This has been the worst...

...five months of my life.

I can only imagine how the eight members of staff have felt during this time, knowing that they no longer had jobs.

As those of you who visit on a regular basis, I have been struggling to make their leaving cards but Bank Holiday weekend I made myself sit down and deal with the task in hand - a stack of Art Deco toppers came in very handy and so did the Deco PPs from DoCraft that I had in my stash.

All the cards were created on a 6x6 white pearl CS base...

 ...these three were for Anne, Sharon & Malcolm.
To throw another spanner in the works, I also had three staff leaving to take up jobs in another office...

 ...so these three were to wish Chris, Vas and Anji all the best in their new roles.
Sue has worked with me for a long time...

 ...she is the only original member of the clerical team I was given to manage...

 ...and just like with Kim last week, this was a farewell that I found extremely hard.
The last three cards were for Maria, Denise & Jenny...

 ...and I found it very difficult to write all of these because this felt like the heart was being ripped out of my team.

The office had made a collection for each of them so there was a small presentation so that all their colleagues could express their thanks for all the work and support these folk have provided over the years...there were a lot of tears - especially from me.

Some of the leavers just wanted to slip away quietly...

 ...but a few wanted to have a drink and meal to say goodbye to each other...

 ...very difficult to stay up-beat on such a sad occasion.
Anthony is a colleague who has been coming down from his office in Ipswich once or twice a week...

 ...to help out with all the paperwork involved with so many folk leaving. Friday was the last visit he will make as his office now belongs to a different region (everything is changing).
This is a terrible photo but it was the only one I was able to catch of Maria...

...I have worked with her for most of the 18 years that she has worked in the Department (although she only joined my clerical team about 8 years ago). When Maria started work here, she only intended it to be a temporary thing but like many of us, she found time had flown by without even realising. Although she didn't really want to leave, she has used this as the 'push' to go back to studying in September as she has decided to become a mid-wife.

I wish all my leavers the very best for the future in what ever they decide to do................................