Well, Nicky got a phone call at the weekend to say that they want him to move to another project.... he is a bit stunned, although he did see it coming. He's hoping that it's not Russia, he will refuse if so. Wish he spoke French, then it could be Paris.

Thankfully we do not have a Beirut project. I am not joking, it is just the sort of place where we would have a project, we do already have two in Islamic countries, and they are always raving on about fantastic opportunities in Syria or Jordan. No-one is forced to go to these places, and there are bonus payments for people who do, although they are not, to my mind, very generous. In some places, they have bodyguards as well, with guns, which would terrify me in itself, as I have a complete horror of guns. I'll stick to the European projects, thank you very much.

I am really not looking forward to this flight on Thursday, it is totally booked out and I am really worried about it - if I had any alternative, I would delay my return, but I have to be back by Friday to prepare my Monday appointment with the prefecture.

I'm finding this whole war thing quite horrific, I've never been so close to a war before, and, while of course I'm not in the middle of it and it doesn't affect me personally, except for inconveniencing my travel plans slightly, it is quite scary. I just hope it doesn't spread. I'd like to think I'd be a bit more well-behaved though than some of the American evacuees at the Nicosia showgrounds. Some of them have been complaining that there was no American food available, and one woman wanted to make a complaint because some people speaking Arabic were evacuated, and she thought only "full Americans" should be!

So it wasn't a great weekend, because I just worried about everything, as well as did packing and so on. I have a large suitcase and a largish Lancel holdall, and I am sure I will be over 30 kilos, I just hope they will let me take it all on.

I did press on with the four-sided stitch on Lefkaritika 2, I have nearly finished the 210cm of the outer border. I think there is about six meters of four-sided stitch in Lefkaritika 2, good thing it is one of my favourite stitches! I've also started a project I didn't realise I had with me, the Papillon pochette from Au Fil Des Reves. I bought this about two years ago at a salon in Paris and just never got around to doing it. It's sweet, in Soie d'Alger, a lot of blue, which is not really my thing, but the overall effect isn't "blue, blue, blue", it's more subtle than that. I used to hate it in Australia where everything was blue - I remember going to Lincraft one day and all they had was blue fabric, the sales people couldn't understand why I was upset, they kept on saying "but everyone likes blue, its the most popular". Sure it is, if it's all you have.

But anyway the Papillon pochette is not the Lincraft type of blue, and it will be another one for the finishing marathon, as it seems to be quite quick, I did most of one of the three panels last night. There is also a scissor pocket and cushion and a needlebook to stitch (small motifs only), and the lining was included in the kit, so it makes up for my bad experience with the La Ruche kit, which is in the suitcase now.

Not sure why but I cannot upload photos today! Oh well, back to work..........