New beginnings

The problem with holidays is that, when you get back, the routine seems just that bit more routine. I suspect this is how rock stars feel, coming off stage from playing to 20,000 people, then waking up next morning to realise they still have to wash their own pants.

So now I'm back in Britain. For the first few days it was pleasantly warm and I had that upbeat feeling that summer brings – that everything is getting better and every will eventually be alright. Now it's cold and miserable and I'm resorting to the traditional method Brits use to cheer themselves up – listening to the Smiths on the radio. I had been thinking about inviting everyone over for a barbecue earlier in the week; now I'm thinking about buying another jumper.

I also started a new job this week after a period of concentrating purely on writing. The first week in a new job is always tricky. You don't know how anything works, who anyone is, or where the toilets are. I spent a large amount of the week trying to find meeting rooms with names that are supposed to indicate what a fun and wacky place it is to work, but would be better if they indicated what floor they were situated on.

Unlike the weather though, the advantages of a new job is that it all slowly does become clearer. If you're working with good people, which I am, they will be doing everything they can to help you settle in, learn the ropes, find the best places for lunch.

Which means that every day, I feel more at home, more like I know what's going on, and less like a clueless idiot who's been hired for their expertise and then can't even work out what floor the toilets are on. Unlike the weather, the job is warming up. Everything is getting better and every will eventually be alright.