7th – 13th September 2026

After spending the previous week adjusting to being home, starting new school routines and coming to terms with not having a job to return to, Week Two began with something that felt genuinely positive.

On Monday morning, I had my first interview of the week. This was with the company whose director had already told me that the original warehouse based position probably wouldn’t be the right fit, but that she still wanted to meet me and discuss whether there could be another opportunity within the business.

It didn’t feel like a typical interview. There was plenty of conversation, followed by a tour of the warehouse and supply side of the company. I met some of the staff and was able to observe an incoming enquiry call being handled.

Rather than simply answering a list of formal questions and then being shown the door, I was being given a proper look at how the company worked.

I left knowing that the directors were going to have a conversation about what a potential role for me could involve. They weren’t tryin to squeeze me into the vacancy I had originally applied for. They were considering what they might be able to create around my experience and strengths.

That made a massive difference to how I felt.

After leaving a job that had knocked my confidence, I walked away with a renewed sense of self worth. Somebody other than Liam had looked at my CV, spoken to me and decided that I had something worthwhile to offer.

There wasn’t the pressure or anxiety I might have expected. Liam had been completely supportive and had made it clear that he wanted me to find a job where I would be happy, properly challenged and not bored.

The rest of Monday was fairly chilled. There was nothing more I could do except wait while the directors discussed the possibilities.

Unfortunately, waiting was going to become quite a big part of this week.

Apparently, I Need a Nap

Tuesday was one of those days where nothing was particularly planned.

I had been feeling unusually tired and groggy, so I ended up having a nap upstairs with Tango. It was clearly needed, although Tango never requires much persuasion to join me in bed.

Once I had recovered slightly, the rest of the day was made up of the usual tidying and some studying.

The sports massage course wasn’t something I had just started. I had actually bought the course ages ago and had simply never got around to finishing it. Now that I had more time, I was trying to get my ass into gear and make some proper progress.

Tuesday evening involved a considerably bigger push outside my comfort zone. I went along to a Couch2Court netball session, having not properly played since I was at school around 20 years ago. Turning up by myself was daunting, particularly when I didn’t know who would be there or whether everybody else would already know each other.

Thankfully, I bumped into an old friend who was there with some other friends, and I joined their group which eventually turned into our new team….the Red Hot Chilli Steppers!

It made things much easier, but I was still proud of myself for turning up alone in the first place. I could easily have talked myself out of going, especially after feeling so tired all day, but I went and I enjoyed being back on a netball court.

Holding the Fort: Round Two

On Wednesday morning, Liam headed away for work again.

He left at the same time as me, and I took on the school run operation. Two boys needed to go to one school and Ryan needed to be taken to another, but somehow everyone was dropped off in the correct place and in good time.

Once the boys were safely at school, I set up another structured day for myself. The plan included studying, walking Tango, preparing for interviews and fitting in some time to relax.

I was gradually learning that having a structure made an enormous difference. Without one, it would have been very easy to lose the day to scrolling through social media and then feel guilty for having achieved nothing.

Setting myself specific study periods helped, particularly when I started using timers and taking proper breaks in between. I was finally beginning to find a routine that worked for me.

I also discovered Romesh Ranganathan’s podcast, which quickly became something I could get completely stuck into during breaks and while getting things done around the house.

Waiting for the Phone to Ring

Following Monday’s meeting, the director had explained that they still had seven interviews to complete for the original vacancy. She said that she would contact me again on Wednesday.

Wednesday came and went without a phone call.

As the day passed, the apprehension began to build. The meeting had felt so positive, but without any update, it was difficult not to wonder whether I had misunderstood the situation or become too hopeful.

At around midday on Thursday, she finally called.

She explained a little more about what the alternative role could potentially involve following our discussion. However, she also needed to speak with the finance manager before anything could move forward, and he was way on holiday until Monday.

She said she would call me again the following Tuesday.

The conversation gave me hope that something genuinely was beginning to take shape. They were still thinking about me, discussing the role and considering how it could work.

At the same time, it left me in a slightly uncomfortable position.

I could feel myself putting the wider job search on hold because I wanted this particular opportunity to work out. But what if I waited, stopped applying elsewhere and then it all fell through?

Nothing had been officially offered, and there were still several conversations that needed to happen. I was hopeful but conscious that I couldn’t place everything on a possibility.

Learning to Say No

I was supposed to attend another job interview on Thursday, but I decided to cancel it.

The more closely I looked at the position, the more obvious it became that the hours and salary simply weren’t right for me. I would have needed to work until around 7pm a couple of evenings each week to make up for not working on Saturdays.

In all honesty, that wasn’t something I wanted.

Earlier in my job search, I might have attended anyway because I felt that I had to take every possible opportunity. This time, I was beginning to recognise that there was no point going through an entire interview process for a role that I already knew wouldn’t work for our family.

Turning it down wasn’t me being difficult or unwilling to work. It was me being realistic about what I needed from a job.

Thursday became another study day instead. I continued using timers, taking breaks and working through the course without expecting myself to sit at a desk for hours without moving.

I was starting to get the hang of this new routine.

Another Interview…and Gloucester City Centre!!

On Friday morning, I had an early interview for a recruitment job.

Recruitment wasn’t necessarily something I wanted to return to, but the role would have suited some of my experience and skills. The interview itself was fairly short and I answered the questions to the best of my ability.

It was another possible option, although I didn’t leave with the same feeling I had experienced after Monday’s meeting.

Afterwards, I headed into Gloucester city centre for a quick wander and to finish some birthday shopping.

My God…Gloucester city centre is a dive!!

Every time I visit, it somehow seems to have become gloomier. There are fewer shops open, less reason to spend time there and street drinkers seemed to be gathered on near enough every street.

Walking around alone as a woman, I felt intimidated rather than relaxed. It certainly wasn’t the pleasant shopping trip I might have hoped for, but I managed to finish what I needed to do.

After school, Theo had rugby training, which was another new activity added to our developing secondary school routine.

Friday evening was very quiet. I was still feeling a little rough and lethargic, so I headed upstairs to bed early. Liam was due home from his work trip at around 11pm, and we spoke during his journey back from the airport.

He was exhausted, I was exhausted and neither of us were exactly full of Friday night energy. Still, it was good knowing he was on his way home.

A New Man, Paint by Numbers and Formula One

The weekend was quiet and relaxed, with most of our plans organised around the Formula One schedule.

Saturday began slowly with everyone getting up when they were ready. We eventually headed over to Stroud for the Saturday market, and Liam decided he wanted to find a decent barber for a haircut and a shave.

He found a Turkish barber and emerged looking like a completely different man.

Liam was pleased with the result, and so was I. In fact, when he walked back towards us, I didn’t even recognise him at first. Theo spotted him before I did.

After that, we had a chilled afternoon and evening at home. I had started a paint by numbers in the week, so I continued with that, which was about as wild and rock and roll as the weekend became.

To be fair, after a week of interviews, school runs, studying, netball and Liam being away, sitting quietly and painting tiny numbered sections was exactly what I needed.

Basketball and Christmas Candles

On Sunday morning, Gloucester City Kings were holding an open session for their under-12’s basketball team, so we took Theo along.

The other boys were with their mum. I had sent the information across to her as she had mentioned to Liam about wanting Lewis to become involved in something physical…but they didn’t attend.

Liam spoke to them both on the phone afterwards to gauge whether they might be interested in coming along when they were next with us. Both boys said that they would.

The club had a lovely community feeling and it seemed like the kind of environment where all three boys could potentially thrive. It felt friendly and welcoming rather than overly competitive or intimidating, which was exactly what we had hoped to find.

Sunday afternoon meant it was time for the Formula One race, so Liam settled down to watch that. I was at the stage of the weekend where I felt I needed to do something productive.

I used the time to begin making a batch of candle testers for a possible Christmas collection. Candle making was another project Liam and I had previously intended to start properly before life got in the way.

Between the sports massage course, returning to netball and testing Christmas candle scents, I was gradually picking up things I had previously started or thought about and then left behind.

The day ended quietly, getting everything ready for the week ahead.

Another Week of Unemployment

The biggest high of the week was Monday’s interview.

I left with a real sense of self worth and feeling that somebody outside my immediate family genuinely believed in me. Liam had always reminded me of what I could offer, but hearing it from an employer was different.

It helped me believe that leaving my previous role had not made me a failure, I still had experience, skills and value. I simply needed somewhere that recognised them and allowed me to use them properly.

The low point was feeling groggy and lethargic throughout the week. Even when I was getting things done, I didn’t feel completely myself.

By Sunday night, it was officially another week of unemployment.

However, the following week would be the first full week in a while with Liam working from home. I knew he would be busy with his project so I wanted to stay proactive, maintain my routine and avoid distracting him simply because I was in the house.

There was also a big week ahead for the family. Theo’s birthday was approaching and two of the boys already had an INSET day.

Yes, already!!

I was still waiting for Tuesday’s phone call and hoping that the potential role would become something real. In the meantime, I needed to keep applying and keep moving forward, even if I didn’t yet know exactly where everything was leading.