I Wake at 5.30am; check for any pains in my old bones, no? It’s a good day!
Go out to feed the birds, feed the cat, make coffee for husband, this sets the tone for the coming day, to meet the needs & expectations of others.
Shower, apply makeup & style hair. This little ritual is on a par with applying armour, preparing to go in to battle to meet the challenges this new day will bring.
And it begins. No heat, no hot water. Oven not working, curtains fallen down, new flat keys needed urgently as tenant has just arrived home to find said keys have been left half way round the world following a holiday .Contractors to be dispatched, landlords, tenants & management systems to be updated, time scales to be met, prioritise, prioritise!
Running alongside the above is the organising of the administrative stuff, safety testing, routine visit letters, keeping spread sheets updated. Making sure procedures are adhered too. None of which is fun but imperative for the safety of tenants and the smooth running of the maintenance team. Get my head down and focus.
And then I look up and husband is outside in the car waiting to whisk me home, the “maintenance boys” have long deserted the battle field. I close down the tools of my trade (spread sheets, email etc. ) and make my way to the humble abode we call home, check my battle scars and apply the balm of wellbeing via a lovely glass or two of a good, velvety red wine.