Stress levels off the barometer tonight as I’m about to embark on my second overseas trip in the space of a week and my second trip to the USA this year. Nothing makes this seem worthwhile – not even the prize of a contract while there. Sorry but that’s the simple truth of it.

I know some folks love the travelling and I know others are happy to accept it but me, I still hate it with a passion and wish someone who enjoyed it could be taking my place but the trouble is my specialist knowledge is needed.

So, I decided on a photo of me where I’d rather be – sitting at my desk in my office at home. Archie is on the sofa behind me, Rosie is in the doorway looking bemused and DM is a few feet away in his own office.

My office is very cute – I have my precious stuff hoarded in there – it takes all of my willpower not to lock the dogs and David inside it until I come home at night.

On my wooden bench, you can see my new calendar (that I took for my boss to see in Barcelona - my boss loved it and has asked me to accelerate the production of it so it can go out to around 2000 of our clients this Christmas to show we have talents other than just market research). I’m more than a bit proud of that – I was terrified she’d think it was just too crappy when she saw it – she’d asked me to do it on the basis of hearsay from another colleague who’d seen the original for the NYC girlies.

You’ll notice an open dictionary and a thesaurus – my two trusty companions. Oh and a Spurs Supporters Club flag! There are also photos on my wall, old and new, that I have taken – you can’t see the ones of Elvis Costello, U2, Ian Dury and the Q-Tips….all taken many moons ago (the Edge even had hair in the one of him). There are some that I took in the garden too, one of which is visible above the bench. The eagle eyed will spot the one of Adam Ant getting naked – phwoargh! (And unfortunately NOT taken by me!!!) (Sorry DM)

There are murder mystery games on the shelf and my trusty old Pentax that I used in my ‘rock chick’ days to photograph the brilliant and the beautiful. There are a few CDs – my new Elvis C, the Blow Monkeys, The Q-Tips and Jeanne’s Wim Wenders thing with Elvis doing Kirsty McColl’s Days. There is a G3 and a lens. There is a small photo of DM that I knicked from his office, where he's looking too beautiful for words....especially considering it's his old security pass from his last 'corporate' job.

But the best bit, there is ME, in my open pose, surrounded by dogs and David – I will be looking at this and remembering how it feels to be here over the next few days while I’m away.