20th Feb - lights on

Cold morning, trains acting up, dad's estate money into the bank. I've got a banker's draft which is worth cash but will apparently take 28 days to clear! Can't figure out what's happening with our banking system!

In the office, the f@@@ing lights are acting up again. Meet with Steve and go through the current programme. Ask him to bring the date back from 21st May but suspect that I don't have a hope in hell. He'll try but the a@@@@les around him won't make the effort. His bos in particular is a waste of space. He works on 'spider' management: build a web, pull some strings and hope that things happen. The problem is his network is more of a pipe dream, his strings lack pull and his hopes are greater than his actions. As my old boss would say: 'he don't know if his a@@ is bored, punched or counter sunk!'

I get some feedback on the problems we had with the server room on the weekend. No one really knows why the system tripped out. Neither Steve nor I called out the fire alarm people on Friday - I thought he was doing it and he thought I was. I clear that one and tell him that we will take responsibility.

Meet with Ian and Lesley to look at what's happening with the door security system. This is being switched on this week but no one is clear on who has responsibility for what. Lesley is a bl@@dy control freak and hangs on to information like gold. Ian is rightly concerned as everything is on a laptop on her desk when it should be on in secure server in the server room. What a nightmare. We agree the way forward. Not perfect but workable.

I get complaints about one of the windows so have a look at it with Steve. Its genuine and we'll have to get it sorted.

I also collect Fred and we have a look at the area where we're having recurrent lighting problems. He thinks he might be able to sort it so I leave it in his capable hands. 'Right! said Fred' as Bernard Cribbins would sing!

On the walk back home, I'm feeling tired and gasping for breath walking up the hill wishing someone would whisk me up it! Lo and behold! A caravan pulls up and Alex and Pascale offer me a lift home. They are on their way to collect his car jack and have decided to leave their motor home with us  - Ian, Alex's brother is picking them up.

The 6 of us (Blake joins in) sit round the kitchen table, chew the fat and have a good chinwag for a while.

Marian and I settle down to dinner and telly after. There are some surprisingly good shows on at the moment.