We knew that the redundancies were to be announced on Thursday, which by unhappy coincidence was the day of the department's Christmas party. The good news is that I was not made redundant but the news still left me feeling slightly flat.
Partly this was because I did know people who had been made redundant but also there was a nagging sense that this is by no means the end of the story. The reality is that the dislocation in the financial markets has been so severe that it is difficult to have confidence about anything and I don't expect that to change any time soon.
And yet office life still has to go on. We are approaching the end of year which brings lots of regulatory and reporting deadlines so we are extremely busy. I am hopeful that there will be no repeat of last year's frantic round of meetings in the last week of the year and because Christmas is a Thursday I should be sure of having at least four days off.
I'm in Scotland at the moment because it's my niece's 21st birthday and also a significant one for my aunt. We will be returning early in the New Year with Scamper and Pippin who will be staying here while we are in the US. So if you are walking the streets of Falkirk in 2009 and see my parents running down the High Street after two little white dogs I would advise that you steer well clear!
Last year at Christmas we were anticipating the beginning of the medical procedures and we expected the baby to be here already. As it happens we are again spending a Christmas waiting around for the life changing event to finally hit home. My mother warned me today as we were looking for some things for me in the shops that next year I too will be in the queue for Santa Claus. Maybe but Santa if you're reading this there are a few things I would like from you this year - a healthy, safe delivery above all and if there's room in the stocking I'd like immigration problems sorted out, someone to invent a TARDIS to keep all the toys and clothes in and finally Scamper to lose her wanderlust. Pretty please?
