Tax: This week I received a dreaded brown envelope from the tax office. Like many, I’m sure, I always open these with a sense of dread. This one, however, contained information about something that has happened only once before, I think, in my entire working career; I got a tax refund. Woohoo! Last year I worked for a different supermarket for a mere 5 weeks and paid a significant amount in tax even though I suspected I shouldn’t have done. HR told me to take it up with the tax office though this was at the very start of the pandemic, and they were all but impossible to get hold of. I’d put it out of my mind, and now the refund has caught up with me. It’s not 100% of the tax I’d paid, not sure why, but it’s a nice refund all the same. So, a bonus from work, and now a tax refund. These will put a very nice dent in the upcoming car bills. Nice!

Family: my kid sister had her second dose of the vaccine, and again, had a very bad reaction to it. An ambulance was called, though for now, she’s staying at home, is on meds, and hopefully won’t need admitting to hospital. My son has been lethargic for days following his vaccination, had a major headache, and a large bruise at the injection site. He’s in good spirits though and feels this is a minor inconvenience compared to Covid. Good for him.

Sleep: Tuesday, I stripped the beds. Did laundry. Ironed a pile of laundry. Walked the dog. Made pastries for breakfast. Baked a banana loaf. Baked a loaf my son had prepped. Did a baked ‘ham’ (seitan – veggie) and veg for dinner. Later, I sat and watched fish on the TV. It’s a relaxation video, and very calming. That night I slept for 6 hours straight which is fantastic. I then had another hour, drifting in and out, before I had to get up for work. Best night’s sleep in a long time.

Games: In work, we’ve been playing games. There’s the Death Stare. This is where customers stare at you until you move. Heaven forbid they should ask politely! Then there’s a game of Creepers. These are customers who take a step closer to you, then another, then another, until we move away to maintain social distancing. Hunt the barcode is a favourite, especially on products that the manufacturer has ‘hidden’ the barcode in a pretty pattern. How we love those! Finally, we often play tetris. Whether the pick is one item, or 164 – I’ve had both – we have the same size crates, and the same trolley. These past few weeks the number of picks over 100 has been steadily growing and several staff have complained about the weight on some overfull trolleys.

Finally: A big fat thanks a lot to parents who come in together and bring their screaming kids with them. We seem to have had more than our fair share of them this week. How we love those little darlings…

I had something else on my mind, but it's gone. The 'something' not my mind LMAO