After this, I got one of these and here I sit, on the sofa, blogging like butter wouldn't melt. I know, I know, it's still early days, but I haven't had to reboot the router yet and it's retained its connection for over 36 hours. That's an improvement on both of the routers I'd tried before.

This latest attempt was prompted by my having to return the wired router from whence it came (i.e. work - they'd loaned it to me so that I could dial into work on my broadband connection) on account of my leaving. Since I seem to have mislaid our original ADSL modem, the thought of losing our home broadband connection was really too much, so off to PC World I went. If I'm going to get a router, thought I, it may as well be wireless. So far so good.

Yesterday was my last day at [insert company name]. Never have I been so consistently and desperately begged to stay in a job. Since the day I handed in my resignation nearly two months ago, my manager and senior colleague have, on an almost daily basis, suggested ways in which I might like to stay , including the offer of more money (the obvious one), taxis to and from work to save me driving (I kid you not) and working from home a couple of days a week (funny how they go all flexible when you're about to walk out of the door - remember this?).

I resisted all such offers, of course. My suggestion was that if they moved the office to [the town where I live], I would reconsider. I was quite flattered to note that even those who live deep into Devon (i.e. in the opposite direction to where I live) said that, if it meant I could stay, they would consider working from an office in [the town where I live]. I felt all appreciated. And, do you know, I *will* miss them. Over the two year period I've worked there, I have felt able to be myself at work. I have felt trusted and appreciated and if it weren't for the chance of ditching the commute, I would have stayed a while.

We spent a long lunch "hour" in the pub, where a buffet had been provided in my honour. I received a card and gifts (vouchers for a silver jewellery shop in my town, a DIY book and, inevitably, a cup of Woolworth's candy mice which my colleague had to drive a long way to obtain, seeing as I had exhausted the local supply) and I made a wobbly speech, followed up by a more eloquent email.

And with that ended my fifth job since starting blogging.

Two weeks off, a holiday and Christmas in Northern Cyprus and a new job in the new year.

Labels: wireless, work