Hi there. I had to look back to see where I was when I dropped off the radar. I see I had just lost our little Muffin - and I had been dealing with the Boss From Hell - a misogynistic pratt, and had stopped the diet because of the effects of it on my recovery following my surgery.
So - to try and catch you up to date....
My boss from hell was sacked finally, but not before there was much investigation - I had to be interviewed by HR - he was suspended while the investigation went on and he was finally sacked. THANK GOD. But things at work got much much worse, which I will get too.
Things at work were bad - my surgery was bad - I wasn;t dieting well - I was just sort of falling in to depression again, and I put back on all the weight I had just lost - AGAIN. So I was quite down.
I began to feel really homesick - I felt I had no one here that understood me, etc., and just longed for my friends.
Missing Muffin, I was excited to learn a friend had adopted a dog from a rescue in Bulgaria. I had a look at his picture and he was a cute dog, I was really happy for her. When I got home that night I wanted to look at his picture again - so I went to the site. I was just looking at all the dogs - not considering any as we had recently lost our Muffin. but I came across a silly little girls photo and she seemed to have quite a story so I read it. Fatal error. As soon as I read it, I knew in my heart I had to have her. It was a done deal. She was a street dog who had been horrible abused - had been hit by a car and went to the woods and chewed off her own injured back leg as there was no one to care for her. Then, someone deliberatly broke her front leg. She was found dragging herself around as she could not walk. The rescue took her, and had her broken leg repaired as best as they could - it required fusion as the damage was so sever. When I read all this, and the horrors that go on in Eastern Europe with street dogs - I knew I had to have her as it was the only way I knew she would never be hurt again. So we adopted her. To make her journey and new life easier on her, we brought her best friend along too. So Lucy came to us and she brought Freya. They have been a delight and joy and one of the best things we have ever done.
But i was still sad. Things were not right and I could not stick to the diet. I knew I needed to go home - and reconnect with my brother - we had been drifting dinvr moms death. And I missed my best friends who had also both lost their mothers recently.
So in February I put in a request at work for an additional 5 days leave so I could go for 3 weeks - thus allowing me to properly see and connect with those I love and miss deseprately - you just cannot do it in 2 weeks.
Long story short - my boss is a total ***** and refused it for no good reason. It was the quietest time of the year - no one else was off - there was no reason to decline it other then she weilds her power and has a stone heart. I challenged her, and was told to see if other dates worked. I tried a second request with a heartfelt letter stating why it was so important to me - that it meant the world to me - and I was depserately depressed and home sick and losing what was left of my family.
She declined this one too.
I was extremely upset - and it was obvious. I was in tears for 2 days. I responded and told her how upset I was and how I could not accept her reasons as they did not make sense.
I was then slapped with an invitation to a disciplinary hearing for insubordination and being insolent.
I then heard from my other brother who is homeless, and was living in the philipines at the time of the big storm - I did not know if he was dead or alive. He contacted me and said he had been attacked and had brain damage and was stuck in there. When I said I could not help him (tough love after a HISTORY of this sort of thing happening) he got very nasty and vile and made some horrible comments about moms death - and suddenly my love for him died. (This has been coming for a lifetime.) So I disowned him. It was a very sad time.
I went to the disciplinary hearing and I won. No action was taken. I emailed my 2 friends who I THOUGHT were friends and were supporting me - and said "I won
" and that is all.
They dropped me in it by sharing everything I had said to them privately as well as this email and a lot of other things.
I went home and had a bit of a breakdown - I have been bullied by this organisation since day one - 5 years - and I finally reached the point I could not cope. So while I was signed off, I quit my job. I was very sick - constantly felt like I was having a heart attack - difficult breathing, etc. No sleep. Tearful - felt betrayed and stabbed in the back - it was awful.
That went on from February until April!
So - NOW - I am free from that toxic snakepit - I have a new job as a Charity Fundraiser - I love it so far - I no longer have toxic people in my life sticking a knife in my back - lying to me, etc. - I have my lovely dogs - I am going home for 3 weeks in October - and I have lost I think 4 stone and am about 30-40 pounds from where I was when I completed LL the first time.
So - phew - its a mouthful but that's the short version. Its been nasty and vicious and bitter and mean - I have never in my life encountered the treatment I received from my employers and colleagues in my entire career - and we are now speaking with my union about constructive dismissal.
So - now - picking up the pieces - I am beginning to feel better than I have felt in years.
So that is my abridged life update.
How are all of you??? Who is still here - and whats new?
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