Right, a question to start us off. What were we told at the start of our duty today:

1. There's going to be a dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony tonight and we're likely to be very busy

2. The actual Commonwealth Games starts in a couple of days and hundreds of people will need us at the airport

3. You can all go out on training/familiarisation drives?

Well done everyone who said 3. That's the correct answer and you all win a postcard-sized print of the GRN. Who said "What on earth's the GRN? Come on, you did that a couple of days ago - the Glasgow Route Network. Although the day didn't start well, there was a different feel about it.

Back to the start. I was on the 330pm - 130am shift and was at the depot where we pick up the cars in plenty of time. When we turn up, we have to go to two desks. One just to show that we're there and get scanned in. And the other to be told what car we're driving and what colour team we're in. Visit to desk 1 was quick and straightforward. But the bloke at desk 2 told ne to go away for a while because he'd run out of cars to allocate. He called me over a short time later and gave me Bravo 123 [blue team in case you're interested]. It was around 4pm by then and I went to the blue team table waiting for the briefing. Other people came to sit down until at about 5pm there were 15 of us. All waiting to be told what to do. [We were a fairly subdued compliant bunch so I don't think yesterday's driver of Bravo 129 could have been there]. Then someone we'd never seen before turned up and uttered those immortal words "You can all go out on training and familiarisation drives and we'll call you in when we need you".

Now you know by now that "Go out and drive wherever you want" is their way of saying "There's nothing for you to do but we can't risk sending you all home just yet in case there might be later". So off we went wherever our fancy took us. I'm still trying to understand the GRN so thought I drive along that again. But I wasn't on it long before I got a call. "Bravo 123. We want you to go to Commonwealth House in the city centre where a number of clients have said that they want to go to Celtic Park for the rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony". Imagine that! Real people! Who want to go somewhere! …..how exciting

So I went there for the next couple of hours and it was indeed quite busy. And there was something I hadn't felt up to then - a very definite buzz about the place. There were hundreds - probably thousands - of people all making their way up to Celtic Park. That's got to be a good sign. All the people I took were also very happy

But it wasn't long before it all went quiet again. Guess what blue team were told to do then? Exactly ……. more training/familiarisation. [Wonder when [if?] we'll stop doing them and are just told to go home. Any thoughts? The Games finish on 3 August if that helps]. And then around 930pm came some disappointing news. "All blue cars to return to depot for end of shift". Big pity but that's the way it goes. I was expecting to have worked through to 130am and to have taken a lot of people back to the city centre which would have been fun. But the drivers who will be on overnight had arrived by then and would have that job

Another day off tomorrow. Back on Wednesday when it all starts ….