I'm finally home. Useful trip but thoroughly exhausting and I'll glad I have the day booked off tomorrow.

I have been in transit home forever but soon I'll get there. Soon. Wouldn't have been bad if the coach from the airport hadn't broken down. Somehow the extra hour delay has made this journey feel incredibly long.

Today we had a brief tour of the local town that was cut short by an epic storm that's still going on. We did get a nice lunch before we fled. Tonight there is a disco happening. I have finished my last meeting of the day so I'm having a rest in my room.

Had a long day touring supplier sites and then came back to our hotel for my "time at leisure" so I could do some work. Slightly less leisure than anticipated but got through it all. Considering a nap before dinner right now. Very tired.

I don't think there is enough coffee in the world for how badly I slept last night and his much jet lag is kicking me this morning.

Made it to my hotel, have eaten a food, and now I'm ready to collapse for the night.

Made it with plenty of time. Checked in, through security, have waved at colleagues in the distance and now I'm having a second breakfast. A small bowl of yogurt and granola at 6am will not be sufficient for the day.

Glad I decided to get the very early coach rather than the just on time coach. Traffic is terrible but I've got tons of time. Phew!

I'm at the coach station for the first stage of my trip: coach to Gatwick. It's a very foggy morning.

I have done packing 😅

I'm off to an overseas work trip tomorrow, my very first, and I'm trying not to feel unreasonably stressed about having travel arrangements that I haven't personally booked and validated. I should probably pack at some point, right?

Oooh! Gonna make my museums so festive 😍

Yup

It begins 😍

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't note what will 😍

At choir rehearsal today, practising Fairytale of New York: Director: Men, I need you to sing this like you're drunk. Just loud and drunk. Men: immediately sing it the best they've ever done. Women: laughing and clapping too much to remember to sing our bits. Director: I'll take it.

Thanks to the PlayStation sale, I now have final fantasy VIII, IX, and X available to play at some point. And my sister gave me XVI. I may have issues?

Beautiful 😍

A media company that encourages screenshots and helps you capture the majesty of Hou Minghao being all sexy and demony? iQIYI, you spoil us. Watch Fangs of Fortune, everyone.

Today we finished Fangs of Fortune and had a great time despite the tears shed over the final three episodes. By a process of elimination brackets and tiny pink octopuses (it made sense if you were there), we have selected our next drama: Zang Hai. I'm sure this will be a very calm unemotional one

I have @bishbosh.bsky.social visiting and yesterday we went to see wicked and then had Thai food and it was an excellent day. Today we had a lazy morning and now I'm in Oxford to watch bosh play hockey. Very good weekend in all ways.

Huh. I am not sure how I want to react to this.

I was feeling gloomy and then...

#GameAwards nominations are out and I'm delighted that my favourite game this year (my gaming life is too short to call it best game of my life yet) got 12 nominations including game of the year. Go and play Expedition 33, it's incredible.

Am I sniffly and achy because it's turned cold and my body is adjusting or do I have a bug? Only time will tell!

I agree with the judges on who to save this week. It was clear from watching the dance off who should stay #Strictly

#MRF So in-game, I had a few days before the next big event and I spent them doing some friendship events and a couple of side quests, which did some great things for my team's equipment, levelling, and funds. Very worth it. I feel like we're ready for the next part of the story.

Loved that closing dance from La Voix #Strictly

Carlos, don't make me cry! #Strictly

That waltz was gorgeous and I'm still so in love with Alex 😍 #Strictly

Anyone playing the Blackpool drinking game tonight must already be so drunk #Strictly

Had a busy day with my nephew visiting - building a lot of Lego and then cuddling while watching octonauts when we all needed a rest. Lovely day but also very happy to be flopping on my sofa with Strictly.

#MRF (finally giving metaphor refantazio a short tag) I decided to forge on with the cathedral dungeon for as long as possible and got to what turned out to be the final rest spot before I had to leave because I was out of MP and healing items, which was good.

A demo for Octopath Traveler 0 is out there but I'm not going to get it because why torture myself? I already know I'm going to get it and I won't want to stop when I start playing it.

Well this looks like it was made for me youtu.be/4iZZGBMlFbc

I'm learning that proper dungeons in Metaphor ReFantazio are very long and will take me multiple sessions to complete. Thankfully save points are scattered fairly well through them. Unlike FFVII Remake, these spots aren't places where you can rest to recover HP and MP 😅

I love both of these books so much, you should go and read them.

Important Meraphor ReFantazio news: You can pet the cat. I repeat, you can pet the cat.

Balvinder and Alex both look incredible tonight #Strictly

New game started! I've been itching to play Metaphor ReFantazio and so far it has not disappointed. Made it through the first dungeon and we're off to assassinate an evil prince. I've died in battle once (in a boss fight) and also by not running fast enough from a rock fall 😅 Yay generous autosave

That was a great exhibition. Highly recommended if you are in Oxford before April.

The cruelest trick my body plays on me is not telling me I'm hungry until I'm feeling dizzy and lightheaded. It then feels actively against food so I only acquired a very small food because everything is unappealing. And follows this up by being famished after the first bite. Argh.

Having a restorative coffee and treat in the Weston library cafe before I plunge into the John le Carré exhibition. Somehow there's always something interesting here no matter when you show up.

Next train arrived on time and it's one of the fancy comfy ones, so this isn't all terrible.

On my sixth day of leave, I'm off to Oxford to mooch around libraries and museums but I missed the train by an inch (to quote a sympathetic person who insisted I needed to go ahead of him in the coffee queue) so I'm hoping that's not a Sign. I'm sure it'll be a lovely day. Eventually.

On my fifth day of leave (I miscounted yesterday), my groceries have been delivered and the washing machine is running. I'm going to take myself up to the coffee shop for a treat and some fresh air.

Finished original #FFVII! That was such a good game, such a great story. And the ending was incredibly satisfying in a way that just felt right. I particularly loved the post credits sequence. So good.

Washing machine has been delivered and installed and is currently running a cleaning cycle with no sign of issues 🎉 Only one slight issue (the plumbing made the unexpected extra 1cm in depth very awkward) but overall it went fine and my brain weasels can now shut the hell up. Hopefully.

I decided that the best distraction would be some Xenoblade chronicles, and it turns out I was in the middle of some fun mostly gathering info quests last time I played. So this is actually a really chill gaming experience right now 😁

On my third day of leave, I am having a new washing machine delivered, a thing I have been putting off for months because it made me feel so incredibly stressed to contemplate. Of course, I'm currently a ball of anxiety with every disaster scenario running through my head at double speed. Such fun.