Friday 3 May 2013

Musing on Planning Cake Baking and a Future New Knitting Thing

I am planning to bake tomorrow for the NSPCC Plant Sale.  I decided to do two cakes from one of my new books - The Clandestine Cake Club.  There are plenty that have caught my eye.  I didn't want to do a cake that required a lot of decoration.  I settled on about a dozen possibilities.  I dreaded the thought process of having to decide.  I made a list of all the definite 'I would like to make this cake', cut the list up and folded the pieces, then got mum to draw out two pieces of paper.  I am now going to make Choo Choo Chai Cake and Magic Bean Cake.  I have bought the necessary ingredients, I couldn't get ground cardamom, so had to settle for cardamom pods and hope I can find a pestle and morter tomorrow.  If I get done in good time, I may just make some coconut pyramids.  I do have to bear in mind doing Mary-Jane's meals and our tea.  The Magic Bean cake doesn't have any filling.  The other one does, but that shouldn't be too bothersome.
 
I don't want to be on the go all day, at this rate it will probably be most of it!
 
Mary-Jane is feeling better.  She is more willing to tell us that she is feeling better of okay rather than tell us that she is feeling poorly.  Maybe she doesn't have the words to tell us yet.  She has eaten more and her skin is improving.  The Friday Trip To Tesco seemed to have blown a few of her cobwebs away.  Hopefully she will have another good nights sleep and that will help her.
 
I have finished the body of her Touch of Lace cardi.  Tomorrow I will start on the sleeves, I was too tired to start anything new this evening.  It's looking pretty.  It dawned on me this evening that I may be moving in a direction of trying something outside my usual box.  To do something either that I wouldn't normally do or some technique that I haven't tried before.  Maybe it could be the cabled aran blanket.  Perish the thought that it would be along the lines of finishing one of the three lace projects that I started last year!  I have quite a lot of hours of TV viewing, so one of the main criteria is that I can do it whilst watching TV.  Or maybe I could allocate one evening a week say, to this New Thing.  We shall see, no doubt I shall change my mind many times before then.

Thursday 2 May 2013

Interview Part 2

My interview went very well.  I'll spare the details for now.  I left the place at 3.30.  At 5.00 I had a phone call offering me a substantive (full time permanent) post.  The interview was for a bank nurse, but apparantly the advert was mis-worded and they actually were advertising a full time post.  How do I feel about that?  Jolly Good said I.  It seems really weird that I'm going back to work, pending references and clearances etc.  I can't see them being problematic.  In fact today, here and now, it seems rather fanciful, just something I have made up.  This will bring so many changes.  the vast majority of them will be positive.  I will be working four days on and four days off.  The hours are 7.30 - 5.30 Monday to Friday and a few hours less on Saturday and Sunday.  No nights, no late evenings.  It's the nearest I have ever got to office hours, apart from when I was based on the juvenile unit, where I did similar hours.  I will be home in time to put Mary-Jane to bed each night, that I shall look forward to as it will be the only time I see her on my working days.
 
I know the band I shall be working but I've yet to hear the point within the grade.  I asked if I could negotiate my point as I am not newly qualified and have lots of experience.  This is at their discretion. I'd be satisfied with at least mid range, further up would be a bonus.  I'll still accept the job, it's a step back in and I'm sure some kind of promotion/vacancy wouldn't take too long.  Plus it won't be too much responsibility to start off with.  I have to remember that my last working day was in May 2010!
 
Hopefully now I can get back on track with myself (in lots of ways) and stop having the inner meltdown from when I decided to re-register and get my nursing pin number back.  The changes to our lives are now going to be many and far reaching.
 
On to other things before I even think about getting philosophical!
 
Mary-Jane has had a heavy cold for a few good few days.  She has been off her food quite badly for nearly three days.  She has eaten much more today, not as much as usual, but much more than the last day or two.  Plus she hasn't been coughing in the night as much.  Her skin has gone to pot - it does when she is off the hooks.  She is now back on her three different creams, which have been working really well - I've noticed a difference already.  She did say late afternoon that she was feeling better.
 
The weather needs a mention as well - we have been enjoying some sunshine, as well as the usual wind and rain.  It has been very pleasant!  HK has transplanted the tomato and basil outside yesterday.  We looked at what seeds we have - more than what I thought.  The only thing we really need at the moment is seed potatoes.  Nothing has been planted as the weather hasn't been quite there yet.
 
I shall make more of an effort to blog a bit more regularly.
 
I am still making Mary-Jane's Touch of Lace cardi.  It is coming on lovely and I am enjoying doing it.  It is knit all in one from the bottom up.  I am a few rows off finishing the back.  After this is done, I'll do more of the February Lady Cardi for me, whilst I deliberate on what next to do for MJ, she certainly needs more cardi's - and maybe some tank tops!