How do I know this? Because Greeks celebrate name days i.e the day of the saint after whom they are named, and the custom is to bring treats (pastries or sweets) for everyone in the office. And we have two guys called Andreas on our floor, so we have had KitKats and Cypriot pastries.

At least this is sweetening me up a bit, I am trying to deal with lawyers in the US who keep ask me for vast sums of money for issue of a work permit, which I do not yet have! It is starting to annoy me a little bit, particularly as I cannot claim anything on expenses yet, the system keeps on giving me an error, which Leo is supposed to be sorting out with the admin people. Very frustrating.... I am putting everything - hotels, restaurants etc, on the company Amex card, which at least won't get taken out of my own account for 30 days. And I hope Leo and the admin people sort this out by then, otherwise I will be charging interest!

The other annoying news is that I don't get to have a facial today, they rang up and told me that the time I had booked was unsuitable for them and could I come earlier? Well, no, I have to work, so I just said I would look for somewhere that was open at weekends, because that would be more suitable. I'll call Jacques Dessange later and see if I can book for next week, they are open Satudays and Sundays.

On the stitching front, I am doing well, I have finished the top of the With All Your Heart biscornu, plus the small pieces for the scissors keep and biscornu fob, so only the bottom of the biscornu to go. Also started Lizzie Kate's "Good Things Come to Those Who Stitch", a small piece that I couldn't resist when I saw the chart. Pictures over the weekend.

I am really getting into the rhythm of life here, breakfast in the hotel, going to work, salad at lunchtime, then going home about 7pm and stitching or going out to dinner. Or both, sometimes. Just have to get myself some gym shoes, and then I can add that into the routine.

Today I am working on a very boring and tedious problem that I can recreate at the drop of a hat, but I still have no idea exactly why it is occurring. I am ploughing through a trace of the Cobol programs that are executed - many of them - but it's just not clear. All I know is that it is trying to create a General Ledger record that has incorrect amounts on it, but no idea why it thinks it should be creating it! I am on the point of changing the program to allow the record to create, so that I can see what it is - this is highly illegal, architects are NOT allowed to do anything to programs, but of course we all get desperate at times and do these things. David is the champion, he loves programming, and will do it at the drop of a hat.

So I am looking forward to the weekend, and I will try to make it start early, like 4pm. I need to go to the supermarket to buy water and Aes Ambelis (my favourite Cypriot wine), and I would like to go to a shoe shop where I saw a specially nice pair of black shoes with bows, see if they have my size.

Tomorrow is the Mall, with specific mission to buy Christmas presents for my mother and sister. My sister is a bit of a problem, she has very definite tastes, nothing pink, for example. She also seems to think that, because I live in Paris, everything will come from Dior etc. I know such things are less expensive than in NZ, and I know I earn more than she does as well, but still! I had thought I might get her an evening bag, they have some nice black satin ones at Accessorize, which I don't think you can get in NZ, and they would be good on the taste front, black is OK. My mother is much easier, anything except bubble bath, as she doesn't like getting in and out of the bath - at nearly 80, it's showers only.

Ah well, back to my annoying problem, I want to get it solved today, so that I can go on to the next one!