Update!

Well this next week is the last week of training, and on Friday we have to pass a certification - which will be a test on taking a call, to see whether you handle a call the way they would like you to. I have been allocated a 3:30 to midnight shift for the first two weeks, and then we bid for our next shift. The bidding is done using the last four digits of your Social Insurance Number, and the only fair way, so I can't grumble truly. The first shift only starts at midday, so not a huge difference. As we take more calls away from the organisation that are doing them now, we will go 24/7, so there will be earlier shifts. Then I can get back to having some life. I will only see Jerry at the weekends for these first two weeks, which will not be fun.

We have discussed the house build again, and quotes are slow coming in, which has given us more time to truly talk about the when, and how of it all. And have come to the conclusion that this will have to wait until Jerry finished at school. If we start now, we will be back down to one lot of money coming in, and we don't want to end up struggling the payments for the build. We had the issue of needing a second vehicle for getting back and forth to the lot, and realized that it would also put pressure on the pocket. Sadly that will have to wait.

We have treated ourselves to a metal gazebo that has a mesh screen around it, which we can put up at the lot, to keep the bugs away from us. It is so lovely up there, very peaceful, but the bugs are very friendly, so we needed to protect ourselves. We had looked at Screen Houses which were more like a tent, and then saw this, and decided it was a much better idea.

What I am going to need to do for this current house, is to make some insulated blinds for the windows, that can be put up just in the winter. We may well have to look at getting the windows replaced before the winter, but again we have to look at that cost, but we need to reduce the fuel cost from what it was last winter.

On a slightly amusing note, I have been dreaming the job, the training has been quite intense, very thorough, which we can only be pleased about, but I wake up every day on a call - it is a comfort knowing this is normal, and not the only one it is happening to.