jobs

Paul starts a new one on monday. I'm trying to do two at the same time cos someones off sick.
Oh joy.

as part of the new contract Paul was considering options for a new comapny name as he's never been that keen on his old one very much (had to create it in a hurry last time). He was carefully considering options. He was looking for something related to the love of his life... I suggested Ginger Solutions but he pointed out that he meant kayaking not me. :-(

He finally found something he was happy with and ran upstairs to tell me "what about Creek Systems?". My response was " as in 'Up S**t....'!?!". I haven't laughed quite that hard in ages. In fact this was 3 days ago and I'm pissing myself again jsut writing this!

he wasn't too impressed with me. oops.

Luckily when sarah came round for tea the next night I asked him to tell her and she had the same response.

Vindication.

just signed up to the national organ donation register. I have carried a card around for years but never got around to signing online. The form came with my EHIC card (which replaces the E111) which I got around to filling in the day before we went to Paris and which arrived the day after we came back. Me and my organsational skills.... the heart is willing and all that!

Cracking Weekend Gromit

had a great weekend. We celebrated the end of Gold Cup weekend and early St Patricks with the usual posh drunks in Cheltenham. Ended up with Guinness hats on our head, an Irish flag and a few badges better off. God bless the Irish! Had to rise early on the saturday to see a man about a remortgage which didn't really help the recovery. Last night was spent catching up with Mark and Zoe, along with a second evening in the company of mr and mrs wood. Brilliant evening of alcohol, lasagne, board games and old fashioned Pac Man, plus gossip, laughter and matchmakers. These friends are mad but highly entertaining!

Recovery involved lots of tea, visits to mums, painting the bathroom floor and varnishing wood. all good stuff.

4 days to paris..... woohooooooo

Life on Mars

it really is quality TV isn't it.

it's the weekend, the sun is shining, the world is happy and I have a cold. :-(
I'm feeling sorry for myself, sat in my dressing gown on the sofa with only my laptop for company (oh, and Paul I guess, oh and the cats....). my head is pounding, my nose is running and, as per usual on these occasions, my throat hurts and my voice is deeper.... must be about time for my annual voice loss...

the good news is Millie has a cold as well and is amusing Paul and I on regular occasions by her sneezing. hope it's not bird flu... to be fair she hasn't been near a bird in years, that would involve levels of physical exertion way beyond her capabilities.

other exciting news apart from my self-pity is I'm learning Teeline shorthand, in an attempt to keep my brain active and learnt something which will be of use in my daily working life. having to take notes in interviews/disciplinary hearings etc can be quite hard going when you're not skilled at that sort of thing, and I have always said that shorthand should actually be a staple course within HR qualifications, so now I've decided to do something about it and learn it myself. I chose the "not quite as quick as Pitman but easier to learn" option with Teeline which is often used by journalists. It's a challenge but I'm making progress and it's so nice to actually feel like I'm learning a new skill.... not something I've done for ages.

I've just finished reading this book which I recommend to anyone who thinks they're having a bad day. I heard Nando being interviewed by Simon Mayo ages ago and resolved to read the real story of the Andes plane crash rather than just be aware of the bare facts and the media hype. I must now go back and watch the film Alive again, as it's a long time since I saw it.

I'm now onto much more frivolous literary options with Starter for Ten sometimes you just need a bit of light relief. Haven't seen the film but the book already has be doubled up in painful embarassment.

Paris

we're off for a long weekend in a cuple of weeks. anyone got any good tips?

i've got the sunday night blues. no reason to be down, perhaps just the result of a good weekend and no great desire to go to work tomorrow.

Mum and dad have made it back to the Uk all limbs intact. the bungee jumping was a cruel lie but they have photographic evidence of the tandem paragliding - fair play.