Monday 1st February 2021

A new life awaits on the offshor colonies.

After months of no news, from today there would be so much news and information, your head will explode.

No idea if this was the reason, but I was awake at three, went to the facilities, then lay in bed for two hours staring at the ceiling in the dark. Sleep wouldn't come. So, but the time the alarm went off at five, I had been awake for over two hours.

It was going to be a long day.

All morning meetings have now been cancelled as the team has been broken up, so there is no need to be online at half seven, meaning I had a spare half hour in the morning. So, after saying weeks ago I would do this, I said I would do some walking before walk, asking Jools to drop me off in the village, so I could walk back.

She dropped me off in the car park at the back of the church, so I was though the chuchyard, gravestones looming out of the darkness. Quite spooky.

I reach the steps to the high street, walk down then dodge the mad car drivers rattling along where the pavement isn't wide enough to allow a pedestrian to walk safely.

The village shop was closed still, depsite being just after seven, and from there is was past the old Red Lion and down Station Road and up the other side.

By the time I reached the end of our road, dawn was almost bright enough to allow photography. Almost.

I head up our street and down the drive to the back door and inside.

I make a fresh coffee and power the work laptop up, all looked the same. A few minutes later, an e mail arrived from the new company's IT department confirming my new/old e mail address, and details of how to set things up.

I click on the link, and Office 365 freezes. As does all MS programs.

Sigh.

This will be a long week.

Not much to report, I call a few colleagues and we confirm our old.new initials, and that is it. At nine, there is global townhall meeting, where we all all welcomed into the big company.

Which was nice.

Two hours later there is townhall by the COO, and he welcomes us into the old/new company.

Which was also nice.

And two hours after that, our new manager welcomes us to the department, intoduces us to our new colleagues. We were made to feel very welcome. Again.

Still nice.

IT systems still not working.

I give up for the day, and due to the lack of sleep and concentrating on the computer, I feel a headache coming on, so I close it down and watch the birds out of the back window, getting the last food before dusk and the long night.

Darkness fell.

And for dinner, the dirtiest of dirty food, a fry up. Though in fact, due the amount of potatoes I boiled and mashed (with added hoseradis) there was no need for fried bread or eggs, so made doo with beans, bacon and sausage.

It was enough.

We were both tired, so after an evening of music and writing, we are off to bed at half eight.

And in a surprise move, my shoulder let me sleep.