So I head out the door at 8.24, as usual, then remember that I was supposed to be at work at 8.15 in place of someone who is on annual leave. I run there and fortunately all that happens is my line manager tells me I'm getting old and am losing my memory. Great start! A boring two-hour shift on the enquiries desk ensues, then after 10.30 break--something new happens.

Yesterday a diffuser (aka plastic light cover) from one of the fluorescent light covers in the children's library fell down, nearly hitting a little old lady. This little old lady drives one of those scooters and is just shy of being small enough to be classed as a 'little person'. She talks in a squeaky voice, has no teeth so her speech is nearly unintelligible, and every day she comes in and either asks for a book of knitting patterns or for the phone number of the Coventry crematorium. No, I'm not making this up. One Sunday, she fell asleep in the corner and was missed by the member of staff who does the final look-round for customers and she got locked in. She got out by tapping furiously at the window when a member of the public was passing by, because she couldn't figure out how to get an outside line on the telephone. So anyway, she's had bad luck at the library and nearly got cold-cocked yesterday. (She'd just pulled away on her little scooter when the light fell). You'd think she'd give up on the library but nope. She's back every single day. Apparently it's only Sundays when she's in peril.

Well, today when he was told about it, the head of libraries, in his wisdom, decided that the entire library needs to be closed until the maintenance crew can come in and put plastic ties on every single light fixture in the place, to secure them. The light fixtures were installed in 1962 and apparently the plastic has shrunk making them loose in their fittings. To be fair, this is not the first light that has fallen; we have had two fall in the work room, and if one hit someone on the head, it would be a pretty serious injury. Apparently it is going to take 4 guys until Friday to finish this job. So, today all staff were told to either take time owing, annual leave, or go to another library in the division to work for the day. Just choose one and turn up there! And that's why I spent today in a different library, apologising to customers for not knowing where anything is and answering the phone wrong. 'Hello, this is Carla at Nuneaton-I-mean-Bedworth library, may I help you?' (I don't have any time owing and I've already planned the rest of my annual leave for the year--there's no way I'm taking it today and missing my holiday!)

About food. Today I used something that I've had lying around for a while--my Richard Simmons Food Mover! Here's what I ate today:

2 slices wholemeal toast with no-sugar strawberry jam and a black decaf

1 banana

1/2 wholemeal pita, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1/2 cup stewed tomatoes

1/2 gala melon

1 tbs natural, crunchy peanut butter and a bit of strawberry jam on the other 1/2 of that wholemeal pita

1 cup wholewheat pasta, 1/2 cup sauce, 3/4 cup mixture of chickpeas and pinto beans, half a head of broccoli, 1 cup lapsang souchong tea

7 pints of water so far

I may have a banana before bed...

That's about 1600 calories today. No biscuits, chocolates, or other bad things.

My workout today was a double: Turbo Sculpt and 20-minute Workout from Turbo Jam. I forgot to wear my HRM so don't know the calorie burn.