A leaf in a bunch of roses...

End of first week's work and its all looking like the finest garden imaginable. There's much to be done every day, and given my surroundings, it's not a toil at all. The entire office - from first floor to the top of the building - is staffed entirely by women, and I love every minute of it, being the only one of the male gender in the place! Its wonderful, but then I always did prefer being around women. I'm not going to name the company, such is my way, neither am I going to name the staff around me, as they wouldn't like that, but it's all good.

I'm working for an independent fostering agency in Ealing, still quite small and finding its feet - although it is part of a wider, national organisation - so there's still a lot of new systems to devise and set up, plus adapting other ones to suit my style of working. Throw into this the task of organising fostering panel meetings, chasing paperwork from local authorities, arranging forms for applicants and so on, there's plenty to do. In what spare time I have, I've been making contacts within the other regional offices, to make life a little easier in the long term. As I have no experience of the fostering sector, I also have to try and pick up the terms and expressions, their meanings, their implications and so on. Its not something I would have seen myself doing, but its now a position I feel capable of fulfilling. 5 years ago, I would have not thought that, but being more mature and somewhat more organised, I feel like I can do this and do it well. Of course the surroundings make a difference as well...!

Onwards and upwards!

In the three weeks since I last travelled this way, and left my last chronicle of ordinariness, things have actually happened, and to my benefit too. Although the weather today has been foul, or fowl, or possibly duck, its not a problem as there’s luck about too.

Just after my last entry, I was accepted onto a training course, beginning 14th July, studying Sage Accounting for 13 weeks. Something I always wanted to do. At about the same time, I’d passed over my CV, through a friend of Ally’s for an admin post in a different part of the same building where she worked. Two weeks ago, a letter appeared in my letterbox, inviting me for interview at Portland Place, central London, which was the head office of the company. Well, that was nice, considering I wasn’t entirely sure what the job description was, not having seen it! I didn’t even know what the salary was likely to be!

Thursday 3rd arrived and just my luck, on a day when the tube went haywire - which I could have done without - I finally made the interview, 20 minutes late. That could have had an adverse effect but having called ahead in sufficient time to warn them, it worked in my favour. The interview went well I felt, and all I had to do was wait for the decision, which could be the next day, but more likely to be Monday, I was told.

As Ally had a day off the following day, we decided to take her eldest (who had finished exams and was getting bored) into town to play tourist, and we ended up going around St Paul’s Cathedral, which I had never done. My being somewhat of a spiritual nature, it had a sobering effect on me, and given how I was wondering about the decision that would be made after the previous day’s interview, it was welcome. The three of us decided to climb the tower into the dome of the building, which filled me with a little unease, as heights are not really my thing, given as I feel uncomfortable 10 feet up a ladder!

The first stop was the whispering gallery, and that was very difficult for me, as it’s quite a narrow passageway. But I managed to pass that and go up a level to the exterior gallery, and the view, as you would expect, was amazing (see picture right).This didn’t bother me as much as I couldn’t see directly downwards. I elected to stay there while the others went right to the top of the dome. As it turned out it was a wise choice as the ladder and passageways were that industrial style of equipment, full of gaps etc.! If I’d have done that one, I’d have needed help to get down, that or some clean items of certain pieces of clothing...

When we got back to terra firma, we then crossed the river, via the Millennium Bridge, and went looking for a pub. We had to take a bus ride past Borough Market and London Bridge station to find a Wetherspoon’s. Eventually we did, and after lunch, we went home. Quite a fulfilling day, all in all.

Move ahead now to Monday morning. I’d wandered off to the library to check emails and so on, when the company rang to let me know what their decision had been. Unfortunately, it was in the negative, but the impression I’d got was that I was pretty close and might even have been in the final two. Well this wasn’t the disappointment it might have been as I still had the training course to fall back on.

I dropped back into the routine of nipping into the library computer area on Tuesday morning and as I was leaving, my mobile rang and the number looked familiar...

It was the company again. I knew then what was going to happen, and I can’t explain how I knew. I just had that gut instinct that there was only one reason they would ring back 24 hours after letting me know I hadn’t been chosen, and I was right!

They wanted to offer me the post, and would I be interested?? Silly question! Having accepted, I then had to gather together all the documentation I would need, proof of address, proof of identity and so on, towards the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) I would need, as the company are foster care providers, and I would be dealing with sensitive information and so on, as the admin support for the London branch.

I just have to wait for the formal, written offer, and down the JobCentre I go, to tell them the course will not be required. Hah, I might even consider doing it as an evening class, if I so decide.

Life’s good, for once.

PS No I am not going to mention the remuneration package, that’s for me to be very happy with and for you to wonder about...!