Always at this time of year I remember with huge admiration my first boss, Jennifer Jones, librarian at the IALS in London, who saved 4 days of her annual leave each year to take all the Mondays in January off "because January is bad enough without adding Mondays as well".
Hilary Marchant
11.7K posts
First woman on Trinity Cambridge University Challenge team, still asking & occasionally answering awkward questions. GB/IRL/European.
Joined March 2012
- I always thought Chalice would be a pretty name.
- Replying to @kitty_donaldsonI would love to see my mother-in-law at Christmas, but I won't ever again as she died of Covid in June.
- Replying to @IanDuntMy mother-in-law died of Covid in June 2020 so last Christmas was the first one my father-in-law, aged 94, had been alone after 50 years of marriage. He rang us in mid December to say he'd better spend Christmas alone as it was against the rules for him to come to us.
- Saw that #shapeshiftingcreep was trending so clicked on it. Bravo to whatever algorithm made this the top result without any apparent reference to the hashtag.
- Found out the other day (while reading the El País review of Derry Girls, as you do) that the Spanish term for the NI backstop is "salvaguardia". Can't help wondering if it would have made life harder for Brexiters if they'd been having to argue against a "safeguard".
- Replying to @XPATINDK and @sturdyAlexAlso don't forget we managed fine before Tesco existed. I didn't mind them when they just sold food, but nobody warned us that eventually their plan was to sell kitchen equipment and clothes as well. Certainly Ted Heath didn't tell us.
- Replying to @Vague_BiscuitAnd if the office's bills rise massively as a result, that business goes bust so you lose your job and don't have to do *any* commuting, thus saving you loads on petrol/ train fares. Have I got this right?
- Read this thread - an excellent rejoinder to all those who are saying "businesses should have made sure they were prepared". Shocking.
- My friend Bill's dad, as a teenager, worked at the shipyard building the Titanic. He'd been an exemplary employee and was given the prize of sailing on the maiden voyage. With a month to go, he was caught smoking and his prize was withdrawn. So smoking saved his (& Bill's) life.
- My daughter's (state school) A-level History teacher had a PhD and advised all his classes to watch Horrible Histories to get the gist of any new topic. She now has a double first in History from Cambridge. Scrapping #CBBC would be appalling.
- Luckily, the law is not concerned with trifles.
- Replying to @earmstronglibStrongly agree. I was a school librarian for many years and always felt the sanctuary element was as important as the books (and more important than the shushing, though non-librarians never believe you on that).
- Replying to @marchaynesOnce on my way to school I saw a dog running along with a string of sausages trailing from its mouth. Sadly no man in slippers and dressing-gown running after it, but still.


