What I’ve done!

After my low of Tuesday, the usual happened… I bounced! And some of your helpful and motivational comments really helped, *thank you*.

Yesterday morning, after a traumatic trip to the supermarket (wrinkly discount day! Nothing against wrinklies, but should be avoided when in large groups and contained in small areas, bit like teenagers) and then a frustrating trip to my stupid bank (where they can’t tell the time and opened seven minutes late, because after all, they’re busy doing important stuff and what the hell does my time matter?! Oh and I was only there, because their stupid cash machine only gave me half a twenty pound note!), I was fired up and ready to put the world to rights.

Can’t do a lot about the supermarket discount day for OAPs (though I think they should just give 10% off to OAPs every day, and stop making Wednesday a misery for us ALL!) But the bank, well, they don’t seem to care I’ve been with them twenty years, so why should I?! Decided to find out which banks had real live people answering their phones, turns out only one, and I made the poor chap stutter by immediately demanding to know where he was (as I’m also sick of talking to people with hard to understand accents in Indian call centres), but that was joyous too, as he was local. Have decided there’s definitely something shady about an organisation who won’t allow you to call a local office, and if it was anyone but THE BANK I would have looked elsewhere long ago! So… have to make sure I can leave the mortgages where they and that my present bank can’t hunt me down and make my life even more miserable, but assuming we can do as we please, then we’re jumping ship for warmer waters and service with a human smile!

I also called our Public Health Department, to find out how many hoops I’d have to jump through to make birthday cakes for other people from home. The information arrived today. Umm, here’s another organisation who could do with listening more. I asked for details on what my kitchen would have to be like, instead they sent me a form details who’s exempt and an application to register. What I really need to know is, will I have to wait until Dingbat (my cockatiel) and Ryker (the dog) are dead, will the jukebox have to go, am I allowed to have flowers but no extractor fan, and does it matter half the drawers need a clear out – that sort of thing. But no, apparently I should run before I can walk and should apply first, that way someone will come out to inspect my kitchen, gasp in horror, and then provide a detailed list of why my kitchen is a health risk.

Phoned the local college too, for their prospectus. That also arrived today…and I’m left thinking…I’m hard to please! It’s useless. One huge sheet, folded like a map – except a very badly folded map as I can cope with them, but this…! Ended up just spreading the thing out on the kitchen table. Wow. There’re two catering courses, but I have no idea what’s involved as they use all of thirty words in one paragraph to entice me (and hundreds of teenagers) into signing up for the next year or two of our lives. No mention of anything remotely cake originated, just a short spiel about learning what the hospitality industry wants. (If you were sitting next to me, you would be hearing a heavy sigh.) But I’m not put off yet – their evening courses prospectus is out on Friday and I’m hoping that might provide some more information (as I’m presuming the individual lecturers write them, and at least one might have the insight to suppose I want to know what they’re offering!)

But I won’t hold my breath. This is the problem with living in such a small place, lack of choices. But if all else fails, I'll bloody teach myself to decorate cakes properly! Though of course, I might not be able to sell them…;o)

And after all that, I now know what I would be excellent at – telling companies what they’re crap at!