Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday
Things are progressing here, despite our wonderful company depriving us of email for the whole of Monday. I ended up having a two hour phone call with someone in the Far East, just so that we could actually keep on working. And I wouldn't want to repeat what Sasha said, it was quite rude, when it became apparent that we were not going to have email all day.

This week I am going home on Friday, I have my appraisal on Monday, so at least I will be able to do a few things over the weekend that I need to. I'm flying back Monday night, although I did wonder if I should do a Special Snowflake and fly on Tuesday, she certainly would if she had a meeting in Paris on Monday. I am flying during the day on Friday, but that is only because there is not a late flight from Copenhagen to Paris on Fridays - a couple of times I have caught the late Tallinn to Copenhagen flight, then spent Friday night in Copenhagen and gone to Paris on Saturday am, but that is a bit of a hassle, and I know that SS would never do this. I'm actually wondering if she is going to be on my flights on Monday, because her vacation ends this week, and I know she will never fly on a Sunday after a vacation. If so, I am totally not sitting next to her!

I'm still really tired and a bit down, and I had to go out to dinner last night, I thought it was never going to end, but eventually I got home at 11pm. Some of my colleagues want to go out every night, and I don't mind if it is a quick bite somewhere, but full-on dinner every night is too much, I need to spend some time by myself.

At the weekend I found out something quite wonderful about Estonia, which is that some supermarkets here sell yarn. I went to one in a big shopping complex called Rocca Al Mare, such an Italian sounding name, but it is here in Tallinn, and they had beautiful sock yarn in the supermarket there. I am impressed! And it is open on a Sunday, and there is a free bus to this shopping centre from the hotel next door to my apartment, so all in all very well arranged.

Actually I love the Estonian attitude to knitting. In Cyprus knitting in public would be a really quick way to cause people to stop and stare at you as if you were crazy, but here it is likely to get a friendly comment about preparing for the winter and what a good idea that is.
 
posted by Ally at 10:39 am ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Saturday in Tallinn
I am just sitting in my flat, feeling a bit blah, as I went out far too late last night and had far too much to drink - one of the guys who has been helping us out is leaving, and we also had visitors, two people from another of our projects who have been in Helsinki on vacation and came over on the boat for the weekend.

It hasn't been a great week, I have had to answer about a hundred queries of varying sense regarding the infamous EDs. However, at least our Special Snowflake is not around, let us be thankful for small mercies. Actually David was here one of the weeks I was away (more brilliant arrangements by our management, we were both totally sick about the timing), he had not met her before, but did not take to her. A cold fish, was his verdict, and I think that's a fair summary. She's just fine as long as everything is done her way. I think we are spared her for another week, let's hope so. I expect she and Monsieur Snowflake are on one of their terribly trendy holidays in Goa or Japan or something.

Another thing that has happened this week is that a medicine I take for anxiety has suddenly stopped working as well as it did. I am not particularly rapt in taking this stuff anyway, but it is better than having panic attacks on planes, in airports and in lawyers offices etc etc, so I do it. And it has been quite good until now. I haven't actually had any panic attacks this week, but I really have not been myself, and had a couple of sleepless nights, worrying about all sorts of things that I know I should not. I would have loved it if David had been here this week, as I could have talked to him about this, he is one of the few who knows about the problem. But I'll see the doctor when I go back to Paris next weekend, it will get sorted out.
 
posted by Ally at 3:19 pm ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Quinze Aout
Today is a French public holiday, so no shops open, I was dashing around in the heat trying to find a pharmacy, but no luck... it is at least 35 degrees, and waiting for the bus, I heard two women saying how hot it was and how they couldn't bear the heat - one was wearing a jumper and the other a raincoat, so no wonder they were too hot

Here are my works in progress:


Both are by La-D-Da, the top one is "Act Justly" on a vintage Belfast with the recommended Weeks threads (except for Kohl, which I didn't have, so I have used GAST Raven, the DMC equivalent was 310 and we all know what that is!), and the bottom one is "No Place Like Home" on the recommended Weeks 35 count beige with the recommended NPS silks. My forecast for finished stitchery this year is probably six pieces, which is not a lot - but then I've looked at what I've done in previous years and found that any year that has a whole set of PA sessions has less completed stitching than other years!

I'm now going to retire to the sofa with a large book of the Mitford sisters letters and a chilled coke, it is so hot. I should be packing for the journey tomorrow, but I'll do it later, I think.


 
posted by Ally at 4:20 pm ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments
Friday, August 14, 2009
What Have I Been Doing for Nearly Two Weeks?
I have been doing some knitting and stitching, I have two La-D-Da pieces that are going nicely, and I will photograph them when my camera battery is charged up. Oddly enough, they both have blackbirds in them. And one is on 35 count, which is rather new for me, but it is going well.

I also finished my Swiss Cheese scarf (known to colleagues as "the thing with the holes"), from good Estonian Kauni wool. I had a choice between felting it and just handwashing it, so I handwashed it when it was finished, and it has just felted a little, which is nice.

Apart from that, I have done little, having very leisurely days indeed. The most active thing I have done is go out last night with Kent and his girlfriend, who are in Paris for a short holiday, and another guy from work - we went on a Bateau Mouche, which was fun, then walked up Avenue Georges V to an Asian restaurant to eat and drink. Got home at 1am, which is unusual for me, but it was good - I slept a grear sleep until 9am.

I've also done some work yesterday, I had an SOS from our lead architect about one of the developments where there was a question. I looked at it, and really it is just common sense, I don't see why anyone couldn't have answered this. I'm supposed to do more today, but I'm delaying it until the evening, if not until tomorrow, and I'm going to start a new collar thing for the winter, in Noro Kochoran, and finish my washing instead! After all, I did spend four days of my first week of holidays working flat out to finish the EDs.
 
posted by Ally at 1:55 pm ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments
Monday, August 03, 2009
Wow, A Printer!
I got myself up at a reasonable hour this morning and actually went to FNAC and bought a portable printer - it's so cute, about the size of a shoe box, but flatter! And I have successfully installed everything and tested it all by myself. This is a sort of miracle, as I am not very good with this sort of thing. Even though I work in IT, printers and other hardware are not the sort of thing I am good at, I turn pale every time I see one of those receipt printers that some clients like and want integrated to the system.

Now I am exhausted, of course, am going to have a little rest before going out again to buy paper to feed the new pet, and some food, of which there is none in the house....
 
posted by Ally at 4:45 pm ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Home Again
What a journey! I left the hotel in Crete at 8am and got back to my flat in Paris at 10:30pm. This was via Athens and Budapest, and involved five buses to and from planes - only landing in Budapest was there an airbridge where you could walk directly on to the plane. And of course in Athens, I get on and find someone in my seat! I don't know why this always happens to me, and I've got no idea why people sit in seats other than their own - I ended up in the front row on this plane, which I don't like especially, with the woman who was in my seat in row 2 smirking at me every time I stood up. On the next plane, from Budapest to Paris, a woman made an attempt to get my seat, because she wanted to sit beside her friend. Since there were three passengers - me, this lady and her friend - and seven seats, I just looked at her and said I was staying where I was. She and friend ended up sitting in two separate rows, with two seats each, and not addressing a word to each other the whole way, so I have no idea why they needed mine.

I'm quite happy to be at home again, although I have a lot to do - lots more papers for Estonian work permit to print out and courier off to Tallinn! But I am not doing any work, since we finished the EDs on time. There are questions arriving from the developers, but, as far as I am concerned, they can all wait. I estimate the first week back will be spent answering all of these, before I get to do whatever our lead architect thinks I ought to be doing.

Tomorrow I therefore have to go out and buy a printer, which is something I have been putting off, but I do really need one........ the alternative is to go into the office and print things out, but I really don't want to do that, it gives them the wrong idea if I turn up during vacation time.
 
posted by Ally at 2:00 pm ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments