Yay! Payday! It's only a couple of years since I used to celebrate payday by... spending all my pay on a night out! And then struggling through the month, so that the next payday was also worth celebrating. But this payday I found myself checking that all my direct debits had worked OK, using my online banking thingy. Weird how things change without you really noticing. I used to associate payday with social arrangements - now it's associated with getting Tesco.com to deliver the monthly shopping at a convenient time. Not that I'll be availing myself of their services this week: I'll be in Northumberland or Peterborough, so I'll buy food when I get back. Or maybe I should try and use all the stuff that's left in my cupboards. Let's face it, I'll never eat beans if I've got more interesting food in the freezer.

The original plan for Friday was to have a chat and catch-up with a friend. But since he still didn't know by 4pm whether he was busy, I went with Plan B, which involved going to Chester with Simon and Chris. It was a good night. I was supposed to be going to Alton Towers today, but after half an hour of stumbling round looking for various articles of clothing (and my glasses, more importantly), I decided to give up and spend the day sobering up instead. Several pints and a full English breakfast later, I was coherent enough to phone my brother - my timing couldn't have been more perfect, as he was nearby, in Paul's car, and they offered me a lift home. Which I gratefully accepted.

Wow, two entries in two days! You could almost call it dedication. Nothing to report in work - except the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet for Caroline's leaving lunch (she's about to pop a sprog). I always take it literally... I regretted eating that much all afternoon. Then I come home to an email inviting me to Paris on the 18th December as I couldn't make it to the party. And now I don't know what to do. I've got a Christmas lunch with work on the 17th, which is not only expensive but also alcohol-fuelled. Would I be in any fit state to go to Paris the next day? Doubt it.

Back in work this week. Bleh. I think I preferred training. Wednesday's my day off, so I had an appointment for Euan's MMR. He was an absolute angel, no screaming at all... until I tried tearing him away from all the toys at the surgery. Two minutes of crying, followed by two hours of sleep - which enabled me to go and meet Simon in the Turf. Perfect. Simon was his usual eccentric smutty self, which is always refreshing as I can't escape for long lunches in the pub any more! I know it's a bit ironic that I meet my work colleagues on my day off, but the culture difference on my new team is astonishing: I don't dare take a long lunch because of the looks, comments and sarcasm I would receive on my return - and if I smelled of beer as well? Disgraceful! Odd place, the Revenue. Each team has its little idiosyncrasies, and it takes a while to get used to them when you change teams. Back home, I managed to rewire the kitchen light fixture, and I didn't even get electrocuted! Result! I can now see what I'm cooking, as well. Quite a revelation.

After a nice chilled-out Saturday at home with the sprog, who I hadn't seen much in the last couple of weeks, we spent Sunday with Mum, Dan & Grandma. I had an invite to a party in Paris, but there were a few reasons I didn't go - I wanted to see Euan properly, I was tired out after a couple of busy weeks, I couldn't take Euan with me, and I couldn't get a babysitter! But it was nice to have a rest from dashing about all over the place. We had a pleasant pub meal, then I crashed out on the sofa at Mum's, while other people kept Euan amused. Should definitely do this more often!

We slouched back into the office with our little suitcases feeling like self-conscious air hostesses. Kirsty had gone straight home because she'd received some bad news, but Nicola and I had to find something constructive to do for the afternoon - not easy when you're still in training. Then it started snowing. Proper heavy snowing, which caused chaos outside as everyone suddenly decided it was time to get home while they still could - it doesn't help that all the hospital staff use the same road as 400+ Revenue staff... it was completely gridlocked for about an hour. Decided to wait until the traffic had cleared a bit. By the time I finally got home, I felt like I'd been away for months.

Back in Peterborough this week - the hotel was starting to feel like home. There were only us three and a nice girl from Stoke (Claire) on the course this week, so it was more fun. We made Yates's our home, and didn't end up getting many early nights. Decided to do something different on our last night, and ended up going to the greyhound racing. Got back at 10.45, and went to a club with Ste. Lots of fun, but I had a bit of a hangover.

After finally getting back from our training course on Thursday (stupid trains, having found our train wasn't going to bother with Birmingham at all we tried to meet it in Wolverhampton, missed it, and were going to have to divert to Liverpool, Crewe then Chester just to get home... until we pointed out to the incompetent staff that there was an alternative), I only had an hour at home to repack my bag before Dad turned up - I love last minute arrangements! We went shopping for twenty loaves of bread, fifteen bags of salad and loads of wine - supermarket staff give you funny looks when you run a hotel... We then picked up littlun from Ex's parents, and grabbed Dan before heading off for Deepest Darkest Wales. The reason? Llanwrtyd Wells' annual beer festival! Great fun! OK, so I was being all responsible and motherly, so I didn't get drunk, but I did manage to sample a few of the lovely real ales that were on offer, before making the journey home today. Euan was an angel on the train: very surprising.

An early morning, followed by several hours of trains, then a few hours of learning about PAYE tax. How else would I want to spend the perfect Monday? Oh, and did I mention it was freezing cold? It got better in the evening, as we (Me, Nicola and Kirsty) went for a lovely Chinese meal on a boat, followed up with a couple of glasses of wine. Cue girly chats and giggling. Not something I normally indulge in, but lots of fun nevertheless.