Change at the CS

This week has been the Manager's last week at the CS, so I've done my usual 3 days again, hopefully the last time for a while, as it is just a little bit too much and too disruptive to family life.

Having said this I've almost got back on top of the washing and ironing.  I've got an empty ironing basket for the first time in months and just need to keep on top of it.

The rest of the house needs attention though.  Bedding needs changing, bathrooms need cleaning, well everything needs cleaning really and garden/allotment needs clearing.  Still lots of work to do, but it's getting done bit by bit.

Anyway, I digress, so this week has been the last with the current manager in charge and yesterday was my last day working with her.  The new manager came to the shop in the afternoon to get acquainted with it.

He's currently managing another shop in the London area, but one that is very different from this one, so it will be a bit of a change for him. He seems very personable, and quite calm and orderly, which is potentially a good thing.

Tonight, I'm heading back to the shop for the current manager's leaving. We're all meeting at the shop for wine and nibbles and a bit of a gathering.  She didn't want too much fuss and a meal wasn't really appropriate, as many of the volunteers are young and don't have the money to spend on meals out.

Some of the ladies who currently work there, have contacted past volunteers and invited them to come along, so there should be a good turnout and a collection has been taken with a good amount raised to provide a nice leaving gift.

It will be sad, but happy at the same time, as she will now be able to move on and try something new, with less stress.  The shop won't quite be the same without her, as she injected a lot of her strong personality into it, but I guess things will carry on as normal.

I'm not sure how many volunteers will be left when the new manager starts next week, as some may not come back and some have already left.

I am not, however, intending to single handedly breach the gap, as I need to get back to my two days per week after nearly 3 months of working 3 days, and get back on top of things at home.

Of course, if he is really stuck, I will try to help out where I can, but I feel I've put a lot of extra hours in over the last few months and I need to get some balance back. I've come to realise that these shops will eat up all of your time if you let them, as there are always things to do.

It will be interesting to see how the new manager approaches the shop and the working environment. I'm hoping he might improve it a little, if I'm honest, as it can get quite chaotic at times.  I guess it is partly the nature of the job and the limited space available, but it is also a matter of organisation too. We'll see.

Although I love working at the shop, there is a limit to what time I can comfortably give, and if too much pressure is brought to bear then I won't be hanging around for long, as life is too short.

I would then probably look for a volunteering opportunity closer to home with less travel involved, especially now the nights are drawing in and it is getting dark so early.  Hopefully, I won't need to, but I'm keeping an open mind for the moment.