Pretoria office

One of the most interesting things about working in a large organisation is when you get to visit other offices and see how different they are. Here in Pretoria there is a guard outside wearing, rather unsettlingly, a pair of handcuffs on his belt. However he has a huge smile to offset them, and he shook my hand and introduced himself. I followed him inside, where the walls are a calm, warm apricot colour, the floors are spotless and everyone asks you how you are.

How I am is sort of tired and wide awake at the same time, but I didn't say that. What I said was that I was happy to be here, which I am.

There's a full day of induction meetings tomorrow, which feels quite daunting on my current alertness levels, but I fully expect to be in bed by 9pm, tucked up with the copy of Aids in the 21st century that I have just realised is going to be v late back to the library...

jo