dysfunctional pendulum

 put the little tab underneath the clock, the clock beeps and the display says nineteen hours.

That is two working days of overtime, that will do for Christmas and the new year

Look over to the stair well, see that the pendulum has stopped. It is hanging still over the central point of the dial beneath it, somebody must have turned off the power to the magnetic drive, friction did the rest. It does not mean that the world has stopped turning.

The stuffy mask on the face is unpleasant, it will be time soon for a new one.

The electronic lock on the door to the office is dysfunctional too, the battery will need to be replaced. This never could happen with old fashioned keys. They wore smooth after thirty five years of everyday use. But they hardly ever broke down.

On the last day of the week everyone approaches with their last minute orders.

Settle down to prepare the carpenters snapshots for printing. This is not part of work, but this is something to do anyway. 

Later on the carpenter arrives with a  lath for the frame of the painting on the wall. It is well that his photos are all printed at that stage.