Hello all you lovely people who are still reading my blog,

I hope you are liking these happier and more light-hearted posts of late. I am definitely liking these happier and lighter-hearted days. Yes, you'll be pleased to know that the bubble hasn't yet burst. Yesterday I had a meeting with some council-types that wasn't as 100% positive as my recent meetings but I know that things aren't going to be great all the time and there'll be bad days and evil days and days when everything goes wrong and I'll get upset and feel that things are the same as they were before Christmas. So if on a day like this, I complain to you, remind me of today and how happy I've been at work this week doing campaigny-type things that are interesting and exciting and fun!

I officially start my new job on Monday but have been doing it already because B has moved to Oxford and he had to hand everything over before he went.

For those of you who want to know what my job involves, it's something along the lines of what's written below. As you'll see, I'm totally unqualified to do this job, but am somehow managing it. All I can say is how lucky am I to get this job without being interviewed?

Part press officer (but obviously for a good organisation not an evil company) so I'll write press releases giving a regional angle to national campaigns to attract local media coverage. I'll help organise stunts to publicise different campaigns to attract media coverage and keep abreast of some (thankfully not all) of the national campaigns. I'll try and place articles or write 'letters to the editor' which I've ghost-written for local celebs. I'll build up contacts with local journalists to help publicise our campaigns. For Fairtrade fortnight we're hoping to get lots of media coverage across Yorkshire and the North East and will also help other groups around the region with their publicity.

I'll help build up contacts with local MPs and alliances and work with local affiliated groups which will involve more stunts and media work (even being a media spokesperson!! Oh dear, clarity when speaking is NOT my strong point), maybe also helping to organise a film and music festival. I'll have to give presentations and workshops about campaigning and media work PLUS I'm managing the volunteer co-ordinators in the North East.

All this will involve lots of ideas (so, if anyone's got any, please pass them on) and I'll be able to input them into both local and national campaigns. And I can even comment on national campaigning strategies, if I have any time left over.

Umm...Think I'll recruit my own volunteer to help me with some of this work...who, of course, I'll have to manage.

P.S. I told my line manager about cf yesterday and he was fine about it. YAY!