I've been avoiding updating this journal for quite a long time... and looking at the last entry I realise I've been doing so for over a year. I think I'll try and explain why.

I worked as an administrative assistant at a company for over five months,and had made myself an important member of staff (having taken over technical duties at the office). Everything seemed bright for me, and I was looking forward to my six month review (where I had been told I might receive a pay rise, or a more suitable job title).

A few days before my birthday I found out I was going to be made redundant... the company was apparently on the verge of bankruptcy. This was the beginning of seven months of unemployment (including applications, interviews, and finally waiting for pre-recruitment checks).

In addition to this we have been having work done on the house, and then been abandoned by our builder (we have many theories regarding this). Therefore we've been rushing to complete all this work (due to have been completed months ago) by ourselves.

It's not been as bad a year as the one I had few years ago (for that involved numerous injuries and a death in the family), but it's probably been the most stressful I've ever had.

But now I've got a government job in the DWP, and just before Christmas too! I still don't have much time for art, but I've been playing around with a lot of other things.