Monday January 4th

Physically up for 7am and fully operation at 7.15 after a large cup of coffee. Open the kitchen window and stick my head outside – far more reliable weather indicator than just sitting inside and listening to the weather forecast. It feels bloody cold. The weather forecaster informs me in his cheery “FM radio” voice that it is 4°c outside, “well above the seasonal average”. I don’t give a **** if it is above or even below any average, it still feels bloody cold to me, who is standing inside a tropically warm kitchen dressed in a T shirt and boxer shorts.

Forecast – rain, rain and more rain with rain extra rainy intervals where there should be sunny intervals. It’s going to be  wet day. When there is rain at my level, this means that higher up in those mountainous regions, there is snow. It is the ski season and so far there has been no snow. Those who rely on people sliding down mountainsides with thin laminated planks strapped to their feet have so far been complaining due to the lack of snow. Now there is so much fresh snow that many ski slopes have been closed due the risk of avalanches.

On the news – a poll published this morning in the French health magazine “Top Santé” reveals that 83% of French people were disappointed by their New Year celebrations. They were expecting a good time and they didn’t get one – that sounds average for new year – simply don’t expect anything and you might just enjoy what you get.

Just before 9am, I crawl into work. Please note that it is still Christmas in Russia and Spain. My sympathies for all Russian and Spanish ex-pats working in France who have to crawl back to work during their Christmas just because we have had ours.

In work, everyone is suffering from Post Festive Traumatic Distress Syndrome (PFTDS) – there is a collection of glazed eyed zombies wandering around work but workless, wishing a Happy New Year to everything that stays in place long enough to talk to.

First day back – I hope that by the time everyone actually shakes off this post festive daze, no serious work will get done until next week BUT, on my e-mail in box, a collection of “to do” mails all make with little red flags, indicating impending soon if I don’t do what they want before the end of last year.

I have a mail sent on Christmas Eve, asking me to prepare a new course for next week ) twenty hours of English teaching about … Well I can’t tell you what I do because it is top secret, BUT, who the **** sends me a mail on Christmas Eve to ask for something that they have known weeks ago that they wanted.

Work is all zombies, we have meet our brains at home and are just here to wish each other happy new year.

A note for all those who elaborate in-house comms and communication strategies. I have 200 or so colleagues to whom I have to personally wish a happy new year. Interesting, because I watched a UK TV documentary last night on the importance of saying “Hello” to fellow colleagues as part of an internal comms strategy. Where I work it is nothing to do with communication, it is just common courtesy.

This was Monday 4th January