At last! I had my appointment at the AgeUK office in the Food Centre yesterday morning (Thursday). I'm grateful to my lovely Mother-In-Law for suggesting this to me. I rang the Age UK branch in Milton Keynes, which is actually only a short distance from home and was given the telephone number of their central Milton Keynes office. I got an appointment yesterday at 11 o'clock. It seems I can claim further benefits and he will help me with the various bits of paperwork and references so that I can at last move out of this house and pay far lower rent which housing benefit will cover. It has been a long journey to get a positive response to all this and once I am moved I can get on with my life. What I need to do is go on line to websites such as Rightmove and begin to search for suitable accommodation, one bedroom, bit of garden for Alfie and with a rent level which will be covered by housing benefit.
(Friday) I've been looking on Rightmove for suitable, affordable accommodation, fitting in with the budget I've been set by housing benefit. It's not easy. I thought I'd found somewhere absolutely suitable in Bradwell, reasonable monthly rent, nice looking (having seen photographs on the website,) with a bit of garden and what looks like a great kitchen, but looking again this morning it's a shared house. I really don't fancy sharing, but if I can't find anywhere that fits what I can afford then I may have to rent out the spare room here, with our landlord's permission as well as the housing benefit people. I know I've just said I don't want to share, but in the end if that is the only way to be able to afford the rent here, then I may have to go down that avenue.
(Saturday) It was frosty when I went out with Alfie earlier this morning. Because of the clocks changing, it's light so much earlier, so we manage to get out by 6.30. Alfie's always eager to get out for his run around the park, so he doesn't mind. There's been a really beautiful sunrise these past couple of days. I did manage to take a photo with my iPhone but unfortunately it doesn't do justice to the actual sunrise. It doesn't show the diffuse nature of the view. I can't describe it any other way.
On Saturday morning I went to the men's breakfast at 8 o'clock. I was informed that I was on what is called the Genesis rota for Sunday morning, but I didn't realise this. I am supposed to get either a text message or email a few days in advance, but I didn't get either. It was as well I went to the Saturday morning breakfast. Great to get a full English breakfast, the works, a bit like what you'd get if you were on location, filming for the good old BBC. It was one of the perks of doing 'walk-on' work, getting to a location, deep in the heart of the countryside, signing in with one of the A.D's (Assistant Directors)or unit manager (or whoever it is who is usually in charge of the S.A.'s (Supporting Artistes) and then going to the catering van and getting a good plate of food.
It's been quite frosty the last couple of mornings, usually when I take Alfie out for his run (I can't really call it a walk. I might walk, but he runs!). This morning (Sunday) it is sunny but there was ice of the windscreen of the car, so I went out early and ran the engine, which allowed me to put on the heating so as to melt of the ice. It was thawed within a few minutes, enough to have a clear view so I could drive to Shenley for the first service and help set up things up.
I got to the Oaktree Centre, at around 8.15, home of Shenley Christian Fellowship and helped put out the chairs in the main hall. Not a difficult job. We had a sermon given by Ross, the Pastor, on the subject of 'Excellence.' During the break between services, when tea and coffee are served and a chance is given for conversations with various people, I had a chat with someone who has been through a lot of what I've been through, having a wife who had cancer similar to Carol and was in Willen. I was mentioning to him about my difficulties attempting to find new or possible accommodation and having to make sure the rent fits in with what I'm getting from Housing Benefit. He says he'll come with me to any appointments I have and will help me with my accommodation. I now feel a good deal more positive with the situation knowing I can have this sort of support.
Having left Shenley, I drove to Morrison's. I had originally intended buying something for lunch, but when I arrived in the underground carpark, I changed my mind and decided to go into their cafe and have something to eat, possibly a sandwich or roll and a coffee. I might as well have given up, because on arriving in the cafe there were absolutely no sandwiches in the chiller unit near the till, so I went for a fry-up, or, as it's called on the menu, a 'Big Breakfast.' Nothing wrong with it, intact, when it eventually arrived at my table, a good sized portion of bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushroom and so on, what they usually call a 'Full English' breakfast, and the sort of thing you would get when you arrive on location (as I have done.) whenever I've done any 'Walk-On' television work for the BBC or any television company. It's the first thing you get whenever you get to the location in the early hours of the morning, usually before 6 a.m. But, having heard Ross speaking about 'Excellence,' this wasn't the word I'd use to describe Morrison's cafe this particular lunchtime. Dirty tables which hadn't been wiped clean. Slow service and general lack of anything resembling quality and professionalism.
(Friday) I've been looking on Rightmove for suitable, affordable accommodation, fitting in with the budget I've been set by housing benefit. It's not easy. I thought I'd found somewhere absolutely suitable in Bradwell, reasonable monthly rent, nice looking (having seen photographs on the website,) with a bit of garden and what looks like a great kitchen, but looking again this morning it's a shared house. I really don't fancy sharing, but if I can't find anywhere that fits what I can afford then I may have to rent out the spare room here, with our landlord's permission as well as the housing benefit people. I know I've just said I don't want to share, but in the end if that is the only way to be able to afford the rent here, then I may have to go down that avenue.
(Saturday) It was frosty when I went out with Alfie earlier this morning. Because of the clocks changing, it's light so much earlier, so we manage to get out by 6.30. Alfie's always eager to get out for his run around the park, so he doesn't mind. There's been a really beautiful sunrise these past couple of days. I did manage to take a photo with my iPhone but unfortunately it doesn't do justice to the actual sunrise. It doesn't show the diffuse nature of the view. I can't describe it any other way.
On Saturday morning I went to the men's breakfast at 8 o'clock. I was informed that I was on what is called the Genesis rota for Sunday morning, but I didn't realise this. I am supposed to get either a text message or email a few days in advance, but I didn't get either. It was as well I went to the Saturday morning breakfast. Great to get a full English breakfast, the works, a bit like what you'd get if you were on location, filming for the good old BBC. It was one of the perks of doing 'walk-on' work, getting to a location, deep in the heart of the countryside, signing in with one of the A.D's (Assistant Directors)or unit manager (or whoever it is who is usually in charge of the S.A.'s (Supporting Artistes) and then going to the catering van and getting a good plate of food.
It's been quite frosty the last couple of mornings, usually when I take Alfie out for his run (I can't really call it a walk. I might walk, but he runs!). This morning (Sunday) it is sunny but there was ice of the windscreen of the car, so I went out early and ran the engine, which allowed me to put on the heating so as to melt of the ice. It was thawed within a few minutes, enough to have a clear view so I could drive to Shenley for the first service and help set up things up.
I got to the Oaktree Centre, at around 8.15, home of Shenley Christian Fellowship and helped put out the chairs in the main hall. Not a difficult job. We had a sermon given by Ross, the Pastor, on the subject of 'Excellence.' During the break between services, when tea and coffee are served and a chance is given for conversations with various people, I had a chat with someone who has been through a lot of what I've been through, having a wife who had cancer similar to Carol and was in Willen. I was mentioning to him about my difficulties attempting to find new or possible accommodation and having to make sure the rent fits in with what I'm getting from Housing Benefit. He says he'll come with me to any appointments I have and will help me with my accommodation. I now feel a good deal more positive with the situation knowing I can have this sort of support.
Having left Shenley, I drove to Morrison's. I had originally intended buying something for lunch, but when I arrived in the underground carpark, I changed my mind and decided to go into their cafe and have something to eat, possibly a sandwich or roll and a coffee. I might as well have given up, because on arriving in the cafe there were absolutely no sandwiches in the chiller unit near the till, so I went for a fry-up, or, as it's called on the menu, a 'Big Breakfast.' Nothing wrong with it, intact, when it eventually arrived at my table, a good sized portion of bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushroom and so on, what they usually call a 'Full English' breakfast, and the sort of thing you would get when you arrive on location (as I have done.) whenever I've done any 'Walk-On' television work for the BBC or any television company. It's the first thing you get whenever you get to the location in the early hours of the morning, usually before 6 a.m. But, having heard Ross speaking about 'Excellence,' this wasn't the word I'd use to describe Morrison's cafe this particular lunchtime. Dirty tables which hadn't been wiped clean. Slow service and general lack of anything resembling quality and professionalism.
No comments:
Post a Comment