Wow.... Been a crazy 48 hours at work.My boss got sacked "with immediate effect" That leaves me second most experienced member of staff. Behind a girl who's been there three months longer than me. .
We had an internal audit of 10 staff... All of whom failed. Drastically. Enough to get us shut down immediately. Not sure how much of it was my bosses fault as he'd only been there since April and until I rocked up there was only two members of staff working on 903 candidates and the consultants are bastards for sending people to work before they are full 100% legal. So maybe he was the fall guy. Hopefully its made them realise what they need to do now to support us. Me. The other girl and the two new temps. One of whom started Monday.
So its a mental case of damage limitation now. I could build a decent sized fort out of the pile of the files in front of me.
I'd just started to feel at ease with what I was doing. I could work through it slowly and in a week. Now everything's turned on its head and I feel swamped and overwhelmed again. Like the wee dung beetle on Africa at the moment I'm pushing a dungball up a sand dune. Backwards.
I am feeling quite sorry for it at the moment! It keeps falling back down!
On to riding.
Lovely, lovely session yesterday. Was amazingly hard work and she bogged off with me twice but we got bend. We got her off the forehand and into a baby outline, all very good things. She complimented me on my "quiet seat and soft hands"
Going to learn to lunge tomorrow which'll be interesting should I survive another crazy day!

Urgh. This lady who owns newpony is seriously doing my head in.
She wants me to have a lesson with her instructor. Fine I say, I have no problem with that. Its good to have lessons. I want them anyway.
So she booked it for 6.30. I cannot get there earlier than that unless I leave work at 4.45. So I'll arrive at 6.30, change and get the pony ready (at least 15 minutes) and then be late. Unless I can get a cab... More expense.... I pointed this out to her and got a bit of a lecture about how I knew it was a way away and she can't change the time because she has to go see her child.
Sigh. At least I got warned this time. Last Tuesday I only found out there was a lesson on my way to the yard when there was no chance to go to a cashpoint to pay for it. Lucky she was texting me to tell me it was cancelled!
I've been looking into the possibility of keeping a horse at the new college yard in Shooters Hill. Unfortunately I don't think that's a possibility. They want the horse to be used every day in the lessons and limited turn out. Big problem is that they want large horses that are weight carriers. Minimum of 8 inches taller than Idiotpony and Newpony. Too tall for a Charby. Well I could kinda get away with it if they didn't want weight carriers.
Sigh. Am still hoping for the chance of private livery though. I think that'd be very expensive 3k a year? But if I looked into it properly and it covers hay and feed and bedding it may work out cheaper than a cheaper yard and buying my own of the above?
Still all just pipe dreams for now....

So that's Welshy gone again at 2am this morning. Already looking forward to 5 weeks time to see him and our week of adventure! (all sorted now bar buying train from Krakow to Prague)
Its been a busy old week. Tuesday I was at the yard, I got to finish at 4 which was good cos I got there at a reasonable time, shame it was too icy to ride.
Wednesday me and Welshy went to see Django Unchained. I do like Quentin Tarentino films - mostly. We won't talk about Kill Bill or Inglorious Bastards.
Thursday I went to give blood, Mum changed my appointment to 6.50 cos she didn't know at the time when I'd get there after work. I got there at 6.10 - Ooops. And they were running 30 minutes late. Couldn't leave in case they called me so sat there for the longest time reading "Gurgle - The magazine for Modern Mums."
Friday was Welshy's leaving do/birthday drinks, so cocktails with his friends in Farrendon weatherspoons and a nice meal in a nice restaurant and then off to a strip club.
Got home about 2.40, so spent most of yesterday tired and at football.
Granddad got himself admitted to hospital yesterday and Mum was there till late and went first thing this morning. She's just got back so I should go see what's what there.
Just sat up in my room at the moment watching Murray in the open. The sun is warm (for late Jan) so I have an open window and I feel rather content. Like a sunbathing cat at the moment.

Got to finish at 4 today! Hurrah for leaving work in the light! Got to the yard at a sensible time. Didn't get to ride though unfortunately :( Ground is frozen and slippy for horses too! Got to try my new torch out on the dark creepy lanes so that was fab and works well.
Had reasonably good day, got a lot done at work. A new girl has started who seems nice. I remember how overwhelmed I was with it all (still am tbh) so am trying to help her out as much as possible.
Welshy goes on Sunday morning, that'll be sad, but I'm looking forward to his night out Friday, maybe we'll go to the cinema tomorrow

Some of my booking is done! Flight to Budapest, two nights there. Sleeper train to Krakow and hostel there booked. Few problems booking sleeper from Krakow to Prague but hopefully I can call up the Rail Europe people tomorrow and get that done there. :)
Very excited.So far its cost me about 140 quid, hopefully I can get it all sorted for less than 200 as all I need is the sleeper to Prague, a hotel there and a flight home. Actually having considered this I've discovered flights home from Prague was 73 quid so that's that budget blown! Still adventures don't come along often so  it'll be worth it.
Snowed all day today, only light looking but its certainly settled. Shame it couldn't have happened a few days before. Not sure how it'll be getting to work. Or riding on Tuesday come to think of that....

So no 5 inch snow still. Grass is still poking out of the top of it all. Pitiful. Apparently tomorrow is the day when we'll get it. Rest of country seems knee deep. Course London has one inch and ground to a complete halt!
Had a lovely, lazy day. Was so cold downstairs I've spent most of it huddled under my duvet hugging my human hot water bottle. Had disturbing dream that I fell on Bad Leg and had it amputated.
Having small self imposed FaceBook break at the moment but once I'm back I'll upload my pictures of it here!
Been doing some homework about mini-inter-railing. Seeing as The Welsh One is off next week for five weeks before getting a week off, hopefully we'll go to Budapest, Krakow and Prague in a week, I've never got a sleeper train before. All very exciting, Welshy is out with friends at the moment but hopefully tomorrow we can book some shit up now I've got prices and times of trains and shit. Will be pretty expensive. Probably same as what I would have spent in India for two weeks but this will be just as much fun and three new countries compared to one I've already been too is loads better!!!!
And then back to saving, saving, saving. Saving for South Africa, saving to replace the savings I've lost. Saving to perhaps look into getting a pony of my own. We'll see.

Snow, snow, snow. Its been fairly light but consistant and settling. Welshy is out with friends, I'm glad I decided not to join him, it was already icing up when I left work at 4pm and I have no wish to make my already fucked leg worse by falling on black ice.
The way people have been kicking off, I was expecting the same as a few years ago, when it was so deep it was indistinguishable from road to pavement. This is barely an inch, I expect it to be at least 6 inches deep by the morn or I shall sulk.

Rode last night. Not sure if I like the lady that owns the pony I ride now, not only is she slightly patronising I get the feeling she feels put out to have to take me to and from the yard, although I've stressed I don't need it. Yes its intimidating but I've brought a headlamp and should I figure out how to use it, all will be well.
She sent me a text this afternoon telling me she needs to be able to leave the yard by 8.30 at the latest on Thursdays and I should have considered this when she told me about it being in the dark originally and ideally needing a car. If you thought like that, why didn't you politely say no thanks, you're not what we're looking for at the time?
I had a nice little session with the pony, she's already getting more responsive, although I'm putting that down to the cold. Anyway Owner Lady rocks up and starts telling me the best way to canter the pony, I listened politely for a bit and then said that I'd got a few short nice canters from her. She asked to see. Should I be right to be a bit annoyed by that? I got the feeling she didn't believe me. I think she forgets that the pony is young and yes she can be lazy but small short canters are the best way to build up muscle and fitness and soon she'll get the hang of going around corners in canter, she struggles to get a good trot or walk bend so canter bend would obviously be out of the question... Hmmm. I miss Idiotpony and being left to get on with things my own way.
I hope its just us getting to know each other and soon she'll back off and not question my tacking up skills. And I long for the days to hurry up and get longer quicker so I can get up there without being reliant on her, Tuesday I will go on my own as I can finish work at 4pm so I can avoid that although the walk will still be in the dark!

They've taken TWO new people on for my department at work, I still feel like I'm on trial and now I'll be competiting against the two new people. We'll see. They gave me a weeks leave for when Welshy is away so we might go mini-interrailling. Prague, Krakow and Budapest are currently being touted. Lots more exciting that two weeks in India!

So very, very cold! Went for first proper schooling session on New Pony yesterday. I considered it satisfactorily. Working on bending correctly and straight lines. Owner whinged cos I never cantered her. She's a nice lady, little patronising, reminding me how to tack up and rug a horse correctly. I just gotta bite my tongue and get on with it I guess! Going to the yard is a little frustrating. Takes ages to get there on the bus, despite being 20 mins away from my house and its a 15 minute walk in rather intimidating pitch blackness. Ordered what looks like a decent head lamp and I figure if I take my rape alarm and keep that in one hand and a hoofpick in another, I should be ok? At least with the hoof pick I can do a bit of damage!
Talking of damage, my bruise is EPIC! Huge, black and red with green and blue edging. Today was the first day I can walk properly which is exciting!!!
My contract at work's been extended! Till end of Feb, so that's seven weeks at least of pennies!
Not sure I liked my department managers way of saying "oh I put my neck out for you." What does that mean? I should be doing more than I do? I struggle to not be swamped under it all as it is and yes I've made a few cock-ups but on the whole I think its going ok? Or at least I thought it did until then!

Developed the most amazing, HUGE vibrantly coloured bruise. EVER! And I can walk again! Albeit with a limp!

Went to try new pony. Lovely ride, bit of a cow on the ground. Something to work though! Am in a hellish amount of pain though, through a foolish, idiotic moment by me. I got kicked. By 500kg of horse wearing iron shoes.
Ow isn't even beginning to cover it. Considering myself very lucky to have been kicked on the top of my thigh rather than below my knee which would have shattered it, no question.
Co-codomol isn't kicking in though and it keeps buckling when I try and limp on it.
Stupid Horses. Stupid me for forgetting the most basic rule of horsemanship. And most annoyingly I don't even have a bruise to show for it.

Although!! New Pony worked out so I'll be doing that Tuesdays and Thursdays! Wheee!

So cold today! Its so gonna snow at some point! Football today which was good, first back to back wins this season, things moving in the right direction? Good debut by Callum Harriot though, how long since there's been stepovers at The Valley????
Still no idea whats happening at work. Starting to presume I'm staying. Will carry on waiting though! Welshy has his first five weeks lined up abroad, shame it seems too expensive to visit atm. Double the price it was for me to go in Sept! Guess its cos its ski-ing season!
Off to visit New Pony tomorrow. Hopefully will go well, I miss pony fun!

So yesterday would have been Dad's 54th birthday. And Mother wanted to celebrate, so we (except The Brat who made vague excuses as usual) went out for Italian and then to see Life of Pi, it was really good actually. The 3D went with the film perfectly and it was all pretty and coloured!

Turned so cold today! Wonder if there will be snow later this week? Wonder how I'd get to work if it was snowy?!

Another crazy day, I had made a huge cock-up so had to spend extra time rectifying this. I did get a well done for my fraught day yesterday. We had a big meeting that got a bit tense between my department and the consultant team.
First time EVER (since I've been) all my people attended their training and believe me some of these people have been a NIGHTMARE to get booked on (often calls once a week, people simply not attending or cancelling last minute) so we all got KFC Krush-em's to celebrate!
Yay!
I'd like to have a bit more of note to tell you about my weekdays, but tbh I'm mega busy at work and in the evening just crash. Hopefully will get a bit more interesting if Pony trial works out and if I'm kept on, then I can at least start working towards things like visiting Welshy, South Africa and most importantly, achieving one of the Big H targets I have for this year (Horse or House).

Mega busy day at work! One minute it was 10am and then 3pm and I'd not had a chance for lunch!
Good news :) Gotta interview to try a new pony chum on Sunday. Sounds exact same deal as I had for Idiotpony only this time I pay for the privilege!

Rather thankfully today went as a normal Sunday. No moping more than necessary, no unneeded reminders. I am rather glad for that. I miss him and wish he was about. But there we go, that's the way of the world and its time to move on.
Back to work tomorrow and one day closer to finding out my fate there and one day closer to Welshy going.

Went out with Welshy and friends last night, after work. Was their Cricket AGM, lots of drinking, he was unsurprisingly (no one else can be fucked) was voted captain again. Ended up in a expensive cocktail bar in shoreditch (9.30 for an apple martini?) Fuck me.
Such a lazy day today. Didn't wake up till late, dozed for a lot of it. Applied for a couple of jobs just in case nothing works out at work next week.
Learnt how to do filters on excel - surprisingly easy!
Tomorrow is Dad's anniversary. 7 years! A lifetime!

So. My Year of Adventure is already ended. No India for me. Welshy was offered a 8 week contract in Austria. So off he goes. Maybe I'll get to visit. Who knows.
Should find out end of next week if I'm being kept on or not.

Also as soon as I got home Mum started ranting about the lady next door. See The boy has had his car written off and has left it outside the lady next doors house for coming up to 7 months now? Definitely 6 months anyway.
It got clamped Christmas Eve, so He paid for it to be unclamped and then put it on the drive in front of the ladies garage (she is a non driver btw)
Anyway 9 days later she asked Mother if it was going to be there long and Mother thinks thats completely unreasonable. And I'm using my hatred against the boy as a feeble excuse to agree with the lady, who has had to put up with an abandoned car outside her house for 6 months, and now gotta put up with it blocking her garage access for another 6 months until it goes.
Imagine. Next door neighbour is SO UNREASONABLE!

Starting as I mean to go on today.
Went up to Watford to see the Addicks play THE most exciting game! 4-3 and with three disallowed goals (one for us, two for them) a penalty (for them) and other excitements!
Met a nutter on the way home who ranted about lesbians - despite being rather obviously gay - and then asked me "You go to football? You must be a man. Or one of those girls who like girls"

My mission to be nicer to Mum has already got me feeling guilty - This morning's facebook post from her was all about how 2013 hasn't changed anything from her, she's still sitting at home alone all day.

I don't know what to do to help her. I wish there was something I could..

Welshy is back! Yay!