The Crepey Buds Of May

[GiddyGiddyGoat]

Err, how did that happen with no one noticing!
It's because we're all on the dark and stormy, sloe gin and prosecco innit.

Sorry for the not v inspired title but I panicked.

I'm with your DF on that, MI! I have got so frustrated by all the beaurocracy surrounding DMs POA!

Auriga it must be so much harder when she was part of your daily life.

Hmm, I can see the point, though, in this case

Funeral on 2 June. Got to sort what arty SIL calls the after-party. Was worried about what to wear till remembered of course have nice black longish frock for singing.

"After party " with us...I remember large quantities of bridge rolls and fillings, and sliced cake appearing at the house in the morning. I bless to this day my precious, lovely cleaner, whom I employed to stay on at the house after the cleaning, to receive food delivery, put it all out, fill the urn and see that the whisky and shot glasses were out. And she wouldn't take a penny. Some people are just there when you need them.

Have grabbed a late lunch whist DM is in theatre for her first cataract operation. Stressful. Enough said. I'd better get back there soon.....

Annoying trustee has just sent me another feckin text about getting together for a cup of tea. I'll have to grasp the nettle in the end as new play director wants me to square it with annoying trustee (the latter directed the first play reading) as he kind of knows her, and it's awkward. Bugger. bugger...bugger....

Meanwhile I'm setting up a production company of friends and benevolent others. DH and I had a good long talk last night, and we are going to fund a 5 day workshop followed by another industry reading of the newly drafted script. I have three people in my company so far, covering finance, ( DH) ,form filling for grants (BFF) and digital ( that's Ds1 who doesnt know it yet) but need a few more bods. Oh and yours truly...heading up the team. So I am now playwright and producer.

That's lovely, Rose.

URGENTURGENTURGENT*

I see Richard Hawley is playing at the Southbank Thurs 16th June - anyone fancy it or will I have to go with DH?!

Thursdays are difficult for me!
However if anyone fancies a crepey tipple in this neck of the woods on Sat I could be tempted...

I may be able to do Sat - fancy a bus-route night in my manor?! Lovely French House?

BTM - I could do that! I love a bit of Hawley!

In work news, today was so dreadful I cried in the toilets. And in the car all the way home. I was this close --->

Oh my BTM , wish I could.

After parties here involve enormous quantities of egg mayonnaise. And strong drink obviously. Boke.
MI you are stoic, and funny thinking about what to wear.

Rose I am delighted for you. Congratulations on the formation of you new company . If I could help with 'sales' directly I would!
The business with the Tormenting Trustee is surely Conscript's issue. He might have to accept that she has behaved badly towards you and joe on your side FGS . I don't see why you should have to 'make friends ' with a Nutjob.

Had a completely useless day today and done nothing constructive at all.
I have tooth pain under a crown which is getting worse Crepeys. My glands are even swollen on that side.
Dentist might get me in tomorrow ,
Considering the painkillers I am already on for sciatica are vv strong and this pain is still searing ...
Can't bear to think of root canal....

Herbs, fab! How should we organise the ticket-getting?
Sorry to hear you had a bad day - is it the admin that's so awful? Does anyone do it properly? Could you ask them for advice or just not do it until someone tells you exactly what to do - maybe you are being properly organised and no one else is?

I am adopting the 'until someone tells me what to do, and why, I'm not going to do it' attitude. Each course has a file. Each file has eighteen (18, XVIII) forms to put into it. This includes initial assessments, diagnostic assessments, learner profiles, group profiles, 'tracking sheets' (newly introduced to record progress, and understood by no-one), attainment records, progress records. Even for my tiny four-week course. Most of them of course duplicate each other. No-one has time to show me what to do.

I can't do any of them without the learners’ initial assessments, which record their levels of grammar, spelling, etc when enrolling. I fire up the steam-powered computer to find the document that says where they will be. Go to appointed filing cabinet.Not there. Ask at reception. ‘Maybe in room 3’. Ask there. Not there. ‘Might be in these box files in a back room’. Not there. ‘Might not yet be filed’. . Nope, not there. That's half an hour gone.

Initial assessments arrive just before I leave. The learners are at a massively higher level to the classes I have spent days planning. They are English teachers, novelists, etc. Ask boss what to do (via email that takes 15 minutes to write, due to slow computer). He asks me to come to a meeting. But not until next week. Until I know what to do, I can’t do the course objectives, which are needed for the bloody tracking sheet.

I set fire to the desk.

I now have to plan lessons for tomorrow. Should be done by midnight.

Oh herbs, yes, re admin.

I changed jobs once and went from the organisation where Molly was my boss - which, for all its faults, had a finance system that worked impeccably despite dealing with about 25 different currencies - to one where I went into the finance department to raise an invoice for something. They looked at me blankly. There appeared to be no procedures whatsoever.

Herbs, it WILL get easier!

It had bloody better do. I'm pretty much OVER adult ed.

Richard who??

Blimey, what torment, Herbs. I can't bear sloppy admin and would be twitching.

It's our 14th wedding anniversary tomorrow. No likelyhood of a celebratory meal out - it's Prom Night for DS, and according to him DH and I should expect to spend our evening driving him to and fro until the wee small hours (school, pre-party, prom, after-party....). He was appalled when I suggested he might like to walk from A to B (30 minutes), rather than drag his father out at midnight to give him a lift (5 minute drive, 30 minutes round trip for DH). Then Thursday marks his last day of proper school before study leave.

Prom night before GCSEs CV? That's a new one!

Oooooh, 'Greasy man with Shorts' is on my train again. Slightly more justified bearing in mind mugginess but WE know he wears them year round

I genuinely have no clue who Richard Hawley is.

Herbs sounds a nightmare - ignore sounds a good strategy.

Rose - well done on the production company.

MI - the funeral seems very far away (datewise). Here everything seems to be done and dusted within about three days.

CV - can't you tell DS you'll take him and after he needs to manage some of the intermediate stages - or bung him some taxi money? Are there not other parents who can help out? I hate this sort of thing. Have just discovered DD2 has a graduation meal in Versailles on a Thursday evening. We are expected to be there too but as we know no other parents and the rest have been there for years I think I may slink to another local restaurant with DH and collect her at the end.

Herbs that sound like a bloody nightmare...put them on special measures....what chaos! Thanks for the PM...I will reply.

Who is Richard Hawley?

Crem if only you were near....but perhaps we could be creative about that? It isn't ConS...he's my co -writer. It's new sexy director (need a clever name for him, someone...) who originally acted in the first play reading. He came to ConS and me spontaneously with some great ideas and has actually spent a lot of time with us developing the umpteenth draft. He has directing experience and we want him to direct for us. He was brought into the mix originally by Annoying Trustee who directed the first reading. I need to know a diplomatic way of breaking it to her...ie a nice way of saying "We don't want you...we want him..." Any ideas?

BTM - we have prom before exams as afterwards they scatter.

Trying to encourage new talent, Rose?

Can I come BTM? I'm v partial to a bit of Richard Hawley - especially the old stuff. How shall we sort ticket getting? I'm happy to buy if you Herbs and me are all definites... any other takers?

Of course, GGG! And yes, I'm happy for you to get the tickets - I am a definite We could pay you directly into your bank account you PM us the details?

Dh wants to come - hope that's ok? Herbs? Have looked at website - we can have good seats in the balcony for £30 each... would that be ok?