Since some of you have keenly picked up on this in your emails, I am now forced to admit that I have begun taking several Fridays (even Saturdays!) off in recent weeks. No, this should not be taken as an indication that our workload in Darfur has diminished. It is simply a reflection of the joyous fact that I have (yes, really, finally) found a man - and of course we all know what that means.

I've now discovered it's actually not so easy keeping track of your man in Darfur (and no, the predatory other women of the aid industry are not to blame). Today, the girls and I compare some of the better excuses we have heard (and unfortunately, had to believe) for not receiving that eagerly awaited phone call or visit from our men:

"Sorry, but my tukul (mud hut) was flooded and the satellite phone died."

"I can't get there today babe, the UN planes have run out of fuel."

"I can't drive to El Fasher today, the wadi (river) is too high to cross and one of ours cars tipped over when we tried yesterday."

"There are rebels attacking our town, we have to evacuate for a few days to a place south of here."

"There's a 24-hr curfew in the city because of the riots."

And finally, my favourite:

"I'll come see you next week, honey. I've just got to pass out food to 50,000 people first."

Yes, I can finally confirm it - romance in Darfur is alive and well indeed.