Brian and the gang \"Brian

It has just occurred to me that I haven't explained the photo at the top of this blog, so I thought I'd let you all in on it.

When I started this job, I found that one of the staff activites during the year is to decorate our pod of desks for special occasions like Easter and Christmas, the World Cup, and even Summer holidays... The best-decorated pod wins a prize. In 2006, our pod were looking for ideas to decorate for Halloween, and I happened to suggest that we should make a dummy to sit at one of the empty desks.... and Brian was born. I brought in all the bits and pieces I needed, and at the end of the one Friday evening, I set to work. I found Brian's head in a fancy dress and novelty shop for a few pence: his hands came from the local "everything #1" shop: Pash donated an old shirt, and I used a pair of  my jeans, stuffed the lot with newspaper, and sat him at a desk. I photocopied a Werewolf picture and put it in a frame on his desk, and made him an authentic-looking name badge. I wanted an ordinary sounding name, and came up with "Brian Tate".

You would not belive the reaction to him on Monday morning! the rest of the group from my Pod loved him immediately" he had a constant stream of visitors all day, and after he stopped lauging, the Centre Manager brough any visitors to meet him too - they were all very proud of him, and he developed quite a fanbase. When I had to remove him at the end of the competition, I was inundated with requests to bring him back, and people asking what was happening to him, so I set up a website for him. This year, Brian returned, leaner, meaner, and better looking than before, and once I figure out how I'll post piccies of him in his new, fitter form.

Yes, I am a little sad, and I have WAY too much time on my hands, but I, like my fellow workers, love Brian.... now I just have to think up a new incarnation for halloween 2008.......