Side garden

My days in Tain probably seem quite boring to the outsider. I swim (on this occasion 8am for about 30 minutes with K and C), I work (mainly on my own stuff including reading something quite interesting for which I need to write an editors' preface), and I pop into the garden from time to time. Most of the way, I did all this dodging showers and I also helped Mr A with the shopping down at the supermarket.

I also got annoyed as someone, through their EA*, sent me an email which suggested I was stepping down this summer from my role. I got annoyed because (a) they sent this email containing potentially sensitive information through their EA rather than doing it themselves and (b) when I asked where they got this information from, again it was the EA who replied to say that it was something I'd said at a meeting which had been apparently misinterpreted. In other words, it was a "sorry you feel like this" email combined with a modicum of victim blaming. At this point, I stated in no uncertain terms to the EA that it was time for the principal, not the agent, to start emailing me. I consulted my colleagues, and they overwhelmingly agreed that these communications had been highly inappropriate. I've heard nothing since. I may be overreacting a bit, but there are reasons for feeling quite uncertain and on edge at the moment, and hence what was a sensitive query should have been handled personally, not through an EA. In addition, the person in question has my mobile number, so could easily have dropped me a quick text to say "sorry". One of my colleagues suggested that if they had committed a gaff like that "I'd be mortified and straight round with a bottle of fizz". Me too. Another suggestion was another karaoke leaving party, like the one I was at the other day, with the principal and the agent invited along and then pointed in the direction of this Elton John classic.

Anyway, Mr A and I consoled ourselves with a round of home made pizzas (where the new oven proved its worth) and post dinner TV, which led to me falling asleep again....

There are extras of a wee sparrow wrestling with something to eat on the front patio and of the sea.

*EA = Executive Assistant. PA doesn't seem popular as a term / function these days. I guess we can point to toxic masculinity and #metoo as a possible explanation.