Thursday

I left the office for an hour earlier, I needed a break - and they are removing the 6 storey cast iron Victorian fire escape from the back of the building, with cutting gear - and dropping the debris down to the ground below, the generator is bad enough - but the building shakes and I couldn't take any more.

I needed to post a letter that was slightly larger and fatter than usual - and because we live in a fascist postal state where all items are classed along the same lines as 1930's german ethnic cleansing, I went to the Post Office. There is a very good chance that our post office will be closed down and little 'desks' opened up in WH Smiths and places like that. It's madness, the PO is always packed to the gunnels with people and their complex postal grief. I couldn't be bothered to queue for 40 mins, there is a guide you can slot your post through against the window to check it's size, but an old bloke was filling out his pools coupon in front of it and refused to let me use it - I had to practically climb onto the window sill to push it through from the back - he wasn't amused, I was livid.

Town is packed, it's half term - full of bored kids, teenagers pushing prams in what might be pyjamas, and hard looking men and women in their 50's and 60's with random facial piercings. The Hospice shop and the Oxfam clothing store were both closed due to 'unforeseen circumstances' - both had a crowd of angry old people outside who had obviously had a wasted trip 'into town'.

In Smiths - anything worth reading - and all the mens magazines, are on the top shelf - everything is crammed in so that half the shelf comes down every time you try and extract anything - and a young girl is permenantly perched on a stool trying ti re-arrange everything. They also allow people in mobility scooters to run chariot races through the narrow isles.

The Burtons store is closing in 2 weeks, as is the Evans - which leaves aprox 50% occupancy in the shopping centre. It's a shambles and very depressing. The stores are not closing because of the economy or because people have no money - they are closing because the products and display are shite.

I might take tomorrow off, I've already settled all my bills for this month-end, and have nothing paid to do, the house is a mess and I could do with cleaning it properly.

After months of colds, sniffles and that norovirus after Xmas - I feel fitter now than I have in years, mostly because I don't eat bread or much meat - hardly drink and only have the odd cup of tea at work - and drink lots more water. It was pointed out to me yesterday in a subtle way that I had coffee stains on my teeth. Coffee is now my only vice - and I only drink it once a day. I've not had red wine for 2 years or anything with artificial colouring. I can't win.

I've not had an electricity bill for 8 months. That can't be right.