Nightmare

Its happened again. Bloody cricket. Where does it come from and why does it go on so long? Endless days of people throwing balls at other people. Anyway, so once again I am being left to my own devices so that the Ageds, despite seeing what happened this morning and knowing the outcome, watch the "cricket highlights" (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one - like "sports personality" (thank you Dawn & Jennifer)). So I'm spending time with you, dear readers, again.

No other news really. Looks like the weather is going to improve over the next couple of days so we may get a trip out to the National Botanic Gardens if I'm really lucky. Sounds as though the Ageds don't want to go to Portugal this year so I'm a bit torn. Do I go on my own or do I use the money to go somewhere else? Its the week following the wedding so, given the huge numbers of days off arising from Easter & the nuptials, it might be better to go away at another time. I'd like to go back to Valencia and try and see an opera at the same time. However, having watched the "Best Operas of 2010" on telly this morning I learn that Barcelona has the biggest (and best?) opera house in the whole of Spain so it might be good to go there too. We'll see. That's all for now. Hope you're all still enjoying it all. J x

Christmas Time

Sod the mistletoe, bring on the wine. Lunch has been consumed, Aged Ps are snoring on the sofa which gives me a bit of blog time. Had some fab presents - a display case (bespoke, made by a local carpenter and very very nice), a Gant scarf (which I purchased myself for them to give to me but I love it) and, drum roll, a bowler hat! How clever are the Ageds? I've wanted one for ages and not got around to buying one and they just went onto Amazon, casual as you like, and snapped one up. And it fits and it looks brilliant. Shall be wearing it everywhere from now on (I have it on as I type) and becoming a complete bowler hatted bore (as opposed to just the ordinary type of bore).

Also heard from one of my Team and he's proposed to his girlfriend and she's said yes which is great. Another Team member found out this month that his wife will be giving birth to a boy - trust me, it don't get much more heterosexual than life on my Team...!

And that's about it so far. Watched Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in Singing In The Rain this morning and decided that I will have a birthday party in 2011 and the theme will be "Hollywood" so get your thinking caps on now. All blog readers are invited - even if I don't like you! That's all. Merry Xmas. J x

Whilst Browsing...

... YouTube I discovered this. Me, Bryn & Denise are actually in it! See if you can spot us...

P.S.

Loving the new blog look. Very cool, very 21st century. Very me therefore. Ha ha ha ha ha ha... etc. (Miss Gulch). J x

So Here It Is...

... well, almost. Hopefully you will find a YouTube video below. Happy Xmas everyone. P.S. Not killed the Aged Ps. Yet. That's all. J x

I survived (the snow this time)

So managed to make it all the way to Swansea. To be fair the roads were clear and the traffic seemed lighter than normal (usual delays at M5/M6 interchange of course). Good job I decided to stick to M5/M4 (and pay to get into Wales) though as there was an accident on the M50...

Aged Ps are well and there is an obscene amount of stuff under the Xmas Tree. That's all. J x

Film Night

A very enjoyable evening watching 12 Angry Men in the company of DD, Bryn & Michelle. Michelle had excelled herself with a vast array of canapes, Bryn gave us an expert's opinion on the film before we watched it and we had fun using up some of the left over alcohol from the party. A great night. Must do it again. Perhaps taking turns to choose and talk about a film?

Shutters were fitted on Tuesday and I'm really happy with them - one of those rare occasions where building (?) work has had an entirely satisfactory outcome. Suppose I shouldn't talk too soon of course as they could fall off the wall tomorrow!

3 days left in work before heading off to Swansea (weather permitting) and, as usual, I have a million things to do... So can't stay here chatting so, that's all. J x

The Return

Well she's in the air and on her way. DD lands at about 1145 and the plan is to be in The Midland for cocktails by 1400. I think she will be hideously jet lagged but she thinks not. Let's see shall we... Even if she is jet lagged I'm sure the lure of a cocktail will be enough to get her out!

Other than that things have been fairly quiet. Getting my shutters fitted Tuesday - they should have been delivering them Monday but they turned up yesterday - but I've taken Monday & Tuesday off work anyway. Will now spend Monday finishing off all my Xmas stuff.

Aged Ps are currently in London visiting my Mum's sister (the one who had the stroke) and will be back Monday. Hopefully the weather will stay good. That's all. J x

Damn Snow

So managed to make it into Warrington with minimum of fuss. Cecilia last night was fabulous (and running into Batey was just icing on the cake). Met some nice people sat next to me who regaled me with tales of Jessye Norman and other divas. They've recommended that I go and see Andreas Scholl in January so I've roped Michelle into that.

Nothing else planned for the weekend (this is me taking it easy Mum!) apart from some Xmas shopping. Looking forward to it immensely. Will spend the rest of my time watching and re-watching The Corpse Bride which I'm currently obsessing over. That's all. J x

Sick as a Dog

Well, I spent all yesterday afternoon and evening throwing up and running a temperature of 38.5 and generally feeling rotten. However managed to sleep for 10 hours last night and have woken up feeling like a new man. Have stayed off work today just to be sure (and its snowed too) but will go back in tomorrow if there's no change. Mother says its because I overdid things last week. She may have a point as I do seem to have been quite busy lately. Perhaps I should be slowing down now I'm nearly 50? But DD seems to manage it. We'll see...

In other news, the evening of Baroque music at RNCM was really good and me and Michelle went to Felicinis for soup afterwards which was really good too. Am off to Lincoln with work on Thursday & Friday and upon my return to Manchester to the Bridgewater Hall on Friday evening to watch Cecilia Bartoli. But nothing else planned at the moment. That's all. J x

This post was typed on Tuesday but posted to the wrong blog! Have stayed off work today again in order to rally my strength for trip to Lincoln tomorrow and Friday but that's now been cancelled on account of the weather. It even looks doubtful as to whether I'll be able to make it into Warrington tomorrow and so may have to work out of Manchester. No worries, I'm sure there'll be plenty of e-mails to catch up on and there's always networking to do...! J x

Been Doing Stuff

So, the Aged Ps have come and gone. We had a good time that encompassed shopping (my Mum got a new winter coat), a new favourite best restaurant (out goes Felicinis and in comes Ego), a trip to the Imperial War Museum (Dad really likes it - and so do I), a trip to the Lowry galleries (I really liked the 60s photo exhibition) and just generally spending time together. Low points were my Dad's cough, him falling over (no permanent damage) and my Mum offering to dust for me half an hour after arriving!

Otherwise I've been to my Book Group (virtually no-one had read the book - some Margaret Attwood thing and I won't read her after being scarred - as opposed to scared - by The Handmaid's Tale), seen the new Harry Potter (really liked it, the best so far) and am off to the union dinner tonight (Felicinis again). Tomorrow is the Lowry for Slave (apparently not a story of some bronzed demi-god, oiled and in chains) and a Baroque music evening at the RNCM on Saturday. Busy, busy, busy. That's all. J x

Update

So last weekend was London. Rigoletto was superb. And the Royal Opera House has to be experienced. It is fabulous and sumptuous and just all around amazing. The audience is dead posh (natch) but at least they don't eat popcorn, check their mobile phones during the performance and know when to clap (it is all terribly complicated). Loved it. I was somewhat less successful in my quest for a pair of navy blue leather men's gloves. How hard can it be? Well, let me tell you, its very hard. Not even Harrods... Harrods I tell you... stocks navy blue leather men's gloves. However, I did buy a tie and 2 pairs of socks so it wasn't a complete loss.

This weekend its all about cleaning products. The Aged Ps are arriving on Thursday for a weekend of Xmas shopping and the flat is currently a state. I expect dishpan hands by this evening... but then its off to B&M's for a soiree. Looking forward to it immensely. Will be calling into Kris's (my mixologist) new bar on Deansgate Locks first for a snifter. I'll let you know how it all goes. That's all. J x

Its All Greek

So off to London for Onassis. To One Aldwych for cocktails and lunch first. It was fabulous as ever. Onassis was a little less fabulous. Robert Lindsey was, of course, brilliant. And the play could have been brilliant but needed to have been written more as a play and less as a documentary. The supporting cast were not great - even though the guy playing Aristotle's son looked great in his pants. To the Waldorf afterwards for more cocktails where I had a Waldorf-tini. Same as a vodka martini except that its mixed in a gold cocktail shaker and has edible gold and silver flakes added. Rather extravagant but fun. Left DD in London as she was off to a friends in Guildford for the weekend so me and B &M caught the train home. Extra hour in bed this morning which was nice. That's all. J x

Been a While Again

Sorry about that. So what's been happening? Have been to the Bridgewater Hall for The Planets Suite by the Houston Symphony Orchestra (could have been done better I thought although the music is good). Saw WNO's production of Fidelio at The Grand in Swansea (superb apart from size and shape of principals - I'm a fan of appropriate casting (there's a technical name for this that escapes me for the moment) but to see a starving prisoner played by someone who is wider than he's tall (to be fair he's quite short) is not good). We've had the Spending Review announcements - not too bad for HMRC and my job on the face of it but we won't know quite how it will all play out until April. And then yesterday I went to an all day film workshop-thing on The Manchurian Candidate (hence Jane's link in the comments of the previous post). Had a great day with Jane (she's always good company even though we will never agree on a single thing that's work related), met some really interesting people and got to see a great film in a really cute old theatre in the middle of Glossop (who knew Glossop had such treasures?). And I'm off to some arts and crafts thing with DD and friends in Spinningfields this afternoon. Need to buy some gloves first though. Busy as ever.... That's all. J x

The Good and the Bad

The good news is that I had my check up at The Christie on Thursday and everything was fine (apart from not seeing the lovely Debbie of course - Sean reckons she was having a "cheeky lie-in"). But my next appointment is not until July next year and it will be my final appointment. My last ever (hopefully). How fucking fantastic is that? I got quite choked up when Sean informed me. That means I will have been cancer-free for 5 years. I'm not sure what the recurrence statistics are after 5 years but I think they are virtually nil (apart from my mother who had it again after 8 years but I'm not sure she had the same cancer the second time round - she survived both obviously). So that's really good. Lots of good stuff happened at work too. And I'm off to Swansea on Thursday for a production of Fidelio by the Welsh National Opera at the Grand Theatre and so get to spend some more time with the Aged Ps who will be back from Portugal by then. I hope.

The not so good news is that I heard that a friend of mine, Sharon, is just starting out in her own cancer journey. I hope you'll all join me in wishing her the best of luck - I know she reads this blog from time to time and so will see any encouraging messages. Good luck honey, we'll all be thinking of you and rooting for you and - if you don't start up your own blog - drop us all a line on here to let us know how you're getting on. Much love. Jonathan x

Cornwall Round-Up

Well, I liked Cornwall although there's not a whole lot to do apart from beaches and gardens. The visit to St Ives was nice though and I can now say that I have done all four Tates. Any of my readers have this claim to fame too?

Was a bit disappointed in the Eden Project. My own fault really as I was hoping it was something it wasn't. Had I read up on it properly beforehand I would have known it was all the sustainable living and aren't we being cruel to our planet so we should all sit in the dark and eat hemp mumbo jumbo that I can't abide. The Biomes were cool though and some of the planting was nice. But I much preferred Heligan which was more garden-y and therefore more up my alley. Trouble with Heligan was that it rained on that day. Still it didn't spoil our walk through the woods and the Lost Valley nor the Jungle area. All of which were fantastic. It did mean we had the place to ourselves though which was nice - apart from the Gardeners World crew who were filming in the Melon House. The formal and kitchen gardens were also nice but not at their best at this time of year.

We also visited one other garden - Pine Lodge. Not a great name admittedly but they did have a Pinetum which was fantastic. They also had an extensive Winter Garden which was just starting to come into its own. Apart from all this we also visited Fowey which is just unnaturally picturesque.

The cottage we were staying in was nice although the beds weren't big enough so consequently no-one slept brilliantly.

Came back to Manchester yesterday (a day earlier than planned) as the forecast was dreadful for today - and looking out the window I'm not sure I'd have liked travelling today. Plus I'd have got caught up in all that Ryder Cup shenanigans... Unpacking, washing & cleaning today. What fun. Have some planting and terrace-tidying to do tomorrow when the weather is, apparently, going to be nicer. That's all. J x

Can You Smell Fish?

So here I am stuck in the middle of bloody nowhere and New Tricks is on the telly. How on earth anyone can watch that load of tripe is beyond me but I long ago gave up trying to understand the telly viewing habits of the Aged Ps. They're even getting excited about some new cricket stuff coming up soon. How is that possible now we know they're all corrupt? It really is beyond me.

Anyway, I've retreated to my bedroom with the computer and I've been reading some blogs and comments from way back when this all started. And at one point people started blogging jokes - I must have been depressed or something? Maybe I had cancer? Who can remember... but anywho there's a joke about budgies and smelling fish (thank you Newcastle Wench) and I've just realised that I don't understand it. Can anyone explain? Ta. That's all. J x

The South West

Arrived in Cornwall to spend a few days with the Aged Ps looking at gardens and St Ives. We're staying in a gorgeous cottage not far from the Eden Project and the weather, so far, has been lovely. And according to the BBC this morning we may well get away with relatively dry weather. Fingers crossed. The cottage also has free wi-fi - hurrah - and so I should be able to keep you updated with news. Only news at the moment is that DD has landed safely in Minorca and is about to enjoy a free holiday she managed to blag whereas my friend Karen (originally from Scotland, now in Brighton) has managed to gain a temporary promotion to Grade 7 so well done her. That's all. J x

Someone left my cake out in the rain...

Really? How likely is that? Have you baked a cake? And then have you left it outside and forgotten about it? And then its rained. I don't think so. It is a sublime song though. Been to some bars with DD tonight. Big mistake. As always. But I love it and I love her.... That's all. J x

The Day After

So the party was a huge success. Thousands of people. Hundreds of cocktails. Canapes to die for. And a barman who turned up at the door in a soaking wet shirt that clung rather alluringly to him and through which you could see his tattoos. My head hurts today though. Thank you to everyone who came. Hopefully I wasn't rude to anyone. I shall post some photos (if I can remember how to do it) once I get them from the official photographer. I believe there may even be a dvd...! Huge thanks to my party organiser for making it all run so smoothly. That's all. J x

Party Minus One

Well, the flat looks good. And all this rain is washing the terrace. Now all I have to sort is the music - and wouldn't you know it but my iPod chooses this moment to play up. Hey ho. These things are sent to try us... Bed time soon because Frau Party Organiser arrives dead early to make me do loads of last minute things. Oh and my bloody tuxedo doesn't fit because I'm a fat bastard! So its jeans albeit not George at Asda jeans... That's all. J x

Update

The little orange munchkin thinks my flat is the nicest one in City South (he cleans others apparently). I agree. But I bet he says that to all the boys! That's all. J x

Party Minus Two

So, 2 days to go. And my flat is being cleaned by the smallest, campest, orangest gay munchkin one has ever seen! He seems fairly efficient though. Apart from that there's still loads to do and yet my party organiser extraordinaire sails though it all serenely. We've had to change bar staff - the original mixologist has dislocated his shoulder. The replacement seems good though. He mixed me a martini last night that was very tasty indeed. Drinks have been ordered from Asda. Panacea are supplying the glasses (this will truly be a mixed bag party...). Its a shame I won't have my additional wardrobe installed by the time of the party (see below) but c'est la vie.

In other news, London was fab although I'm not a huge fan of Legally Blonde the Musical (despite the fact that I appear to have been ear-wormed by omigodyouguys, one of the songs). Great to see Fig though and we're still best friends which is fab. He did tell me that he'd bumped into an old friend of ours from University days who I haven't seen for ages but he didn't give him my telephone number, just told him to look me up on Facebook. Of course I'd discontinued my Facebook page (never used it really) so now I've had to reinvigorate it just in case he tries to look me up. I hope he does. Would be great to talk to him again.

The wardrobe was a laugh a minute. Went to Ikea ready to purchase (superb staff by the way) only to find they didn't have all the bits and even the bits they did have couldn't be sold because there was a quality stop on them. And even if they could be sold the builder hadn't brought his roof rack for the car anyway! Complete farce. And still loads of stuff lying around the flat that should be in a wardrobe.

Incidentally, the spell check on my computer doesn't recognise the word Asda. And that's why I use an Apple computer... That's all. J x

In London

Been shopping (hurrah), seen the 4th plinth exhibition (I like the enormous blue cock) and now taking a well earned rest before meeting up with young Figster for a night of jollity, musicals and... well, lets leave it there shall we? What else could one possibly want? J x

To London

Off to London. Legally Blonde, Fig, Dover Street... could it get any better? Will report back soon. J x

I'm Turning Japanese...

...who are these strange people with their strange hieroglyphs. And why are they so interested in me and my goings on? I understand why you, dear reader, hang on my every word. Indeed I often do it myself. But the Japanese? I wonder if there is a way to instantly translate what I type in English into hieroglyphs? That would be fun.

Anyway. So what is news? Am currently sat at home awaiting a man to come and measure me up for some shutters. A man called round yesterday and did very little and yet charged me £175 for it. I'd left DD in charge. Say no more. DD and a tradesman in an enclosed space. Doesn't bear thinking about. I bet he was wearing overalls too. They do that up here.

So what else? Went to see Corrie last night (50 years of Coronation Street in 2 hours, live on a stage narrated by Jim McDonald and written by Jonathan Harvey). It should have been pure comedy gold and so it proved. Not the original actors of course but we had 5 people (2 men and 3 women not including Jim McDonald) playing about 50 different characters and they were fantastic. We saw Gail get married 4 times (each time declaring that this time it would be different because she could sense it - naturally it never was). We saw Deirdre and Ken, Deirdre & Mike, Deirdre & Ray as her hair got shorter and shorter. There was a barge, a tram, the ghosts of Elsie and Ena, Hilda and her little brown parcel back from Stan's funeral. We laughed, we cried, we had a stonking good time. If you get a chance, get a ticket.

What else? Went to see the touring production of Les Miserables and was happily surprised. Really enjoyed it. Only bad bit was Eponine who appeared to think she was auditioning for X Factor rather than playing a street urchin.

What else? Went to Swansea, saw the Aged Ps, had fun, got wet, saw lots of cricket and tennis. Ageds are doing fine though you'll all be glad to hear.

Otherwise all quiet on the North Western front. Work is good. Flat will be good once I get shutters installed and get round to ordering a new wardrobe from Ikea. And then its the party - don't ask me, DD is in charge. But before that we have Pride this weekend followed by a weekend in London with the Figster and tickets to Legally Blond. Hurrah. So that's all. J x

Holiday Hey Hey Yeah Holiday

Is that a song? No idea. Do I care? No I don't. Now have a week off work and really looking forward to it. Those who know me may find this fact surprising given my avowed love for my job - but its all been getting a bit on top of me recently. So I'm looking forward to a week off - 2 days in Manchester sorting stuff (as my good friend and party organiser DD would put it) followed by 3 days in Swansea (at least one of which will be spent on a visit to the National Botanic Garden of Wales) followed by a trip to Les Miserables at The Lowry with my good friend Jim. Now those who know me (you know who you are) may well express surprise at these plans since you will have heard me say on many an occasion that I'll never go and see a touring West End show in the provinces again (unless I haven't seen it in the West End first). But I thought "what the hey" how can they ruin a show like The Glums even if they don't have fancy barricades? The songs are so strong that it should be a good show anyway. Well, watch this space, famous last words and all that. I'll let you know. Have to go now and do stuff so that's all. J x

Antiqueing

Is that a word? Should be since its what I did yesterday in Lancaster (nice) and Morecambe (not so nice) with DD & Bryn & Michelle. I bought an old 1940s suitcase. Shall fill it full of old theatre programmes. May start a collection of old suitcase since I have a lot of old theatre programmes. We also had lunch at The Midland in Morecambe and navigated its bizarre rules and regulations regarding the taking of refreshment (times and locations - there are all sorts of rules). Cool place though. Old hotel updated by Urban Splash. Pity they don't run it. Then back to The Midland in Manchester for cocktails. A very nice day.

On leave next week. Back to Swansea on Wednesday and then back up to Manchester on Saturday. That's all. J x

Spring (?) Cleaning

Have spent the entire day cleaning out cupboards. Let no-one tell you I don't lead an exciting life. I did go to Canal Street last night though. That was fun. Well at least it was once we moved off the main drag and away from the hen parties and stag dos. Discovered a new bar down a back street - all very sleazy but it does one good to have a little sleaze in one's life from time to time! That's all. J x

Jokes

Oh, give over. It could be worse, I could be sending these to your mobile phone...

Sign outside an Australian gym (apparently): Fat and ugly? Want to be just ugly?"

Also, on twitter:" Gutted. This bird invited me to a party but I forgot to RSPB".

Thank you, my name's Jonathan and I'm on here for the rest of my life.... J x

50,004

Whoo hoo. Curates egg week. One exam pass. Three (count them) new trainees. Very happy with all that. One (expanded) Leadership Team meeting where everyone behaved like Civil Servants and didn't want to change anything and in any case spent most of the meeting arguing about First Class Travel and how they should be entitled to it. Didn't get half of the stuff done that I should have. Not so happy about these. So there you go. Curates egg. Managed to see DD a great deal which is also good. And went to Toy Story III with Gill & Sara. Not so enamoured with the film but lovely to see the ladies. Party planning carries on apace... That's all. J x

P.S.

DD rained all over my parade on the "really exciting idea for the party" front so its going to be dead boring. Sorry. J x

49790

Not that I'm one to boast but 210 more hits on the blog and we'll have 50,000. That is pretty phenomenal. And I just want to thank you all - including our regular Japanese contributers -for sticking with me for four years. I have now passed the four years since diagnosis point and the four years since the end of treatment point. I think that calls for a vodka martini or four. I'll see what I can rustle up - although obviously not on a school night (my job is precarious enough in this age of austerity). Thank you everyone. I'm not sure I could have done it without you. Here's to four more years (now where have I heard that phrase before?) That's all. J x

Tatton Park

Bloody ace. Was the Halle firework concert tonight. Went with Jane and Bill (as per) and had a fantastic night (as per). Not too many people talking through the music tonight. And even Myleen Klass wasn't too annoying. Have also had an idea for my party which is really exciting. Watch this space... J x

To London & Back

Don't buy the sandwiches on Virgin Trains. They're rubbish apparently. But, All My Sons is fantastic, gripping (thank you Bryn), dramatic (thank you Michelle) and emotional (Denise). Suffice to say we all thoroughly enjoyed it and some of us were moved to tears. Wannamaker and Suchet are class acts and well worth the ticket price. And the Apollo theatre is just charming. And following a random number of vodka martinis we're on the train on the way home. Also have to mention lunch - at Arbutus in Soho. Fabulous restaurant with fabulous food and fabulous (if skinny) staff. Also went and saw the ship in a bottle on the 4th plinth which is a lot of fun. Finally to the Hilton on Trafalgar Square to mix with fabulously stylish people and down a final martini before a mad dash for Euston. Suspect there may be one more drink when we arrive in Manchester... That's all. J x

Shandy Booze

Has anyone seen my wagon? I'm sure I left it around here somewhere... Back on the booze and hungover today. Hey ho, my life is back! That's all. J x

Twitter

So that's what all the fuss is about. Have just signed up and am addicted already. Not that I feel the need to Tweet myself (got the lingo already you see) but it's fascinating just exploring all the people on there - famous, infamous and none of the above. One thing leads to another and you end up spending hours on there with sore thumbs. It's worse than porn! Anyway, won't be tweeting much myself as I have all of you on here to communicate with but it is fun. Leave your twitter stories in comments for us all to share. That's all. J x

Earnest

Went to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the Library Theatre last night. As I'm sure you all know this is the theatre's last production and the theatre company will be sharing facilities at The Lowry before moving to a new permanent home at, hopefully, the Theatre Royal. Its such a shame because I love this little theatre and have seen some brilliant stuff here (Oliver Twist) as well as some rubbish (Rosencrantz & Gulderstern anyone?). Anyway, TIOBE was also their first production here as well as their last and what a fantastic production this was. Lady B was played by a man (hardly original) but it worked really well. A complete surprise when the "a handbag?" comment was delivered as a whisper. The audience virtually gasped - but it works better as an incredulous whisper rather than an over the top declamation. The cast, Algernon apart, were excellent and I laughed like a drain. Really enjoyed it. That's all. J x

Fantastic Day

Great to see Sarah. I miss her old hair though. But she looked lovely and summery in her blue polka-dot dress. And God was it hot. Thanks God for high end shopping and its air conditioning. The Louis Vuitton store was a little disappointing. Given that we've waited for about 2 years whilst they were refurbishing it I'd expected a little more. Some of the mechanised displays were cute though. Did manage to squeeze some shopping in - phew - Gucci, Miyake and Tiffany. And then off to the RA Summer Exhibition which just totally blew me away. What an absolutely brilliant, brilliant show. The hanging was just excellent and the quality of the art was just stupendous. It was my first time and I'm just really annoyed I haven't been before. But will definitely be going next year and every year from now on. The gorilla made out of wire coat hangers was a stand out piece as was the cat in a hat picture and, oooh, just too many others to mention. A nice touch was that the chap who lives opposite my Mum had his picture accepted and I saw it hanging. He'd sketched his idea on an envelope for my Mum so she now owns a valuable piece of original art - which she's very excited about. We had lunch at Dover Street Market (which is the world's trendiest shop) but the broccoli & stilton soup was just a little thick for me. We got kicked out of Vivienne Westwood because I was drinking water. And we sat in the sun in Green Park for half an hour or so. Got home exhausted but satisfied at a day well spent.

Have woken up this morning with no power - for some reason my underfloor heating in the bathroom is causing my trip switch to trip (discovered after hours of turning things on and off and seeing what happened) so now I need to find a bloody electrician.

Football today. DD is going to Barbirollis to watch. Might join her just for the experience - I'm no longer torn as to which country I want to win (I had Slovenia in the office sweep).. That's all. J x

Hot Hot Hot

Have arrived in London and am sat in Caffe Nero on the edge if heaven (Bond Street) awaiting my shopping copine who is running late with a hangover. No such problems chez moi as I am still not drinking. It's the new going out! But God it's hot down here. Let's hope the new Louis Vuitton air conditioning is working... Updates later. That's all for now. J x

And So To London...

Maria was fabulous. An opera with 2 sopranos (one playing Mary Queen of Scots, the other Elizabeth I) who have a terrific fight at the end of the first half (even though they never actually met in real life). Mary refers to Elizabeth as "that bastard child of Anne Boleyn". Apparently the 2 divas in the first ever production got so into the roles that they ended up fighting on the stage. Terrific. Unfortunately in this production, Elizabeth lost her voice and so was absent for the second half. Mary going to her execution was a fabulous aria though.

Off to London to see Sarah tomorrow for the day. We're doing Bond Street in the morning (there's a new Louis Vuitton store just opened - they've spent 2 years refurbishing it) and then off to the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy - there's a gorilla made entirely out of wire coat hangers! How crazy is that?

Travelling First Class, natch, now that HMRC can no longer pay for me to do it. That's all. J x

L'Opera

Off to the opera tonight. Maria Stuarda by Donizetti. No idea what it'll be like but I do like old Donizetti so am hoping to enjoy it. Spent the afternoon mentoring training at the Help Line which was good. Saw Lip Service in the week with Jim (v good). Manchester Day Parade with DD tomorrow. London next Saturday for a spot of shopping (Louis Vuitton has a new store on Bond Street). How did life get so hectic? That's all. J x

Hanging on the Line

So, its time to renew my car insurance. Direct Line very handily send you out a renewal notice that says you doesn't need to do anything to renew, they'll just charge your credit card anyway. Very handy you may think until you notice how much they want to charge you and how its about £300 more than anyone else. So you have to telephone them to tell them not to take the money from your card - and this is where the genius comes in - they keep you hanging on the telephone until you've spent about £300 anyway. Brilliant marketing ploy. Bastards. So here I am listening to the music. Its not even Vivaldi's Four Seasons (which I like) but some weird electronic stuff that's driving me up the wall. I won't be insuring with them again in a hurry... That's all. J x

Not a Lot

Have given up drinking for June. No particular reason but I'm putting on some weight and I had a letter from my liver asking for a rest! Not to be deterred by this handicap I nevertheless attended a wine tasting evening on Friday. Needless to say I tasted some wine (along with a couple of martinis) and so I have given up drinking for "the rest of June" instead... Day 2 and I'm off to a barbecue at DD's place this afternoon. This will be my first test so I'll let you know how it goes.

Absolutely nothing else to report. Although I see that there is a production of Into The Woods taking place at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre so I'll be checking my mate Fig's schedule for that. That's all. J x

Nice Bank Holiday

Following my trip to SATC2 I joined DD to see Four Lions last night. A difficult film in many ways. You found yourself laughing at the jokes but wondering whether you should be laughing or not. Just like a lot of Chris Morris's stuff in fact. Undoubtedly he goes too far sometimes but its difficult to know when that is whilst you're actually watching something. But there's no denying that he's not afraid to tackle difficult subjects...

A somewhat more traditional bank holiday activity today (even though its no longer bank holiday it still is for civil servants as we get an extra day off for the Queen's Birthday - I wonder how long that will last!). Went to a couple of garden centres with Madam and bought plants. Planted them up this afternoon and now awaiting the rain to make them grow. Not rained much at all here today despite the forecast. Back to work tomorrow but at least it will be a short week.

Oh, and I've decided to give up drinking for June. Apart from the one night I'm at a wine tasting obviously. Just want to show myself I can do it (and consume a few less calories too hopefully). That's all. J x

SATC2

Better than you'd think. And some of the guys are gorgeous.... J x

Maybe its because I'm...

... a friend of DD's that I can't remember loads about yesterday! Went to London, had lovely meal in Indigo at One Aldwych followed by War Horse. Enjoyed the play and its really well staged but, as my good friend Jane warned me, you can't get away from the fact that its a kids story. And not a particularly strong kids story. I'm guessing that no-one expected it to be such a success or they might have used it more as an anti-war vehicle which they could have done by developing the darkness a bit more. But then it wouldn't have been for kids.... so you can't win, I guess. Drinks afterwards in Christopher's (Simon Callow no less sat at the other end of the bar - with some complete drunk guy) with Gill & Brian and thence home and to Barbirollis. Hangover from hell today and in this heat have done little today. We find out what £6billion in spending cuts means for HMRC tomorrow. Can hardly wait! That's all. J x

DD is back

I therefore have a hangover this morning.... J x

Lovely Lovely Lovely

Had a fantastic long weekend with young Figster. We saw Carousel (starring the lovely Jim) which was surprisingly good. Not seen it before and it has some nice songs in it. Saw A Chorus Line on Saturday which Fig actually enjoyed (having always professed to hating it previously). Not a huge audience though which was a bit disappointing. Off to Napoleaons afterwards for the usual tranny-fest. Sunday was a recovery day spent (mainly) in front of the Playstation with a brief outing to The Whitworth art gallery to see the Wallpaper exhibition - which is very good. Monday we traipsed over to the Tate in Liverpool only to discover it doesn't open on a Monday. I was really annoyed by this. A major attraction in a major city should not close on a Monday. It just smacks of old style thinking if you ask me. We live in the 21st century everybody. My taxes pay for you to be open so you owe it to me to be open. And that's all I have to say on the matter. Also some more Playstation. Fig left this morning and I've been clearing up/playing the Playstation! Not back to work until Thursday so I shall spend some time tomorrow clearing out my hall cupboard. Oh what an exciting life I lead. Its been a great break though and fantastic to spend some time with my best Southern mate. That's all. J x

Je Suis Arrivee

Have landed, voted, shopped, picked up dry cleaning and had a hair cut. Phew. I'm looking forward to Fig's visit just for the rest and relaxation... NOT! Am now settling down for a night in front of the election - keep an eye out for Fig on't telly everyone as he's at the count in Brighton counting all those Labour votes as Greens... Come on Nick! That's all. J x

We Can See Clearly Now

It seems the ash cloud has cleared and that flights are leaving Faro as normal (flightstats.com has my plane taking off 13 minutes late but landing in Manchester on time). It seems Figgy and I will get to experience the joy that is A Chorus Line after all. I bet he's wetting himself with the excitement of it all. The only disappointment in all this is that I had to miss the visit of the delightful Ms Ferguson to Manchester. Still there'll be another time I'm sure given all the important work she does... See you soon England! J x

Bloody Third World Countries

That's Portugal and Iceland by the way. Portugal because my phone doesn't work here - no idea why. And Iceland because that bloody volcano may marroon me here. Which would mean missing lovely Figgy's visit. We'll see. Fingers crossed. Weather is bloody gorgeous though... That's all. J x

Welcome Back

Well hello peeps. Sorry for the absence which is partly explained by a broken mother board (whatever that is) and the need for my laptop to spend a little time in rehab. Still, nice to see that my friends who write in characters are keeping everyone up to date.

Loads has happened but I won't bore you all with it here. Of late though... Have been watching the Leaders' debates. Very interesting. I'm a big Nick Clegg fan. Good for him for sticking to his guns on the immigration thing and not pandering to the bigots out there. Am off to Portugal on Sunday and then back on Thursday because Figgy arrives on Friday. The usual theatre, bars and debauchery are lined up.

Went to a conference on Employee Engagement at Haydock Park Racecourse yesterday. Fantastic venue and some really interesting presenters and concepts. Assuming I keep my job through this latest restructuring I will have lots of new approaches to try out on my trainees.

Now have to spend 2 days cleaning to get the flat into some sort of shape for Fig but may post again before I go. Won't be taking the computer with me but I may blog from abroad on my iPhone. That's all for now. J x

Back in Manc

Dreadful journey back. Traffic, road works and accidents. Took 6 and a half hours (normally 5 with a stop). Luckily had my new best friend, Lady Gaga, to keep me company. Just bought her 2 first albums and I simply love her music. Probably impossible to get hold of tickets for her Manchester concert now but I may try. Anyway, back home and straight to get my hair cut followed by martinis, Mad Men and catch up with DD. Then a day off Friday doing nothing and then out to see Alice in the evening followed by a meal at Barbirollis with DD, Bryn & Michelle. A good time had by all but I was rather disappointed with Alice. Mr Burton seems a little samey these days imho. Barbirollis was quiet but good all the same. However, I fear its days may be numbered. They were having problems with their card machine 2 days in a row so it was cash only. Hmmm.....

Nothing on the cards at the moment for today but lets see what the day brings.... That's all. J x

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

The Big Smoke

So. Suffering from a cold. As is my Dad. And yet we're all off to London tomorrow. What a sensible plan... Assuming we all survive, we're hoping to see Enron tomorrow night. I'm really excited about it but don't really know what to expect. Its had really good reviews though so I'll let you know. Then its of to Van Gough at the Royal Academy on Sunday. I'm not a huge fan but it sounds an interesting angle (its based on his letters) and Mum will like it so hopefully the whole family will get something out of the weekend. I'll let you know how it all went after Monday. That's all. J x

A Fortnight

Too long I know, but have been v busy. Of course, can't remember a thing I've done. Obviously there have been drinks with DD and various other disreputable characters along the way. Highlights include -

Buying 2 wardrobes today. I have finally given up the ghost of walk-in clothes and settled for wardrobes. Am hoping to have a range of various styles and periods of closet.

Book group was fun although not overly impressed with the soup selection at San Rocco. There was minestrone or a vegetable soup with pasta (which wasn't minestrone apparently!).

Da Vinci exhibition was useless - no Da Vinci!

Went to see A Prophet at the Cornerhouse. In French and in a jail. Could it be any more depressing?

And other stuff that I'm sure will come back to me as soon as I finish typing. Not feeling 100% today. Think I may be coming down with a cold which is a pain. On the plus side I'm no longer having my wound "packed" so I can change the dressings myself which saves a lot of time and effort. Need to go back in a week or so to get (hopefully) final sign-off. Work OK at the moment, not too many problems. Will try and do better in next post when feeling a little better. Oh, 2 valentines - Fig & Karen (and I didn't send her one this year - I thought we'd stopped doing it when she settled down - too late now though, happy V Day anyway honey, the card is fab-u-lous). Figs is a little less glittery and more tasteful but also lovely all the same. Happy V Day to you too honey (and don't forget you need to let me know about Jim's Carousel thing). That's all. J x

Come On Eileen

Yes, its that time of year again. Burns Night. Which means that the traditional Scottish spectacle of me and Denise dancing to Dexy's Midnight Runners takes place. Yes, its hard work, but someone has to do it. The crowds expect it and we're hardly the people to disappoint an audience. It was Maggie's Cancer Research benefit Burn's Night supper last night. Yes, Jenny from next door was there and she was auctioning off Coronation Street memorabilia but it was really me and Denise that the people came to see. We did not disappoint (although who exactly requested that they play Come On Eileen is still a mystery).

Before that it was a retirement do lunch time at the new Lime cocktail bar - Sub Lime, I know - which is actually very nice and there were loads of old faces to catch up with.

Had a fabulous night at the cancer do actually even though it was in Flixton. Bryn & Michelle were there of course as was Jo and Cal who are just the nicest people. And Jenny and Chris were sat on our table so I got to chat to them too which was nice. They're very pleasant people.

And then me and DD stopped off at our new favourite best bar on the way home (Barborollis - sp?) where the lovely Tom served us and flirted with us like mad. Clearly after a tip... and again we did not disappoint. Feel like shit today though obviously. But DD's off for a weekend in Guildford so it will be a nice quiet couple of days for me so I can get over the festivities.

Apart from that work is fine, the wound appears to be healing OK and the sun is actually shining. That's all. J x

So Its Been A While

Apologies for that. I'm doing OK (health-wise) although still getting my dressings changed every other day. It cocks up your working day (particularly if it takes place in the middle of the day) but it can't be helped. It does seem to be getting slowly better which is encouraging. Am seeing the experienced nurse again on Monday so will hopefully get an update (I can rely on) then.

The last week was good (only 2 long days) and capped off with drinks in The Midland with the gang. Went to the cinema this afternoon with Gill to see Avatar. Had to queue for ages to get a ticket - its been on for ages so must be making a pretty penny if its still this popular now. Was nice to look at and I didn't hate it but it won't ever be in my top ten films.

Have just purchased 3 separate versions of The Lion Sleeps Tonight on ITunes tonight. What a fantastic song it is (check me out on Facebook for a video of a hippo singing the song - there's also a dancing dog!). But none of them were by Tight Fit. This latter doesn't appear to be available anywhere which is a crying shame.

Mrs T has acquired a rescue dog called Milly. Have been sent a photo but no reports on how she is settling in. I'm guessing she's eaten most things in the house by now...

Long Time No See

After my recent rash of posts I appear to have reverted to type and resumed my weekly schedule. This is probably just a sign that I'm getting better so we should look on it as a positive development. So what have I been up to? Well I've done 5 days in work albeit 2 of them were in the Manchester office and they were all short days.

Dressing changes worked OK although the nurse I was supposed to see (the one who has actual experience of changing dressings) has gone sick and I had to see the inexperienced one. Luckily I have enough experience in these matters for both of us and I was able to talk her through what needed to be done.

Had a cup of coffee and a catch up with Gill on Friday which was good as I haven't seen her for ages. She is well you'll all be pleased to know. Friday was also a trip to the Royal Exchange for Blithe Spirit with Lesley & Mike. Fantastic play (better on stage than on film I think) but we had rubbish seats. Luckily this didn't matter too much as Annette Badlands (a very different Madame Arcarti) and Suranne Jones were superb. Met DDD for drinks afterwards naturally...

Saturday was a dinner party at DDD's with various chums. She had worked her socks off as usual and the result was magnificent. We all had a really good time (ta chuck).

Busy cleaning and changing beds and stuff today and also trying to get my new phone to sync with my computer (now sorted). And that's all the news I think... J x

Same Old Same Old

So I had to access NHS services again on Sunday and once again they failed miserably. I went to the new NHS walk-in-centre in Boots on Cross Street in order to get my wound dressing changed only to be told that they had no nurses working because the one nurse who was due to be on was sick. What sort of service is that? Bloody awful service is the answer. They did have 2 receptionists working though which considering that there was no-one in the place seemed somewhat excessive. So we (DDD was with me of course) had to trek to the MRI where they have a properly staffed walk-in-centre and wait for an hour to be seen.

Better news this morning though as my GP's practice has agreed to take responsibility for my wound dressings and I only have to have them changed every other day which is handy (and, presumably, a sign that things are getting better).

Went back to work today (albeit in Manchester as things are still slippery in Warrington). There appears to have been a bit of a thaw today though so will attempt Warrington tomorrow. Will be doing short days for a while though.

Best news of all though is that I now have a new mobile. If anyone reading this hasn't received my new number yet then leave a message here and I'l text it to you. That's all for now. J x

Hello Manchester!

I'm back. Yoo hoo. Journey was completely uneventful. Train even arrived early into Manchester where I was met by the delectable DDD who carried my bags for me. She's also cooking for me and the gang tonight. Fabbo.

Arrived home to 2 nice surprises. The first was a gift from Fig (he is just so nice and knows me so well, thank you honey) and the other was a phonecall from Orange to say there was no problem with my credit and of course I can have a phone. Duh. So why not just sell me one in the first place? Bloody madness.

Anyway, tomorrow will be busy - to Boots NHS walk-in for a dressing change, thence to Heals with DDD to look at some furniture she's spotted in the sale, to Orange for a fancy schmancy new phone and no doubt to a bar to celebrate all the above. I can barely wait!. That's all. J x

P.S. Bloody cold up here though. Roll on summer (its already getting lighter every night)...

Tickets Booked!

At 1055 tomorrow I will embark on my journey to the land of no cricket. Also the the land of no "New Tricks" (which we watched last night) and no "The Hustle" (which is being watched as I type). Hurrah. I must confess I shall rather miss the marathon antique-watching-fest that comprises Dickinson's Real Deals, Cash In The Attic, Bargain Hunt and Flog It. We don't watch it all of course as most of it is too tedious for words (who wants to hear about the participants' dreary lives?). No, we pre-record it all and then just fast-forward to the exciting auction stuff.

Arriva Trains Wales assure me that they have no journey disruptions while poor old First Great Western have a tree on the line between here and Bristol. So its the middle-of-Wales, stop everywhere, two carriage, boxes of chickens train for me. Hurrah. Not. They just better have some heating on that train...

And that's all for now. But have just spoken to DDD and she's made soup so its straight round to hers for soup and champagne tomorrow.... J x

Fig Works Magic

Following Fig's comment on my last post my GP's nurse has now agreed to see me on Monday and to discuss a plan for going forward (she seems to think I'm the responsibility of the District Nurse). But hey, its progress of sorts. I like to think that Gordon Brown read Fig's comment and took time out from urging his cabinet colleagues to support him to get in touch with the Health Secretary (whoever that is - I should really find out so I can use his/her name as a threat) to contact my GP. Thank you Fig, you're a dear.

Other news: we drew the cricket. That's good apparently. But f you ask me it just shows what a parlous state this country is in when we celebrate a draw. Are we no longer a country of winners?

Forecast looking OK for Saturday train ride but you try finding out details of cancelled trains - impossible! Will have to leave it until Saturday morning and phone just before I go. I suspect any problems are likely to be at the Manchester end rather than the Welsh one. Apparently it was minus 18 degrees in Greater Manchester last night. That's cold. We'll see. Matters aren't helped by having no mobile phone as I won't be able to contact anyone whilst I'm on the train. I should probably get hold of a pay as you go one tomorrow. But can you imagine? Suppose someone sees me using a cheap phone? The horror!

That's all for now. Still enjoying Nurse Jackie whatever DDD says. J x

Bloody Shambles

It seems that no-one wants to take responsibility for me in Manchester. My GP says that they don't have the supplies (dressings) to attend to my wounds and directed me to a walk-in-centre in Ancoats. They said that the system changed six weeks ago and directed me back to my GP who then promptly referred me to the walk-in-centre in Boots in town who said they only had enough dressings for one visit and I should try A&E! Are they out of their minds? I'd have to start queuing again as soon as I'd been seen in order to make sure of being seen again within 24 hours. I'd end up living there like Tom Hanks in that film (obviously without falling in love with a woman). Although I am rather loving Nurse Jackie...

And don't even get me started on the information available on train services...

More news as I get it.... J x

Snow on Snow

Yes, it snowed again last night. Its quite deep now - 3 inches maybe? Luckily the roads have now been gritted so I was able to make it to the nurse this morning to get my dressings changed. Things looking pretty much the same so I think we're in this for the long haul. Hopefully won't stop me from going back to work though. I just dread to think how many e-mails I must have by now!

Will need to put dressing changes in place in Manchester for next week including a District Nurse for Sunday. Will phone practice later today.

Cricket grinds on. And on. Looks like South Africa might win this test. As if anyone cares... That's all for now. Except to say that I've started watching Nurse Jackie on BBC2. Its really good. Worth a look I'd say. You can get the first 2 episodes on iPlayer. J x

Snow!

A ton of snow just fell out of the sky onto Swansea. Quite thick everywhere. Local school was closed (lots of kids walking home throwing snowballs at each other). Cancelled nurse appointment as it looked as though roads would quickly become impassable. Has now stopped snowing and whilst it has settled heavily everywhere the road still looks clear-ish. Perhaps its because the temperature isn't below freezing at the moment? Anyway, will see if I can rearrange the appointment for this afternoon now.

Am now thinking that it might be easier to get the train home on Saturday. It would mean leaving some stuff in Swansea and since I'm not allowed to lift stuff I'd have to be put on the train and collected at the other end. Its easier for everyone than driving though. And it only costs £27. But its a nightmare journey - 2 carriages, 4 and a half hours and 16 stops. Hey ho, it doesn't happen every day. That's all for now. Will post again later. J x

Nothing Did

That's all. J x

Exciting Day

Not really. Lots of cricket and tennis. Whoop de doo.

However, did speak to practice nurse this afternoon and she did say it would be alright for me to go back to work next week providing I did half days (which works well with the need to get dressings changed once a day). Hurrah! Manchester here I come... weather permitting of course (more of this as the week progresses).

Also spoke to various people from work this morning so there are arrangements in place to cover all eventualities for this week. Phew.

Phone still not working. Boo. May have to get cheap pay as you go thing to tie me over until O2 contract expires if Orange aren't willing to play ball. Me! With a cheap phone! Oh the indignity of it all...

That's all for now. More later if anything exciting happens on a sporting field anywhere... J x

Bloody Cricket

Its still on. How is this possible? I'm sure we won something the other day. So why are we still playing? It doesn't make any sense. But the bloody game doesn't make any sense anyway. Its soooo boring. Still the Ageds are happy.

Wound seems a little improved. The nurse is only "packing" two out of the three open bits of the scar now which I think is an improvement. Seeing the practice nurse from here on in which is better because I have fixed appointments to see her. With the District Nurse you just have to hang around until he or she turns up (so far anytime from 1030 to 1430).

Actually made it out of the house today. Whoo hoo! Was going to walk to the local shop but the pavements are still a bit dodgy here (we had heavy snow on New Year's Day) and I didn't want to risk falling over with an abdominal wound. So Dad drove me there. Nice to get out even so. Am going to the big shops tomorrow (Tesco) as appointment with nurse is not until 1500.

Plan now is to come back up to Manchester on Saturday. I won't be able to drive myself (I can do it physically but a) I haven't got my car down here and, b) I wouldn't be covered by insurance for driving so soon after an abdominal operation). So the Ageds will drive me to the M50/M5 interchange and DD will pick me up from there to complete my journey into the Northern lands. I may still be needing wound dressing changes but I will get these done in Manchester rather than in Swansea. Hopefully I'll be able to start back in work on the Monday even if it is only part-days. I'll take the decision on Wednesday probably subject to any medical advice. And that's all for now except to say that I spoke to young Figgis today. Which was nice. J x

Twenty Ten

Happy New Year dear readers. Hope yours was as enjoyable as mine. We spent a very merry time in a cottage in Swansea with food and drink and good company and I really enjoyed myself. A big thank you goes out to DD, Bryn & Michelle for making it happen. Of course it didn't get me out of playing New Year's games only this year it was Snakes & Ladders (from a cracker - rubbish), and the post-it-note-game (took me ages to get Humphrey Bogart). Aged Ps were even less successful at their card games - losing 40p each.

The phone is showing some signs of life but no lighting so you have to hold the screen at a particular angle to the light in order to be able to read anything on it. Not very satisfactory but does hold out the prospect of it perhaps being repaired rather than needing to get a new one. However there may be damage that I can't see or hasn't become apparent yet and so a repair may be a waste of time. Need to have a think about that one.

Wound carries on apace with little visible signs of improvement. Fingers crossed that things are improving though because the antibiotics course ends tomorrow. I'll keep you informed. That's all for now because I hear mother calling which means there are chores that need a-doing... J x

Oh God

Triffids were rubbish. Bad script, bad story-line, bad direction. Lots of money thrown at it though. It needed more time in my opinion in order to build characters, story and fill in the background. It was all too superficial for my liking. I too remember the original being dead scary and it would be interesting to see it now to see how it stands up to a modern viewing.

And as for my bloody phone. I have 3 months left on my O2 contract and the cancellation fee is "the rest of your line rental payments". This is obviously less than £342 so I resolved to cancel and take out a new contract with Orange (who also do iPhones). Only Orange refused to accept me as a customer. Me! I couldn't believe it. They said I had a dodgy credit rating. How the hell did they work that out? Of course they can't just tell me I have to write to them (which I'll have to do using my Manchester address) which means I can't find out until I get back to Manchester and therefore I'll have to spend my time in Swansea phoneless. Quelle horreur! I can't risk getting refused by other operators either as this will all show up on my credit risk record. Bloody pain in the arse.

Had dressing changed by the District Nurse today and it looked a bit better to me. Apparently exudate (oozing to you and me) is to be expected with all wounds which is comforting.

Off to a cottage by the sea tomorrow evening so may not have time to blog so I'l take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Happy New Year and see you all again in 2010. That's all. J x

Why Is It Never Easy?

So, in order to get a new phone I went into the O2 shop and explained to the surly youth therein what had happened to which the response was that it will cost me £342 to buy a new phone and then I can swap the SIM card over. £342! Is he completely stark raving mad? The O2 shop is right next door to the Orange shop where they have an iPhone in the window with the word "free" in really big capital letters just above it. So I just walked out. Unfortunately, because I hadn't been prepared for the aforementioned surly youth's response I was not in possession of all the information I needed to enable me to simply tell him I was strolling next door to see his mates in the Orange shop. What I needed to know (and didn't) was where I am in my IPhone/O2 contract and how much longer it has left to run. I was so annoyed that I wasn't going to ask him and so vowed to look the information up online when I got home.

And this is where it gets difficult. To find out information about one's O2 account one needs to log onto the O2 site. Well I didn't know what my username and password were (I haven't used the site since I first bought the phone) but it wouldn't let me re-register ("you already have an account"). So I tried every combination of username and password I've ever used but none of them worked. Luckily there's a button you can click if you've forgotten them but this gets you the message "the details have been sent to your phone". BUT I CAN'T GET INTO MY BLOODY PHONE YOU MORONS! And of course the original contract is hidden away somewhere in Manchester. Aaaaaargh. So I tried the helpline (10 minutes of "you are in a queue" and I gave up). Finally, I've emailed them but they only promise a reply in 24 hours. If nothing is forthcoming I'll just go and sign on with Orange anyway (2 for 1 on cinema tickets on Wednesdays) and sort the rest out later. Its still going to be cheaper than bloody £342.

Also saw the local GP today (he agrees with the District Nurse that the wound will take longer to heal than I'd hoped) and I got a prescription and a sick note for another 2 weeks. The practice nurse re-did my dressing but I wasn't too happy with her hygiene precautions although I didn't say anything. Bloody annoyed with myself about that too (no comments please DD).

And then I learn from DD that they're all coming down for NYE anyway whether I want to join them or not. Pleased and annoyed at the same time. Its complicated so please don't ask me to explain it.

And that's about it for now. Second episode of Day of the Triffids about to come up. Lets hope the script is a bit better in the second half than it was in the first. Great production values though. But it must be impossible to come up with plants that move and look threatening at the same time. And what's with all the dripping "saliva" stuff? Too much like Aliens that bit. And now that really is all... J x

Disaster Strikes! Twice in One Day!!

Firstly the District Nurse (still no sign of Nerys) informs me this morning that my wound probably won't heal properly for another 2 weeks. I'd been hoping to be going back to Manchester on 02/01 and back to work on 04/01. Clearly that isn't going to happen with an open pus-oozing wound (sorry for getting so graphic there). It also means that my lovely friends' lovely plan for NYE won't happen either. DD, Bryn & Michelle (god bless 'em) were planning to come down to Swansea for NYE to take me out drinking so that I might escape the horror that is "NYE Games Night" at the Aged residence. This won't happen now either since a NYE outfit that includes a pus-oozing open wound is not a good look for me. But what a nice idea it was. We'll have to have a separate celebration back in Manchester once I'm well enough.

And if that wasn't enough I've now just put my mobile phone through the washing machine and its died. Luckily I have all my contact details stored on my computer so it will just be a case of transferring them onto a new phone. But it means buying a new phone. I suppose though that it is an opportunity to get a new iPhone 3GS rather than the regular one. Thinking about it though I'll probably stick to the regular one simply because it has everything I need and I don't particularly want to be able to film video with my phone.

So, regular readers, if you've sent me a text I haven't replied to (and you need a reply to it) I'm afraid you'll just have to re-send it once I get the new phone (watch this space). That's all for now. J x

Who?

Very good I thought. Although once all the bloody time lords come back from the dead there seems little left to do with the franchise. It'll be interesting to see how the new team cope and where they go with it.

Had my wounds dressed by a young female District Nurse this morning who again wasn't Nerys Hughes. Very sweet though although she had somewhat overdone the fake tan. Possibly lees oozing from the wound but if that is the case it was very marginal. Will have to wait a few days I think before any measurable progress in the ooze flow takes place. Or not.

Apart from that nothing to report. Cricket is back on the telly so very little family interaction taking place. Still. It can't go on for ever. Can it? That's all. J x

Forgot to say...

...Dr Edwards' first name was not "gorgeous" but rather Gray. Dr Gray Edwards. How Holly wood is that? At least he could be a film star... J x

Not Nerys Hughes

Despite this being Wales the District Nurse was not the above named actress. Who knew? In fact the DN was a (not unattractive) man who needed to affirm his heterosexuality by talking non-stop about his kids (so why are you working Xmas Day then eh?). As if I was in any state to jump him anyway...

Anyway, wounds now dressed (although not to Dr Edwards standard) the family were able to proceed to the present opening frenzy that passes for Xmas morning in this house including a treasure hunt round the house for my final present (a beautiful globe) organised by my mother (who else?). And thence to lunch (I have some stuff mashed up with gravy).

Now about to have a doze prior to Dr Who. May blog later but that's all for now. J x

Famous Last Words

So having blogged that I was going to rest and heal I promptly got infected and then taken back into hospital in Swansea. Facilities and mobile reception not as good as Manchester so was unable to blog. Fairly serious wound infection and therefore I had to be kept in for IV antibiotics - at one stage it looked as though I might have to have another operation and stay in over Xmas. Luckily they've let me out but I still have 10 days worth of antibiotics to take and daily visits from a District Nurse to change my dressings (including a visit tomorrow morning).

Morriston hospital is awful and I don't like the nurses - more interested in gossip and chatting to each other than in caring for/interacting with patients. Not one of them introduced themselves to me and none of them wear name badges so I had to ask each and every one of them their name. Not good service. To be fair there were one or two who seemed to know what they were doing but they were definitely a minority.

Spent the first night on a trolley due to the unavailability of beds. The nurses were also generally slow in coming forward with the painkillers which is a definite black mark in my book. Luckily the Aged Ps managed to smuggle in some ibuprofen for me so I was able to self-medicate when needed (don't do this at home kids as its potentially dangerous - I feel qualified to do it though through extensive exposure to both hospitals and drugs).

The doctors however were lovely - including the 23 year old who admitted me. 23! Mind you, he looked about 12 and so it was a relief to find out he had actually qualified as a doctor. And Mr Hare Krishnan (I kid you not) was my consultant. Lovely man. Kept putting his hand on my knee for some reason... But Dr G Edwards was the star. I think his first name was Gorgeous. He was beautiful, mid 30s, fabulous body and a bedside manner to swoon over. I liked him even when he was probing my wounds.

So they let me out this afternoon and now I'm back in the hands of the Ageds (thank God). I've had to temporarily register with their GP here in order to access the District Nurse services and I'll need to get some antibiotics on prescription. In view of this I've decided to stay in Swansea whilst I take the antibiotics and come back up to Manchester on 02/01/10. It means missing Leeds with the gang for NYE which is a real shame but can't be helped. And that's us all caught up.

I'll just take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year and hope that for everyone 2010 is better than 2009. That's all. J x

True to my Word...

...I am now blogging from Swansea. Journey was good all things considered. Very tiring though and painful by the end. Tramadol appears to work well although it does give one very vivid dreams (I was running an Italian restaurant in Spain last night). Now have to weigh up my pain thresholds against the street value of the tramadol (brand name Zydol - anyone know what this is worth in the clubs these days?).

Anyway, next few days are going to be spent in a drug-induced stupor doing very little whilst I let myself heal. Rest assured I'll let you know if anything (as opposed to anything exciting) happens.

Incidentally, weighed myself this morning and I appear to have lost about 6lbs. Not nearly enough for all this trauma... That's all. J x

Tram-Alam-A-Ding-Dong-Drugs

Those lovely lovely people at the GP place have now given me tramadol. Apparently its so good its addictive and puts you in a coma. Sounds like my type of drug....

Had a really bad day today. Was crying with the pain this morning - mainly, it has to be said, because I cocked up my drug taking schedule and had to endure a drug free window to get me back on schedule. The addition of tramodol to my pharmacopeia (who knew it was spelt like that?) means this shouldn't occur again. Hooray. Plus, presumably, the pain levels start to go down at some point.

Nurse said my wounds were looking good and removed most of the dressings. Pain feels mostly internal now anyway and the nurse prodded my stomach and said that it felt "hard" because of the internal bruising. I asked her about the 5 sit-ups a month I do but she thought this unlikely to be a contributory factor. She also advised me to stop paying my gym subscription but I told her I wasn't ready to let myself go completely to seed just yet.

So we have decided to set off on our journey back in time, sorry I mean to Swansea, tomorrow. This has resulted in me slaving over a hot pile of Xmas cards this evening until my fingers bled (nasty things paper cuts). And that rounds me off. Jack all on telly apart from cricket which the Ageds are transfixed by. Still the weather looks nice down there. Heres hoping we don't get stranded in a snow drift somewhere on the M6 when I will be the first to get eaten on account of my flesh now being addictive and putting you in a coma. That's all. Next blog probably from Swansea. J x

They Shaved My Left Thigh

Why? I can understand them shaving my stomach, after all they were going to be poking all manner of strange instruments through it and then ripping it brutally open with a meat hook. A rusty meat hook. But my left thigh? Was this a case of those mistaken identities one reads about in the cheaper weeklies? Was I close to having my left leg amputated? Is there a no win/no fee lawyer who can help get me compensation?

Of course I've now had to shave the rest of my left leg and my entire right leg in order to get the balance right. As a consequence I've been asked to take over from Alan Sugar who's playing the Dame in Manchester's pantomime. Its Snow White and the Seven Apprentices (they're changing it to Apprentici when I take over as I think it sounds classier). Sorry, I've no idea where that stream of consciousness came from nor, indeed, where it was headed so lets just leave it there.

Today's news. Got up. Still in pain. Laid on sofa. Still in pain. Had a shower and got wound dressings wet (again). Pain levels not affected. I can't even say its getting slowly better because it doesn't feel any better at all. And its worse in the afternoon and evenings. Looking forward to receiving an independent assessment of how things are looking "down there" when I see the GP nurse tomorrow. I don't particularly seem to be oozing so I'm assuming its all going OK. I will, of course, let you know. DD coming over later to watch Gavin & Stacey so I'l try and put my happy hat on by then but its not easy....

That's all. J x P.S. Sarah in Sussex is safe and warm in case anyone was worried.

Can't believe I'm doing this...

... and my mother will kill me since she isn't here (at lunch somewhere, natch). But I'm going to open the box live on air. OK, here I go - off to the bedroom first to retrieve aforesaid mysterious box. Right I have the box in front of me. Bugger. There's selotape so I'm going to need some scissors (luckily due to aforesaid painful wounds I am unable to run). Got scissors. Having a little trouble with the packaging - a good sign as clearly not already been robbed by the postman (strange considering I have a Hulme postcode). Box now open and there are.... a card and multiple presents ladies and gentlemen. All wrapped in precious metal(lic) papers.... Card is lovely and wishes me a Happy Christmas and a speedy recovery and - you're not going to believe this - there appear to be precious stones adorning the card. Certainly something is twinkling at me which just puts me in mind of the cheery twinkly smiles of the Ts and the spotty dog.

Now for the presents, smallest first (there are two before you start worrying you'll give over the rest of your life to this narration)... it's a... "When I grow up I want to be a notorious homosexual" coffee mug mat. That did indeed bring a smile to my face (I'm still smiling as I type this) but is, of course, rather presumptuous. Whoever said I want to grow up? And just to add to the pedophiliac associations of homosexuality there's a picture of a young boy on the mat (albeit he is wearing clothes).

Present number two.... also in precious paper.... I bet you're feeling all the excitement out there in blog-land aren't you dear readers? Ow. It hurts when I laugh. This time its a bauble. A pink bauble. With a crown on it. And the words glitter queen written in your actual glitter. Its uncanny. Anyone would think this woman knows me.

Thank you dear Ts, you did indeed bring a smile to my face and a shot of pain to my wounds. And who could ask for anymore than that? I shall hang my bauble immediately. It will, indeed, be the only decoration I have this year (doctor's said I'm not to stretch).

That's all. J x

And Lo, it came from the East

Well, the North East actually. A mysterious parcel bedecked with all manner of precious metals and precious stones. Well, actually, its in one of those boxes you can buy over the counter at the Post Office. And there's no precious metals or stones (or are there?). I have yet to open this mysterious box signed only as "From The Ts". Which I suppose is slightly less mysterious than having it signed from the ETs...

Anyway not opened it yet as I'm guessing its some sort of winterval gift (how can my spellcheck not know that word? Is there not some "diverse language" button I can click somewhere?). Should it not be such a gift then perhaps someone out there in blog land can advise me what I should do. Should I open the box? Is there anyone out there..... (fades on suitably Twilight Zone music). J x

Free at Last

Well it took a little longer than initially hoped but I'm now back home. I'm still covered with loads of dressings and an oozing drain site but everything looks OK from the operation point of view. I don't however recommend getting stuck on the short stay ward of the Elective Treatment Centre over a weekend. I was the only one in my bay on Saturday and for most of Sunday and there are no TVs. Mobile reception is dodgy because of the proximity to the operating theatres (apparently) and if you have the sort of wound that makes it difficult to move around you'll go stir crazy. God I was bored. And the wound hurts like hell if I move - but I guess that's true of any abdominal wound because you pretty much use your stomach muscles every time you move (as I'm finding out). The morphine helped of course but it wasn't as good as before. Either there are the words "drug seeking" emblazoned on my file somewhere which means they're giving me weaker doses or I'm just over morphine. Either way hospital isn't as much fun as it used to be. And I had some bastard nurses this time. I had to wait an hour and a half for painkillers one day. Not a happy bunny.

So that's dealt with the hospital stay (thank you very much by the way for all your good wishes - they make a huge difference). As to the reason my gall bladder was in a mess the answer is we don't know yet. Obviously I'm hoping its not cancer. It may just have been an infection. Either way we won't know until the histology is returned in a week or two. If its worrying they'll phone me straight away. I have to report to my local GP nurse for a wound check on Friday and then its off to Swansea and Christmas. I'm looking forward to it. No other news at present but now I'm out I'll try and keep you updated regularly. Tha's all. J x

Last Day...

...with my gall bladder.

Had a Christies appointment this morning. That all went fine and I'm now on 6 monthly call backs. The consultant (a new chap, quite dishy) said that I just have a couple more appointments to go and then I can be "released". I asked him what happens after that and how many people go on to redevelop the cancer. He said that he couldn't put a figure on it but it was less than one per cent. That'll do me nicely I thought.

Aged Ps sont arrivés... No major rows yet though. Still, its early days. They're both well, which is good. Mother is terrified though that she'll end up having to spend Xmas in Manchester because I won't be fit enough to travel before then. I think she's also a little worried by the fact that my telly isn't working properly at the moment so she hasn't got access to Flog It, Cash in the Attic, Bargain Hunt et al. Still, at least she doesn't watch Jeremy Kyle!

Hospital dentist this afternoon which should be fine and then dinner at Fellicinis avec the aforesaid Ageds and Manchester's most famous retired person, DD. I'm then off to DDs to watch Gavin & Stacey whilst the Ageds come back to the flat.

Early start in the morning. Have to check in at MRI at 0700 but Ma & Pa won't come with me as there is little point in them being there before the main event. They can visit in the afternoon/evening and then they'll pick me up Saturday morning to bring me home.

As ever I will try to blog from the hospital bed and keep y'all up to date with matters medical. That's all. J x

Shopped...

... caught up and managed 3 martinis as well. A lovely afternoon/evening and a lovely new coat. Train ride home uneventful. Stuff to do today - shopping (B&Q), study (more Developing Confident Managers stuff) and present wrapping (all needs to be done before Aged Ps arrive). That's all. J x

And Now...

... they've changed the date of my pre-op. It should have been Monday afternoon but will now be Friday afternoon - yes, that's right, the afternoon of Miss DD's Great Escape party. Hey ho, I'll just have to run from the hospital all the way to Mojo with surgical instruments still protruding from my body. I'm not missing the Escape party (I'm on the tunnel building rota!).

Off to Leeds today to spend some time with the lovely colleagues I trained with when we first joined HMRC all those years ago (nearly 17 years ago actually). Sarah H, Sarah W and Donna. Obviously I trained with more than three other people but they're the loveliest! Looking forward to some serious catching up, cocktails and maybe a little shopping. That's all. J x

On Again Off Again

Sorry for delay in blogging but I was awaiting definite news. Last week I had a letter from the hospital asking me to telephone them to confirm that I was fine for the date of my gall bladder operation and in the same post (albeit dated a day later) was a letter telling me the operation had been cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances". The letter continued "rest assured that as soon as a new date becomes available I will contact you again". I was really angry because, first of all - get your act together, and secondly I'd already put loads of arrangements in place as to how I was going to manage all this. And thirdly, didn't they care that I may drop to the floor writhing in agony at any second? (oh please, allow me my drama queen moment)

So I tried telephoning Clare (Mr Li's - my surgeon - secretary) but she doesn't work Fridays. And then she wasn't in yesterday. Finally got to speak to her today and its all back on again now for the original date. Talk about breweries and piss ups. But I'm glad we're back on track. Luckily I hadn't undone all the arrangements I'd put in place so its not too bad. I was really depressed over the weekend though which I think was down to this. Anyway, feel much better now although of course there's never enough time to do everything. Got another of those bloody week long course things next week which means loads of pre-reading (16 hours this time which I suppose is better than the 23 hours for the last one: but only just). And its in Liverpool this time rather than Manchester which means extra traveling. Hey ho. Can't be helped. I just hope that recovery won't take longer then the 2 weeks. I'll hopefully find out more details at my pre-op on Monday.

Other news. Had a good week last week. Went to the Royal Exchange with Lesley, Sara & DD to see "Pub" (well, you would wouldn't you) which was a nice idea although the writing could have been better to my way of thinking. Then it was Hot Mikado on Saturday night with Jim. Am dram in a "Civic Suite" in the middle of one of the largest council estates in Manchester. What could be better? In fact it was enormous fun. Everyone overacted like mad but because this was Gilbert & Sullivan (sort of) it didn't really matter. Also went to the cinema with Gill to see 2012. Good effects but bloody awful story. Typical Americans and their need for a happy ending at all costs...

Other news - Lesley got promoted (yay), DD's foot appears much better and she's limping in heels now rather than a big yeti boot (I know, but there's no telling her) and its bloody dark every evening and morning. Roll on shortest day and then on to summer.

Am exhausted now and its full on from now until they lay me on the operating table and start poking long shiny sharp things into me (I'm assuming there are no actual keys involved since they would be rather blunt and painful). That's all for now. J x

Busy Weekend

Friday night was opera at The Lowry. I wasn't expecting great things - firstly it was Opera North and secondly the opera was sung in English.I don't generally like opera sung in English because I think you spend more time listening to the words and trying to understand every word they say to the detriment of just appreciating the music. However, I needn't have worried. The opera was sublime - even with the last minute substitution of the person singing Ferrando. The libretto was also really well done and the whole thing was funny as well as beautiful. And the acoustics at The Lowry are very good.

Saturday night was less successful - The Entertainer at The Royal Exchange. Its always difficult to watch a play written in the fairly recent past. Its not long enough ago that you are able to suspend your disbelief and yet the whole moral setting is completely different to modern times. Of course if the acting and direction isn't up to much it makes it even more difficult. I didn't like it. It may be worth me watching the film with Sir Larry though just to see what its like done professionally.

Tonight I'm having tea at DDs whilst watching Doctor Who which looks really exciting. And then back to work. That's all. J x

Pajamas

Just watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (I know, annoying spelling). The final scene is just awful. I'm in bits. Just had to write that down. That's all. J x

Not a Lot

So, been another quietish week. Went to London on Tuesday for some "Top Layer Coaching". I am ridiculously pleased that someone decided to call it that as it makes me feel very important. It doesn't really matter that most of the Department will get it eventually, I'm in only the "second wave" of rollouts so most people in the Department haven't even heard about it yet. So I try and drop the phrase into conversations whenever I can. Childish I know but there you are.

To a party at Bryn & Michelle's last night. Drunk a fair bit of vodka but didn't fall over so that was good. Managed to leave my umbrella there which wasn't so good. Had a good time but suffering today. Now as long as it doesn't rain between now and when I see them at the opera next Friday everything will be fine!

On the help line tonight so hoping its a little busier than last time (nil calls). Come on Manchester gay people, someone out there must be having a crisis for God's sake... That's all. J x

Relatively Quiet

Been on a training course most of the week: Developing Confident Managers. Got another 2 full weeks on this to do later in the year so I'm not there yet! There was some useful stuff though amongst all the management speak - including a session on delivering difficult messages, which hasn't come a moment too soon...

Went to the cinema with Gill and Lesley to see Up on Thursday. A good film but don't believe all the hype.

Then Friday it was off to a former colleague's "partial retirement do". Honestly, people have parties at the drop of a hat these days. It was good though and I was able to catch up with a lot of Manchester people. Then went to meet DD, Ev and dave for a further drink.

Saturday was taken up with shopping for food (mostly for Madam, who is doing a lot better on her foot but isn't quite up to a full Sainsburys shop yet). Then met her in town for some venue shopping - we're trying to find a suitable place to hold her (non) retirement party (apparently there's a difference between leaving a place of work for good and retiring but don't get me started). Anyway we (by which I mean she) has decided on Mojo. Its a great venue, really nice set-up but has no draft beer. Expect complaints! DD maintains that she only knows classy people who are happy with bottles (of wine mostly) but I say she doesn't know the full capacity of a grade 7 to cause a fuss when he or she feels they're being over-charged for their alcohol. We'll see.

Then met Bryn & Michelle for a drink before they headed off to see Up. Nice to see them and me and DD are off to a Bonfire Night thing at theirs next Friday. Should be good. That's all. J x