Had a busy, busy week this week, completed my first full week at work and also been a social butterfly. I'm really feeling like i'm settling into Sydney life and the legwork I've put in with regard to work and meeting people is really paying off, which is fab.

Weeks 1 & 2 at The Wine Society
Successfully completed my first working week in nearly 4 months! Blimey I'd forgotten how tiring working was! Things are going well tho and it already feels like i've been there for longer than 2 weeks! Not sure if that's good or bad?! I work in a terrible office building, old and a little grotty in a place called Woolloomoolo, which is a couple of minutes walk from the imfamous Kings Cross and it's colourful sights! You should see some of the things I pass on my walk back to the train station at night! ( Don't worry mum, i'm completely safe!). However we move offices to a lovely listd building in a couple of months, lovely building, less perfect location (for me at least - will add an extra 10/15 mins onto my journey), the new building will have a cellar door (Shop), proffessional tasting facilities and a terrace on the roof for bbq's and staff drinks, which will be cool.

My Team
Back to the present tho - I sit in a team of 7 people in a marketing office with extremely bright lights - it's a pain! By 3pm, I am gasping for some natural light. The team are nice enough a mixed bunch really, 3 of whom have been at the society for at least 10 tears. There's quite a lot of long termers in the business, which creates a bit of a challenge when you are trying to change things to move them forward, I think they'll be a bit of resistance to my role to say the least. Lucky i'm happy to play the policital role!

My Role
My role as acquisiton manager is all about increasing the number of members in the Society and I've spent lots of the time since I've been there pulling the strategy together for how we should do it. This has shown the my role covers a lot of different areas of the business, The web and online, the ttores that we have, the corporate sales arm of the business, advertising and PR. Chief Exec (my direct line manager) has given my full support, so that shouldmake things a little easier.

First Wine Dinner
Already been to my first "Wine Dinner", a three course meal at a lovely restuarant with wine tasting. I felt slightly uncouth tho, as having an uneducated pallette such as mine, tasting 12 different Pinot Noirs, was slightly challenging. The differencs in some of them to me were so subtle, that that they were really hard if blimming impossible for me to detect! However I can tell I'm turning a bit of a corner and tasting things and being able to articluate them, that I couldn't have down 2 weeks ago - but still got a whole mountain to climb!!! Not mentioned to my work yet, that I drunk goon (cheap wine from the box) whilst travelling!!! and certainly not that I mixed red wine and coke!!!!

Huntr Valley
Also had 2 away days at the Hunter Valley (the largest Winery in NSW) which was fun and eye opening in equal measures! The 2 days were about the management team presenting the 3-5 year strategy to the Board of Directors. (Because we are a co-operative we have a board that sit above us to 'give direction'). To give you an inclining of the Board.. the youngest is probably 55 and the oldest 74! The longest time served on the board is 18 years and the average time is 10 years! They are all male and completely old school, think Australian Dinosaurs! I think you might have got the picture. It was quite tricky trying to prove that I ws a professional of value and not just a little blonde plaything, but I think I succeeded in the end... I hope! The days were hardcore, lots of thinking, presenting and mentally quite draining, but we did get rewarded with beautiful accomadation, great food and lots of good wine! When the CEO went to square the corkage bill, I think between us all we'd consumed 48 bottles! The following morning before we reconvened to get the boards feedback, I went over the Hunter in a Helicopter, that was awesome. It was a little 4 seater and a little scary when we took off - it's bizarre how it just goes straight up, but cool. Would do it again and I'd defo recommend.

On the whole, really pleased with my job, it's exciting, challenging and has great potential for me.

Social butterfly
Had a good mix of being social and having early nights - to recover from the stress of working again!!

Discovered a couple of new restuarants around Kings Cross/Darlinghurst. The Victoria Room with my friend Nat and The Gazebo with my friend Zhaleh, how very bizarre that they are from Leicester and Derby respectively!! 12,000 miles away and i've got my own Midlands gang!! Victoria Room is an amazing bar restuarant, lots of dark wooden victorian pannelling, plush leather sofa's, mis matched elegant furniture, low lighting and an amazing wine, cocktails and tapas list. Certainly not cheap tho! Mind you, Zhaleh and I made up for that at the Gazebo, a lovely bar with a really sweet outdoor area - when they mis charged us by $100!! Get in!

Then on Friday, I went out with my workmates, to a gorgeous, gorgeous tapas restuarant in Kirribilli (another typical Oz name!!), I think it goes down as my second favourite meal thus far in Sydney. A girl at work's boyfriend owns it and the food was simply stunning. We had the degustation menu, which was basically a small sample of lots and lots of little dishes. The first dish that came out was tuna tartare with pickled cauliflower - my very 2 worst foods - and it was amazing! I'm not completely converted to tuna and cauli yet, but please be extremely proud of me eating and anjoying them!

Had a girlie night out on the razzle on saturday in Paddington with Nat, Leanna, Jasmine, Ruth, Jac and Maggie. It was fun, got a little messy and ended at 4am! I was unable to join the girls in busting moves -as I had got the most ridiculous pair of beautiful but grossly uncomfortable shoes on!!! When will I learn?

Then on Sunday, I popped over to Charlie and Oli's in Manly to pick up the final lot of my cargo, a bit of a pain dragging aheavy suitcase on the 1.5hour ferry, bus and walk home - but at least it's done and then finished Sunday off with a relaxing girly, completely obvious Chick Flick - 27 dresses. And yes I new the outcome of the film befor eI even put it on - of course the girl and boy were going to end up together!

Any how - this entry is nearly as long as my dissertatin (and far more interesting - I hope!!)

Love H.xxxxx