Yes, moving is a lot of work. We have been busy with packing, etc.

I am really looking forward to this job as all my previous jobs were things like cleaning offices, librararies, hospitals and fish factories (stinks). And things like being a book shelver in a library, being a laundry operator and being a telephone call center operator. I have also been volunteering with various charities in various roles over my life time. I will keep up my volunteering but will be reducing the hours as I will be working full-time from 8 Sept 2008.

I will get paid £11,985 per year before deductions for taxes which would be at least £1,985, so the net annual pay would be about £10,000 for me, my wife and son (that’s £883 per month) – the mortgage repayment is £663 per month – so we have £220 per month to live on which is impossible for three people plus all the bills for gas, electricity, council tax, etc. This is the first time I am getting paid so much per year. We will be subletting the flat to two tenants if we can find anyone who wants to live with us. It’s a three bedroomed flat and we will be converting the lounge into the fourth bedroom. This way, our son can have his own room for the first time. We still have more than £36,000 of debt to pay back. Life is a continuous struggle for existence. Of course there are at least 6 billion people who struggle even more than us.

My wife is still too ill to work. She has She has been off since 13 June 2008. Of course, if I were well, I would have been earning as a doctor from July 2001. A Junior doctor earns £21,000 before tax per year – that was my wife’s salary for the 10.5 months she worked. All my doctor friends here earn £60,000 before tax as they have been doctors for more than 7 years already (no, I am not envious). As I said earlier, at least 6 billion people struggle even more than us. After all, the wealthiest 10% of humanity (i.e. 670 million people) own 90% of the total wealth of humanity.