It is Friday afternoon and our time in this land is shot. We are due to leave our head office in Randers within the next hour and drive back to Billund, hopefully in time to catch our flights back home. I wish I could say the trip has been an unqualified success, but as another round of cut backs and redundancies were announced on our first morning here, it rather cast more than a cloud over the trip. Because, no matter how positive we are after two shiny new projects were announced last week, they are still about a year in the future. So, once again, we wait for the executioner’s axe to fall. Or not.
The week began with us heading once again to Folkestone for another event in the book festival; a chat with Andy Kershaw. Andy has lead an interesting life, going from running Leeds University’s SU, to roadying for Billy Bragg, to being offered a job on BBC 2’s Whistle Test to comparing part of Live Aid all in four years, and then having his own Radio 1 show, and then his love and passion for ‘world music’ and his move to Radio 3. What wasn’t mentioned was his fall from grace following his split from his ex-wife and mother of his children, and his spells as HM’s pleasure.
All in all, the evening was too short, and it quickly ended before we had heard half his story.
Before hand, we had found a place to grab a drink and something to eat, and pondered how odd, in a good way, it was not to be in our kitchen cooking dinner as would be usual.
On Tuesday, I worked from home as in the middle of the afternoon I had to go and catch a train to London City Airport to catch the flight to sunny Denmark. And that is what happened, I arrived at the airport, and found that the usual getting there three hours before departure did not apply there, in fact, I could not check my bags in until two hours before departure. So, I sat in Costa and drank coffee, read a magazine and watched famous tennis players try to mix with the common people.
I saw some old friends from the Thanet Project, now working for our competitor, So, after checking our bags in, we met in the bar for drinks. I ordered a pint of Hoegaarden, and was shocked to my core to be charged £6.30 for it. I thought the guy at the bar was joking, but no. Much better was when Andy bought the second round, which must have smarted.
We boarded a tiny plane, and strapped ourselves in before roaring off into the night. We got a small cold meal and apparently unlimited drinks, as unlimited drinks can be on a flight lasting less than 2 hours. I did have beer, wine and a whisky as well as the food. And was glad it would my boss driving from the airport to the hotel in Randers.
It was too late to get anything to eat when we arrived, and so we just took our keys and took to our respective beds.
Next morning we drove to the head office; I was given a tour and shook many, many hands and nodded greetings. Then we sat down to listen to the CEO give the Q3 results on a telecast. And that’s when we learned that things are going not so well and jobs would be lost. It took the wind out of our sails to say the least, but life goes on and we wait for the axe.
That night my boss and I ate in the hotel, which is always something slightly surreal. Not eating with my boss, but in a hotel. It always seems to e the last refuge of the unadventurous. As predicted, we struggled to get served, but the food was OK, and the Christmas beer was very fine. And as I felt like I had not slept since last Christmas, I took to my bed very early and slept through the rumble of the traffic outside.
Thursday morning we headed back to the office again and had our departmental meeting, which was the main reason for coming over for. It is an interesting thing to be sitting the same room instead of talking on the Office communicator. And then in the afternoon I headed off with Helle to Arhus to the art museum to have a social networking seminar. No, really.
So, we sat there and listened about pushing our company through the various social networks and how it would help the company. It was harmless stuff, and demonstrated how easy it could be for something like a rumour on Twitter to almost bring a company down. So, we listened and hopefully learned. And then we had time to walk round the museum, and I had my camera with me. It seems that when an art gallery is designed means that the architect leaves his gloves off and goes bonkers. It has a wonderful spiral staircase and on the roof a circular rainbow, and being as we were there at dusk, the colours were wonderful, and I think the shots came out fine.
Back then to Randers to meet up with our boss and head out for dinner at a ritzy place. We could have had a nine course banquet, but stuck with three. Along with beer, wine and much chatting. And afterwards we went for a wander round the town, so I could snap yet more shots of the lit buildings and street scenes.
And today, we have sunshine. I was told the sun would not shine here until the spring, but there it is all sunny and shining. Time then to get my stuff together and be ready for the trip back to the airport. By the time I post this I will be back in England, so, brew up lads!
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