Good Monday to you all :-)

So Monday didn't really get off to the best of starts.

I did have something to do with that having not prised myself off the sofa until 1am because I just had to get my team ready for the new season on football manager. 3 promotions in 4 seasons and this time going up would mean making it to the football league.......As any hopelessly addicted football manager fan will understand this is a big season.

That I was in control of and take full responsibility for however next doors little one wailing at the top of it's voice for the next 5 hours was not something I could have planned for.

So my self inflicted late night twinned with devil child crying and a 06:45 alarm setting made me just a bit dreary today but it's most definitely picked up.

I have spoken to the regional manager of the pub company that we will be dealing with regarding the lease, unfortunately he was driving at the time but he's keen for a meet up to go over things.

I'm now of the opinion that it will be better for us if we can renegotiate a new lease and have it looked over with a fine toothed comb from a legal perspective so that we all know exactly where we stand and exactly how we can build the business going forward. It's a very positive move I think and the ball which had kind of stopped rolling will be getting back in motion.

Also had an idea about how my current work and the pub can work together for the benefit of both parties which I'm hoping, should the pub go ahead, will offer some security for us and a firm showing of commitment to my current employers.

Also looking ahead I have my first cookery demo coming up this Thursday (as previously blogged) and I'm actually feeling quite calm about it although there is some inevitable nervous excitement.

I'll be taking the advice of an experienced demo'ing foodie I know who informed me that I must just keep talking at all times to keep the audience otherwise they will drift........I'm not sure I've ever talked for an hour in my life but I do have a clear idea of what I'm going to be making, how I'm going to make it and I'll be thinking about timings etc etc so perhaps I'll have plenty in the memory banks to waffle on about.

Following that will be the demo at Reading Farmers market. Certainly going to be doing the proper Ready, Steady, Cook thing and getting the market go'ers to choose the ingredients but you know how us English have this reluctance to get involved in such theatre in public so I'll make sure I have something of my own in mind.

Had great fun over the weekend involving lots of champagne, oysters, music and buddies. Topping it off with a 7 hour DJ set at a private party was just the icing, such a great time with such a lovely and receptive crowd made me fall in love with it all again just a little bit :-)