The Virgin mother

Chatting away to the woman at Virgin media, trying to get a sweet deal on my move (ho ho) by talking about my situation, she suddenly said:
"It only took me five months to get a council flat, I can't believe things have got so bad."
"Oh yes, in London it has, I don't know about where you are."
She had a familiar accent... Cheryl Cole...Newcastle.
She asked me how old my son was. Her daughter is the same age.
"Do you know," I continued.. free call from my Virgin phone to Virgin call centre.."Every single mother I have spoken to who works, I have asked how they afford to and they say 'I live in a council flat.' It bugs me that the government doesn't realise, half of society doesn't realise, that we need the council flats to enable us to go back to work."
She agreed, of course she agreed, so I carried on.
"I don't know what my rent is at my next place but I do know that whatever job I find, I will have to claim for housing benefit. And here they are..." cutting benefits, abolishing lifetime tenancies, not building or renovating empty flats... oh you know me.

I'm going to get the letter soon, switching me from income support to jobseekers. It's a full time job finding a job so I'm going to go to my doctor and ask her to sign me off, at least until January (and I hope she does, making me cry like that the last time).

If I can't prove to my symbolic husband that I am "actively seeking work", it will cut my benefits.

I can't physically, emotionally, mentally go through this process at the moment.

I have to settle into my new home,unpack, settle in my child. I have to wait for a telephone connection so I can plug in Lily Laptop and access the internet and then before I know it, it will be Christmas. I'll see what's around jobwise because I'm interested but I don't even want to be forced to do that. I trust myself enough, shame my symbolic husband doesn't trust me.

Flip, you know what? The Virgin mother told me that she's charged a month for what I'm charged a week in rent.

Oh a mum can dream of secure, affordable rent but my dreams must go on hold.

Though let's hope my dream job finds me before I'm forced back to the factories...