Gift from employer

Aawwhh, shucks!
Glad you like it soop!

Lovely gramps

WONDERFUL! Your words paint the perfect picture. I shall print your poem and place it in my book of all-time favourites. thank you xxx

Dear soop, just for you - one of my word pictures. Hope you like it!

THE GREAT GLEN FAULT

The hills are bathed in light of varying shades
With mist and rain and sunlight on the hill.
Oft the wind is blowing hard, and then sometimes is very still
The staggered shapes of green and mottled hue
Are strewn as cast by a giant’s random hand
This part of Highlands’ noble view is heritage to the glorious past of ancient Scottish land
The sun paints pictures of light and shade, as in an artist’s box
The landscape does not move, not so the brown and cunning fox!
He moves with stealth across the covered land
Seeking his next meal and stays away from man’s destroying hand!
Way far below, the shimmering waters of the loch, wherein hides a monster of fabled time
Seekers come from far and near to explore the cold depth, but find nothing upon the bed but shingle mud and slime
This rift of ancient time which runs for many a mile
Is nature’s painted canvas of pleasant contrasting style.
When rain clouds drift across the sky the hills are hid from view
And once again our vision dims; we can but only remember where they lie
Now the sky is dark with heavy cloud, so keenly sculptured, sharp edged, While, beneath - infinity is grey
The hills now black, with green foreground no longer light
But merging into background of ending day and coming night
At times the wind howls around this place whistling a mournful moan
The rain beats down upon the window panes. We are warm within our home.
The sun shines down again upon a changing scene
And across those mysterious hills are many shades of pleasant green
As a patchwork quilt, the hills take on yet another guise
Light is changing with glorious hue before our very eyes
From here we watch the changing scenes of colour in profusion
Nature’s works of art are shown to us; We see without confusion.

Vic Woolley  JUNE 2009

gramps Your word picture would be perfect on this thread.

Hi soop,
Sorry, but I don't know Sudborough but my sister may do.

As you may know, I write a lot of poetry. Some are more descriptive of a place or situation. These I call "word pictures".

I wrote one while at Drumnadrochit about that area, and the Great Glen Fault.

Would you like to see it? I'm not sure how to send it though.
Should it be on this page, elswhere, or a PM?

Gramps Love Drumnadrochit. Even the name, when spoken by a native Scot, sounds almost exotic.
My late father lived near Wellingborough. Do you know Sudborough? A very pretty, pleasant village.

Two of my sisters live in Wellingborough.
We were there several weeks ago.

My SIL lives in Drumnadrochit , Inverness.
They are on a mountain ,overlooking Loch Ness.
The Highlands of Scotland are beautiful!
Lucky you soop!

lovely gramps, I live on the beautiful, remote, west coast of bonnie Scotland. Not so far from where Paul Mac had a farm [very close to Campbeltown.] I was born and bred in the once famous boot and shoe making town of Northampton.

Thank you dear soop. Do I now have street cred?

soop where in London do you live? I only ask as you seem like a "cockney" type too!

I seem to attract younger girls and older Ladies. I have several young Lady admirers at School, where I help out half day a week. 4-5 yr. olds!!

It can't be my hair 'cos there's so little of it!

gramps my lovely impish friend, you strike me as being a rascal. I like rascals...

Mischief dear soop - what the hell do you mean? - moir?

Work on it, Gramps...anything to keep you out of mischief!

Thank you soop and Jess for your assurance re. the unusual word!

Perhaps I'll find another one someday!

Yes I like awarefull too. SO much more expressive than "conscious of" or something bland like that.

gramps Awarefull, is a descriptive word. I like it a lot.

These answers just show the wide diversity of opinion of accepting a gift (of unknown value), given, in presumably good faith, assisted by the Gentlemans wife, in appreciation of a job well done.

It all seems to have been done openly, so I don't see the problem - (Although I would still be awarefull for a change in attitude, as previously mentioned!)

Is "awarefull" a proper word or one I've fabricated?

Oh right ceesnan sensible woman - that was her initial gut feeling wasnt it.

Yes well when solicitors well known for paying their "treasures" peanuts... my late ex MIL used to do ALL the conveyancing at the firm and teach juniors how it was supposed to be done, all for a very low clerical wage. Hope your sister also got paid properly for the good work she did.

My iPad has a mind of its own. That should have just been thanks.

Hello. Just a quick update. After a lot of thought DD returned the pendant, saying that she felt uncomfortable accepting such a generous gift. She said her boss was very understanding. Thanksgiving again for all your comments.

We had a code of conduct that permitted cards or modest boxes of chocolates or flowers from clients and their families, and there was no such thing as a gift from our employer, only leaving presents from probation bosses and colleagues. We had annual awards in recognition of work done above and beyond the call of duty, and often just got a certificate or something likes a pen holder or desk calendar.

My sister was a solicitor's treasurer, and whenever she saved the company significant amounts of money, she would receive expensive presents such as a laptop, tickets for London theatres and hotel accommodation for her and her husband, and a carriage clock. Her employer's wife organised all staff gifts.

It's the same rule working in the public sector harrigran - not that social workers receive many gifts, well not working in child protection anyway! We are more likely to have something unpleasant thrown at us as we beat a hasty retreat out of the gate!
But I agree that this has an unpleasant feeling to me - maybe I'm old fashioned, or cynical or something but it has a feeling of being a beautiful gift with a deeply sexist, patronising and paternalistic undertone. I agree with JessM on this one.

I agree with Jess no good complaining about unwanted attention if you have already accepted the gift. I always advised DH what or was not appropriate as gifts for his PA, jewellery is second only to underwear as a gift because it is personal. The company DH worked for did not allow acceptance of gifts, other than tokens of very little value, all others had to be declared and failure to do so would result in disciplinary action.

Difficult one. If she has a good relationship with her boss and his wife, then I can't see a reason not to accept such a lovely gift.

However, the company may have rules on receiving gifts - especially expensive ones. Not having seen the pendant, it may be that it's not especially expensive. Maybe everyone is thinking in £000s!

If her relationship with her boss and his wife is not that close, it may be wiser not to accept, saying 'thank you for such a kind thought, but I couldn't possible accept such an expensive present.

The principle is a bad one though. Promote men, or give them a pay increase. And buy female employees jewellery!!!!! Humph.

I think Ceesnan's final post on the subject really settled the matter by giving the full facts of her DD's relationship with her boss and his wife.