Archive for May, 2009

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need

Friday, May 29th, 2009

I made use of my garden this morning. The sun was shining, my chores had been done and I had the choice of breakfast with tellybox, or breakfast with tweeting birds. I chose the latter.

We don’t make enough use of our garden. It’s something which just exists at the back of the house. It has two purposes; it’s somewhere to hang the washing out to dry, and the cat enjoys using it as her dining room (and occasional toilet).

The Baby Brother came up at the weekend with his new man, JoeyJoeJoe. JoeyJoeJoe was very lovely, and together they worked on my garden and put up the wooden garden furniture which has been festering in the garage since 2007. Or 2006, mayhaps. The Blokey stepped foot into the garden for the first time this year … he cooked us up tasty treats on the barbecue, which we haven’t used for yonks. On Monday I decided it was time to actually make use of the containers dotted about the garden, so we went to the local garden centre and bought copious amounts of plants (chosen for their prettyness).

So, our garden is now quite lovely. There is a distinct lack of weeds, flowers dance playfully in the summer breezes and the grass is short. This is nice because now when we have visitors I’ll be quite happy for them to actually view the garden, instead of pulling the curtains and hiding the nastiness of it from prying eyes.

And I suppose we ought to start using it. With this in mind I’ve asked The Blokey for a laptop for my birthday: with my OU course and the work I do on the website for work, and my obvious addiction to all things Internet related, it seems only right that I have one so that I don’t just spend sunny days sitting up here.

I shan’t hold my breath though. I’m not sure I’m worth the money they cost :-) .

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Workplace Trivialities

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

There’s a barely used room at ChavSchool. It’s barely used because it ‘belongs’ to ChavBoy, who ‘teaches’ (in the loosest sense of the word) the students about cars and engines and whatnot. He does this in a little garage where the uniform consists of rather fetching overalls.

There was a chair in this room. It was a nice one because it was slightly cushioned and it swivelled. There was also a printer in this room, the only colour one within the building (I have a printer in my room, but it’s a B&W laser printer; I work in a little building with four other members of staff) and so I regularly used the printer. This meant that I regularly used the room because it was only connected to the one computer. Whilst using the computer in the room with the only colour printer in the building, I tended to sit on the slightly cushioned and swivelly chair. It was fun. The chairs in my room are just blue and plastic and nasty.

Myself and Dotty noted that the room was barely used. We decided that we wanted the chair. We took the chair. It was lush. I spend most of my week in the little room in the little building. Whilst in there I teach (NOT in the loosest sense of the word) and I do lots and lots and lots of other stuff which involves bottom perching on chairs.

Fast forward twelve days. ChavBoy realises that said chair has gone from ‘his’ room. Yes, that’s TWELVE days later. I’m in another room in the main building so I miss his little tantrum and the taking of the chair back to ‘his’ room. I later hear that he’s going to get a key for ‘his’ room to stop me taking ‘his’ chair and using ‘his’ printer.

Haha.

Excuse me whilst I try to stop laughing.

I took the chair back at lunchtime and, upon concluding my course in the main building, I returned to find the chair back in ‘his’ room.

‘Tis ok. I can play this game for ever. I can also feel an argument coming on. I don’t tend to argue with people, particularly at work. I’m the lass who keeps her head down and bites her bottom lip when something irks her. I know my place, and although I may not like that place, I realise that it creates limitations on what, how and why I can say things.

But this is just petty and juvenile. Some twat gets his knickers in a twist because of his own self-importance and throws a paddy? Tsk. It’s a chair that he doesn’t use, from a room that he rarely goes into, with a printer which he struggles to find the on/off button for.

Really, who is going to win this one?

Not that’s it’s a competition, and not that I even care about the chair really. I just find the whole situation so ridiculously trivial that I want it to escalate so that I can show everybody I shan’t be walked over. I want to bite back for a change. And I want ChavBoy to shake off this self-righteousness and realise that nothing in the education sector is fixed and that all chairs, all printers and all printer ink belongs to the school, not to the individual.

*sigh* (that’s a happy sigh, btw.)

Posted in On the Job | 1 Comment »

i have swine flu!

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Ever since I can remember, there’s been a little part of me with the most humongous morbid end-of-the-world apocalyptic streak.  Yep, right down to those twisted poems and narratives about the end of mankind I wrote at the tender (emo) age of sixteen.

You can therefore imagine my delight at the news a couple of weeks ago.  Headlines screaming that the nighness of the end of the world was most definitely definite and that we’re all doomed … a shiver ran through me.  Of course, after whipping me up into a frenzy of excitement, the media gradually tiptoed away from the hoo-ha they’d created and swept the nasty virus under the rug. 

But it does still worry me.  I listen to the whispers, you see.  The little conspiracy theorist inside me believes that events in Mexico were worse than they now claim.  I’m also inclined to believe the ‘experts’ who say that it will come back with a vengeance in the autumn.  If we were to have a pan(ic)demic I don’t think The Blokey stands a chance.

Of course, I say that, but who was it who didn’t catch the nasty cold his wife had all weekend?  I never catch colds!  I drink my Actimel daily, don’t you know.  So why I woke up with a sore neck and a runny nose at the latter end of last week I have no idea.  It didn’t affect our Indian meal (BiL turned thirty; MiL forgot to make snide comments until we were leaving hers later that evening), but did force me into bed for most of Sunday. 

And Blokey?  No sniffles, no aches, no sore throat.  Pesky bugger.  This could have something to do with the fact that his body is currently fighting some nasty bacteria on his leg(s). 

Are you ready for the latest instalment vis-à-vis The Blokey and his sickness?  Well, pull up a comfy chair … About six weeks ago he developed this Whopping Blister on his leg.  Whopping Blister wouldn’t go away.  Everybody assumed that Whopping Blister was due to the fluid and the leakage of said fluid; the assumption being, Oh! It’s just his kidley’s!  After a dose of antibiotics Whopping Blister scarpered.  Immediately the antibiotic treatment ended, three blisters popped up and – within just a few hours – formed a Whopping Whopping Blister.  Whopping Whopping Blister was drained and swabs taken.  Blokey goes to get his dressing changed yesterday and is informed that his leg is being eaten.  Grrr.  I don’t think it’s MRSA, but even if it is that isn’t the worst one to have eating away at you.  He’s on antibiotics again.  Let’s hope the evil bacteria sods off for good this time.

*fingers crossed*

If nothing else has come out of this fiasco at least I can now say that my dressings would give a nurse a run for her money any day of the week.  I am the Queen of Dressings. 

*smile*

Oh, and I lied about having swine flu (but I expect you knew that.)

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Posted in In Sickness ..., Personal | 1 Comment »