Midnight on the verandah

I found this in an old notebook of mine, written in May 2008...

"The stench-filled sound of a bile-throated youth vomiting behind the council flats breaks the midnight peace. A small dog yaps forlornly, imploring its owner to let it in. Not a breath of wind stirs the nod-headed bluebells. Our dog inspects the borders for trembling, hiding animals; then returns to his bed. From the front room the strains of music are heard, occasionally drowned by a late-night, closing-time customer driving home. The tiniest of flies flit randomly around the verandah lights and make my skin jump. The newly planted vegetables stand proudly, anticipating the new day ahead. The cigar is over, the chocolate half-drunk; the anger fading to a dull resignation. It's time to walk down the road to meet my man."

An unexpected twist of the job

This morning I got an e-mail from the head office boss, forwarding on a long mail about setting up a Facebook group; he was asking for my advice as I am 'experienced'.

I never expected my knowledge of how Facebook works to be needed in my job - it just goes to show that nothing is wasted!