The good life was based in Surbiton….

However, my experience of that town this week wasn’t too good to be honest.

We have had a satellite office there for a few years, and I won’t bore anyone with the back story, but this week I was part of the management team that had to go and close it down.  Nice!!

So at 10am on Tuesday we arrived at site looking like a cross between Resevoir Dogs and the Keystone Cops, and broke the news to the poor souls who would be affected.  Yep, I’ve had better days.

We then spent the next couple of days meeting with the chaps from that office, explaining what we could do to help etc, and of course starting to dismantle the office.  A heartbreaking job.

This two day fun parade meant staying over nearby, and this was at the Monkey Puzzle.  A Beefeater.  You can see that budget is obviously a concern in these trying times.  To be fair, it was fine, and the meals were perfectly acceptable.  The company  on this mission was a real mix, and spending time with a range of colleagues, most for the first time, threw up a few challenges.

There is indeed “nowt stranger than folk”, but still we got through, and the worst of it is over.  We are back down there next week to meet with the guys again, and continue the dismantle and emptying operation.  It will be a lovely way to end before xmas!!

After two stressful, tiring and weird days we headed back up north, myself in a Ford Puma.  Never before, and probably never again, although I was grateful for the lift!!  Back to the office on Thursday to be straight into a round of “can you impress these visitors from head office please”.  I was asked to take them through what I did, and make it “really slick”.

So, I sat in front of the TV, ate my own body weight in junk food, blew off a few times, and played on my xbox.  Job done.  Turns out they meant what I do at work, rather than in my spare time.  I think I recovered the situation to their satisfaction.

So here we are at Friday again, and I left work early today so the girls might remember what I look like, before I have to drop them off in town to go and watch the local production of Oliver with their guide group.

Louise is also out tonight, at her xmas do.  Now that could get messy, and it may well be a good thing that she is staying over at the hotel.  Luckily she works in a hospital, so she will have all the medical help she might need once she has downed four bottles of wine, seven brandies and two pork pies.  Is there a doctor in the house?  Yes, and about seventy nurses too.

So what should I do with myself tonight?  Well, I could do that yes, but frankly I will probably get myself something stupidly calorific to eat and play the xbox for a bit.  I also have a couple of DVDs just arrived, from my friends at the Tesco DVD club, so The Hangover, looks tempting.

I think I could handle Vegas.

The weekend ahead is set to be one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.  Thankfully, one of the benefits of being skint is that we don’t have to partake in that too much.  We are pretty much sorted present wise, and have a plan that involves online buying for the ones we haven’t yet got, so that is a relief.

I finish work for two weeks next weekend, so I am looking forward to that.  A break full of films, chocolate and rest beckons.  I’ve spotted quite a few films I would like to see at the cinema, so they had better restock that Pick n Mix bar before I get there.

So there it is, a crap week, in terms of what had to be done at work, and my best wishes go to all the guys on the receiving end of that particular decision.  Same again next week really, but with less of the SAS style raid on the office, and more removal man/counsellor required on this visit.

Oh, and by the way, how utterly shite is the M25…..but let’s not go there, I’ve waffled on enough for one post.

Not sure what a blog is supposed to be or do, so you are getting random drivvle at the moment.  Till the next time…..