When you order gluten free….

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Those with a gluten intolerance will always be wary when eating out, especially eating out somewhere new! ESPECIALLY when it tastes suspiciously good.

Like me!

On our way back home from Loch Ness we stopped at a fish & chips shop in                   Fort Augustus!

Hubby said to wait in the car and I told him in case they do gluten free, I’d like fish&chips as well, please.

While I was waiting in the car (the babies where asleep), he phoned up to tell me, yes, they could do some for me….

Happy me, though at the back of my head I wondered why they “could do some for me”…. if you offer it on the menu it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

So husband returned and I savoured the tasty portion.

Approximately 3 hours later, IT started…. the rumbling of the belly…. the sweats…. the nauseates… followed by…. you know what, right? The run to the toilet which was accompanied with “aua, aua, aua, belly aches, belly aches, belly aches….” over and over again-

FOR TWO DAYS!!! Though the good thing is, when you keep on sh*tting your guts out, your belly looks nice and flat…. just kidding… not worth the pain!

Smart arse husband said, I probably just have a tummy bug, but let me tell you:

Having a tummy bug and dealing with the consequences of an intolerance…. there is a BIG difference, the pain much much higher than just having a BUG!

If you don’t serve gluten free, than just say so! And if you do, make sure to fulfil the requirements:

Have you washed your hands, changed your apron, used a separate fryer…..???

Not nice, Mr or whoever served the goods…

NOT impressed

Franky

You are fake

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I came across many people from different work areas which where nothing but fake!

Why do people do that? Why do they put a mask on and pretend to be something or someone they are not?

Are they afraid that people would not like them? Are they afraid they might not fulfil the requirements? Do they think they are not good enough? Surely they where not told to play an act?!

One person I came across in hospitality said it straight out: “…it’s all a show, an act, nothing is real about what I say to customers…”

Surely customers can’t be that plain to not see this, right?!

Why not be your true self? And if you can’t be your true self, why not at least be what I call ‘business friendly’?

There is no need to fake your laugh, no one wants this.

It’s a thing that really annoys me! I can see straight away when a person is not genuine and I personally don’t want this.

I believe you can make it much further in life, if you are real, if you can cummunicate what you think and believe.

A bit of honesty will not kill, you know?

Franky

Moving to Dublin

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In my last post I mentioned, that I moved to Dublin.

Well I received a job offer for a post in Dublin. If I wanted it, I would have to move within 2 weeks to Ireland.

Of course I wanted this job!!! So I quit my old job and since I was still on probation, they couldn’t say anything regarding my sudden notice! They basically bit their own arse by treating me this way and now being short of staff…

As I was saying… oh yes:

I quit my job, found myself a very expansive room, booked a one way flight and not even a week later I was gone.

The plan was that the whole family would relocate to Ireland as my husband had a job interview as well…

I started my new position and the job itself was okay, nothing special, but the wage and the package that came with it was very appealing.

But as for Dublin itself:

No offence, dear Dubliners and everyone who grew fond of Dublin, it is not for me!

My assumption was, that people who lived there are either very rich or very poor and that you would only go to Dublin for work. Work either to get richer or purely to try to survive.

I mean, I booked a room in a landlords house for €850,- per month! And though the landlords where lovely, their house was filthy! Toenails on the living room floor, kitchen tiles, floors and jalousie caked with fats, huge full ashtrays all over the place and 24/7 smoking in all rooms with closed windows. What a delight.

I was viewing other properties closer to my work location for €450,- per month but one of the rooms for example, was shared with 3 (!) other girls without a proper cupboard or opportunity to hang up your clothes…. Sheer madness!

And it seemed to me, that there where more foreigners in Dublin than Irish. And I didn’t like the city at all, there was not much nice architecture, not much greenery or maybe it is because I am spoiled by Edinburgh and it’s beauty.

Also, I was constantly on my own. Even during my lunch breaks as my two new lovely colleagues had other lunch schedules.

I have been living in Scotland for a year now and I love running here in the mountains…. I thought we could do much better, find a better job, better opportunities….

But the reality is, you have to loose something in order to realise how much you miss it.

In my case:

I just missed my family and Scotland.

So one morning when I was packing my things to move to another room, I thought:

I am constantly on my own, the people around me at work are so loud, I can barely concentrate, I hate all this tarmac and the hectic of this city, my children are crying after me, my husband missing me as well-

It’s not worth it! I quit!

So I phoned up my husband and said “how would you find it, if I just quit my job and come home?”

And that’s what I did! Without further hesitation I cancelled the new room, emailed my notice and booked the next flight back home.

Yes, we lost money and it was probably stupid to quit a job without having a new one but you know what?

You can’t buy happiness and where is the point dragging yourself to a job you don’t fully enjoy in an area you dislike so much?

But I needed to do this as otherwise I would have always asked myself ‘what if?’

I’d rather spend my time playing house wife, taking care of everyone and everything, but hey how, news, we need the money!

So I applied for some jobs and just wait and see what happens.

Franky

When your boss pisses on your leg…

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My apologies for the bland statement, but that is exactly what has happened. Not literally though:

I don’t know if I have mentioned it before, but we where thinking in relocating. But I will get to this a bit later.

The story goes like this:

In my previous job we had our “probation chats” at 1, 6 and 12 weeks.

The first week was just how I feel basically, the 6 week talk was about how I can improve and the 12 week if I have improved and whether I passed the probation.

So I was asked into the office by my manager. She couldn’t praise me enough about how hard I am working, that I work on own account and how massively I have improved! So all was positiv!

And than she said, she heard that we want to relocate and I explained that this was just a thought, a thought that would involve Orkney island. And if you know Orkney island you also know that it is not very large and jobs, well good paid jobs are sparse. I also mentioned that I would like to be able to provide for my family incase of unforeseen circumstances…

So after that she says, she would like to extend my probation and if that was okay with me?!

“No, that is not okay”, was my answer! She looked very taken aback, I guess she didn’t expect me to disagree with her.

So I asked if it was because about us relocating and she vehemently denied it, saying that she wouldn’t be allowed to use that as it would be illegal.

So I asked her again for a reason and than she did THE FACE! The face she always does when she is caught lying to customers or grasping for excuses!

First she says that it happened before that I have left the cafe when customers came in… which is rubbish and I could give her a good reason why I might have left the shop! After that she says, that often I only focus on one task and forget everything around me. She tried to explain and explain and explain so I cut her short by saying

“So basically you want me to work on my multitasking skills?” And she was so relieved, she nearly shouted “yes”.

Excuse me? I am the queen of multitasking and even if that was not the case, that is no reason for extending my probation!!!

She went on that she really like my professional and privately and that she would hate to see me leave….she doesn’t want nor does she have the time to train someone new…. bla bla bla….

I can work very well with feedback, good and bad, but the crap from her?! No Missus! She was just annoyed that I don’t appreciated the job as much as she does, but that doesn’t mean, I didn’t do a good job!

From that moment my mind was up and the second I received another job offer, I was gone!

I am at a point where I think, that if you don’t appreciate my hard work, I just turn around and leave!

And it wasn’t only the fact, that she wanted to extend my probation, no, things like constantly working late though I was promised to only work late twice per week, never a full weekend off and always doing the same work despite the promise I would do lots of other things, placed a major factor in my decision as well!

So I quit! And I don’t regret it!

Oh you want to know about my new job? I moved to Dublin!

Read my next post if you are intrigued!

Franky

Parenthood is so hard…

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I have been a parent for almost 18 years now. Longer if you count the pregnancy as well.

When my first born arrived it felt just right. I loved my son straight away despite the fact that he looked like a very red spotty beetle. Motherly love, eh?

When my second one arrived 1 year and 5 month later it was love again, not at (first) sight as she looked like a sumo wrestler baby but fortunately she outgrew that very quickly.

Having them both together was fun and for a long time it was only us, the three musketeers. We had our routine and were happy. But it was also very exhausting and there were days when I had to lock myself in the bathroom for a couple of minutes for a good cry….

Than 10 years later a second beloved daughter arrived and oh she was perfect! I had given up on the fact that when my children are born they have to grow into beautiful individuals but she, my Cailleach, was perfect!

Two years after Cailleach our second son arrived 6 weeks premature but strong and healthy given the circumstances and also so handsome!

Thinking I was exhausted when I had the first two, I can only laugh! Never had I such ferocious dark baggy circles under my eyes which on a daily basis said hello to my knees! I even cried from sleep deprivation as the two little monsters wanted nothing but mommies boobies and arms to be held 24/7 for over a year from the time they arrived.

But if you think toddlerhood is exhausting, wait until you have teenagers. Female teenagers to be precise.

They can be so stubborn, they have their own mind and ways and that is totally fine- as long you don’t live under one roof!

They can be so incredibly lazy that you want to pull your hair out or better theirs and only help around the house if you

a) threaten

or

b) pay them

or

c) well they usually don’t even blink an eyelash when it comes to help out anyway….

I know I should be more considerate, I should just let them be, but the thing is:

My 7 year old daughter is already developing the same attitude! SHE IS 7!!! And I just can’t have another one of this type! It is just too much with everything else going on like paying off a house, finding a proper job that makes me happy with a good wage, getting my garden done (spend hours so far gardening), trying to get the rest of my house done, trying to figure out how to pay for all this….

At the moment I just want peace and quiet. I don’t want to feel sad and tired and puzzled trying to figure out what to do and how to survive another day!

In an ideal world I would come home from a job I love to find my house clean and tidy.

In an ideal world I would be able to make breakfast and cook.

In an ideal world I wouldn’t have to worry about my children’s homework and education.

But this is not an ideal world.

I wished I could stop being a mum, just for a bit, to be able to breath and take care of myself…

I wished it would get easier, but it never does.

But we keep on marching and we keep on loving.

Franky

Orkney or Cork???

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Last week I applied for at least 3 vacancies on beautiful Orkney island, mainland.

Yes I know, we just bought a house and I was lucky enough to finally find a job near where I live now….

If there wasn’t a BUT!

But, two things:

  1. There is not much more to achieve for me… I think… on the other hand, I could stick it out until another position as retreat manager or similar will open internally…. But I don’t think I want to work for the rest of my life in a retreat, managing a café and checking guests in and out… Don’t get me wrong, the location, my colleagues and the guests are all lovely…but:
  2. The wage I earn is not enough to provide for my family in case my husband would lose his job or even worse.

And after all we wanted to go Orkney anyway. No, let me rephrase that: I wanted us to go to Orkney! So here is me thinking, searching desperately for a job I love, where I can achieve more skills and where I finally finally settle, happy as Larry!

But it feels as if nobody wants to give me a chance. I apply for jobs but get one rejection after the other and it is very difficult to remain in my Franky-Everything-Will-Be-Alright-Bubble!

My husband says, all you need is the one person who believes in you and gives you a chance to prove yourself! Well it would be nice if that person would turn up!

And now another bomb which could change everything again:

My husband told me yesterday evening all nonchalantly that he applied for some vacancies in, and now here it comes, Ireland! Yes, Ireland!

How exciting is that???

So it might be my husband who moves away for a better job and not me.

However, I will keep you updated!

Franky

Job OCD???

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I recently discovered that I probably might have JOB-OCD, if there is such a thing that is!

Maybe you think it might be job hopping, but no, no no I don’t believe it is job hopping.

What I mean is, that whenever I achieved everything there is to achieve, my brain feels as if it is shrinking, followed by the need to want to gain more skills.

In order to gain more skills, I have to look for another job, a different job, a job with perspective or a job where I can progress for a higher position.

There must be a way to find a good paid job which I fully enjoy because there is so much new to learn.

I think that’s why I loved my job at the airport, working as a check-in agent. The wage wasn’t the greatest, but until I left (I got married and moved away) I was taught 3 different check-in systems for different airlines and intern was the possibility to switch to another department and I would have loved to be at the back-office, keeping an eye on all the flights and everything that comes with it.

So yes, I MUST have JOB-OCD, a never-ending thirst for new knowledge!

I wonder if you can cure this with medication….?

Awww the right job will come along sooner or later. Let’s hope sooner than later!

 

Franky