As much use as a chocolate teapot.

Yes, I know, a strange title.
After being frustrated on the phone the other day, I have finally got through to a human being.......
But the human being I spoke to was no help at all, other than giving me two options.
I asked for information about the "rapid response team" mentioned on the government website, I was informed that the was for companies making large scale redundancies.  (No mention of it on the website, in fact the pages I was looking at were aimed at the employee NOT the employer!)
I obviously asked the person on the phone something that they knew nothing about, and felt like they had a "script" they needed to stick to, as it was like listening to a stuck record.
So.....I am letting off steam here......it seems like there is no longer a careers advice type service provided at the local job centre, in fact it feels like the jobcentreplus......is plus extra red tape, but MINUS accessibility to the general public.
Why are so many things automated these days?
Why is it difficult to get to speak to PEOPLE.....face to face?

And why do so many people use the excuse that it isn't their job, so they know nothing.  Ok, I'll let them off the last one, but they should at least have ways of contacting people who can help, if they can't.
I detest "jobsworth's" who let themselves be limited by their job description.....I can only think they must be sadly lacking in initiative, and life.

I rate my experience at maybe 3/10, and that's being generous......a chocolate teapot would be more useful.

Frustrating "fone" calls

Some of you might know that I am being made redundant.
After re-reading the gov.UK  advice, I decided to try to contact the "rapid response team" mentioned on the government website.
Frustrating, or what?
I must have been on the phone for a total of 45 minutes, being passed from one department to another, and no one knew what I was talking about. I also got cut off a couple of times. (Not to mention the first few bars of Vivaldi's Four Seasons....ad nauseam.)
Frustrated, I revisited the page of the website, and found that I could email the correct department, that was done in a couple of minutes.
I can only hope it gets the desired result. All I want is advice that the website says I can access. After all, the job I currently have doesn't really use any of my qualifications, and I really would like to do something that will make much better use of them.

Well......I can hope, can't I?

A little reflection.

I finished part of my friend's Yule and birthday presents, and as I finished "it" off, and started one last thing, a thought came to me.
The thought was how both Oliver and Edwin reacted the same after they had opened the socks that I knitted for them for Xmas.
They both did exactly the same thing, only three days apart.  Xmas day, Oliver opened his present, then pulled off the socks he was wearing, and put the hand knitted ones on. Three days later, Edwin did the same.
Although Kerry is not getting socks, I really hope that she reacts the same way, with obvious pleasure.

Plans for 2016

You notice that these are plans, not resolutions.
Resolutions are usually good intentions that run out of steam very quickly.
If you read my blog, you'll know that I have reason to be making changes in my life.  So....here goes.....
Plans!
Obviously I am going to find another way of making money, I might find conventional employment, or I might be working for myself, however things pan out, my life will be different in a few months.

I will still be knitting, reading, cross stitching, sewing, baking......but I have other ideas I want to explore and possibly follow up. I'll keep you updated as things develop, when I explore my ideas.

My reading plans.
1. Read a "classic" book.
2. Read a translated book.
3. Read a "classic children's book", that I haven't yet read.
4. Read some poetry.
5. Read a Shakespeare play that I haven't previously.

One of my exploring "ideas" involves me writing, perhaps the urge to write will return properly, it feels like it is beginning to already, as I have been blogging more in the last couple of weeks.  I'll try to post every day, however briefly, just to keep me going.

I'll also try to keep up my weekly kitchen challenge, and try out an "unknown" recipe every week.  The one I tried this week  was Turkish Delight, not the strangest thing I have ever created in my kitchen, but it's in the top ten.