London

I probably should have spent the time before the meeting catching lots of vital conversations with people, but tired of always having to dart off and hence missing any chance to just catch up with people, it’s a total delight to be able to disappear round the corner for a drink with the ever so lovely Jude and Em.

Lots to cover in the meeting, it’s that time of year I guess. Unfortunately, it means that I have to excuse myself midway through the last agenda item in order to catch that last train back to Manchester. More unfortunately still it happens to be an item that I’m supposed to be presenting, ah well.

Fortunately this month the tube is running well and I get back to Euston comfortably in time to board the train before it leaves.

On some levels, these monthly meetings have become second nature, but there is still a part of me that finds it so weird that I can be in Warrington in the morning, back in Manchester after lunch, down in London just over two hours later and then back to Manchester to sleep.

Turning my phone on post-meeting I find a pile of messages. One from the lovely Steve is urging me to join him, Jude and Pip for a Brick Lane curry. I would so love to, but, whilst staying over is always such a tempting option, it means taking a whole rather than a half day’s annual leave and I just can’t spare that.

Happily to stop me dwelling on what I’m missing I catch up by phone with the lovely t’other Jude as we both sit on our respective home-bound trains. Then Sally is there at the other end of the phone for me as ever, bearing with the ‘ooops tunnel’ moments and helping the first half of the journey fly by. I love our tradition of chatting as I head home from Management Group.

Then, after a bit of work, I turn on the iPod and gently doze my way back north.