HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

As is now traditional round these parts I'm embracing the ridiculous romanticism of today with song. But this year there's just one song, because it sums up today so perfectly. It's by Antony & the Johnsons and is called Hope there's someone, which is surely what everyone is thinking today.



Have a fabulous day you gorgeous people, love you! xxx

I've just been out for the evening with work people!

I know that sounds like a really unlikely thing for me to do, but I have! Yes, I know I spend most of my life moaning about them and imagining horrible ways to hurt them, but I've just spent two hours with some of them and had good fun! Life doesn't always make sense does it...

Why? I'm not sure really. It sort of has something to do with the fact that before Christmas I realised they don't really like me. Of course why should they when I don't really like them, but no one likes to be disliked, especially as I usually think of myself as quite likable. The trouble is they only seen the work side of me, which is usually annoyed and demanding, not the real side of me which is lazy and likes cake. I don't want them to be my friends, but I do think work might be easier if we all loved each other a little more.

Which is how I found myself in a bowling alley with ten of them. I have no idea when I last went bowling. It could be ten years ago. Or it could be longer! It was never something I ever did very regularly, which is stupid as every time I go I have a great time, and it's not that expensive.

Of course I'm rubbish at it. The first game I managed to score 113, which was respectable for our group, but when the maximum score is 300 it's a bit poor. Second game I only managed 69. There's a reason for this - I have no skill, just brute force: I throw the ball as hard as I can down the centre of the lane and hope it will knock the pins down. As the evening wears on my arm gets sore and the flinging becomes a bit random, and my game falls apart.

After the first game James looked at me with shock and said, "I never knew you were so competitive!" which I could hardly disagree with as moments before I'd said to Alan, "I don't care how I do as long as I beat James!" I did for the first game, so my smugness was only fleeting. I had also lied to Alan, as I wanted to beat him too, but he beat me by one point. I thought I was just being stupid, but it turned out he'd been keeping an eye on my score and wanted to beat me too! We're all such men!

Now of course my arm hurts, and my shoulder too, so I fear I'll be crippled in the morning, but it was worth it. I actually had fun. No one is more surprised than me!

It's snowing!



This winter really is extraordinary, the snow and cold weather just keep going! The latest lot looks quite promising, I'm crossing my fingers I may get to build my snowman yet!

I spent most of the morning with a headache, which inevitably I diagnosed as meningitis, but it responded positively to aspirin so I'm guessing it was nothing quite so life-threatening!

Tonight is all about cheese. And bread. And butter. Basically anything with fat in it. Yummy!

Today work was so bad it was just laughable! The most ridiculous moment was when a French customer suggested, with all seriousness, that we get a fire truck to get water out of a river because our own water supply is frozen. After that I couldn't take anything seriously! On the plus side I did manage to send a container to the Maldives and am hoping to sell a very posh lady a tank for the turret of her castle. [That's not a war tank for those of you who are worried, it's a water tank.]

It's a sign of how dull my day has been that I'm telling you work stories, because you know how dull I find work! Thank God it's the weekend, because at least that looks promising!

Things are back to normal here, although normal for February means a bit dull. I literally have no news. Nothing. Bugger. I'm so bored I've agreed to socialise with my colleagues on Friday, which is completely unlike me! Anyway, to help you get over the shock of that, why not enjoy the Pet Shop Boys new single, just as I have been obsessively doing all week. It's good to have them back!

I dragged myself out of bed yesterday evening and went to the cinema, although to be honest it felt like I was only going as they sell chocolate and I was craving chocolate. But there were three dithering young people ahead of me and I was too impatient to wait...

I met Trish & Janet and went to see Slumdog Millionaire, which at that very moment was winning practically everything at the BAFTAs. I can see why!

It's about a young Indian man who grows up as a slumdog - an orphan beggar - who goes on to win the top prize on Who wants to be a Millionaire? and at the same time is reunited with the love of his life. It's cleverly told in flashback, as he's being interrogated by a policeman who thinks he was cheating. The answer to each question reveals more about his past, most of which is pretty grim. I'd deliberately not read much about it before I went so in my head I thought it would be this life-affirming 'rags to riches' story, which it was, although I hadn't realised just how bad the 'rag's part of that would be!

But of course there is a happy ending, followed by a big Bollywood dance number in a train station which made me a bit teary-eyed as it was all so lovely! The cast are great, particularly the young children, and it's so full of colour and energy it makes your head spin! Well worth a trip to the cinema!

As we left the cinema it was snowing - it was dark but the street lights were on, there was no one about, and the snow looked beautiful as it fell. Finally I felt like I was having a good snow experience! It was just like a film!

OK, firstly I'm not as miserable as I sound, it just comes across differently in writing. I just had a trying week and, despite my age, have no more intelligent way of dealing with it than sulking. I'm a twat, just ignore the whiney bits and they'll go away.

Yesterday was inevitably a quiet day, but it didn't snow or rain and was beautifully sunny if a little cold, so I went out to do some shopping. I managed to sort out a birthday present for my sister, which is good as her birthday is only two weeks away. Nothing exciting though as their house still isn't finished. It's like an episode of Grand Designs but unfortunately without the lovely Kevin McCloud....

Last night I dreamt I was on a bus with Jason Donovan and Kylie, and he was explaining to me the rehearsal process for a musical, in this case the Priscilla musical that he will soon be starring in. It was all very fascinating, but then I woke up and realised I'd not read about it anywhere so my brain had made it up and it was therefore complete shit! At least the musical is real, which I'm excited about, although £65 for the best seats does make me gasp slightly! I'll still go obviously...