It's a warm summer's evening here in London and I am fantasising about living in the country as there is a huge amount of noise going on in the street. Caterwauling. Play fighting. Loud telephone conversations. Air guitar playing. I wish it would start raining so they would all scuttle inside and close their windows.
I have had a very glum day at work. At which management school do they teach you that it is appropriate to send one line emails to your staff using the imperative and dispensing with salutations and the words "please" and "thank you"?
Spent all of yesterday afternoon sitting next to someone at a boring meeting who, at the end of the day, told me that she had been off work all of the previous week with swine flu. Real swine flu - swine flu that had been diagnosed and reported in the local paper and led to a school being closed because almost all the teachers had caught it. I have been feeling a bit unwell ever since. At least tomorrow is Friday.
I have had a very glum day at work. At which management school do they teach you that it is appropriate to send one line emails to your staff using the imperative and dispensing with salutations and the words "please" and "thank you"?
Spent all of yesterday afternoon sitting next to someone at a boring meeting who, at the end of the day, told me that she had been off work all of the previous week with swine flu. Real swine flu - swine flu that had been diagnosed and reported in the local paper and led to a school being closed because almost all the teachers had caught it. I have been feeling a bit unwell ever since. At least tomorrow is Friday.
I used to have times, when things were getting a bit too much, of thinking that life would be much simpler, satisfying and harmonious if I were Postman Pat. But when Mrs Postman Pat turned up in one of the kid's books I realised I could never fancy her and the dream was shattered.
Posted by: David | June 26, 2009 at 08:22 AM
(Celia Imrie): Don't you miss the theatre, and films?
(Victoria Wood): No, you see, here we make our own entertainment. I've memorised all the vitamins on the cornflake packet. And we've got a big wooden barrel in the corner of the living room and I like to sit and look at that. And the other day, one of those things with legs.... what do you call them....cows!...came in through a gap in the hedge and walked along! And you see those big green leafy things outside the window....trees... well, in the autumn, all the leaves fall off and in the spring they all grow back again!
(Celia Imrie): It must be nice to be part of the community in the country....
(VW): Oh it is. I caught my leg in a man-trap the other day. If you get the chance to, try it; they really are wonderfully crafted. I was just staggering along, bleeding fairly profusely and called to a tractor driver "Is this the way to the hospital?" and he said "No, its in the other direction!"
(CI): Well, I'm sorry, but living in the country would drive me mad in about three days.
(VW): Oh, I thought that. It actually took about 20 minutes.
Posted by: Exit, Pursued by a Bear | June 26, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Well I should love to tlive in that particular house. With all those flowers and things, it would be very pretty.
However it could be a bit of a drive to get Thai takeaway. Or to get to the sea.
Posted by: fifi | June 26, 2009 at 11:48 PM
I've been nurturing a fantasy about country living, but then I'm also nurturing one about city living. Here I am betwixt and between. Sorry work was so glum. Clearly management have not learned simple people skills.
Posted by: curious | June 27, 2009 at 11:30 PM
The truth is I would never want to live in an English country house - now an Irish or Scottish might be a different matter.
Posted by: ganching | June 30, 2009 at 11:46 PM