Helsinki, mon amour

We're off to Helsinki on Friday. We go every year (for the past five years), and find it's the perfect pre-Christmas jaunt. Always Christmassy, often snowy, though I'm not banking on it this year, and always good food. We're going with a veggie friend this year (as last year) who doesn't eat fish but even is such a carnivorous country can always find something on the menu.

We always stay in the Hotel Kamp, which is this really old, gorgeous hotel right whcih overlooks the park and the harbour, and is right in the middle of their equivalent of the West End, only much nicer. I can't wait to get away.

Work has been a bit of a trial lately. Not the work itself, the people. There are so many of them, and all with their own problems. It's my job to solve them all apparently. It's tough to be the boss. I'm not really bothered if they like me or not (of course secretly I hope that they do), but it can be quite lonely sometimes. I long for the days of no responsiblity and after-work drinks, when everyone was pals and no one was afraid to either misbehave in front of me or worry about what then can say. I tend to stay away from dos these days, or only go briefly before I've outstayed my welcome. They don't really want the boss their cramping their style, something I fully understand.

So yes, I'm ready to leave it all behind for some peace and quiet in another country.

Now, can we all link hands and summon up some deep snow.