Quick update since last post, Ashington lost to Grimsby but we had a great day anyway. They’ve progressed in the FA Vase though and we’ve had away days, last one to Milton Keynes, and have another one on 12th Feb, 300 mile trip to Gloucestershire. Disco Bus warmed up and alcohol chilling ready!

My full time has ended as from tomorrow I’m down to 25 hours, 5 hours more than I was on when I took the temporary upgrade to full time but I’d still prefer full time. Job has changed yet again, 2 posties, 2 duties, one van now. This means a repick has been brought in where we all choose our duties, for the first time since I started 5 years ago I should have the chance of my own duty, bonus, means I’ll know when my days off are and can work out my long weekends. This means I can plan stuff with Bev, who begins her new job tomorrow, Monday to Friday 9-5, no shifts, no nights, no weekends, lucky bugger!

Had sinusitis over Christmas and New Year, still recovering so still not been out on my bike, it’s still at the back of the shed. Hopefully soon though.

Still watching live bands, I pop along to Crackdown practice weekly and go to see The Blisters live when they play. Got some gigs coming up in the next few weeks so plenty to keep me occupied. Should put some sort of review on here really, always take pics and maybe a video or two so I should spread the word.

Beetle is due its MOT next week, exhaust fell to bits as I took it off to get welded so am on the lookout for a very cheap (free) replacement. Don’t want to spend too much money until I know how bad things may be. I know it will pass on the majority of things but it’s the minority that worries me.

As usual I’ll sign off promising to update this more frequently but no doubt it will be qaurterly again!

Wikipedia: A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing, burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. ?

New job is great, did 10-6 for a while then they decided it wasn’t working the way they wanted so moved us to 07:30-15:30, works great for them, not so great for us but it’s still full time so I’ll take it. So we’ve gone from delivering our duty then doing parcels to delivering parcels then doing our duty’  No sign of it ending for now so that’s a good thing.

Since the last post we’ve done a bit of home renovation, we’ve knocked out the wall between living room and passage to great one larger room, looks great if I say so myself but it was bloody hard work.

Because of all this hard work I’ve not managed to get out on the bike, I just didn’t have the time when I was busy, I even missed a few home games at the football, bad scene. Since then though I’ve just lacked the motivation, I need to get back into the routine of just getting on the bike and riding.

I’ve also got myself some sort of life, wow. I’ve been out watching a new band practice, getting ready for their first gig. Been to watch another band who have been going a bit longer and also popped along to a couple of acoustic nights around the town. That along with the football means I’ve been out more in the last few months than ever before. ;-)

Talking football, Ashington have managed to get themselves to the 4th qualifying round of the F.A. Cup, playing Grimsby Town this Saturday at Cleethorpes, bus trip! It’s going to be a great day and if we manage to get past Grimsby, who are about 5 levels above us, we’ll be into the F.A. Cup proper and a possibility of a big team, scary thought, but exciting.

We’ve already had some changes in the office, instead of being just an LDO (Local Delivery Office) we’re now an MPU (Mail Processing Unit) due to the new sequencing machines recently installed. We now process mail for 5 local delivery units, the machines sequence the mail for sorting. This means when you pull a pile of mail from your tray at your frame wherever your first letter begins the rest follows on in sequence, means faster sorting times. Doesn’t include all mail though so there is still manual sorting to be done.

I’m looking forward to the challenge of the new role so hopefully all will go well. I’ll let you know how it goes.

New job is going great, makes a huge difference knowing what jobs I’m on daily and knowing what my days off will be. My long weekend this weekend, although I’m on holiday next week so slightly longer weekend than normal. I’ll also see the benefit the week after my holiday when I get paid a decent wage, one on par with a week at work and not feeling like half pay.

Off to London next week for a couple of (busy) days. Off to see Michael Ball with Bev and a friend we dragged along for company (sorry Andrew), also seeing a show, Legally Blonde, yet another item chosen by Bev. We tried for We Will Rock You but were outvoted, funny how women can pull extra votes out of thin air ;-) Going to do a bit of sightseeing too, must remember my camera.

Slapped a bit more paint on the Beetle today, on the inside this time, the red is no more, apart from tiny spots here and there that I didn’t spot till I put the paint away, will get them next time. Also have some new wheels although they need a lick of paint and some tyres before fitting. Will add a couple of pics at the end of interior and also the wheels against the car. Slowly but surely it’s coming along and Bev is putting her stamp on it.

It’s Bethanys 16th birthday on Sunday (eek, scary to think she’s my youngest) We’re having a BBQ on saturday hopefully, she wants it then as she wants to go to the Mighty Dub Fest on Sunday, woohoo :-D

May as well try for sleep now, thanks for reading my rambling, those of you who stuck it out.

I’ve never actually worked only 20 hours, always more and for a time between November last year and the end of March this year I averaged 44 hour weeks, so the work has been there, however the downside to a 20 hour contract is holidays and sickness, you only get paid the flat 20. At least now I will get paid for 33 hours during holidays :) It also means I now know I’m near the top of the pecking order for if a full time position appears, which is even better :-D

I love my job but it was getting to the stage where the overtime was going to dry up, we’re getting new machines in that should cut down on some work and we’ve also just hired more part-timers so less chance I’d be needed to work days off. Whereas we don’t need the extra money to pay bills and such, it always comes in handy to live rather than just survive. Any overtime worked has always paid for things like take-aways, cinema visits and a little thing called The Beetle :-D

As well as the new job we now have new start and finish times, last letter has gone from 2pm to 3pm so my new hours are 8:30am-3pm Mon-Wed, 8am-3pm Thu/Fri and 7:30am-1:30pm Sat, they’ve let us keep our earlier finishes on a Saturday for now but it will change later in the year.

So in summary, new job & new duty = happytribe, later finish times = sadtribe, but more happy than sad. :-)

A day out in the Beetle, starting at The Melton Constable at Seaton Sluice followed by a 20 mile or so drive to Druridge Bay where we thought we’d support the organisers of The Mighty Dub Fest as they were there handing out promotional materials. If we’d known earlier we could have changed our meet location and headed straight for Druridge in the first place :-)

30 days, 123.09 leisure miles, 95.5 work miles, giving a total mileage of 218.59 miles.

This means that not only did I complete the #30daysofbiking I also completed #Apr100 by cycling more than 100 leisure miles, hopefully that will give me a good start for the year as I head for 1,000. I had a couple of good rides in that total, mostly up the coast, my favourite ride, I also had a few of my 10 mile route that I want to start getting in regularly. It has also given me the push to begin recording my work miles again, which I dropped last year because I couldn’t be bothered to keep mapping the routes to work out distances.

As of yet I’ve not been out in May, slack I know but it’s been a busy bank holiday weekend, I should hopefully begin my assault of the #May100 today providing I finish everything off that I need done.

The main push for this has been the #30daysofbiking challenge, wanting to complete this challenge has meant I have to go out on my bike on my days off, I’m thinking of trying to keep it up and cycle as many days as possible from now until the bike goes back away for winter. (cos I’m a wuss in the cold) I know I won’t manage every day as we have some days away planned where I won’t be near a bike but I’d like to miss as few as possible.

We’ve had a few nice drives out in the Beetle lately, mainly as an excuse to go for fish & chips ;-)

It’s still as much fun as it was when we got it and puts a massive grin on my face. It’s so much fun and puts smiles on other peoples faces too, even though it’s not the best looking Bug around. Still can’t get used to the waves from drivers of other classic cars though and have almost missed returning a wave once or twice.

Got some bits of work to be done in the next month, after some complications we should finally get our box of new bits on Friday. This means the bank holiday weekend may be a working one, installing new interior and some trim bits then we can decide what else we’d like to do for now. We’ve also got someone to come look at the electrics with a view to giving a tidy up, safety check and to fit a hot start relay and see if we can cure some of the starting hiccups we have now and again.

Pics will appear as we do stuff I’m sure. :-)

I did sneak out for a ride round the lake to keep up my #30daysofbiking, all 2.6 miles of it and I struggled to finish that, my legs were like jelly at the end. So I didn’t complete the last 26 or so miles I needed to complete my #Apr100 challenge but at least I’m still in with a shout of completing both this month.

I’m now lying here in bed feeling much better but annoyingly wide awake so thought I’d write this.

Oh and while I’m here, I applied for a new position within Royal Mail, we have new machines being installed in our depot in July and night shift operators are required. No times finalised but a midnight-8am shift was mentioned. Plus side for me is that it’s a possible full time position instead of the part-time I currently have. Not sure if I’ll have a chance but it’s worth a try. If I’m not successful there’s always the possibility I could get the job of someone moving from days to nights so fingers crossed for anything. :-)

After that it was more coffee relaxing in the garden before taking a drive out in the Beetle up the coast with Bev and  the dogs to walk them on the beach, Lottie having fun in the sea, she loves the water, Miles not so much a fan but still joins her now and again.

Back for more coffee in the garden, you may get the picture, I love my garden (and coffee ;-) )

Once it had cooled off a little I headed out on the bike, while Bev entertained herself with her cross stitch in the garden, back up the coast where I’d already driven in the Beetle but I just love cycling (and driving) that way. Managed to squeeze in a nice 24 miles on the bike before heading back home. Once home I headed back into the garden with Bev, this time with a chilled bottle of Magners cider. Just left the garden as the sun has disappeared behind the houses but can’t wait for another month or two when it will be a bit higher for longer and it won’t cool off as quickly.

So a quick recap, lots of relaxing in the garden with Bev, a family Sunday dinner, a drive out in the Beetle and walk on the beach with my wife (and dogs) and a nice ride in the sun on my bike.

Does life really get any better than this?