I hadn’t been up long
when er indoors TM” commented on how ripe the dogs’ farts
were this morning. I smiled sweetly and hoped she wouldn’t make the connection
with last night’s kebab bonanza which me and the dogs shared.
I
got the dogs leaded up and into the car and we drove up to Kings Wood. As we
drove the pundits on the radio were talking about the staffing shortages in the
hospitality sector. The chap doing the interviewing commented that he had
personal experience of this, having just been on a short break to the Lake
District and found so many pubs, restaurants and hotels closed from lack of
staff. The woman being interviewed was a leading light in the hospitality
sector who again pointed out how difficult it was to get staff after all the
workers went home after Brexit. I can’t pretend that I thought that Brexit was
a good idea, but the government has had six years to sort it out… It can’t keep
on being used as the reason for all the country’s problems, can it?
A
government spokesman was wheeled on who wittered on about how foreign workers
can apply to work in the UK (if they want to jump through endless legal
hoops to do so), made the observation that no one wants to work in the
hospitality sector anyway (as it is too much like hard work), and then said
that what with double-figure inflation and the cost of living crisis fewer and
fewer people will be able to afford to go to pubs, restaurants and hotels, and
so the sector will need a lot less workers anyway.
A rather strange
admission from a government spokesman, wouldn’t you think.
There
was quite a bit of talk about the NHS as well… since the Royal College of
Nursing announced the result of the strike ballot there has been a definite
change of attitude from Radio Four about the NHS. More and more the talk is
about the waiting lists and the unspoken implication is that this is entirely
due to the lazy workforce. Or am I just being paranoid?
We
got to the woods and did our usual four-mile circuit. Just after half-way we
heard a voice. There was some rather aggressive-looking woman a hundred yards
behind. “I vould like to come past” she bellowed in a thick German
accent. I don’t know why she had to make the announcement; there was plenty of
space.
She
ran past with her dog on a lead attached to her belt; her dog being something
huge (quite literally the size of a small pony). Her dog stopped when it
saw the puppies, and when a dog that size stops, anyone roped to it stops too.
She didn’t like coming to such an abrupt halt. Her dog then started bounding
and jumping and playing with the puppies, and the puppies were playing and
bounding and jumping too.
The
German woman then announced very loudly to the world (even though there was
only us there) that she was sick and tired of other dogs attacking her dog.
I actually laughed and explained that all the dogs were playing. With a face
like thunder she insisted “Zat dog is attakink my dog” whilst pointing
at Bailey, who is about the size of a small cat.
Eventually
she pissed off, which was for the best. The next chap we met said he’d had a
run-in with her as well… As we got near the car park we met a Dalmatian puppy
who was so excited to play with Morgan and Bailey that she actually trod on
Bailey (several times!)
As
we drove home “Desert Island Discs” was on the radio. We only caught the
last half of the show. Richard E Grant was the castaway. I
must admit I didn’t think much of his choice of records, and when he spoke I
got the distinct impression that nothing he said was from the heart, but all
had been carefully rehearsed. Perhaps I’m doing the chap a disservice?
Once
home the dogs soon settled… Treacle in the puppies’ crate and the puppies in
Treacle’s basket.
I
set off to work singing along to the songs that my car plays for me. They are
mostly by "Ivor Biggun", but there are three CD's worth of
"The Tiswas Album" and several other songs best described as
"assorted and various".
I
went to work via Sainsburys as I needed
a sandwich for work... and I also wanted to test that my new credit card
actually worked. I've had issues with new cards before. Fortunately it tricked
the woman on the till into giving me a sausage sandwich and a bottle of fizz,
and once I'd got those scoffed I went in to work.
I
say "work"...
There
was cake, and then I spent a few minutes explaining to the new trainee that if
she walks round carrying something then people will think that she is busy. And
(advanced skiving technique!) that if whilst carrying something she has
a lab timer clipped to the pocket of her lab coat then people will think that
she is multi-tasking.
Several
people have commented that I should apply for the post of departmental training
lead...
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