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Date: 23 September 2012 09:11:28

Add your own title, I can't think of one! Just to catch up...news here in the Dormousehold isn't great.

My back/sciatica is still causing me problems: I had my scan on Monday, and my kiné (physio) looked at the results. He explained that I have two main, and fairly major problems, and his opinion the best course of action will be surgery. I have an appointment to see my GP, who specialises in sports injuries, tomorrow. I will see what he says, and then make a decision. I'm not in any pain, but am in some discomfort, thanks to some slow-release painkillers, which last for 12 hours. I can walk (slowly), sit, lie, drive and generally live my life without pain...but I have that little niggling knowledge that if I stopped taking them the pain would be back in an instant!

My job is also in jeopardy. I have the choice of taking voluntary redundancy, with a small redundancy package, or staying on at the Language School with vastly reduced hours. If I take redundancy I might be eligible for unemployment benefit, BUT because I am also Auto Entrepreneur (that is, I am self employed as an English teacher) and therefore earn some -but not much - money, I may not be eligible. I am going to speak to my Boss tomorrow as well, to see what options are open to me, and to try to negotiate for a bigger package IF I left. The problem is that the "enhanced" package is only open for negotiation until the end of September (we only heard about it this week!!!) so I need to move fast. I'm hoping I can negotiate to receive the package if I go, even though I might not be officially going until October.

In a way, I'd much rather stay, because

(a) I'm ever the one to maintain the status quo and

(b) if I leave, I will have to deal with the beaurocracy that is the French Unemployment Office. And I hate dealing with beaurocracy.

But the unemployment benefit will probably give us a little more to live on than I'd earn, AND I wouldn't have to drive to Clermont every day. And I may also have to take the possibility of being in hospital for ???? weeks with a back operation.

Oh dear! Oh dear!

STILL, we are ever thankful that Mr D got his job before all this happened. At least there is one wage coming in and we are able to eat, and heat our home, and live our life. We have medical insurance, and we live in a lovely place. Life could be better...but it could equally be much, much worse.

I'm editing this, a few hours later...My Pastor's wife sent me an email with a link to a sondage (questionnaire) by Le Figaro.

http://www.publicsenat.fr/lcp/politique/question-le22h-en-partenariat-avec-le-figaro?quizId=248

Question: Are you opposed to homosexual marriage?

Answer: At the moment it's 37% (or so) for, the rest against, and that's from a voting public of 237,297 people. Interestingly, on this question, there has been nobody voting "je ne sais pas" (I don't know) - this is a question where everybody, it seems, has an opinion.And I'm happy to make it clear that I have voted on the minority side - which I bet my Pastor's wife didn't expect me to do!

Maybe you'd like to add your voice? (though, to be fair, I don't know if you can if you're outside France).