Tuesday 27 November 2007

Z ate early, so as not to be tempted by sweets

Now I have reports or minutes to write up from five different meetings and two more meetings to prepare for, as well as work to do. And the church quinquennial inspection report has arrived, which mentions £10,000 to be spent on repair work within 18 months or so and another £25,000 in five years. It is my job to explain this to the PCC, who are expecting to fund a benefice project next year as well.

Right. Now I'm off to get the room ready for the churchwardens' meeting. Tables, chairs, glasses and jugs of water and bowls of sweets. I have brought in the tables from the bier shed already, which was very smart of me, and there isn't coffee tonight.

I prepared for this deficit with a glass of cabernet sauvignon, am I not a sensible woman?

Update, 4 1/2 hours later

Now, am I not a daft woman? It transpired that the secretary had had to give her apologies at the last, for it is her birthday and her husband had arranged a Surprise Night Out. Would someone else take minutes, please? ... Well, I'd already noted who was present and who had sent apologies and no one else offered. The PA would type them up, added the Rector, helpfully. So I spent a page or more writing neatly, concisely and, too, precisely. Then I had to speak (I get compelled that way) and started to have to scribble odd notes.

There's a committee meeting here tomorrow night. Yesterday, I noticed a cobweb draped prettily along the drawing room ceiling. Maybe some preliminary housework would be in order.

I set out six bowls of sweets and I didn't touch a single one. I came home and drank some more wine and ate a clementine. I shall now read the paper and feel slightly lonely.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Six boxes of sweets and you didn't touch a single one? Wow, I'm very envious of your willpower.

heybartender said...

Indeed you are far more virtuous than I. And worse, I can't justify opening a whole bottle of wine (the b.h. doesn't drink and I would never finish it by myself), so I'm drinking BEER. Calorie laden, my days have been. This is the time when I'm supposed to be eating less, so that when I gorge at the holidays I can still fit into my clothes.
I am both proud and envious of you.

Dave said...

And you tell me that I should arrange a deputy for the meetings I chair.

Z said...

It was putting them out that was hard, Martina. You know how once always gets away and bounces across the counter and you field it and in your mouth it goes? Same with the one left in the packet at the end. I didn't, but I wanted to.

Julie, the difference between me and you is that I DO finish a bottle of wine (not in one go of course).

Dave, right now I have no answer. I am rather dafter than you are. Doesn't mean that my advice wasn't good, though.

Anonymous said...

Morning ma

Suggestion for your box: why not put out clementines etc at the meeting instead of sweets?
a) you can nibble too
b) you won't be contributing to the dental cavities and belly rolls of your colleagues

;-)))
Your ever-sensible (and right!) daught xx

Z said...

You are sensible and you are right and, more, you are a wise and kind daughter. It will be done (but as well rather than instead, just to watch people having to choose. Hah!)

Anonymous said...

Oh! I'm right but you are Perfect ;-D

David said...

Cobwebs?

I use them as a discussion point amongst guests.

The Boy said...

Ohh, I did a major cobweb search and destroy mission over the weekend. Not a job I enjoy, but is occasionally necessary.

Should we place wagers on which bowl gets partaken of most, the clementines or sweets? Would probably depend on which bowl gets dipped into first. I'd bet if you had a clementine noticeably at the start of the meeting the sweets would survive relatively unscathed.

How do we know said...

u ARE good with ur will and self control. Why would u feel slightly lonely in the middle of all this work?

Z said...

Heh heh (sorry, folks, Daught and I know what we mean)

Greavsie, you would appreciate this house and have much to talk about. Boy, I trust no spiders were harmed during the search and destroy?

For maximum temptation, I put a selection of sweets and chocolates, mixed, in small bowls, two to a table so that they are in easy reach of everyone. In future, as well, I'll put bowls with segmented clementines, grapes, cherries etc - whatever is in season.

I used to put out plates of biscuits, but at 7.30 everyone had either just had tea or would have dinner after the meeting, so most of them were left. I am evil, so wanted to provide maximum temptation.

I am usually alone for an hour or so as I go to bed late to make sure I sleep. I felt a little melancholy last night, but for no real reason, except that all this wretched virtue was getting me down.