Z is foxed

I’m stumped.  One day last week, I sat here in front of the computer and opened the post.  There was a letter from the solicitor and one from the accountant, which included his account, ha ha, though I didn’t look to see how much it was, as I was about to go out – I’d just looked to see if it was anything urgent.

I was busy for the rest of the day – for the week, in fact, so it wasn’t until the end of the weekend that I wanted to read them properly.  And I couldn’t find either letter last night, but wasn’t too anxious until I searched again this afternoon and can’t find them anywhere.  I have no idea where I’ve put them.  I’ve got three box files here, they aren’t in the correct one nor either of the others (but they wouldn’t be, I don’t file things until I’ve read them at least), there are a couple of piles of papers, either of current school matters or things to be dealt with and they aren’t amongst them.  In case I’m wrong about opening them in here, I’ve checked the kitchen – sometimes I open post while I’m having breakfast – but no.

I checked back through my diary to see which day it was – either Tuesday, when I had a 9.30 appointment, or Wednesday, when I was in London.  Tuesday is more likely.  Someone who called round on Monday evening took away some papers, so my wild hope that they could have got mixed up is groundless.

There is one place more to look, though it’s not likely, but the light isn’t good there and I need to spend the evening clamping down on anxiety so that I can sleep tonight.

This afternoon wasn’t great either – I was doing pretty well, getting on with admin – I’ve actually ticked or annotated 15 items from the to-do list – when I logged on to my Lloyds account to pay a bill.  That is, yesterday I paid a bill from that account, the one for the valuation of this house.  Then I had to pay back a fortnight’s pension which has been overpaid for Russell – bereavement is an expensive business, darlings.  It was paid into an account that has been frozen, so I have to refund it from my own purse – I suppose it was because the two came to over a thousand pounds that the second was delayed.  I had to log back on again to okay it today.  But I put a letter in the password in lower case that should have been in upper case – and there’s no second chance, I was shut out and had to phone to get back.  It took 22 minutes and I was asked so many security questions – info on credit cards and directorships amongst them – that I almost cried.  Well, I did cry, but I almost showed it in my voice.  I dealt with it, of course, and remained polite.  My mother’s grandmother’s mantra “Never be rude to those who cannot answer back” is still applicable.  By the end, he’d reset my account and I was able to log in, okay the payment to the Department of Work and Pensions and pay the next sizeable bill for servicing the boilers at my London flats.  £1500 down the drain in a couple of days, I feel depressed.

Part of the reason I didn’t tell you here that Russell had died for so long was that I didn’t want this to turn into a bereavement blog and I still don’t.  But it’s always been an everyday story of Z’s life and this is what I’m doing at present, I can only apologise for being a moaning Minnie and assure you that I’ll try to keep feelings out of it.  Let’s finish with something positive.

1 15 items off the to-do list has to be positive, innit?

2 Lovely chat with Ronan this evening.  He had an impacted wisdom tooth removed last Friday and is still on mushy food, but he’s over the worst.

3 I’m having a new gate to the Ups and Downs fitted later this week and then will be able to have a flowerbed by the short length of The Wall.  It’ll look lovely in the spring.

4 I was almost too despondent to cook dinner this evening but pulled myself together and did a lovely mixture of veggies – leek, shallot, chilli, cauliflower, tomato and broccoli – with turmeric, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.  And a potato (this is a JonnyB joke, but is true).

5 A very productive meeting at school yesterday, the AGM of the Trust directors, and we’ve appointed a new governor who will be great, I’ve every confidence.  The new Head is really impressive, I knew we were making the right choice and I was right to know it.  He’s right for the school and he’s a potentially great Head.  When I stand down as Chairman at the end of the school year, I know I’ll be leaving some really excellent governors and the school will be in good shape.  I will have given 27 years of my life to school governorship by then (I may or may not carry on, but only until I sell up here in any case) and I shouldn’t think of minimising its importance in my life.

10 comments on “Z is foxed

  1. Blue Witch

    Your day sounds like mine – beset by the time robbers of admin, vast expenditures with nothing to show for them, unexpected googlies, and frustration. Sympathies.

    I thought online banking was supposed to make things easier? I too keep getting locked out, and they certainly don’t make it easy to get reinstated.

    I do wish I’d managed to cross off 15 items on my list though. Well done!

    And your dinner sounds better than mine too.

    Reply
  2. Z Post author

    Well, some of them were quite minor and they didn’t all happen today, but over the weekend. But yes.

    I could have gone in and looked unhappily at the lovely women in the local branch, but it was raining….

    Reply
  3. sablonneuse

    Hope you find the missing letters and that all the admin gets sorted sooner rather than later. It must be a nightmare!
    Anyway, it seems you’re getting through your To Do list so well done!

    Reply
  4. Z Post author

    Not a pocket, they were A4 equivalent envelopes. Yes, I looked through the newspapers – I’ve used some for lighting the fire, but obviously I took sheets as i wanted them.

    On the list, a brief email or phone call is listed as one item, as is turning out a barn or workshop, which might take a whole day or more. For today, I’ve got one letter to print out and post, so at least I can tick something off!

    I’ve got 39 more items on the list.

    Reply
  5. LZM

    I usually get quite a bit of organizing done when I’m looking for something I’ve lost. Eventually it turns up in either the most likely place, where I’ve already looked (and didn’t see?), or the least likely place. No telling what you might turn up in your search.

    Reply
  6. chairwoman ros

    Aaagghh missing documents!

    I’m moving next week, downsizing. I must admit a bit reluctantly, but needs must etc.,so Katy said that as she hasn’t lived here for some time, and the new place won’t be “Home” in the same way, she’d like her birth certificate. She knew where it was, in fact we both knew where it was, except, of course, kt wasn’t. Neither were Chairman Chris’s or mine.

    I have my father’s mother’s birth certificate; my father’s father’s naturalisation papers, he had such beautiful copper plate handwriting, my mother’s parent’s marriage certificate; and my father’s parents; and my parents; and my own. I also have my parents and grandparents kettubat, which are Jewish marriage certificates. I also have death certificates for all applicable.

    I cannot find birth certificates for Katy, Chris, or myself.

    And I haven’t a clue where to look!

    Reply
  7. Z Post author

    I hope Katy is well and happy, I suppose she doesn’t blog any more and I haven’t checked her out on Twitter or Facebook – I always liked her and was sorry to lose touch, except through you. Best wishes to her. And yes, I know just what you mean about documents. Bastard things. I hate documents that I don’t have electronically.

    Reply

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