I am in the fair city of Milano for a few days. It’s a work do (of course, why else would I leave my beloved, my beloved critters and my beloved Cornwall) and it’ll no doubt be a complete mix of the exquisite pleasure of being with my friends from the last fourteen years of working for this company, including those who I see too rarely, such as my buddy, Patti who has flown in from the USA to be here. I have to say that I also think there will be a fair share of pain too….but don’t tell on me for saying so!

When I arrived, I expected to be met by a bubbly Patti and for us to spend a happy afternoon ambling around the tourist areas of the city but it was not to be. Fate played a hand in stranding Patti in Indianapolis in a thunderstorm so she’s only just arrived and I was left to my own devices for the afternoon. I took a Metro into town and did a tourist bus trip of the city as a nice ‘safe’ way to look around, with my camera around my neck and no worries about someone swiping it.

This pic is of the Tourist office by the Duomo and I kinda liked its optimistic view on the world, especially as my own world is always chewed up with anxiety when I’m away.

As I was walking back to the hotel after my jaunt, I bumped into one of my colleagues in the street, then another in the hotel lobby, then the rest of the ‘gang’ came in thick and fast so it was one mad round of kissing and shrieking hello to everyone. I must say, I work with the nicest bunch of peeps and I don’t get to see them anything like enough, especially now I’m in a self-imposed exile in Cornwall. This makes trips like this a huge pleasure in many respects.

Now, I get ready for a ‘naughty’ night out with the non-chosen ones (the chosen ones get to go to a restaurant with the Boss). I expect it’ll end in a late night and a sore head in the morning…..on the same ‘evening out’ last year, I ended up in a gay bar in Nice at 2am, having found my way there via a Cuban salsa club, I wonder if this year it will be as exciting???!!!

Last year was my nirvana