This telephone box is in the hedge of our friends' house in Devon. It had its date with demolition, but that passed and it sits, forgotten, under a blanket of ivy. It has long since been disconnected. If you lift the handset the line is dead and there are some impressive spiders' webs inside. I hope BT never remembers to come and take it away; I quite like its air of decaying elegance.We were in Devon for the latter part of half term. Wall to wall sunshine, pub lunch, Sauvingnon Blanc, barbecued Bampton butcher's burgers and a lovely trip to the National Trust's Barrington Hall just about sums it up. Oh, and the small matter of trimming the hedge, mowing the lawn, weeding the garden and planting seeds too (we have to earn our keep!)
Then it was back home to Wales and back to reality with a bump with me returning to my old job after being on maternity leave for seven and a half years. I'm covering the present incumbent's maternity leave for a year. I'm there for five hours on three days, so it's not onerous and actually it's been quite fun (so far!)
It's interesting too being back in the newsroom with adults talking about grown up things and with the news on the telly (not CBBC or HSM). Plenty of old faces to catch up with as well, although I was slightly overwhelmed for the first few days. One problem with living out in the sticks is that I don't see that many people. I can't remember the last time I was in a room of so many people all talking at once and sometimes talking to me. It was a bit of a shock to the system, particularly coupled with being faced with a Mac, Quark and a page of news to sub and write sensible headlines for. It made my head not exactly ache, but my brain felt stretched or strained, like a muscle after unaccustomed exercise. Then on Monday this week I was handed the good old Mart reports and suddenly the mists cleared and everything came flooding back.
It was odd to go back to the 'same old same old' after so long. Things are different, but much the same. The newsroom has moved into a bigger office in the same building and there's a new desk, but on it sits my old telephone with the extension number in my handwriting on it. Funny to find that old relic after all this time. Unlike the BT telephone box, however, it has not been disconnected.
