April/May 2003

“Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employer’s Federation, this is Renae.”

Yeah. Quite a mouthful. And I don’t know if you guys have ever tried talking to a Scotsman or Irishman from the country over the phone, but I can tell you I needed a translator every now and then. If I couldn’t understand them, I’d transfer the call to my colleague Moira (who was always “damn fine splendid”) for her to decipher.

I basically got paid 6 pounds an hour to hide in a pokey little room with one other person, on the third floor of the building and answer the phones. That was it. They didn’t mind what else we did, so I used to write letters, read books, write in my journal, or if I was hungover, I’d raid the goodie cupboard. It was HUGE and PACKED with chocolates, biscuits and all sorts of yummy hangover cures.