Inundation. How else to describe yesterday and today? Near constant rain, heavy, persistent, soaking. We seem to be constantly mopping floors, needing lights on against the darkness and generally feeling very un-summery. Every time the dogs go out the garden they return soaking wet, even after only a couple of minutes.

Received some news today (long expected) that confirms my employment with Cardiff will almost certainly come to an end early next week. Cue a mass breakout at Lamby Way of singing "Hurray, the witch is dead." We have no particular ties to the city (my roots are in Swansea and its western environs) and Andrew's work can be carried out anywhere in the UK provided he has access to good transport links. Accordingly, I think it unlikely that we will make our permanent home here. The friends I have made since moving here are generally greyhound related and if we stay in Wales would continue. Can only think of a few people from work I would want to stay in touch with - inevitably,and quite naturally, work relationships generally wither without the daily contact and work setting. And of course there is the equally important point that very few people would be wanting to stay in touch with me, particularly as I have never made much of an attempt to win any popularity contests. This has been brought home to me recently as I have been surprised by the deafening silence from colleagues. My handy site stats show that the blog is receiving a lot of readers from the Council, averaging around a dozen a day with peaks well above that. I suspect people are reading it in the hope of work related gossip or the online equivalent of gawping at a car crash - sort of cyber rubberneckers. A number of other blogs have been writing about my departure for some time so I suspect that for most people it will be old news. Further reflections on my time with Cardiff will follow.