Glass of Almonds

But is it half full or half empty? and is that really the sky and a pink plant behind it?

The day goes like this: lots of errands before work. Get to work and get told that we are deep cleaning toys, every day, because of the flu bug continuing to go round. Many discussions about cleaning spray.

Formtunately we have enough adult volunteers to make playtime highly successful, and to help with the cleaning!

Then I go to college. I am a staff member, so should qualify for a free course. I want to enrol for digital photography next term. I am told that I must have a letter of entitlement, and that I can get this by emailing M in Human Resources. I am also told that there is just one place left. I run up to M's office and get the letter printed out. It seems I am not alone in not having had a letter sent out this year. Then I fill out a form, and find I have to get approval from J, my head of faculty. I go to the Art office, and am told that L, who acts for J, is out at lunch. I go to the canteen to see if I can get some lunch. It's nearly 2pm, and all the food has been cleared away. I return to stalk L, and eventually she arrives and agrees to phone J, as the situation is urgent. He gives verbal approval, but says he must respond to an email enquiry for it to be legitimate.

I return to the enrolment office on the ground floor, and they agree to email J. He does not reply. I leave my phone number, and walk back through the park. The sun has gone in. It is no longer warm. The Leisure centre caff does not sell chips. Tesco's cafe has been converted to Costa, with a corresponding price hike, but still no daylight. In town, I buy chips from the chip shop, and walk home slowly savouring the aroma of hot vinegar. It takes me the whole walk home to finish them. They may even be the best chips I have ever tasted. Just as I arrive home, the rain starts.

... A few hours and several million jigsaw pieces later, I help CleanSteve get the house ready for a meeting. I realise I have not blipped, and fiddle around with a jar of almonds, while the pasta boils over. The meeting people arrive, and I enjoy voluntary exile with wine, jigsaws, iPod, and old repeats. Kenny Everett video show. I remember every sketch as if it were 1982 again.

Tomorrow I will deep clean. Tonight I shall be shallow and frivolous.