Not Going Right

Had a day in which things didn't go wrong, they just didn't go right. Our Unit Base WiFi went down first thing and it fell on me to try and get us up and running again. Even while holding two Starlink dishes and a mess of cables crew members still tentatively approached me, smartphone in hand to ask if the wifi was working. Brother, what does it look like I'm doing?

Then there's hire vehicle shenanigans again, with Luton being swapped out for even worse lutons which has a knock on effect to the delicate eco system of the works. I could just about cover the gap but only after 45 minutesof intense phone calls. After all was said and done, I was just ready to stop thinking about the day. Yet when I got home, I didn't know what to do with myself. 

Toasty December

December used to be cold when I was younger. Now it's just October but darker... Just about caught up with everything by lunchtime today, only for some more shenanigans to land on my plate. I'm dealing with it all slowly but surely, yet I never felt like I had a moment to myself today. It's nice to be busy though, makes the working day fly by. 

Very Important VIP

While I can't go into too much detail about my day, the BBC News article will cover most of it. Yes, we had a very special VIP on set today and I was but a small part of the team facilitating it all. It certainly made a change from our usual day-to-day, I spent most of the morning making tea and coffee for dignitaries and the press. Once we waved them all goodbye we were back to the day job. Every now and then we'd see news articles popping up with coverage of the day. The sweetest part was all of us in the Production office, from the Assistants to the Producers all huddled around the television in the office to catch the 6pm news, of which we featured. We waited up until the final moments of the programme before we were mentioned, then we all whooped for joy. Bizarre to think that a TV show about how TV shows brings people together managed to bring us all together around the TV - an oddly wholesome moment.

I'm very glad Rebecca and I persevered through the baking debacle yesterday. The mince pies I brought into the office we short lived, especially after word of mouth spread about how good they were. I was left a little speechless when some of the grown ups started raving about them. It was worth all of yesterday's drama for some lovely feedback like that. 

Gingerbread Meltdown

Almost a decade ago Mum made a gingerbread house that knock all of our socks off. Since then she's never been able to replicate it on account of the actual build being so fiddle some. She lulled herself into a false sense of security after that first win, so I was desperate to take up the mantle and attempt my own Gingerbread house.

 Turns out, it's defeated another Durrant. 

I spent almost 6 hours in the kitchen baking, measuring, icing and praying that things would all come together... Only for the pieces to slide around, look utterly dreadful and generally fall to pieces. God it was miserable. You know in the The Sims when a character's need bar get into the red zone and they just start screaming at the universe? That was me internally because the task was Sisyphean. I lost all hope and motivation, especially after I remembered that I don't even like gingerbread. I added a touch of clove to the mix and that was all I could small for the next half dozen hours, just thinking about it gives me a headache now. I was left with a structure like Tintern Abby and a lot of biscuits as broken as my spirit. 

Thank goodness for Rebecca who swaddled me up with all the good grace I needed in that moment. The Sunday was salvaged by her optimism alone and for that I am eternally grateful. 

Mulled Everything

Operation get Christmassy started with the purchasing of our tree. The place we get it from offers free mince pies and mulled wine as you browse, a bit of pre-midday alcohol gave us the Dutch courage to buy a tree that's about a foot taller than what we usually get. It just about fitted in the car home but it's up and in situ now and looks suitably grand in our little living room. Not content with the hot wine, mulled cider was also produced as we went to a local distillery for gift shopping. That drink in turn juiced up my sense of giving, tomorrow I'll be baking all day so I went to get ingredients today and may well have gone slightly overboard. I have lofty ambitious for tomorrow, it's going to be like working in the Bake Off Tent.

Lens Test Monkey

On my busiest Friday in a while I nominated myself for a 'quick lens test' on behalf of the camera team... 3 and a half hours later I found my inbox filling up and my responsibilities piling up. So I crammed everything into my dwindling afternoon and still managed to cross the finish line of the day. This weekend is all about getting Christmassy, we're getting the tree tomorrow plus all our Christmas booze. Already cannot wait for the good times to flood into our living room.

Expedient Advent

Continued our days at the studio, with that comes a litany of little jobs that always need doing. They kept me occupied throughout the day, so much so that it felt like breakfast was only just ending before it was time to go home. I actually don't know what I really filled my time with today at work but it went past in an honest heartbeat. I wish I had some means of slowing things down a bit now, but the slippery slope of December has taken us. Next time I blink it'll be Christmas. I only just got round to opening my first few days of Advent chocolates.