In Sickness and Health... or not. 06-11-2021

Wow! slept until 10am and no children in sight. Oh, to be here again… time to walk around the house naked, make coffee naked. I heard some strange tapping, looked up and staring at me with a wide grin was the children’s aunt knocking on the window. Are you awake!!!

I yelled back ‘yes, do you know where the front door is?!” Why do people do that and usually it’s the same people, the ones that has no understanding of the concept of privacy.

After the social visit I was at last feeling a little better than previous weeks and no sooner than feeling the confirmation of getting better, a ping came on my mobile alerting me of a new mail from Skatterverket (the tax office), on a Saturday afternoon. Why did I register for a digital mailbox? Truthfully, I think it is a great invention, no more paper mail, communicating quickly and efficiently and proof as to whether you have received it or not, it really does have its benefits however when you are in my position of continued waves of threatening letters…. Again, another thing that can just fuck right off! My improving mood was punctures by the reminder that they want me to pay 170000 SEK though the good news was that they had received 10000 from their friends at Kronofogden that they took directly from my employer – yayyy! Tax I should not even have been billed for.

Maybe it’s the same worldwide though these guys have impeccable timing. They are the unwelcome drunk turning up at your child’s party. For as long I can remember, I have received threatening letters just before summer break or just before the week of Christmas – come the f***k on guys, have you seen Scrooge. There should be a time and a place to discuss debt and now we have electronic postboxes let’s just put restrictions on when certain things can be sent in the name of decency and compassion. Amen.

Now time to pick up my son and master kangaroo steak.

Amongst the challenges of the past years is the impact it has had on my career. Aside from the fact of moving from London to Sweden where, by comparison, careers are poor to fair at best, I have managed to forge a new career. Recreating myself and starting off quite well. However, the breakdowns, panic attacks and exhaustion pushed me into WFH (as we call it now) Yup for the past years, pre COVID I have been working from home. This started after the first major breakdown where I called in sick. Then realised the recovery will be long and to hide it from my work as I could not risk losing my job through sickness etc. Fortunately, I can do my job from home.

The other side effect is the serial killer credit rating I received, no thanks to the additional 26 parking tickets my ex-wife put on my car, the cost of which was taken directly from my salary. Her justification was that she had paid most of them! How many did she bloody have? It’s incredible though I think for 3 years she was getting one parking ticket a week, at least and hiding the fact until a bailiff’s order (Kronofogden) to pay came through the door. She then actually looked me in the face and said she would pay them. A few days passed I asked, have you paid them. She replied ‘’yes’ 3 weeks later work calls me to announce the amount must be taken from my salary.

This was absolute confirmation I could no longer trust this woman and that she had finally lost the plot. The woman I loved, and mother of my children had flipped a switch and under pressure of mismanaging a business cracked completely. There really was no logic to many of her actions.

Though I will save the detail of her illogical behaviour for later.