The Vets

Th puppy went to the vets on Wednesday, I nearly phoned up and cancelled several times.  He's been to the vets before and has no problem with it, actually he seems to enjoy the peculiar smell and the vet manhandling him.  A couple of the visits have even been emergency dashes like when he collapsed one summer after playing football or when he jammed a stick into the back of his throat leaving a little hole, and yes I admit I cried both times, but he was in and out, medicine perscribed and I took him home and molly coddled him even more than usual.  But on Wednesday I had to leave him at the vets. I wasn't allowed to stay and hold on to him while the vet did his work, this time the puppy needed anesthetic and had to stay all day with the threat of an overnight stay as well! So I walked him through the park to the vets, he was clearly puzzled by the change in direction, but happy enough when we got there, he didn't even notice I was leaving him so I only managed a rushed kiss on his little head before he was led away.  The walk home made it clear there was something missing and set the mood for the rest of the day, everywhere I went in the house there were little puppy reminders, his frisbee in the kitchen, his water bowl next to the cooker, his flying duck toy abandoned next to the dining table.  I had exam marking to do so would be in the house all day, usually the puppy does a very good job of keeping me company, not this time. I made toast and saved the corner for him only to have to eat it myself rather than throw it away.  The postman rang the doorbell and I wondered why he hadn't barked and why he wasn't under my feet as I jumped up from the sofa.  I know many of you will not understand my difficulty with relinquishing my puppy's welfare to an extremely well qualified individual, but the puppy is my baby and has been for the past 8 and a bit years, he goes everywhere with me, he's seen the boyfriends come and go and got me through the lonely bits, he's helped identify the bad ones and given the good ones a thorough going over before deciding that we can trust them.  He is my family as my blood relatives are not and without him I am more than a little lost.
The good news is the puppy was home by 4pm, just as I was going to work so again only a brief kiss on his head and the hubby had the luxury of driving him home and spoiling him while I went to work and wished the time away so I could run home and check his wound.
The results took a little longer, although much quicker than expected which in itself was a concern.  All clear for the puppy, just a cyst because he is 'an older dog' the vet stated.  No he's not! He's in the prime of his life!  Relief has not stopped me molly coddling him all week though and I have renewed appreciation for the wonder that is my furry baby although according to the hubby that appreciation is always abundantly clear (think he's a little jealous)
The tickets are booked! I am going to meet the in-laws.  Yes I have been married for a little over 6 months, no I have not met hubby's parents, to be honest he hasn't really met mine except for an accidental meeting with my father with not many words exchanged.
The in-laws however live in France and not the easy to reach part at the top, the posh Southern part which costs and arm and a leg to travel too.  Easyjet have made the trip possible by having slightly more reasonable prices and I'm working with the strategy that hubby, the boy and myself can fit everything in one 20kg bag and a couple of hand luggage bags so the additional fees weren't too bad either.  Although £9 admin charge and another £6 for paying on my credit card did make me think British Airways might not have been that far behind on price by the time I was finished.  Having had bad experiences with booking online before, I checked and rechecked the details and got hubby to check too before committing my credit card details.  All done, booked, we are going. Then it dawns on me, the names came up on the booking making us look like a proper little family, all with the same last name, shame my passport doesn't agree! The £70 quid it costs for a new one meant that it was the one thing I didn't change after the wedding, the visit to France just got a bit more expensive and I hope it comes on time, I've got 10 weeks it'll be fine right?

My part time life has been filled again, this time with exam marking, something I do every year for extra pennies and usually have to fit around a full time job, filling every evening and weekend to the brim with time spent attached to the laptop.  So this year it should be easier to fit in? Not really! I still spent all weekend at it and each evening after work so far plus a full day today, admittedly I had yesterday off to go to the dentist, visit Nan and eat free food (courtesy of retaileyes.co.uk) but surely I'm allowed one days rest?
The marking has not been a simple process either.  For the past three years I have marked exams so I have the system pretty clear, this year however because of demands by the Government the examining bodies are being harsher with the marking (apparently too many students are getting high grades) this would be fine if there was some sort of systematic consistency to it, but it would appear there is not and so the marking has become an even more laborious task.  It will however pay for the huge vet bill and a the flights to France and a new laptop (mine is slow, missing keys and has a broken hinge)

One Month On - The Story So Far

Having returned to work very briefly last Friday for the matter of a day I appraoched the weekend with a huge grin on my face.  That one day, hectic as it was, did not disturb the relaxed feeling that has developed over the Christmas period.  I have lazed for long hours in bed, happily snuggling with hubby without the guilt of knowing I should be doing something and without the constant nagging of work worries that usually follow me home even during the holidays especially with exams looming in mid January. If it wasn't for the puppy I think I may have lost several days under my two duvets (energy saving measures), but his gentle squeaks from downstairs soon develop into urgent barks once it approaches lunchtime and he feels too much is being asked of him to cross his legs any longer.
Even though 7.15am has become a stranger to me over the last three weeks it didn't greet me with the same sick feeling that it did when I was the classic fulltime worker.  Even Monday morning cannot dampen my spirits and I can genuinely say I have enjoyed the back to back revisions lessons that are necessary to ensure good grades for the little darlings, even though it seems to be me doing the work and them sitting listening as if they have never heard of differentiation, the monetary policy committee or sampling before!
It has been a little bit of a wrench leaving hubby behind for a day at a time, we have become very attached to each other in our non-working bubble.  Hubby I should explain left fulltime employment shortly before myself and has been waiting for his next job to start later this month with only a couple of temporary assignments inbetween. 
My work colleagues seem more pleased to see me than is usual and enjoy questioning how I am coping and if everything is okay, while marvelling at how lovely it must be not to have to come in everyday and talking about all the things I must be able to do now.  To be honest I haven't managed to fit that much in so far other than continuing with the running, New Years Day race achieved, after an entirely sober New Year's Eve with hubby and friends.
January it would appear is training month for me, with a three day stay in Oxfordshire for a potential new position and several days put aside throughout the rest of the month for exam board training, the good life may have to wait.
In the meantime I am attempting to have 'no spend' weeks (so far I've managed a couple of 'no spend' days) my spangly new phone has an iwallet which lets me track anything I spend on a daily basis, not that the idea of the good life is not to spend anything, but rather to spend less on the unimportant things and have more left over for holidays and adventures.  I'm feeling quite good about it so far, but with Christmas still jingling in my ears it is no surprise that I haven't felt the need to restock the cupboards or treat myself to a new wardrobe item.
My plans to study for a masters degree as part of my 'good life' are being scuppered by the inability of universities to offer the courses they are advertising.  They do seem very happy to let me go through the laborious application process and to subsequently offer me an alternative course, one that would involve me driving to Edinburgh twice a week (I live in Grimsby!) and the other would have meant attending fulltime in Derby which was offered while I was still working fulltime in Grimsby.  I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't filled in all of my personal details and written a statement explaining my current situation in details, does anyone read these things or is it just to weed out the illiterate applicants?

Employment: Parttime 0.33 of a fulltime contract to be precise,one and a half days a week although its been more like two and a half so far (note to self 'only do the hours you are paid for!')
Lodgers: 2 (Lodger No.1 moves out next week, replacement not yet found.)
Eating out: Once a week more or less for free :-)
Hubby: 1 (6months of married bliss minus one argument)
Dog: 1 (quote from the vets to clean his teeth £200!!!!)
Stepson: 1 (cleans his own teeth)
No Spend Days: 5/14