I have now been working in Westminster for almost a month. The first two weeks were an induction where those of us on the scheme were introduced to the environment and the various departments of the house. The stand out experience from the induction for me was a trip to the Parliamentary archives where I got to hold the 1946 National Health Service act. There was also a copy of the American Declaration of Independence in the room, but I would argue that the NHS act is of more importance. The induction was rounded off with a trip to Downing Street which as a happy coincidence happened on my 40^th birthday, so it is a day I am unlikely to forget.

The past two weeks in Nic’s office have been very fast paced, with a good variety of projects, duties and experiences. Admittedly, at times I have felt a little out of my depth. However, Nic and his staff, in both Westminster and in the constituency office, have always been very helpful and there to offer guidance. The demands on an MP’s time have perhaps been the biggest surprise to me and I have a new appreciation of the sheer workload of an MP. In my short time in the office so I have already learnt a lot and I look forward to learning much, much more over the coming months.