Total billings for the month to date actually declined - the past week at work

Monday

The warm weather of the weekend continued, so that getting up this morning was hardly any effort. The downstairs rooms of the house seemed very still as I made a cup of milky coffee. I took the drink out into the garden - blossom from the chestnut trees covering the lawns to the depth of an inch.

At the agency plenty of work remained from last week. Eleanor (trainee account executive) was in a funny mood, and spent the morning doing nothing. This was unusual as normally she is a workaholic.

Increasingly it is becoming clear that we are not going to make our income target for May, probably by quite a wide margin. The only person who does not seem to fully realise this is Yvette (head of the agency). The usual Monday meeting at which we were commanded to ring up all our clients and ask for work.

Yvette has lost so much weight that there was considerable speculation as to the cause. Andrea (account director) suggested liposuction. Julie (trainee account executive) thought it was due to a long session in a sauna.

In the afternoon I went to a quiet room on the other side of the floor and rang up someone I had known on the post-grad course in advertising. He is now in a senior position with JWT and I was hoping to ask him for a job. But too many years have passed, and our friendship had lapsed, and I finished the call without asking him anything.

In the evening I went to the headquarters of an educational charity I do voluntary work for. The young members ("young" being up to age 40, although a few were obviously much older) were holding a fund-raising event in the marble courtyard (Grade II listed). About thirty people paid £20 for a wine evening.

We sat at the small iron tables in the comfortably warm evening while a former wine expert from Christies gave us various wines to sample, describing in beautiful words liquids that were, in my opinion, horrid:

"This is a spicy wine... this one has a little more finesse... this is rapier-like... we're in rather deeper water now... a test of good wine is how long the taste lasts... ahh, a demesne-bottled wine! ..."

At the end there was a blind tasting, and the nicest turned out to be an Australian red (to the consternation of several people, Sally raising a Gaspar-gloved* hand to her mouth as if she were going to throw up).

Later I talked to Peter, and after paying the speaker's fee and paying for the wines, the event had hardly made any money, which seemed somehow typical.

* I knew they were Gaspar gloves because I asked - apparently gloves are in, although no-one else seems to be wearing them.

Tuesday

Another quiet day with no work coming in. I used the morning to get some research done, and to catch up on contact reports. Our total billings for the month to date actually declined when one of Andrea's clients rang up and cancelled part of a campaign (provoking a flurry of activity and some unreasonable hysteria from Yvette).

The afternoon was boring, and it was an effort to find things to do.

I decided that no matter what else happened I would resign from the agency before the end of August.

Wednesday

Everyone remarked on how quiet it had become. Yvette has accepted that the target for May is not going to be met. She responded to the fact by withdrawing into her office and hardly communicating with anyone.

Now I have decided to leave all the feelings of stress I have experienced recently have disappeared.

In the afternoon I took Eleanor to a meeting with my food client (since I intended to hand her most of my client list when I go). Instead of returning to the office we went to the Italian cafe. And she revealed that she is also planning to leave!

Thursday

Changed weather so that it is colder and wetter.

Yvette out all day.

During the morning a rep from a design magazine came in. He was a Liverpudlian aged about twenty-five, thin build, curly black hair. He told us he used to sell cookers before going into media sales ("...I was advised to stick at it, and now I'm Assistant Advertising Manager"). He also plays in a band, and showed Andrea the band's Facebook page. After his presentation he seemed reluctant to leave, and sat talking. We had nothing to do, so let him stay.

I was puzzled at why the Liverpudlian was so impressed with everything in the agency - our job titles, the offices, the client list etc.

In the afternoon I spent some time copywriting for our oil client, drinking Badoit water (which had a salty taste, so I suppose it was bad for my blood pressure).

Friday

I had the ad for our oil client to look after, but otherwise things were quiet. Eleanor and Julie sent out letters to potential clients, criticising their current advertising campaign and asking for an opportunity to explain how we would do things better. Chris (part-time accounts, working out her notice) revealed how bad the figures for May were.

In the afternoon Yvette came in accompanied by a toddler who she introduced as her nephew.

"That child is going to grow up with an incredible complex" said Andrea quietly.

Later Yvette's nephew was sick.

"I also get nauseous when Yvette is in the room" said Andrea quietly.