not a good idea to cut in the rain. It’s a small lawn, but it has a steepness to it that makes it hard even when the conditions are perfect.

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The “When are you going to quit?” question came up again the week. A friend and former school colleague asked me on Thursday. I said that I was not sure yet, but that I’m giving it some consideration. It would be nice to not work now I’m 68, and if I’m honest I possibly could afford not to. But £100 a week for twelve hours of work, is not to be sniffed at. It covers a bit of shopping and some pocket money and I think I would miss it. I would probably miss the company also.

A strange time . . .

/ Tony / Leave a comment

Last week was a bit strange. The public holiday on Monday for Easter didn’t help. I wasn’t working because the cafe does not open on public holidays. Although it was open on Good Friday, which I thought was odd. When the cafe is closed we have to take the time as either unpaid or Annual Leave. With three public holidays coming up in May, I thought taking the day unpaid would be better.

Tuesday was back to ‘normal’. Well, I say normal, for me it wasn’t a day people would normally expect. Two weeks previous there had been an ‘incident’ so to speak, that involved a friend and former colleague. I had been told something, and it came out in conversation with the chef. It was just an ‘off the cuff’ remark when we were talking about standards.

However, the chef related the incident back to the boss who then quizzed my friend. It apparently was most embarrassing and unrequired. This type of thing has happened before and I was not happy about it. The chef can be very irritating at times. When he is busy he can get angry and quite aggressive. There are times when he will be ‘chatty’ but then will suddenly go moody and not speak for hours.

I took the decision before I went in to be on the quiet side. I would speak when spoken to, but I would not start a conversation and any reply would be brief and to the point. It made for a strange day. We shall see what this week brings as I am minded to be in the same frame of mind.

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I managed the get my car washer pump fixed eventually. It has not worked since August last year. I tried to get it repaired when the car was serviced, but the garage was not able to get the part. He explained that his ‘supplier’ did not stock the part, but that if I got one online he would fit it. That was in September and I simply never got around to buying the said pump. Then Mrs H had a problem with one of the tyres on her Mini. She got it repaired and it seemed quite reasonable for the type of tyre.

I then checked if that garage was just a tyre fitter or if they did other repairs too. It seems they are classed as an ‘Auto-centre’ and are able to do most repairs. This place was only six miles from home, whereas the garage that did the service was over fifteen miles away. So that was settled and £125.00 later, I now have working washers again.

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Two events next week !! Birthday on Thursday and dentist on Friday. What a combination! I’m not saying what birthday it is but suffice it to say that I will be nearer to 70 than 60. And I’m beginning to feel it.

I was intending to quit the job at the end of April. It is quite physical working twelve hours over two days, but when I get my wage packet on Tuesday afternoon, it doesn’t seem as hard going. That is until ten-thirty the following Monday when the doubts start again. I do think that I will quit in April 2025 though, but then again … who knows?