At the moment, life seems to be throwing up problems faster than I can deal with them. I have two relatives – my father-in-law and my sister – who are both in hospital after serious operations and who are in different parts of the country. Whilst I can visit the former (it takes me just over an hour to drive to and from the hospital in Canterbury every day) on a regular basis, I have to rely on getting news about my sister’s progress via my brother and nephews.
At the same time the Sixth Form where I work has just ‘failed’ a visit by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education), and as yet we are unsure of the category of failure we are in. If it is judged to have ‘serious weaknesses’, it means a lot of extra work by all the staff; if the judgement is that is it in need of ‘special measures’, then it means the wholesale removal of the present management … and even more extra work by all the remaining staff.
In the midst of all this the only bit of relief I get is blogging. Writing a blog entry gives me a short time every day when I can concentrate on something other than my family or work. Whilst it would be an exaggeration to say that it is keeping me sane, it is helping me cope.
So if I write the odd blog entry like this that is nothing to do with wargaming, please indulge me. Let me ramble on … and then read the next one which will almost certainly be more interesting.
Thank you.
At the same time the Sixth Form where I work has just ‘failed’ a visit by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education), and as yet we are unsure of the category of failure we are in. If it is judged to have ‘serious weaknesses’, it means a lot of extra work by all the staff; if the judgement is that is it in need of ‘special measures’, then it means the wholesale removal of the present management … and even more extra work by all the remaining staff.
In the midst of all this the only bit of relief I get is blogging. Writing a blog entry gives me a short time every day when I can concentrate on something other than my family or work. Whilst it would be an exaggeration to say that it is keeping me sane, it is helping me cope.
So if I write the odd blog entry like this that is nothing to do with wargaming, please indulge me. Let me ramble on … and then read the next one which will almost certainly be more interesting.
Thank you.
Friends ask me sometimes about what my mind wanders to while I'm painting, etc. Most commonly the answer is: not much of anything. It's switch-off time for the brain, and a break from normal life. I know what you mean. So - ramble away then, and here's to a happier tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCraig
Permission granted. Not that you need permission of course . . . but I grant it anyway.
ReplyDelete-- Jeff
Bob,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your family.I agree blogging is escapism that lets you shut out the world and all of its travails. It certainly has helped me!
Sean
"Ramble on"... cracking song on, I think, Led Zeppelin II.... I digress... by all means ramble away.. I know exactly what you mean about blogging!
ReplyDeleteDear all,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support and understanding.
My father-in-law collapsed on Friday with a leaking heart artery, and the surgeon only gave him a 50:50 chance of survival.
Because it was too risky to give him a general anaesthetic he agreed to have the procedure to repair the damaged artery done under a local anaesthetic! He is 95 years old and a very tough old bird. I don’t know if I could have made that sort of decision, but his attitude is very ‘if its going to happen, its going to happen … and if I don’t do it I’m dead anyway’.
After the operation they then discovered that he had a blood clot in his right leg, so it was back to surgery to have that dealt with. He was a bit tired yesterday when we went to see him, but was strong enough to ask for his false teeth, reading glasses, and shaving tackle to be brought in today. Visiting hours start in about an hour’s time, so my wife and I will be setting off with everything he needs sometime in the next ten minutes.
All the best,
Bob
Sorry to hear of the troubles, been there in my own way. TG for a hobby, friends and the internet for the occasional break from it all. Blog away nothing wrong with a wargame blog having a human face.
ReplyDeleteI hope to face life& death as resolutely as your father -in-law.
-Ross
Lordy, they surely did build 'em tough in those days!
ReplyDeleteI am vexed to hear about the time you are having re famly and work. I am a teacher and can well imagine what the recent Oftsted entailed- before,during and after!
ReplyDeletebest wishes
Alan
p.s feel free to ramble away all you like...
Dear All,
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks for all the support your comments have given me ... and my family.
My father-in-law has just been moved from the ICU to a normal hospital ward. He also has his teeth - so he can eat - and his reading glasses. He is currently reading 'Stalingrad' by Antony Beevor, although he can only manage a few pages at a time as he is still very tired.
As Ross Mac writes, lets hope that we can all face life and death as resolutely as he does ... and live and wargame into a ripe old age.
All the best,
Bob
PS. As for Ofsted ... well they do their job and have to live with themselves afterwards, which is one reason I did not join them when I had the chance to some years ago. I prefer to actually teach and not tell other people how it should be done!
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteSmile as often as you can. It is good exercise.
Enjoy your blogging and gaming.
And give those poor ol' Morschauerlanders some air support or callable offboard artillery or better fortifications or more troops, or as a last hope, loaded dice.
Life is good even when it isn't.
Happy Holidays.
Jim
Hope life is sorting itself out one step at a time.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about the chap who came to your rescue in the car one darkened night a while back.
There is always hope when kindred spirits are about :)
You will soon be blogging about 6-1 DBA rolls and the like!
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI have just taken delivery of a few tanks that may well appear on the side of the Morschauserlanders in the very near future ... so keep reading!
As for air support - that is for the next draft of the rules!
All the best,
Bob
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
ReplyDeleteYour's is a very timely reminder of the good that there is in the world. It is sometimes difficult to remember that fact when things are not going well in one's life.
All the best,
Bob
Hope everything sorts itself out and your father-in-law is soon up and about. I'll certainly think twice about complaining the next time I have the odd twinge!
ReplyDeleteAs for Ofsted - well, anything I'd say would probably be unprintable. As they say, if you can't do it, teach it, if you can't teach it, become an Ofsted inspector.
jfidz,
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law seems to be making a good recovery at present, so there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
As for the Ofsted inspection ... well we are still waiting for the final judgement nearly 12 days after the event. Either there is doubt in their minds as to what category to put us in or the senior management in the school is in a blind panic/denial and won't tell the staff because it is so damning about them as a group. Either way the report must be made public this week or early next week and then we shall know the truth.
All the best,
Bob