Birthday girl!
I’ve had a really enjoyable week marred only a couple of times when I’ve been frustrated by extremely shoddy customer service. I won’t comment on the customer service yet as the saga is on-going and I’m giving the company the benefit of the doubt, for now. However, if the problem is not solved soon after New Year, I will name and shame.
I’ve written 450 words of my article for Lifescape magazine and sorted out 3 or 4 photos to go with it. I have to get my skates on to finish the required 1800 words by 31st December, what with Christmas n’all! There’s nothing like a looming deadline to get the creative juices flowing, if you’re lucky. But a bit like the dreadful weather we’ve been experiencing in the South-East these last four days, I currently feel my creative juices are a little frozen in the mists of my mind.
Being a December birthday baby, I’ve had a lifetime of my birthday being squished together with Christmas - I know it’s the thought that counts so I would always get upset at the lack of thought on receiving a birthday present wrapped in Christmas paper, or worse: the “joint” birthday/Christmas gift.
Realising at long last that birthdays are not just all about me, or the type of wrapping paper or the presents, that it’s about having fun with people you care for. The fun started last Friday when my friend Mandy took me out for a pre-birthday meal at her local pub/restaurant, the Wealden Hall in Larkfield. It doesn’t take much to get me tipsy and I didn’t disappoint on only 3 glasses of wine. I’d pre-arranged to kip on her sofa, postponing my 25 mile drive home until Saturday morning. Before I left, I was treated to a delicious full English breakfast cooked by Mandy’s husband.
I worked on my birthday. I'm not that dedicated to my work - I just didn't occur to me to take a day off. As in previous years, my daughter and son rang me to wish me a happy birthday. I won't be seeing them, however, until Christmas Day.
Following the office tradition I took in a cake, but not any old shop-bought rubbish. I baked an apple cake using up the last of the Bramleys from my brother’s tree. My colleagues paid me the compliment by quickly devouring my creation.
I received a few emailed birthday greetings but my favourite was from my ex-Holmesglen class-mate Kylie, with an attached photo of herself holding a card that said “Happy Birthday!” Simple but effective.
The atmosphere in our office has been relaxed this week, particularly so on my birthday. It makes work much more pleasant if you can have a laugh from time to time. Today was no exception. In the last hour before the Christmas shutdown and no longer being able to concentrate hard enough on serious data quality issues, Mandy suggested we play the game, “Password”. Coincidentally, she happened to have brought it in with her. I’ve never played this before, and I haven’t laughed for ages as much as I did today watching certain colleagues trying to describe or guess a word or words whilst under the pressure of time. Brilliant stuff!
I had to drive home yet again in thick fog and went via Blackheath to visit Margaret. She is a remarkable 82-year old widow who I first met at the Blackheath Reminiscence Centre in the summer of 2002. http://features.thisislocallondon.co.uk/template/article.asp?pid=1320&id=14535 and http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/centre/index.html
I haven’t seen her for a couple of years, so we had a lot to catch up on. I think she has had a full and exciting life and I love listening to her stories. Despite being a member of the CRAFT club, (Can’t Remember A Fucking Thing! - her words, not mine) she has a sharp enough memory to remember and deliver some pretty funny jokes. She hasn’t had much luck health-wise in recent years but still successfully manages to live alone. Long-since retired as an executive secretary, I admire her for joining the growing number of older people who have learned how to use a computer. She now orders her shopping on-line, so she doesn’t have to step outside her front door if she doesn’t want to.
I watched Richard Hammond on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross this evening. It seemed like the whole country was shocked to hear of Richard’s horrific crash whilst filming for Top Gear 3 months ago. http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/richard_hammond.shtml
Having seen the pictures it’s a miracle that he survived but even more so that he survived without a scratch. Of course it was the head injury that nearly killed him but he appears to be fully recovered. It obviously wasn’t his time to leave us.
I’ve written 450 words of my article for Lifescape magazine and sorted out 3 or 4 photos to go with it. I have to get my skates on to finish the required 1800 words by 31st December, what with Christmas n’all! There’s nothing like a looming deadline to get the creative juices flowing, if you’re lucky. But a bit like the dreadful weather we’ve been experiencing in the South-East these last four days, I currently feel my creative juices are a little frozen in the mists of my mind.
Being a December birthday baby, I’ve had a lifetime of my birthday being squished together with Christmas - I know it’s the thought that counts so I would always get upset at the lack of thought on receiving a birthday present wrapped in Christmas paper, or worse: the “joint” birthday/Christmas gift.
Realising at long last that birthdays are not just all about me, or the type of wrapping paper or the presents, that it’s about having fun with people you care for. The fun started last Friday when my friend Mandy took me out for a pre-birthday meal at her local pub/restaurant, the Wealden Hall in Larkfield. It doesn’t take much to get me tipsy and I didn’t disappoint on only 3 glasses of wine. I’d pre-arranged to kip on her sofa, postponing my 25 mile drive home until Saturday morning. Before I left, I was treated to a delicious full English breakfast cooked by Mandy’s husband.
I worked on my birthday. I'm not that dedicated to my work - I just didn't occur to me to take a day off. As in previous years, my daughter and son rang me to wish me a happy birthday. I won't be seeing them, however, until Christmas Day.
Following the office tradition I took in a cake, but not any old shop-bought rubbish. I baked an apple cake using up the last of the Bramleys from my brother’s tree. My colleagues paid me the compliment by quickly devouring my creation.
I received a few emailed birthday greetings but my favourite was from my ex-Holmesglen class-mate Kylie, with an attached photo of herself holding a card that said “Happy Birthday!” Simple but effective.
The atmosphere in our office has been relaxed this week, particularly so on my birthday. It makes work much more pleasant if you can have a laugh from time to time. Today was no exception. In the last hour before the Christmas shutdown and no longer being able to concentrate hard enough on serious data quality issues, Mandy suggested we play the game, “Password”. Coincidentally, she happened to have brought it in with her. I’ve never played this before, and I haven’t laughed for ages as much as I did today watching certain colleagues trying to describe or guess a word or words whilst under the pressure of time. Brilliant stuff!
I had to drive home yet again in thick fog and went via Blackheath to visit Margaret. She is a remarkable 82-year old widow who I first met at the Blackheath Reminiscence Centre in the summer of 2002. http://features.thisislocallondon.co.uk/template/article.asp?pid=1320&id=14535 and http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/centre/index.html
I haven’t seen her for a couple of years, so we had a lot to catch up on. I think she has had a full and exciting life and I love listening to her stories. Despite being a member of the CRAFT club, (Can’t Remember A Fucking Thing! - her words, not mine) she has a sharp enough memory to remember and deliver some pretty funny jokes. She hasn’t had much luck health-wise in recent years but still successfully manages to live alone. Long-since retired as an executive secretary, I admire her for joining the growing number of older people who have learned how to use a computer. She now orders her shopping on-line, so she doesn’t have to step outside her front door if she doesn’t want to.
I watched Richard Hammond on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross this evening. It seemed like the whole country was shocked to hear of Richard’s horrific crash whilst filming for Top Gear 3 months ago. http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/richard_hammond.shtml
Having seen the pictures it’s a miracle that he survived but even more so that he survived without a scratch. Of course it was the head injury that nearly killed him but he appears to be fully recovered. It obviously wasn’t his time to leave us.