Friday, October 8, 2010

If I Only Had One Day Left to Live...

I’d tell it as it really is!!!




Now it might be just me, it may even be my age; but don’t you just hate it when things try you and indeed your patient?



If it isn’t one thing is seems to be another...



Maybe it is the fact I get stressed easier now, or maybe I am just feeling pre menstrual; but everything seems to be out to get me at the moment.



Take the bus I usually get for example... I live in New Duston, as some will know the bus services to this area in the beginning were rubbish but then we got the number 27 service; run by Northampton Transport/First Northampton.




For the most part this service did what it said on the tin, apart from the odd missed journey; they were regular and took about twenty minutes. It serviced the village of Old Duston, went to Sainsbury’s on Weedon Road and then headed into town. It worked for us lot in New Duston, Old Duston and even those in between!




First Northampton then took this service away and replaced it with the number 22, which missed out Old Duston and went through St. Crispins and Upton; before heading to St. James and on to the Town Centre. This journey took around thirty minutes, and angered many residents in both New and Old Duston alike.



Now it wasn’t the time it took, (although that was a pain) it was the fact the village would be missed out; it was all well and good for those in Upton and St. Crispins but not those who needed to get to the village.




As is the way, after most of us had got used to this new service that took longer but just about had the same amount of buses servicing the area; Northampton First decided to change it all again! (Just like flipping supermarkets who go and change their stores around and move everything... trust me I am not going to buy anything I don’t want ~ I shall just get peed off and walk out!!!)




After local pressure, or more likely lack of finances; we seem to have gotten both a 27 and 22 service! Even though neither is run by Northampton First, both take longer; and we now have less buses serving the area of New Duston!! Someone please explain how THAT works!!!




Only in Northampton; could you get a driver who needs to ask the passengers where to go! Only in Northampton could the council or bus companies say they are “thinking of the older folks” only to miss out the retirement village in St. Crispins! Tell me the logic of wanting to provide a service for those in Old Duston to go to Sainsbury’s, only to cause those in St. Crispins retirement village to have the self same problems! It just does not make any sense whatsoever!



To say that the service before I went away (start of Sept) was getting a little slack would be an understatement! With buses being missed out or “delayed;” if you had any type of meeting or appointment to keep, you would be just as well to head out at least two hours before hand.



I was aware of the change before I went away; I knew that by the time I got home it would have changed. But I did think that some type of normality would have been achieved by the time I got back, after all Stagecoach were taking it over; they had been going for years ~ if anyone could they could surely?




Well, you tell me... for a single to town with Northampton First I would pay £1.80 and would get a journey that would last around thirty minutes, while having three buses run that route an hour. (If you were lucky and they had not been cancelled or delayed)



I now have to pay £1.95 for a single to town, and for that I get two buses an hour; out of two services that are meant to travel my route ~ I have only ever seen one... which is also often late or does not turn up!!!



So here I sit on a bus that has cost me 15 pence more for the pleasure of taking up even more of my time travelling or waiting to get to town, as you can imagine I am slightly annoyed ~ I mean am I wrong to be annoyed by this? Someone seems to be taking the you know what if you ask me!




It makes things difficult to say the least, not only do you have to leave like two hours before appointments and meetings “just to be on the safe side;” but many of us just have to “accept” it because this is our only means of transport.




I cannot drive or afford to learn, many places I could not walk to (in enough time) especially given some of the stuff I have to lug around with me; for duties and the such like. Alternatively, as is sometimes the case; I need to be at certain places in the evenings for a certain time ~ St. John meetings and duties are the obvious. Regardless of if I like it or not, I need the bus and this is how the council/bus companies whomever; get you... and we, the Joe Public have to pay for it all.



If I have a duty in the afternoon, say at 2pm; I now have to leave my house at midday to make sure the bus turns up and gets me there on time... if I am unlucky I am left rushing around like a blue ass fly trying to eat and get there on time, if I am lucky; I am left hanging around in uniform ~ in town ~ which my Boss hates!




And don’t even get me started on what would happen if I actually managed to get a job!! All this recent Tory rubbish about it “always being worthwhile working,” all just seems like another “annoy Nicky off” line if you ask me!!! Have they taken my ruddy bus lately? Do you MP’s and Councillors actually live in the real world? Come on, get real; you all have cars and drivers to look after you. You have two damn jobs (at least) for Christ’s sake, how in the blue hell would you know what my buses are like?




Even with those weekly/monthly bus saving tickets, I am still going to be paying out more than I can afford.



Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for working and getting people back into work. (Those who are able of course) But our politicians need to think this through more carefully, I just cannot see it working as they wish it too.




Myself? I got bad grades; I left school way before I should have done and therefore have no trade, skills, career or proper education. I had to “make do” with retail work, which was then (and I am sure still is) mainly part time/weekend work. Great for students and older folks or married mothers with children at school, and I can assure you I am none of the above!



So I would look for other lines of work, and the sad truth is that you need either experience or good grades to do many other jobs; neither of which I have. There seems to be agency work or unskilled work, but only if you are Eastern European... and please don’t think I am “Euro Bashing” there, I can assure you I am not. But it is just how I have seen things, how I have been treated and dealt with.




Even when I have asked, almost begged for retraining and help with funding for it; I am sent from pillar to post. This person sends me to that person, who then sends me to these other people who cannot help me; no one actually seems willing to stand up and say yes or no!!!




Yes it is great to know I can get help to start my own business up, but without training in said business; do you really think I am going to start it up in the first place? And please, next time I go and ask for help in the place I am sent to; don’t tell me I cannot get the help I need if I do not have an addiction! That will just pee me off even more ~ Working Links take note!!!




Is it really that hard for someone, anyone in the job centre or the council or the government; to say yes I can get the funding I need to retrain or no I cannot? Come on David, Nick and Ed; tell me... will I get the funding I need to do that plumbing course? If so, let me apply for it and not worry that I will have debts (on top of the debts I already have) BEFORE I start to get back on my feet and back working!!!

No comments: