Alison Joseph and work

I finished reading Alison Joseph's 'A dark and Sinful Death' and very good it was too. I didn't guess what was going on, let alone work it out until the last 50 pages. A gripping story full of darkness, seething passions and feuds. Not as melodramatic as it sounds. Sister Agnes is still struggling with her vocation - especially with the vow of obedience. She is teaching French to convent schoolgirls in the dour moors of West Yorkshire around Leeds and Bradford. The moors feature heavily in the story as does a woollen mill where many of the characters work. I particularly liked Sister Philomena the redoubtable headmistress who speaks like a very old fashioned county type and yet understands what's going on without apparently being told. Like all good leaders she has eyes in the back of her head. The there's Nina who works at the mill - a very determined and funny lady who wants to make the best of herself and her life. The book had me in tears before the end as the family feuds gradually worked themselves to some sort of resolution. Excellent. I am savouring this series and reading them at intervals.

Work is going from crisis to crisis with people falling out with one another. But someone who has been bending my ear rather a lot bought me a bar of chocolate - a large one - because he felt I deserved some sort of reward for keeping people reasonably sane and generally behaving above and beyond the call of duty. Aw shucks! I was very touched by the thought. This person did go on to say that all the staff forgot that absorbing all the aggro and calming people down and staying sane myself must be taking it out of me. Yes it does, and it's nice that someone does recognise it. I had to do this a lot in the job I had up until 2005 and I'm glad I've not lost the ability. But it is tiring - I've been going to sleep remarkably early these last few nights.

Later

I have since just after 7.00 - it's now 10.40am - mopped the floors downstairs, stripped one bed, made two breakfasts, sorted out the cat, sorted all the rubbish and put it out, put my shopping away which was delivered by Mr Tesco, written this post, read my e-mails, surfed the internet etc. etc.

Friday at last

It has been a very long week. But I did get an unexpected compliment today - thank you Tracey - from a work colleague. She'd appeared at my desk to ask a couple of questions and then said she really couldn't make up her mind what to do and explained her thinking so far. I simply said to her that I would check everything myself - by actually making the journeys at the appropriate times and timing them. After about 5 minutes discussion she gave me a big grin and said 'I'm glad I came to talk to you - you always make me see sense!'

Today I'm feeling all right - a bit along the lines of 'Don't let the bs get you down'. Everyone else is much the same. We'll cope - nothing's over until the fat lady sings. Yes - sorry for the cliches but I do like both of those and there are occasions when only a cliche will do.

It's the weekend so I can put my feet up and relax at least for some of the time. Have a nice weekend everyone.