My new herb pot!
It was election day in the UK on Thursday and I was lucky enough to be employed for the day as Poll Clerk in my local area. I was a bit nervous, to be honest, as it was a very long day from 6.30am to 10.30pm with no meal breaks and certainly no leaving the building until the end and it's been quite a few years since I worked for a living!
Actually, it wasn't so bad. I was concerned that people would forget their ID or argue the toss about having to produce it for the first time, but 99% of the electors produced it without fuss or comment and were really very nice to deal with. The hardest part was staying in one place for so long. I had to get up and walk around a bit sometimes, tidying the polling booths, checking the pencils etc and had to eat my food standing up , but I managed. It was not nice having no hot food all day though. I took with me 2 soft rolls with (lactose free) cheese ant tomato , a slice of quiche, a banana, a yogurt and a slice of lemon drizzle cake. Oh, and a pint of milk as there was a fridge. The kitchen was a bit of a trek to reach but I managed to make 3 mugs of hot tea throughout the day to keep me warm. I litre of water was sipped throughout the day too as I could keep the bottle on the floor beside my chair. There were actually 5 polling stations at the same venue, which was a bit confusing, but it made for a bit of friendly banter during a lull in voting 😊 I have to say that I was really tired next day though 😌
Frugal doings over the week:
* The weather has been milder so we needed no heating on for most of the week, just maybe an hour in the evening. It's not been on this morning either.
* Washing has been dried on the airer in the house instead of in the tumble dryer
* I won a £5 voucher for completing online surveys, which was spent on an M & S pizza for Saturday night after the Coronation, so our tea cost just 75p
* I will be paid for my stint on Thursday, hopefully by the end of the month
Reasons to be thankful:
* I have had a photo on WhatsApp of my little Granddaughter in Sydney with her new pet Budgies 😊
* I have a new herb pot containing chives, thyme and parsley which are the herbs I will use the most (after mint which is too invasive to put in the same pot)
* The good fortune to earn a bit of money
* The sun is shining! 😎
Thanks for popping in and stay safe wherever in the world you happen to be x
I am glad you managed the day so well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you Jackie :)
DeleteA long day but well worth it - and you survived!
ReplyDeleteI've only done Poll Clerk in small villages which were never very busy so there was always plenty of time for standing in the doorway for fresh air, going out to check the signs for exercise and making endless cups of coffee.
General election next year probably - will you do it again?
Yes, I would do it again, Sue, although I would hope to work with a different team. They were husband and wife and they spent more than 8 hours each on their laptops, leaving me to do more than my fair share of work :0/
DeleteMy sister did voting duty, only once, it is a long time to be on duty. It's hard when children and grandchildren are far away, ours are scattered around the UK and Ireland, still as they get older they are so busy and we don't see enough of them.
ReplyDeleteYes, Marlene, it's a bit of a wrench when I can't see my Son and his family. And as Grandkids grow they have their own lives to lead don't they.
DeleteI'm glad that your polling day went well. I had a friend back in Cumbria that used to do that as often as she could and she really enjoyed it too. It's much better if you all share duties equally though, your co-workers sounded a bit cheeky!
ReplyDeleteIndeed they were, Sue. After the first couple of hours they booted up their laptops and started work doing spreadsheets and emails, taking personal phone calls and completely zoning out. I did all of the address and ID checks, they dragged themselves away from their laptops to write down one number and hand over the ballot papers! Of course, I had no one to talk to during quiet moments unless I tootled off to make a drink and exchanged a bit of banter with the other teams. Had I not been so new at the game, I would have said something and insisted they take a turn too. Next time....... :0)
DeleteGlad the poll work went well, even if it was a long day and the other workers left most of the work to you! I am sure you were tired the next day! Lots of frugal activities, too, and things to be thankful for. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bless, yes I was very tired but it will be worth it once I get paid!
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