End of an era

Strange day at the office. It was always going to be a little bit emotional because it was the last time I would ever work in this building, but a tragedy affecting one of my colleagues knocked everyone for six.

I mention it because this is a daily journal, but I'll have to leave the detail for now.

As for the building... the company I work for is moving to new premises a few hundred yards away, having been in these prime Cheltenham town centre offices for decades.

It actually moves at the end of the week, but I'll be in Bristol for the next 10 days.

I first worked here in 1990 when the building looked like what it actually was - a group of houses that had been knocked through to form an office.

It was a bizzarre rabbit warren of passageways and staircases, with linoleum floors, big green doors and little rooms dotted here, there and everywhere. It had ladies who made the tea and a team of compositors who 'pasted up' the newspaper's stories onto boards before they were made into printing plates.

I left after a couple of years and the building had an expensive makeover not long afterwards. I've been back for about four years and, although large parts are modern-looking and open plan, it still retains some of its rabbit warren nature.

Anyway, I took a few shots, bade the place farewell and pondered on the depressing fact that I have the same job title now as I had on my first day working here 20 years ago. (I've had plenty of job titles in between - but it's a long, boring story, so I'll leave that as well!).

On a more positive note today, one of my colleagues announced that her son was getting married.

It's been that sort of day.

* By the way, that's John the shark, Emma Kathryn Luther of this parish, and my regular model and colleague, Will.