On Tuesday I had a day off and a trip to the National Gallery to see the Sisley exhibition. Small, but delightful. Then to a lovely lunch at Le Caprice – one of my very favourite ‘occasion’ restaurants in London. Food and wine both excellent. Service patchy though charming. But why doesn’t someone suggest that the three or four front of house guys would look a whole lot smarter if they polished their shoes occasionally?

  To PR Newswire’s ‘Meet the Media’ event in SW1 last night. Guest speaker was Matthew Bishop of The Economist who, in between plugging his just-published book, offered some useful insight into the workings of this excellent publication. Hospitality was generous and following the Q&A session we were all invited to cross from one side of Royal Opera Arcade to the other where the photographer John Stoddart’s work was showcased in La Galleria. On the street level of the gallery we played “if you could hang one of those at home which would you choose?” As I wasn’t...

 Got a call from Business Link yesterday doing a quick phone survey to see if the current economic situation had made an impact on my business. ‘No’ - or at least, ‘not yet’. And how did I see my business progressing this year - turnover down, stay the same or up? Definitely ‘up’ I said. And how did I plan to grow my business during the next 12 months? ‘An aggressive new business campaign’ was the answer I chose. You’ve been warned! Meet the editors - what a good idea this is! Was pleased to receive and accept an invitation from PR Newswire...

That’s what the BBC told us about today.  And I must say that with driving rain and a chilly wind,  plus a number of work frustrations, I agree.  All set up for a conference call at 1 p.m. between me and two others, but the phone remained resolutely silent.  A newsletter I’ve been trying to publish for two weeks now remains incomplete for reasons beyond my control.  People aren’t returning my calls. On the plus side, I’m going to my first-ever Rugby International at the Millennium Stadium in March to see Wales vs Ireland.  As a quarter Scot, who shall I support? ...

  Back to the office which is uncharacteristically chilly. The phones aren’t working and my computer crashed within five minutes of booting up. This had better not be a portent.

  The first day of the rest of my life   Today being the 1st of January seems like a good day to start a blog. I’m not one for New Year’s Eve celebrations nor any kind of sentimentalism about the passing of the old year. Equally, I don’t believe that a date on the calendar marks any kind of change.   However, the long Christmas break does give one a chance to reflect and resolve on both personal and professional matters.   On the first front, one thing I am absolutely resolved to achieve is getting our council (LB Hounslow, since you ask) to implement the parking controls that my neighbours...