Gloucester

No road signs, no antique shops, no fun. Hey ho, one lives an learns. Bloody cold today too. Back to Manky Manc tomorrow for martinis and Mad Men (its Thursday obviously). Me and Madam also have tickets for the Manchester football derby which is tr és exciting - particularly if poor Mr Rooney is unable to play on account of being too delicate. That's all. J x

Relatively Quiet

Not much to report today. Father had a doctor's appointment and we took him there followed by a coffee/lunch at Langland Bay. Very cute waiter and father knew the owner. No discount though! Booked flights for Portugal in May in the afternoon. Spoke to Madam this morning. All fine in Manchester apparently and not raining (still raining here). She's managed to get me some tickets for the City/United derby. Fab! Off to Gloucester to look at antique shops tomorrow. That's all. J x

Rain Arrived Today

So we went shopping in John Lewis in Cardiff. Via Park & Ride. My first time ever. Good experience. They even had a telly on the bus. Very nice new John Lewis store (their largest outside London apparently). Nice chandeliers certainly. Bought a cardigan (by Joe Casely-Hayford no less) and a hat and had carrot and coriander soup for lunch (very tasty too). Mother bought a long-sleeved T shirt and a cardigan. Its now pouring with rain. Finally, I feel at home!. That's all for now. J x

Day Two

So off to the Botanic Gardens today in lovely sunshine. It was nice to walk around the gardens in the fresh air although there wasn't a lot, admittedly, to se at this time of year. There was much more to see in the glasshouse which continues to impress. If I was ever to get married I think this is the venue I would choose. Have Countryfile and Antiques Roadshow to look forward to tonight. I'm on the edge of my seat already! No rain yet. That's all. J x

Hello Campers

So, I've made it safely to Swansea. The Aged Ps are fine and there haven't been any major rows yet...

Friday afternoon/evening was out with the Manchester HMRC crowd which was nice. But in the Town Hall Tavern, which wasn't. Thursday was martinis and Mad Men with Miss DD which was much more my type of thing. Not much else to report really. Off to the Botanic Gardens tomorrow (in the rain apparently) and then to John Lewis in Cardiff on, I think, Tuesday so a packed Swansea schedule! Its nice to be home though... That's all. I'll keep you up to date with all things Welsh as the holiday progresses. J x

Happy Birthday

To Mr Sondheim, (80 today) and Gill Davidson (considerably less on Monday). Dear, dear Peggy Paige (nee Bickerstaff - why'd she ever change it?) is doing a whole show on Radio 2 today in celebration. That would be in celebration of Mr Sondheim although of course Ms Davidson is equally deserving....!

What else is news? I still have a job. Saw DD for drinks and Mad Men on Thursday which was nice. Help line on Friday - just the one call from a transvestite. And frankly once you've got past what not to wear what else is there to talk about? Sarah from Leeds was supposed to pop over Saturday for a pleasant day mooching round the museums, bars & shops of Manchester (what could be nicer dear readers?). Unfortunately it poured with rain and she had a really bad cold so we've postponed. Spent an hour on the phone last night instead.

Today has been spent at Sainsburys and filling up my wardrobes. I'm coming to the conclusion that I'll need another 5. Or I need to do some sorting. But how can one throw away one's favourite designers? Even if they don't fit anymore? Anyway, onwards and upwards... that's all for now. J x

Stuff I've Been Doing

Enron was fabulous. Really clever staging involving light sabres, velociraptors, a couple of songs and some very clever lighting. It was interesting to watch and explained the story of what exactly went on really really well. The Van Gogh was also interesting but there were too many people there despite the timed tickets. Never mind, I bought the book of the show and I'll read up on it just as soon as I can get it back from my mother.

Saw 1984 at The Royal Exchange this weekend. Brilliant staging, I really enjoyed it (even though we turned up late - not my fault!). Dinner at Ego afterwards - the soup was very good.

Also saw A Single Man. Loved it. A very beautiful film and the clothes (unsurprisingly) were beautiful.

There may have been one or two sessions in all the above excitement that involved a vodka martini or two with DD....

That's all. Off to Birmingham tomorrow for 2 days for a conference and to find out if I still have a job. What larks! J x

Hello

I'm back! Thank you all who have been calling, e-mailing and otherwise hassling me to make sure I'm OK. Turns out it was my battery. Once its been through around 300 "cycles" then it just breaks apparently. And it stops the computer working - even when its not running off the battery. Now got a new battery (£80 thank you very much Apple) and so am god to go. There's loads to catch up on and I'll try to bring you back up to speed over the next few days (although I'm at a conference in Birmingham on Monday & Tuesday). Please be patient. But I've missed you all and its good to be back. That's all for now. J x

Apologies

Computer is playing up. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. That's all. J x