The times, they are a-changin’

Not that anyone would have noticed.  But yesterday was the start of a new era at work.  For me, it was my first day as a permanent employee, after thirteen (or more?) years of annual contracts. 

Not that you’d have noticed.  Things were pretty much the same although we were pleased to welcome a new member of our team with a similar penchant for chocolate as the rest of us.  It was technology to the fore at our meeting yesterday though, with tablets, phones, laptops all humming away nicely as we worked out way through a bit of new paperwork and the resultant acronyms.

I especially like the “plan for learning”, aka PFL…or “the piffle” amongst friends.

It does mean that soon, my team will no longer count the rather lovely warehouse as our base and we will have to return to the old days of negotiating the city centre streets and the 1960s loveliness that is Shire Hall.

Gloucester is quite a fine city, really.  But sadly, since I had reason to be here in the city centre regularly, things have changed a little and many of the old, familiar businesses have gone.

Yesterday afternoon, whilst some corners were pretty busy, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a Sunday afternoon in other parts.

I’ll miss my meanderings around the docks, which are a great deal smarter now than when the office was first relocated, thank goodness.

Above all, I’ll miss coming across things like this – a crane – with a great deal of character, don’t you think?  Of course, nothing’s to stop me taking a walk down there from time to time, but you know how things go…

Lucky me, too, that I still get to work in an altogether different environment from time to time as well, as I did on Monday.

I’m working tomorrow, actually.  In a different place altogether.  I’ll let you know how it goes.