certainty returns

Job certainty, that is, as due to "extensive feedback" my employer has decided not to cut my post, after all.  So the last month of worry and up-and-down emotions has all been for nothing (well, except that it prompted me to get some old emails backed up, I suppose - that will need doing eventually).  Although with some of that feedback coming from my own staff, it is wonderful to discover that I am so valued by them - that is cetainly one positive outcome.

& now I am expected to carry on as if none of this happened, as if I didn't spend the last month trying to persuade myself that I didn't want the stupid job anyway ... now time to build myself back up again to being a hard-working and motivated employee.  Here again, the support of my staff throughout this makes a huge difference, as I am of course very motivated to do the best I can by them.  Plus I've always been one to do whatever I am doing to the best of my ability, so even whilst the motivation fell, I still tried my best.  But it has been hard.

Looking forwards, though, it is such a relief to know that I won't be faced with a return to the UK just as they start to move in to the cold and dark days of winter.  As their COVID cases start to mount again, and lockdowns return.  Just why is it that sub-Saharan Africa is doing so well against the virus??  It's true that we have a very young population, and so there might be many more cases than we know about, affecting young people who remain asymptomatic and thus never get tested.  But on the other hand, the trace-and-test regime here for contacts is very strong, and those testing positive are moved to isolation facilities even if they are asymptomatic, thus restricting the virus spread.  Rules are rules, so like everyone else here I wear my mask down on my chin as I walk the streets, pulling it up to cover my face as soon as I go into any shops or other busy places - although I've mostly spent my time at home, working with my laptop at my dining table, so my exposure to any potential virus-carriers has been low in any case.

From home I have taken far too many photographs of the early morning sky from my balcony (I haven't had the will-power to do anything involving any commitment, such as starting a book), but I was so happy when the place where I go swimming re-opened (again) last weekend, and in celebration I swam 80 lengths of the pool - 2 km!  Which of course doesn't help with the weight situation - I have lost so much weight, clearly my home diet is insufficient but this is only apparent now that I don't spend 60% of my time away eating hotel breakfast buffets (how I miss those!!) and restaurant dinners.  Most of my clothes no longer fit, which is not a problem for the five days a week I am indoors working at my dining table, but for the one to two days I go to the office, and even for quick trips across the road to the supermarket, I am struggling to find anything I can wear.  Maybe I need to start drinking more wine!!