Friday was one of those days, when you want to just want to say, ‘I’ll get on with the day’s work over here and when you are ready to get organised then come and tell me’.

 We have had issues with air conditioning in the library since the start of the school year, partly due to the recent floods and partly due to things just breaking. Friday, we were told, was the day that the system in the lab would be replaced. Happy Dancing as no more fans shooting students off chairs. We were very organised and cleared the computers out and rebooked teachers to laptop trolleys instead of the lab. All lovely.

 We arrive Friday morning to discover that the new air conditioner, a different system that was to cool the entire library area, and separate  to the computer lab was arriving that day also.  Two different companies.

 No one had informed us. No one had told us that they would be lifting huge metal beams with a crane over the front entrance of the library and onto the roof.

 So I arrive at 7.30 to chaos. The person in charge is not front and center, why would he when he was needed, and proving a bad communicator as always. The guys with the crane says no one should be in the building when they use the crane, not even the other guys from the second company  (workplace health and safety). We agree. Mt Organiser, or should I say Mr NonOrganiser says we only need a 20m clearance area.

 Exactly, where is a 20 m clearance area when a metal beam is dangling over one’s head?

 I send some emails and suggest, room changes for all classes booked into use the library, creating a safety zone around the library, and that as we had duty of care for ourselves, my staff would be working out of an area in the staffroom until the crane work was finished.

 What was most annoying was that  everyone was asking me for updates on the work, when I was obviously not involved. Even the damn stupid man in charge was asking me and was testy that I didn’t know. He also appeared to be testy that I took my staff out of the library, but I was more than prepared to fight that one.

 By early afternoon the crane was gone and I was walking back to the library when I was stopped by the Head of the Senior School, also male, who politely told me that in future I should alert him earlier to such changes so that they can reschedule classes. He was lucky I didn’t punch him right there, right in that smug face. I told him that in fact I didn’t know.

 If I had known, I would have organised it a damn sight better and not endangered staff and students. I wonder if they ever heard of working on a Saturday?

 Top my glass up, it is damn near empty.