A big WELCOME to all of you new to this site

It’s that busy, bustling time of year again, and now with only 2 sleeps till Christmas day, for me there is still much to do.  I have promised myself that one year I will be more prepared and not let that date creep up by surprise. One year, I will have it all done early then sit back and enjoy the anticipation of Xmas. Of course I’m not sure when that year will come. It seems the older I get the shorter the years become.

There was a good response from schools in handing this site address to their drivers, and we would like to thank them for this effort. Would you all please spread the address to other drivers and contractors you may know so as to cover the schools that may have been too busy to pass it on. That way, many more will know of this site and perhaps they will also participate in the forums.

Interestingly, there were over 600 special needs units or schools in NSW to which we sent our email request. In our research for these we found a full list of not only the names of each, but also a brief description of what  special classes they offer. We have all seen the ‘initials’ preceding the school units on our run cards but not all of us are aware of what they stand for or what particular disability each each covers. This was of interest to us, so we have provided this link on the information page.

Talking to other contractors, it seems I was not the only one to have a good belly laugh that day when we all received an email suggesting that most of the runs will be distributed “by Christmas”.  I think most of us have experienced the panic of not having run cards as late as a day before school starts, so to them, this news was even more hilarious. Naughty of me I know, to be so sarcastic, but…………  Besides, we all know that the attempt to do this was in no way as a courtesy to us, but rather a desperate need for the department to establish just how many runs will be covered and how many, once reality sets in, will be returned. An early release of the runs would give them a month to re allocate.

Of course by no means am I intending to belittle the hard working office staff at the department. I know at this moment they would have their “heads down and butts up” making sure all the pays get done by Christmas. This would be a mammoth task, so cheers to you all.

Well I’m off now to fight the crowds for those last minute Xmas things. I hope you all have a really nice Xmas and a well deserved break.

Cheers                                                                     Buttercup

“Oh for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money”.    ~  Author Unknown

This is the place for me to just ramble, so I’m told. Well, I must admit, that shouldn’t be a problem for me because rambling is what I do way too often – so I’m told. But they asked, and so I will oblige.

Where to start though. It should have been with great excitement that I write the Blog for this site, with it’s launch date finally arriving and with the anticipation of Xmas and the up and coming holiday season around the corner, but, alas, with the recent depressing news from the department my excitement and enthusiasm have taken a beating. Not to worry though, I bounce back, that’ s just me! And besides, like many of you out there, we sent those emails to get if off our chests, even though it would not change anything, it always helps to get things of your chest. My poor hubby can testify to this, after all, he cops all my rants. My chest feels better, but his ears are always a bit worse for wear. Not that I’m worried about that, men seem to just have that Knack of switching off, yet their heads bob or shake at the right time to make believe they are really listening. Doesn’t matter that I know it’s gone in one ear and out the other because at least it is off my chest, and I feel better. (My apologies to all you male drivers out there, trust me, your wives know what I mean)
See, here I go, off on a tangent now about husbands, typical, back to the subject. Yes, the woes. Well they come and go so please excuse my blog if I am on a downer some days but I will try to keep up a happy spirit as best I can. I certainly don’t want to contribute to the doom and gloom we now feel.

I was looking forward to rambling here a few times a week, about the highs, and sometimes lows of driving special needs children for the ASTP. My intention was to relate some fun or some heartwarming stories or to bring you any relevant news or tips, or simply share my day and generally feel like I was having a virtual coffee with fellow drivers. Maybe crack a joke or two, or gosh, even share a recipe. Surely I am not restricted to only talk work stuff here, surely I can discuss with you a good bargain if I come across one, or a bit of facetious banter when the urge takes me. I will check this with these site developers, then who knows where these ramblings would lead.
Well, that was my intention, the irony though, is my decade long association with the Dept. is soon to come to an end and so, this blog in the future may not contain work related chats. Of course, like many, I will wait to see what run, if any, gets offered to me. Then a quick calculation using the new schedule of pay rates to see if it’s viable. Chances are slim that it will be if my current run is anything to go by, but, as I said, happy happy till then.

Cheers                                                                                               Buttercup

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain