h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm having to tell some of my customers I'm not doing their walk anymore.

** long waffle deleted for reasons of BORING to everyone else **

So I'm saying no more short walks - hopefully the people affected will move their dogs to my long walks, but if not then at least I'll be able to take on more dogs who are happy to have that long walk.

So being skint for a bit, hopefully will lead to being less tired, doing more proper planning and all the book work so I have time and energy to work out if I am actually earning any money doing this, or if I should jack it in and find a proper job.

That actually sounds very sensible. I mean, it seems counter-intuitive to turn work away but you need time to run a business properly.

Mol

The alternative would be to take on an assistant, but I don't trust anyone else with my own dogs, how could I trust someone with someone else's dogs! And I don't feel confident enough that I'm on top of the business to add all the paperwork that would add.

I did have a bit of a last night, in case one dog's owners leave and I'll miss the little as I've been walking him a long time, and then my mum said was I getting enough sleep (has been disrupted on and off last couple of weeks) and was I eating properly (no, I hate cooking at the best of times and I'm too tired to prepare food, and J was away last week so barely touched the microwave, let alone the oven), and maybe that was why I was having a hard time.

But I have wanted to stop these short walks for ages, never wanted to start them really, so I'm happy to have had this push. And of course I'm off next week, so the two weeks notice I've given will really be one.

Well, also, you probably don't know if you could afford to take on an assistant until you've done all the paperwork.

Mums are *so* irritating the way they *know*, aren't they?! You take care of yourself. Easier said than done though. Are you away next week or at home?

Oh yeah, she was annoying, asked if I couldn't shorten the longer walks instead. When I said but I'd still be doing the same amount of work for less money (I don't consider the walking bit to be the problem) and it hardly seems worth the time to collect and unload 4/5 dogs just for half an hour, then pack 'em all away againg, she was all, like 'well I don't know what else to suggest'. And I'm, like, well, I wasn't asking for suggestions, I was just TELLING YOU what I was up to. Like.

Next week is busman's holiday - I'm on a recall training course. The next leave will be even worse - ten days of full time classroom, *plus* homework.

I was intending to buy a small motorhome so I could at least get away with my dogs on quiet weekends, but the who wrote my van off put paid to that. The money went on the hire van, repairing the box of shite I bought in a panic and shortly a driveway to try to protect it a bit.

I really don't want a week's holiday away somewhere, but do miss those long weekends with the motorhome club.

My parents are looking for something bigger, and if I can afford to help them out a bit I can at least have a small share in one until maybe next year when I'll have saved up *again* and can maybe get my own.

Hope so