Et c'est reparti pour un tour ... suite

Vini, Vidi, Vici.

The interview team came, did their stuff and left (me alone).

At 9.30am i was, frankly, a very, very, worried young chap indeed; nobody had returned my messages (doh!), all eyes were turned towards yours-truly "tu vas être obligé de le faire", "vas-y, ça va être excellent" (doh! doh!) and i couldn't see any escape exit ( doh! doh! doh!).

Another round of hasty e-mails and phone calls ensued - one person said she'd love to take part but her kiddie was sick and another guy said he was too busy ( he doesn't work so i dunno what he does with his day)... and so on and so on ..

By midday, 3 hours before kick off : nothing, nada, rien, que dal .. i was. on. the. verge. of. a. syncope.

The CEO came to 'visit' us.

Him : "So, who've you managed to get then ?"

Me : "heummmmmmmmm - gulp - it's a surprise, innit, wait and see"

I'm not a worrier, i don't panic easily, i'm not Mr Stressy .. but sometimes when you just don't want to do something and you just don't feel up to it, you should be able to say NO.

But sometimes, just sometimes, you really can't say no, can you .. there are 'imperatives'.

So, by 1 o'clock, i was resigned to the fact that i was going to be the sacrificial little lamby (gulp, doh! gulp, gulp, dohhhhhhhh!)... and i was thinking "It won't take long, just grin and bear it" .. put your best foot forward and all that.

I'm just not interested in seeing my mug on prime time t.v ... 15 minutes of fame ? nahhhhhhhh, thanks for asking, but i'll take the money though.

And then .. and then ..

Like finding 20 quid down the back of the sofa at the end of a really tight month, like bumping into an old flame and stone the crows, he/she/it has never been married and is still available .. like a doggie that finds it's favorite, long lost bone in the back of a cupboard ... like ... like ... whatever

I saw a client that i've not seen for aaaages, then another one who phoned, out of the blue, just to see what my boss was getting up to - she wasn't there so i took his call and said "hey, there's something really cooool happening today, let's do lunch at about 2 and i'll explain ...".

The CEO was still hovering about, trying to look as though he had really important stuff to do and casting me inquiring glances every now and then (doh!gulp-doh!gulp-doh!gulp) .. he said to me "i'm really amazed you've got time for lunch with all this stuff going on .. " .. "hey, a man's gotta eat sometime, y'know"

Suddenly, the solution to all my worries fell into my lap.

I was dans un état de grâce.

Hooooooooooorahhhhh.

To cut a long story longer; i finished up with three very good people.

I didn't need to be involved - being good at delegating 'n' all that - and the crew even said that the 'victims' were excellent.

The clients were all mega mega happy .. s'not every day that we get the chance to go on French primetime t.v, if that's your bag, that is.

Phew.

The programme will go out on Sunday this week and the guest of honour will be Jane Birkin - a funny coincidence considering the article from last weekends' Observer.

Hmmm ... serendipity. Maybe.