Preparations is my Word of the Week

I have not felt so nervous in a long time! Maybe nervous isn’t even the right word. I think the correct one is anxious. This week we had so many things to make preparations for and one of them in particular made me very anxious. I applied for a job! Eek! It feels weird to even say that. I much prefer working for myself after my years of being a teacher. But I still have certain goals that need to be met before I turn 60 and I’ll get there faster if I get a job and also continue to work for myself.

Sunday saw me making preparations for my online interview. I had decided to spend the whole day reading over my notes and application form, reading up about the employer, and practicing my responses to potential questions I had made up. As the job involved working indirectly with children, I also did an online Safeguarding course. I passed with 100%. By about 3 pm I was pleased with my preparations so I came downstairs and got on with my day.

On Sunday afternoon we also made plans and preparations for someone to help us to set up the washing machine in the new laundry room that we had set up last week. We weren’t sure if we needed to purchase any other attachments or pipe fittings. I just wish we were knowledgeable about these things so we wouldn’t have to call someone else in to do that. For one, they are going to overcharge us and also we don’t think it’s a major job, we just don’t know how to do it. I suppose we could watch some YouTube videos and try, but what if it all goes wrong?

The interview went well on Monday I thought. The panel was made up of three people but I liked that they all took turns to ‘fire’ their questions at me. Each interviewer asked 5 questions. It was quite orderly and I got a chance to ask the questions I had too. Recently I saw a TikTok video of someone giving advice about what types of questions you can ask your interviewer. I used one of them and I could tell based on the response, that I got the job! However at one point in the interview, I froze, lol, I was quietly confident but nervous. It had been years since I did an interview.

Leisa has also been making preparations for the one solid concrete wall in the conservatory to be painted. We are going to have British Gas install a new radiator in there. The space will be more usable then, especially in the Winter months when we mostly avoid it. The aim was to have it done by Thursday. So the area was cleared and the wall cleaned.

On Tuesday, leek and potato soup, along with some healthy wholemeal bread rolls was our homemade lunch. We made enough to ensure we had good food preparations for a few days that we were warned would be very cold. We love warm bread and soup is also a favorite of ours. Well, just before we could sit down to have our lunch, I got a call from the main interviewer to say that I had got the job!

Over lunch, we chatted about all the preparations I’d have to make. I decided that I wouldn’t be buying any new clothes. I have enough. But then I remembered that I had just started selling my old work clothes on Vinted! Only last week 4 or 5 of the jackets were sold. They were bought years ago for at least £40 each in Marks and Spencer and I had sold them for £4 each. Hey ho, I had only listed the darker-colored ones like grey, navy, and black. There was also a lovely pin-striped one that I used to love wearing. I suppose now I’ll only be wearing lighter brighter colours when I start the job. I’m not sure of the start date yet.

My mind has been making preparations too. I will be in charge of a team of at least 60 people! That’s a big jump from my days of being head of a small department at school. I’ve set in my head the type of supervisor I’d appreciate so I hope I’d be that kind to others too.

I won’t need a handbag or shoes, I’ve got them all I think. Thankfully I’ll only be in the office in the city about twice per week. The rest will be working from home and also some travel. What other preparations do you think I need?

 

Persimmon  and carrot cake

I tried my hand at making a carrot and persimmon (Sharon fruit) cake (two, in fact) and it turned out beautifully. I used some pulp from the Sharon fruit in the batter and then some slices on the top. Next time I will peel the fruit as the texture of the skin was quite rubbery when it was baked. I used paper cases in the loaf pans so that there was much less time spent washing up. So now we have slices of cake frozen as well as some leek and potato soup and wholemeal bread rolls.

As a result of my new job offer, we’ve had to cancel plans we had for Jamaica in December. So now we’ve started making alternative travel plans and preparation for next Summer instead. I must admit that I do feel excited and humbled at the same time. I am living the life I want to live and I am so grateful. God is good.

It’s Friday morning and a quick look outside shows me that the cars are frozen! So the soup will come in handy for the weekend. Also, the man came and did the painting yesterday, and guess what? He says as it’s just a small wall (in the conservatory) and we already had the paint, he won’t charge us! How decent of him! He wasn’t here long at all and we offered, but he won’t accept. I’m amazed sometimes. There’s still the setting up of the washing machine after British Gas comes next week, so watch this space. Hope you are having a great day. Thanks to Anne for allowing us each week to share our word of the week.