SE has the capacity to make me grin like a loony with just a very short sentence.

Have been exchanging emails regarding when I am going over, which somehow diversified into how much hotels in India cost, via where he’s going on business over the next few months.

I opened my email to find two from him. The first was replying to the previous email I had sent him.

The next was sent a couple of hours later.

“I am looking forward to wine country and good cheese!”

Completely unbidden.

Made me come over all warm!

Although it’s still not cast in stone. Things seem to be happening at work, but at the moment they are just promises, nothing has turned into actual action. If this continues, come bonus time he will still be out the door.

However, in the meantime he is here. Except he isn’t he’s off somewhere on a course. And being in an antisocial mood, the other 5 people who have also gone on the course with him have all headed off into the bright lights of the city where they are staying, he decided to stay in the hotel on his own.

Just got off the phone to him from a 40 minute chat. Plus the 20 minute chat before I went to pilates.

It’s funny, we only usually speak on the phone when he is away in a hotel - probably because I see him most days, and when he is away, obviously I don’t see him.

I guess if he does decide to leave, I’ll be spending more time on the phone to him!

From a really enjoyable job, with loads to do, but reasonable timescales to do things in, almost overnight it has turned into an unreasonable mess!

I know I am spending more time with new girl, but even so, things - especially last Friday - have gotten unmanagable. Friday I spent most of the day in emergency meetings trying to sort out how to ensure a project which has been in the wings for ove a year and a half really does go live this week. The project manager was nowhere to be seen - pretty much like most of the project. I missed the appraisal I had set up with my boy who is leaving next week, which had already been postponed from the day before (nobody’s fault that time though).

On top of that, I guess I am a victim of my own success in that now every one and their dog are contacting me with queries, which they really should be getting to the bottom of themselves. And of course, all the queries are urgent.

On top of that, there is a big meeting tomorrow with all the very high ups presenting to us nobody’s, but of course, today they want the data to give them a nice pretty graph for 5 seconds showing at the presentation, wanting 2 years worth of data, each of which takes 2 hours to run. And they want it by lunchtime.

Plus I have to write my goals for the coming year, plus my two members of staff, which I couldn’t do until at least after my meeting this afternoon. The one before the other two meetings I had, which didn’t finish until 5.

Plus sorting out data for the boss who is in a different office for the next 2 days.

Plus trying to run something which never, ever works, apart from when the guy who recently left ran it, when it worked every time. We have spent all day running this stupid thing - at least 8 times - and every time it brings back zeros.

I missed aerobics, but rather than hang around the office for a further hour so I could go to yoga, I came home and am drinking vodka. And watching Corrie. And stroking my pussy, who for some reason the last week has been the most affectionate cat ever. Maybe she is feeling the cold?

I got home last night to find the dvd of the special ‘Royle Family’ from last year on the doormat. I ordered it in the week, and was expecting it soon, and looking forward to watching it this weekend.

I remember it being funny, with a few touching moments.

I had forgotten it didn’t just make me cry.

It made me sob.

Repeatedly.

Thankfully my friend C chose to ring me 5 minutes after it had finished, else she’d have caught me mid-sob.

Note to self - never watch this comedy with someone else, they will laugh at me.

Have been out every night this week. Apart from tonight. And that was only because I got instructions to the place I wanted to go belly dancing at, only nobody said I couldn’t turn right off the main road. I decided to go around the next roundabout. 20 minutes late I had made it to 2nd car from the front to get onto the roundabout. I gave up.

Saturday I went out with Lionel. I took him (well, I drove, he directed) to a rather nice pub for some dinner. Well, mine was fantastic. His was pretty good too, although as a vegetarian he had no choice of what to eat. Good job he liked mushrooms!

Sunday I went out with LELI. He is definitely going to be staying, for a few more months anyway. This is a good thing. I thought he was definitely going just a couple of weeks ago, so the turn around is unexpected, but very welcome.

Monday was aerobics and yoga. Monday was also a heavy day, because my first new member of staff started, and although she is great, the first day is always busy, showing her the basics. Plus my other minion was off on holiday, so was having to deal with all the every day nuisances too.

Tuesday was Pilates. I nearly didn’t go. I was all set to go, then got an email from a friend from ‘oop norf saying she was going to be in town, if I wanted to meet for a drink. So Pilates went for a burton. But then she rang me at 4, saying she was only just about to leave, and would be about for 9 o’clock. So, 7.30 I went off to my class, then headed into town to meet her, plus some other friends.

Wednesday was aerobics. Again, I planned to do yoga afterwards, but the aerobics class overran by 15 minutes, making it impossible to get to yoga.

Tomorrow I have a girly night out, along with a work night out for someone who is leaving. Will be flitting between the two. I expect to be drunk.

Saturday night coming I have a birthday party to go to, I expect to be drunk at that too.

The only thing is that Saturday my parents have also decided to pay me a visit, so tonight I have to run around making the house at least half decent. It’s all going to be surface cleaning, I just have no time to do anything else!

Only one week without a full complement of staff, and today saw the first day of my new bee-atch!

Although saying that, I have told her her first task is to sort out my work life into some sort of order, as I am a hopeless organiser - I always have great intentions, like setting up the ‘adhoc work’ spreadsheet when I first got into the job, and then never used it myself. One of my guys used it for a few weeks, then realised he was the only one, and even he stopped.

So, SW is to take my work life in hand, and beat me when I don’t adhere to it.

She seems quite pleased with the job.

Oh, and my other bee-atch starts work on 5th February.

Within 6 months I have managed to change the team from all boys, to all girls. I rock!

I got a new mobile phone the other week. It’s basically the newer version of the one I already had, so didn’t bother looking much at the instructions when I first got it, just how to transfer data from the old phone to the other.

But I have just had a look at the instruction manual. One hundred and thirty seven pages (that’s 137) long.

It doesn’t even mention making telephone calls until page 64.

Surely something’s not right?

11 o’clock this morning my mobile vibrates (good girl that I am, it is switched to silent when I am at work). I look at the number, and it is foreign. “Hmmm,” I think, “that has got to be a mistake.”

Then I stop and think again. “Hmmmm, isn’t that Australia?”

I snatch up the phone. “Hello?” “Hey, Woman, it’s SE!” Swoon.

I haven’t spoken to him for months, just exchanged texts and emails, and it was just like I’d seen him yesterday. God, I love that guy. Within 5 minutes we were both laughing so hard. I had tears streaming down my face.

Made all the better by his declaring that the dates I have chosen for my flights are just perfect.

Plus, if he decides to leave his job to go back to school, he will take time off, and if I plan a trip to Hong Kong he will meet me there as he plans to do some travelling anyway.

I was excited about it before. Now I am even more excited!

I finally got around to booking my next holiday! I have been trying to get hold of my friend in Hong Kong, to agree which of two weekends would be best for me to visit him, and then I could book my trip to Australia.

I spoke to him Sunday, then spent most of Sunday afternoon trying to find flights. Stupid me forgot it was Chinese New Year. I did manage to find a flight which would allow me to stop in HK for 2 nights, but it was £1300!

So, after spending more time than I care to think of, looking at different airlines, considering different routes, in the end I decided to just book a flight direct to Sydney, (£800), and then go to HK later in the year (£350 - or I could use my airmiles and get it for free). I chose the ‘3 days either side’ option, and the grid came up offering me lots of flights. I click on one.

“Sorry, that flight is no longer available.”

Grid is displayed with the same flights, apart from the one I just chose, which is greyed out. I choose one leaving the day before.

“Sorry, that flight is no longer available.”

Same thing.

I repeat this about 6 times before I get fed up, and go back and do the same search again.

And bugger me but the original flights are shown on offer again.

Of course, I click it.

“Sorry, that flight is no longer available.”

AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH.

I gave up.

Anyway, I have now chosen a week later, and the price has dropped by £100. So, it’s booked! Come 1st March I am off to the land down under, for some sun, sea, sand and SE!

I curse this warm weather!

That wonderful cattery? That put up my pussies at short notice, and was actually run by people who obviously loved cats, and the cats came back obviously really well looked after, such a nice holiday had by all.

Except, I didn’t just bring them back.

“We” have a flea infestation.

And I have a fairly bad reaction to flea bites (as in they get all red, angry, and itchy for 3 days per bite - and I have loads of them). I would consider getting some of that flea stuff which I used to give my old cat - it was brilliant, she had fleas for years, flea collars just didn’t shift them, then we got her on Program, and they cleared up in a few days, and never came back.

Only problem is, they are only supposed to have it for 6 months of the year. The most likely time for fleas. Spring to Autumn. And it’s supposed to be winter here. I really don’t know what to do for the best, because I am not the only one spending most of my spare time scratching! I guess I will go to the vets, and ask their advice!