Work Life Balance

Back to work today after a long weekend (I took Friday and Monday as holiday). My question is: How do you maintain a work life balance? From the employers perspective this becomes: Developing work-life policies that will ensure employees deliver ‘the best’ in a competitive market.

What's it from the employees perspective and more importantly from my point of view?


I go through phases of throwing all my energy into work, I then work late and often start working again after dinner and late into the night. This is fine in short bursts, the problem I find is that as you get tired, your judgement becomes clouded and you focus more and more on work. So, what do we want from life and does all this work give fulfilment? How do we deliver "our best" at home and continue to survive within a competitive market?

Here's a link to some good advice:
http://schooloflux.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/achieving-worklife-balance

Tree Felling

I think the machine in the photograph is called a forwarder ("Cut logs are removed from the forest by vehicles called forwarders" http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5nmc8e). I came across this hulking great thing today in Sulham Woods, walking Poppy.

I've had a rant (with the family) about all this tree felling. Apparently it's to get rid of foreign trees (weeds, I guess). My question is about the definition of foreign - how far back in history do you go to decide what is "supposed" to live in the woods. I think we often forget what evolution means - things change and this change is usually beyond our control. So at present the peace and calm of Sulham Woods is disturbed by these beasts and the enormous muddy tracks they leave behind (will these tracks be removed when they've finished? I hope so).

Cinema

I took my sons to the cinema tonight. We went to see The Dark Knight (a new Batman movie).
Great film! It's interesting how you can take a well known story and improve upon it by strong characterisation and great acting. The ending is heavily messianic (or should that be sacrificial?) and changes the batman character from a dark brooding persona into a truly poignant hero.

Some interestring trivia from imdb.com "To prepare for his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger
lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's
psychology, posture and voice. He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker's thoughts and
feelings to guide himself during his performance. Ledger also took inspiration from A Clockwork Orange."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/trivia

Meal Out at The Cunning Man

I'm taking a long weekend off work and tomorrow is my last day until Tuesday! Came home and felt like doing something, so asked Sue and Ella if they wanted to go out for dinner. A simple question, "but what about Poppy?" was Sue's reply. So we went to the Cunning Man as this has a garden where we can take our dog and its next to a canal, so we had a short walk after the meal.

Why is it that going out (or on holiday) becomes a logistic nightmare? By the time everyone is taken into account we often end up staying at home. We still haven't booked a holiday for this year, but more about that later.

My dog

Have you tried hiding from a dog, behind a tree? You can't look out (I've tried that and the dog spots you straight away), so you have to stay there and listen. You might consider edging around the tree, to keep hidden. My dog will make a dash for the tree and catch me out, usually darting from the opposite direction in which I'm looking. She's also started hiding behind trees and watching me while I throw her a stick, then she races out and pounces on the stick, maybe wishing it were a rabbit.

Squash

I've just taken up squash with my sons. Sues's not to sure about me playing an intensive game with a twenty year old, following pretty much no activity at all. During the first game, I couldn't breathe and my head felt as if someone had wrapped a towel around it - thick and fuzzy. Today's game was much better - with two new rackets, it's my third game and perhaps I'm getting fitter?
I'm certainly getting a buzz out of winning. After all, both boys can thrash me at most sports - I've only squash and badminton left.

So I'm now sitting here after dinner, my legs and back aching and that quiet feeling you get after sport and a shower. Sue has just announced that she's bored. Why is it that just as I feel content (and knackered) she is bored? Sometimes I feel that partners share in a feeling, but that one gets the neagative side when the other gets the positive, like as if there's so much Karma to share out between the two of you.