Bloss died yesterday morning. She was my Aunty on my mums side and she used to be one of the most serene people I've ever known. She had a really gentle way to her that attracted people to her. Her house was always full of family laughing, and she was in the middle of a strong brood of Fletcher women, of which I see myself as one. As a kid growing up, I saw her every few days at least and she always made me laugh. Nothing was ever too much trouble for her.
Poor health caught up with her and she left the house less and less and became a different person. I haven't seen her for a long time, but my Mum looked after her and would talk about her a lot. Her health wore her down. Mum said she'd become a little confused, but I think she was just tired of being stuck in her body, that became more of a prison than the house, from the sound of it.
Mum did everything she could for her, and she's got a clean conscience, and I'm glad for that. She knows she did right by her. She helped other people do right by her too, and she's proud of that.
Sleep well Bloss, you deserve the rest.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Thursday, 2 July 2009
So I woke up, and now everything's changing. Tut
I'd booked about a week off work and I deserved it. I've worked really hard on a project recently and some time off was bang on. Then I was asked to do something in the middle of the week. I'd usually say no, but it's part of another project I've been part of for over a year, and we've got to the final round of a national training award. I was asked to represent Learning and Development (the department I'm in) and talk about my experience of the project and so on. Well, I wasn't going to miss that just to sit home in my scruffs, so I came in for the day. I'd still have the rest of the week off.
So, my phone rang at 9.30, which is too early if you've had a (very) late night the night before, and you'd planned to have breakfast around noon. I'm childless, so getting up at noon is still a very common occurrence for me. It was Jodie, one of the managers, asking me if I could come in to a briefing at 12, with the rest of the team. Now that's just sprung on me, still half asleep and realising that if I went in or not, my day was going to be spent in the pursuit of thinking what the briefing was about. So, grudgingly I got up and hauled my arse in. Still fuming though.
We've been speculating for a few months now, since we found out our department was being merged with another and generally changed about, what would happen to us. The managers went through it first and we lost most of them, so we've been shitting ourselves. We guessed we'd be reduced a bit in numbers, and our job would look a bit different, but I wasn't expecting this: We're loosing more than half or team. We've stuck a brave face on and we're pretty lucky really. We've got to apply for the new jobs and go through the usual assessments and so on. If we don't get it, we can either have voluntary redundancy (which is quite a good package) or we sit in a pool of people, waiting for a role that suits us to come up. Not ideal, but Christ, it's a job. The main thing is, if you want to stay with the company, and I definitely do, you can. If you want to take the money and run, you can apply. They may feel you're that shit hot at what you do, that they don't want to loose you, but you've got a good chance. So, I'm not out of a job, and that's the main thing. One way or another, I'll carry on working where I love, but who knows what I'll be doing. It's scary as fuck because I love my job. I'm not worried about change usually, but loosing some of my closest mates is going to be very hard.
I didn't plan to be writing about this today. I'd planned on not having a shower and spending the day grazing on shite out of the fridge and bumming about. Not being told my World is being changed from under me. Maybe it's a good thing? Maybe my World needs shaking up a bit.
So, my phone rang at 9.30, which is too early if you've had a (very) late night the night before, and you'd planned to have breakfast around noon. I'm childless, so getting up at noon is still a very common occurrence for me. It was Jodie, one of the managers, asking me if I could come in to a briefing at 12, with the rest of the team. Now that's just sprung on me, still half asleep and realising that if I went in or not, my day was going to be spent in the pursuit of thinking what the briefing was about. So, grudgingly I got up and hauled my arse in. Still fuming though.
We've been speculating for a few months now, since we found out our department was being merged with another and generally changed about, what would happen to us. The managers went through it first and we lost most of them, so we've been shitting ourselves. We guessed we'd be reduced a bit in numbers, and our job would look a bit different, but I wasn't expecting this: We're loosing more than half or team. We've stuck a brave face on and we're pretty lucky really. We've got to apply for the new jobs and go through the usual assessments and so on. If we don't get it, we can either have voluntary redundancy (which is quite a good package) or we sit in a pool of people, waiting for a role that suits us to come up. Not ideal, but Christ, it's a job. The main thing is, if you want to stay with the company, and I definitely do, you can. If you want to take the money and run, you can apply. They may feel you're that shit hot at what you do, that they don't want to loose you, but you've got a good chance. So, I'm not out of a job, and that's the main thing. One way or another, I'll carry on working where I love, but who knows what I'll be doing. It's scary as fuck because I love my job. I'm not worried about change usually, but loosing some of my closest mates is going to be very hard.
I didn't plan to be writing about this today. I'd planned on not having a shower and spending the day grazing on shite out of the fridge and bumming about. Not being told my World is being changed from under me. Maybe it's a good thing? Maybe my World needs shaking up a bit.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Taxi driver's talk to me.
I'm not in work tomorrow, so like a kid, I'm refusing to admit I'm tired, so I can stay up longer. Apart from feeling I'll get more value for money if I stay up late on what would be a school night, it's too hot to go to bed anyway. Hotter than Bangkok yesterday, apparently. I've told loads of people that fact today. Not only is it a great little info-gem, but also the word Bangkok is comedy gold. Any word with 'Cock' in it's a winner.
My taxi driver on the way home commented that it was only fair that we should whine and moan about the weather until it's perfect for us. 'After all, that's what it's there for...' I considered putting up a fight about it being for a bigger purpose than our idle chit chat, but stopped myself. Very different conversation than the one with this morning's driver, who'd just been bitten by the corner shops' dog.
I get at least one taxi a day, as a non-driver, so over the years I've got to know quite a few of Apec Taxis finest chauffeurs. Usually, as soon as I see the car, I know which one it is, and either brace myself or sigh relief. Sometimes it's like trying to carry on text conversations with loads of people, because I try to remember the last conversation we had, and pick up where we left off.
I couldn't say who my favourite driver is, because I like loads of them, but the one I dread the most, is the long haired, monotone voiced simpleton who loves to make a political comment about 7 am. Sometimes he waits for most of the journey, silently, until I think I've got away with it, before laying some wank arsed comment on me. My favourite this week is: 'You don't need any qualifications to be a politician. I'm more qualified than the Prime Minister, probably'.
Yeah, keep the change.
Updated Sept 21st:
Today he pointed out that we'd just driven past eight silver cars in a row.
My taxi driver on the way home commented that it was only fair that we should whine and moan about the weather until it's perfect for us. 'After all, that's what it's there for...' I considered putting up a fight about it being for a bigger purpose than our idle chit chat, but stopped myself. Very different conversation than the one with this morning's driver, who'd just been bitten by the corner shops' dog.
I get at least one taxi a day, as a non-driver, so over the years I've got to know quite a few of Apec Taxis finest chauffeurs. Usually, as soon as I see the car, I know which one it is, and either brace myself or sigh relief. Sometimes it's like trying to carry on text conversations with loads of people, because I try to remember the last conversation we had, and pick up where we left off.
I couldn't say who my favourite driver is, because I like loads of them, but the one I dread the most, is the long haired, monotone voiced simpleton who loves to make a political comment about 7 am. Sometimes he waits for most of the journey, silently, until I think I've got away with it, before laying some wank arsed comment on me. My favourite this week is: 'You don't need any qualifications to be a politician. I'm more qualified than the Prime Minister, probably'.
Yeah, keep the change.
Updated Sept 21st:
Today he pointed out that we'd just driven past eight silver cars in a row.
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