I think this blog may not contain a great deal about stitching for the next little while.....

This week is the first week of process analysis sessions, and a daily timetable is something like this:

• from 6am to 6.45 am (depending upon day and degree of unpreparedness and/or guilt) - wake up, leap out of bed, shower, dress, take breakfast, either downstairs or in room if it is necessary to write documents / review notes
• 8am - assemble in hotel lobby with 6 other people to get minibus taxi to office
• 9am - PA session 1, until midday
• 12 noon - eat lunch in client cantine, where menu is in Estonian. Hope there is someone who can translate the menu, or else eat something which may be a surprise. I like liver, but some don't. When in doubt, choose potatoes and salad.
• 1pm - PA session 2, until 4pm
• 4pm - 6pm - stress, relax, write notes, answer questions
• 6pm - assemble to catch minibus taxi back to hotel
• Evening - anything from sliding around on streets to view unsuitable apartments (Monday) to swimming (Tuesday) to doing homework (every day). Homework is writing notes, preparing for next day, thinking about how many decision sheets I will have to write etc etc etc. Try to fit in dinner, either in room or in cafe restaurant of hotel.
• Bedtime - 11 to 12..... wake up during night several times thinking of phone number formats, validation of personal id numbers, other strange problems....

You can see why I am glad this hotel has an indoor pool. Thank goodness there are no sessions on Fridays (normally)! And this Friday I am travelling home to Paris, to pick up more clothes, go to the hairdresser, pay tax etc etc.

I am holding up OK, I have had no disasters and no unexpected huge requirements from the clients this week. By the end of tomorrow, I will be unable to speak for about two days, as these sessions are hard on my voice, but that will wear off over the weekend, it's normal.

Over the weekend, I did get to see some of the Old Town and visit some shops - I still have not tracked down a stitching shop, but I visited two yarn shops, also a bookshop where I bought books of Estonian traditional mitten patterns, with lovely pictures. I bought a fine white lace shawl, not elaborate, but useful. This was on Saturday, and on Sunday I did not go outdoors at all, the weather was not great, and I was tired. I swam and read (business, not pleasure) and knitted a bit.

I am in two minds about moving into an apartment, after the ones we saw on Monday. They were in the centre, not far from the Old Town. I think if I had been able to see where we were, I would have liked the situation, but we had to walk from the car over an icy, unlit courtyard to get to them (I practically had to be carried). They were fine inside, very Ikea, which I don't mind, but some of my colleagues do. However the water pressure was appalling, we tested the showers. Most people didn't like the kitchens, which I don't care about. The others are going to see some more tomorrow, but I am not going to, I've given a list of requirements to be checked (water pressure, balcony, proximity to swimming pool, no nightclubs nearby), and if they pass, I will visit when I come back.

Also this week I have learned about five words of Estonian, and have listened to many more. I have a translator, who is from an IT company that is a partner of ours, and I listen to all the Estonian dialogue and watch people as they speak, which is interesting. I have already made a couple of pertinent remarks in English on Estonian conversations, so I may be able to understand some soon.