So here I am back at work. Oh joy and rapture. Be still my beating heart. And other such crap.

Only 269 emails waiting for me when I logged in this morning. Might get through them all by the end of the day, but somehow doubt it. Ended up having to take 4 days of holiday and one flexi-day for last week, after getting compassionate leave for the first 5 days. Better than Bhupen I guess as he had to take it all as holiday, but not what I really wanted. Still got enough left for another three weeks between now and April plus whatever flexi I can build up so we will get away at some point. We have even picked up some brochures so might look at them later.

Also a whole stack of bus service changes that have come in during the last fortnight. Weren't any for ages before we went off!

The re-organization thing is still going on as before. No chance it would seem of stopping the two of us having to fight for senior status. Part of me is just totally pissed off with the whole situation while the rest just wants it all to go away. Whatever happens I'll still have a job of some description and no less money coming in (more even, if the union ever decides to accept an offer - I'm not a member but have to wait for my pay rise anyway). In the end it is only a job and recent events just re-inforce the feeling that it doesn't really matter what I do at work, so long as I make the most of the time at home. So once I've made up the 2½ hours I'm down on time at the moment I think I will concentrate on building up a few days by working longer hours just so I can do some of the things I want to do rather than have to do.

Hmm, just had a phone call asking for timetable books in Bury. Think I will book a car and have a day out later in the week. I probably need one!

I think the worst part of today was looking at my diary - the first half of this week has "Keep Free - Trip to visit Ernie?" written in large letters all over it. There's something I'll never write again. Also realised I forgot to put in the bit above about all the hassle over treating him - one of the doctors was even proposing moving him to another hospital for kidney dialysis. What planet are these people from? He probably wouldn't even have made the trip and it wouldn't have done a darn thing to solve the underlying problem. Just prolonged the agony a bit longer.

Oh well, nothing more I can say will change things.

On a lighter note, am now reading my way through an omnibus edition of The Dilbert Principle, The Dilbert Future and The Joy Of Work, all by Scott Adams. Just funny enough to keep me sane (but not too far gone to seem in bad taste at the moment) and also horribly true about what is going on around me here at the moment.

Only another hour or so to go!