The world of work!

After 1 year and 20 days of not working, this week has seen my return to gainful employment - allbeit briefly!  I managed to get 2 days work through a contact who works in the Ford Factory in Bridgend!  Not teaching, I know, but I've been there and done that and got the sweaty T shirt nor was it cooking in the canteen - it was checking car parts for a quality assurance contractor.  So on Wednesday, when I got a phone call from Sandra, asking whether I was available for some casual work, I jumped at the chance to put my factory skills to good use.  The last time I had worked in a factory was in the summer of 1973 when I was a student.  The factory in question was in Sheffield, right opposite Sheffield Wednesday's football ground and it manufactured beer pumps.  My job was to test the pump on a test rig and then put in a box - my six weeks in the job was interesting but I was never destined to be a captain of industry!

Up with the lark on Thursday meant that I was in good time for the shift starting at 0800 - off to the canteen for the breakfast meeting where I met my fellow workers and managed a full fried breakfast into the bargain!  The first task that I was given  was to test a valve on a throttle box to see whether it opened and closed when it was supposed to - after testing what seemed like hundreds, Sandra and I had not detected any faulty ones - phew!  It was getting hot on the factory floor and moving about you have to be acutely aware of the coming and goings of the fork lift trucks that move things around the vast factory.  Other jobs were given to me and by the end of the shift I have to say I was aching in places I didn't know existed!  Still, nothing a hot bath and and a few ibruprofen wouldn't cure!  Fridays jobs were much the same but I did manage to see a little action of the engine production line whilst checking a component in the kit boxes used to assemble the engines. Hopefully there will be more work coming my way so it's a case of wait and see!

On the food front we've visited a couple of old favourites and tried some new things!  Comfort food of sausage beans and chips was Sunday's treat after the long drive back from Mid Wales but on Monday I made spinnach and riccotta gnochi on a tomato salad!  I didn't realise how filling gnocchi was - tasty but I made too much!  I might try it as a starter next time!  A pork and potato hotpot was cooked for Tuesdays supper - it was supposed to be slowly cooked but I forgot to turn the oven temperature on when I set the timer so by the time I got in and before Sue got back from puppy training classes, the oven hadn't kicked in so dinner was a little late and was cooked quickly - still tatsed good though!  With the weather being so good, I decided to break out the barbeque on Wednesday and cook chicken marinated in herbs and creme fraiche - the charcoal was faulty and never really got going (that's my story) so we grilled the chicken and some sausages and ate them with a mixed salad and chips- not quite what I had planned!  On Thursday the boys and Natalie (Jonny's girlfriend) came round for red Thai chicken curry, a well tried and tested recipe and a cracker!  Like all religious folk we try and eat fish on Friday so grilled salmon with braised savoy cabbage with bacon and onions with a grainy mustard dressing!  Friends Bob and Liz came round for dinner on Saturday - Thai fishcakes with a Naam a jaad dip was the starter followed by what was left of the melon sorbet to cleanse the palate with the main event being beef carbonade, cooked in Belgium beer slowly!  Not too bad but I think the sauce was a little too thick.  And yesterday was spent out at other friends, Dave and Jane who share the same birthday,  for a party with lots of curry and popadoms and samosas and other nice spicey food! 

I'm off to France next Monday to canoe down the Dordogne so am looking forward to lots of foody treats - hope the waistline means I can still fit into my canoeing gear!