Best of both worlds?

Working just three and a half days a week ... most people would think that it was a doddle. Bloody part-timers I hear you say ... In reality I am actually working full time ... the other day and a half a week is actually annual leave that I am entitled to and as such there is no one else to pick up from where I have left off ... no one to help out on the days I'm not there ... just a pile of more work when I return. In reality you end up working extra just to try to make up for the time you aren't there. Working part-time hours can be the worse of both worlds rather than the best!!

Being approachable and understanding can be a pain I can tell you ... But then I can't complain too much ... today I was told that "manager's forget what it's like to work frontline ... but thank god you're not like that!"

They do realise and appreciate how much work I have undertaken and are trying to come up with suggestions of how to lessen my load. Bless them ... we'll battle on together.

When dysfuntionality is advantageous

Forgot to mention ... have now completed four weeks at the new job. A lot of work still to be done but I am enjoying it amazingly! The Big Boss came round to see me last week and asked "So how are things going?" I think he was genuinely surprised when I said I was enjoying the challenge and when I asked why he seemed so anxious, he explained that by this point previous occupants of the role had given up the will to live.

Someone (I cannot disclose who!) said I should have mentioned the fact that the reason I was still sane must have something to do with having being brought up in a dysfunctional household.

Last day at work ... again

It seems like only yesterday that I returned to work after being on maternity for a year ... and now after having successfully applied for a secondment position, I am leaving. I'm not going far ... still based locally ... just in the opposite direction! I've been told it's a challenging job (others have tried and not succeeded / left) but I figure I need something to stretch me right now ... and I certainly am not turning my nose up at the extra money!

Bought a load of cakes and chocolates for everyone to share at work and bless, one of the guys came to me and asked what the occasion was .. when I told him I was leaving .. he stared at my stomach and screeched "What again!?!?"

Please don't feed the animals Part II

Well I have finally returned to work after a year of maternity leave and part of me is glad to be back ... adult conversations, time to myself, lunch breaks!! I am lucky that mum and dad are happy to look after the little one and my boss (female) understands and supports the work / life balance.

Cream very kindly decided to take time off work for my first week back so I wouldn't have the additional stress of rushing around in the morning trying to dress, feed and drop him off to the grandparents. Had a great first day, couldn't get on the computer (apparently they had deleted me!) so spent my time catching up with work gossip. Even better, on my return home, I was greeted at the door with a huge kiss and a cuddle and after I managed to wrestle myself away from Cream (who now appreciates just how much work is involved in "sitting at home with the kid") I got a big smile, kiss and cuddle from Zoo too.

Since then, the grandparents have settled into their routine of babysitting. They vehemently deny it, but there are numerous signs of overfeeding ... not eating his supper, chubbier cheeks, more frequent poo nappies! When this was casually mentioned to them, Dad promptly blamed Vertigo for feeding him extra bananas. (Suffice to say Vertigo denies all knowledge.) I suppose I should be concerned about food flinging itself into Zoo's mouth ... however it does go to prove my assertion that when I open Dad's fridge, the chocolate bars have a tendency to unwrap themselves and force themselves down my throat!

Colonel Mustard in the garden with lead piping?

I should be happy today .. I have finally been given the salary which truly reflects my managerial position after a pay banding review ... this may have been quickened up by the fact that I have been offered another position ... perhaps it has nothing to do with it, except inflating my ego ... who knows ... Nonetheless, I am now left at a huge fork in the road .... down one side a dark alley where I can't quite make out any details .... on the other a relatively pleasant unadventurous but circular walk ... if I take the 'easy' route I will return to this fork yet again in time ... if I take the unknown route ... who knows. Have to make a decision this weekend! I have been delaying the decision for some time now ... it has been about five weeks since they offered me the job .. but they have been very patient and understanding about waiting for my reply. But there is only so long you can hold a bar of chocolate in your hand before it begins to melt away into nothing ... you need to take the moment and eat it or alternatively throw it away before your hands get dirty ..

Or in the case of Cream, there is only so long that you can leave a corpse under a flowerpot before the flies catch on. Cream returned home today to find a poor bird dead on the patio ... Now the immediate blame is laid on Pav, the usual suspect. It is unlikely to be Goldie, who has never caught a living thing in his life (except one horrifically large spider) and being the ever ambitious fisherman, is still waiting for the big one! He's always aiming for the fattest wood pigeon and never quite getting it. Sam wouldn't bother chasing things that she won't eat .. too much like hard work ... much better to sit and relax in the sun and wait for the food to come to her. So, all three are vehemently denying being involved at all. To be fair to them, there has been a tabby sniffing around ... it could be him ... or there is the vixen and her two cubs. In any case, Cream decided to preserve the scene of the crime for me rather than inter the poor creature or disturb any important clues. Thanks ... anyone for a game of Cluedo??