Night, night little "Rot-pot"...

...sleep tight.





 

Yesterday was a sad day. Darling little Russell (my niece's dog) passed away.

 

Rest in peace little gentleman, you will be missed........................................................

We sadly said "Goodbye" to...

...another craft shop here in South Essex.

In2crafting at Wickford, closed their doors at 3pm on Monday 26 October 2015.


John, Rene & Michelle will be missed and I hope the future holds something good for them.

In2crafting had been running for just over 11 years - originally starting at the Alpha Garden Centre and then 5 1/2 years ago relocating to the shop at Ladygate in Wickford town centre.

Demo days were always busy - this one was for Woodware stamps...

...being shown fun ways with paper piecing and the use of card candi.

Unfortunately, like many high streets these days, Wickford does not have a very wide range of shops (many premises are empty) and this has resulted in an ever decreasing level of 'footfall'.

I wish John, Rene & Michelle all the very best for wherever their journey takes them...........................

This has been the worst...

...five months of my life.

I can only imagine how the eight members of staff have felt during this time, knowing that they no longer had jobs.

As those of you who visit on a regular basis, I have been struggling to make their leaving cards but Bank Holiday weekend I made myself sit down and deal with the task in hand - a stack of Art Deco toppers came in very handy and so did the Deco PPs from DoCraft that I had in my stash.

All the cards were created on a 6x6 white pearl CS base...

 ...these three were for Anne, Sharon & Malcolm.
To throw another spanner in the works, I also had three staff leaving to take up jobs in another office...

 ...so these three were to wish Chris, Vas and Anji all the best in their new roles.
Sue has worked with me for a long time...

 ...she is the only original member of the clerical team I was given to manage...

 ...and just like with Kim last week, this was a farewell that I found extremely hard.
The last three cards were for Maria, Denise & Jenny...

 ...and I found it very difficult to write all of these because this felt like the heart was being ripped out of my team.

The office had made a collection for each of them so there was a small presentation so that all their colleagues could express their thanks for all the work and support these folk have provided over the years...there were a lot of tears - especially from me.

Some of the leavers just wanted to slip away quietly...

 ...but a few wanted to have a drink and meal to say goodbye to each other...

 ...very difficult to stay up-beat on such a sad occasion.
Anthony is a colleague who has been coming down from his office in Ipswich once or twice a week...

 ...to help out with all the paperwork involved with so many folk leaving. Friday was the last visit he will make as his office now belongs to a different region (everything is changing).
This is a terrible photo but it was the only one I was able to catch of Maria...

...I have worked with her for most of the 18 years that she has worked in the Department (although she only joined my clerical team about 8 years ago). When Maria started work here, she only intended it to be a temporary thing but like many of us, she found time had flown by without even realising. Although she didn't really want to leave, she has used this as the 'push' to go back to studying in September as she has decided to become a mid-wife.

I wish all my leavers the very best for the future in what ever they decide to do................................

Thank you...

...for all the Cyber-hugs.

Yesterday was a pretty awful day - the whole office seemed to be 'down'. Even the weather came out in sympathy with heavy rain & thunder storms.

Unfortunately, that was only the start. One down, ten more to go.

I've been looking after another team, as well as my own, since October and the 3 remaining members of that team have finally been offered jobs elsewhere so will also be leaving at the end of the month.

So next week involves my 7 remaining leavers and the 3 off to pastures new.

Sooooooooooooo much change.

Now to paste a brave face on and head off to the office for another round of meetings and wondering how I'm going to get everything done.............................................................................

Today is a day...

... I haven't been looking forward to.

So here's some bits I've been doing to try and take my mind off things.

This is a work in progress that you have already had a peek at...

...I am gradually adding more coloured areas to the page.

This one is completed...

...I just wanted to play around with some colours & shading on the flowers and despite the rubbish photo (the curve of the page caught the light from the window on the left) I am pretty pleased with the way the colours worked on each of the different types of bloom.

Today is not going to be a good day as the first of my leavers departs. Although I will miss all of those being made redundant, this is the one who will leave the biggest hole and will be the hardest to replace - in fact, I don't think it would ever be possible to replace this individual.

I have sorted a gift & card and made sure there is a substantial supply of tissues. Not a day I'm looking forward to...........................................................

Time is ticking away...

...and I just can't get my mojo to play ball.

In January of this year the lowest grade members of my team received news that they were 'surplus' and were offered voluntary redundancy.

By the end of February it was known that all 8 had reluctantly accepted the package.

On Tuesday 19 May, I will say goodbye to the first of them.

It has been a very stressful time but credit to them all, they have come in and continued to deliver the very high standard of performance that they always have...something that has made me feel very proud but also very sad.

For weeks now I have been trying to make cards for each of them but every time I sit down to do so, Mr Mojo takes a hike...I think he knows that this is something that I really do not want to be doing.

I've known most of these folk for over ten years and we have been through changes in management structures, the death of a colleague, serious health issues - happy & sad times - and the thing that I can always rely on is their dependability and willingness to support each other.

This is going to leave a very big hole that the remaining team members are going to have to adjust to.

So by the end of this month, my original team will be considerably smaller but they have merged the remains of another team with mine. This means new faces and getting to know peoples quirks so that we can work towards forming the 'Team' feel that has always existed here.

Those leaving can never be replaced as they are all individuals with their own personalities/skills/quirks and we will miss them terribly.

Now I really must try and pin down Mr Mojo and get these cards sorted.........................................

Sunday morning catch-up...

...and a week that has been less than great.

As I sit here trying to catch up with all my blog reading and other stuff, the Sun is actually shining and we have a blue (albeit slightly hazy) sky - not sure how long this will last as the forecast is for rain...go figure.

Yep, Mother Nature has been throwing allsorts at us this week Sun, rain, frost, winds - but I suppose we should be thankful that we haven't had the 'white stuff' and freezing temperatures that they have been experiencing the other side of "The Pond".

Every morning on my way to the station I cross the river Hope - I live in Stanford-le-Hope which apparently means "Stone ford/bridge over the river Hope" - and it is not unusual to see the river a racing, churning, muddy mess overflowing its banks (it is in a gully at this point) when there has been a lot of rain. However, this week the water has been at the highest I have ever seen and was only a couple of feet short of walls/outbuildings of properties that run alongside. The train journey has been quite interesting too as the view from the train would lead you to believe you were looking out a rice-paddy fields...not fields of spring wheat trying to make some headway against the sodden ground.

So commuting hasn't been great as it isn't much fun travelling on crowded trains with lots of soggy people and then having to try and dry out at work.

Work has been a bit of a trial this week. I have finally lost 2 of my only 3 fully experienced staff. This is great for them as they have moved on due to promotion but leaves the team in a bit of a sticky patch. The team consists of two clerical grades and there has always been an imbalance between the grades and the type of work and whilst I am lucky that a couple of my lower grade staff are happy to 'reach up' because they wish to develop - it is not a situation that you can insist upon. This being the case, it is going to be 'interesting' to put it mildly, how we cope with just one trainee at the higher grade.

As the week muddled by we reached Thursday which has to be one of the most awful days...

I lost an earring!

The awful thing being, it was a pair that my late Dad bought me for my 21st Birthday, so has extreme sentimental value. Bless them; my staff dropped whatever they were doing when I realised what had happened and they were searching everywhere - under desks, on desks, in desks, through work that I had been dealing with...one even went and checked the bin in the kitchen...just in case!

It hasn't been found!

You know when you start to doubt yourself...even though a couple of folk at work had confirmed that I had both on when I got there - as soon as I got home every light in the house went on. I stripped the bed, checked the linen basket, walked over every inch of carpet with my eyes 'glued' to it more times than I can count...just to be sure!

No luck - and a fair few tears have been shed!

It doesn't look promising but I can't give up on the hope that it might be found when I least expect it.

All in all, not a great week which has resulted in little or no crafting. I need to get a grip - moping wont help so I need to concentrate on something else.

Bugaboo Stamps kicked off their 4th Birthday celebration yesterday with a blog-hop and the first of the week's challenges. I think I will do what I did for their Christmas Chaos event - I will start a post later with details of each day's challenge and add in the completed items as I go. I completed the 'hop' last night and there were some fun creations from the Bugaboo DT. Why don't you hop on over to the blog to see what's going on - or better still; why not join in.

Let's hope next week is a better one......................................................................

A bit of excitement...

...but all for the wrong reason.

Anyone who works or lives in a busy city will be familiar with hearing the sound of emergency vehicles dashing about on a regular basis.

Working very close to an international rail link/underground services/a bus station/a busy main road and a large shopping centre (Westfield - Stratford), I have become used to the noise and the flashing blue lights...however, yesterday late afternoon, there were far more than usual and when a helicopter started circling very low overhead it became obvious that this was something a little out of the ordinary.

Everything seemed to be heading towards the station/shopping centre so we all got up to go and have a look out of the window.

There were emergency staff clearing the buses out of the bus station and the helicopter was coming in to land - it was an air ambulance. I wasn't quite quick enough grabbing my camera because as you can see...

..it had landed...

...boy those pilots are good - that isn't exactly the largest of spaces when you consider those rotors whizzing round.
Emergency vehicles were arriving every few moments...

...and gathering along the approach to the station...

...and up by the main entrance.
All sorts of emergency vehicles...

...police, paramedics, ambulances and even a few fire-engines.
At this point it still wasn't know what the problem was...

...but the engine on the air-ambulance started up...

,,,and up it rose.
This was probably the best photo that I managed...

...the helecoter showing up clearly against the office block over the Westfield centre.
It rose higher...

...hovered for a moment or two...

...and then it was off.

We subsequently discovered that someone had been hit by a tube train but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene so the air-ambulance left.

I also discovered today that this was the second death at Stratford station within the space of a week.

Stratford is an extremely busy station - especially during the 'rush-hour' - and there are times when some of the platforms get very, very crowded. It can be quite frightening at times when people push their way forward and stand so close to the edge of the platform. A bit of pushing & shoving and the unthinkable can so easily happen...

If you commute or travel on a fairly regular basis it can become very easy to get wrapped up in the 'need' to get wherever you are going...but please...do take care....................................................

May each day in the week be a good day...

...May the Lord always watch over you
And may all of your hopes turn to wishes
And may all of your wishes come true

May each day in the month be a good day
May you make friends with each one you meet
And may all of your daydreams be mem'ries
And may all of your mem'ries be sweet

The weeks turn to months and the months into years
There'll be sadness and joy, there'll be laughter and tears
But one thing I pray to heaven above
May each of your days be a day full of love

May each day in the year be a good day
May each dawn find you happy and gay
And may all of your days be as lovely
As the one you shared with me today

May each day of your life be a good day
And good night.


I remember as a child sitting and watching the Andy Williams show and looking forward to the Christmas specials. It was through this show that I first got to 'meet' the Osmonds (yes I was a Donny fan rather than David Cassidy & the Partridge Family) and it has to be Andy William's version of "Oh Holy Night" that tops my favourite Christmas songs.

The shows were fun and entertaining - the sort of thing all the family could sit down and enjoy (anyone remember the Cookie Monster?).

The lyrics above were used every week to bring the show to a close and whilst I didn't know all the words, I probably knew most of them. However, as a child the meaning behind the words never sunk-in but it was strange that these were the words that popped into my head when I read that Andy Williams passed away at the age of 84. He leaves behind some very well know tunes - even present youngsters will be familiar with many of his songs (even if they don't know who Andy Williams was) because they have been used in TV adverts.

R.I.P. Mr Williams - the angels are going to enjoy your music first hand from now on............................................

Today is a....

...sad day.

Today we say goodbye to my Father-in-Law who sadly passed away on 13 October.

"Dad" had not had the best of health for a number of years but as a result of some very intensive treatment in the last year he had been much better.

He was very much an Eastender, 'know what I mean', and his joys in life were a pint, a bet, and until five years ago...a cigarette (we were all so proud of him when he finally managed to give up smoking). So, if one has to 'go' I suppose he went in the most perfect of ways....he was in his favourite pub with his son - with a pint in his hand.

Sleep peacefully Dad, my thoughts and love are with you always.................