Been a busy few days.

Sunday went oop norf, via parents house. Was a bit late, due to KK’s bid for freedom just as I was leaving. Little madam didn’t really want to go out, but was wise to the “bags leaving the house and being packed in the car” trick. I caught her about half an hour later, because daft thing was just sat on the wall watching me.

Been a long time oop norf - it sounds wrong to call it hard work, when most of it was just sitting around watching presentations, but, well, it *was* hard work.

Made even harder by the end decision not being the one that is politcally right, and even after major discussions, and people changing their mind over the best supplier, it still came out wrong. It will be interesting to see what get’s communicated upwards.

Next week I have to do it all over again - just two days this time, a sort of “fight it out” between the one which is best, and the one which the big boss wants us to choose.

Today I spoke to the manager of the job I applied for last week. It seems an okay job - not the best match for me - and I have an interview the week after next.

Oop norf.

Sigh. So that’s three weeks on the trot I get to go up there.

On other job seeking issues, the job I spoke to that manager about months ago has finally been advertised on the vacancies board. I printed off the job description. I couldn’t have written a better job description to match my skills if I had tried.

Tomorrow I will try and speak to the other manager who will be interviewing for the post.

Tomorrow we also have our “team building” day. Wow. Can’t wait.

Of course, what I really can’t wait for is the end of April. Because that is when I get my (work paid for) trip to San Francisco!

I need to get some flowers for my hair.

I am having a ‘feel sorry for myself’ day.

Some days I just want to hide.

Tonight I will hide in the bottom of a bottle of wine.

Well, interesting day.

Z is not only an annoying git, today showed just what a bastard he could be. He came over to speak to ONB about a paper he has written - it was late, he stayed until 7.30 last night, and arrived at work at 7 this morning to try and get it done on time.

I spent time with him last night re-writing it (he loves his long words, and spends paragraphs explaining things that these people just do not need to know, and he could say in 3 words), but didn’t get chance to see the final version before he sent it to Z.

Anyway, Z came over, I offered to sit in but ONB said he was fine, and they both closed me out.

I then got a question from someone else, so was taking them through some of the things he needed to know when I heard Z say, in a very loud voice, in our big open plan office, “This it totally unacceptable. I am really angry at this, you have had 6 months to do this and we could have done so much in that 6 months…” I couldn’t intervene because I had someone with me, who was with me until after Z had gone.

ONB was sitting there looking so small.

It seems Z was not happy with the paper, in spite of ONB having done everything he has asked for him in his step-by-step instructions along the way. The issue is that Z micro-manages everything, but has no concept of what is involved in any changes he requests. He will ask something, and is very specific about it. ONB will then do this for him, and present it to Z. Z will then ask for something else - maybe things to be split out to a more granular level, maybe something new to be added to the mix. However, he fails to realise that (a) our data is shit, (b) there is no documentation, so a lot of the time we are working blind, and (c) running anything against said data can take several hours. And so what he thinks is a simple change can often take a minimum of half a day, often several days. And rather than accepting that it takes this long, he is getting annoyed with us for not “making it simple” so he can get his answer in 30 minutes.

This in itself is bad enough.

But to actually shout this out in an open plan office is so unprofessional. ONB is now totally demotivated.

Also, it was announced today (although I knew yesterday) that S has got the promotion to manager of our team. I am so pleased for her - and she will stand up to Z much better than L used to do.

Anyway, she was in a meeting while all this was going on, so when she came back I sent ONB off to lunch so I could tell her about it. However, ONB was dithering about something (scared to death by Z, trying to make sure something was set running) and while he was still there, Z himself came over to speak to S about it.

Eventually ONB left. I overheard some of the conversation between S and Z, and three cheers for S! as she is jumping straight in to defend S. She pointed out that she hadn’t had any involvement in this paper, because Z had been managing it right from the start. She asked why he was so angry, when surely he had been involved in every step of the process, so was aware at what stage all the analysis was at? She also pointed out that there was a delay to the paper because only yesterday he had changed the methodology of how he wanted certain things calculated. He didn’t even explain it to ONB, he had explained it to P, who then explained it to ONB. Who then had to spend an hour or so going through her spreadsheets (she left early, and wasn’t in today) to completely understand what was going on.

This afternoon, I had booked some time with ONB to go over things that might crop up next week while I am not there. As I stood up to head to the canteen (where we could have our meeting) Z comes over, now all bouncy and happy after his earlier sulk. “Anni, I need to go get a coffee and some sugar, but when I get back we will go through your work.” Fuck it. “No we won’t, I have a meeting with ONB now, and as I am not in next week, and ONB is going home early”. He looks at me. “What is going on? Where are you going next week?” “I am off up north, the project *you* nominated me for, and were aware of the time and involvement it would take from me.” He just rolled his eyes.

I told ONB we would postpone the meeting for 5 minutes, to let Z get his coffee otherwise he would jump in on us when he saw us sitting in the canteen.

He was so demoralised. It was just awful. He said he didn’t think what Z had to say was particularly fair, but he was humiliated by him announcing it pretty much to the whole world. He said several people had come up to him, asking him if he was okay.

There wasn’t a whole lot I could say to make him feel better. I told him that S had stood up for him. I told him that I was going to try and have a 1-2-1 with him, to make my voice heard.

I also took with me a ’sign-off procedure’ document I have been talking of putting together, and today got around to actually doing something. This will involve nothing leaving our team until it has been checked and double checked by a second party. This will include passing anything to Z. I have also told ONB to ask Z to put into an email anything he asks for - even if it is just a ‘little tweak’ - so that there is a record of what has been requested, and that everyone is clear on what everyone has to do. I know Z won’t do this, but we should ask, and if he doesn’t, then we should put together an email ourselves and send it to Z, copying other members of the team who are relevant, detailing exactly what he has asked for. This should, hopefully, remove any ambiguity in the future.

This is exactly what I did this afternoon. When ONB and I got back, Z came over to look at my analysis. I was expecting him to get all pissed off with me, but I forgot that I am now his new favourite. Instead of his, “This is not up for discussion,” attitude, he now listens to what I have to say, and sometimes even takes it on board.

Anyway, he asked for a few things for the next level of analysis, so when he had gone I typed up a long email listing exactly what he had asked for. He seemed to accept this, although rather than emailing back an “Okay,” he printed off the email, stood over my desk to read it, said, “Yes, that’s fine,” threw the printout in the bin and walked off.

I can’t wait to see his reaction once the team agrees to some sort of sign-off procedure.

On another note - I applied for another job today. It is a promotion, although not the one I was hoping for (for which there is still no job description, nor job even advertised). It is a job I can do, although it might not be the ideal job for me. However, this job is up north, so would involve me moving.

I have tried to speak to the hiring manager, but she has been on a course for the last two days, and then I am out of the office for most of next week. I have applied anyway (and internal applications are a nightmare - they are really difficult to “big up”, since they probably already know your exact involvement in most projects anyway).

Last night as I was going to bed, I am not sure what made me do it, since it’s not something I usually do, but I glanced outside the window just before getting into bed.

Right outside my house was a police car, with it’s engine running, and as I watched, it reversed a few feet to park outside my next door neighbour’s.

And it just sat there.

Nobody got out. Nothing appeared to be going on, other than a police car sitting out side my next-door neighbour’s house.

I watched for about 5 minutes, then got bored so climbed into bed.

I then heard movement from the bedroom which is adjacent to mine, so decided to get up for another look, and 2 minutes later someone emerged from next door, headed down the path and bent down to talk to whoever was in the driving seat. I felt that opening my window at this point might have been a bit obvious. Wish I had done it though, because I would love to know what was said.

Then this person (I think it was the woman, although it was dark and rainy and they were wearing dark clothes) went back in the house.

The police car continued to sit outside.

It was there for about 40 minutes, before I heard it just drive off.

Have just got in from taking LELI out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. Such a young man at 32.

We went to an Italian restaurant he has walked past many times but not been in because, apparently, it is always closed. Tonight it was open.

I had a very fishy night, while LELI, of course, had a pasta and pizza night (so very Italian!).

The waiter spoke with a *very* Welsh accent, although he had the big moustache of a ‘European’. “He is Italian,” whispers LELI. “He doesn’t sound very Italian to me,” I joke back, “Sounds like a proper Welsh boy.”

We were both wrong. Turns out he was Greek!

Got home to two very cold and hungry pussy cats. Ed was sat in his usual place on the wall. KK appeared from nowhere. While I was sorting out the keys for the door, poor Ed was moving from paw to paw as if his feet were too cold on the paving stones. Poor pussies!

They made a beeline for their food bowls, and now they are both curled up on my bed.

I am going to join them.

I haven’t been to work the last few days - “women’s problems”, compounded by being 5 days late (always a bad sign in the period pain department if nothing else) - so basically the cat’s didn’t spend as much time outside yesterday as they do usually. They both went out around 10 o’clock, and at 10.30 Ed came back, but no KK.

Of course, being the sound, sensible woman that I am, I got up at 11.30, to go and call for KK. Bless her, she came in. But. Ed went out.

At 12.30, I went out to call him back, and back he came.

I have disturbing dreams - one involving Pob giving me a bag of “precious things” to look after, and at one point I hear a noise coming from the bag, and it’s a mobile phone and he has sent me a text to this phone (not sure why he didn’t use mine) telling me it had been nice knowing me, but that the world was about to end.

I wake up, and go to the loo. Ed follows me in, demanding attention, and only getting the half-hearted, middle of the night attention he begins scratching the carpet. He then runs out, asking me to follow him, and runs to the back door. I let him out.

It is 4.30 in the morning.

At 7 I get up, go and call him. Front and back door. No sign.

At 8, I go and call him again. Even KK is chuntering away, as if asking where Ed is. I put food down for them, KK eats a little, then wanders into the garden, still chuntering, then comes straight back in.

At 9, I again go and call Ed - a little louder this time. Still no sign. I am sat in the kitchen with the door wide open, freezing my wotsits off, in the hope he comes home.

By 10 o’clock I am frantic. Already planning on going wandering the streets calling for him, printing off pictures to push through neighbours doors.

At 10.30, I wander into the living room.

The little bugger is fast asleep on the chair.

I can only assume I dreamt I put him outside in the night. But why the little sod didn’t come running when I called - especially when I put food down I don’t know. He always does at any other time, even when he isn’t hungry.

I blame my hormones for the tears of relief when I found him.

It is LELI’s birthday tomorrow. He likes to keep things low key, so whereas for most friends I’d bake a cake (or cheese scones) I haven’t bothered. I have made him a card, and hopefully we will go out for dinner.

This exercise lark is exhausting! I have been 4 times now, getting up at 6 in the morning, before heading into work.

I have been a good girl too because I also baked some healthy stuff to take for my breakfast instead of tucking into big bacon sandwiches (rhubarb and date loaf - absolutely delish!).

I am now up to 76 lengths - almost on target for my 48 per week. I am getting up and going tomorrow, so hopefully will be above target then.

Pussy cats are adorable. Monday I put them out before I left for swimming (at 6.30, poor things) and neither of them had eaten much. I worried about them all day at work, and left smack on 5 o’clock to come and check on them. As I got out of the car I shouted, “Puss, Ed, KK, come on!” Ed came bounding across the neighbours gardens, tail in the air, and was clawing at the door to be let in. I opened it, and he was like a rocket running to the kitchen to the food bowls. By the time I had put the alarm off, and hung my coat up and walked into the kitchen, there was KK stood at the back door.

Another big phew. So at least they both come back when they have been out all day.

It is so nice to come home and have them come bounding up to greet me. Tuesday Ed was waiting for me on the wall, but the other nights I’ve had to call them, but they both come.

Krazy K came round to meet them last night (she is stupid about cats - more so than I am), and Ed, the little turncoat, even sat on her knee. Not that I was jealous. Oh no.

They have finally got around to agreeing the structure of the team I would like to move into, and the vacancies are a double-edged sword.

The job the boss had talked to me about is definitely a promotion for me. It also has someone working for it, and in an ideal world I would take ONB with me (who has already declined to apply for a job in another team, has said he would rather me get a promotion, and me take him with me and promote him in the process).

The downside is it’s not reporting to the boss-man I spoke with. It’s reporting to him, but through someone else. And that is the awful cleavage gazing, “accidental” tit-brushing arsehole waste of space. I was talking with K today, one of the other managers in that team, and he said that possibly working for G would be worse than working for Z.

I don’t believe that.

Well, not totally.

Although Z has been remarkably nice to me. It is quite astonishing, the complete turnaround in his belief in my abilities, and what I am capable of doing. Although he is getting on my tits when he comes up and is so “Hey, Anni, pivot tables, I see you are doing them now, that is so the way to be doing things,” like I have never done a pivot table in my life until he came along. He doesn’t seem to think anyone in our team was capable of doing anything until he came along.

On an even bigger plus note, S emailed me today asking when I was going to be on holiday. I emailed her back with potential dates, and she responded suggesting I might want to keep certain dates free. I asked why, and it seems there is the possibility of a business trip to the US, and although it hasn’t been agreed yet, she has suggested I go, and that Z just has to get agreement from above.

Whoo hooooooo!!!!!!

Had the nephew to stay for the weekend, which I was a little worried about (what does one do with an 18 year old boy for a whole weekend?), but it was nice. I am not sure what he was expecting - it to be wild and exciting maybe? - but it wasn’t. Took him shopping yesterday (Saturday is the only day I can get to the farm), which he actually seemed to enjoy. It also seems he is becoming a bit of a whizz in the kitchen, so I gave him some of my cookbooks.

Yesterday afternoon I took him to the Bay, where the plan was we would walk about and see the sights. But it was too damn cold, so we only walked for a little bit, then went to a pub! Thankfully the rugby had finished, so we managed to get a seat, and then LELI joined us briefly on his trip back from the match (he managed to get a ticket, and had fun with his little Italian voice in amongst all those Welshies), and on his way into the office!

We had dinner out, and nephew polished off a whole rack of ribs (LELI also joined us for dinner - for definite now my family will think he is my boyfriend).

Today I took him into town, which he said he wanted to do, but he didn’t seem to interested in buying anything, or even looking around at anything, so, bless him, he became my pack horse while I bought make up stuff (with freebies, can’t beat the freebies) and yummy food stuff from House of Fraser.

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The cats have been great. Friday night, for the first time KK got all snuggly. She spent the whole night on my bed (poor Ed, it is clear that he was banished by KK, since he normally sleeps on my bed). When I got up in the night to go to the loo, she was all over me, wanting to be stroked, purring and kneading the bed.

Saturday morning I let them out - and refused to stand over them watching. I hadn’t fed them, so was hoping that me shaking the food bag when needed would bring them running.

Within 5 minutes, both cats had vanished out of my garden.

I refused to fret standing at the back door. So I decided to sit at the table, and fret there. And fret I did.

After about 45 minutes, I shook the food bag, and put some food out for them both. KK came running. No sign of Ed.

Little sod took another 30 minutes before he came home.

However, now I was breathing big sighs of relief, since they had both been exploring, and both managed to find their way home.

At one point, as I was cooking nephew breakfast, I thought I heard yowling. I went outside, and could see Ed, with huge fluffy tail, sat on the fence beside the house. I could just see some black furry ears past him, but couldn’t make out who they belonged to. I wasn’t sure if it was Ed or KK making the noise, but as I got closer I saw it was the black fluffy cat, and they were nose to nose, Ed caterwauling, neither refusing to move. Once I got there, Ed felt brave enough to begin moving backwards along the fence, towards the safety of the garden. Where was KK when he needed her?

KK went out last night, and when it was bedtime she refused to come back. I came upstairs, with the idea of sitting reading in bed for half an hour and then going looking again, but I couldn’t do it. I got undressed, and took my book downstairs with the intention of sitting in the kitchen until she came home. However, the lights going off must have scared her, because she was stood at the door, whinging to be let in.

She slept on my feet again all last night.

When I went out shopping, I left them outside, and when I got back, they both came running up to the back door to be let in.

Got home from work last night, to find the little boy cat from next door hanging out outside. I go to open my front door, and he comes running. I try to chase him off - can you imagine the cat fight if he runs into the house and comes face to face with KK?

I manage to shoo him away, and then open the front door.

Of course, all this kerfuffle outside the door has alerted both cats that I am there.

Despite me holding my handbag, my lunch bag, my swimming bag, and a bag with 3 shoe boxes inside (what can I say? A girl needs new shoes now and then), KK made a break for freedom, and made it outside. Thankfully Ed was too scared by the bags, so I managed to chase him upstairs.

I am then trying to entice KK back inside, but she is having none of it.

Even a run-in with the little boy cat (which she saw him off) didn’t frighten her enough t come back inside.

She came in after about 5 minutes, but I am under no illusion that it is because *she* wanted to, and not me cajoling her.

I think I am going to have to let them out this weekend, and try not to have heart attacks when they go wandering. I hope they are sensible enough to find their own way home (and letting them out before breakfast might be a good idea).

I swam 18 lengths yesterday!

KK started asking to go outside on Sunday. Ed joined in yesterday morning.

So, last night, when I got home fairly early, and it was still light (and there was a case of yummy wine stood outside my door) I thought I’d let them out. Briefly. And before dinner so I had something to bribe them in again.

I stood in the garden. KK stood in the kitchen doorway, sniffing the air. Ed stood about 4 foot back, also sniffing the air. I realise the door from the kitchen to the house is shut, so I go back in (scaring both of them back into the depths of the kitchen) so that if something should scare them, they had somewhere to run to.

KK runs upstairs.

I retreat back into the garden.

Ed now stands in the doorway, head bobbing up and down as he sniffs the air.

He ventures outside, still sniffing, and begins a slow move around the edge of the garden, first sticking close to the house, then working his way around the fence, checking out all the bushes.

KK appears, and also hesitantly steps outside.

I am making encouraging noises.

Ed has now reached the shed.

KK, however, decides to go the other way, and disappears round the side of the house.

I start to panic.

Calling either of them doesn’t work, and I realise I can’t see KK. I check where Ed is (still by the shed) and so head down the side of the house, where KK is sat behind the dustbin. She runs back into the garden, and I follow.

No Ed.

Bugger.

I check behind the shed. No Ed.

I check the bushes. No Ed.

I check back inside the kitchen, just in case he has gone back inside. No Ed.

Bugger bugger bugger.

I make a grab for KK, and she protests very loudly, but I get her into the kitchen. I shut the kitchen door so she doesn’t run outside, and manage to shoo her upstairs. I return to the garden almost in tears thinking, “Mosh’ll kill me, I promised to take care of them and I’ve only had them a couple of days and I have lost one of them.”

I open the back door.

There is Ed, stood in the middle of the garden, looking pretty scared.

I can only think that hearing the door close scared him enough. I chase him back into the house.

That’s enough of that until the weekend I think, when I will have more time and more light to hang around watching them. I will also have my nephew, who will help keeping an eye on them both.

On a plus note, tonight was the first time Ed came coluntarily to me for a snuggle. I was watching telly, and he was in his usual place on the settee next to me. I pat my lap, and lift my arms. He walks over, and straight across me to sit on the settee next to me, looking at me as if to say, “What? Did you really think I would sit there?” Two seconds later he comes back, and just sort of collapses onto my lap, demanding strokes and purring like a good’un!

Still no snuggles with KK, although she sits on the ground and demands to be stroked, and has taken to lying guard to the computer room when I am in here.