Stress levels risin....

What a crappy day yesterday turned out to be....

I knew it was going to be stressful, but I didn't know how bad. I'm just glad it's a new day today and I don't have to go through it again. I'm useless at stress. I just don't cope well with it anymore. If I ever did...

First thing was, I had to take the car for it's MOT. It's never going to be a good day when you have to do that. And I had to take it to a nearby town which meant if it failed, I'd have to walk home - a good few miles - on my own, while the work was carried out, and then back again (only have the one car in our family, don't blame us for the energy crisis...) or hang around for hours at the garage, neither of which I fancied. Especially as I'm so busy and didn't have time for any of it, anyway. Plus - the cost. I really was panicking about how much it would cost...

In the event it passed, so that should have made it a good day eh? Only it wasn't.

Earlier that morning I'd attempted to buy car tax online as it's due to run out while we're away in Lanzarote. Should be simple - you tap in the number etc, pay, and you got it, right? Wrong.
It came up saying I had no insurance....

Well, of course I have insurance so I rang the DVLA to sort it out, convinced it was a stupid computer error.

Nope - the man at the licencing centre says the same.. No insurance. Or maybe I have insurance but it's not on the National database... This is weird because I haven't changed insurers for about 4/5 years.. so why wouldn't it be on there?

Checked the policy... the date is fine - not due for renewal til Dec, so I ring up to enquire. Yeah says the bored girl on the end of the line.. it's there.

No, I say It's not. The man at the DVLA warned me you'd say that....

nothing we can do she mutters..

oh yes there is I say. You can get a manager to ring me. I want this sorted. Now.

She agrees, sarkily, to have someone call.

But of course he doesn't call. Not within half an hour and not within an hour....So, by now I'm wild and decide to ring my local office, where I speak to a manager who says she'll look into it.

She calls me back... Do you have your insurance certificate ?

Yes. I do.

Dates correct?

Erm.. yes. Obviously...

Do you have a fax machine?

What???? You are my insurers.. don't you have the info there??

No, she says, we are the brokers, the insurance company is saying we asked them to let your insurance lapse... but we didn't.... but don't worry... it's ok...

Well! I thought I was going to explode! What?? When?? Are you saying i've been driving for 10 months with no insurance???? and IT'S OK????

She assures me I am insured, I have a piece of paper to say so... oh yeah, like the police will be happy about that if I'm stopped eh? A piece of paper sure, however the insurance company's saying my policy's lapsed!

So where have my monthly payments gone, then?? who has all that money?? why don't the company think it's odd someone's regularly paying them when they're not even insured...???

She says she'll sort it out... but of course it's now 5.30 and the weekend.. and she can't do anything til Monday.

Friggin Hell. I am furious!

On top of all this the loft insulators arrive. The house looks like a tip because everything from the loft is now piled up in the hall and dining room, and is creeping into the living room as well. They do the job and leave... Carl goes up to start putting things back.. where's the lead light he says? Did they take it?? oh ffs! yes they bloody well did. So it's back on the phone to complain, and get them back here to return it.. Fair enough they did come back... but the aggro!!

So, now - dare I drive the car or not? Am I insured or not???

I don't know, because they can't do anything til Monday. And that's just not good enough really, is it?

Anyway, after our shitty day we eventually managed to get everything back in it's place by about 9 o'clock last night... knackered, filthy, Lol... but at least we had somewhere to eat and sit down. A bite to eat and a quick shower and I eventually saw the funny side... but, a word of advice.. when your children grow up and leave home - DO NOT let them leave 'a few bits' in the loft til they're settled... you have never seen so much 'rubbish' stored in your life..... Carl says he's amazed the ceiling hasn't come down before now. And so am I.

Last night's Mojo layout:



There's some great layouts on the blog, and the lovely original from Fiona Beckman as well. Right, that's my weekend blog post. More later if I find time - I'm off to pack... going to see that BABY in a couple of days!! Yay!!