I spent three days last week temping in an office – admin for an extremely large and well known charity. I opened hundreds of envelopes, removed returned raffle tickets, logged the tickets onto a computer and generally did a very, very tedious job. The only highlight of the work was the other people I was working with….all very nice, friendly and pretty much full of fun – well you have to be really because the job is so dire! But someone has to do it, blah, blah, blah, all in a good cause….

I opened up one envelope, removed the tickets, checked the details and discovered that all of the tickets had been made out to staff at Radio Two – DJs, producers, even the cleaner, and of course, Sir Terry. The person buying the tickets was an elderly lady. At first I laughed out loud at what the old dear had done and then it just made me feel sad on her behalf – maybe it shouldn’t make me feel sad, why shouldn’t she buy tickets for people who are a large part of her life and brighten up her day, every day? But what if that’s all her life consists of? Just listening all day to Radio Two? It made me feel terribly lonely on her behalf….but then again, it could be that she’s busy every day doing things, has loads of friends but just wants to acknowledge Radio Two and what it does for her….

I did say it was a tedious job – I spent a good hour wondering about the old lady and Sir Terry.

I felt for a short while, just like Ally McBeal – I picked up a coffee on my way to work, I was dressed smartly in a short skirt, high heels, the lot. At lunch time I went and sat in the nearby park next to the river and ate my packed lunch and did some writing. All in all the idea of working was wonderful….now perhaps I can get a temping job that’s a bit more interesting please! Yes, I do want it all!!

And a bit of an update on my friend Tanya – the one with the rude male friend….She’s now pursuing someone else, but this one is frightened….

A bit of background story here….she decided to give internet dating a go (why I ask? She thought it would be a good way to meet new people – erm….how? It’s all virtual!)….Of course that’s where the problem lies with the Frightened ex-journalist…..Moving from the virtual into the real world…..They’ve had three abortive attempts at meeting I believe. Tanya calls me or texts me and I provide a shoulder to cry on…or at least a friendly ear.

The first time they were due to meet in a bar….he texted her a couple of hours before they planned to meet and called it off – he hates Blind Dates….she understood, so does she…Actually, doesn’t everyone? I know for my part I had a blind date years ago and I dreaded it – it turned out ok though…well, ok in the short term…in the long term it turned out he was gay – well, I guess he was gay, but so far back in that closet/wardrobe that he was shaking snow off his shoes….

Anyway, they managed to reschedule and the next time was meeting during the day in a very unusual and quite romantic spot…Tanya was very impressed and quite intrigued by this man – it was nice to hear her so enthusiastic about a man for a change – her recent history with men has been very chequered and I think she was beginning to believe that all men have severe emotional problems….No, I told her…they’re just Men….And anyway, she has more than her fair share of emotional problems – most of which the Rude man pointed out….

So, they’d set another meeting up in this romantic place and again he texted her to say he couldn’t do it….Not because he’d double booked or was called into work, no, simply because he’d got cold feet again….I did recommend she buy him some thick socks and see if that helped….

The following day, after she’d had the opportunity to rant to me and generally get it off her chest , she texted him – did he want to meet up for a coffee that day….No reply came….at first, and then later he replied, told her where he lives and asked her out again. Now she just has to wait and see if the next date will materialise.

Yet again all her female friends (me included) are saying – forget him, you can do better, is it worth the aggravation? And of course, “Huh, men!” But she will always give everyone a second, and in this case, a third chance – one of the things I like about her most. It’s also called being a Soft Touch…