They really do care!

Well sort of. After a minor spat with M about the amount of time I had to take off this afternoon to attend to a builder, ('You took over 3 hours off!' 'Couldn't it have been done on a day you weren't working?' etc. etc), we worked together preparing awards for the Christmas Party tomorrow and showing her the stuff I do in IT. D is also desparate to speak to me to go through things as well. This is because it is the last day they will be at work prior to Christmas and possibly my leaving.

M then asks me to come into a meeting with her and D. She wants to know if I would prefer that nothing was mentioned about me leaving, should it be kept private or should it be public? I said it would look very strange if nothing was said about my leaving. They are asking me this because they want to play down the fact that they are making me redundant. They don't want a scene at the Christmas party. I won't make a scene there, or at least I don't intend to.

M leaves and I'm left with D. He asks me what my plans are? I am almost dumbstruck, but not quite. I tell him how I feel, 57, scrap heap etc. etc. He nods and keeps this strange nodding up all the time I am talking. He doesn't know what to say. I tell him that he and M and W have made their mind up on how to spend their money. I tell him I will be on the dole. I leave the meeting.

According to Money Box on Radio 4 today, the payments for redundancy today have been based on salaries from the 1960s.

All you need is love.