I blogged a bit this morning and made some plans. Julia was due on a training course at 1.30 so it made for a short day.
After dropping her off for a two hour refresher on Safeguarding I went to find a charity shop that needed three bags of second-hand books and assorted rammel. I couldn’t find one, as everywhere was so busy there was nowhere to park.
I went home and read my post before I filled two more bags with paper, including a large amount of old business paperwork from 2004-6. They missed collecting our recycling bin last week because of the snow. I feel, as I continue filling it, that they will regret this decision when they have to remove a month’s accumulated paper clearing.
The letter from the anticoagulant clinic showed I was right at the top of the range, but [assed. I don’t need to go back for two weeks.
Then I collected Julia. As usual, the training was a waste of time, though it does allow the council to tick boxes. Don’t start me on the state of Safeguarding in the UK.
She helped me find a charity shop with parking outside. She also told me off for what I said to a bus driver who sounded his horn at me in an impatient manner as I took the bags out of the car. After all the time buses have spent holding me up over the years I think he could have waited thirty seconds for me.
He even made eye-contact as he went past, just to be more aggressive about it. If he was a lip-reader he would have found this an upsetting experience. Even if he wasn’t a lip reader he could probably still make out the few short, simple words I used.
Later we went shopping as the light faded, and were surprised at the volume of birdsong. Spring, I suspect, has arrived.
Then we returned home and ate Fish Pie. Julia topped it with sweet potato this time so we’ve had four different toppings in the last week – potato, potato and swede, potato and parsnip and sweet potato.
It’s not quite the lifestyle I envisaged for myself when I was young and ambitious.
Don’t get my husband started on Safeguarding. I regularly listen to him complaining about the following.
Everyone who does anything in our churches has to take the on-line safeguarding course. Even the flower-arrangers and the people we manage to persuade to become voluntary cleaners. Many of us will have to travel to Bury St Edmunds (quite a journey with no bus or rail links) to take another longer course. We struggle enough as it is to get anyone to get out of bed on a Sunday morning and come to church. We rely on volunteers to do all that needs doing to keep our ancient buildings open and to provide religious services for the few in the community who want them. We risk losing many of our volunteers if we now insist they do the course before helping out. The way the courses are worded is extremely provocative too. Everything has become an abuse! We are all closet abusers, it seems! I think most people understand that there are vulnerable people in our society and they need to be protected but these courses make us so nervous about saying and doing anything that eventually there will be no-one willing to risk helping them for fear of being accused of abuse!!!
I though junior rugby had taken it too far but they are almost relaxed compared to what you have to do. Volunteers are hard to find at the best of times.
Yes 🙁
I, too, looked up rammel (no WP, not rammed). It’s amazing how fascinating you can make a dire day 🙂
🙂 Thank you.
If New York’s trainee taxi drivers are considered too aggressive, they often get jobs driving buses in Nottingham, especially the ones along Mansfield and Hucknall Roads
I know what you mean. This was on Mansfield Road, trying to park outside the MIND shop. 🙂
I am glad you don’t have to go back for two weeks. They gave you time off on the blood work. 🙂
Mine is better than I envisaged as I had no thought of any future when I was young.
Which just goes to prove the danger of thinking…
I had to look up rammel as I had never seen the word before. I hope the bird song made up for the rude bus driver. Your ending sentence made me laugh. So true of most of us, I think.
Sorry – I thought about linking it to a dictionary of Nottinghamshire words. 🙂
Not a problem! Very easy to look it up.
It’s always good to learn a new word. 🙂
It sure is. Always brightens my day.
🙂