Challenges on a Wednesday

This is going to sound like a moan, so I am sorry, Kim!! There have been a few things happen this week which need addressing:

• The electricity meter hasn't been read lately and we are paying estimated amounts to the company - trouble is, I discovered yesterday that the meter readings they are estimating are about £290 behind the actual meter reading - ouch! So, will they accept a lump sum payment to get the situation square, or will they want to increase the monthly DD to make the difference up gradually? It would be less trouble for me to pay a lump sum and then increase the DD slightly, I think. I have emailed them to get in touch so we can sort it out - I am not phoning them on a premium rate number!
• The EFG had Monday off school, went in yesterday morning and then I was called at lunchtime to fetch her home - she looks like she has flu to me, so she will be staying in bed for a few days, drinking plenty and taking paracetamol. She's pretty wiped out, so plenty of rest is on the agenda for her.
• My Uncle, UJ, has had a hip replacement operation years ago - so many that I don't remember how many - and now it looks like it has worn out, and the other hip has gone as well. He went to hospital yesterday for tests/X-rays etc to see what is going on, but if he has to have more operations, we will need to be thinking about how the family will care for him. He lives alone, about 25 miles away, in a big 5 bedroom house with over a quarter of an acre of veg garden and fruit orchard. The house does have a stairlift from when my gran was alive, so it is the ideal place to care for him, but it is beginning to look like the FH would have to be the one to go and do it, which is not ideal, but we are scratching our heads to work out how else to help him....and if he is less able and more fragile whilst he is waiting for an op, he will also need looking after in the meantime, and that could be a more long-term problem, knowing what NHS waiting lists are like these days.
• Frustrated because I sat here last night doing the Volvo car insurance on the Post Office website - had a good quote and cashback from them for the Vectra so thought I would go back for the Volvo - got all the way through the site to the payment and then it said there was an Error and I would have to ring up Customer Services, who couldn't be sure I would still get the £25.25 cashback, so I declined to carry on at that point and said I would try again - but I suspect that the website did it to avoid paying me cashback again - or is that being paranoid!?! Have to try again somewhere anyway - blooming car has to be insured by the 20th.
• One of the situations at school will probably go public to the other governors today, so I am preparing myself for some long conversations!

I am off to Cambridge today for another "Taking the Chair" course - 1.30pm to 6pm. Luckily this is the second half of the course and I met some lovely people last time, so I am hoping to sit with them again and the time will pass more quickly! It is an interesting course, but there is a lot to take in and I tend to get a bit overloaded!! Driving home in the dark will also be a challenge as I hate it.......I'll report back tomorrow - hope you all have a good day! It is misty and cold here in the Fens this morning, so not much incentive to get out and about...