I *really* need to get organised ...

I'm a Capricorn, right? Supposedly I'm trustworthy (yeah, I am), reliable, ambitious (ha!), and above all, tidy and organised. Excuse me while I laugh ....

OK, I'm back. Tidy? What's that? And organised? Don't know the meaning of the word. I'm the girl who threw out my mobile phone and personal CD player on the same day a few years ago ... I apparently chucked the wrong pile out ... yeah. I'm the person who can lose a 14" TV, or a rolled up 15 tog duvet ... not exactly small items. Now though, I've managed to lose my picnic blanket, which is about the size of a pillow when it's folded, and the best yet ... my camera tripod. It's about 3' long when it's folded and in its case, but I can't lay my hands on it anywhere. Of course, I need it this evening, for the fireworks shots I'll be taking at Proms In The Paddock.

My untidiness just cost me £14.99 I can't afford at Argos for a new tripod. It's bigger and heavier than my cheap £4.25 one from eBuyer, and it didn't even come with a case. So yeah, I *really* need to get organised .... ! All I can say is I hope I get some decent pics...!

Ugh.

I have a horrible sore throat, which is just turning into a cold. First one I've had this year, so I shouldn't moan too much I guess! But still ... it hurts, and I'm working all day, every day, until next Thursday! Sympathise with me, just for a second?

On the plus side, it should be gone by next Saturday, when a bunch of us are going to Proms in the Paddock ... Lewes's version of the *real* Proms.

My downstairs neighbour is having *another* barbecue in the back yard. I have no objection except that all I can smell is barbecue fuel, and smoke - no nice tempting aroma of burgers or chicken! And I can't close the windows, as it's *finally* almost cool in here ...

Ho hum, off to make a wishlist for when I get paid next week (tissues, Olbas Oil .... LOL) Aside from those, that is ...

Sunflowers!

I treated myself to a bunch of sunflowers at work today - 4 stems for the price of 3, at £2.99, but I got 12% discount as well! They're one of my favourite flowers, so happy and cheerful. Here's some pics I took of them.

It's not all bad ...

In light of my last post, a vent of rather huge proportions, I think I should post something positive! So, the things that are good about today

1. I worked overtime, so that's a bit more in the pay packet at the end of the month. It's also a bit more that I'll get 12-15% back of, as bonus, at the end of March.
   
2. I only agreed to work until 12 ... which means that I'm home, having shopped and eaten lunch, and still have the rest of today, all day tomorrow, and until 11 on Monday to myself.
3. I get 50% of the cost of things like concert tickets back from work, up to £60 a year. I put my ticket subsidy claim for Westlife and Bon Jovi in yesterday and now have £36 I didn't have!
4. Number 3 means that I can go out to dinner at Si (Italian) with friends tonight!
5. It's a gorgeous day - blue sky, sunny, and a light breeze. Perfect.
6. A customer commented on my red hair this morning - the second person this week :)
   
7. Things may be looking up on the friendship front
8. I have ten days off in September, not a week, like I thought.
   

Weighed down ...

OK, shameless vent/rant/moan ahead. No apologies for it either, it's my blog and I'll whinge if I want to. And I do, so there.

OK, on with the moaning!

• I hate my job at the moment. We have no staff, the morale is rock bottom, my direct supervisor is a grade A bitch, and I think her counterpart, who basically runs the department and gets stuff done while still cheering people up and getting on with everyone is leaving. The customers are never happy, and I want my old 'common as muck' customers back, not these stuck-up "£300 a week, without batting an eyelash, but think they're better than everyone" people.
  
• I have no money. Since I went full time, I have over £200 a month *less* than when I was part time, because the rent and council tax have gone up so much based on my last payslip. Plus Sundays are now part of my contracted hours, not extra.
  
• I hate having diabetes. Taking tablets is hard for me, and I want *chocolate* dammit.
  
• I also hate having PCOS. Separate vent about *that* one coming at a future date.
  
• Ebuyer say my order should have arrived by the 3rd of July. It didn't. There's no tracking number on my order and they're not responding to my e-note. My mum's birthday present is in that order, and it's the second of only two orders that I've had problems with.
• I don't get paid for another 2 weeks, there's no food in the house, and I have about 30p to last me. Fun.
  
• I have to have another blood test next week.
• I'm now not going on holiday in the foreseeable future. No New York next year after all now.
• My best friend moved out of Lewes a couple of months ago and i have no credit on my phone to text her.
  
• I weigh less than I ever have as an adult and am more depressed about it than I've ever been. Including when I was bulimic.
  
• I screwed up a really great friendship a few months ago, and I miss her. I *really* miss her. I want to know how she's doing, and if she's OK, but I don't think she wants to hear from me.
  

Vent over, no sympathy needed really. Just one of those days!

Westlife

Last night I went to see Westlife, playing a "Summer Nights" concert at Leeds Castle near Maidstone, in Kent. I went with a colleague/friend, Carol, who is a huge fan, and while I wouldn't describe myself as a fan, I like Westlife's music a lot.

We left Lewes at 3:30, and arrived there at 5pm, just as the gates opened. A nice 20 minute walk through the grounds, watching several free ranging peacocks, including an albino one up on a roof, and we were at the concert arena, along with a few thousand other people. We picked a good spot almost in front of the stage, though a fair way back, behind the seated area, and settled down for a three hour wait before they came on stage.

We'd packed a picnic tea, in my case a chicken and bacon salad, with strawberries, raspberries and cream for dessert, and sitting out in the afternoon sun, with a picnic, and decent background music, was a very nice way to spend an early summer evening.

The support act was Roxanne, who actually has a very powerful voice, but was singing songs that I didn't really feel were 'her'. She got a poor reception, and I think if she had sung more upbeat songs she would have been much more popular. I felt sorry for her, because she obviously has the voice, but her songs were pretty ... blah.

After a break of around 20 minutes, Westlife came on stage at 8:40pm. They put on a good show, which I enjoyed, but I would have liked to see them sing a few more songs, as they only played for an hour and a half, including the 3 song encore. They missed out 'Tonight', 'Unbreakable' and 'My Love', which are three of my favourites, although they did play 'Seasons In The Sun' which they rarely perform live anymore, so that was a treat.

10:10pm and it was all over, so we made our way back to the car park, where we couldn't find the car! After about 20 minutes Carol spotted it, but only because the car behind was ready to leave and had it's headlights shining on the back of her car! Home by midnight, photos transferred to the computer, but not many good ones this time. The stage was about the same distance away as the Bon Jovi one was, but the big screens were only about half the size, so even zooming in, I didn't do very well. Pics to come later.