Day 1 - Universal Credshit......
Today was the day after the night before.... This thing has been getting more and more scary by the day. But last night (Monday March 23rd 2020, a date which will be referred to many times in history books to come) at 8.30pm, it was official - the UK is in lockdown!
Surreal doesn't even come in to it, even though we all knew it was going to happen (thanks people who crowded to the mountains and and coast at the weekend!) So, I officially have no jobs for the foreseeable future. Being self employed means no income. No income means no means of paying the bills or mortgage. And my photography business that I have lovingly built up over 20 years has a very uncertain future. As I know is the case for so many others at this difficult time. And I have a precious 11 year old daughter who needs schooling and entertaining.
So today, I woke up (an hour later than usual - OK, it's not a holiday but it's not a work day either!) put on my gym outfit and went in to the studio to do a work out, determined to use this time off to loose weight and get fit. However the studio was not in a suitable state to use as a gym, so I went back upstairs and changed. The thought was there and I will start tomorrow..... Instead I packed away all my work cameras and studio equipment. It broke my heart. I am so proud of the business I have built up, and now it is packed away until who knows when.
The morning was well spent on hold to the various places I rang, like the bank and my creditors. Luckily I was able help Mia with her homework as not a single person answered my calls. But at least I got to listen to nice music, as annoying as it became after a while. Early afternoon, and the guilt from doing no exercise this morning and eating Monster Munch for lunch kicked in, so I decided to give up on the phone and be even more proactive and at least take Boris up on his kind offer of £93 a week to help towards the 4k a month I need to cover my shit.... Universal Credit - what can I say?! A total nightmare from start to finish! I know they are under unprecedented (word of 2020) pressure, but I seriously thought I was mistaken when, after what seemed like days filling in the forms (twice, as I have to do a joint one even though my partner isn't claiming) I finally got to the end where I had to verify who I am with some ID. Finally!!!! Then I read it.... "Number of users in the queue ahead of you 69,741. Your estimated wait time is more than hour". That was 8 hours ago and there are now still 67,527 users in the queue in front of me. I have a week to verify my ID before the claim is scrapped, but I won't even get to the front of the queue in a week! FFS.... And that money would make all the difference.....
So I decided to write a blog. For years I have dreamed of writing (I used to love writing at school until I discovered raves and lost myself for a while) and never had the time to do it. Well, I have loads of time now. And I am not gonna waste it. I am going to do all the things I have dreamed of doing but never had the time...... scuba diving, mountain climbing, beach walks, whale watching, seeing more of family and friends, weekends away..... Oh, shit, we cant go out or socialise..... OK, I will tidy the house, sort out the garden, ring my mum and grandma loads. And write. No-one may read it, and if they do they may think it is a load of crap. I may get bored and never write another one after this. But at least I will have got further than I did with exercising this morning. And at the very least it is helping me get my head around this bizarre, scary, unimaginable, weird, surreal, UNPRECEDENTED time that the whole world is going though.
Note to self - set alarm for 7.30am for a workout.
(The image was taken at my fave place in the world, in happier and more free times, on top of the Yorkshire Moors. I cannot wait to get back there one day.....)
Surreal doesn't even come in to it, even though we all knew it was going to happen (thanks people who crowded to the mountains and and coast at the weekend!) So, I officially have no jobs for the foreseeable future. Being self employed means no income. No income means no means of paying the bills or mortgage. And my photography business that I have lovingly built up over 20 years has a very uncertain future. As I know is the case for so many others at this difficult time. And I have a precious 11 year old daughter who needs schooling and entertaining.
So today, I woke up (an hour later than usual - OK, it's not a holiday but it's not a work day either!) put on my gym outfit and went in to the studio to do a work out, determined to use this time off to loose weight and get fit. However the studio was not in a suitable state to use as a gym, so I went back upstairs and changed. The thought was there and I will start tomorrow..... Instead I packed away all my work cameras and studio equipment. It broke my heart. I am so proud of the business I have built up, and now it is packed away until who knows when.
The morning was well spent on hold to the various places I rang, like the bank and my creditors. Luckily I was able help Mia with her homework as not a single person answered my calls. But at least I got to listen to nice music, as annoying as it became after a while. Early afternoon, and the guilt from doing no exercise this morning and eating Monster Munch for lunch kicked in, so I decided to give up on the phone and be even more proactive and at least take Boris up on his kind offer of £93 a week to help towards the 4k a month I need to cover my shit.... Universal Credit - what can I say?! A total nightmare from start to finish! I know they are under unprecedented (word of 2020) pressure, but I seriously thought I was mistaken when, after what seemed like days filling in the forms (twice, as I have to do a joint one even though my partner isn't claiming) I finally got to the end where I had to verify who I am with some ID. Finally!!!! Then I read it.... "Number of users in the queue ahead of you 69,741. Your estimated wait time is more than hour". That was 8 hours ago and there are now still 67,527 users in the queue in front of me. I have a week to verify my ID before the claim is scrapped, but I won't even get to the front of the queue in a week! FFS.... And that money would make all the difference.....
So I decided to write a blog. For years I have dreamed of writing (I used to love writing at school until I discovered raves and lost myself for a while) and never had the time to do it. Well, I have loads of time now. And I am not gonna waste it. I am going to do all the things I have dreamed of doing but never had the time...... scuba diving, mountain climbing, beach walks, whale watching, seeing more of family and friends, weekends away..... Oh, shit, we cant go out or socialise..... OK, I will tidy the house, sort out the garden, ring my mum and grandma loads. And write. No-one may read it, and if they do they may think it is a load of crap. I may get bored and never write another one after this. But at least I will have got further than I did with exercising this morning. And at the very least it is helping me get my head around this bizarre, scary, unimaginable, weird, surreal, UNPRECEDENTED time that the whole world is going though.
Note to self - set alarm for 7.30am for a workout.
Thanks for this Nikki. I read it and enjoyed it. Sending positive thoughts. xxx
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