A long Wiltshire week. With Devon, Somerset, Hampshire , Bucks and Wiltshire thrown in too.

This week I have started to find my stride in my new role. Some things still challenge, and some things aren't quite parked up in the immediate recall part of my mind in the way that so much RSPB retail was and still is. That said, it is coming together as I end my third week.

The shop floor part I get instinctively; I am excellent at customer service and I am good with store teams - what I need to  secure is the product knowledge to glue it all together, and this is no more a task than familiarity, exploration and eating the current catalogue. 

The week has taken me far and wide. I started with a long day driving to Milton Keynes but I did stay the night at a fabulous hotel... this one. I think our Christmas do is there too. The venue was terrific as was the reception team but the barman was a rude, (Russian?) surly, ignorant chap who genuinely did not know what beer was. I politely asked for beer and he just said vee have lager - three times. 

The day after I sat in front of our design team who showcased next year's range. It was rather like Project Runway and it was very entertaining. Across the rest of the week I visited stores in Cowbridge, Dunster, Exeter and Wimborne, all of which I will eventually cover. I finished off the week in Salisbury today and drove the till and talked to customers. Checked off Christmas window POS (point of sale, or in store printing & posters) and got to know the store team a little better. 12 hours door to door and some middle ages agricultural roads home but I enjoyed it.

I also engaged in some fine digital hooliganism in Los Santos with my BS7/GTAV Wingman mid-week, and that was the high spot of the week, truth be told. Had some kind texting across the week too, but from a county I did not drive through this week (amazingly, considering my route).

Here are some images of the week, as well as some from my timber expedition last Sunday! The peacock was live, real, brave and in absolutely no hurry at all.