Today I bought a Hello Kitty phone, as I need a second one for my Estonian sim card.......it is actually the first new one I have had since 2001, so I guess it is not too much of an extravagance. I still have the old one, as it has my French sim card and actually is locked for that operator, since it belongs to work, not to me. But this one is my own, I am glad to say. I am still busy mastering it, it makes strange sounds from time to time, and I need to figure this out. I have worked out how to take photos, now for the MP3 etc.

I actually went to work, there were quite a few managers there, including the Big Boss and the Big Boss's Boss (whom I have met only once before, and he did not remember me). I was very good and did all my expenses claims up to date, so now they owe me about 5000€. Had lunch with the whole assembly, which was quite fun, although I had to wait for my quiche to be cooked, as they ran out just before I got to the head of the queue.

Now I am packing my stuff to go back, I am taking my handbag, computer bag and either one or two shop bags with miscellaneous stuff in. So far I have a Chanel paper bag full of charts and threads, and I may need a second one for the books I am reading. We have worked out that they do not mind a shopping bag as well as the rest, they just think you have been in Paris for a shopping trip, especially if it is for a good label, and they let you take it on. At my stopover in Copenhagen, they have hand luggage trolleys with hooks for the shopping bags, so I don't need to carry stuff around there, just wheel it all to the gate.

This week will be fairly intense, I have three days of workshops, on fairly big subjects, and on one of them I already have an idea for a customisation to make it work the way we want it to. I think it will be beautiful and elegant, but of course now I have to sell the idea to everyone else!