Mentioned, I was away with the daughter (similar to away with the pixies, but not) in Istanbul two weeks ago and on holiday in Nottingham last week. The first can also be assumed as holiday but it was full on, fully filled days from after breakfast to cocktails so – besides the Turkish bath and the Thai massage – there wasn’t a LOT of downtime in the stay. Mind you it was opulent. We stayed for two nights at MGallery by Sofitel – Galata Hotel Istanbul and I thought that was good. Marble bathrooms, in-house historic Turkish bath, rooftop bar with view over the Bosphorus (sigh, to continue an all too frequently mentioned theme – yet ANOTHER word not in the spellchecker), etc., etc. We visited the Fairmont for dinner, moved to Raffles for the last night and had our final dinner in Swissotel in their rooftop restaurant. The suites at Raffles were amazing. And we had one EACH!!! I think the day rate on the room exceeds the WHOLE of the cost of the following week’s holiday – including food and alcohol… I DID work – and here’s one of the photos to prove it (on Instagram I’m theflyawaydad, name checked in the blurb).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjZfUe8HqmW/?taken-by=the_flyaway_girl

Didn’t even open the laptop while we were away. There just was not the time. Back from there on the Friday and off to Nottingham on the Saturday. What can I say?

• The beer is better in Nottingham, easily.
• The roads are a lot less chaotic.
• We ate at more Turkish restaurants in Nottingham than I did in Istanbul.

But clients started getting in the way. I KNOW it’s part of the territory – hold yourself out to be the expert and, if people believe you, they WON’T do things without running them by you first. That is just about acceptable. Ian, you know who you are. BTW, ANYONE who leaves a message on your voicemail starting “I know you hate me – but” already KNOWS what they’re doing… But when it starts extending to pro bono work it really gets me riled. Local Government bureaucracy and not-even-clients conspired to eat a DAY of my bl00dy holiday and leave me in a seriously close to toys out of pram attitude. Relaxing it is not! Follow that with two meetings on Monday regarding said not-client (or not paying in any case) which could have gone very, very wrong and I was chairing and your holiday may not leave one chilled and full of the joys of life… Also I’d pretty much not driven for that week as it was as easy to get to nearly all the places we wanted to go by train and it was a good brisk 20-25 minute walk to the station so we were averaging between 10-20,000 paces a day according to Lorraine’s app so it was potentially healthy as well. Until I leap back behind the steering wheel and muscles in my back that have been taking it easy for a few days start to protest and less than 50 miles from our setting off point and it feels like the nerves in my neck and spine are on fire. I kid you not.

…

Back from my osteopath. Nearly forgot to go out I was so in the flow of things. So the hope is that various bits work better than they did an hour or two back but I really won’t know that until tomorrow or Saturday. It only remains to finish with another photo I took in Istanbul. Girl with (non-) flying carpet: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjb8M_PHqZY/?taken-by=the_flyaway_girl If I can’t blow my own trumpet, who can…