Because I like to cram all important events into the
month of December, I have decided to hand my notice in tomorrow.
My time as a supermarket-attached filling-station area-under-manager will come to a close at the end of February ‘21.
Blimey…
RC 30-11-20
I met up with my potential new boss again yesterday.
It was sort of my formal interview, although there was nothing formal about it,
and it wasn’t really an interview.
He gave me more details about the job and what he
would expect me to do with it. It was good because he gave it a dose of
reality, whereas last week it was all about selling the position to get me interested.
I’m excited about the opportunity, but also a bit
fearful about making the leap. Whether that is just a bit of understandable
fear of change, or a worry that I might be making a ‘grass isn’t always greener’
mistake, I’m not sure, so I’m going to take most of today going over things
with Philippa and seeing how I really feel. She’s already said – more than once –
“You’re not happy where you are. You’ve never settled there. It might feel
comfortable but it’s not really something you enjoy. It’s just a job,” so I
think I can guess what her suggestion will be.
My main point is this: 2020 has shown us what’s
important and what isn’t. With uncertain times ahead and many jobs at threat,
the general thinking seems to be that ANY job is better than nothing. However,
I believe this year has also shown us that there’s no point being stuck in a
relationship, career or home that you don’t like, because if something like a
virus comes along that takes away all your hobbies and your chance to visit
friends and family, then all you’re left with is something you don’t like. So
this should be our motivation to make changes. And I have a been given a chance
to change the one and only aspect of my life that ever causes me grief.
Wouldn’t I be a fool not to take it?
(I’ll let you know later, because it needs more
thought, and I haven’t had enough sleep, and I’m about to get the Xmas tree out
of its box, ready for decorating on Tuesday!)
RC 29-11-20
UNPRECEDENTED has been used so, so often this year,
and now I’m going to use it myself. My output of blog postings this year is
reaching UNPRECEDENTED levels! I have now posted more than 20 blog scribblings
EVERY month of 2020, and I’m confident I can keep that up in December too. I
never thought I would beat my 2018 total of 250 posts in a year, but I think I
probably will now. I might even try and post EVERY DAY next month, so I can
really take this year’s numbers to unbeatable and – yes, let’s say it again –
UNPRECEDENTED levels. That will also tick off a challenge I have wanted to
achieve for about a decade – writing something EVERY DAY in one calendar month.
SO many posts this year!
And SO MANY CAPITALS in this posting…..
RC 27-11-20
We’re discussing the possibility of booking
ourselves a little holiday. Philippa is keen to see some foreign soil before
she gets herself pregnant again, and I’m getting the urge to see the back of
Britain for a while. Mathew is a bit older, so won’t be a wailing infant on the
aeroplane, and there are some ridiculously cheap deals to be had at the moment.
Anyone would think there’s been a pandemic that has gutted the tourist industry
throughout Europe…
I don’t think it’ll happen, but it’s been fun to
think about and chat about. The news about vaccines and all that looks good,
but who knows when we’ll all be allowed to move about without restrictions? The
likelihood is that it’ll be next Autumn before a worldwide programme of
inoculations has worked to the point of ‘Normality’ and in the meantime, holiday
bookings and whether they’re fulfilled are at the whim of the spread of the
virus. We could book a ‘safe’ trip to a ‘safe’ destination, only to be stuck in
quarantine when the designation’s changed while we’re there. We could arrange
two weeks on a Greek island, which could be fine when we get the confirmation,
only for it to be rendered unvisitable the day before we fly. I’d much rather
sort something out domestically so there’s a good chance we can actually go
ahead with it. (And besides – if I take this job with Gavin, I might be able to
get us cheap staycations!!)
But, as I said, it’s been fun to think about and
talk about, and my long list of Places To Visit Later In Life is longer now
than ever.
RC 26-11-20
I had a chat with one of my ‘superiors’ today and
explained my current situation. It wasn’t part of the plan when the
conversation began, it was just a regular (via Teams) catch-up, but she started
talking about ideas for next Summer and I felt I had to be honest and say
there’s a chance I won’t even be here.
She instantly went into Corporate Mode and tried to
sweet-talk me into a decision, saying, “They’re looking at you as a possible Area
Manager. Didn’t you know that?”
“No, because they’re useless at communication,” said
I, “Are you saying if I stick around I might get a decent promotion?”
“Well, I can’t say that, but your name has been mentioned as a prospect, so if
they don’t restructure and limit the numbers on that level, and if you haven’t
been lost in a slew of planned redundancies, then I think you’d be high on the
list as a candidate. If a job came up. But don’t quote me on that.”
That answer basically sums up my problems with the
people running this company. You don’t really know where you stand, because
no-one has a clue where it’s going. You’re not appreciated, or even noticed,
until they think they might lose you. There’s no real chance of advancement,
because there’s no real plan for how the management structure will evolve in
the next few years. There’s a possibility of promotion, but there’s also the
same probability that you’ll be sent packing in a reshuffle that’s done on the
whim of some overpaid consultant that a director somewhere has decided needs to
be listened to. If I quit, I’ll be taking a leap into the unknown, but if I
stay, I’ll just be getting more of the same. There’s no real certainty or
security here. This time next year I could be replaced by a computerised system
and looking for work elsewhere. I might have done a terrific job for the
company, but I’ll still be cast aside if they can save a few quid on their
salary outgoings by getting thing done by an algorithm.
That ‘Reasons To Go’ list is getting longer and
longer by the hour.
RC 24-11-20
Philippa has bought into the online social media
middle-aged mums obsession with setting up Christmas trees early this year, so
for once she’s not moaning at me about wanting to get the decorations sorted in
the first few days of December. I was tempted to have a look through everything
yesterday, but managed to hold myself off. The anticipation is as enjoyable as
the action for me, so I’ll stick to my tradition and wait until November has
passed.
It was a glorious weekend, by the way. Worked for a
few hours on Saturday, but I find that quite enjoyable these days, as it’s not
regular enough to be annoying, and there’s always a different vibe to the filling
station on a Saturday. It gave me a chance to sit in my office with a big
notepad and sort out how I feel about this Job Offer thing. Two pieces of A4
notepad – one labelled ‘GO’ and one labelled ‘STAY’ – then on each I wrote a
list of ‘Reasons To…’ and a list of ‘Reasons Not To…’ and I spent the day
jotting down my thoughts. I have to say that by the end of my shift, there was
an overwhelmingly lopsided look to the whole project. I may not have all the
details of what The New Position would involve, but I’d say it’s much more
likely I’ll be taking it than rejecting it.
Sunday was a day at home, cuddling up away from the
cold outside. I cooked a ridiculously large joint of beef for lunch, and we had
a Zoom call with Ted and Beryl in the evening. Beryl is ignoring the fact that
she might not have a huge gathering at her house over Christmas, and is doing
her usual pre-Yuletide practice runs of Food She Might Want To Prepare For The
Family Meal. We didn’t get to taste it this year, but God it looked good on the
webcam. She has found a new way of honey-glazing vegetables while roasting
them, so they come out looking shiny and slightly crisp. Honestly – it was like
watching an hour-long advert for a five-star restaurant.
So, by the end of that I was hungry again and ended
up eating loads of toasted sandwiches. And then I had some cheese and biscuits
while watching the NFL. I guess the pre-Xmas eating build-up has well and truly
begun!
RC 23-11-20
My son will be two
In just a calendar month
Where does the time go?
Working this weekend
A Saturday morning shift
Let’s hope it’s quiet
Already I see
Many homes decorated
Christmas is coming!
A very sore tooth
Christmas just a month away
Dare I eat peanuts?
Vaccine on the way
Just ONE ‘different’ Christmas
Let’s make it special
RC 20-11-20
I’m still no nearer knowing how I feel about my job
offer. Every positive aspect I consider can be countered by a reason not to do
it. I don’t know if most of that is fear based or the result of sensible
consideration. I’m so mangled up inside my own head that I am starting to wish I
could magically jump to next Summer so the decision was already taken and I was
living with the consequences, rather than being crippled by the choice before
me.
I had no intention of mentioning all this to anyone
within my current company, but I did go against that yesterday and chat with
one of my fellow under-managers from the East of England. I won’t name them,
for fear of future reprisals against them if any of Those Above Me read this
blog, but I respect them a great deal and decided to open up about the
situation. Their main worry was about how my leaving might impact on their own
career! The fear is that I will not be replaced, so the bosses can cut my
salary from the outgoings, and the culling of our level of management will
begin in earnest. That can’t be my concern, but I can see it happening. This
has been rumoured for a long time – almost since the changes first happened
that created these jobs in the first place - and they’ve spent the last few
months trying to find ways to justify getting rid of a few of us, in favour of
a more automated system, overseen by just one Area Manager.
Maybe I should be seeing that as another reason to
say yes to Gavin. If my ‘superiors’ have made it plain that my job might not
even exist in a year’s time, what’s the point of feeling guilty about quitting?
Isn’t it better to get out now and get a head start, rather than wait for the
inevitable and then have to scramble around to find something else?
The other big determining thought in all this is the
teaching idea. Over lockdown, and after discussions with Mrs Chesworth, we had
pretty much decided that I’d drop out of employment next Summer anyway, to
spend a year training to be a teacher. That timing would seem to fit in with what
my present employers are supposedly planning. If I stick it out another 9
months or so I’ll get a redundancy package and be free to start training. That
almost sounds too convenient to seem true.
However…
On top of that confusion, and since that decision
was discussed and decided upon, Philippa has been hormonally hijacked by a
seemingly impossible-to-reason-with urge to make a sibling for Mathew. Can I
consider a year of studying with the likelihood of a baby and a 2-year-old in
the house? Maybe, in that case, a bright shiny new career already
up-and-running before my wife gives birth again is just what the doctor
ordered, and that’s another big plus on the side of making the leap.
God, this stuff is hard.
RC 19-11-20
I have a problematic tooth, and not much choice
about what to do with it. It’s niggling away on the right side of my mouth like
a constant reminder that I’m human. On the odd, rare occasion when it stops
hurting I forget about it, then I eat on that side again and it sets it off.
I’m not in agony, but I am in continuous discomfort and it’s starting to pee me
off. Our dentist is only accepting
emergency calls, which basically means extractions and nothing else, so I
either have to put up with it and hope for the best, manage it with painkillers
and saltwater rinses until our dentist stops using Covid as an excuse and gets
back to work, or let it get so bad that there’s no choice but to have it taken
out.
None of those options are making me feel contented.
RC 18-11-20
Two weeks from today we’ll be in December.
I already feel I am running out of time to squeeze in the Xmas movies I wish to see, so I have spent an hour today (in work time, obviously) compiling a list of definites, possibles and ‘If There’s Time…’s.
MUST be watched before Dec 25th:
The Muppets Christmas Carol
Gremlins
Santa Claus: The Movie
It’s A Wonderful Life
Arthur Christmas
Would love to fit in if I can:
Miracle on 34th Street (either version…)
The Patrick Stewart 1999 TV version of “A Christmas Carol”
Elf
The Santa Clause
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Also on the ‘Wish’ list but not vital:
“A Christmas Carol” (Robert Zemeckis/Jim Carrey CGI version)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Van Helsing (my first viewing was one Xmas so it has an association..)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (same as above)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974 version), (because there’s so much snow!)
And Philippa wants us to watch “Love Actually” because she’s a woman, and they all have to do the same things as each other or they’re not part of the Sisterhood, and watching “Love Actually” at Xmas is just what women do these days….
RC 17-11-20
Working from home today and finding it hard to concentrate.
Partly distracted by the thought of a possible
change of employment, partly stuck in Weekend Mode and therefore wanting to do
fun things instead of work things.
Partly thinking “I might be leaving soon, so what’s
the point in trying?” and partly thinking “I can’t focus today anyway, and
anything I do will be done half-arsed, so what’s the point in trying?”
I am seriously considering giving up on the day and
watching a Christmas movie.
RC 16-11-20
November, like a partly-decomposed squirrel, is half-gone already!
My mind is still whirling today like a Catherine Wheel. I had strange dreams about being bombarded by a swarm of bees while working as a lifeguard, about having to manage a caravan site while dressed as a clown, and about being caught-up in a terror attack at a socially-distanced wedding on a beach.
Gavin and his proposal have set weird things swirling in my mind and I need to take a break from them and enjoy what’s left of my Sunday.
So – a roast meal, a bottle of light wine, a Duplo-based play with Mathew, and an evening of Live NFL will help me out a treat, I feel.
RC 15-11-20
I met up with Gavin today, the gentleman who has asked me to work for him. And when I say ‘met up’ I mean ‘sat at either end of a large table outside, both wearing masks’.
It was quite a conversation. The first 10 minutes was general chit-chat, then there was 20 minutes of him explaining the history of his business, where it is now, and where he wants it to go, and then the next 20 minutes was me brainstorming ways I might be able to help, and how my career history to this point might be beneficial. For the first time in my life I feel like I have performed well in an interview, even though it wasn’t an interview as such, just an informal chat about the position and the possibilities.
My interest, I must admit, has been piqued.
His caravan sites – there are 3 of them – are a mixture of on-site homes and holiday lets. The permanent residents sometimes rent out their places during the Summer, and by law they have to vacate the site for 1 month every year anyway, so part of the job is keeping them happy and helping them with finding alternative accommodation every January. The rest of the work is managing the day-to-day running of each site, and overseeing the teams that handle bookings, maintenance, security, sales and marketing. They get extremely busy with holidaymakers from May half-term through to Hallowe’en, but there are no spots for touring caravans to rock up, so I’d always know how many people we had at any one time, and there’s an absolute limit to the amount of people I might have to deal with. That is not the case, of course, in my present place of occupation.
There would be lots to learn, and it would probably be two years or so before I got the hang on the yearly ebbs and flows and what is needed when, but Gavin is insistent that he will be on hand at all times should I need help, guidance or assistance.
I can see pros and cons a-plenty, and I could write about 10,000 words here in this post, with all the thoughts that are bouncing round in my head, but I think I need to let them settle, and I need to discuss it all with Philippa.
Thankfully, he doesn’t want an answer straight away.
He’s planning to make the changes in January so everyone is in place before the
busy season starts at Easter, so I can mull it over for a while yet. Which is
just as well, as I need to give three months’ notice.
RC 14-11-20
In a week of big news, came the biggest one of all –
Pfizer believe they have a useable Covid19 vaccine that could be rolled out
worldwide within months. I haven’t mentioned it yet because it’s still been
sinking in. I’ve been avoiding the news since late Spring, so I don’t always
get the latest headlines, and we’re all so used to doom-laden reporting this
year that a sliver of hope in amongst the darkness is somehow hard to believe.
But when you look at it properly, and read the science, rather than the political slant or the journalistic bias, it does indeed seem to be wonderful news. My fear now is that the most stupid people of Britain, who have shown themselves to be ignorant to the point of dangerous throughout 2020, will now assume it is okay to start behaving like it’s 2017 again and will propel us into an even worse situation long before the vaccine gets here, but maybe that’s my pessimistic side trying to find the negative in everything again. There are still final hurdles to be cleared, and it will take many months before the roll-out is achieved to a level that is workable in the wider world, but for the first time since February we can plan for the future with hope, and I’m going to enjoy that feeling while we have it.
(And I’m going to avoid my wife as long as possible. I have a suspicion this news will give her the go-ahead to discuss another baby…..)Here are roughly 10% of the work-related questions I
have asked myself today:
Do I want to swap retail for tourism?
Would the caravan site be a career cul-de-sac, or
can I use it for future advancement?Wouldn’t I miss the constant smell of fuel?
Would it be nicer dealing with people on holiday
(which is a joy for them) rather than people who are shopping (which is a
chore)?
Do I really want the job or do I just fancy a
change?
Where would I be in 5 years if I take it?
Where would I be in 5 years if I stay here?
Isn’t the supermarket trade a more stable one than
holiday sites?
Isn’t there a good chance that my job here will be
obsolete soon anyway?
Hasn’t that been mentioned several times over the
past year or so?
What about the plan to train for teaching?
How is any of this using my studies in science?
Shouldn’t I be concentrating on working today
instead of thinking about a different job?
Isn’t my current office conveniently close to home?
What about losing my staff reduction on our
groceries?
Will there ever be a rainbow?
RC 12-11-20
I have sort of, but not really, been asked about the
possibility of considering a change of employment location.
I think I mentioned this before, but through the
garage work I’ve got to know a guy who owns a number of holiday venues
throughout East Anglia. Really decent chap, and we always have a good
conversation whenever he’s around. There was an occasion, a couple of Summers
ago I think, when he had sounded me out about the idea of going to work for him
as a manager. I was flattered, and excited, and gave it a lot of thought, but
at the time it seemed like the wrong thing to consider seriously. Philippa was
either pregnant, or desperate to be, and it seemed a bit risky to chuck in a
job I had got the hang of, for one where I’d be having to learn, and prove
myself, from scratch.
Anyway – regardless of how accurately I remember
that situation – he has floated the idea to me again today. He actually rang
me, unexpectedly, and said he would have loved to have taken me out for a meal
and a chat under normal circumstances, but obviously they don’t apply right
now. So he had to call me and have a speculative, pot-stirring,
would-you/wouldn’t-you exchange on the mobile.
My head is spinning, I must confess.
He told me that they have just had the best four
months in their history, and that 2021 bookings are already close to sold out.
The ongoing uncertainty over foreign travel has led lots of Brits to plan for a
holiday at home, and the coastal regions of Norfolk and Suffolk in particular
have been swamped with enquiries. Confident in the short-to-long-term future of
the company, he has just invested in buying out a small fleet of hire boats on
the Norfolk Broads. His intention is to concentrate on that side of the
business from now on, so he’s looking to share his workload at the other
venues. I think the whole life-changing, time-to-rethink nature of this year
has led him to decide he wants to ease off the pedal a bit, personally, taking
on less work and spending more time with his family. So the boats will be his
thing, and the caravan parks and the campsite will be in someone else’s hands.
He said he has always been impressed by the personalities
and the professionalism of my staff, and he knows that the attitude of any
workforce is a reflection of the manager above them. He also likes the fact
that I am responsible for filling stations at 4 different sites, as this would
be a similar way of working to the one he hopes to instigate across his holiday
places. We didn’t go any further than
that, he said he just wanted to plant the seed in my head and give me a few
days to mull it over before discussing it with him properly.
So…..
Lots for Rory to think about tonight.
RC 11-11-20
I have to say that the first few days of lockdown
this time have passed surprisingly smoothly in my corner of the world of
supermarket retail. Whether it’s because we’re familiar with it all from
Spring, whether it’s because the restrictions aren’t quite as severe as last
time, or whether it’s just a collective sense of decency, people generally seem
to be behaving themselves and treating each other with respect. The ‘All In
This Together’ attitude seems to be winning out over the ‘F**k You, I’m Looking
Out For Myself’ one. We’ve had a few individuals trying to buy enough toilet
roll to see a troop of scouts through a bout of dysentery, but they’ve been
exceptions. Mostly, shoppers are buying what they need to see them through the
next few days, rather than stockpiling whatever the latest internet scarefest
is telling them will be running out soon.
As I wandered around the store this afternoon, there
was dried pasta, milk, eggs, sanitary products and handwash to spare. Back in
the last two weeks of March, you were more likely to see an albino Yeti on a
shelf than a bottle of Carex. So something is different this time, and I
applaud it.
RC 10-11-20
It’s taken me a few days to be able to process it
and respond to it, but here’s my little tuppence-worth on what has transpired
over in America since Tuesday.
For a start – I thank God I don’t live there. Our
Brexit referendum shenanigans may have got a little heated at times, but
nothing like the undercurrent of armed chaos constantly simmering Over The Water.
I think the telling moment in the whole affair was
the difference in the two men’s behaviour while the count was still going on.
Joe Biden was pleading for calm and asking for the democratic process to be
allowed to happen in the fullness of time; Donald Trump was trying to throw a
spanner in the works, accusing everyone of conspiring against him, and stoking
up the rhetorical outbursts. (Apologies if that sentence didn’t make sense – I
lost interest in what I was trying to say after typing the word ‘Trump’).
I, like many other people around the world I
suspect, just feel incredibly relieved that the outcome has fallen the way it
has. There will still be fallout and there will still be a defiance from the
present incumbent and an infantile attempt to hang on to his power, but I have
a feeling that there are mechanisms in place behind the scenes that will
basically hamstring him from now until January. I don’t lean either way,
politically speaking. My support and my vote and my opinion has always been
influenced by the personality and the behaviour of the individuals involved,
rather than by policies or any particular allegiance to a party or an ideal. I
was amazed, disappointed and fearful when Mr Trump was elected 4 years ago, but
there was a part of me that hoped he would treat the Office with respect and
compose himself accordingly. I hoped all his supporters were right and all the
naysayers were wrong and that maybe, against expectations, he would be a great President
and exactly what the 21st Century needed in a leader.
Nope.
So – yeah – not nailing any political colours to any
masts, but I don’t think there’s ever been an election result in another
country that has been met with such delight by me, and by the people I know
around me here in Britain. There is still shit to deal with, and the World is
still a mightily dangerous place, but it somehow feels safer, and in safer
hands.
RC 9-11-20
On this day of sombreness and thankful remembering,
I hope most of can appreciate the fact that what we are going through now is
nothing compared to what the generations before us went through. Be anxious and
feel restricted, yes, but do not convince yourself that we are facing the worst
conditions ever endured by the British people.
2020 hasn’t been great, but I’m 100% sure that 100%
of those living in 1920 or 1940 would happily trade places with us in an
instant.
RC 8-11-20
With Bonfire Night in the rearview, I am starting to
turn my thoughts towards Christmas. One doesn’t like to go at this stuff too
early, but one does have a long list of Xmassy songs that one loves, and a long
list of Xmassy films one likes to see during the build-up. Normally, I leave it
too late and then run out of time to fit it all in. This year, I am considering
a seven-week run-up that gives me time to exhaust my entire collection of
festive favourites.
Working where I work doesn’t help. We’ve had the
decorations up since the 1st of November, and two aisles in the
store have been given over to selection boxes, advent calendars and tinsel. All
sorts of specialist puddings are available already, and 20% of the output from
the in-store bakery now is mince pies. Normally this starts to annoy me, but
this year I’m getting right into it, and I’m considering getting into it even
more by cracking open my own catalogue of Christmas delights.
We’re not allowed out-and-about for the next four
weeks, so why not spend that time getting myself into the mood for December?
Yes -WHY NOT? I can always come up with reasons to stop me doing stuff I know I
will enjoy, and that is not a good way to treat oneself. So – unless you can
come up with a justifiable excuse to stop me – I am going to start ploughing
through some old Christmas classics on Monday.
RC 7-11-20
Our stay-at-home, virtual Bonfire Night was an ultra-enjoyable triumph!
It may actually lead me to think ‘who needs organised displays?’ in the future. The outside air was perfectly crisp and still, our mini bonfire sparkled and flamed like a cosy slice of Winter warmth, and the grub we took out with us tasted marvellous.
I ended the evening by showing a video of the biggest firework ever set off – a gargantuan monstrosity of manmade explosive wonder that detonated over Colorado back in February. Even seeing it on a screen was breathtaking.
I would post a link to the clip, but I don’t want to be advertising someone else’s YouTube channel, so if you just type ‘WORLD’S BIGGEST FIREWORK 2020’ into the search bar I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see it. It’s not a fancy, multicoloured, lots-of-stages, cacophonous affair, it’s just a one-off sound-and-light ejaculation (for want of a better word). But WHAT a one-off sound-and-light ejaculation!
At first, you just see a black nightscape with a trail of a rocket racing its way into the sky. Then the damn thing goes off and lights up what appears to be an area with a 7-mile radius, including an entire valley and two separate villages. The camera is so far away from the explosion that it takes several seconds for the sound to reach it, THAT’S how enormous this baby was. It is almost unreal to behold. If we got our hands on one and set it off in our garden, I think we’d level half the houses in Suffolk.
My favourite firework of the night, however, was a cleverly designed Japanese one that left a pattern in the sky like a jellyfish.
I had a great time. I expected disappointment because I was comparing this year to previous ones, and I ended up trying something different and enjoying it immensely. A lesson for us all there, as we deal with another lockdown and an ongoing pandemic…
RC 6-11-20
P.S. Sorry for the nasty image about a giant ejaculation in the sky…
I watched ‘Parasite’ again last night, and I’m pleased to say it was every bit as good as I remembered. I was scared going into it that it might be one of those films that suffers a bit from repeat viewing. I wondered whether I should leave it as a one-off watch so that I didn’t somehow taint the utter joy I experienced when I watched it in the cinema back in the pre-Covid days. I needn’t have worried – if anything, I noticed more to be impressed by than I had spotted first time around.
It’s just brilliant. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to rectify that situation as soon as possible. In a year of cancellations, postponements, disappointments and hurt, it is a rare chance to enjoy something wondrous.
RC 5-11-20
It has disappointed me massively that I won’t get to
see a fireworks display this year. Bonfire Night has always been one of my Top
3 Days Of The Year, and has grown increasingly so as I’ve got older. I just
love the whole thing - congregating outside, drinking overpriced soup from a Styrofoam
cup, feeling your front half singe as you face the fire while your back and
arse are freezing, jostling for position in a muddy field, the slight worry
that comes over you when a rocket seems to be arcing over the top of the crowd.
Even the idiots who stop watching the display so they can get their camera
phones working to film some of it have a certain charm to me these days. But,
like so many things in 2020, that regular, annual source of joy has been denied
us.
Never mind. I’ve always said that things like
Christmas would mean so much more if we had to wait longer for them. So I’m not
gonna get all down and grumpy about it, I’m going to do what I’ve been telling
other people to do all year – adapt and accept, and make the best of it. Tomorrow night we shall have a little fire in
the garden. We shall have mugs of soup, warmed sausage rolls and some
sparklers. Then we shall come indoors and, on our largest, brightest, most HD-friendly
TV screen, watch a video of a big, expensive display on YouTube (of which there
are many).
And then next year I’ll hit an outdoor event like a sugar
addict hitting a sherbet fountain.
Here’s an afterthought: Why don’t all the organised
displays store up the fireworks they would have used this year, and set them
all off in one go when we finally see off the virus?
RC 4-11-20
What a fun time to be working in the supermarket
trade…
People are buying loads of stuff, even though we’ll
still be fully open during the lockdown, and even though we didn’t run out of
anything last lockdown (do humans really have that short a memory?)
Philippa’s doctor surgery is having to deal with
people trying to over-order their regular meditation in an attempt to stockpile
it, even though the dispensary will still be functioning normally during November,
and even though there were no issues back in Spring. Once again, we are having to deal with
problems caused by people who are trying to deal with a problem that didn’t
exist in the first place.
If everyone just did what they normally do, we’d
have well stocked-shelves and no problems at the GPs, but saying that is like
saying ‘if everyone does as we’re being asked to, we won’t have to have another
lockdown’.
No offence to anyone with a modicum of intelligence,
but the British Public, in general, are thick as shit.
RC 3-11-20
