I’ve been writing, watching, thinking and working during these last few days.  There’s not been much time to sit here and record my thoughts, upload pictures and mooch around doing this and that, here and there.  Everything has had a purpose, has been driven by an agenda of some sort and steadily, a backlog of things I’d like to do rather than things I ought to do has been building up.

 

There really has been too much of this…

 

 

And, most certainly, not enough of this!

 

 

But I’m lucky.  I really have nothing to complain about.  Those paper-intensive meetings don’t really feature large in my life, I’m usually there because I’ve chosen to be involved in something or other and, best of all, I’m sitting there amongst friends who share my interests and passions.

But I’ve noticed something which worries me of late.  My friends are feeling under pressure.  There’s too much work to do and not enough time to do it.  Margins have been cut, staff numbers reduced to a level where it’s starting to pinch.  Fewer smiles, more sighs and those “challenges” are beginning to appear more like the “problems” they used to be.

What’s interesting is that it’s the same in all my workplaces (because I don’t limit myself to just one!)

 

 

Of course, there are serious concerns right now.  We are all anxious about what the future might bring and there are all kinds of unanswered questions which leave us feeling vulnerable, unsure about where we’re heading and wondering who will be the next one to throw in the towel.  But there is one factor which seems to be making things more difficult for us all.

The weather!

 

 

I took this photo on the 26th March, in the garden at home.  Now, here we are at the beginning of May and I don’t think my toes have seen the fresh air since that day!  If only we could have a little sunshine on this, a Bank Holiday weekend, we might feel more optimistic?

 

 

Hmm.

At least it’s getting warmer!