Thursday 2nd April 2015

Tuesday.

I have a fine night's sleep: I dream I am driving in a VW Beetle repeatedly into a large snowdrift, trying to get it stuck.

I wake up at half six, is that dawn showing round the edge of the curtains? And what is this? Snow?? My dream became real!

Get up, have a shower, ready for work. Downstairs, have breakfast. By the time it is time to leave for work, it is a blizzard outside, it is partly settling, but the roads seem clear. I even have to clear an inch of the stuff from the car before I could drive. Like it was winter again!

Drive the 1km to the office where everyone is running around shouting AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH! I feel right at home.

I write mails, update documents, have meetings, have lunch, drink coffee, have more meetings, and where has the time gone? I have a meeting: am I ready for a new project? I am asked. Hmm, didn’t think I was through this one yet. And yet, I see the possibility of handing over the wind down to someone else, a new challenge, a new customer, a whole new world of shit.

I’m mad as hell. And I can’t explain why.

It has been a tough few months, and when in the middle of the heat of battle someone asks, are you ready for a new challenge?

I don’t feel I have finished this one, but then at times I see that the back is broken. So maybe? But, why does this make me angry? I have no idea. I went to the sports bar, had a pint of Easter beer, went onto Dronning Louise had two more pints of Baltic Porter, a plate of nachos. I really should get over myself.

That there is such talk means I have done a good job, and should be really happy. Maybe that will come over the long weekend.

Wednesday

Outside there is a lot of weather going on, apparently. But it is dark, so I can't see, and when I shit the window I can't hear the howling wind. Which is good. Seems like the extra jalepenos I ordered the evening before was a bad idea. Or at least my body does not like them, and wants rid of them. Life is uncomfortable for a while.

I have a shower, try to make myself look presentable. Hah!

Downstairs, I check out and go to load the car with my cases. I am nearly knocked over by the force of the wind. It occurs to me my flight might be cancelled. Bugger. Back inside the hotel, I have breakfast, coffee, some more breakfast, thinking it would be 12 hours or so before I eat next. Not realising there would be food at work. So much food.

All work is cancelled, except the running up and down bit with screaming. With the out of control freight train that is the project about to hit the buffers and nothing is going to stop it, it seems people are trying hard to force it off the rails. There is more screaming, gnashing of teeth.

Breakfast is served. More rolls. More cheese. Lots of cake. I go and do some work hoping I might be hungry when I come back inside. Out in the yard it is like being in a wind tunnel, but the wind is at our backs, so just the backs of our legs get soaked. We'd do the other side on the way back in a while. In the warehouse they are eating too: hungry they ask?

I do my job, and find problems. That will do, pig.

We walk back, get wet. And inside I have a cheese filled roll.

Now to write a report. And answer mails. Before I have to leave at two. At half eleven my boss comes in and says there is lunch being served, and I have to attend as there is 'news'. So I go in, there is pizza slices, more rolls, bagels. I nibble at a pizza slice as the news is spread. In my workstream all still seems to be going well. I smile.

Time to finish my report, say goodbye to everyone, get given a box of Easter eggs, some beer, and lets go before they serve more food.

I load the car, and I am ready to go. A huge storm is emptying hailstones the size of marbles on the car. It sounds like Riverdance on the roof, but better, you know. The sky is black, with the promise of more hail, maybe snow, a tornado and death perhaps. And when it does any of the above, the wind howls and tries to force me into either a field or in the path of a vehicle coming in the opposite direction. I remembered this is how my colleague, Helle was killed. I slow down, take my time.

I make it without incident. Heck, its even sunny in Billund. I was expecting it to be crowded with people getting away for Easter, but most flight to anywhere except UK seemed to have been cancelled. There are no queues at the check in, at security or in the shops. But I can't be bothered to get anything to drink. I have been up since half four, and I am shattered.

The flight is called, I go along, wait and am the last on board. Needless to say the flight is full, and I didn't have a seat on my own. I am asleep before we take off, and only wake up as we are on descent over the North Sea off the shore from Walton on the Naze. I glimpse that and Clacton, before clouds take Blighty from me again.

We get lower, lurch from side to side: I try not to think of aircraft accidents. Not easy.

But we land, and taxi to the furthest pan from the terminal. We wait to be reversed into it. We wait for a bus. Then the bus gets blocked in by a tanker. So we wait for some more. Itls like being at Heathrow I thought, with all this waiting. We do make it to the terminal. I get my bag, rush to the station. I have missed the quarter to seven train, I might make the next one that required me to change at Ashford. I decide to call in the cafe, have a toasted bagette and a coffee.

The train is not full, but most people seem to be able to spread them and their stuff over two seats. Greedy bastards. I stand up as we move off. Outside it is nearly dark, I can just make out the landmarks as the storm through Essex to Dartford. There, a woman gets off and I take her seat. She has bought a playgirl outfit for her partner, and is looking at what she has bought. I raise an eyebrow and a smile.

Once in her seat, I close my eyes, maybe I snooze. We are in Ashford, people get off. I snooze on.

At Martin Mill, Jools is waiting. I am tired. I need a break. Just as well its Easter and I have the best part of 5 days off. I feel I need every minute of them.

Just time for a brew inside, oh, and the Galaxy chocolate I bought at the cafe.

Time to switch off.