10 May 2010 (Monday) - Back to the Grind

Back to work – it’s now exactly a year since I took a grade reduction, and in retrospect I feel so much happier for having done so.

Home from work, and then I mowed the lawn. A week or so ago I commented that “the trick to keeping a lawn looking like it doesn’t need mowing is to keep mowing it regularly”. And it would seem that by some amazing chance, for once I was right. I’d not mowed the lawn for eleven days and this evening when I got out the mower, the garden looked like a jungle. I dread to cast my mind back only a few years when I can remember only cutting the lawn three times all year.

And in closing today, I’ll see if I can’t prevail on the kind hearts of my loyal readers. The daughter of some friends of mine is going to Uganda to spend her three month university summer holidays working with the charity 'Soft Power'. She will be working on various community projects such as teaching in schools and helping refurbish school buildings. She is funding the trip with her own money, however the charity request a donation. She is aiming to donate £500, all of which goes straight into the community. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated – you can donate on-line here. I did (!)