June 2014 Update in 2014

Damn-it.. I cant upload pictures from my Ipad to Photobucket ... So some older piccs to lighten the mood :O)

Time flies .. The older I get the faster the days wizz past me like a freight train. Its all relative of course ..as a kid when a year might be an eighth or a tenth of your life a year seems to last forever ...How I yearn for those long long summers of my youth :O) as a 54 year old a year is just 1/54th of my life... Seems so small a thing now :O)

In New Zealand we are about to celebrate the Moari New Year.. on the 28th june. Our winter solstice has just past so its a good time to think of the coming year rather than dwell on the past one .. So to close the NZ year past.....

The past 6 months have seen McDs mum pass away. A colleague and mentor of mine also died of heart failure at his place of work (he helped me begin my management career).. And then if that wasn't enough, we had to let Salee our favourite chicken go.. After becoming quite the adult bird, full of muscle and a new set of adult feathers McD found her one morning looking very poorly ... a trip to the vets showed up nothing but we had her on antibiotics for a week and she spent that time in the house in the warm with us. But to no avail and rather than put her through any more we had the vet put her down ......

All the sadder as McD named her after her mum ... And she (jokingly) blames her mum for taking her as she liked the chook and the eggs :O)

Its been a Shitty 2 years at work ... mergers and politics and idiot management and machinations within machinations ....And the shitty-est of shitty for the past 6 months .... Finally, having had to effectively apply for my own job, I was rejected and made redundant.... Not just me neither .. A clean sweep of the old guard from the losing side of the merger .........

My last Day was last Friday ...I had hoped that I could get away with just quietly leaving. but the manager, (who had rejected me), had organised a morning tea (very poorly and one of my ex-staff dived in to save the embarrassment) ... Where he (we've worked together in the past) gave a speech about our "paths having crossed before".. Giving himself and elevated job title and me a lower one !!! I held my tongue..

I then had to give a speech .. After initial thanks and looking around at the close friends I had made the there the past few years, all out of character, very somber and quiet I told them that...... "those who were leaving are the Lucky ones" and that "I really wish those who are staying the very best of luck. Because by Christ You are going to need it" . Some reaction ..Some nodding of heads.... I said "I'd like to thank the senior management for paying for my winter holiday in Australia I'm about to take" (redundancy) "Most appreciated" Some smiles. I addressed the manager who rejected me... "No hard feeling mate... I wish you the very best of luck.... because of all of us You are going to need it the most" .... More smiles and one embarrassed manager... And that was that ..I told everyone it was a pleasure working with them and left it at that ......

As the crowd dispersed and grabbed a scone or sausage roll I went around saying goodbyes to individuals, promising to keep in touch and wishing them well and then back to my desk ...

My Cellphone rang ...

It was HR from another company offering me a senior management role elsewhere!!!... Talk about timing ..... More money, large team, more annual leave, Bigger role.. in fact, an equal if not bigger role than the manager who turned me down......

I put my fists in the air in celebration and two people who knew I'd been through the interviews cottoned on to what had happened.. then they told everyone and the mood changed completely. Hand shakes and hugs and chatter about the role and the holiday McD and I are about to take and yet more hugs and hand shakes as they find out how good the role is ..... and I said my goodbyes and left on a high :O)

I can say without any doubt that will be a once in a lifetime event :O)

McD and I leave for Australia on Friday for a 10 days self drive tour along the coast between Sydney and Brisbane.... Then I start my new Job July 10 ....