Unemployment

Ok, not the most chipper of topics for a first post but that is what is happening around Lily's Pad at the moment!

We moved a few months ago to a city in the North of England. Everyone told us what a lovely place it was, how much we would love it, what a wonderful place to be...but for me so far it has brought unemployment and not a great deal else.
My ever wonderful husband, let's call him Ron (because the Harry Potter films are being made a decade or so too late...he was born to be a Weasley!), has a wonderful job here. He is indeed enjoying himself very much, as everyone promised. Of course, that makes me happy to but...well, I do rather need something of my own to do too!

So here you find me, with a long list of schemes to keep myself occupied. I have a full shelf of books that I want to read. I have at least seven presents I intend to make (mostly by knitting them) over the next few months. I have a novel on the go (it's been on the go for about sixteen months now, I'm on the second draft, today I don't like it. Yesterday, Ron did). I bake for England...well, for a household of two... I should still be finishing off the last few boxes of unpacking and sorting required from moving house but somehow the desire to achieve there has worn thin. And now this, a new blog to tell you my take on the world and the little events that keep me ticking over.

The last few days have been unemployment lows. I've been frustrated by the lack of...anything to occupy my mind and take me out of the house. I've been lonely with the lack of people (although I'm fortunate enough to have a number of friends at day-trip distance, there is no one at "fancy a coffee?" distance). Today, however, I have been a much more positive human being. So positive in fact that I was able to face a major challenge first thing this morning without any whimpering, protestation or denial...That's right, I managed to untangle that HUGE knot that had appeared in my ball of wool making it impossible to continue the marvellous slippers I'm currently making. (Actually, I don't yet know that they are marvellous. I'm really just hoping...) Now, so that you appreciate a) what being unemployed has done to me and b) the magnitude of this knot I must explain a little further. The knot appeared last night. I have a bit of a go at it and Ron had a big go. He attacked the knot at length. The kind of length that involved me shouting downstairs "Seriously. It's bedtime! Leave the wool alone!" This morning, it still took me an hour and a half to finish sorting the wool. In the end, I still had to use scissors. Which probably means that it should have felt like failure, I was just happy that so much time was gone.
Just think, if my interview on Friday goes well, I'll no longer have the time for giant knots. Or hours spent on Facebook (I know, I know). Or alphabetising books, CDs, DVDs, games....