The haggler

Meet Bruno, with his own real lace collar!

Remember when I told you about my haggling? That I was going to try to get paid according to my skills? Well, the results are back and they are...

Not good!

That is to say, I didn't get out of it what I wanted or even expected. But, they did offer more than I originally was offered. One step up that is. And instead of a year's contract, I now have an indefinite contract, which is also good. Other than that: nothing.

I had to accept. They will not offer more and according to the branch's general contract, they don't have to. And I am not the only one dealing with this. A colleague who wants to work for a different company and has 30 years of experience is also offered step 2. 

Neither of us was really able to put it into words, but the main feeling we have is one of insult. People who have never held the steering wheel of a bus in their hands get the same pay as someone who has over 20 years of experience. Anyway...

My start date will be May 31st, because I can't make May 1st. My parents are having a 50 year anniversary party that weekend, my sister is coming, we are going to stay in a holiday park somewhere and we are going to Eurovision. 

It's going to be 2021, but our tickets will remain valid!

Ah. Wait. There is this tiny thing going in the world right now. Corona or something. Which is already disrupting life tremendously. The chances at this moment of the party getting the go-ahead, are getting slimmer every day. The chances of my sister flying in? Not a clue. The holiday park at this moment is closed and we don't know if they open on time. And Eurovision? Not this year!

Which means I could start on May 1st perhaps. But you know, this Corona thing. Which means that at this time half of the regular drivers are home already, all temps are sent home and whether or not the first new drivers can start in May is at this moment questionable.

On the plus side: my car is good to go for another year (after paying nearly half my savings, which are depleting rapidly), next week I should get my first unemployment money and, if things go well, I should also get paid for February. Filling the coffers somewhat.

My mum has gone mad: page markers by the dozen and she is not finished making them yet
My favourite is the red, white and blue one on the right.

But, we are all good. Nobody is ill here at number 49 and I have just finished a new addition to my hug of bears: Bruno.

Stay healthy everybody!!

Stuck

So, when you first heard about this flu-like virus that reared its ugly head in China, what did you think? Did you think the world had gone mad or did you think the world had come to an end? To be honest, I was very much in the first camp. Closing off an entire city? Stopping people from leaving their homes? Canceling all travel to and from? It was a flu!

Until it traveled a bit further afield. An infection in Iran, Germany, Italy, Spain. It was coming closer. They closed off parts of Italy and then the whole country seemed to come to a standstill. And I still felt it was a bit much. It was a flu!

The first region in the Netherlands was quite severely hit. Apparently carnaval and people from all over will do that. Also quite a lot of people had spent their winter holidays in the north of Italy and came back with the virus. Worries started to appear in the Netherlands. Hospitals were shut, people were urged to stay at home with the slightest symptoms. It was a flu!

Then the virus started spreading. Other regions had to deal with it as well, albeit not as badly as the first region. Folk started bulk buying food and toilet paper. Theaters were closed, sports games were canceled. And as of yesterday: all restaurants, hotels, cafés and the like will be closed until April 6th. Schools will be closed until April 6th. People are told to work from home. Keep their children home as well. For a flu!

Yesterday it was quiet in our little street. Normally you would see children playing outside, as the weather was fine, but not so yesterday. Eerily quiet. Well, apart from next door, where the Dalton brothers were wreaking havoc (there are 3 and a baby). My parents didn't have to go to church (closed), there is no sports on television (canceled) and the only news we got was Corona Corona Corona. A flu!

Now, I say it's a flu and of course that is only partly right. It has flu-like symptoms, but can develop some severe breathing trouble that will make it necessary for people to be admitted to hospital and even intensive care. Most people who die of it, are elderly or have pre-existing conditions that makes them more vulnerable. They would be on the front line with a regular flu as well. 

The question for me is of course: do I still think it's a bit over the top? In a way I do. But mainly because the media is blowing it up out of all proportions. Last night the news had two items: Corona and the weather! As if nothing else is happening in the world!! 

But, and this is a massive but that should be capitalised really: BUT: this virus shows us how a virus moves in today's conditions. With all of our traveling (I include myself) and all of our 'we own the world' stuff, we have made ourselves more vulnerable as well. Because, right now it's a flu-like virus. What if the next one is more serious, more deadly? 

There are some positives to note after all this though. How long they will last is anybody's guess and knowing people and the learning from history bit, it won't last very long. All those factories just standing there, all those tourists not traveling, all those far-away products that can now not be bought, all those places that can not be visited: nature and the environment thank us! 

For the coming three weeks however, my parents and I will stick to the house mainly. Finding things to do as there is no work, no church, no choir, no jeu de boules, no lace making club, no social gatherings. Three weeks. I might have to get my dvd's out of storage!

The week that was

Empty. I think that is the word that can describe this week best: empty. As you can actually see in my weekly planner: nothing in it. The two main reasons: the company went bust and there isn't as much work now for the 'new' company and they are using their own drivers instead of tempers. And the second reason is Corona. Trips are cancelled and that means no drivers needed. *Sigh*

Today I thought to get out of the house for a bit, but I pretty soon ended up at the car dealer. I am not going to buy myself a new car (no money for that), but I do need a new indicator stalk as the one I currently have is not working as it should. *Another sigh*

I had to take in petrol and I was exactly on 114,000 kilometers! 

My mum and I went to the cinema last Saturday. I had saved up some points on something or other and was able to buy a ticket with that and the other one my parents had won. We went to see Jumanji: The Next Level. I liked it a lot, especially as I had also seen the one that came out in 2017. 

I had a lovely attack of the h again. And I was doing so well: 10 days free! I guess I just have to start counting from one again. 

Trash or treasure?

A treasure trove

Occasionally my mother and I salivate. Mostly over yarns and threads, where I go for the first and she goes for the latter. But sometimes, we both have a glimmer in our eyes and we are both a bit greedy.

See the brown/beige fabric at the back?
That would have been white originally!

Like the other day when my father came home with a little box. He had gotten it from somebody else who had gotten it from their grandmother. And the things in that little box were faded and discoloured. They were also enough to make a crafter's heart beat faster.

As I said there were faded and discoloured bits of fabric. Thin and not really of interest to either my mum or me. There was a little old blouse that was so damaged that neither of us had the feeling to save it. 

I loved that tiny bottle with its cork stopper
The needle tin is the one that says HEMA, a well-known shop in the Netherlands

There were several ribbons, some of the embroidered variety, others of the plain variety. There were some buckles, although how they had to be fastened to anything is anybody's guess. There was an old bottle of aspirin (also great for a hangover it said on the label) filled with tiny bead-thingies. There was a small tin with needles and such. There were buttons and threads.

Buckles that need a polish, linen buttons and a necklace without fastener.

For some that box would have gone straight in the skip. For us it was a treasure trove. Some of it we'll keep, other things will be moved on to somebody who does a lot of sewing (one lady makes dolls, perhaps she can incorporate some of the fabric). 

Haggling

I am not a haggler. I will either think the price is okay and pay or not okay and walk away. Yay. The one time I did try to haggle, I came away with nothing. It was a little porcelain figurine, which was visibly damaged and I felt the price was too high, even after haggling. 

I have never had to haggle about my pay either. When I started driving a bus, I started at the lowest pay scale. Every year or two years that went up, until I was at the top. I moved to Norway, drove a bus there and told them I was at the top and they said: okay and paid me accordingly.

I am not even going to talk about the Northern Irish pay because that was laughable at every turn, but once I got back to the Netherlands, I just slotted right in again at the top. Which is a decent enough pay if I were to work full-time. 

Now I am hoping to start work for the public transport sector. During a recent general meeting with potential drivers, they had said that 'experience would be taken into consideration'. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I got their proposal and they put me in the lowest possible scale! 

Where was my 21 years driving experience? In which I did plenty of public transport? There was only one way forward: I needed to haggle. But haggling on my own, without back-up? Oh no, I wasn't going to do that, because as luck would have it, I have been a member of the union ever since returning to the Netherlands! 

After contacting the union and getting their: 'you should be in a higher scale', I put forward my case to my new employer. I want to be about half-way up, which would mean still growth for the future and a similar wage to what I am earning now. 

Let the haggling begin!

Secretary

At their engagement party in 1969

This morning as I came downstairs, my father was about to leave to go to work. He may soon be hitting 75, but he is still really active. There was something he wanted to ask me though: could I make an invitation.

You see, it is nearly fifty years ago that my parents said I do to each other and they still hadn't gotten the invitations to a party sorted. They would have done it sooner, but illness and subsequent passing away of a family member, kept them from it. 

So, I got going. What to do though? In the end I made three versions. And they got to pick one. The one which was most like their original wedding invitation, albeit with photos this time around. 

When that was done, I rang a friend, but before long the landline rang: the dentist. Where was my Dad? Not five minutes later (while still on the phone with the friend), the phone rang again: my uncle: where was my Dad? And you guessed it: only several minutes later, somebody else called looking for my Dad.

But, the cards are on their way to be printed now, my Dad has been located again (sitting right next to me at time of typing) and he can answer the phone again from now on...

Photo on Sunday 2020-08

A golden oldie today. Taken during a 1989 cycling holiday in Germany and the Netherlands with a school friend. Here I am having my lunch. Sausage on a knife and a piece of bread. Life was simple then...

Standing by!

Through all this work, I missed Doctor Who on Sunday!

Just in case there were more people than seats! Famous last words. In the end I hadn't even started my shift yet and I was already on the move. Not to one of the stations we would normally travel to, but a completely different one. I didn't even know they had a station, I had never been there before and the help I got was of the 'haven't you got a satnav?' variety. Well, they do have a station, I have now been there twice and it was easy enough to find. 

Getting back after my second trip, I parked up and settled in. Half an hour later there was a knock on the door: could I do a trip. The regular route please. Off I went. After a couple of hours I got back (I had to have a break as well) and settled in again. Took out the knitting and got stuck into it. And I was able to go for quite a while before again: could I do...

Off I went again. When I got back again, I was about to settle for the last hour and a bit, but this time, there was to be no rest: could I do... Of course, but I wasn't coming back this time! After dropping everybody off, it was straight home for me. I got a yes for that and off I went. 

In the end I was home half an hour earlier than planned, which was fine by me, because even though I had done less driving than during the weekend, I still did some and again in some terrible weather. Today I have a day off and tomorrow's shift has been changed. Originally it started at some dogforsaken hour in the middle of the night. Now it starts an hour and a half later (still yawningly early) and it finishes earlier. Less hours perhaps, but better for me. 

Yawn

Trainstation on the right, coaches waiting on the left

Well, after more than a week without doing much apart from knitting, I got back to work. And talk about being thrown into the deep end. Two full days and a third one coming up today. And when I say full days: I mean full days, as both of them were up to 13 hours! Most of it consisting of driving as well. 

Which might explain the title of this post, because it was tiring. The first day not so much, but yesterday was awful. The weather certainly didn't help either, as it was absolutely bucketing it down when I started my day. That got a bit better over the course of the day, but the wind wasn't as quick to follow. 

Not a pond, just a track that was completely flooded next to where we parked

We had storm Ciara two weekends ago. Then last weekend was storm Dennis. This weekend it was a nameless storm, but it was very clear it should have had a name. It was awful. Very strong winds, but also massive gusts of wind that would shake the bus. I really had to keep both hands on the wheel and hold on tight to adjust for every gust that buffeted us. 

Later on in the afternoon it died down a bit, but for this afternoon they are expecting more rain and more wind. Great! Fortunately I have a stand-by shift, which means I am only called upon to do something if the passenger number exceeds the amount of room on the coaches, which leave every five minutes or so. Yesterday I had several empty runs and I would think today they would have more coaches booked, it being a week day. 

Anyway. I was glad to get home last night and was even happier to see my bed. This afternoon I will get going again for another day 'on the buses trains'. Don't worry: the knitting is coming as well...

Getting on

Well, is there a lot to tell? Not really, although some things did happen. First me and my parents went to the cinema. My parents had won tickets (4 in total) to a film of choice and in the first instance it would just be my mum and me. But when we started talking about the film we wanted to see, my dad wanted to come too.

The film we went to see was 'De beentjes van Sint Hildegard' (The Bones of St Hildegard). A Dutch film with a famous (in the Netherlands) comedian in it. A film about promises and life and death. Very recognisable to most people in that room (all about my parents' age I would say). And even though it was a Dutch film, it was subtitled in Dutch as well, as the main characters all spoke in dialect! A brilliant film and if you are Dutch and ever get the chance to see this: DO!

A whole afternoon was spent gathering together paperwork. Not just any paperwork: Norwegian and UK paperwork. Great! Fortunately most of it was on my computer and only needed printing, but some of it is in storage and there is no way I can get to it without getting everything out, which I am not going to do. So, I sent it off with some bits missing, but with an explanation as to why. Hopefully that is enough to convince them that I am truthful.

If they don't believe me on all the official evidence so far, I won't get more than three months' unemployment, ie until early May. If they do believe me, I might get more. Until the new job starts of course. When that is I still don't know yet, but most likely I will get an offer (pay, hours, start date) by early March. At least that's what they told a friend who was also accepted. 

Other than that I have been knitting a lot. The baby's dress is nearly finished and only requires buttons and a label. The accompanying 'knickers' only need one more leg to finish and then the set will be ready. It has nearly cost me my finger though: those needles are thin and sharp!

And while I sat at home knitting, somebody realised I was sitting at home not working and called me: did I want to work? This weekend? Next week? Which in the end meant that this weekend I will be working both days to the extent of some 26 hours in total. Next week I will be working four days to the extent of 40+ hours! Goodness me.