Amazing simple joys....

Today has started in the bestest way ever! Why because on arriving at my normal parking area I was greeted with the horror of having to parallel park on the wrong side (don't snigger you know what I mean - there is one side that every parallel parker can do without a worry - and then there is the other side, the one you avoid at all costs, as it will take several attempts to manage to get your car in the space, always on an angle and usually in front of an audience laughing at your ineptitude.

Well today I arrived, no spaces on the passenger side - the parallel side of choice - so I had no option but to attempt the tricky manoeuvre on the drivers side. A quick check for audience (just a dustbin lorry full of young boys, excellent no pressure then) and off we go - sun blinding me in one eye just for added bonus and despite believing that as normal my reversing in would be way off and require copious re-manoeuvre's I got in the space first time.

And not just in the space, a perfect distance from the curb, equally on both front and rear - it was an awesome and perfect moment. One which I shall cherish for the rest of the morning if not day. The simplest and smallest things are often the ones that make me most happiest and I just had to share!!

Good day to you all Lx

Holiday Conundrums

So being as I live in one seaside resort and drive daily to another one for work when it comes to that time of year when one's mind starts daydreaming of relaxing on golden beaches with a cocktail in one hand and a good book in the other I have plenty of inspiration on my doorstep.

However as I live with a official fidget whose worst nightmare appears to be exactly this style of fly and flop the negotiations over holidays can prove interesting. Earlier this year we partook in a winter getaway to Egypt - Sharm El Sheik to be precise - needless to say this was not without its issues - namely in a region that NEVER has rain we were present for a monstrous thunderstorm that included so much rain our hotel was flooded, the swimming pools filled with mud and part of the airport roof fell in (I kid you not google it!!). However we had a fab time and on our return started talking about where we could potentially go next...

So with beach holidays not being top of Mr P's wish list, and skiing not being a favourite choice of mine (true I've never been but exercise, freezing cold and snow are not top of my list when it comes to picturing a holiday from the norm) we started to talk about the good ol USA and more specifically Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.

Please note there is no hidden meaning towards a) a quickie wedding b) a gambling addiction but more an urge to see the awesome wonder of the Canyon and spend a few hedonistic days together somewhere fun.

The date for this planned trip was to be October, Vegas weather cool enough to be bearable, good time for vacation time from work etc etc. However it would appear this is not to be...upon a brief discussion with Mr P it seems our jaunt to Vegas is in a permanent state of pause the true reason I am unsure but needless to say a disappointing state of affairs.

However ever the planner that I am with my trusty filofax by my side I have made a list (if you know me you know my love of lists) of places to visit for a weekend away as with my birthday looming in September this could be the perfect opportunity to explore some as yet unLucyified European city so in order of preference what are your thoughts? Where would be good for a potential mid September getaway?

1. Barcelona
2. Venice
3. Paris
4. Milan
5. Madrid

Decisions decisions x

A new hobby?

Well these are words I never thought I'd say but I'm becoming a bit of a geocaching nerd and absolutely loving it. Geocaching is a new concept to me - and I can understand why several of my work colleagues sniggered when I told them how I spent my Sunday walking around trying to find hidden treasures in hedgerows - but until you've tried it you just can't knock it.

For those of you unaware of the joys of Geocaching (http://www.geocaching.com/) this is an underground movement of people hiding caches in the countryside and the logging their GPS co-ordinates (for the technology minded I can recommend the iPhone App amazin!!) for others to search for.

Currently Mr P and myself have gone on 2 trips - our first haul was a find of 4 caches out of 5 not bad for our first trip. So buoyed with this success (and traumatised by the elusive ivy covered log we failed to locate) we went out foraging again this evening.

Now for those people who know me - it was raining! And I still went!! For those who don't know me - I don't do rain, it ruins hair, makes jeans wet and clingy and generally is not a look I try to sport.

However tonight the lure of finding treasure over rode the rain aversion and donning waterproof coat and sexy pink rainhat (yes rainhat - it is lush even if I do look from the back like a 90 year old granny) out we trotted. Now for the uninitiated when you spot people around where you are searching (known as muggles) the following feelings are common:

• guilt
• shame
• collusion

1. Guilt - do I look like a burglar/mugger? Unlikely in my pink rainhat but you never know!
2. Shame - frankly digging around in hedgerow can make you look a tad nuts - a pooch would be a fab alibi however I am now allowed one by Mr P (- more to follow in subsequent posts on this!!)
3. Collusion - the excitement of being a cache finder out on a mission is ace and thankfully overrides 1 & 2

I think the appeal for me is the treasure hunt element - the joy of solving a puzzle or finding something hidden by others is so exciting and all of this is FREE and involves exercise in the fresh air and showing off on the internet (you can log your finds on the geocaching website) I think it may become a regular thing.

Because normally if Mr P suggested that we go out walking for 2 hours in the rain on a school night I would assume he had gone slightly nuts and throw things at him. But with our new shared hobby this is an exciting plan that even a little torrential rain can't deter.

But these added health benefits frankly are an irrelevant but happy bonus. A normal walk while allowing the observation of views (and as I live on the Jurrasic coast I am most fortunate to be able to see some of the most amazing views in the UK) and exercise frankly can be a pointless affair where walking for the sake of walking occurs. The lure of the cache however means you walk faster and with purpose to hunt down your next find.

So where will you find us tomorrow evening? Most likely on our third hunting trip of the week wish us luck!

The dangers of matchmaking...

After a very lovely dinner with a friend recently where we were trying to work out why some of our very lovely friends (both male and female) have still yet to meet Mr (or Miss) Right despite the many many tools that we all have at our disposal now with Internet dating being the biggy.

Now I am happily ensconced in a relationship with a very lovely man, we met via the wonderful site mysinglefriend.com having been "recommended" respectively by close friends we were each others first date from the site and have been happily together for nearly 2 years.

However our success story also seems to work in reverse for our friends, fearful that they are unlikely to be as lucky as were to find each other they have completely gone the other way and avoiding the whole Internet idea completely!

Now I am not one for having to be with a partner for the sake of it, and frankly several of my friends would be far happier single than they are with their other halves but one thing I was certain of coming out of a 10 year relationship was that I would take every opportunity and chance to have fun, meet new people and for a change prioritise my life instead of my career.

This is how I ended up on msf (plus my friend's insistence that I had such appalling taste in men she needed to stage an intervention) and is how I met the super lush Mr P.

However this foray into the world of internet dating came after my first single summer in my 30's where I gave out my phone number, talked to strangers, snogged men in festival beer tents and generally lived a bit.

So for all those singletons who are spending all their time looking for Mr/Miss Right and have a huge list of the "must haves" (wealth/job/car) instead of just wanting to find someone to have fun with, go out with, share time and experiences together with I say relax. Take time to enjoy the time you have with your friends, learn something new, do something scary and think if tomorrow was my last day do I want to look down and think darn it if only I'd gone out and taken that chance at least I'd have some happy memories to reminisce over for eternity instead of fretting about being left on the shelf.

After all our 30's are the new and improved 20's with better shoes and more money!!!

Dragons Den

It's that time of year again when Dragons Den comes back on the screen - and I love it :)

From flashing signals on no entry signs (erm why???) to an inspirational young lady with her non ice cream business it is one of those programmes where you spend half your time shouting TV about the poorly prepared pitches for useless products and then you are shouting at the Dragons wondering why they aren't investing in the latest flugal binder!

It is just perfect mid week telly long may the Dragons reign

Obsession Much?

So there I was in a very serious work type meeting with very serious work type people talking about incredibly important work things when I suddenly realise that I've spent the past few minutes obsessing over this pair of shoes I've seen that I desperately want.


Now before you sign me off as one of those very shallow shopping obsessed ladies let me just say (yes I am but) what is it about certain items that they can create such adoration and lust - right up until the moment you secure them?


I frequently spot things that I like but am relatively ambivalent towards until a) I find they don't have my size or b) they don't ship to the UK (it truly is amazing what you can see on the tinterbob shame that global delivery services aren't quite so advanced).


This "can't have" situation then creates a level of obsession scarcely seen since Heathcliff came storming back off the moors. I will spend hours researching, trying to hunt down said item usually a complete waste of time. However on the rare occasion I do track down the current object of lust it is as though a switch has been flicked and the item no longer has any hold over me and I can set it free!

Then there is the contrast between the ubiquitous wish list items and how I shop for them. When it comes to technical items (cameras/stereos/laptops/ipads) I can spend months and months researching the best option, what it does, what colour, how much processor/memory etc etc it all has. I will then sort of make a decision, almost decide where I am going to buy it from and then......nothing. I'll watch it in my basket, stare at it regularly and check it is still there and yet still nothing.

Contrast this with a handbag purchase (in the last case which cost more than said digital camera) it took mere moments to click buy. No research, no debate, no guilty conscience over the money...

This weekend after needing a digital camera for months and boring my OH to death with the options and the pros and cons on the one that I decided on months ago I still had not plucked up the courage to purchase her.....the continued deliberation drove the OH to escort me to to our local Currys (excellent price matching in store that one) to collect my shiny new red camera.

As he put it. "You've researched it, need it and know what you want. What is stopping you?"

Quite unsure of the answer to this very philosophical question other than handbags are pretty and cameras are technical and therefore less exciting (I decided against mentioning the black wedges at this point for fear of seeing an exploding boyfriend) I purchased the camera to the relief of Currys man and my man. Whether I can learn to love the camera the same way that I would with new shoes or bag remains to be seen....it is certainly more technical!!!!