A Very Long Entry, Finally

Smudge

Another week has gone by. Another seven days when I still don't have a job. Its not down to my inactivity. Its down to waiting to hear from the companies I've handed my CV in to. In a way, and from the stories I've heard, its not surprising I've not heard anything back. I just need to keep looking... and praying that I hear from the right place. I think I'm realising that even though I might apply to quite a number of different jobs, I'll only hear back from a fraction of them. I don't know why its like this, but I'm praying I find the right one and soon. I can't afford to go without a job for much longer. Andy also hasn't found a job yet, and is also still looking. As the days pass its becoming more and more critical for both of us to find employment.

Ash

I have a piece of good news, which is part of the reason I'm writing this post. I wrote, in my last post, that I would be hearing back from the Dutch in regards to the amount I needed to pay back by Friday (yesterday). I have indeed heard back from them and the error that had caused the amount I needed to pay to be so high, (€622), had been amended. The Dutch government expects you to pay a Dutch health insurer to cover you (its all private over there) if you're registered to live in the Netherlands. If the government finds out that you haven't been insured or have been insured with a non-Dutch insurance company, then you're in trouble. So I got a call from them yesterday afternoon, saying that it's all been amended and that I should get another letter in the post with the new amount I need to pay. It should be a much lower amount, thankfully.

The Garden

Since I've got this open, I might as well update you on a couple of different areas I've written about before, starting with my love of photography. I'm still taking photographs on a daily basis, as I always do, with the goal of uploading them onto Blipfoto. I've gone into a dip and since I've gone through this before, I'm not worried. Just as long as I make sure I post each photo I take to the date it was taken (in accordance with the rules). I've still not found anyone I know who has joined up because of me. Oh well. It doesn't stop me posting daily, even if its just for my own pleasure and enjoyment. I am most grateful that Blipfoto hasn't shut down. For those of you who aren't aware of it, Blipfoto went into liquidation a few years back and came very close to shutting down. Thankfully, it was bought out by the users, through a crowd funding campaign. Its an incredible website with a very unique community that I love being a part of. All the photos in this blog have been taken with the camera Andy bought me, its a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1.

My Current Read

Over the last year and a half, or so, I've been reading my way through a ten book series, called Outlander (books nine and ten are still in the works). Some of you, who have been reading my blogs during this time frame, have read my extensive writings about this series. I'm currently on book five; The Fiery Cross. I'm not going to write any spoilers, because a good friend of mine, McKenzie, is a few books behind me in the series. We're both waiting, excitedly, for the next season to be aired at some point during September. I have a feeling I might have to pay to get Amazon Prime to be able to watch the series. Thankfully Amazon Prime is free for the thirty days and I'm hoping that by the time I need to pay for it I'll have a job. One thing I've noticed as I'm working through the Outlander books is that the books are getting longer and longer. Outlander (the first book) has about six hundred and forty pages, whilst The Fiery Cross has over a thousand pages. Its not often I end up reading books of this length. It's taken me months getting through the books at the moment. I think its partly due to the length and partly due to the fact that I'm struggling reading anything right now. I'm getting half way through most books and then giving up... then going back to them later on. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy reading and I really looking forwards to getting my hands on book nine. Book nine is currently being written, but doesn't have a release date. According to Diana Gabaldon, the author, the main series is going to stop at book ten, but there's other books linked to the series to read.

My Library Card

As I'm on the topic of books I recently joined the Crawley Library. Membership is free unless I go borrow a book beyond the date I need to return it by or if I borrow audiobooks, DVDs and CDs. I'm pretty pleased about this as I've not been part of a library since I left school, thanks to all the moving I've been doing over my life. I remember vaguely being part of a library when we lived in England when I was eight. Though the memories of that year are somewhat vague and disjointed. I'm going to be heading into library on a regular basis, and I can use this card at any of the libraries in the county, though I won't really be doing that as I still don't have a driver's licence or a car and commuting anywhere by train is expensive.

Before I sign off, I wanted to mention that I've got started using Twitter. My handle is @inkstainedthumb. If you're also a Twitter user, please find me and follow me. I would much appreciate it.

Until next time.