No signs yet!

Still waiting for those signs to go up, pointing the way for customers struggling through the roadworks to our shop. If I don't see them tomorrow, I guess I shall have to do some more shouting!
On the plus side, It's nice to be going home in half light these evenings instead of pitch black as the days begin to lengthen. Last year, when I was still teaching and charging back and forth to L:iverpool every day, I never saw the house in daylight, except at week-ends, for months. Come to think of it, I can't imagine how I ever got up at 5.30 every morning to set off on my journey at 6.30 ready to start my day in school at 7.30. Now I struggle to get up at 7 o'clock. I put it down to having to catch up on sleep after all those months of too-early rising!

Council War

Having tried in vain last week to get someone at the council to talk to me about the effects the local roadworks are having on local businesses, I have been making further attempts this week. It's like being on a roundabout - to Highways, to Planning, back to Highways and so it goes on but no-one bothers to return my calls. Then, to add insult to injury, yesterday morning, as I drove to work, I saw council workmen putting up direction signs around the diversion route for the multi-national supermarket just up the road from us! As if they need the extra help more than we smaller businesses!

So I've been doing some shouting in my best deputy headteacher manner. Never mind about 'sorry, we don't think there's anything we can do....'
'I'm afraid our department can't help you....'
'Well, of course, you'd need planning permission to put up signs on the roadside.....'
Forget it, folks. Jenny's on the warpath. This is people's livelihoods we're talking about here!
All that shouting must have had some effect because, within the hour, I had the site foreman visiting us in the shop - and wiping his feet before he stepped off the mat! - and agreeing to have signs made with our name on, at no cost to us and placed on the main road and along the diversion.
How's that for a result?
It's just that a little voice in my head keeps muttering something about believing it when I see it........or is that me just being cynical?

Christmas tree?


This is the set of spanners that Keith bought to use on the Camaro when he's working on it. Since he bought it, whenever it has not been in use, it has been sitting on the dining table, together with an assortment of other tools, sprays and tubes of noxious materials. However, Keith has great plans for these spanners. He has decided that, next Christmas, they would make a wonderful Christmas tree table decoration, once they have a few bits of tinsel thrown artistically over them. Considering that this is the man who, before I met him had a 7 inch 'Christmas tree' consisting of a few wires with lights on them and a 'Christmas wreath' nailed to the wall which remained up till the following year, I consider this to be probably one of his more reasonable ideas.
But that still won't stop me putting my foot down with a firm hand when next Christmas arrives.

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...