just checking in

It seems to have been ages since I posted, so I thought I'd better stick my head above the parapet to demonstrate that I am still alive, albeit drowning in work just at the moment!

Busy times. Work has been manic since Christmas, and it doesn't help that we're very short-staffed in our team at the moment. I've not been getting online much at home, either, what with one thing and another. Well, for one thing, I seem to have had a lot of houseguests just lately: Deb and Ray were with me for most of the week leading up to New Year, and they'd no sooner gone home than my Auntie Lel descended on me at about an hour's notice, and again stayed for the better part of a week. I really couldn't say no, though, when she phoned and asked if she could come. She had the builders in, and since she has dodgy lungs at the best of times and was in hospital with double pneumonia just before Christmas there was no way she could stay in her flat with all that dust and upheaval! She's pretty good company, though, on the whole, although a terrible gossip who rarely if ever shuts up - and she did a lot of housework for me during her stay, which was pretty handy, really, a bit like having a live-in housekeeper!

This Tuesday was a particularly manic day, as I spent it dashing back and forth across town for Haddon's funeral and our Winter Event in work. The Event was made more stressful as the colleague who'd been organising it with me is currently off sick, leaving me to do everything. Boss was absolutely fine about me taking half the day out to attend the funeral, but I felt really stressed out and anxious all day because of the two overlapping so that I couldn't give my full attention to either. Both went really well, though. We had plenty of volunteers for the work bash, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, so I suppose all the work that went into organising it paid off. And the funeral was...well, lovely isn't really the right word for a funeral, but it kind of was, it was a lovely service – emotional, but uplifting, all the more so because everyone who took part knew Haddon personally and knew him well, so were all able to speak from the heart (which isn’t possible with more secular funerals led by officials who never met the deceased). Family aside, the service must have been hardest on Keith M, who gave the message, as he'd known Haddon longer than anyone – they were in infant school together back in the early '30s and have been friends ever since. That’s almost 80 years of close friendship, which is just remarkable! The funeral was absolutely packed - we had people crowded into the side cloakroom and out in the back annexe with a live video link so they could watch and take part. It was an incredible turnout for such a quiet, unassuming old man of 83 – and a fantastic tribute to him, which demonstrated louder than any words just how much he was loved and respected. I don’t think anyone ever heard Haddon say a bad word about anyone, and no one ever had a bad word to say about him. He was just the loveliest, gentlest, most generous person you could ever hope to meet, always had a smile for everyone, would do anything for anyone, nothing was ever too much trouble, never sought the limelight yet was a linchpin of our assembly. The tributes flowed throughout the service – Haddon would have hated it, being the centre of attention with everyone praising him so highly, but he deserved it. He was a treasure and we already miss him enormously.

In Other News, Alfie came on my lap last night and cwtched for a full hour while I was watching Midsomer Murders – a very, very rare honour indeed! Alfie hardly ever does laps, I think this was only the second time he’s been on my lap since he was a tiny wee kitten, so I made the most of it. Poppy got a bit jealous, though, as she usually gets me to herself in the cwtching department!

just checking in

It seems to have been ages since I posted, so I thought I'd better stick my head above the parapet to demonstrate that I am still alive, albeit drowning in work just at the moment!

Busy times. Work has been manic since Christmas, and it doesn't help that we're very short-staffed in our team at the moment. I've not been getting online much at home, either, what with one thing and another. Well, for one thing, I seem to have had a lot of houseguests just lately: Deb and Ray were with me for most of the week leading up to New Year, and they'd no sooner gone home than my Auntie Lel descended on me at about an hour's notice, and again stayed for the better part of a week. I really couldn't say no, though, when she phoned and asked if she could come. She had the builders in, and since she has dodgy lungs at the best of times and was in hospital with double pneumonia just before Christmas there was no way she could stay in her flat with all that dust and upheaval! She's pretty good company, though, on the whole, although a terrible gossip who rarely if ever shuts up - and she did a lot of housework for me during her stay, which was pretty handy, really, a bit like having a live-in housekeeper!

This Tuesday was a particularly manic day, as I spent it dashing back and forth across town for Haddon's funeral and our Winter Event in work. The Event was made more stressful as the colleague who'd been organising it with me is currently off sick, leaving me to do everything. Boss was absolutely fine about me taking half the day out to attend the funeral, but I felt really stressed out and anxious all day because of the two overlapping so that I couldn't give my full attention to either. Both went really well, though. We had plenty of volunteers for the work bash, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, so I suppose all the work that went into organising it paid off. And the funeral was...well, lovely isn't really the right word for a funeral, but it kind of was, it was a lovely service – emotional, but uplifting, all the more so because everyone who took part knew Haddon personally and knew him well, so were all able to speak from the heart (which isn’t possible with more secular funerals led by officials who never met the deceased). Family aside, the service must have been hardest on Keith M, who gave the message, as he'd known Haddon longer than anyone – they were in infant school together back in the early '30s and have been friends ever since. That’s almost 80 years of close friendship, which is just remarkable! The funeral was absolutely packed - we had people crowded into the side cloakroom and out in the back annexe with a live video link so they could watch and take part. It was an incredible turnout for such a quiet, unassuming old man of 83 – and a fantastic tribute to him, which demonstrated louder than any words just how much he was loved and respected. I don’t think anyone ever heard Haddon say a bad word about anyone, and no one ever had a bad word to say about him. He was just the loveliest, gentlest, most generous person you could ever hope to meet, always had a smile for everyone, would do anything for anyone, nothing was ever too much trouble, never sought the limelight yet was a linchpin of our assembly. The tributes flowed throughout the service – Haddon would have hated it, being the centre of attention with everyone praising him so highly, but he deserved it. He was a treasure and we already miss him enormously.

In Other News, Alfie came on my lap last night and cwtched for a full hour while I was watching Midsomer Murders – a very, very rare honour indeed! Alfie hardly ever does laps, I think this was only the second time he’s been on my lap since he was a tiny wee kitten, so I made the most of it. Poppy got a bit jealous, though, as she usually gets me to herself in the cwtching department!