Hi there, I’ve had an interesting few days.
At work everyone on my shift in my department was off on Tuesday and Wednesday, except yours truly. This meant I was left, de facto, in charge, and given a couple of work-shy muppets to try and get the job done.
For one thing, I’m not a bossy sort. I prefer to do my own job, and let everyone get on and do theirs. Then there’s the calibre of muppet they send over. It seems to be the rule that if they are any good at their job, or don’t mind working, they won’t send them to our department.
Tuesday was bad; two lads who although they had worked in our department before and therefore knew the job, were determined to do as little as possible.
One bright spot in that shift though was a conversation one of them was having with another lad about one of the managers. Said manager has started growing one of those fashionable moustache/ beard jobbies, commonly and erroneously referred to as a goatee.
Anywho, one of the lads said "What’s up with him? When I saw him before, he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders."
The other lad replied "His missus has left him."
"His new missus?"
"Yeah."
There was a thoughtful pause, "Still, no excuse for not shaving."
Lad humour. Cruel, but fun.
Then on Wednesday I had an even more work-shy crew, and I ended up losing my rag and giving one of them a mouthful. I was ready to lay him out, I was that angry. After that he pulled his weight and everything went swimmingly.
The moral to that story being; if your man-management skills aren’t great, just make it known slackers will be severely beaten. As one of those demotivational posters proclaims: "Slavery. Gets shit done."
The very same day I managed to pick up a wannabe copper on my way home. I was tootling well within the speed limit, (as set by Einstein) took a corner somewhat enthusiastically, then noticed a cop car in my mirror. Obviously I obeyed all the highway code strictures (as always!) and surreptitiously put my seatbelt on. I got on to a national speed limit road, still being followed, accelerated to 70-ish, came to an island, slowed to 60-ish, shot across, then got flashed down by the cop-car. It had no blue lights, so used headlights to get me to pull over. (Does that mean it was one of those volunteer, wannabe coppers?)
So I pulled over. On a clearway. Bit miffed. Stupid arse had me get out of the mighty Micra and into the back of his play cop-car. Giving me grief about, not slowing down and driving like I was in a go-kart. He was saying there was a car at the island and if he’d have pulled out I couldn’t have stopped. I know. It was my right of way. Darwin had something to say about people who pull out in front of speeding vehicles when it’s not their right of way. Their deaths contribute to the fitness of the gene pool.
Anyway, after pointless waffling I was let off without even a caution. Tossers. Get a job.
Today all is well, I’m off for the weekend! Hoorah!
The chucking down patches of rain haven’t stopped me from going to B&Q and doing loads of gardening. Happy days.
Right I’m off for a shower and then to the chippy (it’s Friday night, it’s the law)
Toodles.
Buck.
PS, just to explain a bit about the gardening photo’s I’ve added to my pictures. I got a memory card for the camera for when we go on our jolly hols at the end of the month so thought I’d try it out. Then thought I might as well share.
What is not apparent from the photo’s is what is happening. There are those who see the imperfections in what is, rather than envision the perfection to which it aspires. To those nit-picking, glass-half-empty, obtusely pragmatic individuals I say; "Shut up, Wendy!"
It is not finished, hopefully never will be, but there is a vision. The grassy knoll is the prime case in point. When I started with the box hedge it was nothing but a bunch of 3" tall twigs and a general desire to have a formal element in the garden, Several incarnations later it has become a vision of clipped circular miniature hedge. An inner ring of sedge grass, the cordyline australis (big sword leaved red plant) and phormeum (big black leaved ones) boxing in the recent addition of a hump (to ensure the centre piece eucalyptus is sufficiently dry). In front of which are two smaller, decorative grasses. Atop the new mound is a ring of blue grass. To tie it all into a cohesive unit is that green ground cover. I’m allowed to trim the box at the end of this month, so it should look more or less the part, and I reckon the ground cover will have spread to cover the whole area by the end of the year.
Too much information, I’d readily agree, but the whole garden is like that. An evolving scheme. Every decision creates problems, overcoming them presents opportunities. (My god, I think I’ll have to take up motivational speaking!) I’ll post some more pictures anon. It will look good. Despite Wendy.
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