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| Image: Aussie Gall |
We had 7 inches of snow forecast last night. When I started coming round from my slumber I was shivering, so naturally assumed that snow had indeed fallen. Had it heck. The fuse that handles our heating had blown during the night. Not only that, but the fuse that handles half the lighting in the house had gone, also. What this meant was I had to shower in the pitch black and had no breakfast because I couldn’t see where the kettle was.
Great start to the day. Thank goodness I ironed my shirt last night or I would have been in real trouble.
When I got home in the evening the house was absolutely baltic. I could see my own breath in front of me just sitting at my desk. So I didn’t, and sat near the fire instead trying to get warm – by candle light. It really couldn’t have happened at the worst time while the country is going through a cold snap.
My father in law came round later in the evening to restore power. He managed to get the heating going but the lighting will have to wait for a part to be installed tomorrow. What it meant was I missed a live webchat with Val McDermid, but I caught up with it later, which you can also read by clicking here.
I was disgusted to read that The Herald and Times Group, which publishes The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times in Glasgow, has made all 250 of its journalists and publishing staff redundant and invited them to re-apply for their jobs. Roughly 210 are likely to be rehired but only if they agree to new terms and conditions.
They said it was “to increase efficiency and make full use of state-of-the art news production technology.” The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described the move as a “brutal attempt at forcing changes”.
I think it’s a disgraceful way to handle any employee of any organisation, but for the last remaining broadsheet newspaper in Scotland that still holds editorial control within its own offices and not down in London to do it, means it could spell the end of what is one of the best papers in the country.
There’s been no movement with Blood Ties over the last couple of days because of all the freelance work I’ve had on the go. Not good for the novel but it’s not something I’m complaining about given the periods of drought I go through during the year when I would kill for some work to come along at this pace.
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Freedom from the Mundane 
Hang on a minute. They made them all “redundant” and then told them to reapply for their jobs? So that means the positions are still there and not actually “redundant”. Surely that’s illegal? Surely you can only make someone redundant if the position is redundant. Unless it’s different in Scotland. Blimey, even the NUJ stopped being militant enough for me, so I resigned – what are they doing about this?
Sweetie, this is why one always keeps a working flashlight in the nightstand! 😉
Hope everything’s fixed soon. Circuit breakers are a beautiful thing — the fuse goes, and you can flip the switch back on. Glad you have a working fireplace.