Slightly fraught weekend. I think I'm still getting over the chest infection that kept me off work for most of last week, but I'm really tired and cranky most of the time. On Saturday, Jessica went to a friend's house while we went floor shopping for the new extension - and found out that the Karndean stuff we'd been drooling over is far too expensive for us. Back to the drawing board - and probably to vinyl floor tiles. At least I can lay them myself.

The extension itself is coming on apace now. We're into week three of the building work. I find it very disruptive having everything muddy and all over the place. But the walls are mostly up. Deb tells me today that the side porch - which they're replacing the roof on - has had the new tiles put on today, after they left it without a roof for a week through the worst storm of the winter. We survived though.

Sunday required the usual argument to get the kids to do anything other than slob around in their pyjamas. This one was a bit worse than usual, but we managed it in the end, for a 2.5 mile walk around Bickerton Hill. Short walk, but very pleasant. Fantastic views of the Welsh hills, Cheshire plain, and all the way over to the Liverpool cathedrals on the horizon.

Still concerned about where my job is going. I just don't have enough to do. And that's very difficult for me to cope with. It doesn't help that so much of the work I have done has clearly been nugatory. But I never get the feedback to say "this went well, but that's been overtaken, and the other wasn't quite what we were after..." It feels like fumbling around in the dark.

The school routine is very constraining too. Make lunches, iron shirts, generally keep the routines ticking over. It just seems to eat up so much time. Well, the Easter holidays beckon, and we've a week away planned near Hereford. Not quite sure what we'll do as yet, but the cottage is booked and paid for, so we'll just have to make it up as we go along. Haven't decided on the summer yet - have I told the story of how awkward my boss has been over summer leave? Hadrian's Wall is feeling attractive, but we might have left it a little late to book anything. The Peak District would be another possibility as we thoroughly enjoyed a long weekend spent there last year. I'll update when we've decided what to do. The downside, of course, is that if it rains it will be well and truly miserable...

It's the last day before retirement for one of my bosses in my old job today - Howard. He's been such an influence on my life and career that I couldn't let the moment pass without comment.

Strangely, I didn't actually work directly to him for very long - just 6 months on a project team. But I did other bits and pieces of work for him, and got to know him personally quite well in the 5 years before I left for my current job.

I must say that I don't think he was everyone's cup of tea in the organisation. But for me he seemed to show commitment and an interest in life at the coal face unusual in senior managers (at least in my experience so far). On a personal level, his interest in and commitment to my development was astounding. He gave me opportunities to excel, and then helped me make the most of them job hunting later on. He introduced me to EFQM which, although it doesn't seem very popular within the Civil Service at the moment, is an inspired way to think of management. To me, it felt like finally being given the instruction booklet for management.

In short, he was an inspirational leader, even if he could be a little cantakerous.

On a personal level, I like to think we became fairly close to friends. He certainly changed my interest in music, with an interest in Elvis I hadn't had before - mostly through a realisation of the breadth of his work, from country to jazz to gospel, and introduced through a 5 hour car journey to Cardiff.

That's it. so long Howard. Ere's hoping I meet another manager as good soon, 'cos they don't seem to be on the horizon at the moment!