Posts Tagged ‘Work’
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 27, 2012
List of mills owned by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation Limited (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Thursday I had a couple of jobs to do for an old lady but she had requested that I should arrive no earlier than 11 o’clock. For me that is usually a bit of a pain as I would have to sit around doing nothing for a couple of hours unless I was fortunate to have a small job locally to kill the time. People don’t realise the inconvenience that can cause. I could have been earning instead of sitting around but as it turned out I didn’t have any other work scheduled for the day. I had to return to a job I had done on Wednesday to receive payment as the client had been away from home whilst I was working there. Following that I had to get fuel for my vehicle and then visit my supplier to purchase some materials so that left me with a half hour to kill before I could go to the job. When I arrived I was greeted at the front door and then it started. She talked continuously until she realised that I needed to get on with the jobs. Even then she found it difficult not to speak but I found her little talks quite interesting nevertheless. I managed to do three of the four jobs for her but needed to purchase a replacement bathroom heater. I invited her to come along with me and she could select one of her choice and pay for it at the same time. We returned home and I had the new heater fitted in fifteen minutes. I ended up leaving the house after four and a half hours but the actual work only took me about two! All she wanted was somebody to talk to but I didn’t mind too much. I learned a lot about herself, her family and the history of the local area, a subject I am particularly interested in. Whilst driving to and from the supplier I was given the run down of almost every building along the route, what used to be there, who lived there and what businesses were in operation when she was younger. She was 82 years of age so she was describing what life was like in the area in the 1930′s. She could certainly talk a glass eye to sleep or talk the hind legs off a donkey as the sayings go! She was an accomplished keyboard player and had an electric organ at home, she was also an accomplished artist and many of her pictures were dotted around the walls. She also had an old wooden spinning machine on which she spun yarn for her embroidery, knitting and tat work. What was interesting is that she had spun a lot of yarn using dog hair!
Despite her reluctance to refrain from telling me every detail of her life I found her very engaging but by the time I wanted to go home I needed to go home! I took the rest of the afternoon off and went to the pub. I treated myself to a hearty meal and stayed there for the quiz later in the evening.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
2 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Enjoyment, History, People, Socialising, Work | Tagged: Lifestyle, People, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 25, 2012
Retirement (Photo credit: Tax Credits)
Over the past few months I have written often about retirement. My attitude is one of fear, not having anything to do would drive me nuts so if and when I retire I would need plenty of things to occupy my time. I say ‘if’ I retire, it may be that I end up dying on the job! Well that wouldn’t be so bad but I’d rather go to sleep one night and simply not wake up the following morning. I guess most of us would like it that way, painless and without worry. At this moment in time I have only my work to keep me occupied for the majority of my day but even that is usually kept to the morning only with just the odd days work lasting into the afternoon. The jobs I have planned at home are on hold. Yes I play my guitar to keep myself occupied but that is for pleasure and is limited to between one and two hours each day depending on how I am feeling. I exercise on my treadmill and go for walks sometimes. I go to the pub to socialize or go out dining once or twice weekly too but these things are not done every day and there is still an enormous amount of time left. If I was to stop working I am not sure how I could fill all the extra hours. I don’t live to work but I do like working and after almost fifty years doing so it will be difficult to simply stop. I had two colleagues die soon after they retired which may have been due to the sudden change of lifestyle but that isn’t what I fear, it’s the possible boredom! I do get bored very easily at times which could be due to my age. I never felt this way when younger. I know people who are retired and their days are spent in a very routine way. They do the same things day in and day out seemingly without much change. Now that would drive me nuts! I like spontaneity and that is why I like my job, it is different each day. I like doing things on the spur of the moment and when I am in the mood. That is how I write my poems and songs, spontaneously. Like everyone else I do have a routine of sorts but it does vary each day. I never get up or go to bed at set times, I never eat at set times either and do things when I need to or want to. The only exception to that is where I have to keep appointments either for my work or to see the doctor or dentist for instance and they usually upset the best of any plans I might have made anyway. So whether I retire or not is partly irrelevant, it is more important that I am kept busy so that I don’t get bored.
Ecclesiastes 2 (NIV)
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
In context:
Toil Is Meaningless
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Shirley Anne
- On Retirement (erleargonza.wordpress.com)
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Occupation, Work | Tagged: Activity, Employment, Retirement, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 26, 2012
Come Monday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was engaged in a very small job on Monday and was asked if I had anything else to do. I replied that I hadn’t and that is quite usual for me. I often find that I have one small job at the beginning of the week and nothing else booked but as the week progresses things change and I often find myself inundated with requests. Being self-employed is sometimes a difficult road to travel as you find you cannot find time to relax unless you specifically take it. During the normal working week you have to be available for spur-of-the-moment calls or lose the prospect of a job. When younger this isn’t a problem, more energy, more enthusiasm and probably more strength too! If I fancy having a glass of wine in the afternoon I either have one or leave it until evening depending on whether I want to take calls or not. I don’t know why it is but some people, knowing they want some work doing, often leave it till the last-minute before calling and expect you will be available for them. If it took them so much time to contact me another day won’t make any difference. I have been to remote locations in the morning and had to return home with nothing else to do and then get a call from such a person who happened to live in the same area! I could have done their job in the afternoon when they called. Unless it is an emergency such jobs are put off till the next day or whatever day suits the caller. I never know from one minute to the next if I will get work or not and what I do get is always different from day-to-day. This is what makes my work fascinating and enjoyable. No wonder I am reluctant to give it up just yet. One day I will have to, you never know!
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Work | Tagged: Business, Employment, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 6, 2012
My tired kitty. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I write this on Wednesday evening after completing a day of doing one of my favourite things. I’ll let you WORK it out, LOL. A full day at ‘the office’ has become a rare event of late, which, don’t get me wrong, is very welcome. However sometimes it is necessary to fill the day but I am not getting any younger so it does get harder putting in so many hours. The plus side is that I shall sleep well and as they say I have aches where I didn’t even know I had parts! I could easily fill each day being fully occupied but what would be the point in that? So far it has been the worst day of the week weatherwise, as forecast, but here in Southport it has been the wind which has been the prominent weather feature. It is now quite sunny as I sit here writing this post and the wind has died down quite a lot too. We have had no rain except for what fell yesterday and we certainly haven’t had any snow. I feel sorry for many people across parts of the county the who have been unfortunate in waking up this morning to heavy falls of snow with all the disruption that entailed. I reckon I still have the vestiges of the common cold lingering about my system which isn’t helpful when I need to be active. The reason I say that is the fact that I do not feel 100% well, not enough to prevent me from doing things but most probably enough to slow me down! As I was driving home my upper lip began to swell, just as my lower lip did a day or so back but the swelling has all but disappeared as I write this in the evening. I have never experienced this before, I either get the full-blown cold sore or nothing at all. Generally speaking though I enjoy good health so I can’t complain. Last night I had a really good night’s sleep and had another one of my weird dreams but I awoke very refreshed and rearing to go. I hope that will be the same again tonight.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Rest and sleep, Work | Tagged: Common cold, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Herpes labialis, Herpes simplex virus, Southport, Work | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 26, 2012
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Well it’s not Saturday night or Sunday morning but it’s been a nice weekend. It is Monday morning once again and I am wondering what this week has in store for me. After last Friday’s fiasco I am hoping things will go a lot smoother. At the time it was frustrating on Friday but through it all I remained in good spirits and found myself laughing at the ridiculous chain of events in which I found myself immersed. I was rather tired after the days events and all I wanted to do was sit down and relax. I received a call in the evening from the old lady in whose house I’d been in earlier in the day asking if I could remove the wall lights for her (you will have to read last Fridays post to get the whole story). I returned to the old lady’s house on Saturday morning to remove the two wall lights and at the same time fit the new ceiling light she had bought, a much better and much simpler affair. She wasn’t able to get the new wall lights until she had returned the ones I was to take down, the ones I’d fitted on Friday! I offered to take her into town and drop her off with the lights after which I was to return home and she would return home by herself later. I would return today, Monday to fit the wall lights she was to collect from the store. So that’s what I will be doing this morning if all goes well. It’s been a lovely weekend with fine sunshine and on Saturday evening Jane collected me on her way to the archery club social dinner, probably the last one I’ll attend as she is moving down to the south coast. E had been out all day on Saturday having driven to her venue early in the morning with her car stocked full of gifts for her ‘Formidable Friends’ competitors club event out-of-town. At least it gives her something on which to focus in her life as she is unable to work because of her incapacity. Life goes on with all its ups and downs. It’s Monday morning and I feel great.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
2 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Life | Tagged: Archery, Drink, Food, Friday, Friendship, Fun, Happiness, Jane, Life, Monday, Saturday, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 1, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Whenever someone asks me to do a job for them I note it down in a diary. I seldom forget that I have work to do but on Tuesday morning I received a call from a lady who asked if I was coming as I said I would. Fortunately I was dressed and just about putting the finishing touches to my make-up when she called and was able to get there within a half hour. She had called me around eight-thirty but as is usual for me I wouldn’t have arrived until nine o’clock anyway. I could have said nothing about my forgetting the appointment but I apologised for my error. I arrived a few minutes after nine and did the work for her. I have worked for this lady before and she is nice to work for. She had done a little electrical job in her kitchen and asked if I would check it out. I couldn’t have done a better job myself! She told me that she had wanted to be a mechanic in her youth but couldn’t get into the industry. She is only six years younger than myself! There were other electrical jobs that needed doing but she confessed she hadn’t the knowledge to do them and that is why I was called. Later we chatted some and she was asking about my interests and when I mentioned that I play guitar she took me upstairs and showed me two lovely instruments that she owned but couldn’t play. Both were way out of tune and one, a twelve-stringed guitar, had a string missing, the other, a six-stringed instrument had two of its strings wrapped on the wrong posts so that the strings crossed each other on the machine head. She asked if I could tune it so I did a quick tune-up and played a song or two. It needs the strings fitted correctly and tuning properly. I also noticed that some strings were wrapped counter-clockwise and some clockwise which makes adjusting the tension awkward. They should all rotate the same way so it is easier to remember if you are tightening them or loosening them! She asked if I could teach her to play but I explained that it would take some time just to learn the basics. I may get back to her later if I’ve the time. I’ve now got to try to remember to do that. As we get older we find that we sometimes forget things, it’s unavoidable I suppose. It is one thing writing down appointments in a diary, it’s another remembering to read the diary or even remembering where you left it! I am alright on the last bit as my diary is in my bag. Now where did I place my bag? LOL.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
3 bloggers like this post.
Posted in General Chat, Life | Tagged: Arts, General Chat, Guitar, Life, Music, String instrument, Stringed, Strings, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 21, 2012
Less work, more work sounds a bit daft but in my corner of the world it makes great sense! The less occupational work the more time I have to do the other tasks I have to do at home. This seems to be the case for yet another week lately but at the moment I don’t mind. The thing I like about any work that I do is the challenges that are presented before me and as in every task I undertake I am constantly assessing the situation and making adjustments as necessary until it all comes together as a completed job. There are very few things I cannot turn my hand to around the house and it all comes from a lifetime of experiences both in my occupational work and work done privately at home. This makes any project easier to do as I have most of it already done in my head before I actually do anything with my hands. I see the finished job long before it is started and really only have to make minor adjustments along the way. It is very satisfying to see the fruits of my labour and to be able to enjoy the finished job. Whenever I have completed a project I find myself beginning to think about the next one. Between jobs and indeed during them I like to take time out for myself for a day which gives me time to recharge my batteries and sometimes reflect on my game plan. There’s a lot to be said for having a busy work schedule whether that is for yourself or working for someone else, it gives purpose for life. Living it up for a season might be fine and for some people that’s all they want to do but for me, I need variety and something to keep my mind active and my body exercised. Work does both for me.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Work | Tagged: Activity, Construction and Maintenance, Philosophy, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 18, 2012
On Monday we have someone arriving to install the roller-shutter door on the garage. It has been quite some time since we purchased the door so we hope it works! I shall be fitting the control panel this weekend ready for the door wiring to be connected via its plug. Earlier in the week I purchased an extract fan and transformer for the new wet room and I plan to begin work in that room this coming week. There is plenty of work to do but at least we have the room stripped and ready. I cannot make any more excuses for delaying this project. I didn’t want to work on it over the last couple of months for several reasons but now I am eager to start. On Wednesday I finished clearing away all the tree branches and shrubs we had cut down a few weeks ago. The weather, coupled with other things I had to do prevented me from finishing the task beforehand. We still need to dig out all the roots and remove the many large stones that had been laid there years ago. The whole area needs sculpturing and that will take quite some time to do but I am afraid it will have to wait a while yet. I might be able to do something with it in the meantime but that will depend on my other commitments. It is time to start the ball rolling. On Thursday when E went out to do the weekly shop I set about knocking the hole through the wall for fitting the extract fan. I set up the ladder to get on the new garage roof and I drilled two pilot holes where the hole would be on the outside but I didn’t remove the brick as I didn’t have the grill to fit over the hole. Apart from that it began to rain a little so I abandoned the idea. Instead, I went indoors and dug out the brick on the inside together with some plaster that had become loose over the years and which needs replacing. I had to stop work after this because I had other things to do but it has put me in the mood to continue as soon as I am able. Yesterday, Friday, E and I went out to lunch so nothing much got done in the morning. Maybe I’ll do something tomorrow instead. Watch this space.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Garden, House and Home, Time, Work | Tagged: Construction and Maintenance, Garage door, Home and Garden, Home Improvement, Roller shutter, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 25, 2012
Image by -DjD- via Flickr
Continuing about my work and how long I will carry on doing it I find myself even more in demand and thereby reluctant to stop altogether. Many people close to me tell me that I am too obliging but when I get requests such as complete loss of power I find I want to help. This was the case on Saturday. Now Saturdays are my sabbath days of rest but when an emergency situation arises and I have been asked to help out then that is what I will do. My philosophy and the teaching is that the sabbath was made for mankind and not mankind for the sabbath. I was about to enjoy my Saturday afternoon watching television (I was watching the Masters Snooker semi-finals, something I like to watch) when I received a call from a lady whom I’ve worked for many times and she asked if I could help her as her food freezer wasn’t working. Now I do not repair fridges and freezers when once I did years ago but then my employer supplied the necessary equipment for that sort of work. I talked her through the possible reasons for the problem which was most probably a loss of power but she maintained that she hadn’t a clue how to go about that. I arrived at her house fifteen minutes later. Now this lady is currently having her downstairs floors levelled which means all the floorboards being removed and new floor joists installed, quite a big job and she has to live upstairs whilst the work is carried out. That being the case it was most likely that her builder had accidentally switched off her freezer whilst raising the kitchen floor. It took me ten seconds to find the problem. It had been switched off at source! Whilst she is having this work done the builders are also doing some work on the roof and have erected scaffolding at the front of the house. When I arrived I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that scaffolding leaning over by as much as 40 degrees from the vertical having been blown over in the high winds we had been experiencing the night before. It was only a supporting stay which had become embedded in the soil preventing it falling over completely. We telephoned the builder several times but could not get a reply. I had to leave and return home. No sooner I got home I received another call from another lady whom I’ve worked for in the past. She asked if I could go to her daughter’s house as all her electrical circuits were not working. By this time it was late afternoon and already dark. When I arrived about twenty minutes later I discovered a genuine fault. The RCD unit had tripped but wouldn’t reset, thus disconnecting all of the supply. Switching off all circuit breakers didn’t solve the problem so that meant I also had to disconnect the circuits neutral cables too. Still the RCD would not reset which meant that it was faulty and would need replacing. However it was an old type unit and would be better to replace the whole board with a modern version that is easy to repair should anything go wrong. Of course I do not carry such things in my vehicle, no electrician does and as it was too late to purchase one and too late to do the work I had to effect a temporary repair. I by-passed the RCD unit so they could have power over the weekend until I could return on Monday to fit a new board. So that was my Saturday in tatters! I actually had scheduled work to do on Sunday morning, only small jobs this time and only because my clients could not accommodate me during the week. Normally I wouldn’t work on a Sunday as I don’t do on a Saturday. At least I was back home within two hours and had the rest of the day to myself. I did return to replace the distribution board on Monday morning, an up-to date version of the old one which enables the lighting circuits to be isolated from the RCD controlling the power circuits so if it trips the lights won’t be affected. I also discovered a fault in the washing machine which was probably the reason the old RCD kept tripping and eventually giving up altogether. I was told that several times in the past it had caused the RCD to trip. Some people never learn. Her failure to get the washing machine repaired caused her having to pay for a new power board to be fitted and she still has to do something with the washing machine.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Leisure, Lifestyle, People, Work | Tagged: Circuit breaker, Residual-current device, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 24, 2012
Image by Topsy@Waygood via Flickr
No, I am not about to write something on foodstuffs. When I am out at work and sometimes elsewhere I often joke about my shelf life and how it has expired or about my sell-by date having passed on by. Sometimes I will laughingly blame my age whenever I make a mistake. It’s all my way of acknowledging that I am not getting any younger and more specifically how I am getting older. I am asked how long I intend to carry on working when people discover how old I am. I have been in continuous employment for forty-nine and a half years and mid-July will mark my fiftieth year in the electrical industry. I am slowing down but I can still work at a pace and often surprise not only my clients but myself too! Since the beginning of the new year I have been gainfully employed but I seldom work a complete day now. Last Friday however I did work for most of the day altering existing wiring and installing new circuits and light fittings in a house which had recently been extended to form a third floor apartment. The contracting electricians had omitted to provide outlets for a cooker and other things so I had the task of putting that right. I might be thinking that my shelf life has expired but in reality I seem to be just as active and effective as I always have, albeit maybe a little slower. There’s plenty of get-up-and-go left in me yet I think. I am one of those people who will probably just switch off like a light bulb rather than become slowly dimmer each day. What motivates me? I take an interest in what I do and it gives me a sense of achievement. It is a job that is never the same each day and sometimes it challenges me. I get to meet people and work in different places. I get time off whenever I want it and I get paid too! For the time being my shelf life has been extended.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Activity, Energy, Work | Tagged: Activity, Electrical, Light, Shelf life, Work | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 17, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Saturday is my rest day…..unless someone has an emergency that needs sorting! I arose before 8 o’clock because I needed to phone someone to arrange having my garage door repaired. As it was I phoned just after 8.30 and he arranged to come on Sunday. That meant my day would be free. I know I need to start on some household projects but I wanted to do that at some other time. I spent most of the morning on the Internet or playing my guitar but after noon I decided to make a chilli-con-carne, something I generally have once each week but not always. Although this dish is best served long after it is cooked because the chilli seeds need time to break down and release their spicy flavour it still tastes good after an hour standing, warmed up of course! It would be around 2 o’clock when I received a call from an old lady some ten miles away. Her electricity safety switch (an RCD) had tripped and she found it wouldn’t reset. I talked the process of resetting it through with her over the phone to no avail. I told her that my van was currently out of use because of the problem I was having with the garage door but I might be able to get someone to take me there. I asked E if she wouldn’t mind doing that for me and she was pleased to do so. I relayed that to the old lady and told her we would be there as soon as we could, well within the next hour. So off we went to do the job. The fault took a little while to find and indeed could not be resolved simply by switching off the circuit breakers, hence the need for an electrician. I finally traced the fault to a section of cable located in a wall that had been pierced by a nail causing a short-circuit between the neutral and earthing conductors, which is why just switching off the live conductor (circuit breaker) didn’t cure the problem. The cable was located behind some wood panelling at the base of a stairway that her son had just repaired. He had inadvertently driven the nail through the cable. To be fair the cable was buried in the plaster and he didn’t know it was there. I carried out a repair and everything went back to normal. So much for my afternoon off work! The cash was enough to pay for the garage door repairs though and left a little something for E too.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Life, Work | Tagged: Life, Rest and relaxation, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 14, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
The end of the week usually brings a release from the working week and a chance to relax, or used to! When I worked for an employer I didn’t have the same freedom as when I started to work for myself but the pressure became stronger. So although I used to look forward to my Fridays and my weekends to myself when I became self-employed those feelings became stronger even though I had the freedom to choose how I spent my time working. There is a greater sense of urgency when working for one’s self I would suggest. That being the case and especially now as I am kind of semi-retired or at least only working part-time I relish taking time out to engage in some self-indulgence. Last Friday afternoon I went dining out with E and yesterday we had a repeat performance but at a different location. Yesterday morning I did an electrical job repairing some lighting and replacing fittings and returned home sometime around noon. We had already planned to dine out so I wasn’t prepared to take on any more work for the day. We tend to eat a little later into the afternoon as many places by then are not crammed full of other diners and the pace is subsequently much slower and more relaxed which makes for a better afternoon I think. I tried a new dish this time. Even though the sea bass looked very tempting I decided together with E, to have pork rump in a plum sauce with steamed vegetables and new potatoes. E had tasted this dish before but it was a first for me and she told me that I would enjoy it. I always thought that pork and apple were good together and I had reservations about pork and plum. I was pleasantly surprised when the dish arrived and I tasted it. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet. The two things go well together. However I did find the sweetness of the sauce a little too much by the time I’d finished and I think it would have benefitted from being a little less so. I pushed the boat out with my dessert too trying a lemon based dish I had never ordered before. Its name escapes me but it was basically sponge soaked in a lemon sauce topped with something resembling custard but not custard mixed with white chocolate and meringue chippings. It was too bitter for my liking but I ate it. I probably will not have it again. I am usually open to trying new dishes up to a point but I will draw the line at some things. We left the restaurant about two and a half hours later with the other half of the bottle of red wine because for once I behaved myself by not drinking it all at the table. We stopped by a supermarket on the way home to re-stock on cola and some foodstuffs. A very nice afternoon was had by all.
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Drink, Food, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation, Work | Tagged: Cooking, Drink, Food, Friday, Meat, Pork, Potato, Rest and relaxation, Sauce, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 12, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Today became the last day of my jury service. The case I was involved with drew to a close just after noon and we went to the jurors room to make our deliberations. We were divided 11 to 1 but after discussing certain points we soon arrived at a majority verdict. I had been selected as forewoman by lot, in this case the tossing of a coin. Only myself and one other woman were prepared to act as foreperson. It took a mere twenty-five minutes to reach a verdict and I knocked on the door to let the usher know. She asked if we had reached a unanimous verdict to which I replied ‘yes’. She then went into court and returned ten minutes later to escort us in. After we had all been seated (I had to take up a position next to the judge) the clerk of the court asked for the forewoman of the jury to stand. I stood up and waited for her to ask if we as a jury had reached a verdict. I replied ‘yes’. She then asked if that verdict was accepted by each of us. I replied ‘yes’. She then asked if the verdict was guilty or not guilty. I replied ‘Guilty’. The judge then informed the defendant of the verdict and the court that the sentencing would be carried out at a later date following social reports. We were dismissed from the courtroom and off we went to the main waiting area. It was around 1.15. We could not leave the building in case our services were needed in another trial. Eventually we were called to the reception, that is our group only and we were then released not only for the day but from our jury duty until and if they call upon us next time which under normal circumstances won’t be for another two years. The receptionist apologised to me for giving me bad news for I had indicated that I would have loved to continue as a juror for a little longer. The reason being there was only one trial awaiting a jury and some folk had not yet had the chance to serve on a jury after being there almost two weeks! The whole experience has been wonderful for me and although I had done jury service before that occasion was more than 27 years ago and I don’t remember too much about it. When I arrived back home there were messages on my phone asking for my services as an electrician. I now have a job to do in the morning!
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Law, Work | Tagged: Court, Court clerk, Jury, Jury duty, Law, Work | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 12, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Although I haven’t been advertising for work over the last few weeks I have still been receiving requests and enquiries. All of them have been through recommendation which is nice to know. I have only been able to oblige one person thus far though. It seems some of them have decided to wait a little longer until I have finished my jury service else they have employed someone else. Either way I am not bothered. To be honest it is going to take me some time to get back into the swing of things. I feel as though I have been on holiday for a month, which is true having done only one small job during that time. If I am found available from next week I am sure the work will start-up again. I am hoping so anyhow. In the meantime I am still on duty as a juror and I need to make a start on some projects at home. I am not relishing doing that but once I have started I will be alright. Sometimes I procrastinate and feel a reluctance to do things, possibly because I know what problems I will be facing when I tackle jobs having done so many in my life! Once the first hurdle has been jumped the rest is plain sailing as they say. That first hurdle lies inside my head! I know what is going to happen, I will make a start on my domestic jobs and then receive requests to do some electrical work, it happens all the time. Whatever happens though I was happy that I had another chance at being a juror before I have to return to my normal routine. I would recommend it to anyone who has yet to be summoned to court, as a juror of course!
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Posted in Work | Tagged: Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on December 7, 2011
Image by *Psycho Delia* via Flickr
It always seems to happen that I get calls to install or change outdoor light fittings in the winter months. The most frequently asked request is to install security lighting. The reason for that of course us that the dark evenings are with us at this time of year and the risk of burglary is thought to be higher. Although most burglaries occur during daylight hours and many of those are opportunistic people fear that the darkness is an invitation for burglars. It is true that some burglaries happen during the dark hours so security lighting is a deterrent. Why don’t people think about such things when the daylight hours are longer in the summer months? The weather will always dictate whether outside installation takes place of course, no-one wants to be working outside when it is wet and windy or cold and icy, apart from the fact that it could be dangerous. This week I have had a few such requests for outside lighting, some of which I have completed. I remember one year when I was asked to install lighting in wood decking in a garden. It was February, it was very cold and frosty and the job took me four times longer than it should have done but my client insisted I did it no matter what the cost. I had to wear gloves but that made it difficult to handle the components. I had to keep coming back indoors to get warm too. I vowed I would never repeat such a stupid method of working again and I have kept that promise. My motto now is I’m sorry but if the weather is bad the job has to wait else get someone else to do it. I do my best for people but some try it on with me! I don’t get many problems with strange requests at work, I just get some strange people to work for now and then! Speaking of which there was a guy call me on Monday who had a problem with a three light chandelier, one of the holders was loose. Thinking and wondering why he couldn’t have tightened it up himself I realised who it was calling me. He is an elderly Jewish gentleman whose wife is suffering with various health problems and I have done many jobs for them in the past. When I got to their apartment he was standing there with his arms wide open to greet me, something he has taken upon himself to do for my last few visits. I get a hug and a kiss but I would prefer he wasn’t so amorous. I try to keep a professional head upon my shoulders so my response is passive. He is sincere but presumptuous. The offending light fitting was over his wife’s bed and she was still in it! This has happened a few times but they are not bothered about me being there, it’s as though I have become part of the family as it were. The job itself wasn’t that easy to fix, well beyond his capability but I managed in the end. I even fixed a problem with a radiator valve that they had in the bathroom. Whilst I was there I met with a woman who does their house chores and now have the prospect of more work in the future. Earlier in the morning I’d been to another job ostensibly to install a power outlet for an electric fire and to fit the same into the opening in the fireplace which was surrounded by reconstituted granite slabs. Now this guy didn’t even bother to unpack the new fire and see how to fit it. It was designed to either screw straight onto a wall or fit into an opening. It had a flexible cable and plug already fitted as is the norm so all that was required was to fit it in the hole. He could have done that himself, it didn’t require any tools, his three-year old daughter could have done it, except for one thing, the opening, although wide enough, was six millimetres too short in height. He will get someone to grind off the excess. Had he looked at the fire in the first place he would not have needed my services. I fixed a couple of external lights simply by replacing the bulbs! Why don’t people think before they act? It cost him for his omission. I didn’t mind, it made my day a bit easier anyhow and still got paid!
Shirley Anne
0.000000
0.000000
Like this:
One blogger likes this post.
Posted in People, Work | Tagged: People, Weather, Work | 2 Comments »
