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Showing posts from May, 2011

Dear Zoo revisited

A while ago I was either tidying up and chucking out, or getting ready to move, I can't remember and I had to make up my mind what to do with the toddler books. All the Thomas the Tank Engine ones, Dear Zoo, Hungry Caterpillar etc. Board books that survived the sucking and chewing, dearly beloved by Elf and his parents alike. Of course I wouldn't chuck it, I would store  it. But then something happened, oh yes life, and I didn't get around to the rest of my tidying.I had in my head that I would keep these books for Elf to read himself. And now he does read them. We take turns to read pages of his Thomas board books. It helps because he knows the stories, and the engines' names, but not well enough to cheat!  He read Dear Zoo all by himself the other day, we hadn't read it for absolutely ages. A bit of role reversal really, because I found myself doing the flaps! He was most pleased with himself too, giving his confidence a boost. I am glad I kept those books.

The original greengrocer's apostrophe

I’m glad it’s all over, as Captain Sensible once said

The last six months at work have been terrible, the darkest days of my career. Why? I don’t want to say I was bullied, but I was abused at work. An abuse of power. A colleague was promoted to be my manager, and that’s when the difficulties started. Cue months of anger, frustration, stress, headaches… I went to HR and got some good advice. I went to the doctor to put it on record. I got put on a plan, not quite a disciplinary but a coaching plan. Approaching 40 and being put on a coaching plan? I felt it was undeserved. But then so was the appraisal that, had it gone through, I would have been on a disciplinary! I’ve been doing this job for 11 years, so what’s changed? The management… My plan would last 60 days, with weekly meetings, and consisted of not embracing the company not communicating effectively (with no evidence provided at all) not finding quick positive solutions to problems This is what I was always told: Don’t stir things up, you don’t know what they will do They a