Night shifts followed by the weekend off!

Well, here I am, on the middle of my three weekends off, which conveniently come back to back!!


We work an eight week shift pattern of earlies (7am - 4pm), middles (10am - 7pm), lates (3pm - 12am), nights (10am - 7am) and spares (sort of 1.30 - 10.30pm, but they can and do change), and during that eight weeks we get three full weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) off. Apart from one random Sunday, we work the rest and for some reason the weekends off all come together. I think most of us would prefer if they alternated, but they don't! The reason being is that we do four night shift in a row )Monday through Thursday) and these have to be preceded by two days off - the first weekend. At the end of our night shifts (baring in mind, we finish at 7am on our first day off), we have three days off - the second weekend, and then following the four nights, we do five lates (Monday through Friday), and then we have to have two days off as we have just worked five days - the third weekend!!!


So, as I have just finished my four night stint, so am now on my middle, or second, weekend. Next week is the five lates - yuk!!! Anyway, my night shifts were pretty quiet...............the Monday through Thursday ones usually are, especially at the moment as most of the students have either finished or are in the middle of exams, and the summer language students (with their 'mug me' language school corporate branding), have yet to arrive. I say my nights were pretty quiet, but my colleagues who actually had to leave the station had to deal with two serious fights on consecutive nights. Well kept them on their toes anyway.


The highlights of my visitors over the four days were.............in no particular order: The gentleman who got confused by the sign over the door. He thought it said Thames Water and not Thames Valley Police when he came in to report that the drains down the road had backed up and there was sewer water all over the road, then got the arse when I first explained that he should talk to Thames Water as they would ask lots of questions, and then when I phoned them for him, got the arse because I asked him lots of questions on their behalf! The poor girl who had her bag nicked containing her mobile phone, wallet and house keys and whose house mate had gone to London for the night. She couldn't get a locksmith to opening the door for her as she had no way of paying and no way to contact to her housemate. She eventually managed to get hold of her housemate but had to sit in the police station for an hour while he got the train back from London - still better than being sat on the door step in the dark. The taxi driver who wanted to report that while he was parked up (ie not moving) a cyclist, riding on the wrong side of the road with no lights (and call me cynical, but I believe that alcohol may be playing a part here), had crashed into him, then had got up and cycled off. There was no damage to his car, but he wanted to make a report just in case the cyclist reported him. 'What for?' I did ask - reckless parking (I didn't add this). And finally the chap who decided at 3am that he wanted to get into the police station because the people walking home from the clubs were all out to break his legs, so decided to try and kick the door in!!! At this point I was forced to use the radio (don't like it as everyone can hear you, but better than the tannoy, which you also can hear) and ask if there was anyone about as someone was trying to break into the police station. Aren't they supposed to try and break out?!!


So, now I am enjoying my weekend off and I have been bribed by hubby to let him watch the football tonight..............good food and an even better bottle of wine!