Beware... moaning Minny post coming up!

So, the day I'd been dreading arrived, and Keith and I set off in the gloom at about 7.15am, which, on reflection, was way too early. I decided to go via Brixworth, and this was a mistake. It was pitch black, and the journey was horrible! 

My journey was a bit convoluted, mainly because we were so early, and we drove into the main hospital car park to see how many spaces were available. I was glad to see a few, thank goodness! We then drove around to the small car park attached to our building, and we sat in the car for a few minutes until Sara said she'd come and meet me. This car park is really for customers only, and very difficult to park in, so not an option for us to use it. I still think it would have been a good idea for all of us to visit before we moved in, to acquaint ourselves with the layout of the building and to see where everything was. I learned that we no longer had a printer or a shredding machine in our office, and that they were situated in an office near reception, which was a fair walk away and down two flights of stairs.

Sara and I had a quick tour, and although the building itself had been refurbished and redecorated, it was the surroundings that I felt were depressing. We're situated in the hospital grounds, and I hate hospitals! Our new office was a complete mess, with boxes waiting to be unpacked and my desk was covered in dust. However, what I hated most were the strong overhead lights, which made me feel like I was working under a spotlight! In our old office, I didn't have the lights on overhead, and it was lovely and dark!

Our desks were arranged in two rows, like a classroom, and I had Sara behind me, Nicola behind me and to the right, and Sheila next to me. There were three windows to my right with a charming view of some of the hospital buildings. I suddenly felt very miserable... the views we had before were of trees, and we regularly saw wildlife in the small area of land behind us.

The corner of my desk

Back of Sheila's desk with her bag "files"

My new desk

Nicola came in with her daughter, Macy, at about 9am, and was as loud as she normally is. Now, though, there was no private office for her, and she had no door to shut when she was having a confidential conversation. She spent my whole shift barking at me about Bob, who was going rogue again! I was trying hard to concentrate on emails, and all I heard was "Jane!" multiple times. I was not amused! Macy and I went down to the reception area before the phone lines opened, and I bought a cup of nasty coffee for £2.95! It barely came halfway up the cup! I thought longingly of the lovely coffee (£1) where I used to work and the cosy chats I had with the reception staff...

I skipped lunch as Sophie, and I were going to go to Wagamama's, and outside, the rain began to fall heavily. I couldn't wait for it to be 2pm, and I retraced my steps from this morning to meet Sophie in our tiny customer car park. I was drenched!

We sloshed our way to Sixfields and parked outside the restaurant before running in. The place was very quiet, and we were seated in a booth and given menus to peruse. Both of us were hungry, so we chose edamame beans, prawn crackers and bang bang cauliflower to start. We decided on the chicken katsu curry for a main course, and enjoyed a glass of wine. This was far better than being at work!

The food was delicious and definitely on a par with Akasaka in town. I regaled Sophie with my experience in the new office, and she knew how miserable I was feeling. I had never realised until now how important my surroundings were, and also never realised how much I enjoyed working in the old building. I had been there for eight years and had taken the easy commute and plentiful free parking for granted. There were also the other staff members, whom I liked and got along with, and I would miss them a lot.

Sophie and I found room for pudding, and I chose coconut ice cream while Sophie indulged in cheesecake. After paying the bill, we drove the short distance to M&S nearby and managed to park in the busy car park. It was still pouring with rain, and it was bedlam! We ran over to the store, collected a trolley and started shopping for breakfast items. I totted up all the items on my phone as Sophie had £90 to spend in M&S vouchers.

We bought everything she needed and made our way back to the car in the pouring rain. Sophie had asked if we could take it all back to her office, but we decided to go straight home instead. The thought of navigating the busy roundabout near her office, or taking a long detour to avoid it, definitely did not appeal!

Back home, we put the refrigerated foods in our fridge, transferred the rest of the shopping to the VW (Keith was giving her a lift tomorrow) and then tried to relax, but we were both wound up. Sophie had a headache, and I just felt dispirited and sad. 

We spent the evening lolling about, and Sophie fell asleep on the sofa, but her headache never really went away. I just hoped that tomorrow would be a better day!