Although I whinge on and on about going away from home, I do love ‘Bella Italia’ and here I am, in the Bay of Naples, looking out from my hotel at this sight – this is quite literally taken from my hotel room’s balcony.

It is, for anyone who’s not been here, Sorrento in the foreground, Naples at the foot of the mountain, which is Vesuvius! At the base of Vesuvius is Pompeii, where of course many people perished when the great volcano erupted in AD79. It looks so non-threatening doesn’t it but many, many people perished. I doubt I’m going to get any time for sightseeing because I’m ‘in and out’ of the country for a meeting but nonetheless, it’s grand to have a meeting in such a completely fabby doobie spot. In truth, I have been both to the top of the crater and to Pompeii some years ago and the memory will keep me going.

People always think these trips are pure ‘jollies’ when you say what you’re doing and why, but I do think the value of getting right away from the office is a good thing – it means you’re not tempted back to your desk then sucked into day-to-day stuff and of course these days, even at a distance, it’s perfectly possible to keep the balls in the air back at the ranch. In the glamorous world of broadband, blackberries and suchlike, we can all make sure that we stay in touch.

So, here I am – a meeting about new ideas, the blue sky of corporate marketing – which some of my colleagues are going to run up our corporate flagpole and see who salutes. In any event, it’s a win-win for me – I get to be here and I get to learn something new into the bargain.

Does anything give you the idea I’ve been assimilated by the corporate borg and totally transformed into corporate speak? Don’t worry – normal service will be resumed sometime quite soon.

Last year, I was in true Linda clumsy mode!