How Dare You!

I have a very dear friend, who has gone through SO much over the last 2-3 years, and that hasn't changed in the short time that I've known her. 

We met (properly) on a girly holiday last year and I'd say our bond was instant. She was present at one of the worse experiences of my life and has supported me ever since. Funnily enough we also share the same birthday. 

With all the stuff that's been happening in her life - not my place to say - I advised her to start a blog, as mine has helped me get stuff off my chest, I hoped she could do the same. So she did, anonymously, and for the last 5 months I've seen her open her mind to release the thoughts that, left unsaid, could tip anyone over the edge. 

Until today. Because today some selfish s**thead outted her. 

They hacked her phone and sent a nasty letter to all her friends, family, work colleagues, even her dentist, claiming that 'no-one should have secrets'! 

I am outraged. If I found out who it was - oooh, there would be trouble. 

If you knew how unassuming and nice she was, how hard she tries to keep her problems out of other people's lives. If you knew a smidgen of the crap she's been dealing with, you'd understand the f**king break she needs, but this person/people… clearly have NO compassion and definitely no respect. 

I'm speechless that there are people like this in the world. 

If you read this, please share with others. Let's spread the word that BULLYING is unacceptable. 

Mothers and Daughters

I wrote to my mum.

On Sunday night I was wide awake at midnight and I just felt like I needed to stop giving the silent treatment, which wasn't working anyway, and just say how I felt.

I don't think she fully understood the depth of how much her abandonment hurt me, but I guess her response and promise to try harder is a start.

I'm still going to spend Christmas with my grandparents this year though. An apology, of sorts, doesn't wipe the slate clean; we've got a lot of work to do on our relationship. However, I'm not punishing them with my absense, merely protecting myself from further disappointment.

"You always seem so self sufficient and not needing me".

I'm a grown ass woman who has a job and a rents her own home, yes, but I still need her, especially at times like that. Who the hell takes a termination in their stride?! And if she knew me at all she should know that I've wanted nothing more than to be a mother since I was old enough to take care of my baby (not so much a baby now as he's 24) brother.

I know that families aren't perfect, and I'm not asking for a phone call every day or family roasts every Sunday, I'd just like to have to do less of the initiating contact and organising; not to be taken for granted.

Actions shall speak louder than words...

Andrea Burden Painting

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

They were not kidding.

Just when I feel I'm getting my life together something comes along to shake the foundations.

I've heard that if life was simple we'd all be bored, but sometimes simple is nice; sometimes simple is just what you need.

For the last couple of months I've been enjoying the flavours of my assorted chocolates. They've not been tasteless nor too overpowering, though I have felt like they lacked a certain something... special, but not enough to spit them out.  

Until this weekend.

This weekend I picked out a coffee/liquorish/celery flavoured one and it's left a REALLY nasty taste in my mouth. 

No amount of teeth brushing, mouthwash swilling will remove it. I'll have to just wait until it fades away naturally. 

Unfortunately every time I swallow it's like it refreshes the flavour, and it makes me nauseous. 

A Year On: Handling Business

The reason I have never wanted to be a manager or hold an equivalent status is because I'd have to be invested in office politics, and I just do not have the patience or brain capacity to put up with bullsh*t like that.

And yet I have found my Tuesday morning dealing with a manager trying to avoid getting blamed for crap organisation by pointing his fag-stained finger firmly in my direction.

I am so enraged and I do not handle anger in a professional manner FULL STOP. So profanities flew out of my mouth for all on my floor to hear as I read his poorly written emails palming off HIS responsibilities in my lap.

It's things like this that make me want to throw in the towel and get a job in a shop. F**K!

And now there's a part of me that questioning if he's actually right and I should have done more.

What REALLY got me was when he described himself as a 'middle man' only passing on requirements, not an expert. Well, as far as I'm concerned, given his role in the company, he should be an expert in his field and therefore the perfect person to run a session meant for clarifying aspects relating to his work, no?

Ultimate RAGE coursing through my veins right now. ULTIMATE RAGE!

Make An Effort

How do you know if/when your friendships have run their course?

Does the time between communication get longer and longer?
Do your meet ups suffer from those 'awkward' silences?
Are you making excuses NOT to see them?
Avoiding phone calls or your calls never answered?

And what happens if it's family?

I'm finding that my patience is wearing thin. I know I'm being stubborn but I'm just really sick and tired of being a pushover. I've always been the one to put myself out there, make the first contact but this time, I'm digging my heels in. And unfortunately that will mean me missing out on things, on people.

It REALLY upsets me that the people I love and care for the most seem to find it so easy to forget me, but life moves on. The sun rises and sets, bills still need to be paid, work still needs to be done.

Yet I feel selfish for not making an effort to communicate, to find out how they're doing, are they okay? But as time passes and my phone remains silent, I can feel a slow anger build inside of me.

So I get up, do my thing, try to do something every day that will help me improve, and repeat. Every day I'm changing, moving further away from the person they know. I'm moving on.

IF that means without them, so be it. I deserve better, even if what I really want is them to wake up and realise what's happening before it's too late.

Sadly, I know however far I get I'll always need them - and every night I wish they felt the same.

Shouting for no reason

Why can I still hear you?
My headphones are in,
My music is at full volume.

That poor bloke looks miserable.
More accurately, embarrassed.
Is this what you think motivates?

You stand over others, whilst he struggles,
Laughing and joking.
An arrogant look on your face,
Chest high and shoulders back.

You should be educating people, not bullying them
You are one of the reasons we shy away, make excuses

You have a responsibility to guide
I don't think abuse is part of your job description
Stop making it a frightening experience
Make it enlightening, thought-provoking,
If you're as good as you think you are, enjoyable

Instead of VPT (very personal trainer) on your back,
You should have C**T
No acronym necessary

Blast from the past

Out of the blue,

Ironic timing. 

Emotions running high, 

Left over from losing him.

It was definitely love once, 

Way back in the day.

He brings back strong memories, 

So much has changed.

Unhealed hurts tumbling out,

Pandora's box opened.

It took so much to get over,

The beast awoken.

You

Me

Her

Another life

Feeding or bruising the ego

At what point should I get offended that I just cannot seem to secure a date?

I've not been on Tinder since the beginning of Jan. That date has put me off a little.

But I did match with another guy, who seemed super keen, organised a date with me then cancelled the day before - something about a funeral for his step mum's sister-in-law - and then didn't contact me for a week. When he did it was like "Hey been busy with work and extra-curricular activities. Will be available in a week. Hope I'm still in your considerations" like I'm sitting at home in my onesie, drinking wine with my housemates every night... which is totally what I'm doing.

But not only that, in the last month I've had TWO guys from my past message me out of the blue, both who are now married with children. Like WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K?

Is this what I've got to look forward to? Now that I'm wandering in to district 31 all that awaits me are guys who think I must be desperate enough to become a home wrecker? No thanks.

Someone said to me today, a guy I might add, that all my past relationships and flings have ended because the men I've liked/loved have not quite been ready to take care of a woman like me.

Well, as much as I'd love to be taken care of, I'd just really like someone nice to share my life experience with, even the mundane experiences like a bad wax - you know?

Waiting for the phone to ring

I've never been very good at the whole dating thing. I've kind of just ended up getting into relationships with friends, or friends of friends.

They already know some or all of my 'special' qualities so I'm more comfortable around and that makes the flirting side of things A LOT easier.

My ex and I met under special circumstances. We took things into our own hands. If we hadn't I'm sure we would probably have never met. And, though it ended, we had a great time together.

So here I am, single, my heart on the mend and a recent influx of male attention. A guy has asked me out on a date, we've confirmed the day but not the time and that's the last I've heard from him.

I refuse to get in contact with him first but am I entitled to feel pissed off with the fact we've not communicated for over 5 days?

I feel like calling the whole thing off just out of principle.

Urgh, what a headache!

Oh no you didn't - yes, yes I did *hangs head in shame*

It's been a drunken, emotional weekend; and I had my first EVER experience of a drunken text to the ex :/

I was swaying in the middle of an O'Neill's pub after enjoying a fun and fancy-free evening at my cousin's 18th; my state sponsored by Captain Morgan's and coke. I don't know why but I just suddenly started to miss him. I knew then and there that I needed to stop what I was drinking and head home, home for that evening being my mum's couch.

I jumped into a cab, mum in tow, stumbled out of my dress and heels and collapsed on the sofa. Even as I was writing the text, I could barely see it, I knew it was a BAD idea and yet I still ploughed through the pain of double vision and sent it.

Sleep swept me off into oblivion for a few hours but I woke up feeling physically sick at my weakness and of course, I've received no response - not that I expected one.

I got a text from a flat I really wanted to say, oh what a surprise, I didn't get it.

Then last night my housemate accused me of 'taking my eye off the ball' because I've forgotten to throw out the empty toilet roll once or twice and I don't stand around all night listening to him witter on about stuff I don't find interesting. I NEED to escape.

SO not happy right now :(

How can LOVE escape your grasp without you ever letting go?

Guys, I'm so sorry that I've been so gloomy but a lot of what I've written over the last 1-2 months has all been stuff I've needed to voice. Like I said, I write whatever, whenever the mood takes me and the mood has been seriously 'dark and twisty' (to quote my favourite girls from Grey's Anatomy).

Anyway, I've had Fireside (mentioned in Are You Healing Through Music) on repeat the last couple of days.

The music almost sounds as though it's angry or annoyed at itself for the way it feels; it's vulnerability - the lyrics. I like this about it because it mirrors the phase I'm currently in. I feel frustrated with myself for still holding on, for unconsciously and consciously dwelling on the love I had but lost.

For the last week or so I've been trying to visualise the things I want in my future.

• I've always wanted to live in a cottage near or in view of the sea, backing onto fields or nature reserve. 
• I've always wanted an Audi. It was my favourite out of all the cars my dad had when we were growing up. 
• I love the beach and sunshine so I want to have the opportunity to travel to places like that.  
• Music and dancing will always play a huge part in my life - that goes unsaid. 
• I've always wanted a little dog. My grandparents had the most gorgeous Yorkshire Terrier. He was so loving and mild, never happy like they are renowned for. 
• Love also plays a big part in my future, as do children. 

And this is where I stopped.

I read an article last night before bed about "moving on" mainly because I feel like I'm rushing myself to get over him, either because I want to be his friend and have him back in my life or because I'm desperate to not feel this way anymore. One of the top tips for grieving after a breakup?

DON'T fight your feelings - Bollocks, I've been going about this all wrong. 

It does state that moving on is the end goal but that trying to suppress or ignore these feelings will only prolong the process.

As I posted in Kicking A Habit, I've felt as though I've lost out on a future. This article supported these feelings by explaining that when you commit to another person, you create many hopes and dreams. You are grieving the loss of the future you once envisioned. Essentially, when I'm being completely honest with myself, what I'm finding hard is being encouraged by the fact that new hopes and dreams will eventually replace the old ones because… I do not want them replaced.

This brings me nicely to the title of this blog: How can love escape your grasp without you ever letting go? It's a lyric from a MusicSoulchild song called Mary Go Round. It details his shock at the disappearance of his loved one when his love for her is still burning strong - DING DONG - ring any bells?!

Each day has been getting easier, not by much but I don't cry every day anymore.

I'm not quite settled in my 'new' life and though everything you read about how to deal or cope with this time in your life tells you not to make major decisions,  like starting a new job or moving to a new city, in the first few months after a separation - I may need to move home, somewhere I can feel ME.

So watch this space… change is the only constant. It is never easy. You fight to hold on, and you fight to let go.

Don't forget to be AWESOME

A quiet period? That's what he's told people, that we're having a quiet period…

I'm not sure that I like that description. I feel like it belittles what is actually happening - that I'm having to force myself into a new mindset, one that doesn't include him and to do that I need some freaking space.

What a prick. Quiet period indeed!

Honestly the more this goes on, even when he's not doing anything particularly different to before, I feel like bitterness is taking over me. It's like that black stuff in Spiderman 3.

And then, when I feel comfortable with the fact that I'm not in touch with him, he pops up on my phone to see 'how my week's been'; projecting himself back in my life, WTF?!

And suddenly those bad feelings are right back at my door. Transference is a bitch. Transference: “the redirection of feelings and desires toward a new object.”

There's a really funny scene in Two Can Play That Game that explains what I'm talking about but I couldn't find a clip :( It is FUNNY though.

Non-stop banter with the colleagues, lots of laughter at their hangovers and a pizza for lunch has left me in a much better mood for the beginning of the weekend. So happy it's Friday. Now I'm off to share some quality time with some loved ones.

Final thought of the week: Heartache is a B***H

Full of you

My mind is full of you

I go to sleep with thoughts of you

I wake with thoughts of you

You haunt me 

Like a fragrance in the wind, lingering on

You are like a serpent 

Wrapped around me, refusing to let me free

I am SO mad at you for doing this to me 

But if you asked I would take you back

I cannot get over how 

I can still have love for you, dripping from me

Where yours has run dry

It is so unfair

That our love has changed 

Now my love, 

Unrequited 

Rage Against the *love* Machine

I wrote him a letter and left it at the flat this weekend. I wasn't expecting him to find it so fast but I guess I didn't really hide it. He text me this morning to say that he found it. There's nothing to say to that.

I left it for a reason BUT I feel guilty and I'm not sure why. It could be because we had such a lovely day yesterday and I've now tarnished that for him (if he cares enough) or the fact he found it at the beginning of his day… whatever the reason, I now feel like a douche!

RAGE! Wtf? Why can I not stop thinking about this bullshit experience I'm going through? It's an unwanted shadow over my life. I've accepted the fact he doesn't want me, now let me move the f**k on!

I guess I've just slammed back into the "Anger" stage of grief/loss.

FML and take a deep breath

Seven days (Day 5)

I didn't sleep well. Staying over at mums means me having to share a bed with her. She doesn't exactly snore but she's not a silent or still sleeper. 

I dress all in black because its going to rain today and I thought I'd mirror the bleak weather. But mum has a little Pomchi (Pomeranian/Chihuahua) and its hair gets everywhere! 

I grab a cup of tea, mum tells me to take a banana and an apple with me, and I head out to catch the bus. It's eight fifteen am. I feel exhausted. My eyes actually hurt I'm so tired. Today will be a long day.

My luck is looking up, I get the fast train (no stops between Harrow and Finchley Road) and I wangle a seat pretty much immediately. It's raining when I arrive at Farringdon but I've got my trusty umbrella. I work double quick so my new trainers don't get too wet. My bowl of cornflakes is calling to me. 

I'm a bit busy this morning. Lots of running around to make sure people are where they need to be. Not great when it's like a sauna in the office but I gotta do what I gotta do. It also means most of the morning has passed. 

The colleague I had lunch with the other day asked whether he has been in touch, seems her game playing has worked in her favour. I've just gone from being sad about the fact that I haven't heard from him to being positively motivated by my anger. Cold turkey it must be! 

He may have said that he can't control his feelings but I still have a right to be annoyed by his actions, so I'm going to use that to push me through this. Hmm, but they always say that nothing positive will come from being negative. 

I'm now searching for posts online about forgiveness and emotional well being. Honestly, all this being sad and confused is SO emotionally draining. So I'm reading this one: A Hug's Message to Tragedy: "Move On."

"To overcome hatred with forgiveness is to take control of your circumstances and perhaps put a spring back into your step, both mentally and physically."

What am I really trying to achieve? I know that if I stop all contact with him the only person I'm really hurting is myself. On a separate note, I just found a post on an early morning rave, right here in London. It's run by a group called Morning Glory. It starts a 6.30am - 10.30am. Unfortunately I've just missed one so will have to wait until the 25th but how awesomely cool would that be? 

I think I'm going to go for Salmon Teriyaki for lunch today. I've not had any fish since Monday. For now I'll make do with an apple and a glass of water. 

Back to work. Email here, email there. Send this document, print that document. Oh look, it's lunchtime. I change shoes. As it's still raining, I'll don my trainers for the walk to Wasabi and prey that lovely orange dress I saw on the market last week is no longer there to tempt me. 

So I was a good girl. I went to the supermarket for a meal deal which means two good things happened: 

1) I spent HALF the money

2) I avoided the "Market of my Financial DOOM" 

However, on my travels I came to a realisation - being single is far more expensive than being in a relationship. You have to go out more, therefore spending more money. I have more reason to save my money now than I did before *sigh* I had a roast chicken sandwich, an orange juice and a packet of hula hoops… I feel terrible now :( my tummy is not happy. 

It's two o'clock. Four hours to go. I am looking forward to bed time but before I even get there I've arranged a run with one of my besties (why?). 

Whoop, I've just confirmed some training that I've been working on for about a month! YES! 

I'm not sure why but I'm suddenly feeling more positive about things. I give in to the dark far too easily. Perhaps this is my new mission. I said this to, well someone this week, perhaps this big event is LIFE's way of telling me that I've become too complacent?! 

Honestly, since the moment he told me it was over, I've had to think about me, and only me. What do I like doing? What do I want to do more of? Where do I want to be? Who do I want to be with… apart from him? In the last month or so, I've spent more time with my friends, more time with my family, made the most of my evenings and weekends, I've gotten into exercise - come on, we now that's big. Life has become more than rushing home to spend time with him. *lightbulb*

I have a meeting about sales training, which I know nothing about, but I know people need to have structure so that's what this meeting is about. Two members of the party don't show but I am adamant that we make headway on this so the meeting goes ahead. In all honesty, I think we've made a good effort. A staff meeting follows this and before I know it, I'm stuffing a banana into my mouth and setting my iPhone to play only feel good music to get me in the mood for this run. 

The journey over to Putney, where she lives, is painless and I make it in forty minutes. I quickly change and we're off. The sun is setting over the river as we make our way towards Hammersmith keeping a good pace. We run to the bridge and back, covering 6.99km (whoop) and we're feeling good. This is all in prep for that 12K I've talked about in a couple of previous posts. 

I don't stick around; I'm tired, though pumped, and I still have to travel across London to get home. I drop him a line to find out if we're still on for tomorrow - plans to go to a gig. He replies yes. I ask what time I should aim for.... That's where the conversation appears to end.

I walk into a quiet house, the housemate must already be in bed. I have a quick shower before I slip into something comfortable, namely my onesie, and settle down for a well deserved sleep. It's ten forty pm.

Dear Rain

I don’t appreciate you making my walk to work uncomfortable

I don’t appreciate my shoes being soaked through or arriving to work with damp clothing

You make me angry

I hate your dark skies and annoying wind, blowing stray raindrops in my hair

Rain, because my trousers are wet and my feet are cold

I now have a sore throat

You are an inconvenience during the day

Why can you not visit at night when most of us are tucked up in bed or between 9am-5pm when most of us are safe inside our office buildings?

I know that you are not useless

You make things grow

Keep them nourished

But today Rain, I wish I’d never woken up to you. 

Stuck in the FUNK

Do you ever feel like you're in a funny head space?

There are times, when the grey clouds cover the sky, and I feel myself tuning out of life. My mood shifts from 'general sunny disposition' to 'don't even fucking look at me as I do and will bite'.

If this mood happens to fall on a weekend you should count yourselves lucky, because I spend my time stuck to the sofa, flicking from channel to channel muttering expletives because I cannot find anything worthy to watch, stuff my face with crap and then get really annoyed at myself being I feel fat, and so restless that I could scream - NO, this is not PMS if that's what you're thinking.

If I have to go to work, I don't talk to anyone, reschedule my meetings and spend the entire day with my headphones in, sporting the best bitchy-resting-face I can be arsed to muster. These are potentially some of the most productive days in my working week because I do not put up with distractions. If I have to answer questions, I do not speak them, in fact I'm sure any form of verbal communication comes out as an actual bark.

Motivation is at an all time low, if I can even be bothered to get up it'll take a few hours for me to get in the shower and get dressed - many times I've just sat around in a towel all day. I feel lost, confused and a little upset. I start to question what I'm doing with my life, my worth, and WTF I've spent my months wages on.

BAD times.

Sometimes it only lasts for a day, maybe two.

Then I'll wake up the next day and before I've even realised, I'm in a better place. The clouds in my mind have dissipated and I can see clearly again.

I try not to let this mental rage hurricane darken my skies but sometimes, just like you need to cry for no particular reason, I just need ride it out. I'll pre-warn my friends and family so they know what they're dealing with and just get ready to face the storm.

If you find yourselves feeling the same, here's a cool blog post I found with 20 ways to pull yourself out of a funk.

Thanks for your time

British people do not complain... we get shit service and we accept it, right? Well, in normal circumstances I don't really and get really angry about it afterwards. However, this blog post is actually an extension of a complaint that I've taken with the BUXTON Group for the last two months.

I'll give you some context and then I'll be sharing my, and the boyf's, communication with this stupid company. So, we rent a flat through an agency based in Shoreditch but the building we live in is owned or managed by the Fuckston, I mean, Buxton Group.

The boyf and I had been living in our one bedroom flat for 6 months before deciding to buy a sofabed so friends could stay. This meant we had to store the current sofa somewhere. We decided that it wouldn't hurt to put the sofa outside in our hallway in the meantime as there had been chairs sitting there since the day we moved in and it hadn't been a problem.

One day, I was leaving the flat to go to work and there was a man dismantling our sofa. I asked who he was and he claimed that he worked for the Buxton Group, that the sofa was a fire hazard and he had to take it away. I told him that it belonged to our landlord and that I'd need to inform the agency we rent the flat through. He said he'd get in touch with them himself. Anyway, I left and emailed my agency that day explaining what happened. But when I got home, this is what I found....

As if that's NOT a fire hazard now!! Before the sofa was pressed against the wall on the right, out of the way of the window. I was fucking fuming! So I wrote the following email....

Dear Scott, 

My name is Amy Gentles-McKie and I am a current tenant of 15 Turin Street, E2 6NJ. 

I'm forwarding an email I sent to a general information email address for Buxton Properties as though I was told the building is serviced or managed by the Buxton Group, I needed to report an incident I experienced last Monday. 

As I rent my flat through an agency I had no means to confirm your company details except for the Cleaning Attendance signing sheet we have taped up in our hallway. Our agency was kind enough to pass on your email address but only after I sent the original email. 

I do hope you can help as I'm slightly concerned that what I experienced may have potentially been a burglary in action.  

I hope to hear from you soon. 

Fwd: To whom this may concern, 

On Monday morning when I was leaving my flat for work at about 8.55am, I came across a man who said he worked for your company, dismantling a sofa that was being stored at the end of our landing. The sofa belongs to the flat I live in and we rent it through Bridge Estate Agents. 

This person said that it had to be removed immediately because it caused a fire hazard, even though it was neatly positioned out of the way, not obstructing any exits. We had already spoken to our neighbours that share the floor about storing the furniture out there and they had confirmed previous tenants had used that space to store items. My partner and I had just bought a new sofa and were making plans to put the old one into storage at the weekend anyway. 

I was a bit concerned that we were given no warning of it having to be moved, therefore not giving us a chance to arrange our own removal seeing as it is not our property but that of our landlord. I immediately contacted our agency, who were also unaware of this happening. 

When I returned home that evening I was met with the sofa partially dismantled and more of an obstruction than it had initially been thought - see attachment. We have now had to move the remainder of the sofa, as the legs and arms are now missing, back into our flat for safe keeping. 

This person said they would report to our agency as I had clearly said the property was that of the landlord and therefore managed by Bridge, but the agency have not heard anything as yet. This is the reason I am now contacting you.

I am deeply concerned especially now I have realised parts of the original sofa have been taken which could result in a cost to us through no fault of our own. 

I have also attached a photograph of the signed sheet for cleaning attendance that is currently taped to the wall of our main entrance hallway - please be aware that no name was signed on Monday this week. 

I would like to contacted, or at least my agency contacted, with an explanation and a time for the legs and arms of the sofa to be returned. My contact at the agency is Michael Murphy, whom I have cc'd in this email. 

Regards,

This email bounced and so I went searching online to find another email address or telephone number. I finally found another email address and sent the above to them, followed up with several calls that never got answered. By this point I'd had enough so the boyf's took over - he has more patience.

He finally got through to someone five days ago. The person on the phone wouldn't help - yes I said WOULDN'T HELP - but gave yet another email address to contact. The boyf sent this:

I've just been given this address following a telephone conversation with one of your colleagues.  She mentioned that you are out of the office today but would be contactable via email.

I'm a resident at 15 Turin Street, Bethnal Green.  Last month, my girlfriend and I purchased a new sofa and had placed our old sofa out in the hallway ready to be put in to storage.  As my girlfriend was leaving for work one day, she found a man dismantling the sofa, saying that he worked for the Buxton Group and was removing it as it was a fire hazard - it was not blocking any stairwells and was placed where two large chairs had been situated since we moved in to the property.  My girlfriend explained the situation, before heading off to work.  We arrived home to find half of the sofa gone.  We brought the remaining parts of the sofa back in to our flat and contacted Bridge Estate Agents and a Buxton Group representative about getting the rest of our sofa back.  We have not received any correspondence from anyone at your company and Bridge only direct us to you.

Obviously we would like the original sofa back or a suitable replacement, as we will be liable to pay for the sofa at the completion of our lease.

Please advise on how we should proceed.

Many thanks

No response. RAGE! So he called again yesterday and then sent me a text saying:
"Just spoke to a woman from the Buxton Group, so dismissive. I remained polite, but put the phone down and called her a f*****g w***e". 

She must have been a bitch if he got angry because he is such an easy-going guy. The agency contacted the landlord who called the Buxton Group; end result? They said it's OUR fault for leaving it out there. OUR FAULT.

I'm now going to contact the local police and seek advice as, as far as I'm concerned, that sofa was stolen and the Buxton Group are not taking responsibility for their dodgy employees.

So a word of warning to all those looking for a flat/apartment to live, renting or buying; double check who owns your building because the Buxton Group looks after number one!

My rant is over!