In hot water

The definition of caution - driving your boss's car in a hurry with him sat in the passenger seat next to you on roads you've never driven in gale force gusty winds. The drive to Hanmer Springs for this work off-site conference was interesting, I can tell you.

Hanmer is a really nice little village tucked around in the foothills of the Southern Alps, famous for its thermal pools. It’s got a really Alpine feel to it. Maybe it was the chalets, or the pine trees and mountains, I don’t know, but it felt familiar somehow. The sunshine we had for the two days certainly added to its appeal. A strong wind blew for most of the time we were there but it wasn't a problem as we weren't there for recreation, I guess. And the one time we did have some spare time, before dinner last night, the wind dropped so I got to wander around and do the touristy thing with my camera. I didn't have time to visit the thermal pools though, which was a shame. Joanne and I will definitely head up there for a weekend at some point though, so we'll do all that then.

The conference was interesting. I think the main thing to come out of it, for me, was the chance to meet some of the people who work around me in head office and for them to meet me. In the course of the everyday work environment I don’t really have cause to interact with the finance or supply or admin teams so it was good to hang out with some of them a bit.

The theory behind the conference was mainly a thank you for the work the people there had put in over the past year. In addition there was a suggestion it was a strategic conference for us all to discuss company strategy. Given the people that were there it was perhaps inevitable that the outcome of the discussions took a more operational tone. It was probably more beneficial that it did really though. I'm not sure how much strategy, if we'd come up with any, would have been adopted by the management committee. I guess another thing to come out of the conference, for me, was a better understanding of how what each team does all fits together and how it interacts. I also learned that the marketing and sales teams, the two teams I am part of, are not particularly favoured by the rest of the company. Everything seems to be either the fault of the sales team for not selling or the marketing team for not communicating properly, either internally or externally.

The whole time away, as good as it was, could have been better. It was kind of spoiled by my having one of the worst night's sleep ever last night. It rivalled the night in Hull after 6 cans of Wild Brew or the night in southern Spain at Joanne's relatives' for lack of sleep, but this time wasn't self-inflicted. I not sure what caused it, but it wasn't the one and half glasses of wine or the Baileys. It really must have been something I ate, but I spent all night in alternating hot and cold sweats flitting between the bathroom and the bedroom. Not pleasant. And we're out to dinner tonight too. I hope we're not having anything heavy.

It was strange driving back today, arriving at the outskirts of Christchurch and thinking "I'm home." It's the first time I've felt that. It's good to be home though, and to see Joanne. Last night was the first night we've spent apart since we moved here.

Ooh, and changing tack just slightly, Bon Jovi is playing here in January! We are so going.