Lots and lots to say

I have much news to fill you in on and I am happy to finally have some time to do it. I have a few days off so I am trying to catch up on many of the things I have been avoiding/unable to do lately.

New job

The last time I posted things were still quite up in the air about when my start date would be for my new job. I did finally get my background check about a week and a half ago and I thought I would then be good to start. But, I managed to get a little more drama in my life when I was told that actually they were missing a reference for me. Why they couldn't have told me this while I was waiting for the background check to finally come through I don't know. Again, Admin is so frustrating! So, I had to do some serious scrambling to sort everything out (I will spare you the details here) but eventually (as in yesterday) things finally did come together. And, I am happy to report that I will be starting my new job on Tuesday. Finally! I am really looking forward to it.

Financials

Ah, the financial burden of moving 12 times in 5 years has definitely caught up with me! Things are starting to get a bit more under control, but this month I was faced with the challenge of trying to somehow squeeze another £100 or so from my budget. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money. But, it turned out that there is a way. Basically, I am currently on holiday from my current job for the next 3 weeks and that has solved my financial issues for the month. Too good to be true you ask? Well, this is how it works. I am on holiday from my current job so they are going to be paying me for about 30hrs of work per week, but during my holiday, I will also be starting my new job, which will also be paying me for 30hrs of work per week . . . .so in total I will be paid for 60hrs work, but only do half of it! Yes, I agree, it does sound too good to be true, but I am going to go with it for now.

Allotment

For anyone who may not know in the uk you can rent small plots of land (called an allotment) to grow flowers and vegetables on. In Edinburgh these allotments are primarily managed by the Council and there can be a wide range of people with allotments in the same area of land (sometimes as many as 100 allotments together). I decided that I would really like to have my own garden, and since I don't have access to any land in the flat I am currently living in, an allotment would be the way to go. At the moment, with soaring food prices and a shift towards more organic foods, the demand for allotments is quite high. I knew there was a waiting list for all allotments in the city, but I was expecting to wait maybe a year or so before I could get my own special plot. However, when I called the Allotment Officer I was informed that the process could take as long as 4-5 years! I now have an application form and I had better fill it in soon so I can get the process started.

Zoom Airlines

Zoom, the budget airline I use all the time to fly back and forth between Canada and Scotland has gone bust due to increasing fuel costs! They went under several weeks ago taking with it the only airline that did direct flights from Glasgow to Halifax. It was also the cheapest option by far. And, this means that I will most definitely not be able to afford to go home for Christmas this year. It's a shame, but realistically I very likely might not have been able to afford it even if Zoom was still here. Plus, I have to look on the bright side - I would much rather come home for a visit next summer when I can go to the beach!

West Highland Way

I have decided that next summer I would like to hike the West Highland Way, a long distance path that goes from just outside Glasgow to Fort William. It's a distance of 95 miles (152 km) and goes through some absolutely spectacular scenery. Hiking and hill walking is something I really enjoy, but do not do enough of . . . hopefully this goal will encourage me to get out more often and get much fitter, as I will need to be to tackle this walk! If I am feeling really ambitious, I could then continue from Fort William on a different walk that goes all the way to Inverness (73 miles, 117km) called the Great Glen Way. Would anyone like to come over and walk with me?