Monday 16th December 2019

Dateline: Southampton.

(just outside)

Scene: a Premier Inn.

I wake up after yet another night of broken sleep, but the cold doesn't seem quite as bad.

I can enjoy a slow start to the day, as the meetings were not due to start until half nine, even allowing for the worse traffic it would not take us more than half an hour to get to Fawley.

But best prepare for the worse.

I meet Askil in the restaurant at half seven, we have breakfast, which was underwhelming to say the least. Not even the coffee was any good.

After that, we drive along the edge of the New Forest, beside the oil terminal and beyond where the single tower of the old power station could be seen.

I said to the auditor, that we would meet him at the main gate, so we sat in the car once booked in to wait.

And wait.

I get a message from David that he was stuck in traffic, and would be late.

We wait more.

Half eight goes by.

Nine goes by.

Half nine goes by.

At quarter to ten he arrives. So once he is booked in, we can go to the offices and the fun and games can begin.

Audits are dull, a game of probing by one side. I am there to represent my new department in central quality, and to facilitate.

All I facilitate is me trying my darndest not to fall asleep in the tiny meeting room where the heater is either full on or off.

The morning passes.

We have sandwiches for lunch.

We have a tour round the site, then more probing and general auditing, and with it being dark outside, at half four we are done.

By five we have left the site and are driving back to the hotel. Traffic is heavy but not too bad, well, until we get within two miles of the hotel and the roads are jammed. The sat nav tells us to turn off down the motorway away from Southampton, it took us off at the next junction, double backing along the motorway through a wood.

I said that if we find a pubb we'll go in there for an early dinner so not to go back out later.

30 seconds later a brightly lit pub hoves into view.

I turn in. We're stopping here then? asked Askil.

Indeed we are.

We get a table in the bar, and I order a festive plate of roast turkey and a pint of porter.

OK< it wasn't great, but good enough, and better than the restaurant attached to the hotel which managed one star on TripAdviser, only because no stars is not an option. Reviews were horrific.

At least we were spared that.

Back in the hotel, I buy a bag of M&Ms to go with a cuppa, and to the room to replax and call Jools. But the signal was so poor, we managed 90 seconds of "I can't hear you" before we give up.

I'm back home tomorrow.

Anyway, to bed at nine, hoping the cold would be better in the morning. And I would have had a good night's sleep.....