Happy Harry?

It’s not that I’m bitter (part of me does believe the conspiracy theories that he came to Southampton in some plot by Portsmouth to get us demoted) but well I couldn’t help indulge in just the smallest smile …okay I am bitter.

The wrong trousers

No, not the hilarious animated film but the hilarity (or not) of the UK clothes sizing system. Is it beyond the wit of UK or indeed the world’s clothing suppliers to come up with one sizing scheme which means I can go into a shop, pick up a piece of clothing in the size I usually take and know that it will pretty much fit.

I’m not asking them to make clothes in my size specifically (ie short, no waist or hips but a rather impressive uppersection as it were), just decide what is a size 10 (or whatever) and all agree to make clothes according to that template.

Admittedly my wardobe does have clothes in about six sizes (fat, dramatic weightloss, even-ing out) but I am currently wearing clothes from main UK High Street retailers in three different sizes - all of which fit me.

The sizing disparity just means that buying clothes takes longer - you have to try EVERYTHING on which when you just want a couple of shirts and a cardigan on late night shopping in Oxford Street (foolish I know) you end leaving with nothing because you can’t face the hassle. Not surprising that more and more people are buying clothes online.

It’s not going according to plan

I’m actually not that bothered if England qualify tonight because I don’t think they deserve to. And if we have to rely on the likes of Israel and Andorra doing us a favour then we really are not the proud footballing nation we once were.

What baffles me is that why the mega expensive Wembley stadium with a roof looks like a paddy field?

Long Way Down

I urge everyone to watch this series - especially now they’ve reached sub-Saharan Africa. I had a smile on my face the size of the Equator - it really brings Africa to life from poverty and senseless fighting to elephants on your doorstep.

I’m a PR - please don’t tar us with the same brush

I could be pre-judging the entire situation but knowing people who have worked with her, I am dreading Lynne Franks being on I’m a Celebrity. As much as many people don’t believe it, most PR is quite a serious discipline (okay it’s not up there with charity work or medical ethics but it’s not fluffy and is increasingly less populated with Chelsea girls filling in time before they marry Tarquin): it’s not about spin and it’s not about lunches. I suspect I may have more battles in trying to persuade people about the validity of my job as she prances round the jungle.

I would like to point out that I have never watched this programme nor do I intend to start now. In fact I am decidedly off reality TV.

Going to work for a rest

I spent a lovely weekend with my goddaughter (and her mum and sister because she’s only two) but small children are exhausting. They seem to have an endless capacity for CBeebies and having the same story read to them over and over again and they NEVER sit still!

Yesterday I volunteered to look after my goddaughter (nearly three) and her sister (nearly one) - ALL BY MYSELF! I must have been mad. However turned out that goddaughter was having a bit of a clingy moment so I only had the little one to look after. This was good as she sleeps a lot and likes being cuddled - hurrah! However, I was filled with horror when she woke up for her nap and needed a clean nappy. I am really not very good on the nappy ront. It’s not that I have a problem with nappies per se it’s just I don’t have much experience of them and I didn’t know where the right nappies were, where they went afterwards etc - anyway quite proud to say that I managed to work it all out.

Anyway, after such a tiring weekend (including perhaps one too many glasses of wine on Saturday night which didn’t help), I’m glad to be back in the office where the most exhausting thing is the ongoing saga of my lack of email - grrr.

I don’t understand war

May be I’m simplistic, but I really don’t understand how people can treat other people as if they are not human. I’ve just been watching Never Say Die and like most other programmes about war, especially WWII, I cannot get my head round how people can lose their humanity and sink to such depths. I always observe Remembrance Day and try to think about the heroes but I really don’t see the heroism in war. Believe me I am grateful for the men and women who go to war; I may not agree with the concept of warfare but I do respect people who feel so strongly that they risk (and lose) their lives for those ideals. I generally do not respect the people who send them to war.

I don’t know why but this year I am more confused than ever about the concept of ‘going to war’. I am at heart a pacifist and wish people could/would talk instead of fighting. Many people will tell me I am naive and perhaps I am, I just don’t see how blowing people to bits in any declared or undeclared war is really going to sort out the world’s issues.

Misery line

Having used the Northern Line virtually every day for the past 11 years, I tend to try and defend it as it’s often not as bad as everyone says it is. However, I have noticed it has got SO MUCH WORSE since I went away.

This morning, I had to let five trains go through Clapham South before I could even squeeze on a train and then it was a Charing Cross one so had to do a complicated change at Stockwell thing (a lot of people change at Stockwell so there’s a good chance of squeezing on an emptying train). Anyway, whole thing took over an hour for what should be a 30 minute journey at most and I felt exhausted before I even started work - joy!

From what I can tell the problem seems to be that there are less trains actually running (you get there at 8am and there’s six minutes until the next train - you know it’s going to be hell). I’m really hoping this is not a permanent thing (the tube congestion rather than travelling to work) or I’m going to have to start getting up at silly o’clock.