Hmm…Its all gone quiet in Madland (if anyone out there has even noticed!).

Two reasons for this. Firstly rather embarassingly I fell over last week, my fall being broken by my mobile phone, which now has a dirty great crack on the screen. So my favoured input device (here) is with the phone doctor at the moment and is hence unavailable for use at the moment.
The time without fully functioning phone was further exacerbated by mobile phone insurance company insisting the phone was 3G enabled and therefore the excess was twice as much. In the end I had to resort to

• emailing the company who sold me the phone (and the insurance) to let me know how to access 3G
• emailing Nokia to confirm the phone was not 3G
• emailing 3 to enquire whether I could connect to the 3 network with the phone [1]
• Googling reviews and tech spec on the phone which stated the phone was 2.5G and lack of 3G was it’s week point then forwarding it to the insurers.

The situation was finally resolved but it added an extra week onto the process.
To be honest it was getting more difficult anyway as the dark nights draw in. Is was only a matter of time before I walked into an old lady or slipped on dog turd.
The other reason is more of a worry. Out department IT manager has given in his notice. They do not anticipate appointing someone into the same role. A decission has been made to move his hardware/back-up functions to the hospital IT department and, for the short term (where have I heard that before), create a team from others who have knowledge of the various discrete IT systems within the department to look after it while long term plans are decided. (The whole department is undergoing a ‘help we’re overspent’ workforce review [2]).
So this team will look after things in the meantime. But they need someone nominally in charge. Guess who’s the only band seven in the team.
So I have been tasked with obtaining all the info I can in five weeks from someone known for being forthcoming. Someone who’s been doing the job for five years.
…And I’ve got to keep on at my day job.
…And the boss would like me to update our intranet site and produce marketing leaflets for the GP.

[1] Interestingly 1 week later and I have still heard nothing from 3. Good job it wasn’t a real problem! 

[2] ie can we downgrade/sack/put out to pasture/not replace anyone.