Winter Wonderland

We like to take the girls ice-skating for a winter treat. Usually it’s just me and them while the grown-ups watch at the fun we have because they won’t risk it. So we wrap up warm and head for the upmarket garden centre. They have a temporary small rink just for Christmas as the nearest one is miles away, and you need to book in advance to guarantee a place. There’s also toys on hire for the younger ones; a penguin that you push around to decrease your chance of falling over; or for the even smaller there’s a banana that up to two small children can sit on. But the garden centre relies on the older ones wandering through the winter wonderland to purchase the novelty items on display. There’s all sorts of Christmas decorations at ridiculously marked-up prices. We use the experience to browse what’s on offer, then if we do spot something that we really want, we pop into the coffee shop and out comes the smartphone to see where we can get it cheaper. 

My boss calls and texts me at all hours and on weekends. He expects an answer no matter when. What's the best stragety for dealing with this while still maintaining my own time?

I’m in a similar situation as I’ve been asked to work independently on behalf of two separate sites because of the recent pandemic. Both sites want to keep in touch with me regarding different matters; but there’s work time and there’s my time. These should never overlap; especially if you’re being paid by the hour for a large company. But it’s difficult to turn around and say no as there’s often urgent matters that need to be resolved regardless of who’s the cause of it. Refusing these messages makes you seem inflexible and could have an impact on your career progression, but you also have a life outside of the workplace. That's why I keep a log of how much time I've spent outside of the workplace dealing with these messages. Then when I'm in the workplace, I’ve got evidence to claim the time back. This could be in the form of an overtime payment discussed with the boss, or Ican use the evidence to leave earlier at the end of my shift. I also use it to justify arriving late one morning, or take slightly longer breaks for the inconvenience. If you’re not being paid for it, it’s important to claim it back.

Down at the Docks

We fancied a day out at the historic docks in Gloucester to visit the Victorian Christmas Market. Finding somewhere to park was a nightmare. The car park that I’d scouted out on-line was closed for re-surfacing and the nearest available lot was the nearest to the event so it was full of supply vehicles. We eventually found some street parking and forked out four quid for two hours. Apparently there was an underground car park nearby but we only discovered this on our way back to the car. We entered the market underneath an archway that was blowing out snow. All the vendors were in Victorian attire and were in very festive spirits (unlike other city Christmas markets). We wandered around the stalls to inspect the wares on offer then went for a stroll around the docks and picked up some pork baps for lunch. After that I took the little one on the carousel then we tried to get into the ice-skating but you had to book a session in advance but we didn’t have enough time on the meter to wait for the next available session. So to make up for it we stopped off at a playground near an abbey in Evesham on the way back.  

Elevenes #empress4

At last the doors opened and he was granted admittance. But rather than an extravagant room full of city officials that he had come to expect, the room was void of furniture apart from one item: a huge bed as tall as a pagoda and wider than his entire paddy field. On this bed propped up next to a window was an enormous woman which took up the rest of the height of the room. She was lying face down with a mountainous spherical derriere just short of scraping the ceiling and her head was balanced upon two huge breasts, each as big as a hauler’s cart. She was wrapped in a plain robe of scarlet red and had brown hair that just flowed down her back. She lifted her head from what seemed to be a cauldron of noodles. ‘O forgive me while I partake in a little lunch, my char sui has just arrived.’

Breakfast Time

It’s hard to get a child to try something new; especially when it’s the same colour as poo. When they’re too young to protest they’ll just have what they’re given. They’ll either reject it or accept it, and once they’ve done the latter it’ll be easier to stick with the things that they do like. But then along comes something new. Change. Will they like it? Will they take the risk? It’s a big investment. You’ve got to persuade them to ignore the doubts and plunge straight in. But when change does come along, it’s a big comfort to have something that does say the same so that there’s some sort of normality preserved. It’s comforting. You know where you stand if you had something that you’ve tried before, and it’s relaxing because there’s no sense of risk. So it’s always handy to have something familiar to fall back on, especially in a different environment.

Possessions

I probably have too many possessions. A mixture of nostalgia, childhood memories, and things to pass on or to mature their value. There’s also the failed hobbies. Hundreds of pounds spent on projects that I don’t do any more sitting around wasted. Old battle figures, books, half-figured puzzle books, DVDs that may not work any more. Finally, there’s the stuff that I keep because I think it might be useful later; either to me or to lend out to a friend in return for a favour. Product boxes, computer disks, even a floppy disk drive powered by a USB. I doubt if there’s even a driver out there for it any longer, though I suppose someone out there could be equally nostalgic. I’m a hoarder, possessed by possessions. But is that what’s holding me back? Am I too full? Do I need to be a bit more ruthless in choosing what I chuck away? Or do I simply need to think of a new and sensible way to store it all to create more space? To sort it before storing it?

If Dinosaurs Ruled the World...

Life would be very different. We would no longer be the dominant species on the planet. We would have to reside in fear and in hiding for our security. Technological advancement would be inhibited as the speed to develop and share advancements would be rapidly reduced. Only the fearless would be out in plain sight, the rest of us would remain in shelter for our security. People would live in tribes rather than families which would be much closer-knit, and suspicion of other tribes would be great in case of looting and war. Transport would be much slower and mainly on foot since it would take longer to produce roads and any large gatherings would attract the greatest of attention for prey. Trade would be negotiated in materials rather than a universal monetary system that everyone could adapt to, and would have to be in the greatest of security. And just one slip-up could mean a massacre for a whole tribe.