Mild Peril

Where to start since my last update. It’s been my birthday and had an excellent day (despite the football which was mostly ignored).

I had just finished a rotation into another team at work, and left with plenty of thanks and “hope to work with you again”. I really enjoyed it. My temporary manager had told me that he wanted to make the move permanent, and a senior colleague said that I fitted the group perfectly. We run a chat room and there was lots of joviality and comment Friday afternoon, and it was a great way to end the brief transfer into a well run team.

Today was back down to earth. My “hello again” in the other team’s chatroom was met with one response of “welcome back” from a UK colleague I still spoke to daily anyway. No “I’m glad your back, we’ve really missed your input and help” from my (real) manager; just a “Now your back, we’ve got all this work for you”.

Worse was the comment from him: “We’ve been under real pressure and a lot of stress whilst you were away; and I hope the other team members don’t associate the time you had on ‘extended training’ with this pressure”. Oh, thanks for that. I don’t suppose he told my colleagues that it was his idea for the rotation, and that he allowed another team member to go on a month’s holiday at the same time (when he could have chosen a different time for the rotation to occur). Also, he probably didn’t want to think about the fact that three other team members have left in the past 6 months.

The illness seems to have passed through the household and finally out the other side. I can report a clean bill of health; a full fit squad to choose from; all men on deck. I could go on. But I wont.

It was back to the normal weekend routine, which is busy, busy, busy. It started with a lie-in for me; I didn’t get up until 7:30am. First stop ballet, with Jeannie doing her extra Royal Academy lesson. This is actually quite relaxing as I just have to wait for her, which gives me chance to read a book.

After ballet it is a rush home as Jeannie goes straight off to swimming. Normally, Gina takes Gabby with her, but today I took her with Ryan to music lessons. She really liked it; more than Ryan to be honest. I think he has got bored with it now.

After music it is back home for lunch. Jeannie had passed her Level 2 swimming and goes up to the next lesson. It is later in the morning, so should mean a little less running around. Ryan went round to a neighbours who was doing a cake sale for Comic Relief. Then he was off to a party; a school friend for a couple of hours. Gabby and Jeannie then went to the cake sale whilst I took it very easy, or fixed the tumbledryer, washed the car and finished the painting in Gabby’s room. Oh well, I had managed to fit in watching United v Bolton as well.

For some reason, we were really tired and went to bed about 9:30. I mean, that is poor, isn’t it?

Next morning, was of course, Mother’s Day. After all the cards and little presents (funny how Jeannie made the chocolates and cakes for Gina yet seemed to think they were for her), I took all the children off to Ryan’s swimming lesson, so that Gina could have a quiet, relaxing bath. Unlike the usual bath which includes plastic toys, shouting and splashing. The swimming went swimmingly, except that I dropped the flask and it shattered.

In the afternoon, we went to the lambing at Rushell Farm. Good fun, although we didn’t see any lambs dropping out this year. Ryan particularly liked the couple of lambs having a head butting competion, whilst Gabby just seemed a bit amazed by it all.

Didn’t bother doing anything else as it was a quite lazy weekend. What did you all get up to?

Hasn’t been the best week health wise. I think a succession of mild illnesses and a pretty intensive training course has got the better of me. I had a migraine on Sunday, followed by a cold. This turned into sinusitis and just when I thought it was getting better today, the headaches and shivers returned. On top of that, the saniflow has broken in the main toilet (did I mention the nightmare that was the moving of the toilet?) and the kids have to use the en-suite.

But, it is not just me. Ryan has been off school ill with a throat infection, taking medicine that makes him hyper and last night was sick in his bed. My sinusitis turned into a super hero power there because a) I couldn’t smell the sick so was able to clear it up without gagging and b) I couldn’t sleep anyway, so wasn’t woken in the middle of the night by the situation.

Gabby was sick Monday night. Twice. After we had put her into our bed with us. Then she comes out in spots. Not chicken pox says the doctor, just a virus. And last night Jeannie was just generally ill. Only Gina is well, but it won’t be long.
I feel a bit run over by it all.