If I get the chance I’ll write a couple of posts today as I want to tell you about the brilliant place I stayed at in London over the last few days – but first up, I’ve already been rewarded for not losing my rag over the South Africa job that evaporated.

When Bob said the job has been postponed he apologised and finished the email saying that there are bound to be similar jobs coming up in other parts of the company and that he’d recommend me to his colleagues. Unfortunately when you run your own show you tend to read such words with a deep degree of cynicism and consider them to be just softening the blow of rejection.

Well, I shall take a more positive view in future as Bob has already proven good for his word. It’s all a bit short notice – but that makes life more fun anyway.

There’s a meeting in Paris Bob wants me to attend on his behalf on Monday. I’ve never even worked with his company! This feels a little mad, but the brief is to bang the drum for maintaining customer service, against those wanting to cut costs. Bob reckons the meeting will be full of people who have never met before and who will never meet again, and so the fact that none know me, and I don’t even work for the business won’t matter a jot.

To anyone living in the real work this will sound unbelievable, but having spent years in big banks it sounds quite plausible to me.

I need to sort out my own flights and see what I can find as far as last minute hotel deals are concerned. Because I’ll fly out on Sunday afternoon for an early Monday meeting I can bill two days, and charge double for Sunday so effectively it’s three. It’s hardly a trip to South Africa, and there are any number of things that could go wrong, but what the hell, I’m quite looking forward to it!

Next up I need to get out and about at home and hope I can bump into Claire who sometimes looks after the dog. She used to live next door and so I’ve never taken her number. It shouldn’t be difficult though as she walks past the window with her dog a couple of times a day.

I’ll be back later with the London story – it’s a good one.