Heading back to the courtroom tomorrow morning bright and early.  Methinks the mother's lawyer whose child we've taken into care is going to tear a strip off me for "avoiding" his client.  Ah well - my lawyer is feisty and I'm ready to do battle.  And I have a great outfit!  Thank you Isabelle for helping me pick out the new suit!

Finally joined the gym and had a good workout tonight.  It's amazing how soft everything gets after a couple of months of neglect.  And no Heather Ruth to push me, but I will prevail and am quite determined to look incredible by Christmas.  It is actually a great stress release which is sorely needed in this line of work.

On a completely different note, I've been indulging in a bit of reading and am thoroughly enjoying The Victory of Geraldine Gull by Joan Clark.  My supervisor who is also a great reader loaned me this little gem.  I am just at the halfway mark and keeping my fingers crossed the second half doesn't disappoint.

It's been a while since my last significant post.  I have changed apartments and am now living in a spacious two bedroom flat with brand new appliances!  Ah the luxury of having a place that I can look forward to returning to at the end of a long work day.  And those days are about to get longer now that school has started and home visits with kids will have to wait until after 4:00.  Tomorrow I go school supply shopping with one of my kids under a supervision order.  She's a good kid.  Just starting her graduate year of high school and hopes to graduate early in February. 

Things are about to change dramatically here at work as I am taking on a new contract position which means brand new cases with the exception of a few kept goodies.  Isabelle, mournfully, is heading back to England and will finish here at Children's Aid at the end of next week.  That leaves a spot open.  The supervisor who Mary was covering is making an early return, and so Mary returns to my caseload and I move over into Isabelle's spot.  The new post gives me greater security in the agency because it stands a greater chance at being renewed.  Hard to believe I've been here now for two months.  Mary introduced me to one of the social work students who will be doing her field placement here over the next while.  To think a year has passed and that this time last year I was getting ready to enter into my field placement at St. Boniface Hospital!  And now I'm the social worker.  Insane!

Had a nice weekend home with family and friends.  Fortunately Isabelle was able to join me on the holiday excursion.  Made a trip to Kings Landing and saw some old faces.  Notably missing were Mitch and Audrey.  The Landing just isn't the same without them.  Apparently the spot where Mitch used to sneak off to have a cigarette will be re-named Mitch's Cove.  I miss the days spent there . . . it certainly was a far more idyllic place to work . . . .