Whoever thought it was going to be this complicated? I am heartily sick of all the infighting, accusations and back stabbing that is going on and no real progress being made. Mind you I am not sure of what we expect to count as progress. Like any separation or divorce, money and access are the main sticking points. And of course, it would help, if we actually knew what we wanted.
Sexual harassment and bullying
One of the more prolific and problematic issues at present is that of sexual harassment from Hollywood to Westminster. Vulnerable people are at last finding a voice fighting back against intimidating behaviour. It is a culture that I know all too well as when I took my first job as a Private Secretary there was no law against sexual discrimination and it was expected of me that dictation was given while sitting on the boss’s lap. I lost more than one job by refusing to go along with the requirement of male bosses who considered it part of the secretary’s job to pander to non-administrative requests. We have come a long way since then but there is still a good way to go to alter perceptions of the workplace hierarchy.
Did you have problems of this nature in your early working years?
Let’s talk about the weather
October brought its fair share of storms, in fact, more than its share. From the devastating Ophelia that swept through Ireland to the slightly less destructive Brian, according to the Met Office we are more likely to take notice of weather warnings when the storm is given a name. Our Met Office, with the Irish Met Eireann, have issued a list of the names we can expect to see for the rest of this year into 2018 so look out for Fionn, James and Winifred.
Happy Anniversary Ma’am
From all of here at Mature Times, we wish you and the Duke of Edinburgh a very happy 70th Wedding Anniversary. Have any of our readers made this milestone? Let us know where and when you got married and share your tips for a long and successful marriage.
Christmas
This year has sped by and now suddenly I realise this is our last publication of 2017: our next issue will be in January 2018. Every year I try to only look forward to spending time with my family and sharing good food and quality time with them. As my family grows with grandchildren and great nephews and nieces it gets more expensive but who can put a price the joy that all being together can bring. And it is one time I can play the’ oldness’ card to organise proper parlour games rather than on-screen virtual ones. Who’s for charades?
