Stay at home cropper

At the moment I really ought to be at the Eclectic Keepsakes crop but for a couple of reasons, I haven't been able to get there.  One of which is one which will make me sound like an old crock - following an hour of sitting on a stage in an uncomfortable, hard school chair, unable to get comfortable due to 200 parents watching my every move, I seem to have trapped or pinched a nerve in my left leg.  This is what happens when you offer moral support to a work colleague! 

One of the jobs I do at school is to arrange work experience for 160 girls in year 10.  My colleague has recently taken over main responsibility for this following the retirement of the previous reluctant enthusiastic workmate who got lumbered with it offered to do it.  Now, us ladies in the office do not seek attention.  We are happy to quietly and secretly run the school without venturing into the world of parents and particularly information evenings for parents.  So, the night of the Work Experience Info Eve approached, and Mrs A was up burning the midnight oil preparing powerpoint presentations, demonstration videos and speeches.  Standing up on stage in front of a hall full of parents and students was never part of a secretary's job description and I could sense anxiety creeping in.  Now, we work as a team, and I am there to support her, just like Laurel had Hardy and Ant has Dec, she has me as her trusty assistant.  I tried calling myself her glamourous assistant but that just made me sound like Debbie McGee and she objected to being likened to Paul Daniels!  So we're up on stage, with laptops and presentations prepared, whiteboards in place, microphones on and spotlights positioned.  After about 15 mins on my hard chair, I started to get uncomfortable.  Shifted weight from one side to the other.  Sat with ankles crossed.  Sat with knees together and ankles together.  Crossed one leg over the other.  Remembered that was bad for the circulation and sat neatly again.  The longest hour of my life.  It's very disconcerting to just sit on a stage and look out on a sea of faces.  I found myself longing for the 'any other questions' part where we could get off the stage and mingle.  The next day I woke with a really weird sensation in my left leg and I can only thing it was caused by bad posture for 60 very long minutes the night before.  It got worse as the day went on and I woke with it again this morning.  Sadly, EK crop is about 45 mins drive from me and the thought of being in a car that long followed by a day of sitting down again did not seem sensible.  So I've been home, and as I had prepared this month's 4x6 Photo Love to take with me and complete, I've been working on that in the lounge.  Kneeling at the coffee table, not sure that was such a good idea either!

I'm pleased I've got something to show for my morning, but I've really missed Karen's cupcakes ...