This life

I swear that the last time I looked it was Sunday, and now all of a sudden it's Friday and I have no idea how I've got here so fast. Where did five days go? Time just seems to be disappearing at the moment, swallowed up by all kinds of things and stuff, which seems like a good time for a work/life update. 

Starting with work, because as always there is some good and some bad, well not bad, just not so good would be more accurate. The good is that I am still very much enjoying my libraryland job. There are many differences between academic and public libraries, one of the most obvious being that when people use a public library it is generally for the pleasure of reading and not because they really need that reservation that 75 other people are also waiting for. When you pass on that kind of information in a public library you're more often met with a wry chuckle, a shrug of the shoulders, and a 'oh well I'll just wait my turn' type of comment, which is so much nicer than someone bursting into tears on you and running off to the toilets to have a nervous breakdown. The stress levels are much reduced which is a most pleasant change. And shelving is an absolute delight - I have a massive pile of books on my bedside table now as I just can't resist taking that one...oh and that's been on my list for ages...and look, that recipe book looks like it will be full of tasty delights...if books were dangerous I'd be in serious trouble right about now...

With good however, always seems to come bad. The bad in this instance is that we didn't get the funding for the project I have been working on these past few months. The day we found out that news was pretty glum all round. All my plans of working the two part time jobs side by side were chucked out of the window by one measly letter. Ho hum, such is the life of fund-raising. I have a few hours left on my contract, and with that I've been able to do some really brilliant stuff like visiting a social group for blind and visually impaired people and chatting to them about what we do; and today I helped to run an art class for people with visual impairment which was all kinds of inspiring and fun. To say that I will miss that job is a massive understatement - it's the first time I have ever loved my work, and it's been inspiring and humbling and a pleasure and fascinating all at the same time. I've met some wonderful people and discovered some amazing things on the journey. It's this I am choosing to take away with me, rather than dwelling on the bad. 

So in the meantime I am back to being a library assistant once again. 

Except the library service is undergoing a review so who knows what will happen?

It certainly keeps life interesting...

...and busy. I like to fill my hours in when I'm not at work meeting up with friends so there's been lots of park walks, and coffee catch-ups, and general chitty-chatty times at houses, doing things that don't cost much money. Other than that it's been family time, and Dave time, and Bob time, and dog walks, and beautiful sunrises, and theatre stuff, and just general busy-ness. Life is pretty full, but I wouldn't have it any other way.