Balance of Power

It didn't take long for there to be a clash in the balance of power at Great Hollands between me and Glynis. Friday was a pretty dire day at work. Five days in I was feeling pretty exhausted, the pedal came off my bike half way to work, and there were certain logistical problems that needed to be worked out, and that caused a little bit of upset with Pat Almond, my librarian aide, as she and I both had interrupted lunch hours to ensure that both libraries opened up OK.
Worse than that was the problem with Glynis. I get the feeling that she's trying her best to undermine me already- she's helpfully offering to open up for me on Wednesdays and got the only full set of keys for the place (which meant that Pat was unable to get to the money on Friday afternoon) and generally saying that she'll or we'll be doing certain things... not unexpected. Her reaction, however, when she found out that Val was coming out to teach me how to do the banking and the money side of things was rather vicious. Yes, I can see that she would be hurt that not all her "expertise" was required to teach me my job, but to get angry and fire off emails about it won't do her any good at all. I tried to explain that it was part of the standard training programme, but that just provoked her. So Paula ended up coming out and having a word with her. I hope it's done the trick...
It is a difficult situation because she has been looking after the branch for six months and will have to step back now, but, and this is a huge but, she's done bugger all with it. It's exactly the same as it was when Blanche left- it's drifted along for the last few months and she's not been at all active in doing anything to make it better. She's come in, opened the doors (most days) and served the few people that have come in. She's resisted any change, she's been deliberately sabotaging any changes that have been made and to be honest it can't go on.
So it won't. There are several things that can be done- ranging from a little one to one between us to establish who's in charge, through to moving her to Bracknell for a few weeks while I establish myself...

I've got a meeting with Fiona tomorrow and I'll be bringing up all this issue, though Fiona may well bring it up first after all the emails she's getting.

But otherwise it wasn't too bad a first week really!

We had a lovely night on Saturday for my leaving do. Despite the food being pretty rubbish, it was lovely to see everyone there to see me off and I got a magnificent Essential Branch Supervisor Kit from Gill. It took forever to unwrap as there was so many essential items for each branch to open! Items such as sweets, biscuits, lovely teas and a bag of marbles for when I lose mine... it might not too long before I need them!

The challenge of the new

My head is swimming with new information. I've been overloaded with it this week. the problem is, it's all potentially vital to my new job and I need to make sure that I remember it all. As the first new supervisor in living memory to actually have a handover period with a departing supervisor, I feel like I need to make the most of my time with Pat at Birch Hill before she retires and glean what I can from her. A lot of the job is an extension of what I've done at Bracknell, and I know I can do that, it's the rest of it that's the problem! Still the others have managed that in the past, so there's no reason why I can't...

Except, I'm very quickly learning that running two branches is a logistical nightmare, and I'm only four days in. Just trying to work out who's where and who will open up and close up if I'm not there to do it is a huge job at the moment. We've already discovered that on this particular week of my rota I'm supposed to be in Birch Hill and Great Hollands on Saturday morning. Since they've yet to work out how to clone me, that's just not possible. Of course, my line manager is on a course all week, and so hasn't been available to help me sort this out, so I've done it! Luckily Glynis, who has been acting supervisor at Great Hollands for the last 6 months was happy to come in and work on Saturday- but that means adding to her extensive amount of time off in lieu she's owed- but it was the only way. This is a small glimpse of what's to come. In a few weeks Pat, my librarian, will be on holiday for a fortnight and my support then will be next to nothing, and somehow I've got to keep both libraries open with the staff I've got... ha! No-one said it would be easy!

I think once I've got my head around it all I will enjoy the job a great deal. We've already made a start at improving things at Great Hollands now, just by shifting one small shelf unit out of the way of the window and taking down the posters on the same windows. It's brightened it up no end and hopefully if people can see in they're a little bit more likely to actually want to come in... well that's the theory anyway. Luckily Lyn is enthusiastic about making changes, and I'm hoping that I'll win Glynis round too. I've warned her that things will be changing over the coming weeks, because, not to put too fine a point on it, it's been shoddily run and neglected over the last few years. It's the one the powers that be will be watching and so I have to turn things round as quickly as I can. And I can!

So it's going well so far. For now at least...

The Goodies: Still Alive on Stage

Icons! Live on stage! Well two thirds of them anyway...

It was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase last month when I saw there were tickets for The Goodies on Stage at The Theatre Royal, Windsor for sale. I've always been a bit of a fan, and I've managed to convince Steve they were brilliant too, so I didn't take much convincing, even if it was only Graeme and Tim live on stage. Still we were promised glimpses of the lesser spotted scruffpot, so it didn't sound too bad.

It wasn't! It was a lovely evening! Graeme and Tim were brilliant, so much so that Bill wasn't really missed- although he was well represented by interactive bits on the massive screen at the centre of the stage and the puppet Bill that Graeme rather wonderfully voiced. Bill's moments were good, especially when they revealed they'd left him in Australia, which got a lot of laughs!

The show itself was done as answers to a series of questions they'd had sent in (whether these were genuine or not, is open to question!) which revealed behind the scenes stories and anecdotes, all brilliantly told by the two of them, with interjections from Bill on the screen. There were plenty of clips (even from episodes not released on DVD!) to illustrate their points and lots of great moments on stage. Particular highlights were the re-enactments of their Cambridge Footlights auditions, where Graeme stole the show with his pets for families sketch, and the I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again radio sketch- full of old jokes but well told and very funny old jokes!
It was just a lovely, warm, nostalgic night, more than worth going to see if you get the chance.

Bittersweet Me

That's it then. My time at Bracknell as a library assistant is done and dusted.

It was an odd day really. As I'd been off the last couple of days, it felt like I was coming back for a guest appearance today. As it is, that's probably for the best because I'm a big old softie and if there'd been a massive send off like there normally is when someone goes, I'd have probably shed a few tears. I'm spared that for now, at least until next week's leaving do. So it was just a quiet day- I did my last stint on the counter this morning and got to say goodbye to some of my favourite customers, Mr & Mrs Erl and Mr & Mrs Ely- although not all my favourite customers have surnames that begin with E... honest, and it's nice to hear that they'll miss me.

There's lots that I'll miss at Bracknell. The people for a start. I've made a lot of good friends there, and it's going to feel odd not seeing them every day. In some ways it's not too bad, as I'm not leaving completely- I'm just going to a new workplace, and I'm still going to have lots of contact with them all, and I'll still get an invite to the Christmas do each year (or at least I'd better!)... that doesn't mean I shouldn't feel bittersweet though... and I definitely do.

So next week, the new challenges begin. I've already uncovered many inadequacies in the new job and things that haven't been thought out and considered properly. And that's before I even start the job. Goodness knows what else is to come... I'm looking forward to finding out though!

Unique Material

It's an odd feeling to know that in some small way all my years of taping odd little Doctor Who related snippets off the TV have paid off.
There was a plea put out by The Doctor Who Restoration Team, who are in change of the excellent DVD range for fans to get in touch if they;ve got certian material in their collections, not actual episodes but clips, continuity announcements, interviews and trailers that kind of thing, since these are less likely to reside in the BBC archives. There were certain items they really wanted, including the Season 17 trailer which was specially shot in 1979, which I've got a copy of. Being a couple of generations down from their optimum requirement, I was a bit reticent to get in touch, but Steve said I ought to anyway.
So it turns out I've got a couple of things that may not exist anywhere else! Oh my! One of the things I only rediscovered recently, so that's extra pleasing for me! Whether they can use it remains to be seen, but at least I've done my bit and who knows, I may get a credit on a forthcoming DVD!

I'm enjoying a couple of days off work at the moment. I've been gardening while the sun is shining, giving everything a much needed clear up. I've ground to a holt as I've filled four garden sacks now and we haven't got any more! This is the problem with having scots pines in the garden- they shed needles in the slightest breeze... so that's most of the time! Still it does look very tidy out the back now, which is good.
Otherwise I'm not doing a great deal, just putting more stuff from our video collections onto DVD... I did a nice ABBA DVD yesterday, which was fun to watch.

Arrival on time... second time lucky!

Sunday was far more successful than Saturday. We went up to Paul and Jody's for the second time in two days and we had a lovely time at William's party. It was extra nice because we'd seen both William and Tabby the day before and so they knew who we were and we got a lovely reception when we arrived. The party itself was OK- we always manage to sideline ourselves though at these kind of events because we don't know many people and we go all shy. It's not ideal! We really ought to make more effort... maybe next time- after all we've been meeting these people for the last couple of years on and off, so it shouldn't be a huge problem.

So the weekend wasn't a complete washout after all. Actually, it was very nice to spend some time with the Monks, who've always been very good to me, so despite the small cock up over when we should arrive, it hasn't been bad at all.

We came home and watched The History Boys. What an awesome film it was too. Alan Bennett at his best. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it comes highly recommended with it's mix of Watford and Sheffield locations. It was filmed at the school Steve went to- Watford Boys, so I think it was all a bit weird for him!

Early Arrival

Oh, I was in a miserable mood yesterday morning. Tired, unsociable and my stomach hurt a bit because we'd eaten late the night before, which never does me much good. Sometimes I get a bit down when things don't quite go the way I'd like them to, and it makes life very difficult for Steve because I really need to be left alone for a while to get over it.
I think we've just had a run of weekends stuck in the house together and I'm just getting fed up of that! either that or I really am just a miserable old thing!

Yesterday morning didn't help. I got my haircut, at a new place for me, in Bullbrook. Steve always gets his haircut there and thinks highly of it, but I wasn't all that impressed. It was busy and there was a long wait and the woman was ok, but not brilliant. Still it was £1 cheaper than I usually pay, which was a little bonus and I got a pretty standard haircut, so maybe I was just being miserable for the sake of it by that point.

Anyway, we raced around after the haircut because we were due at Paul and Jody's in the afternoon for William's first birthday party. We got organised and out a little later than we should have done, out into the sunshine. Listened to Nocturne, which was a little above average for a BF at the moment and felt a bit brighter by the time we got there.
We went up to the house and Paul seemed a bit surprised to see us. Much to Steve's embarrassement and to my amusement, we were a whole day early! Ha! Poor Steve was mortified, poor thing! It probably didn't help that I found this very funny indeed and it fianlyl cheered me up.

We ended up staying anyway and had a lovely afternoon playing with William (who is a little cutey with his mop of very blode hair and cheeky giggle) and Tabby (who's grown up a great deal since we last saw her, and took a shine to Steve in the end!). We waited to see Jody, who was working at the charity shop for the afternoon and ended up staying til 7ish, when the kids went to bed, after keeping them entertained for a couple of hours. It was really lovel to see them, and have a chance to have a little chat with Paul and Jody, which we wouldn't have had much chance to do at the party.

We came home and had fish and chips, Steve played Supreme Commander and I watched Hustle. Lovely.

In a while we're going back for the actual party! At least we know we've got the right day this time!

Making the arrangements

We've been attempting to meet up with Mark and Simon since Christmas, (not all that hard I have to shamefully admit, but we've made a little effort now) and it looked like this weekend would be the time we did it- but we're not quite there yet. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to meeting up with them again. We always leave it far too long between meeting up, which is ironic because they're geographically closer to us than any of our other friends. Maybe we're just rubbish, who can say? So maybe next weekend?

Anyway, this has meant that the weekend has been rapidly rearranged. My plan was for us to have a day out- go somewhere nice, have a bit of a walk, that kind of thing. We never go and visit anywhere and there are plenty of places we could go and see. However, that too has been put on hold, as we're going to see Paul and Jody tomorrow now. It's their son William's first birthday and we've been invited to the party. hooray! This is great because, shamefully, we haven't actually met William at all yet (see I told you we're slack at getting out and seeing people). It's not as if we're really busy people either. We just get caught up in life and stuff and suddenly the time is gone.

Still things should be better when the new job starts, as I'll only be working half days on a Saturday in future. That's a nice perk! It's reassuring to me that as I get promoted, gradually I'm getting more time free at the weekend. I've never resented working Saturdays much, because it was still better than at Forbuoys, but this will be wonderful!
The wind down at Bracknell has really begun. I went to my last meeting of the writer's group today and was given a big box of choccies and a a big round of applause for all my input and effort over the last couple of years, which was very gratefully received. Next week will be sad. I know I'm going to miss everyone a great deal, but I'm not going far at least. I've organised my leaving do (hooray!), passed on my jobs to the others, emptied my tray- now I've just got to the last three days (I've got some time off next week) and that's it. That sounds very odd to me. Ah well, I'll soon adjust I'm sure.

More on Soap of Fatal Death

It's nearly time for Soap of Fatal Death audio play to be unleashed, and I'm really looking forward to it. The trailer went up at the weekend, and sounds very good. I think the fun we had shines through and we've all learnt a great deal from Echoes of the Protii last year. I'm looking forward to hearing the bits I wasn't involved in, which was rather more than last time round- and so it leaves me with a few more surprises when I hear it. Of course, having written it with Si, I know what's going to happen, but I don't know exactly how our actors have interpreted their parts.

The cover is rather good too- nice and camp, which reflects the rather camp nature of Clear Waters! Pip's done us proud, again! Who'd have thought we'd find the perfect location just round the corner from Si's house?

I really enjoy being involved in the plays. Revisiting the stories we wrote a few years back has been good fun. Certainly with Soap we've managed to expand it and change the bits that wouldn't work for audio and add in more Soap scenes which work better on audio than in prose. Soon we'll have the challenge of writing a play from scratch, which'll be a different challenge. I must knuckle down and do some more work on the research for that one soon...

Leave

I cycled to work today. This was good practice for when I go to the new job, as I'm going to have to cycle to Great Hollands, as it's just a bit too far to walk to from home. This is probably a good thing because no-one really wants to live too close to Great Hollands. Anyway, it went well. I did the trip in just over 10 minutes, which was OK, and I wasn't all that out of breath either, which was pleasing- certainly not as much as I was when i rode home the day it was repaired! Now I've just got to ensure that I don't get any more punctures or do any more damage and I'll be happy.

I can also report that a week after I got them, my new glasses are proving to be a success. As the sun was shining today I decided I'd try out the reactolite pair today and they worked! The change is slow at the moment, but I'm told that it'll improve as I use them more. Good stuff. The new look is rather nice. I got 6 years of wear out of the last two pairs, so I think a change was overdue. They were expensive, but they look nice, so I'm not going to complain!

I'm getting ready to move on now. I'm handing over all my tasks to the others, but trying to make a list of all the things I do is taking a bit of thought; I just do them without thinking half the time! I will miss everyone at Bracknell a great deal. I've worked with them all for a long time, but it's not as if I'm going far, and I'll still have lots of contact with them, which is good. I've got to arrange a leaving do though, as I want to make sure I say goodbye properly! Julia was working how much leave I'm owed, as I start a new leave year when I move to the new job. Apparently, because I haven't taken much of the leave I've got for my current year yet, I might be owed 60 hours! Now they either have to carry it over, or they have to pay me the balance- either way I'm going to win!

Speaking of goodbyes, Jim walked out today. It was a bit of a shock, but I can understand why he's done it. He's been unwell for a while and worried about the stress the under manning has been having on his heart, and well, the atmosphere has been horrible in the building for some time as the SMT continue their personal vendettas against each other. Maybe this will make them stop and think, but I doubt it. Poor old Jim. I hope he's done the right thing.