Closure

Today's my last day of employment at the Norwich Union, so I'm back in the office after a week or so of gardening leave to hand in my swipe card and say goodbye after 18 years with the organisation. By the way, I'd just like to point out that I'm not responsible for the banner in the picture above (taken on our last "working" day) or, more importantly, for the blatant lack of an apostrophe.

I'm leaving with a slightly more modest package than than Vodafone's chief exec, who's got a cool £25 million burning a hole in his pocket (make that a hot £25 million - I don't like my metaphors mixed). And the fanfare which goes with my departure will be more muted than the French Ambassador in Canada, who's also stepping down. Which is fine by me, as I've never done important chief-executivy or ambassadorial stuff.

I'm in a strange state of limbo at the moment, having ended one phase of my working life and not yet started the next. The atmosphere in a winding down office is also pretty strange with a pervasive feeling of incompleteness - although, as I mentioned in an earlier post, incompleteness, emptiness and absence aren't always bad things, but can be the blank slate for creativity. It's an odd feeling, but whatever happens next, it's probably about time I moved on and did something a bit different.

Anyway, another door will open as this one closes - let's hope I like what's behind it.