your meeting with the Strident Student yesterday brought to my attention the fact that I have been neglecting this blog. I have a myriad of excuses attributable in the main to having a manic life at the moment. Since returning from the Iraq/Oman trip it's been non-stop in every area from work, to Miss Sensible's GCSEs, to visiting to check on my dad's very slow recovery from the cancer treatment, to transportation of Strident Student and her worldly belongings from the Steel City back to mundane Malvern...and the odd bit of gardening when I can squeeze it in.
For those who are wondering how things are going as I move into my fifth month of the new job and the honeymoon period starts to fade, I'm pleased to report it's still great. Ridiculously full-on but soooo interesting. The range of things I have to deal with is wide, unpredictable and incredibly challenging. This week I have been wrestling with the fact that one of the Embassies is no longer issuing us with visas to enable the recruits to be deployed to their place of work, I've also been considering the medical assessment required if we decide to recruit from a nation with a very high incidence of AIDS. ..where else would I be coming up against these issues?
In terms of travel, at the moment I'm spending far too much time in London (and consequently on Great Western trains) so the work:life balance is a bit of an issue. I remain hopeful this will eventually become a bit more reasonable but probably not for a couple of months.
Gosh! What a response. Now I feel guilty for dragging you away from all the important goings-on in your life. I heard from SS that your father is improving, if more slowly than you all hoped, about which I'm very pleased. And if the pictures of the garden at the top of the post are of your garden, then it looks lovely, and doesn't seem to be suffering too much neglect. Hope your trips further and further East don't result in you meeting yourself yesterday ... or tomorrow ... or some other unpredictable time.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris, I didn't really think anyone read the stuff which is half the reason I've not worried too much about updating it. Nice to know I still have a follower!
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to Nepal and very much hoping I'll get to see some of the sights if time permits. The trip after that is likely to be Fiji which is pretty exciting. Not sure how I'll be with the jet-lag....uncharted territory for me in every respect!
The pics are of my garden. I'm trying to keep on top of it but although it's reasonably tidy it needs some re-stocking to ensure there's colour all year round. In the last few months I've not made it to the garden centre hence it looks decidedly 'green'. Maybe next weekend....