Tuesday 13th February 2018

For all the driving in sunshine, visiting Huntingdon and Nottingham on Monday, there was a reason for the trip, and that is being here at a modern spa hotel on the edge of Leeds for some training.

Which is why I was up and about before dawn, despit in theory being able to lay in until eight. I am up and about, and down for breakfast at half six when I thought it began, but was told I was half an hour early, cooked food was not ready, but help yourself to cereal and toast. Which I did, anyway, would be enough as these places usually have food laying around for breaks in the course, which was true as it turned out.

I make some calls for work before the course started, but then there was no avoiding it, so I walk down two flights of stairs, grab a coffee and a smoothie and go into the room for the course, and find a former colleague, Steve, one of the other four delegates.

We were here for quality management system training, aka ISO 9001:201y conversion training, and yes, the name of it is the only exciting thing about it.

It is a dry subject, heavy on theory, and long on talking and acting out scenarios.

The best bit is the introductions, but after that it is down to the heavy stuff, and me trying to not clock watch, but it is there, and so I watched as the minute hand took about a year to go round to ten, at which point we had a break. A bank had taken all the other rooms as they were doing a mid-managers assessment day, and by the end some grown men would be in tears as their banking careers were brought to an early end.

Brutal.

But we have coffee, biscuits and go back for more quality until lunch.

Half an hour in which to catch up with work via our phones, have some lunch and go back again for more of the same.

By the end of the day our brains are mush, but are given homework. I go to my room, change and go to the gym downstairs and do a 40 minute session with a soundtrack by James and Big Audio Dynamite. My brain is clear, I have worked off some of the biscuit calories too.

I meet Shona, the only other delegate staying here, for dinner, and we chat over starters and the main course, each sipping for a large glass of red wine. They come in small and medium glasses, which was a surprise.

Back in my room, I find it quarter to nine. I have homework to do, so knuckle down and complete the multiple guess quiz. Job done