A Place in the Sun

Today is one of those days when I wonder whether the silence is the calm before the storm. The weather is grey and overcast, with a southerly wind which makes the weather humid and heavy.  Perhaps that explains the mood.  That, and the fact that I might be coming down with flu, along with some 16% of the population here.  Indeed, even the hospital is buckling under the pressure of admissions of patients with  complications related to the flu .  Yet people still go to work and send their children to school when already unwell, or still showing symptoms of the flu, despite health warnings of the severity of the flu cases this year.  I generally get tired and get cold sores. I don't have cold sores at the moment but I am definitely tired.  That might also be due to the fact that I have not really taken any time off, and this is something I owe to myself - to rest and recover and deal with all the issues that need dealing with. I am really looking forward to some time off but almo

Eight years ago this time, I was looking at my suitcases and trying to  come to terms with the fact that my ten-year long relationship was over.  We had had a chat and painfully admitted that there was no spark any more. I was scared to draw the line, and possibly so was he. Towards the end of January, I had a dream, in which we were both in the living room, with the dog, talking.  We were just ghosts and the room was bathed in white light. and we were both dressed in white (I think). I woke up with very painful emotions, because I knew deep inside that something had ended, even if I did not want to acknowledge it. I had become close to someone else by then, who acted as a foil for what was going on at home. I am well over the relationship now - eight years are a long time.  The journey has been long and not without its trials and tribulations.  Friends have flitted in and out of my life, with only a few remaining.  Partly my fault for isolating myself but I have not always been a

Today's pace was a little faster than yesterday's so far, seeing that many more people have returned to work.  Business has been busier to transact, in particular because even government employees seem to have taken the 3rd January as a day of leave, and not just the 2nd. For me, I am looking forward to take some time off but I am uneasy of letting go of my role for any length of time.  I am not quite easy with what can be said behind my back.  I sound like a paranoid idiot at the moment but if truth be said, a few incidents have taken place which have caused me to be constantly jumpy in my seat. Much of what I have managed to achieve has been positive, in that I came up with a few useful reports and summaries indicating a way forward with some necessary work which only I seem willing to do within the organisation.  Creating a niche for yourself is useful; you will never become indispensable but being valuable is definitely an asset and makes you a desirable employee.  Hav

So the year has started, with not much drama.  It was quite a peaceful one for me.  I can hardly believe the Christmas period is over and I cannot say that I have had any particular time to rest. Returning to work after 4 days (one day shutdown) was tough and I could hardly get out of bed.  I kept shivering with cold and could hardly bring myself to shower, let alone get dressed and come out of bed.  But thankfully, I got myself up and going and prepared what I consider to be a good day's work.  The pace has been slow since many are still on leave, which was a relief to me.  This also helped me concentrate on new regulations that have been issued in relation to the new Money Laundering Directive.  There's quite a learning curve and I feel that I am very far behind in that field, having tailed off to competition law between late 2014 and earlier this year. I can hardly believe that I have been absent from MCCAA for 8 whole months!   8 months ago, I was looking to embark on