Thursday 26 January 2012

WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY 2012


It was an early start this morning leaving for Bristol about 7.30am, I was feeling pretty nervous and I didn't really know why. I wasn't going for an interview or anything it was quite strange really, but I think it is because I felt today was an important day in the grand scheme of whether I am feasibly able to relocate or not.
A lot of people have warned me about the building and how old it is but they have also underlined that they have to do everything possible to make it accessible. This makes me slightly uncomfortable obviously, if it is minimal adaptations it won't be a problem but if the building starts having to be structurally changed, that is when I start feeling very uneasy.
It reminds me of when I was moving from primary school to senior school.  My local senior school didn't have any lifts, but were willing to change the timetable so that all my classes were on the ground floor. This was really nice of them but when it starts impacting on other people, in that instance other classmates, having lessons in not the normal rooms, then it doesn't become fair on them.  As in this case if the programme is limited on what rooms we can move into because of access issues, that is when I feel uncomfortable.  
Anyway we arrived in Bristol around 9.15am and the first person I saw was an ex colleague Katrina, which settled my nerves a bit but then I had to take a couple of phone calls as the hire car wasn't at the airport in Germany for the Adam's farm shoot, so I phoned Hannah who kindly took that issue over for me.
Once that was dealt with I phoned Kalpna's secretary who came to meet us in the car park. She then took us to the canteen to wait, so we grabbed a tea and waited for the meeting. I was then collected and mum and dad went for a walk round the city.
It was a really good meeting with Kalpna and Andy Corp who is responsible for Post Production. So he would be responsible from what I understand, for bringing in contractors to undertake the adaptions that are going to be required. It was also good to catch up with Kalpna about opportunities in Bristol and also a relaxed chat about the City.
Once everyone arrived we had an introduction to Bristol and a bit of a sales pitch about moving and the benefits of the NHU and the two production bases coming together.  We then headed over to Films@59, which is an external post production company as unlike Birmingham a lot of the post production is done from outside companies. It was really good to see this and the programmes they work with in different genres.
Mum and Dad then met us for lunch, which was a working lunch with Bristol Management and allowed us to chat with them about our situations and raise concerns/questions that we had. Between us their were fixed term contractors, permanent staff, single people, people with family's.  This I think, mum and dad found to be really beneficial, to know that everyone's situation is complex and It wasn't just us going through this.
In the afternoon we went round the internal post production facilities, which is quite basic in comparison to the Mailbox but was interesting to go round and they have a brilliant future media department which looks at different cameras going forward and different ways to use existing cameras. The example they had was several little go pro cameras strapped together and had used it in a really futuristic way.
So 3.30pm arrived and it was time for the guys to catch the coach and for us to head home as well. It had been a really good day, mum and dad had come with me so they could do the site tour with us this afternoon and be a second and third pair of eyes on things that would need adapting.  On the way home I was feeling really upbeat, I was expecting to be confronted today by a lot of steps and for it to be literally impossible to get round but it wasn't like that at all. There were a lot of double doors that would need making automatic, as they were very heavy, but very few steps and there was always an alternate route which was ramped.
Today I thought the site was going to make the decision for me and take it out of my hands but it didn't, but I was feeling strangely pleased by this, ermmm!!!

Wednesday 25 January 2012

TUESDAY 24TH JANUARY 2012

Today was mainly about finalising arrangements for the Adam's farm shoot in Germany, they are leaving tomorrow and there is still quite a lot to put in place. This was complicated by the fact the director asked if we could book a fixer that could drive him & the crew to where they were meeting the boat and then pick them up from where they were docking, later in Thursday afternoon. This would probably work out cheaper in the long run but it is difficult to find a local fixer at this short notice.

I put some calls in so we have two agencies in Germany that are looking on our behalf for the Oppenheim area as a lot of them base themselves in Munich or other larger cities. In the end I had to hand this over to Hannah due to me being in Bristol tomorrow.  We were just waiting on people phoning us back, so hopefully something will be confirmed and in place for Thursday and we can let the guys know once they arrive tomorrow.

I finalised arrangements for my trip tomorrow with sorting the car park pass as I am travelling with mum and dad in our car and meeting the others who are travelling by coach later in the morning. We are setting off a little earlier as I have a meeting with Kalpna about production management opportunities in Bristol so looking forward to that.

This evening was the Carling Cup Semi- Final, which was Cardiff City Vs Crystal Palace with Cardiff City winning on pens.  I felt a bit sorry for Crystal Palace who had come so close but penalties are a lottery and tonight was no different.


Tuesday 24 January 2012

MONDAY 23RD JANUARY 2012

It is really busy with everything going on this week at work.  Today was mainly preparing for the Adam's Farm shoot in Germany, it is quite complicated, as they are filming on a boat but they need to be dropped off from one location and picked up from another.  So we need to work out how best to organise this logistically, without it costing a fortune.
I am also looking into recruiting a runner as we have a gap of four weeks which needs filling.  So I emailed one today who can hopefully help us out, so we will wait and see if this works out tomorrow hopefully.  We also have a compilation episode being filmed next week so we started looking into the logistics for this filming, it would be great if we could finalise this before my visit to Bristol on Wednesday.
This evening it was quite a relaxed evening in front of Southampton Vs Leicester City, the wheels are coming off a bit for the leaders of the championship as they lost tonight 0-2.  Then it was time to re-charge the batteries, tomorrow is going to be pretty busy I can sense it.

Monday 23 January 2012

SUNDAY 22ND JANUARY 2012


We were all up pretty early this morning as Mum and Dad made us all a cooked breakfast. It was great hearing Dave having to visit and eat at Villa Park being a big Blues fan, but they had all had a really good night.

We all sat down to have our breakfast before mum went off to work, we were going to arrange a long overdue trip to Richmond soon, so looking forward to that. Dave and Maureen gathered their stuff together before heading off, they were going round to Adrian & Gill's before the journey back up north

When mum arrived back we walked round briefly to drop a present off to Zoe & Warrens for baby Nancy. It was great to see the three of them and the new parents were glowing with delight, Nancy was amazing, all very exciting seeing her so young.

It was a relaxing afternoon with two big footy games on the TV, when we got back Manchester City Vs Tottenham had just started and that was followed by Arsenal Vs Manchester United, they were two belting games with Manchester City winning 3-2 and then Manchester United winning 1-2 making it more likely it is going to be a two horse race for the championship.

The three of us sat up at the table for our evening meal, which was quite nice.  It had been a really busy weekend for Mum and Dad so they were pretty shattered, so it wasn't long after our tea that they went to bed and so I just watched the TV in bed as well, it was a busy week coming up, so it will do me good to have had a quiet weekend.

Sunday 22 January 2012

SATURDAY 21ST JANUARY 2012


We came back to Coleshill late morning after having some breakfast, Matt & Layla were going onto to see Zoe and Alvan.  Zoe used to live with them in Melbourne and now is living in Warwick.  It was her 30th Birthday so they were going to have some lunch with them to celebrate, as it has been a while since they saw each other due to Alvan & Zoe spending Christmas & New Year over in Australia.

I had a fairly chilled day, listing to Everton Vs Blackburn Rovers, it ended in a bit of a frustrating draw.  Mum and Dad were getting the house ready as Dave & Maureen were staying over this evening, they are some friends who we have grown up with, we used to go on holiday camping with them each year in France.  They used to live in the Midlands but moved up to Richmond in Yorkshire a good few years ago, it will be really good to see them.

They arrived about 4pm, they were coming up as it was Adrian’s 60th Birthday and they were going for a meal at Villa Park.  We had a cup of tea and some cake before it was time for them to get changed before the taxi picked everyone up around 7pm.  I had an early night and watched the TV all evening, when the four of them arrived back we had a brew before going to bed.  A good Saturday night!!!    

Saturday 21 January 2012

FRIDAY 20TH JANUARY 2012


I had quite a bit to do today with being off on Wednesday & Thursday so it was a really busy day.  As part of my day I had an invite to my second consultation meeting with Aileen & Manjit, this has been organised for after I have been to visit Bristol.  So it will be interesting to see what it is like for myself, as it doesn’t sound very accessible at all from what I have been told but we will wait and see.

CHC were coming out to measure me for a memory foam mattress, which will be nice.  Lynda the district nurse that comes to see me has been talking about me having one for a while, it is being funded by CHC, which is a great assistance and is an example of how beneficial it is to have had the funding agreed.

This evening I stayed over at Matt & Layla’s, it was a really relaxing evening, which was good as I was pretty tired.  But it was great to catch up with them and seeing Layla very pregnant is strange, just over a month to go now and it is getting very exciting.  Mum & Dad were round at Sarah & Richards tonight for a curry night so I think they were in for a good night as well tonight.  Anyway it wasn’t long after tea before I was tucked up in bed, I am getting old before my time.

Friday 20 January 2012

THURSDAY 19TH JANUARY 2012

It felt very strange being able to have a sleep in this morning on a work day, it felt like I was skiving off school.  It was a really nice relaxing morning before Alison picked me up about midday and I headed in to do a stint on the picket line before the march to Victoria square at 2.30pm.
So I arrived at work and went to the front of the mailbox, where one of the picket lines was setup. It was really cold today and I started regretting not putting more layers on, but I can’t complain as I haven't exactly put a long shift in for the course.  Everyone starting gathering as 2.30pm approached, this time was organised for the march, so that colleagues from local news & radio could join us as well.  Just before the march was due to start 3 bangra drummers arrived to lead us, which BECTU had organised, they were brilliant and got everyone in good spirits.
There were a lot of photographers as the march started and the public seemed to be intrigued/bemused by what was going on.  When we arrived in Victoria Square we had various speakers from the different unions, Birmingham Council and business leaders. It was the first time I felt like there was total support for what was happening and hopefully this can gather even more momentum in the coming weeks.
So eventually it was time to head back to the office, I was looking forward to warming up with a hot brew as I couldn't feel my hands and toes.  We got back at 3.30pm and read through my emails, it wasn't a very productive couple of hours to be honest before heading out.
This evening I went out for a couple of drinks and something to eat with Martin, a colleague. We went for drinks from work at Bar room Bar with some of his colleagues from Radio 4 and also Steve Evanson who was Series Producer on Countryfile but has been SP on Coast and that is what he is doing at the moment. It was great chatting with them and getting their opinion on Bristol, you don't really get opportunity in work to discuss the situation and it was good to share my thoughts with them and get there opinion.  Steve called it a night so Martin and I headed for some food to Zizzi's.  I think I had passed the huger stage but my ravioli was lovely, finally headed home about 10pm in a cab and dad showed me my brief appearance on midlands today, before I headed to bed.

Thursday 19 January 2012

WEDNESDAY 18TH JANUARY 2012

It was a real step forward to starting to get some kind of assistance at home today, Gillian went through what her role was and the next step forward.  It was her first time in organising care packages, so it was a little bit of the blind leading the blind but it sounded like progress was going to be made.  We came away from the meeting with Gillian set to organise for me to interview 3 care agencies, which is what is required for the CHC funding to be approved then they have 3 quotes to go from.  Hopefully these interviews will happen in the next couple of weeks, this was a big relief and I came away feeling really positive, if a little apprehensive.


Because of the strike I thought work were going to say I had to go back into work only to then walk back out, but fortunately they allowed me to work from home until the strike began at 3.30pm.  It just felt like a normal working from home day though and I felt as though I should have been with my colleagues as they walked out on mass.  It is the first time I have ever taken part in strike action, but I believe in the Save BBC Birmingham campaign and once production has moved out of the building, you wonder what the future holds for the rest of the staff within BBC Birmingham.  So at 3.30pm I stopped working and had the rest of the afternoon to myself.


It was strange watching the strike on Midlands Today this evening with my colleagues walking out together, because it is only our Union, BECTU that are striking, it meant staff from other unions remained in the office along with staff from other departments.  But the reception they received from fellow non-striking colleagues was brilliant as people stood up and applauded as the strike started.  There was a big part of me that wished I had been around as I think it took people by surprise the level of support that was shown.


In the evening I settled down and watched Wolves Vs Birmingham City in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay, it was a really good local derby with Blues winning to go through, which was a bit of a surprise but hardly a giant killing.   

Wednesday 18 January 2012

TUESDAY 17TH JANUARY 2012


I was trying to make sure everything was sorted for being out of the office for the next day and a half.  It felt quite strange today with the strike looming, people not really knowing how it would be receive by non-striking colleagues.  My day consisted of organising a meeting with Kalpna, who is Head of Production at Bristol, for when we travel down next week.  It will be great to meet with her to find out about opportunities, if I am to move, I have organised this at the start of the day before everyone else arrives.  It will also be to discuss, where I am with carers and other aspects I have to consider with moving.
Simon Prentice also helped us today reduce the size of the file for my PresentAble application, he emailed it across and I was then able to upload it on the application successfully.  It is really good of him to do this in his spare time, so I just need to write answers to the 3 application questions before I submit it, hopefully I can look at this over the coming days.
Matt & Layla came for tea this evening, it was really good to see them, It also gave me chance to speak to Layla about the meeting tomorrow and go through what I want to come out of it.  I was quite nervous about it as I was meeting Gillian for the first time and my fear was that she won't have been given a brief about my package, but hopefully this won't be the case, we will wait and see.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

MONDAY 16TH JANUARY 2012


It is the start of quite a strange week coming up, with the strike on the horizon and my meeting with Gillian about my CHC funding and the next stage, all taking place on Wednesday.  So I needed to make sure everything was up to date before I leave the office on tuesday evening.  When I got in to work I was greeted by a very apologetic email from John’s driver about a booking we had with him last night, fortunately he has a really good relationship with John and he knew this was a one of so was happy enough to get the train to location.  So all ended well, he was just letting me know what had happened and was making sure everything ended up being alright.

It was a day of chasing outstanding freelance contract PO’s, as for some reason there is currently a delay in getting them through and our crews are invoicing us before the PO’s are being sent out.  So this needed to be looked into today and we were assured the backlog was being looked into.  So it was a bit of a messy day really and didn’t feel that productive but hopefully, it will be in the end.

We have had a pretty relaxed night, I was working out what hours would be ideal to ask for whilst I am living at home, which will hopefully be the discussion with Gillian on Wednesday morning, it is difficult as I am getting a bit inpatient with it and I need to take one step at a time and hopefully this weeks meeting will be that.  But with the decision day getting ever closer for whether I am going to move to Bristol or not, the pressure builds

Monday 16 January 2012

SUNDAY 15TH JANUARY 2012


Today Mum, Dad and I have been invited to the Christening of little Olivia Waggstaff, Lucy her mum, we  grew up with and when Matthew and myself were born, we were neighbours with the family in Penns Lane.  Mum and Dad went with some friends of theirs, Val & Mike, to the Church service and then they picked me up before going onto the reception in the Cameo Suite, where a Sunday lunch was being laid on.  It was a really nice day and made you realise even more how exciting it is going to be when Matt & Layla become parents.

Val & Mike were sitting at our table, which was nice as we didn’t know many others there, but it was a lovely lunch and we stayed for quite a while before Mike & Val came back to ours for a few more drinks to cap off the day.  I was able to watch the second half of Swansea Vs Arsenal and by the time Mike & Val had left it was time to start thinking about the coming week, but it had been a nice way to spend a Sunday.     

Sunday 15 January 2012

SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2012

Personally there is no better feeling than that of waking up on a day you are off to the football.  It is something I really enjoy doing and this season so far I haven’t been to enough games, Layla was coming as my carer so it was a family day out, which side of the family will end up the happiest at the end.  I met Matt & Layla at the ground and dad dropped us in, it was a good game and fortunately it ended 1-1, which meant we remained on speaking terms, but Aston Villa Vs Everton games always seem to be entertaining and tend to have goals in them.

So we met up again afterwards for a quick chat about the game and then I went to find dad, it was a bit of a long and entertaining walk to the car as he was unable to park close to the ground, but thankfully a group of lads helped me get up and down the curbs as they were heading to the same car park as dad was in, so I eventually found him.

In the evening Pam and Dave came over as they were going out for a curry with Mum & Dad so I decided to join them, it was good to catch up with them and we had a really nice meal you always do at the Balti Cottage mind.  Once we got back I watched the highlights of the game, it is strange watching it back after being at the game you definitely see it from a different perspective.   

Saturday 14 January 2012

FRIDAY 13TH JANUARY 2012


With the day being what it was I made sure I did everything very carefully, I am not very suspicious but must admit Friday 13th does make me feel a little uneasy.  I was finalising the hotel bookings for the first shoot next week and finishing off the schedule, decisions were a little late being made, as the shoot was pretty complex with contributors hard to confirm.  By mid afternoon everything was in place, so hopefully nothing else will change between now and Monday.

But the time I got home, I was pretty shattered so it was a pretty relaxing night with tea and then a night catching up on a bit of TV I had missed during the week, I had a pretty busy weekend coming up so it was nice to have a bit of a relaxing night after a full week at work.

Friday 13 January 2012

THURSDAY 12TH JANUARY 2012


It was a busy day today as we were confirming things for the filming taking place on Monday and Tuesday in Cumbria and Northumberland, plus I started to liaise with the director & researcher about the shoot towards the back end of the week.  I also went down to see Simon at lunch time and he helped me edit the taster tape, it was really good and we managed to chop it down pretty quickly, thanks to his skills, so he was going to send it to me via a site we use, called Yousendit.  I would then be able to take it off this site and upload it onto the internal application I was completing, so I just needed to answer the 3 questions before submitting it, so I was going to email those home to write up over the weekend.

After work I went and stayed over at Matt & Layla’s, which was really nice.  It is nice to go and hang out with them both and have a bit of tea, I like the way they make me feel welcome to go and stay when I want and I have some kit over at their house, so I don’t need to bring loads from home, so it makes it a lot easier.  We had a chat about the football at the weekend, as it is Aston Villa Vs Everton and I bought my ticket today, so I think Layla is going to come as my carer and then Matt will sit with the lads who he has his season ticket with, really looking forward to getting to a game, as I haven't been for a while.

Thursday 12 January 2012

WEDNESDAY 11TH JANUARY 2012

Plans were beginning for next week today with two JCI shoots needing to be planned, we were starting to look into the areas the filming was going to be taking place in, on Monday & Tuesday.  Today I also saw an internal job advert for a researcher/planner, during the Olympic football tournament, which really caught my eye.

Tonight I had a night to myself, as Mum and Dad were going out with some friends to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo at the cinema.  So I really looking forward to settling down with my tea and listening to Tottenham Vs Everton on the radio, unfortunately Tottenham won 2-0, which was a likely result to be honest but we didn't disgrace ourselves.  Mum and Dad really enjoyed the film and even though it was different to the original, had enjoyed it equally as much I think.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

TUESDAY 10TH JANUARY 2012


I was pretty nervous this morning about my meeting with Manjit & Aileen, there is such a lot to think about with a possible move that I am not sure really where to start.  We also had a meeting with our union yesterday about industrial action and today it was confirmed for a 24 hour strike from 3.30pm on Wednesday 18th January, there was a lot of mixed feeling in terms of the effect the strike action will have but my personal thoughts are that if you believe in the issue then you should be willing to back it up.  

Anyway my meeting took place and it felt a little bit like an interview with not many questions being asked.  I went through the different factors I have to consider when thinking about a move and they seemed very understanding about the additional difficulties with my individual circumstances.  I think they were pleased I am considering a move to Bristol and asked if there was anything they could do to assist me in making my decision.  So I mentioned about the fact it would be great if I could have a trial period, so that if I were to move, if things didn't work out, I would still be able to take redundancy.  So they agreed to speak to HR about it and we would meet again once I had been down to Bristol, I also mentioned the fact I am applying for the presentable scheme, just to clarify that this didn’t have any conflict with the relocation situation, they didn't see a problem with this.

In the evening I met up with a friend Barbie, it was great to catch up with her and we went for something to eat at the Harvester in Coleshill. I was glad we met up not least because she has spent some time in Bristol and is about to go and move in with a friend again down there.  So it was great to fill her in on the situation and bounce a few thoughts off her. It would be great to know someone out of work who I could spend time with down there, if I were to move.  I came away really looking forward to my planned visit, later in the month. 

Tuesday 10 January 2012

MONDAY 9TH JANUARY 2012

It was tough getting up this morning, I think the body believes it is still the Christmas holidays, so I was looking forward to the first cup of tea when I got to work.  I am currently completing an application for a scheme the BBC are running to recruit disabled presenters called presentable, I did a taster tape for development at work a couple of years a go, so the editor, Simon Prentice who cut this for us is assisting me in clipping it down to about a minute show real, which is what the application requires.  So at lunchtime I took the tapes down to him and he was going to digitise the original taster tape so we could edit this later in the week.

I was also preparing for my individual consultation meeting I had tomorrow with Manjit & Aileen, it has taken up a lot of my thoughts over the Christmas period as there are certain things I am going to ask for which, would make a possible move easier.  One of the big issues would be some kind of trial period, where by I could try relocating but if parts of the process didn’t work out I would still have the option for redundancy.  This is important as there are so many elements to the move, it only takes one not to work for example the care, for the move to be a lot harder.  So it would just allow me to relax a bit more and give it a real go without worrying that I have put all my eggs into one basket.

When I got home I settled down to watch the FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Leeds.  Uncle Allan & Alex were going as my uncle is a Leeds fan, so it will be interesting to see how the game goes. 

Matt & Layla have their first NCT class tonight, so looking forward to hearing all about it, hopefully they will get to know a few couples in the class who they feel comfortable with.  It is coming round so quickly, Layla is looking really well, it will be an exciting couple of months for the family.  They are steadily getting prepared as time goes on, it is really good that a couple of their friends are also expecting at around the same time, so they can compare notes.

Monday 9 January 2012

SUNDAY 8TH JANUARY 2012


Mum was working today so it was a fairly early start I made sure I was
out of bed as there was a lady shadowing her today so thought it was best I wasn't slobbing out in bed when they arrived back.

It was a great day of FA Cup football on the TV with the
Manchester derby, Manchester City Vs Manchester United and then
Peterborough United Vs Sunderland, which ended up a bit of a one sided affair with Sunderland earning a very comfortable 0-2 win.

The first game though was a classic both teams going for it with
Manchester United going into a 0-3 lead but then City nearly staging one of the comebacks of recent times, there was everything in the game, goals, a red card and plenty of controversy.

The fourth round draw was also made for the fourth round with Everton pulling out Fulham at home, could have been better but a home tie you can't argue with.  So it was a little bit of a relaxed evening, ready for the first full week at work of 2012, so will be interesting to know what the week ahead brings.

Sunday 8 January 2012

SATURDAY 7TH JANUARY 2012

Yesterday, it was announced that our union BECTU had sent through the results of the strike action ballot and it was heavily in favour of industrial action.  There is a meeting at 10.30am on Monday to discuss possible options, so it will be interesting the ideas that are suggested and what the next course of action is in the Save BBC Birmingham campaign.

Today was the biggest weekend in the football calendar, it was FA Cup 3rd round day where the premier league clubs come in to the competition. Everton were at home against Conference side Tamworth, it was a great tie because as well as Tamworth being local to us we have also been to The Lamb a couple of times to see Tamworth Vs Aldershot, they were taking over 5,500 fans to Goodison so I was a little disappointed I must admit, not to be there myself.  Tamworth definately didn't digrace themselves, but I was pleased to see us progress to round 4 with a 2-0 win.

In the evening we went to the Rajdoot as part of Dads Christmas present, it was an indian restaurant Mum & Dad used to go to a lot before Matt & I were born. Even though it was in a different location then it was, it was still a very similar restaurant and the food was very good.  It was a great atmosphere as there was a birthday celebration in full swing so it made for an entertaining evening, think it went down well with Dad as well.

Saturday 7 January 2012

FRIDAY 6TH JANUARY 2012

I was able to have a good 45min lie in this morning as I was working from home.  Today I was logging the music for a couple of compilation episodes, this is tougher than when I log normal programmes as instead of the show being made of a few long pieces, compilations are made of short cut down archive pieces.  This means we have to back track and find the music from the episodes that have been used throughout the last 12 months or so.

Once my working day was finished i went to meet Jen at the Harvester in Coleshill for a drink. It was great to see her after so long, we had kept in touch but haven't seen each other in 6 years but it didn't feel like that at all.  We worked with each other at the NEC for a while and has since worked for Jaguar Land Rover.

When I got back, dad was out watching the Gnu's for the first time in a while, this is the 5 a side football team he has played for, for a number of years. But stopped when he become ill, but Matt has now been playing for them since coming back from Australia.  It is good on a Friday night as after the game they all head to the pub, which makes it a enjoyable end to the working week.

Friday 6 January 2012

THURSDAY 5TH JANUARY 2012

I was just trying to catch up today really, this has been a manic first week back so I finished off organising the additional digitising that is required for the location shoot.  Lizzie was back today so I was able to double check everything I had booked with her just to make sure it was all alright and we were then able to update next week’s diary, which we send out on a Friday with the amendments that I had made.

I am logging music from home tomorrow, so I made sure I had cleared the decks today, I didn’t have any filming to organise for next week as we are filming two JCI’s the week after instead, so hopefully I’ll be able to assist the PC’s more next week as my interview looms at some point next month.  I asked Hilary my PM if I could catch up with her at some point to discuss my interview and assist with preparing me for it, so we are going to meet up next week about it.

So I collecting the DVD’s I required and made for home, I was absolutely shot and was in bed asleep soon after 9pm, it had been a really good first week back even though it had been a short one I was looking forward to the weekend.  I was meeting an old colleague tomorrow night who I used to work with at the NEC, so was look forward to that, we haven’t seen each other in 6 years.

Thursday 5 January 2012

WEDNESDAY 4TH JANUARY 2012

Today was mental, as the location team who were filming some canoeing and abseiling needed loads of Go Pro Cards.  A Go Pro Camera is a small camera we use which you can put onto safety helmets and also clamp onto things like canoes in order to show a birds eye view.  So I had to go on the hunt for these and also as both of our Production Coordinators weren’t in today I was liaising with post production about the extra digitising that will be required when these cards come back at the weekend.

We were also able to let Hilary know that we would go and visit Bristol on Wednesday 25th January, I was looking forward to this as people have warned me about how old parts of the BBC building is and the access issues, so it will be good to have a look for myself.  As this will obviously be one of the key considerations  when making my decision, as to whether I relocate or not.

When I got home I had some tea and listened to Everton Vs Bolton on the radio, it was a crazy game, our goalkeeper Tim Howard scored but Bolton still ended up winning 1-2, it was really windy hence why our keeper scored from 90 yards.  I look forward to seeing it on the television tomorrow.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

TUESDAY 3RD JANUARY 2012

So it was the first day back and it was very much hitting the ground running, it was really busy with the JCI team going out today so I had to make sure everything was sorted for them before they went off.  They were filming on a Wednesday & Thursday this week, which is unusual so it meant we had a couple of days less to set things up, with the bank holiday as well..  But they headed off about 4pm with every booked and the schedule finished.

There is also about 5 of us who haven’t been to visit Bristol yet so we were all trying to arrange a date for us to go and visit together, we are looking at a date towards the end of January so hopefully we can get a date confirmed tomorrow and let Hilary our Production Manage know.  As Louise was off this week I was also raising the freelance contracts for the crews we were using, so I did those for this week.

It had been a pretty tough first day back so I was pretty tired by the time 5.30pm came round and was glad to get home, I think I was going to sleep well tonight.  So we had some tea and then I settled down to watch Man City Vs Liverpool, it was a really one sided game to be honest, but it showed how strong Man City are.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

MONDAY 2ND JANUARY 2012


Today was mainly concentrating on going back to work tomorrow and what I needed to prepare like transferring all my stuff into my new leather work bag, which I received for Christmas off Matt & Layla.  I also caught up on a bit of television, which I had recorded over New Year.

I settled in to watch Fulham Vs Arsenal in the evening carrying the recent surprise results going as Fulham won 2-1.  I was pretty nervous about going back to work tomorrow, I know it is going to be a big couple of months as the decision making process about our jobs cranks up.  I have a lot of different aspects to consider before I can be sure of which direct I would like to take, but it is up to myself to make sure I receive all the information I need in order to come to the right decision.

Monday 2 January 2012

SUNDAY 1ST JANUARY 2012


The festivities went on long into the wee small hours.  Myself & Layla headed back about 1.30am and Matt eventually turned in much later after he walked home with Roachey.  It was a really good night and well organised by Andrew & Sarah.  After also entertaining their respective families on Christmas Day and then to lay this on, it was much appreciated.  It was hard to leave with the anthems starting to crank up and the singing in full flow.

We surfaced at about 10.30am, feeling a little tired to say the least, Matt & Layla were going on a walk at 12 noon round shustoke reservoir so they were going to walk to the reservoir where they were meeting everyone else.  Then I was going to join them for lunch at the The Bull in Furnace End after I had watched West Brom Vs Everton.  So they set off just after 12 and just as they had gone mum and Dad got home from Helen & Jeremy's, they had stayed over with John & Hil, it sounded like they had, had a really good night.  

With a late winner by the mighty toffees and then a lovely burger, you couldn’t get a better New Years Day.  It was great to see everyone and recap on the highlights of the previous night.  Maisey also came with Ruth, she was so funny in her high chair and then she would go for a walk round the table, but Roachey was man down along with Russ who were both struggling.  It was really nice to do something today as sometimes New Years day can be a bit of a day of survival but it was great to have something to look forward to.

We left the pub about 4pm and Matt & Layla drove back to ours and had a brew and a piece of cake before heading back to Hockley.  It was nice to know we had an extra day off tomorrow before going back to work, I was looking forward to a good nights sleep and a bit of lie in.  Last night was beginning to catch up with me I had a bit of soup before heading to bed, hopefully will feel human again in the morning.