Sunday, June 21, 2009

Officially middle aged!


Today was my birthday - I have reached the grand old age of 44, and with average life expectancy for women at around 88 years, I guess I can say that I am now officially middle aged ! How then did I celebrate - by going to work and mopping up an old lady's accident all over the bathroom floor - lovely !

In between the mopping up, I had to wash (thankfully not by hand) the breakfast dishes and prepare the trolley for morning tea. After that I had to iron the table clothes and napkins, clean the Managers office, the residents lounge and the dining room, and lay the tables for lunch. I then had ten residents rooms to clean, plus four toilets (two for the staff and two for the residents) and one bathroom. I finished all that lot just in time to wash up the dishes from lunch, prepare the afternoon tea trolley and mop the kitchen floor ... So, you could say it has been a busy day.

At least my money worries could soon be at an end. The chef mentioned yesterday that the girl who used to work in the kitchens in the evening, clearing tables and washing up, has left. it is only 2 hours each night from 5pm-7pm, but it is 10 hours a week that I could do with. I do not really want to work seven days a week though, even if it is only for 2 hours each night. So, I spoke to my boss who has agreed that I can work three nights a week next week and see how I feel about taking the job on a permanent basis. They will of course need to advertise for someone else to cover the remaining two nights, but that shouldn't be a problem.

So next week it will be busy, busy again, with a big exam tomorrow and a smaller one (the last one for the season) on Tuesday, and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, plus my usual weekend duties. You know what they say though, make hay while the sun shines. The way I look at it, each day that I work there is paying for another night (with food) in Ilfracombe. One month tomorrow and I shall be on my way, and then the fun can really begin.

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