Birthdays, Workdays, Wet Days, Mayhem Days!

My plan for today was simple: leave for work early, drop off child at school, pick up pre-ordered birthday cake for sweet work friend's special birthday, go to work, have staff morning tea, lead in-service for small group of staff after work, leave, pick up child from after school care, go home etc etc etc! Phew...I'm tired just reading that back to myself!!

I knew, when I woke up and the rain was pouring down that I should have just pulled the covers over my head and stayed in bed! But no, I didn't!

I did manage to leave home on time and even successfully drop child at school. Then I went to pick up pre-ordered cake only to be told (firstly) that they didn't have it and (secondly), I'd have to drive ten minutes out of my way to their other shop to get it! So I did!

Running a few minutes late for work, I still managed to get there despite on-the-spot learning how to juggle work bag, handbag, lunch bag, cake box and umbrella while the rain poured down around me. Successful? No! But I didn't manage to drop the cake!

Work should have gone off without a hitch until I realised that my powerpoint for the afternoon's inservice was not working correctly and that I'd have to somehow fly home (wish I had a broomstick!) to access home computer.

While in the process of telling administration about my serious technical malfunction, the rain continued to pour. In fact, it came down in bucket-loads! So much so that the green area outside turned into a lake!

Next thing, I hear is that the whole of our work was being evacuated!

This process, given the nature of the job, actually took a few hours....and of course the afternoon in-service was cancelled (small mercy perhaps...it saved a whole lotta staff from my boring powerpoint!).

In the middle of all of this, the nine year old's after school care rang me to say that their own staff were flood bound and that they were asking parents to not send their children in the afternoon! This of course, was followed by the Superteen phoning me to say that his school was getting flooded in and he needed picking up.....25 minutes drive in the other direction. So the afternoon was spent juggling school pick-ups between friends and trying to make my way through flooded roads and chaotic traffic.

Needless to say that through all of this my darling friend missed out on her special cream cake for morning tea! (Happy 40th birthday, Sweetie! We'll make up for it on Sunday!).

Yes, the rain came down in Brisbane today and yes, it did mean that the entire day was a write-off! Wish I'd stayed in bed!