Friday 6 April 2012

More than just a cake

It was a brilliant day for me yesterday .... my last ever day at work. These past few weeks have been frantic and intense as I've tried to cram a couple of months of handover into just a few weeks. My 'team' at work have been the greatest and I'm really proud of them. It's the end of the Payroll year and we had a massive target to reach this week made worse by it being a short week due to Easter. They worked their socks off, especially yesterday while I was out of town at a funeral, and I arrived at work on my last morning to find everything ready and waiting for me to just put the finishing touches to. I was well impressed and told them so.


My colleagues from around the company all chipped in to buy me a really nice  Lead Crystal Whiskey Decanter and 4 glasses. The Silver Nameplate hanging round it's neck simply says "JWJ". Perfect.


My own department ... my A-team ... bought me a cake. It's not really fair to call it a 'cake' as it's a complete masterpiece. The photo doesn't do it justice. The only thing not edible is the rectangle of paper used for the 'painting'. It has been hand-painted and includes my name in the bottom right corner. I couldn't bring myself to cut it. I know I'll have to, but I want to enjoy it a bit more first.


So now I join the ranks of the great unemployed. I've worked since I was 18 so I have done 46 years and can't have had more than a month off in total over that period. I've been 32 years, exactly half of my life, with this one company which could explain why I feel part of the furniture. Things are going to feel just a little bit strange waking up in the mornings for a while. Still, I have a great deal I want to do ... re-modelling part of the garden; redecorating the lounge, kitchen and main bathroom; reading; sifting through my stamp collection; photography ... but most of all, ART!!!


My next art project needs to be started without delay. It is our annual Art in the Park exhibition soon and my entry needs to be in by next Friday. I have an idea as to what to do, but it's ambitious and I'm far from sure I can do it in the time available. LOL .... and I thought hurrying would be a thing of the past. ;-)

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations John on your retirement!!! You might feel lost for awhile, but then lookout! You'll start saying "how did I do all this and work as well?! My husband could've retired last year, but doesn't want to just yet! This cake is truly beautiful and I would've had a problem cutting it as well. Welcome to the "full time art world"! I look forward to seeing your future work.

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  2. Congratulations John! I hope your adjustment to full time art goes smoothly! The cake is really a masterpiece!

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  3. John, I wish you all the very best in your retirement, and many, many happy years of painting!!!

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  4. I am sure that when you stop working you will be in lack of time with all the things you want to do, wish you happy retirement! And now EAT the cake while it is still fresh :-)))

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  5. Congratulations John on your Retirement! It won't be long before you are saying "I don't know how I found time to go to work"!...believe me it's true.lol.

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  6. Congrats on your retirement John.
    Hope your days are now filled with creativity!

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  7. Congratulations John. I hope you enjoy your retirement once you've got your work flow sorted out! :D

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  8. Congratulation! What a wonderful thing it must be, to have all that time to fill with what ever you please and have so many things to do to fill it! I bet you will wonder how on earth you ever found the time to work at all! :0)

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  9. Congratulations John, you will absolutely love retirement. Now you can focus and enjoy the marvelous adventures of the freedom to paint.

    Happy Easter/ Holiday to you and yours,
    Joan

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  10. How wonderful! I like that little brush and palette!
    Happy Weekend.

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  11. Congratulations on your retirement. That is NOT the same as unemployment, you have certainly worked enough to deserve some you-time.

    Beautiful cake. I hope it tasted as good as it looked.

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  12. Thank you all for your nice comments. The cake tasted as good as it looked but alas, it is no more. Yum yum!! My new found time has already been put to good use drawing "Rain stops play" which is something I wouldn't have been able to do in time had I still been at work.

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