I have decided that the posts from now til Christmas should reflect the lightness of the season.

Today I was responsible for holding the fort – otherwise known as running the school office – as my dear colleague Fiona  was ( very unusually) off sick. I can’t remember a day passing so quickly. I was late with school dinners calculations and registers. I took phone calls on all manner of things – using my wits  – or a willing passing colleague – to get the answers.

I have to admit to being a tiny bit frazzled by the end of the day. Parents were turning up to collect their children at the , some wanted to speak to me ( well really they wanted to speak to someone who knew what they were doing) and – a bunch of little people just out of their Christmas party were running about my feet. I took a breath – and asked them to get out of my office as I was busy. And one little chap piped up -

“It’s not your office. It’s Miss Ash’s”

Well that put me right in my place. She can have it back with pleasure (only when she is well enough you understand). It’s only when someone you depend on suddenly is not there that you realise how well they bring all the strands of a complicated puzzle together seamlessly.