Sinner

I did a massive shop today before collecting Hugo from his foster carers. By the time we got home it was only 4pm but the day was over. Dusk was gathering, so I donned my wellies and we set off around the familiar fields at once without emptying the car of bags. It was his second run today, and it must have been heaven for him after being confined to the lanes for a week. We made it back just in time before visibility was reduced to nil, and had just got snuggled down inside when I remembered the shopping. Out again then, and I staggered in to deposit the first bag on the floor. Hugo was out for the count on the sofa. Or was he? When I returned with a second bag a few seconds later I was just in time to see him walking to his bed with a half pound of butter in his mouth. "What are you doing?" I exclaimed in astonishment. It was funny really, the sauciness of it, but I wasn't going to let him know that. "How dare you steal my shopping!" He dropped it at once and slunk away. "Horrible greedy boy," I told him. "Horrible boy." Was he really going to eat a whole packet of butter? Almost certainly yes. Just as I returned with the last bag I received a text from Penny telling me that, when I collected him and we were chatting in the hallway, he nipped back into the sitting room and stole Roger's jammy dodger. I glared at him. Horrible, I mouthed, just horrible. I hope he was disgusted with himself and won't sin again because I've also bought three of his favourite cheeses. I know this because he ate them all the last time. And the time before. I've put them right out of his reach. But I don't trust him an inch any more.

I was being assessed at work today and I was feeling a bit sick in anticipation. It's one thing to see a client, and quite another to be watched and judged doing it. But strangely, as I sat down with my first clients of the day, a father and son, I found that I was perfectly composed, completely confident, alert to what they might be bringing and how I could help them with it. I suppose the point is that the focus is entirely on them, not you. You are a conduit, an agent. They want answers that they can't provide for themselves, or pointers to be able to go away and tackle the problem on their own. It was a good session, and the assessment went well. That's OK then. Moving swiftly on ...