List four: Holidays!

I have finished work for 18 whole days. This is good for lots of reasons.

1) Through the miracle of part-time working, I'm actually only using six days of my annual leave for an almost three week break. I like the feeling that I am getting two free days off for each of my holiday days. I know the logic of this is skewed, but who cares!

2) I can legitimately have a daytime nap EVERY DAY. I have the early pregnancy tiredness which sees me sneaking off to the loo (no really!) for five minutes peace, quiet and a sit down in the middle of the work day. I realise this is grim.

3) I am running out of long tops. Not normally an issue, but I am already wearing my mat jeans. I don't have a bump of course, I'm not even eight weeks pregnant, but I'm bloated and uncomfortable and still podgy post Christmas and my normal jeans were too tight and now I have an excuse to wear the stretchy ones, so there. Nothing says 'is she ....?' more than elasticated side panels in an office full of trendoids though, and I have offically lost patience for the 'dress over jeans' look I've been working for the past week.

4) The only thing curing my incessant morning sickness is eating constantly, and Polos from the canteen are twice the price as they are in Tesco.

5) I have developed the emotional maturity of a damp squib and cry at a moment's notice. Watching an advert for The Dog's Trust on the sofa at lunchtime = OK. Weeping in the middle of a busy newsroom = bad.

For the next 18 days then I shall mostly be enjoying my freedom. Next week we're actually going on holiday, but more of that later.