Before anyone gets too excited by the title of this Editor’s Diary, I should explain!
Like the rest of the “Friend” team, I’m still working from home. And that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
We are all following the advice from the Scottish Government: that is, if it’s possible to do your job effectively from home, that’s what should happen.
Hopefully everyone who has read the magazine over the last few months will agree we’re managing to work effectively!
However, last week, for the first time since March 20 this year, I returned to our offices in Dundee for a visit.
The purpose was to look at the backlog of mail that has built up since lockdown began. And to try to come up with a plan for dealing with it!
It was a very strange experience.
For a start, I had to phone when I arrived in order to get inside. Our entry passes don’t work right now, as access is strictly controlled.
Once indoors, I had to sanitise my hands and sign in before heading upstairs.
Very different
The first thing I noticed was the silence. Usually, hundreds of people work in our building, and there’s always something going on — including one of our radio stations playing in reception.
It was eerily quiet.
The “Friend” office itself looked very different. I was the last person to leave that Friday in March, and back then it was as if we’d all just headed off for a team lunch at our favourite Italian restaurant.
On my most recent visit, all the desks had been cleared completely so the place could be deep cleaned. Only the pictures on the walls remained.
And Marmalade the cat, tucked into a cardboard box by my desk!
And, of course, the mail — boxes and boxes of it. If you have sent us a story or letter, or written to us with a query since mid March, it will be there.
We do now have a plan for starting to work through the backlog, but it’s going to take time. We can only have a very few team members in the building, as social distancing is still in place.
So if you are waiting for a response from us, please be patient for a bit longer. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
For more from Angela’s Editor’s Diary, click the tag below.
For more from the team, read our blog here.
Angela Gilchrist I am the former Editor-in-Chief of “The People’s Friend” magazine. My passions include cats, Highland ponies, good books, vegetarian food and long walks in the Scottish countryside. My favourite place to get away from it all is the magical Isle of Skye.
