This afternoon I was given the heads-up about the upcoming Staff Meeting next Tuesday.

First thoughts - can I take leave on Tuesday? Can I think of a decent excuse to get out of it?

The Staff Meeting is going to be a half-hour event held down in Wilton. OK, so that's an hour and a half to get there, half hour meeting and then an hour and a half to get back. Hmm... Yes, I can see that's a really productive use of my time.

It has been mentioned, though, that some of the lower ranking members of staff (ie us lot in the support office and one, repeat ONE of the consultants) will not be able to take lunch with the rest of the team due to certain rules and regulations which were set in stone many, many years ago, so we will be heading off to some hostelry or other for lunch before heading back up to Surrey.

I hate these staff meetings. We never needed them so often when it was just us here in Surrey. Now we've amalgamated with our "sister" unit in Wilton it seems we have meetings to decide when the next meeting will be held, followed by a meeting to decide what the next meeting will be about, and quite possibly meetings to decide who's turn it is to fart (that one usually falls to me! )