I am now on holiday! Off work for a whole six days (Wednesday to Wednesday) and off out the country on Thursday for a long weekend in Croatia with two friends from uni. This was supposed to be the year with no holidays, what with buying the flat and all, but one of the friends is visiting from Canada for a couple of weeks (to work) and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. And I paid for some of it before we actually bought the flat anyway.

Less easy to justify (in some ways) is all the cash I've been spending on loveliness in the last month. Some is easy to justify: I've spend a heckof a lot of money on underwear this month (really, you don't want to know how much) but that it basically because the last time I bought myself any underwear apart from some M&S pants (so we're talking structural support here!) was...wait for it...Autumn/Winter 2005. None of it fitted any more, I've changed shape (although not in the way I'd expected) and much of it had had to go in the bin by virtue of being completely worn out.

I've also bought shoes: I broke my work pumps the other day, the strap came away in my hand, and whilst a repair might have been possible the soles were actually nearly falling off and really these shoes had lived their useful life. I am now the proud owner of two new pairs of black, work-safe* but also pretty shoes, which are both better quality than the recently departed shoes and so should last out better.

(*I work in a lab so oughtn't wear exposed toe shoes. Our second in comand wears flipflops in the lab; about half of the staff follow her lead and do the same. I feel I ought to show some loyalty to our lab manager and obey the rules, so I wear proper shoes. Which at the moment means very hot trainers.)

Then there's been the online sales....Long Tall Sally and Howies both; I've picked up shorts and teeshirt from Howies for my holidays (so I'd better get at least one beachy but sporty sort of opportunity to wear them!) and a couple of frocks from LTS which were all reduced heavily, One of these frocks will be carefully stowed away to keep for a friend's wedding next year, the others will be worn on holiday (so I'd better get some swanning around looking glamorous and girly opportunities!)

Otherwise I just have to pick up some insurance and think about packing. Whilst it's not that long since I was off to move I am quite in need of a break from work. Thankfully too I think my absence is catalysing a wee re-think of MTO roles in the lab so that when I get back I may get a wee change, maybe even some new opportunities. Life is good.