Some normality for now - In the name of Thiago - Day 289

 

I have safely negotiated my first day back at work. This is a fairly unremarkable statement I know and in truth I had no concerns about being back. Well I say being back - I am still very much doing the working from home thing. I anticipate this being the case for about the next 15 years. I jest, but with Wales going into national lockdown today and Cheshire being a neighbouring English county, I sense something similar may not be all that far away. The winter months are fast approaching and it's becoming more and more obvious that things are about to get a lot worse before they start getting better again.

Moving on from that cheery note, (sorry!) I may as well switch to telling you what I have been doing. It hasn't quite gone as I'd planned. Unfortunately a colleague in my team had to leave work unexpectedly and I've picked up their workload or at least some of it. Naturally that doesn't mean the other things that I probably ought to be getting on with are being passed on elsewhere. Right now though, my priorities are very much about getting my head down and impressing. With so many people struggling and with the overall employment situation nationwide looking decidedly insecure, I am grateful to be gainfully employed. Ok, employed.

My post work task has been to try to find someone who can fit these fucking worktops that have been sat on the floor for what seems forever. We had someone lined up but they've only recently come out of self-isolation and after finally getting hold of them today, although they've said they can still get the job done, equally they haven't said when.

Broadly speaking Angelica and I have had some pretty positive experiences with tradespeople this year but this has been one of the exceptions. There was one other notable exception but I've decided to say no more about that. A lot of people prefer not to touch the material, which is solid acrylic. It isn't cheap to replace if it all goes tits up: put it that way. The thing that irritates the hell out of me - and I'm not a tradesman in case that had miraculously escaped your attention - is the standard way of not committing to any kind of deadline towards doing a job. You're often operating with half the facts as the customer and that's fairly infuriating. Ah well, not for much longer.

My mince pies have been playing up today. I need to get a new pair of bins from Specsavers, I'm going to head down there next week. It's a sign of the times that it's not straightforward at all to arrange that in the current climate. But arrange it I did, and I celebrated by tucking into a mince pie. One was offered and I caved. I am a weak man! I'm sure it was meant to be.

Elisa seems in very good spirits at the moment, despite me being back at home. Perhaps it's something to do with it being half term next week. Madeley have an in-service training day on Friday as well, so an extra day's loafing beckons for her ladyship. I've just dropped her off at scouts this evening where they're supposed to be lighting fires and that sort of shizzle. Shame it's smashing it down with rain again.

Fundraising is still going well, please continue to support if you can. My good mate Moose is raising money for the cause by running a 10k, a half marathon and a marathon. He's already done the first of the three and is doing the other two this weekend - crazy fool that he is. I'm still relaxing and thinking about what might be next..