If you go down to the woods today...

Sunny days like today deserve to be spent outdoors with your dogs, not in front of a laptop doing online courses in Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity and other tedious but necessary induction type topics.

So assuming I'm allowed a lunch break I called the hounds, donned my coat and hat...(it was chilly in the shade) and sunglasses.  I wear them a) because its a bit sunny, b) it stops my eyes from watering and c) I can see where I'm going. That's not a quiz by the way...all three apply!

Today I decided to do the woods walk as I call it. The beach walk was too far for a lunch break and the short and speedy wet weather power walk around the streets didn't wasn't an option since it wasn't wet.

Off we went up our street, Keesha to my left , Kizzy on my right. Always following the rule that Kizzy is beside the wall in case a bus or lorry passes and reduces her to a shivering wreck. Turn left at the top, over the dodgey junction and across the Broadway field...also known as  Keesha's toilet. Deposits collected, tied up and disposed off as required we headed to the woods.

I never knew these woods existed until we moved into the town. Totally hidden between houses, but really quite peaceful and pleasant. Open paths, a little muddy at times and pine carpeted tracks all criss-crossing each other means you can have a long walk if you choose your route well.

Occasionally you notice some odd bits of clothing, wood and dog chewed plastic bottles....I think its the latest canine craze this season...or maybe its all the spaniels  labs and retrievers improvising?

Today I saw this...

Someone went to a lot of trouble and effort to get that sofa there. My mind is still churning this over. Fly tippers? There's plenty of other places they could have left it. Fly tip thieves - making a den? A 'Friends' spin off series?

Unfortunately the grim truth is that its probably the local drug cartel's new hideaway.  The 'bizzies' must have found their old one.  Maybe tomorrow there will be a plasma TV and XBox too?

Watch this space.....#SofaWatch

Two Week Whirlwind

It started a week last Thursday with an interview for a Regional Trainer with a big provider based in the South West. The interview went well and after a 24 hour wait, I was offered the post.  Excellent.  "When can you start?" "Next Monday?" so next Monday it was.

Friday was a flurry of frantic emails and plans to get me from up here to down there before everyone went away for their weekends. Flight and hotel were booked and I was told to be at head office for induction at 11am.

My weekend consisted of a combination of washing, ironing and packing, watching football matches at various levels and making lists of 'things to do' for those left in my wake.  Finally packed and prepared, I headed off to the airport, parked my car and found Starbucks.

I've flown on planes loads of times, mostly long haul though so wasn't at all familiar with the travel routine of easyJet and their 'pay as you go' system. I had one hold bag and one cabin bag allocated.  Having been told I would be returning with a laptop bag and equipment I took just a handbag, but witnessed a couple of passengers having to rearrange their packing to fit their bag into the orange 'only if it fits' metal box beside the gate. I made a mental note to make sure I didn't make the same spectacle of myself on the way back.

The fight was as long as a bus trip into Newcastle and uneventful apart from the two hosties having an in depth chat about the benefits of gel nails and not hearing the 'knock, knock' on the cabin door from the ground crew at Bristol who wanted them to open the door.  Once on the ground, I had collected my suitcase and found a taxi in the space of 15 minutes. In the pouring rain and darkness I headed towards my home for the next five days....Brizzle! 

Unlike previous employers who expected their staff to stay with relatives or dreadful places like Travelodge while away, this organisation pushed the boat out. The hotel was The Future Inn and was right opposite a fantastic shopping centre called Cabot Circus. Another mental note....hide the credit card!  It was modern, spacious and very comfortable. Enough space to juggle a herd of cows never mind swing a cat!  This week wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Day 1-5 involved a lot of this..

.....and this

....and carrying out mental vetting of the other 22 people on the course to sort them into groups.  Those to avoid like the plague, those who 'seem' ok and the normal folk same as me and who you make a point of talking to. By the end of day 1 the 'Normal Folk Gang' had seven members. One paramedic, one midwife, three care managers and two of us from retail.

It was a heavy week of learning about the company, the systems, the procedures, getting IT kit, phone, laptop, scanner, printer and all the usual setting up problems that come with such equipment.  Missing leads, too many leads, no service, incorrect passwords etc etc. Not to mention the careful measuring of my large laptop case to ensure it went in the easyJet box!

The spare time was spent here.. 

Cabot Circus

...or eating with 'the gang' in the hotel restaurant followed by lounging on the huge bed eating biscuits, making phone calls and watching TV.  By the end of the day we were all pretty tired and being on the more 'mature' side we had no inkling to go pubbing and clubbing until the early hours.

Friday finally arrived. All but two of us had left the night before as we had extra training for a retail system.  It was a lovely sunny day and we wanted to be off home as soon as possible. Unfortunately that meant waiting for a 6.30pm flight but was nice not to have to rush to the airport.

A couple of hours later I was in the car on the way home, looking forward to my own comforts and hugs from my husband and children who presumably had missed me.  Alas, it seemed they had missed my ability to wash and iron clothes and more than anything as there was a huge pile of washing and ironing waiting for my return.  Next time I will be writing instructions for the washing machine.....