DAY 17
Today was a day of mixed emotions – the morning started with a lovely walk with Sarah and Albie. I had planned to ride my bike to Munday Dean Lane, but it was threatening to rain, and I have decided I am a fair weather cyclist, so I drove to meet them and we set out for a walk in the woods under grey skies. That did not slow Albie down one iota, I think he’s an English Pointer, but all you need to know is that he covers the ground at a great rate. A very enjoyable walk and catch-up followed by coffee sitting outside under the patio umbrella sheltering from the rain, which has finally arrived. Pleased to have left the bike at home.
The afternoon involved an all staff presentation by the Vice-Chancellor, who laid out the tough financial situation the University finds itself in and the steps it is initially taking to combat this. Unsurprisingly there is likely to be a redundancy programme, and savings equivalent to 500 full-time roles are required. This is approximately 1 in 6 positions. While I am confident my role will be safe, the lack of available resources for the next 2 – 3 years mean it will be more difficult to do my job. We are going to have to be creative. There is much to consider and I look forward to discussing it with Edd (Head of Fundraising) tomorrow when we are having a virtual drink after work. The news has taken the edge off the day, and so I retreat into a glass of wine and a pile of ironing.
DAY 18
Nick is heading back to Manchester on Friday and in an attempt to keep him Covid-19 free, he is taking a car full of groceries back with him, so he doesn’t have to supermarket shop while he’s away. I winkled him out of bed at 9am (an hour of the day he hasn’t seen for quite some time) and dragged him round Asda for a selection of essentials which included, when I checked out the shopping trolley, 2 bottles of red wine! His tastes have matured, the shopping run used to involve a slab of beer. We filled his car with petrol and were both astonished that it only cost £45 – petrol is currently £1 a litre! I got back in time for my 11am FaceTime with 2 old school friends, a real treat, while Robert and Nick headed off to retrieve the boat, she’s coming home. The new owners of the boathouse have agreed to allow us to rent one of the berths from them – we are delighted as it is so convenient and also an amazing secret garden.
5pm saw me back in front of my screen to chat to Edd. We swap notes on the V-C’s speech and its implications for our team. Will we still be able to maximise our fundraising capacity with a reduced budget and will we keep all the staff, only time will tell. With an extensive consultation process, we won’t know the outcome until January 2021 – what a way to kick off the New Year!
Nick is off at 9am tomorrow and so I WhatsApp Ros to see if we can pop in and see the puppies before he goes. She responded quite late and Nick had gone to play darts with a couple of friends, but Alex and I couldn’t resist the opportunity and Robert decided to coma along, just to make sure we don’t weaken and beg Ros to let us have one. They are two weeks old and have their eyes open now and have doubled in size since we saw them last week. The good news is that Ros & Richard have decided to keep Boris, so we will get to see him as he grows up and when they are away he can come to stay. Yippee
DAY 19
I am up early to finish ironing the clothes the Smallest Boy wants to take back to Manchester with him – he returned after midnight last night (I didn’t hear him come in) and so far there is no sign of life from his room. He was a little lippy on his way out and so I suggested he should set an alarm in the morning, as I would not be getting him up. He appeared in the kitchen at about half 9 with the list he put together last night of things he needed to pack 1) Glasses – wine & beer. I fear it’s going to be a long morning. Just as I thought we were making progress, Nick decided he needed to eat before departing, as it had just dawned on him that driving 200 miles on an empty stomach was not a smart idea – also no McDonalds will be open en route. He finally departs at 11.30 and we all breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s Friday and so it’s Drinks in the Field with Dave & Hels time. The weather is not playing ball but we decide to brave it and wrap up warm. As we arrived it started to rain and so we tucked ourselves under the hedgerow until it passed and the sun came out. Like naughty children we had a real giggle, rolling home just before 8pm
DAY 20
Alex is off to meet Amy for a walk today half-way between here and Cornwall – near Weston-super-Mare as it turned out. He was up and about early (and as he does nothing quietly, we were all awake early) and brought us a cup of tea just before he left at 7.30am, so by 9am we were both up, the appliances were all going and Robert was back from Sainsbos. As we sat having a coffee, Robert made a statement he would later regret, he said he would go and see whether he could find a home for the new rosé delivery in the office. That was my chance and I took it – I have wanted to clear the office out for a few weeks, but the Smallest Boy was finishing his University work in there. With his departure for Manchester, I could clear it out and move the furniture around. Unable to think of a good reason why we shouldn’t set about the task, Robert gave in & we rolled up our sleeves and cracked on. I forgot to take a before picture, but I was very pleased with the results. The office is now ready to be my place to sit when we get back to work, the dining room table is a thing of the past.
DAY 21
It’s my God-daughter, Isabel’s, 18th Birthday today. I am officially relieved of my God-motherly duties, not that I’ve been a major influence in her life, however I hope she feels that, should she need to speak to someone other than her parents, or have someone pour her a stiff G&T, then the door is always open. Our Zoom call was a lovely half an hour with her and her Mum. I feel heartily sorry for people trying to celebrate landmark occassions during the lockdown, hoping to have some fun despite the restrictions currently in place. It’s a challenge to create a memorable event.
3pm saw the first face-to face darts match. The weather predictably didn’t play ball, but thankfully we have a couple of gazebos and we’re not afraid to use them. I accept being defeated by the corona virus, but not by the British weather decided early on that gazebos were the only sensible course of action. It poured with rain and we all skulked under cover until it finally cleared and the sun came out. The Hoares won the match and retained the medal, while the Ring of Shame passed for the first time to the Ashworth household. So lovely to see them in person.
