Loooonng weekend

I've got a 4 day holiday coming up and I can not wait. Has been quite a busy week, all told, both work-wise and socially. Will be nice to relax with K and go to a classical concert tomorrow eve, a garden party on Sunday and then spend Monday with my friend A doing something civilised like afternoon tea or a gallery. I took Tuesday off too as I am planning to...ooh, get me and my exciting life...reseal the bath! Then I have an acupuncture appointment followed by the dentist. It's in my nature to try to do chores in a batch like that - I tend to spend ages procrastinating and making lists, then address them all at once. I wish I had the discipline to tackle things as and when they came up, but I spend my days organising other people's lives and am thoroughly bored by it come the evening/weekend!

That said, when I hear stories of my friend's household management (don't ya just love that phrase - so 1950s), I actually feel quite smug. My concertina files including wage slips dating back to my very first job are a thing of splendour in my eyes. When I read about lost bank accounts and forgotten pensions, it's all alien to me as I have everything neatly filed and backed up, with spreadsheets detailing where to find things etc. Ah - such a beauty to behold!

So in spite of caning it through my twenties and thirties, I have still managed to buy a flat of my own, maintain a highly efficient household, set up pensions and savings accounts and plan effectively ahead. It's certainly not stuff to beat myself up about or weep over, but it just doesn't register in my muddled old head. All I can see are the windows in need of a clean, part-opened post on the dining table and shoes discarded under the armchairs. I worry about whether or not I have paid the ground rent (all £12 of it) and won't be happy until I find said letter and send off a cheque. As ever, it's what I haven't done, don't do, can't do and won't do that preoccupies me. My achievements fail to show up on my radar whatsoever.

I have been thinking about doing one of those lists every day - you know, women's magazines are always recommending that you write down 3 things to be thankful for today. This might just help me to put it all into perspective so that I harness the good stuff and obssess less about the stuff that goes wrong. With a bit of luck I ought to settle the omnipresent notion in my head that I am a bad person.
So today I would like to thank:
1. K for meeting me for a coffee at lunch and offering to take me clothes shopping (at his expense I may add!) this weekend. How lucky am I to have a man who not only cares about my wardrobe but wants to see me in new and pretty summer dresses to match the sunny weather!
2. My boss for telling me I'm a good masseur. Ha ha ha ha!! In case any one gets the wrong idea, it was a shoulder massage, fully clothed with 3 other colleagues in attendance, but he remarked (as has K on a number of occasions) that I should do a course and take it up as a profession. He's even going to ask his regular masseur to recommend a course for me, so it's nice to hear that what I thought was a pipe dream (and it was one I had in mind) might be more realistic than I imagined.
3. The lad on the train this morning who got up to offer his seat to a pregnant woman who asked politely if anyone would. All the 'suits' stared at their feet, but this young lad in sweatshirt, jeans and work boots was more than happy to give his up. It sounds cheesy, but it gave me a warm glow and reminded me that the world is not full of scum, sometime good deeds are done by the people you expect it from the least and manners are not totally dead. Had I not also been deeply irritated by the smug and arrogant sods who didn't stand up for her, that would have been an even more special moment!

Right-ho. Am off to meet the Cobrettes now, my partners in crime from a brief period working at Cobra Beer (hmm, is it any surprise that I drink too much!!). We are having dinner at a lovely restaurant in Mayfair and I have made a pact with self to leave at 11.00 and be on the last train home. I don't even feel tempted to drink as am really looking forward to the excellent company, loads of gossip and some very good food.