The Last Few Days...

... have been utter shit, frankly.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday were all spent going back and fore to the counter at work and repeating the following phrases ad infinitum:

"I'm sorry, the boss is away until Monday"
"No, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what you need to do that job"
"No, your order isn't here yet... and I can't find out because the boss isn't here"
"I'm sorry... I just don't know..."
"I don't think we have those... but I don't know..."
"Can you come back on Monday?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I just can't help you... I'm sorry..."

Plus I had the boss' wife complaining "Why did *boss' name deleted* let Flunky have time off when he was away as well?" - Erm, try the fact that Flunky booked his time off months ago, and boss only decided about a week before he went that he was going!

Boss turned up about dinner time yesterday, with the news that he's been successful in what he was away doing... so now his enthusiasm and commitment to his business will be even LESS than what it's been the last few months. Things are afoot... I'll tell you when it's safe to.

And shopgirl finished officially on Friday... she's still going to do Saturdays, I think - when she's not got a party or a migraine, that is. Meaning I'm in the shop tomorrow... and Tuesday (except dinner time when I come up to do the wages)... and Wednesday... and Thursday... and Friday... and maybe Saturday... and a few hours on Sunday... and Christmas Eve...

Watched "The Simpsons Movie" last night - very funny.

A bit of a shock tonight... My brother had phoned to see if I wanted to come down for dinner, because he was having haggis, and was making a big pot of clapshot. So, he said he'd come up for me about 7pm. I was pottering here on the computer at 6:35pm when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, thinking that was him early - and there was a policeman stood outside. He explained that there had been a "serious sexual assault" not far from here about half past one this morning, and they were doing door-to-door enquiries to see if anyone had heard anything. I was asleep by that time, so I heard nothing, but I hope they catch the bastard very soon. In the meantime, the officer said to keep the doors locked - just as a precaution. This is Orkney, for god's sake... things like that don't happen here!

Had dinner with my brother, spent a while watching telly there, and then home via a dark bit out of the town looking for this comet again... but we didn't find it.

Well, I'll skedaddle now because it's later than it looks, and also because it's frosty again tonight and my fingers are frozen.

'night!

Merry Dancers - Update...

Photo taken by local astronomer John Vetterlein and shown on our local newspaper website... This is what the sky above Orkney looked like last night...

My brother & I didn't see it quite as bright as this, but it was beautiful all the same.

And there was a "smudge" in the sky as well that we couldn't decide what it was - my brother even suggesting it might be Raxacoricofallapatorius (which I'll leave it to Doc to explain what that is). Well, it seems it was a comet - Cool!

Anyway, it's been a not bad day today - was still really frosty when I went to work this morning (and judging by just how cold it is now - I'm sitting wearing fingerless gloves, which aren't helping to keep my fingers warm at all, and a Santa hat to warm my frozen bonce - it's frosty again tonight).

And where was work this morning? Down at the bloody shop again, that's where! I got a text from the boss at about 20 past 8 to inform me that shopgirl was going to be off with a migraine again (I wonder what her new employers will make of all the absences?), and could I do the shop?

So, my working day went as follows:

9am - Down to the shop, rushed off my feet with customers, until...
11:30am - Boss comes down to let me go up to the office to do the wages, but he has to be away again by 1pm
11:45am - I get up to the office, do the wages, and eat something as I'm working
12:30pm - Back down to the town, nipping into the cafe for a Starbucks gingerbread latte
12:45pm - Back to the shop to let the boss go... stuck there rushed off my feet with customers until...
5pm - I finally get the door shut! Woo-hoo!

If I'd had to smile sweetly and say "Can I help you?" to one more person I would have flipped and the men in white coats would be "coming to take me away, ha ha"!

I don't know what's going to happen if shopgirl decides to have another day sick this week, because tomorrow boss is away and it's just me and Flunky up at the office... and then Thursday, Friday and Saturday it's JUST ME because both boss AND Flunky are away (not at the same place). If she does insist she's sick, then boss says "We'll just have to shut the shop". (I'm resisting the urge to say "What about his wife?")...

Well, it's 25 to midnight now, I'm cold, and I'm going to go to beddy-byes. I might even watch a bit of "Shrek 3" if my TV's working (with the cold at the moment, when I switch on the TV, I get sound but no picture... and it can take like 4 hours for the picture to appear - just great... another part of my life going down the toilet). If the TV's not working properly, I'll listen to one of the music channels for a bit.

Night, night...