2020 : The bad and the good!

All in all, 2020 has been a dreadful year, for most people, for many reasons, not least of all the covid pandemic and everything that goes with it!

For me personally, a few fairly momentous things have occurred!  In February I received my first partial knee replacement on my right knee; in May my position (along with many others) was made redundant at the company that I had worked for 24 years; the first lockdown happened, and I took the opportunity to have a couple of months off; In August I was lucky enough to get my left knee partial replacement done.

Recovery from both knee replacements has been amazing, the core pain I was feeling 24/7 disappeared overnight, I did all the exercises and have gradually built up leg muscles which had wasted away over the years of (relative) inactivity.

When I turned my mind to the process of getting another job, I very quickly realised that the job market, in this current climate, is in a dreadful state, with every vacancy attracting hundreds, if not thousands of applications.  Not having much success, and needing to generate some income, I have been doing various odd-jobs including some pond maintenance and have quite enjoyed being my own boss, and being active. 

In October, as opportunity arose at Tesco, a 12 week temporary contract as a Tesco.com delivery driver.  I applied, was accepted, passed a driving assessment and a start date was agreed.  I thoroughly enjoyed it (although I only stayed just over a month as I was offered another job which paid more).  

The downside of the job was basic pay, and being a temporary, ‘flexible (for them)’ contract, I only received my weekly shift pattern a couple of days in advance, and the shifts were all over the place, e.g. 5:15 to 10:45, then 12:30 to 22:30 the next day (not that shift work bothers me, but know a bit more in advance would have been useful).  

The best bit about it… I was so active… for a double shift (where I would take a van out twice) I was averaging 13000-14000 steps a day, one day (where I did lots of van loading) I achieved over 17000 steps – a figure I still can’t quite believe!  Bear in mind, when I was working in London, I would do perhaps 7000 steps, and the next day I would be broken, barely able to walk.  I’ve also re-discovered muscles I had long since forgotten about, and in the month I was there I lost over 10 kg!  I thoroughly recommend a Tesco delivery driving job as a way to weight loss and fitness!

As I said, I left Tesco after a month and a few days, having been offered another job (although initially self employee) with a property management company, working with their building maintenance team, back to Monday to Friday, regular hours!  

So, I’ll remember the good bits of 2020, the rest of it can be consigned to the bin! Let’s hope 2021 is a little better for all of us!  Merry Christmas!