I hope this post finds you well, enjoying
the beautiful weather we are having, well here in the UK and if I have to
narrow it down further in the Royal county of West Berkshire. Even further ok well in Thatcham?
So how have things been since my last post
on Sunday, well contrasting, black and white, day and night, up and down, tall
and short, relaxing and frantic? The
last three days have been contrasting to say the least and I will start with
Monday. Well it seems like a good place
to start but before I do that I am going to open all the windows and doors in
the flat to give it and my woolly head a good air. That’s better I can feel the breeze go in one
ear and out the other head cleared lol.
Monday started like most working days with
breakfast, a quiet drive to work and crossing the store threshold into the
warmth and hustle and bustle of the shop floor.
I spent some time getting totes prepped, filling the printers with
paper, little jobs to keep me busy.
Nothing could have prepared me for the day ahead and you could not have
written a script for it. Well the day
officially started at 4am and finished at 5:30pm with 30 minutes for a break. What happened in between is not important but
team GOL stepped up and we got through the worst of it whilst waiting for the
cavalry to arrive. A day of fire
fighting, fixing things and lots of shopping, a day that ended with this chap
feeling so tired yet so alive and excited.
It has also left me with a wee bit of a problem, well not so much a
problem but food for thought. When I
joined Sainsbury’s nothing prepared me for journey I have had over the last 6
months and the people I have met and friends I have made. I joined Sainsbury as an online shopper, the
first step in getting my life back together after a very rough three
years. It was a complete change to my
previous career; it was such a refreshing change.
I understand that my approach and passion for
my job and the way I work may seem confusing to some, stupid to others and
portray me as an ar$e kisser to a few.
But put yourself in my position, 25 years in the IT industry working
very stupid hours, days longer than I have been at Sainsbury’s sometimes 7 days
a week. A career that cost me my health,
family, friends, marriage, my kids, everything I basically worked so hard
for. To find a job where I do not feel
overwhelmed, under pressure, carrying huge responsibilities that are with me
day and night. Having to carry a mobile
phone with me everywhere just in case.
When I finish work I leave it at the shop door and I pick it up the next
time I go in. It has allowed me to start
rebuilding my life, find myself and make some very special friends. So if all that means I am willing to work
hard and really enjoy my work and being part of an amazing team so be it. If it is a crime lock me up and through away
the key, as I am not about to change my approach but I am not about to let it
take over my new and changing life.
So what is this food for thought then, well
it comes in two parts, main course and dessert.
The main course is that there are changes happening in the department
that mean the hours I have been working will no longer be available and that
means I will soon find myself in a position where I can not afford to live day
to day. Now as I want to stay at
Sainsbury’s I need to find a job with more hours or find another way of
supplementing what I am contracted for.
I have already started training as a backup driver but I cannot rely on
that either, I need something more permanent.
This is where the desert comes in, my confidence at work is high thanks
to me enjoying the work and place so much.
As a result I am thinking about finding more challenging rolls, possibly
becoming a team leader or something similar.
It would mean more money and that would sort out the main course but it
would mean me taking on more responsibilities and I am concerned that it will
have too big an impact on my enjoyment of working at Sainsbury’s. I guess it will only if I let it, food for
thought indeed!!!!!
Tuesday could not have been a more
contrasting day. Well it was not difficult as I was not working that day. I spent the day out with my camera relaxing
and enjoying a game of bowling with some of my work colleagues. It was good to get together with colleagues
outside of work and chill, especially one lady called Mary who once graced the
aisles of Sainsbury’s but now terrorizes the local Waitrose. Mary is one of the sweetest, kindest people I
have ever had the pleasure to meet and brings her own special love and laughter
to any situation. As you will see Mary
has her own way of bowling that is, well I will let the videos tell the story. I have also sent them to ITV’s You’ve Been
Framed TV show and put them up on YouTube as they are such a scream. I value my days off a lot more now than I use
to and the same can be said for annual leave too. When I got home I found a letter from
America, which was exciting. Well the
excitement did not last long as it was from my namesake in America informing me
that his wife of 12 years passed away in April of this year. What makes this news even more difficult is
that I only have his address and that we only communicate via letter one of
which I sent to him several days before.
I am currently writing a short letter back which I hope to send to him
tomorrow. Not a good way to end such a
special day and my thoughts are with him.
I went to bed with my thoughts busy finding
some space and my blood glucose levels dancing a merry song which they started earlier on in the evening. I
woke up today feeling very woolly and out of sorts and this required a short
trip to the docs to see if anything could be done. I must be lucky, as I always seem to ring
just when there is a slot free due to a cancellation!! Everything is in order I am just to be a bit
more sensible with my diet and eating patterns which have got a bit out of
sorts. I had planned to go out today
with my camera but given I spent 2 minutes trying to unlock the communal bin
store with my remote car key it was not going to happen. Do you know what gave it away, I could not
understand why the bin store was not making an unlocking sound yet a car over
the other side of the car park was flashing its lights!!!!!! So I have spent the day doing washing,
writing and napping and listening to my song of the moment “Call Me Maybe” by
Carly Rae Jepsen, a bouncy upbeat song that matches my overall mood and feelings at the
moment.
This chap is on a high at the moment and is feeling a lot more confident than he has in the last 3 years that is for sure.
I have also just received confirmation that
my place on a Royal Photographic Society assessment day has been accepted for
the 16th July in Bath. I have
a draft panel already put together and 5 images as backup but there are one or
two I want to retake, specifically of St Margaret’s in Catmore. I was due to go there today but never mind
there is always tomorrow or the next day or the day after that depending on
what time I finish work.
Here are the two video's of Mary giving it some when bowling.
Well that is all for now, until the next time take care. This chap is off to find out where Arthur Dent is going in the Universe next.
Pooh, Si, Socks and Simon x
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