Getting my skates on (again!)

I didn't wake up until 8.15 am and so missed going to St. John's for the Early Morning Eucharist as originally planned. Tom's football match at Larkhill against Durrington U13 FC was postponed due to hard frosty conditions on the pitch - indeed it was freezing cold this morning. Another lazy morning ensued and Sara and Tom went off into town to do some shopping including getting Tom a new mobile phone with a touchpad - the one I had given him simply wasn't "cool". This will be his birthday present. I bought his iPod Touch off him with its Internet links and astronomical information and maps. Everything except a phone. As I write this, it is being charged up using my laptop. I took Mary to Basingstoke to the Planet Ice rink for some ice-skating. Although I felt a little unsecure at first for some reason (all that talk yesterday at St. Mary's of being a "wrinkly" I suppose) I joined her on the ice and spent well over an hour skating round and round. As usual I felt really confident towards the end and was skating reasonably quickly, although my legs were definitely aching at the end. Indeed I was so confident that it was not until I was actually moving to get off the ice and return my hired skates that I slid down the wall of the rink and found myself kissing the ice! This to Mary's great amusement! We went for a KFC afterwards (I hadn't cooked any lunch) and I filled up my car for the last time with company petrol - my employment ends at midnight tonight. This evening Sara watch - yes you guessed it - "Desperate Housewives", whilst her desperate husband wrote up his blogs (including those missed earlier in the week).

Free at Last? Saints march onwards

My first full day of freedom - no more trips to the Dorking office or early morning trips to London. Sara and I chose to have a bit of a lazy morning though, as usual, Sara had to take Mary into Salisbury for her dance lessons. Tom and I spent a leisurely morning doing not much at all. I caught up with some emails and online banking between making and drinking coffee. Sara arrived back before Tom and I were ready to go to Southampton. Tom was ambivalent about going to the game at St. Mary's but I eventually persuaded him to come with me. We arrived in Southampton quite a bit later than normal but there was little traffic and we easily got a parking spot at our usual College Street site. We visited our usual chippie in St. Mary's Street and arrived at the Stadium at 2.30 p.m. Nikki and Jeff greeted us with congratulations at my retirement and promised to come along to my retirement do at The Boathouse on Tuesday. Andy (on my left) cracked a few jokes about my retirement with quips such as "Shall I ask the steward to get you a blanket" and "I guess we'll have to get a chair lift put in for you to get to your season ticket seat". The last laugh will be on me if I get concessions before him. He and his family and friends quite happily tucked into my fruit sweets too. I guess I will have to take Werther's Originals next game! The first half of the game against Stockport County was diabolical. Saints were truly awful - poor passing, poor shape, losing possession all the time. The only saving grace being that Stockport were worse. The game improved slightly at the beginning of the second half but it wasn't until Papa Weigo came on that the pace accelerated and Lambert scored in the 63rd minute followed 6 minutes later by a goal from Papa himself. Fortunately Saints were able to hold onto this scoreline until the of the match. Not a brilliant game by any means but the result left Saints in 11th position in the table - the highest they've been all season. They are, tonight, five places of the playoffs but this equates to 13 points which is still a big gap to plug. The minus 10 is certainly having its effect. Once the kids were in bed, Sara sat down and watched Premonition, a film starring Sandra Bullock, which was slated by all the critics. Nevertheless we enjoyed it - especially whilst drinking a bottle of very nice vintage pink cava!

Analyze That

Up early this morning and drove into Salisbury to meet Lee and pick up the tickets for the Army v Navy rugby game at Twickenham tomorrow. We met over a couple of coffees at Cafe Nero in the centre of the city. After some shopping at Waitrose and to get a cheap rugby shirt at the next door sports store, I dropped off Rod's tickets at his house avoiding the destruction of them by his dog by leaving them propped up against his front door. He subsequently rang to say that that had been a sensible thing to do as the dog would have chewed them and he wouldn't then have been going to Twickenham! I met up with Sara, Richard and Linda in the Lord Nelson's Arms where Sara served us with baguettes and a new beer. This afternoon I set about researching my lecture on Ezra and Nehemiah for next Tuesday's masonic meeting in Brighton. I actually started to write it this evening and found the task quite enjoyable - using my study bible, its concordance, commentaries and Google to fit a rather complicated history of Israel together in its chronological sequence. Sara and I watched Analyze That with Robert De Niro - an amusing film in which a Mafia Boss (De Niro) convinces his psychiatrist (Billy Crystal) to let him out of prison and live with him and his family with hilarious consequences.

Goodbye!

My very last day at work for my company in Dorking! This, of course, necessitated a trip to Tesco's in Leatherhead in order to buy the compulsory leaving cakes for the remaining staff. As a result I didn't actually get in until after 10 a.m. At 11.30 a.m. the staff gathered round my desk for the also customary farewell presentation. My boss gave a really lovely speech followed by the presentation of a company golfing kit and lovely leather document case with a business card for my consultancy company inserted - very thoughtful indeed! I noticed a bit of a quaver in her voice and it is with a touch of sadness that I leave after twenty years of service. I responded with an impromptu speech and some anecdotes which seemed to go down well. I nearly faltered at one point when I recalled how the joining of the company had resulted in such a change in my life - meeting Sara and having a real family of my own. I thanked all for their encouragement and support over the years. The sadness is abated, however, by the knowledge that those left behind are facing some really tough challenges in the year ahead and I am not sorry to be able to step aside from those. I have my own challenges ahead which I look forward to. A group of about ten of us had a final lunch together in the Atrium Restaurant before I returned to the office to finalise all my papers, hand over my laptop and mobile phone after sending a goodbye email to all my colleagues and clients "That's All Folks" it read! I left early and drove back to Salisbury to join Salisbury office colleagues saying farewell to two others leaving today. Again I was greeted with some very unexpected accolades and envy, also, at being able to walk away! Tonight I attended a supper function at Maxime's for church group leaders to introduce us to the "Fully Alive" Lent course work with the author present. A delightful evening amongst such good Christian friends. With the changes of the day, the burden of work being lifted and the friendship and fellowship of those present I really did feel "Fully Alive". God's grace is so wonderful.

More of the Holy Spirit

Penultimate drive to the Dorking office today. Once more the commuting wasn't good - but it wasn't so bad either - especially as I know I only have to do it one more time tomorrow! Indeed, in a perverse sort of way I like the idea of the commute being poor this week - I'll enjoy the lack of the troublesome journey even more next week when I don't have to do it and can remember more fondly what I am missing. A massive blitz today on all my laptop files - placing important ones onto our mainframe hard drive from my laptop's hard drive and deleting all those which are now redundant - like me! Tonight I had a drinks do in the Sports and Social Club. So many close people have already gone now that the bar bill was staggeringly small - which means more for the Salisbury dos - one at The Boathouse and one at the Jade. I stayed in the bar from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Anthony was the first to come over with me and had his usual whisky and ginger ale. It was nice to share a drink with those who did attend and who signed my autograph book. Tomorrow may be a little more emotional when I finally say goodbye to some good friends like Ann, Lynda and Sylvia. I managed to get back home for 8.45 p.m. to join the House Group when we discuss the Holy Spirit and Symbolism - sounds like a Dan Brown novel! We discussed the various symbols used for the Holy Spirit including, fire, wind, and the dove. An enjoyable ending to the day with my friends in Winterslow with whom I will soon be spending much more time

Coffee and Filing

Another dreadful commute to Dorking followed by more tidying up of old files, electronic and paper. Not a remarkable day at all as far as work was concerned but I did learn today that I was to be appointed Past Assistant Grand Sojourner in the Provincial Grand Chapter of Sussex Royal Arch Masons. This honour has been three years in coming but I was delighted to accept it all the same. It is a very good first appointment the Provinicla Grand Chapter and manageable in that I will not need to trapse all over Sussex as I would have had to if I had received an active rank. I will now have to organise getting some new regalia. My investiture will take place in Worthing on 15th March and Peter has already booked me in for the traditional dinner afterwards! I am now just looking forward to the day (not long now) when this commuting will be all over. I seem to be drinking endless cups of "Viennese Coffee" from our new machines. At least its free!

Another commute to Surrey

Another day in Dorking and another fight with the traffic along the M3. Only another three round trips to Dorking after today. A fairly uneventful day with some more tidying up of my electronic filing and dealing with a couple of queries. Tonight I attended a PCC meeting in the village which was excellently chaired by Richard. Unfortunately I was a quarter of an hour late due to another traffic log jam in Guildford - it taking me over an hour to drive between Dorking and Guildford - a distance of only 16 miles. Richard, Maggie and I met in the Lion's Head after the meeting for a drink and a chat about the meeting. Tonight the temperature has dropped dramatically and there is frost on the cars. I do hope that the snow is not about to return.

Last Working Monday!

Woke up at 6.00 a.m. and realised that this was the last Monday morning I would have to get up in the pitch black to drive nearly 80 miles to Dorking. True to form, the traffic was dreadful again this morning with an accident on the M3 closing two lanes and forcing me to leave at Junction 4 and travel into work via the Hog's Back (also congested) and Guildford town centre. I eventually arrived in the office at 10.15 a.m. I spent the day sorting out the purchase of my company car, putting in my expenses for the last three months, dealing with a couple of IFA compensation cases and completing some disclosure on an IP claim. I also had problems with my laptop at work which required a call to the Indian call centre and, eventually, support from our contractors in Dorking themselves. I managed to get home this evening in time to allow Sara to go over to Ower for a Virgin Vie meeting.

Happy (3rd) Birthday Food for Thought

Another very busy Sunday. Up early and down to St. John's for the Early Morning Eucharist presided over by Elizabeth. The church was packed in contrast to the 20 or so who went to the Praise Service at 9.30 a.m. where Sara and Mary attended. After a quick breakfast Tom and I went up to Barry's Field for the Clarendon FC U13s v. Lsverstock FC U13s. Tom started but after about 20 minutes came off because he was feeling faint and finding it hard to breathe. I found out that he had had no breakfast (having stayed up late to watch the football after last night's panto) and having skipped breakfast because he got up so late. I told him that if he didn't eat properly he was no good to the team or himself. Clarendon did go on to win 3-1 but I am sure they could have done even better if Tom had been able to stay on the pitch. This afternoon we had a well attended Food for Thought service (third birthday) in the Village Hall. Nicola and Hamish treated us to a Scottish theme with bagpipes, haggis and Scottish Dancing. The Church of England's Fresh Expressions leadership were with us and Klynn and Susan must have been pleased at the good turn out. There are now many people attending FFT who do not come to All Saints or St. John's. This means that Outreach within FFT is really working. Next month it's down to me to plan and lead the worship! Tonight I spent a couple of hours with Richard in the Lion's Head - the last Sunday when I need to worry about going to work on the Monday!

Onwards and Upwards

Woke this morning at Champney's and after an early morning swim and a lovely healthy breakfast spent the morning reading Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" before setting off for Southampton to meet up with Sara, Tom and Mary and pick up Tom to take him to the Saints FA Cup tie against Ipswich Town at St Mary's. Everything went according to plan and Tom and I arrived at St. Mary's at around 2 p.m. . After having had a look around the shop we went into the ground remarking that it was before Christmas when we last sat in our season ticket seats in the Chapel Stand - and that was the Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against Norwich. Saints scored two great goals - the first by Wayne Thomas was a "cracker" from an acute angle and some 40 yards out from the goal. The second, by Antonio, came off a rebound following a free kick by Ricky Lambert. Ipswich scored a late goal about 10 minute before the end and a five minute period of injury time had all 20,000-odd in the Stadium on the edge of their seats. Fortunately, Saints hung on and the final result - 2-1 to Saints assured them a place in the Fifth Round. The draw is tomorrow - I bet we get either Portsmouth of Tottenham! Tonight we went to the Village Hall to see the Winterslow Drama Group's production of "Jack and the Beanstalk" with Mary playing a "bubble fairy". A really entertaining panto with some great acting (and ad-libbing) from the cast. An entertaining day all round - onwards and upwards for the Saints, onwards and upwards from Jack!

Away at Fitness Centre

I am away at a fitness centre today and tomorrow. No posts until Saturday

Last trip to London office

A very early start this morning as I got up at 6.00 a.m. to make sure that I got the 7.27 a.m. train to London from Grateley. I had a meeting in our London office at 10 a.m. and I wanted to ensure I got there in good time. As I drove to Grateley Station the snow started coming down quite heavily but, fortunately, it was not settling on the road although it was settling on the car. I managed to park the car easily and stood on the platform under the footbridge keeping out of the snow. Klynn joined me and we travelled up to London on the train together - Klynn treated me to a coffee to celebrate my last commute for the company on the train! I had another coffee and a sausage muffin breakfast at EAT close to our office in the City before going on to my meeting near the Guildhall. The meeting kept to time and I was back on the train to Grateley where Tim C joined me and we chatted our way back to Hampshire. This afternoon I worked in our Salisbury office and also finalised my plans for my two Salisbury retirement dos - one at The Boathouse and one at The Jade. Tonight Saints played the first leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Area Final against MK Dons at Milton Keynes. The Saints won 1-0 and now go into the 2nd Leg at St. Mary's in a winning position. Looks like we'll be going to Wembley if we can just hang on at home!

Another day of office clearance

I was meant to be in Southampton today giving support to my colleague Belinda who should have been conducting her first ever advocay in a full employment tribunal hearing. The hearing was, however, adjourned yesterday for a number of reasons including the fact that the other side were not ready. I therefore drove up to Dorking to do some more clearing out of filing cabinets and crates and also to have a meeting with my staff to organise cases in anticipation of my departure. The traffic up to Surrey was awful again as I drove up the M3 motorway. I shall certainly be delighted to put this commuting behind me when February arrives!

A clear out begins

My penultimate Monday morning trip to Dorking today. Indeed, only another twelve days (seven working days when two days holiday are taken into account). Traffic was not too bad this morning but it still took me two hours to drive the 78 miles. I spent most of the day clearing out my desk drawers and a filing cabinet discovering all sorts of documents going back seventeen years as well as some sweets I'd brought back from the Bahamas three years ago and never given out! I am sure they will still get eaten. When I got home this evening Sara told me, with delight, that Tom had been awarded a great accolade at school as he had received more points in the last term for his behaviour and attitude to work than any of his other 199 peers! A model student. A tremendous achievement and I am so proud. However, it would be great if he could show the same behaviours and attitudes at home too! Tonight, Sara went off to Southampton to an area branch meeting of her Virgin Vie cosmetics company and Mary was rehearsing in the village hall for the weekend Panto - Jack and the Beanstalk.

Back to Normal?

Hurrah - back on line and feeling better too. Sorry guys and gals for not having written anything for so long but not only have we suffered Internet problems of late - both Sara's and Tom's laptops are not functioning properly either and my laptop has been press-ganged into service for them - I have been extremely unwell with a chest infection which has left me feeling extremely tired and miserable over the last week or so - a constant hacking cough has not helped. To add to that, the weather has been appalling ever since we returned from the Canaries and we were snowed in for several days too - all with no Internet connection. Things have not stood still though. Since my last post it has been confirmed that I will be leaving my Company at the end of this month and taking early retirement. Only two weeks to go as I write this! So much to do - buy my company car, decide upon pension options, finish off a multitude of tasks at work, arrange a couple of farewell functions at Dorking and Salisbury, attend a couple of court hearings and important business meetings and so on and so forth. Everybody says that retirement will come quickly and the days of retirement pass quicker than ever. What am I going to do? - well, Sara has a number of tasks for me - including a complete sort out of the study, garage and shed - her idea of a "sort out" is to take all my worldly possessions and shove them in a skip! Klynn seems to agree with this! I will develop my employment law consultancy company, Complex Services Limited - see my sister blogspot site called Complex Services Limited which will be found at: http://complexservices.blogspot.com - become more active in the church and within the charity Stop the Traffik - but above all join the local golf club and get a decent handicap. This week has seen a sad occasion with the funeral of a dear friend, Beryl Dare, in Reading. I attended her funeral in Reading on Friday and met a lot of old friends. Quite worrying when you cannot recognise a group of old men as your former colleagues. How we all change. Today I delivered the intercessions in church at the Parish Eucharist where Doreen, our newly licensed Lay Minister, gave a lovely sermon on the Miracle at Cana. Sara has written a short play about this biblical story to be performed next week by the Junior Church. Hopefully I am now back on course to continue this blog on a daily basis. Thank you all for your continued interest. 2010 will be a much more interesting year I feel and my days will be much more than the previous "got up, showered, had breakfast, went to work, had a challenging day, came back from work exhausted, fell asleep.... etc." Richard and I plan to set up a "Last of the Summer Wine" scenario but currently we are arguing over who is more like "Compo". However, is there any doubt about Nora Batty? One word - skips!

NO INTERNET CONNECTION AT PRESENT

Postings are currently suspended as following a lightning strike in our village, my router is not working and I am, therefore, unable to put regular posts on this site until after the new router arrives (next week). This post is being put on by using Klynn's wireless connection

In the meantime, HAPPY NEW YEAR!