I Can Has Kitteh?

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Today's been one of those days...

As you can see, I slept in to start with... that's to say, I got up, then sat on the sofa "for 10 minutes" - and fell asleep there!

Then I had to wrestle with the rubbish bags (which had been out at the back in the rain so were wet and yucky) to get them out so we wouldn't be over-run completely by next week.

Luckily, since I worked on Saturday, and had only had half a day off so far in lieu, I could come in at 10am.

Work's been okay, I guess... but still had to endure the radio going on about the Bank Holiday.

Then, at about 20 to 5, it suddenly registered that I hadn't taken my handbag to work with me this morning (choosing instead to just shove my purse, phone and (house) keys into my pocket. Why is it relevant that I said "(house) keys"? Well, it dawned on me that I was the only one left at work (Flunky stops at 4pm), and the keys for locking up the 2 main entrance doors were... yes, you guessed it... in my handbag! At home!

Flunky lives a half hour or so drive away from the office, and he would have been home by that time, so I sheepishly phoned my flatmate (who was on her way to me from her job by bus) and asked her if she could stay on the bus to the Travel Centre, and go home (a 5-minute walk from there) to get my key, then come back to me (a 20-minute or so walk in the dull, cold weather) with it. Thankfully, she didn't mind... and didn't call me a Muppet (even though it's what I felt like).

I hate Mondays.

Forced Out

Would you believe that I've just been forced to go and stand outside the office for 10 minutes!?

My crime? The cup of curried parsnip & apple soup I had!

I was told it stunk so much I should take it outside and drink it... so I had to go and stand out in the carpark and finish it.

And then I had to dump the empty cup in the wheelie bin outside... although I was very tempted to hide it in the boss' van or Flunky's car.

It's not fair... I am victimised and harassed over my choice of soup - but it's okay for the pair of them to sit in here and drop their guts, and I have to suffer the smell!

Born To Rock...

Oct. 24th, 1936 - William George Perks (or Bill Wyman), bassist with The Rolling Stones from 1962 - 1992, was born...

I asked Flunky (our resident Stones geek... er, fan) what song I should go for, and he insisted on "Gimme Shelter"...

I dared to suggest I treat you (again) to his solo hit "(Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star", but Flunky went a funny purple colour and nearly popped a vein, so I decided he probably wasn't that keen on it!

1, 2, 3, 4....

I declare a cheese war!

It's been a long time since I've had a cheesey music battle with Julie... so let's see if she'll bite...

From 1982 (and, my god, it shows), The Mobiles (whoooooooooooooooo?) and "Drowning In Berlin"...

I don't think I knew this song before, but I was introduced to it this morning in the office... and apparently, there's an Orkney connection here - I say "apparently", because I don't know if this is right or not... It was flunky who told me, and I usually don't believe a word he tells me - So, APPARENTLY, one of the ex-members of this band is now a councillor in Orkney!

Oh, my god - I just checked it out, and it's true! He kept that quiet - well, you would, wouldn't you?

24 Hours After Viki Arrived...

... her bags did!

The doorbell rang at about 9pm last night, and there was a taxi outside with her bag in it... so I guess we should say "Thank you" to Heathrow for getting it here (albeit a bit late). Mind you, I think I know why it arrived late - judging by the weight of it, it needed a plane all to itself!

Today I had a day off work, and we made a start visiting some of the places that could help Viki get a job... The Job Centre and Careers Scotland, as well as picking up application forms for some businesses that were looking for staff.

Fingers crossed...

Aside from that, there's not much news going on. Back to work tomorrow (groan), and the boss is away for 2 weeks again.... and next week, Flunky is on holiday - meaning it's going to be just me there, from 8o'clock in the morning, instead of 9... every day (bar Sunday) through til 5o'clock (4o'clock on Saturday). Yuk.

Well, that's me - Catch you later!

Reasons To Be Sorrowful... 1.. 2.. 3...

1. As aforementioned, this morning I waved Viki off at the airport as she made her way - her LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way - back to Hungary... wondering when I'll see her again without a webcam and being at the mercy of my MSN which keeps crashing, and her speakers which keep squealing and crackling until they have to be turned off, meaning she can't hear me.

2. Back to work and the idiot Flunky today. And did he cut me some slack since I was upset? Did he fuck!

3. Between saying goodbye to my Hunsis, and returning to the Hell Hole that is my workplace, I went along the Citizens' Advice Bureau and started my bankruptcy application.

Actually, there are more than 3 reasons... mainly tied in with my best friend leaving...

After work tonight I had to go to Tesco to get cat food... and as I walked round, I was so aware that last time I had been in there was with Viki and we had been having fun laughing at our Tesco and theirs (did you know that Tesco in Hungary sells cock rings!?) - and now I was back to miserably pushing a trolley around and thinking I couldn't buy certain things because they'd be gone off by the time I used them myself.

Stayed at work until about 7pm, because I didn't want to come home.

As I was walking about the street this morning before I came back to work, I kept thinking that just yesterday I'd been laughing and browsing in those same shops with Viki. Was in Trenabies on the way up to work to get a takeaway coffee, and the table we'd usually sat at when we had our lunch in there most days was free... but I couldn't bear to sit in. And even my latte didn't taste so good without someone (ahham) stealing glomps of it despite having her own double espresso every day!

And since coming home tonight I've had iTunes playing, and it's really been taking the piss out of me... either playing those songs that Viki had been playing on top volume while she was here (it's on shuffle, and the bastard thing has thousands of songs to choose from... so why does it keep picking Queen? And "Barbie Girl" was the real nail in the coffin). Or picking songs that remind me how alone I am...

"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?" (yes, I have brown eyes)
"Everybody Hurts"
"Over The Hills And Far Away"
"The Deepest Blues Are Black"
"Walkaway"
"The Power Of Goodbye"
and, currently, "There Is Always Something There To Remind Me" by The Beautiful South.

Bastarding iTunes!

In the week or so that Viki was here, and for a couple of weeks before, I never took my anti-depressants... never needed them... never felt down... But today I felt the temptation to vent my frustrations in the old way for the first time in ages. But I didn't... and I won't...

Instead I'm going to go to bed and cry.

I Wish...

I had at least some news to bring you, instead of just the jokes, music videos and cat / dog things, but the most exciting thing in my life (apart from my upcoming time off) is the fact that I dyed my hair "mystic violet" yesterday.

Apart from that, it's just work, eat, sleep... work, eat, sleep... etc, etc...

I guess there is the fact that Flunky & I are alone at the moment because the boss is away on a secret mission for 3 weeks (he's been a week away already). I've managed to resist beating up Flunky so far, but it's been a near thing once or twice... If he refers to me as "my secretary" once more, I will not be held responsible for my actions!

And that's really it... What a boring life I lead...

Today I Have Mostly Been...

... er, coughing and blowing my nose, actually.

Boss went away today (comes back Thursday sometime), and Flunky & I have spent the day comparing symptoms (he's got this cold too) and arguing over who is closest to dying (er, me).

At the moment I'm sitting with a steam bottle thing beside me filled with hot water and some menthol crystals, and I'm having a tentative sniff at it every so often (it's damn near blowing me heid aff!).

Got a bottle of Benylin for the day time, and some extra strong stuff with paracetamol for night-time use - because I had a crap sleep last night. Was okay for the first while after I laid my book down. Seemed to get off to sleep no bother, and then woke up what I thought would be about 6o'clock... only to look at the clock beside me, which was registering 02:39. After that, I only slept in fits & starts.

Hold on... *sniff* ow, ow, ow... ack, ack, ack! Stupid menthol!

Oh, well... Off for a quick potter around before I take my industrial strength gloop (which is aniseed flavour... ick) and go to bed.

See ya (if I survive the night... lol... *koff*).

The Cat Spot... And A Bit Of General Waffle...

more cat pictures

Whew... That's another Friday the 12+1th over!

Actually *whispers just in case Fate's clock is slow* this Friday 13th hasn't been too bad.

Work was okay... For some reason there was a kind of last-day-before-the-school-holidays vibe going on - which included boss & Flunky having an ongoing elastic band battle, and both of them locking me out of the office and store (combination locks on both doors because it's a shared building) when I went to the loo, and then hiding from me once I got back in. Honestly, sometimes it's like working with The Chuckle Brothers' more annoying little brothers! *rolls eyes*

Shopping tonight.

Oh... yesterday I sold my old mobile phone for £20, so I treated myself to a new album. The Fratellis second album, "Here We Stand" - and I really can't recommend it highly enough! I was a bit worried what it would be like... you know, "second album syndrome" and all that? But it doesn't disappoint! The current single, "Mistress Mabel" is really good, but at the moment my favourite track is "Lupe Brown" - although that might change.

And I had a blast from the past today on our tin-pot local radio station... There's a feature called "The Time Tunnel" (basically a rip-off of Radio 1's "Golden Years" as lovingly presented by Simon Mayo) and they played this, which I've not heard for years...

That was Joshua Kadison and "Jessie"... and I loved that song when it was released.

Well, I guess I'll bugger off now and get ready for bed, because I've already been getting very strong hints from Harriet that it's time for sleep!

(Beep)ing Hell!

Been at work today all alone, up at the store, from (beep) 8o'clock this morning... and it's been one of those days where it's been busy but not very productive in the cash sale stakes (beep). I've reeled off 50+ metres of cable - 12 metres of which was 10mm² twin & earth - and everyone who came in was asking for (beep) weird and wonderful things.... "Got any grommets?"... "I'm needing glands"... "Clips"... - or, if it was something simple, we didn't have it in stock!

(Beep) My brother picked me up after work, and we had a quick run round the supermarket for one or two things each of us forgot last night - and I've got (beep) popcorn coz I'm planning to watch a DVD in a bit... "Fantastic Four - The Rise Of The Silver Surfer". Oh, yes - I can actually WATCH telly again... I got some muscle (beep) on Thursday night, and my TV from up here is now down in the living room - it's a bit of a comedown, because it's only a 24" at most, and the other one was a 28" widescreen, but at least it's a TV, and it WORKS... and there's no annoying loud buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz with it like my other one (which has a transformer buzz or something - crap SHARP telly) (beep).

Well, did you win a share of the £96million last night? I didn't... hence the fact I was at work today, and I'm here tonight, and not sunning myself and sipping champagne on my own (beep) private yacht. Still, there's always tonight - £6million would do to start with...

The rest of the week's not been that exciting - just me and Flunky at work (beep), except when I've been down at the shop (mainly just dinnertimes).

Oh! I'm actually socialising next weekend... after my 5 hour marathon exam on Friday, I'm going along an ex-colleague who's up for the weekend and having tea with her and another girl I worked with... and they've got the wine in already! And then (after a day off on Saturday... yippee! (beep)), Saturday night the 3 of us and another couple of folks are going out for a drink... so my poor liver will be taking a battering for the first time in ages - probably nearly a year. I'm a bit worried how out of practice I am - these days one of those Bacardi Breezer-type things (beep) usually lasts me two nights because I fall asleep before it's done the first night. So, in a minute, I'm going downstairs for some spring rolls and a can of wine (yes, a can... Lidl had them last night, so I thought I'd give them a try - a semi-sparkling white wine in a can). I'll report back tomorrow on what they tasted like, and if I fell asleep before I drank the whole of (beep) the first.

Right, I'm buggering off now... What's that? (beep)... "What's the beep, Ally?"... Well, when the muscle connected up the telly to the Sky dish, etc downstairs, he didn't get the DVD player working, so my brother came in tonight after the supermarket to set it up so I could watch my film... and as he was leaving, he reached up in the hallway, and pushed the button on the smoke alarm, setting it off, and scaring the crap out of poor Harriet. And then the stupid smoke alarm's spent the last 10 - 15 minutes after he left going "beep" every couple of minutes. Not that he heard... he'd legged it out the door going "It'll stop eventually"!

Actually... I think it might have... but don't tell him that!

The Best-Laid Plans Of Mice And Companies...

All too often go completely and utterly all to cock!

Today should have been a really busy day at work - we were meant to be shut today and tomorrow for stock-taking, but that's had to be put off for a week or two (due to circumstances outwith our control). I was meant to be left all alone up at the office, entering all the figures on to the computer, while 5 or 6 others counted stuff down at our shop. Instead, I've been in the shop all day, which has been quiet - partly because there was an advert in the paper saying we were shut, and partly because the weather's been rotten today and people have been staying home in droves (in fact, there's a light dusting of snow / hail outside now - We made it through December & January with only frost, but first day of February - bam! we get snow!).

And then, when that was over (and without saying too much), things should have fallen into place, and this should have been a very good weekend for the firm - but that's all on hold at the moment.

Boss goes away on Sunday for a week or so - So it'll just be me and Flunky up at the office.... Oh, joy(!) And there's another spanner in the works for a week or two - that I'm going to be left to explain to people!

It's really not been much fun the last few weeks at work - just hope that light up ahead is daylight at the end of the tunnel... and not the train coming at us at great speed!

Not much other news from the last week - just the same old crap.

The Last Few Days...

... have been utter shit, frankly.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday were all spent going back and fore to the counter at work and repeating the following phrases ad infinitum:

"I'm sorry, the boss is away until Monday"
"No, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what you need to do that job"
"No, your order isn't here yet... and I can't find out because the boss isn't here"
"I'm sorry... I just don't know..."
"I don't think we have those... but I don't know..."
"Can you come back on Monday?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I just can't help you... I'm sorry..."

Plus I had the boss' wife complaining "Why did *boss' name deleted* let Flunky have time off when he was away as well?" - Erm, try the fact that Flunky booked his time off months ago, and boss only decided about a week before he went that he was going!

Boss turned up about dinner time yesterday, with the news that he's been successful in what he was away doing... so now his enthusiasm and commitment to his business will be even LESS than what it's been the last few months. Things are afoot... I'll tell you when it's safe to.

And shopgirl finished officially on Friday... she's still going to do Saturdays, I think - when she's not got a party or a migraine, that is. Meaning I'm in the shop tomorrow... and Tuesday (except dinner time when I come up to do the wages)... and Wednesday... and Thursday... and Friday... and maybe Saturday... and a few hours on Sunday... and Christmas Eve...

Watched "The Simpsons Movie" last night - very funny.

A bit of a shock tonight... My brother had phoned to see if I wanted to come down for dinner, because he was having haggis, and was making a big pot of clapshot. So, he said he'd come up for me about 7pm. I was pottering here on the computer at 6:35pm when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, thinking that was him early - and there was a policeman stood outside. He explained that there had been a "serious sexual assault" not far from here about half past one this morning, and they were doing door-to-door enquiries to see if anyone had heard anything. I was asleep by that time, so I heard nothing, but I hope they catch the bastard very soon. In the meantime, the officer said to keep the doors locked - just as a precaution. This is Orkney, for god's sake... things like that don't happen here!

Had dinner with my brother, spent a while watching telly there, and then home via a dark bit out of the town looking for this comet again... but we didn't find it.

Well, I'll skedaddle now because it's later than it looks, and also because it's frosty again tonight and my fingers are frozen.

'night!

3 Days In Hell - Day 1...

And so it starts....

It is 8am, I've just arrived at work (an hour earlier than usual), and I'm here all alone for the next 3 days.

Boss and Flunky are both away 'til Monday meaning I've got to man the phones, deal with customers who expect to speak to someone who knows absolutely everything about wiring, put up with sarcastic sparkies who'll hang around just to take the piss... and I won't get any lunch break or chance to escape the place until 5pm.

It was dark when I came in... It's still only getting light now... I'm tired... I want to cry... I want to go home... and I just know I'm going to have all those customers grumping because there's no one technical here, and the light they ordered 3 months ago still isn't here yet...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Merry Dancers - Update...

Photo taken by local astronomer John Vetterlein and shown on our local newspaper website... This is what the sky above Orkney looked like last night...

My brother & I didn't see it quite as bright as this, but it was beautiful all the same.

And there was a "smudge" in the sky as well that we couldn't decide what it was - my brother even suggesting it might be Raxacoricofallapatorius (which I'll leave it to Doc to explain what that is). Well, it seems it was a comet - Cool!

Anyway, it's been a not bad day today - was still really frosty when I went to work this morning (and judging by just how cold it is now - I'm sitting wearing fingerless gloves, which aren't helping to keep my fingers warm at all, and a Santa hat to warm my frozen bonce - it's frosty again tonight).

And where was work this morning? Down at the bloody shop again, that's where! I got a text from the boss at about 20 past 8 to inform me that shopgirl was going to be off with a migraine again (I wonder what her new employers will make of all the absences?), and could I do the shop?

So, my working day went as follows:

9am - Down to the shop, rushed off my feet with customers, until...
11:30am - Boss comes down to let me go up to the office to do the wages, but he has to be away again by 1pm
11:45am - I get up to the office, do the wages, and eat something as I'm working
12:30pm - Back down to the town, nipping into the cafe for a Starbucks gingerbread latte
12:45pm - Back to the shop to let the boss go... stuck there rushed off my feet with customers until...
5pm - I finally get the door shut! Woo-hoo!

If I'd had to smile sweetly and say "Can I help you?" to one more person I would have flipped and the men in white coats would be "coming to take me away, ha ha"!

I don't know what's going to happen if shopgirl decides to have another day sick this week, because tomorrow boss is away and it's just me and Flunky up at the office... and then Thursday, Friday and Saturday it's JUST ME because both boss AND Flunky are away (not at the same place). If she does insist she's sick, then boss says "We'll just have to shut the shop". (I'm resisting the urge to say "What about his wife?")...

Well, it's 25 to midnight now, I'm cold, and I'm going to go to beddy-byes. I might even watch a bit of "Shrek 3" if my TV's working (with the cold at the moment, when I switch on the TV, I get sound but no picture... and it can take like 4 hours for the picture to appear - just great... another part of my life going down the toilet). If the TV's not working properly, I'll listen to one of the music channels for a bit.

Night, night...

FAIL !!!!

Well, today was my exam... "SVQ/NVQ Gateway To Accounting Level 3 - Financial Records" or something like that, to give it its proper title.

It was horrible... really, really, really horrible, and I'm under no delusions at all that I've passed it. I ballsed up the Trial Balance and the Profit & Loss reports, didn't finish either, couldn't remember my credits from my debits, and carried all the wrong figures throughout because I'd not made the right adjustments, or forgotten to make the adjustments, or made the adjustments in the wrong direction... but, hey, at least I can re-sit it in June - when maybe things will be different at work, and I'll actually get some support and time off to study.

I felt sick and panicky all day, and in the exam I just wanted to cry... I couldn't concentrate on what was on the paper in front of me... my head was spinning with the sounds of traffic and roadworks outside, the tapping away on calculators inside... and I forgot even the basics.

Why am I so stupid?

And now I've got to go to work tomorrow and face the sarcastic remarks from idiot Flunky, and the boss (only half-jokingly) grumping about how he's had to pay £38 for me to fail.

Dear God, if You're going to bring about Armageddon and the end of the world any time in the near future... any chance You could do it before 9o'clock tomorrow morning, ta?

My Life Just Gets Better And Better...

Let's see... what's happening in the life of Ally right now?

Well, Wednesday this week (5th) is my second exam for my accounting course... and have I got time off to study for it? Have I f*ck as like! The exam's on Wednesday afternoon, and I mentioned having at least Wednesday morning off - and the boss' reaction? "Well, if you were going to study, then maybe... but if you just wanted to doss around until your exam, then no..." I've been taking my past papers and text books to work with me every day, but every time I have some spare time that I could be studying, he finds little jobs for me to do so that I can't study.

Then next Thursday, Friday and Saturday I'm left ENTIRELY on my own up at the office, because the boss has decided now is the time for him to go away and do training courses (that aren't strictly to do with the business, but I can't go into too much detail about that), and Flunky is away the Thursday and Friday (which the boss knew about when he booked his courses). So, 8am starts, no lunchbreaks, no getting away from the place, and 3 days of saying to customers "Sorry... I don't know if that's here... I don't know what size of cable you need to wire that... I don't know if that's legal or not... I don't know if he's even ordered that..." and so on...

And then last Thursday our shopgirl went for a job interview... which she got a phone call to say later on Thursday morning that she'd got (god knows how... boss and I read the job description and, well... you work out what I'm trying to say). Now she's leaving - her last day is the 15th December - yep, just at our bloody busiest time... And, again, without saying too much, if this had happened a month or 6 weeks later, it wouldn't have been a problem... well, not for us, anyway... So, guess who's probably going to have to man the shop for the last week before Christmas? Despite the boss telling me this morning in the middle of a heated discussion that I could have Saturdays off no problem at all, and they'd get cover - yeah, right(!)

Sometimes I think a nervous breakdown is long overdue...

Reasons...

… to be cheerful – 131 – The number of £’s I won on the lottery on Saturday night… 4 numbers for the first time ever, and a pick 2, match 2 on the Hotpicks.

… to be guilty – 110 – the number of £’s I added to my winnings to buy myself a new phone. It’s a Samsung U600, and it’s fantastic! 3.2 mega-pixel camera, quad band, FM radio, ultra-thin, 2 touch-sensitive soft keys, black, TV output… and more… and I love it!

… to be less guilty – 90 – the number of £’s it was going to cost me to get that stupid, crappy LG Chocolate phone repaired (for the second time in the space of a year) and sent back to me. First time was a warranty job, but they told me it was outside warranty this time. At least my new phone has a full year’s guarantee with it. Now I can fax them and tell them to stick it sideways.

… to be less guilty (again) – 2 – the approx age in years of the Samsung D500 I’m using at the moment, and which is probably overdue to snuff it, even though it’s working fine at the moment.

… to be hacked off – 8 and a half – the time (8:30am) I had to be at work yesterday because boss had to go out, and Flunky was stuck across the Firth coz the boats weren’t running. He got back at half 11 or so in the morning.

… to be less hacked off – 4 and a half – the time (4:30pm) that the boss let me clear off early for being in early.

… to be hacked off again – 1 – the ear I must have got water in washing my hair yesterday morning, and which I’m now deaf in.

… to be afraid, very afraid – 1 – weeks to my exam!

… to be bored – 1 – I’m at work.

… to be hungry – 2 – the sandwiches in my bag that I’ve not had peace to nosh yet. And they’re Red Leicester cheese, which I’ve re-kindled my love affair with, after being unfaithful with a flexible Italian (Mozzarella) for a while.

I Don't Like Mondays...

Especially when they're like today, and I'm stuck in the shop all day.

Shopgirl had the day off (cor, I remember what that used to feel like... when I still got them occasionally...), so I had to go and cover for her - and the boss had the cheek to ask if I REALLY wanted to go and have a dinner break, because his van was in at the garage, and he didn't have transport to get down to cover! Er, yes, Mr Boss Man... I WANT MY DINNER!!!! So, in the end, Flunky came down to cover so that I could escape for a while.

The shop was pretty busy at times - no big sales, just lots of little things... but enough to keep me on my toes.

And that's pretty much been my day, so I'll end here... See ya!

Over The Weekend...

Well, that's it... British Summer Time is over... but the sun's shining outside (although there are really heavy showers every so often). It was nice to have an extra hour yesterday morning... it just seemed more relaxed, and I was more awake when I woke up.

Saturday night was pretty good... I had a quick nip to the supermarket for something, and I decided that I could just about afford £4 to get a couple of scratchcards... Came home, scratched them - and netted £20 on one and £6 on the other... Result!

Pizza, half bottle of Lambrini, and some telly was enjoyed later.

Sunday was pretty lazy... made myself an omelette for breakfast. Pasta, cheese sauce and a bit of smoked fish for dinner. Just chilled out watching telly with the cats - "The Simpsons", "Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?" and "Cirque De Celebrite" (wtf is going on with the voting on that? Why aren't the ones who are crap ending up in the last 2?).

Woke up this morning with one cat on my chest, and the other next to my head with her paw on my ear!

Boss is away til Thursday, so it's just me and Flunky here. I'm working really hard.... ;^D

My Bank Are A Bunch Of Wankers!

Oooooooooooo.... I am SOOOOO pissed off today, you would not believe!

For the last 4 weeks, I've been paying £65 a week from my main account to a second account I have... and I gave the company who are taking care of my debt management scheme that account number so that they could set up a Direct Debit every month. Well, today I went into my bank and asked for a balance on the second account... I handed over my bankcard, and they told me "That account's been closed... Central processing have taken a couple of those £65's to pay off the overdraft and a bit of arrears..." (caused by their charges) "... and they've closed the account."

Result - not only is there no money in that account for the debt company to take next Thursday... but there's no bloody account for them to take it from! I can't raise enough money in a week for the payment I'm due them.

What the fuck are the bank playing at? They set up the DD, coz I got a letter from the debt company confirming it had been set up... and I had requested a new PIN for the debit / cashline card for that account, as I couldn't remember the original PIN - and it arrived in the post just within the last week... so how can they give me a PIN for a card on a closed account!?

So, tomorrow afternoon I'm finishing work at 2pm, and will spend the afternoon first at the Citizens Advice Bureau, trying a bit of damage limitation and pleading for an extension before the first payment's due, and sorting out what to do as Executor of my Dad's Will... and then at the bank, trying to open a new second account, and finding out what the hell they think they're playing at!

I won't name and shame my bank, but let's just say that Howard's a dead man if ever he offers me Xtra!

Aside from that, the day's just been boring work... with boss and flunky acting like The Chuckle Brothers! Then sorting and clearing more of Mum & Dad's stuff for a while after work... The living room is pretty near done - just the ornaments to get rid of and then a couple of items of furniture that'll get the heave-ho as well.

Well, that's about all... I'm going to bed now where hopefully the day can't get any worse!