I started working at my current place of employment round about 6.5 years ago! I had very good knowledge of bookkeeping having worked at accounting practices. However when it came to staff and management that was another issue.

I all of a sudden found myself a little in deep water. I had now taken on a management position with little or no skills in that department and being a just slightly off red head your can imagine.

However having good skills at accounting it was now time to work on other skills. One was that things needed to be done properly and although I must admit went thru three creditors clerks until I spotted a gem!

The gem was in the form of one of our existing employee's that was basically doing meanal tasks like going to the bank, making tea and lunches for the guys.

So I snapped her up. Asked my boss to let me have her - he claimed she had no skills in being a creditors clerk, I told him let me have her and if things dont work out I will let him know!

So a little patient and a long time and I slowly taught her adding another section after the first was mastered and so on.

Today after four years I would not trade her and we have not looked back, her willingness to learn and to follow instruction is what makes her so valuable to me. Nobody and nothing gets past HER!! I often hear her on the phone telling them there is no ways I would like it so get it right she says!

We have now spent way to many days together however on the bright side we spend 9 hours a day together and a friendship had developed - if one has something we share - lunch is made in the office and we put together whatever we have brought for that day. So you never quite know from day to day.

We have developed an understanding - we have our 'MOAN VILLA" DAYS as we called them when all we do is seem to moan then there are days when we have put up a sign "ENTER AT OWN RISK" pmt on the rampage hehehehe.

We talk about alot of things and share alot however we also have our bad days then if I hear oops its one of those day I leave her alone and let her get on with it even if it means load of moaning and groaning I know she will get over it shortly and things will revert back to some normality.

I don't think that in all this time we have had a bad word and if I say something that is slightly out of line I will quickly apologize and she does not hold it against me, and visa versa.

So as of today we still are co workers and don't think for one moment she has not developed some devious skills along the way - like asking me to sign leave forms when I am very busy!!!  Then when I look again she has taken all the good days!

But give and take is what it is about and I would not swop her for the world!