Early start

I am clearly not cut out to be an auditor – so it’s lucky that I am NOT an auditor, isn’t it?

This rather pointless observation is brought to you after a brief examination of my email inbox when I got into the office this morning. I have three emails from the same woman covering audit queries for a couple of our recipients. That’s not all that unusual this time of year, but the fact that they were time and date stamped 22.48 yesterday, Sunday and 01.33 and 01.36 this morning…

I have responded to the emails, but she hasn’t come back to me yet. I’d phone, but that would be impish…

(no subject)

Well, there’s been a lot of renovation work and refitting happening in one corner of the atrium by the main entrance over the past couple of weeks.

Today we found out precisely what’s going on. A shop has opened. Something called ‘Pop-Up’, which sells… actually I’m not quite sure what it sells, but it all looks rather posh. I have hear rumours of £60 scarves, which if true, suggests that someone has overestimated the local market, given that the only way into the shop is to come into our foyer, not something Joe Public is likely to do on spec.

If any of us are seen spending money in there after three years of pay freeze, I would imagine they will cheerfully revisit the proposed 1% increase that we have yet to see (though the 1.5% hike in NI contributions will not be delayed at the same time, I would assume)

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That’s the side entrance, by the way, so you can’t even see the shop if you’re just passing by

I speculate, because I don’t know, but strongly suspect as the whole thing is being fuelled by ideology, that the rent on the shop will be significantly subsidised for at least a few months, until everyone who needs to take a photograph for propaganda purposes has done so, and the government can show that it is making good use of spare public office space. Thereafter it will be allowed to die a natural death.

In the meantime, packed in sardine-like in the upstairs office space, I am wearing my jumper again as despite the fact that it is relatively mild outside, temperatures in the building are uncomfortably low.