3rd May

Its still raining in the morning - as if there has been no let up all night. I wonder if we have been secretly transported to India in the monsoon season by aliens!

Marian offers me a lift to the station and I bite her hand off in my hurry to accept the offer. I still get soaked on the walk into the office at the other end. I feel as if my colour is washing out and wonder if people will recognise me when I get to the office!

I notice the window installers are in doing the first window. These guys have been the bane of our lives - late, full of excuses, shoddy workmanship, broken promises, the lot! I'm impressed that they've stated nearly on time and decide to keep a check on how many they do.

Meet with Joyce from the new ICT company to get a progress update. All seems to be going well. Then head off for a meeting with Steve, the architects, the M&E contractors and the electricians for our monthly progress meeting on the refurbishment. They have all driven in, Steve is late because of the floods and road closures. Everyone else also has horror stories to tell about their journeys into the office. Mine has been relatively smooth. The main concerns on the project are the roof leaks. These are caused by broken tiles and by the new ducts that have been put in for the ventilation into the meeting rooms. This was always a concern and the heavy rains are certainly stretching them. We discus ways and mans to solve the problem. I have to leave it to them as to the solution all I can do is say yes or no to the appropriate spend. However, I do trust these guys and leave it to them to sugges a way forward.

Afterwards I head odd to our project board meeting. I've got 18 items on the agenda, 1 hour and 3 chatty people as well as another three who aren't as chatty. In the main people are pleased with progress especially since it looks like we'll under spend and be able to use the money to some other enhancements. We only overrun by forty five minutes! I have 10 minutes to wolf down my sandwich and a drink before heading off to meet wit Essex County Council to discuss the refurbishment. I tell them that we're on target to meet the date. I don't think that this is good news for them as I get the impression that they're not ready to move in as yet and would probably have liked an excuse to slip. I take their programme and project managers on a tour of the site after the meeting and they're both very pleased with the progress and the look and feel of the offices.

I get a call from a British Gas roofer to say that he wants to come in tomorrow to fix the broken tils. He actually tries to move the work day to Saturday but I tell him that he has to come tomorrow. He promises to be there first thing in the morning.

The window installers have done 9 windows. They have 60 to do by 14th May. If they stick to this rate we'll be OK.