I got the job. The one at the doctor's practice.

Bobby was on the phone when I walked in the door this morning after running some errands in town, and it was the practice manager, to give me the news.

(Bobby was home today as he needed to take an extra random day's leave in order to use up his leave quota by the end of the year. He'll be off again on the 15th and 16th, the 19th and 20th, and from Christmas to January 3. Quite a contrast to the past few years, where he's barely been able to scrape a day or two over Christmas.)

I am very happy.

I think what may have tipped the balance is the "thank-you for the interview" letter that I put in the post yesterday afternoon. (The post here is amazing, though I hear UK people moan about it all the time - if you put something in the mail in the evening and use a first-class stamp, the recipient usually gets it the very next morning.)

The pay is not great, but enough to make a difference in our current circumstances. And the hours are excellent : 8 till 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 1 till 7 on Fridays. Nice to have two full days off each week; this way I can still take care of all the domestic issues, so that our weekends won't be wasted with chores.

I have to visit a few times this month and shadow the current staff around, and I start for real in the first week in January.