A restful breakfast

Tuesday - how I enjoy them! I work alternate Saturdays, and when I do, I have the preceding Tuesday off. It is so good to be able to get all those things done that you can't do at the weekend (eg banking, contacting tradesmen, etc). The downside is that I have to work the Saturday - 8:30 in the morning to 6 at night is a long day on your feet. And then I only have one day off before I start again for another 5 days. I can't complain though, since this is what I signed up to.

Talking of tradesmen, I think it is going to be noisy here today. The gas board are laying a new gas main up the road, and I expect to hear the sound of pneumatic drills starting very soon. They have closed the road down from me, and will be working their way up. And all that just after the Highway Board had filled in some of the holes - don't these guys talk to one another?

Still on the subject opf tradesmen, can anyone recommend a good, reliable, reasonably priced builder?

Saturday

Ok so I complained about not getting enough sleep! However, you would be amazed what you can do if you get up early enough. So far today I have done 2 loads of washing and ironing, been shopping for fresh bread, reorganized my old living room (you can see the floor again!), had tea with a friend and made some marmalade - all before lunch! What shall I do this afternoon? Answers on a postcard to the usual address, and the winner will receive a free trip down 6 flights of stairs

Actually, I am planning to go to the library this afternoon. I will probably go the pretty way, along the harbour (along the left hand side as you look at the picture). I am off to enjoy the sunshine now...

WAW I

WAW = what a week

Ok, so maybe some of it was me. Not enough sleep is bound to make you tetchy. But did we have to get all the awkward and unpleasant customers on Monday and Tuesday? And on top of that, our revered leader decided on Thursday that it would be a good idea for us to stand out on the street and force leaflets onto strangers. I do not know where this idea came from - maybe there were too many customers and he wanted to get rid of them, but after 20 minutes I had not managed to entice a single passer-by into the store! Thank goodness, today (by dint of fast footwork, hard work, an email from head office and some hiding) I managed to escape it.

So to this evening. Once round Tesco then home over the sun-drenched hills. And perchance, a quiet drink in a wayside hostelry (ok I stopped at the pub) And then home for a dinner of beer and pizza (for details of the beer and pizza diet, check my links)

Knowledge

I am a voice on the phone
One of many you have listened to.
I called you for help – and you helped me.
You learnt of my troubles, my fears and my hopes.
You opened new doors for me to go through.
You helped me along the way,
But how much do you really know me?

I am words on a screen
Appearing through a random chat request.
Sometimes we may share a laugh
And sometimes a tear
But mostly we just pass the time.
I will tell you of a present, and of a past;
Of hopes and dreams, or fears and uncertainty.
Are they really mine? Or am I pretending?
How much do you really know me?

I am a man in the pub.
We have bought drinks for each other.
We have watched the sport and criticised the officials
Spotted the forward pass and the offsides.
We have talked a lot – some of it slurred.
I have revealed some of my vulnerabilities.
But how much do you really know me?

I am the colleague beside you.
We work together – smiling at the customers,
Filling the shelves and taking the orders.
You have seen me laugh and heard my jokes
And seen me quiet when things are on my mind.
How much do you really know me?

I am the face in the mirror.
You see me every morning when you wash
And every evening when you brush your teeth.
Look in a window and you will see a ghost of me.
Look away from the light and see a shadow of me.
I have never told you anything
And yet you know everything
Including the bits I would rather no-one knew.
You have shared the hurts and joys with me
And how much do you really know me?

April 2007

Thank you Jamie!

A big thank you to Jamie! Being a complete newcomer to this, she has given me a lot of advice about how to bore the pants off you all (sorry - how to enlighten you!)

It is quite strange this. In the past, writing has been for a known audience or recipient. This is for anyone who cares to read it. Even my poetry (of which more later if you are unlucky) was written for someone specific, even if that person was me. I tend to write to get things down on paper (well virtual paper anyway as I compose better when I type than when I write) I wrote a load of stuff while I was unemployed last year, and some of it may appear here. Now I am working again, I don't have the time (or mental energy) to come up with much that was new. I did write something new recently - I will have to see if I can dig it out. A lot of what i wrote was influenced by what I had been through at my previous job, and may be a tad depressing - but it was real at the time. I may just put that on now...

Ok so here I am - now what?

So you can blame Jamie for this! After reading her blog, I thought to myself "why don't I have a go at this?" Maybe someone out there will read this, and my words will enter immortality (dream on!) Oh well, here goes...

This will be published on a 'whenever I feel like it' basis. Life is not that interesting, but you never know what will happen! I could suddenly enter a whole new phase of my life, who knows?