I spent the best part of the yesterday afternoon with a girl who attends our workshop. Why is it when shite things happen, I’m the only manager available? She said she had tried to commit suicide by taking – wait for it, 10 penicillin tablets. OK, it’s not funny really and by the time I had spent an hour talking to her whilst she polished off my lunch – I was wondering if she had any left. It's not always easy working with our client group - our humour is a release, it gets us through situations that aren't always pleasant, our way of pulling together and reducing the pressure involved.


Anyway, it was a cry for help and after listening to her problems – I’m not surprised. Everyone spends this time of year preparing for Christmas – presents, shopping, food & drink. Everywhere you go advertisements picture a happy family life – you forget that there are children in this country that won’t experience that. Christmas is just another day – no presents or festive food for them. For all Social Services & Child Agencies do, they don’t pick up on everything. There are still a lot of children that never get heard.


By the end of the afternoon Simon had turned up and offered me some much needed support. He got Social Services involved. The girl's mother is in prison and her dad couldn't be arse to come out to get her; he'd had a drink and couldn't drive. As far as he was concerned she could come home herself - if she wanted to - didn't bother him either way, he wasn't forking money out on a taxi that was for sure.


I was left with a feeling of uselessness, sadness and down right bloody anger. It would be wonderful if you could wave a magic wand and put things right. Unfortunately we could only do so much. We've got procedures that we have to follow for our own sake as much as the child involved. I'd like to think she'll spend Christmas somewhere nice, with people who will welcome her, but in reality she probably end up back home. I don't think I'll ever understand human nature - how can a father treat his own child like that?



++++



We went food shopping last night, it wasn't that bad. I got everything I wanted and even found a game for the Gameboy that Himself could get me as a present. Pleased him no end - I would still have preferred the seville chocolates, but never mind - season of good will and all that. The only down side was paying and trying to get everything to fit into the freezers when we got home. Just the fruit and vegetables left to get on Saturday from one of the many farm shops we have around here. Then job's a good 'un.

After that the real work starts, cleaning the house top to bottom this weekend - it's not always easy keeping a breast of it when I work full time, have a family and look after my Dad, especially now I demand that I have some 'me' time.

We've got friends staying for Christmas. Lucy and Stee are spending Christmas Day together and coming over Boxing Day. I expect them to enjoy this time together, they should have the fun of preparing thier own dinner with no demands from families. Lucy's mum and Stepdad are going over there, we could have gone too but declined. It's the last year she'll spend in her childhood home as it's being sold and the money spilt between her and her brother, now they are ready to move on into the world. She lost her Dad to cancer at the age of 7 and the house contains many memories, this Christmas will be special for both her and her mum, I very much doubt I'll be the only one to shed a few tears on Christmas Day.

++++

Looking out of the window at work yesterday, everything looked devoid of colour - obviously where the saying Grey Day comes from.