Christmas is over, and the thank-you letters are already starting to pour in. My first one comes from the International Dance Teachers Association, who thank me kindly for applying for the position of Office Dogsbody General Office Assistant, but state that due to the large number of applications received, my advanced photocopying skills and ability to make a cup of tea are surplus to requirements. They do, however, state that they'll keep my CV on file in case something else suitable comes up, so with a bit of luck I could be teaching pensioners to jive by the end of the year.

At first I was pleased to receive such a friendly piece of correspondence. After all, the last twelve jobs I've applied for have produced just one genuine rejection letter printed on actual proper made-from-trees paper. Seven of the remaining eleven didn't reply at all. So to get a polite letter addressing me by name, and thanking me for applying, is a bit of a triumph. Naturally I was walking on air. That is until I read the IDTA information at the foot of the page, and discovered just what an opportunity I'd missed out on...


Never mind Her Royal Highness Shaikha Mai Al Khalifa of Bahrain; never mind Lord & Lady Scouse; they know Lionel Blair!!!. I bet he's forever popping his head around the door and tapping his way into reception. I'm gutted. We could have played 'Give Us A Clue' in my lunch hour.

But unbelievable tragedy aside, I've recently tracked down a load of Nina Gordon b-sides and demos, transcriptions of which I'll be adding to my Nina Gordon shrine just as soon as I've managed to work them out. But while I spend the next couple of days in front of my stereo, trying to hold a pen and a plectrum in the same hand, fans of bear-baiting, kangaroo-killing and camera-crouching are in for a treat, because I'm pleased to announce... the return of Big Sis!

Yes, just when you thought it was safe to venture out onto the highways of America, Big Sis is back from the dead, and has finally found time to complete her travel diary. She's spent more than three months writing the last two posts, so you just know they're going to be good. Although I haven't read them yet, so I can't make any promises. As I'm sure you'll remember, we left Sis stroking beavers in Colorado, whilst looking for bears and stamping on snakes. Her next stop was outer space and a spot of alien abduction...