The day started with my getting up before Debbie, which is unusual since we have been getting up based on when she needed to go to work.

As I didn’t have to go in until 9am today instead of the normal 8:30am, I left the house about 8:15, to give myself plenty of time.  Drove out of our road, around the roundabout, got 100 yards down the road and then sat in bumper to bumper traffic for the next 2 miles.  It took me close to 30 minutes to do that part of the 8 mile journey, the rest at least was a bit easier, and I got there on time.

The department was in a bit of a flap, since they installed a new computer over the weekend, and as always happens in IT, things go wrong.  I learned years ago to expect the unexpected, and this morning there were a few problems, but when you have good people who have been there a few years and know the systems, it doesn’t take too much to fix them.

The boss took us all out to the pub for lunch, which was a nice change, since in the USA drinking during working hours is frowned upon.  But this place is a lot more relaxed, and everyone works together very well in the team.  I managed to make a simple change to one program today and put that into production, learned some introductory things about the software I will be working with, and hopefully by the end of the week I will be well on my way.

Sunday Debbie and I went to see the house that we are going to move into.  Debbie had seen it a few years ago, but couldn’t really remember it.  I hadn’t seen it at all, and it’s really unusual to be moving into a house that you haven’t seen before isn’t it.   Well the house was ok, not perfect, they never are, but it sits close to the top of a hill and gets a lot of sunshine both in the morning and the afternoon.     Well it looked ok on Sunday, so we went back home, packed up the cars, moved a lot of smaller stuff in, and began cleaning up.

Tonight after work we went over again with a car full of things, and will continue until the end of the week.   Saturday we are renting a truck to take the bigger stuff over (chairs, bed, wardrobe etc), so by the end of the weekend we should be moved in.

It’s going to be awkward for a few days until the internet is connected, but then we should be close to being straight and comfy.   It’s amazing how just not having an internet connection can make a big difference to your life.  We rely on the internet so much these days, well at least WE do!  Still, by the end of October I hope we are both cozy in our new home.   Life is gradually beginning to take shape.

Well, having waited all yesterday for official notification, I had a call this morning to let me know that I did get the job.   I am over the moon, since jobs for people with my skills and experience are so scarce these days, especially in the UK.

The money will not be as good as I have been earning in the USA, but aside from salaries in the UK being a bit lower in general than the USA, we are in a recession, and I also have some new skills to learn in this job.   I am pleased to finally have a chance to learn some more up to date computing skills, and this also gives me the incentive to really prove myself, and if I can do that well, then the long term benefits will follow.

At this point in my life (I will turn 55 this weekend), I am not looking for a quick way to earn a bit more and to move on, I am looking for a job that I enjoy, working with a good group of people, and where I can hopefully stay until I am ready to retire.  So really, if I do my bit, with luck this will see me through.

Debbie and I are off to Warwickshire (in the heart of England) this weekend.  My cousin’s daughter is getting married, so a chance to celebrate, for Debbie to meet more of my family, and for us to have a couple of nights away in a 17th century Bed & Breakfast place.    Photos and more stories to follow…

The interview went really well, and although I don’t have experience in everything that the company uses in their IT department, they seemed to like the way that i would fit in with the company, since almost everyone there has been there for a number of years, and they like to operate as a friendly unit rather than a corporation where your existence there depends on the whim of shareholders and budgets etc.

Well I guess I must have done ok, as I got called back for a second interview yesterday afternoon, and I think I did pretty well. Got to meet the rest of the small IT department, who are really nice people, all around my age, give or take 10 years, and it seems like a great place to work, especially as I am hoping to find somewhere that I can stay until I retire.

It’s now down to either me, or another applicant, who is due for their second interview in right about the time I hit the publish button on this article, so wish me luck, and hopefully sometime tomorrow I will have a job offer…