Thursday 23rd June 2016

I remember now, what having had just the one too many was like. I mean, it wasn't a hangover as such, but I did feel shabby, the room did not spin when I opened my eyes, neither did it stay still.

I'd better have a shower.

I get ready for work, pack my workbag and go down for breakfast at the amazingly early time of ten to seven. Coffee is always good in the early morning, but doubly so on Thursday. Thanks to my Italian speaking car, I could not program the route to the office, but I knew if I went down to the harbour instead of driving through the city, I would find my way. Which is the case. And being so early, traffic was light, the sun was shining, and with the light sparking on the water to my left, it was another good morning to be going to work.

As I turned up the O1 route, I could see that in the four months since i was last here, most of the tram tracks between the harbour and the main ring road had been laid, making it seem so much progress had ben made. They have been building this since my first time in the city in 2011, so progress has not been quick. THe missing link now is the crossing of the O2 ring road, this will cause much chaos as it is the main route into the city from the north, and the main ring road. Good luck with that when it happens.

One of my colleagues likes British chocolate, so I take her Curly Wurlys whenever I go to the office, and her face lights up with the five packets I take her this time too. So, after catching up with friends and colleagues, I go to IT for one of the main jobs of the day, getting a new laptop. I was offered one in January, but wasn't a good time, but now mine has had repeated software failures, and I ran out of patience. So, I arranged to pick a new one up. Only, I wasn't expected, so I told the IT the ticket number, he looked and confirmed it was correct, and he would make it so before the end of the day.

He did better than that, bringing me my new laptop by lunchtime, meaning that inbetween all the meetings, I had to upload my files to the new machine, make sure the software worked.

I have my annual assessment: all is goo there, and I am left feeling mostly happy, with some pointers on how to improve. THis should have made me happy, which it did, but back in the UK there were having a referendum on whether to leave the EU and I was worried as it could have gone either way, with an out vote being disastrous.

That evening, I had been invited to my friends flat, Anni and BO, for dinner and chat, so after checking the map several times, I set of in the now pouring rain for what should have been a 700m walk to where they lived. Over the railway, down the wain street, cross over, down a residential street lined with apartment blocks, past the church, over the avenue and down to the end of the street opposite, and there they were. I had got it right frst time!

Anni makes burger and fries; we talk about things; her work, my work, Japan and so on. It is a fine evening, but I look at my watch; half eight, I need to pack, call Jools and generally get some work done, so I have to leave. A huge storm had just passed, and the air is clean and sparkles. It is humid too, but good to be out, walking the streets back to the hotel.

I throw my stuff into the case, call Jools, and have a shower, and check the BBC one final time with Remain set to win the vote. I go to bed happy.