An afternoon jaunt at the Grand Canyon.....

So midway through our trip to Vegas we spent the weekend at the Xanterra Lodge on the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - a national park. Anyone who has been to the Grand Canyon will know the awe and beauty of the place which simply can't be described so I shan't even try however as they say a picture speaks a 1000 words.....

However what I can tell you all about is our adventure trekking down into the Canyon and the near death experience of getting back out!!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and had a little amble around the top of the Canyon which is where this photo is from and we walked around looking for a good vantage point to watch the sunset, which was just stunning and causes all the rocks to change colours and hues continually as the sun drops lower and lower into the sky one of my best memories of the entire holiday (if you ignore all the other annoying tourists who were there - did they not know that we were claiming that spot of ground to watch so rude!!)

So while padding around we popped into one of the many gift stores and picked up a trekking leaflet and lots of information on the different trails that people can do. I also picked up the book "Death in the Canyon" and used it as the guide of what not to do. It would appear that most of the deaths in the Canyon are from 3 main reasons - not weather or rockfalls or even the local wildlife the main reasons are:

1. Photography - taking too many steps backward to get a good photo - I mean seriously you are on the edge of a cliff face and yet people loose all sense of danger in pursuit of the perfect landscape photo

2. Tomfoolery - again it is a cliff face made of rock and therefore crumbly but this doesn't seem to deter people leaping from rock to rock to show off and then slipping and tumbling

3. Stupidity - trekking up and down the Canyon takes a long time and involves using a lot of energy. Seemingly fit people have perished by simply not thinking it through and not taking enough water and provisions with them - something easily avoided by reading up on the do's and don'ts!!

So having read the book and the trail leaflet and deciding that the Bright Angel Trail was for us we figured we would see how far we could get - after a quick pop to the general store for the following key essentials:

1. Water - 2 half litre bottles each (knowing that there are drinking water taps on the Bright Angel trail meant we could refill these on the route)
2. Salty snacks - pretzels, nuts and Reese's pieces covering salt, carbs and chocolate wayhey
3. Gatorade - packed full of essential electrolytes we would need to get back up the hill
4. Torch - just in case it got dark
5. Hats - keep the sun off and heat in - being bargain hunters we managed to get 2 Grand Canyon baseball caps for $10 bargain and we looked v cute in our matching headgear honest!!

And then it was time to set off, we left about 11.15am quite late it would appear as we passed so many people already on the way back up and frankly looking like death (it was the midday heat we figured as the walk down was deceptively easy we bounced down the hill at quite a speed). Walking down you get to see so much of the Canyon although I wasn't allowed to stop and look as Mr P said you can look at the view on the way back up you'll need the rest - charming!! So after reaching Indian Garden where we thought we would turn around to come back up we got chatting to another walker and realised it would only be a 20min flat walk to get to Plateau Point and a view of the Colorado River - stunning view and well worth the extra walk or so we thought at that point - of course it had all been downhill!! But to of gone all that way and not seen the river would have been a travesty.

So the long trek back up begins and oh Boy its long. They say it will take twice as long to walk back up as it does to walk down and as we left Plateau Point at 2.45 that meant using the maths it took us 3.5 hours to get down it would take 7 hours to get back up - and we'd arrive at gone 9pm!!! Eesh. So it was hotfooting it time and power walk the cliff side.

And it was hard going I really struggled the first 2 segments of the walk up with the lovely Mr P cheering me on we finally get to the last rest stop where we only had about 1.5 miles to go and had made amazing time as it was only about 5.30 and got chatting to 2 other guys who had been trekking from 6am that morning as they had walked from the North Rim (now that is a long long long walk) and here I got my second wind ready to bounce up the rest of the trail with the end in sight. However Mr P having for so long been our cheerleader crashed and burned so it was left up to me to be chief motivator for the last stretch. Following the chaps from earlier (a shiny yellow mac became my guiding light to follow) we ploughed on one foot in front of the other and then  torchlight with one foot in front of the other until joy of joys we turned a corner and there were LIGHTS we had reached the top and could see lodge lights and it was only 7pm so we did the entire 12miles in less than 8 hours not bad for two unfit novice walkers (no sticks or waterproofs which posed issues when it started raining halfway up) and all thanks to the Gatorade.

I would go back in a heartbeat though and next time I want to hike all the way down to the river and camp down there - just as soon as they get a lift in to take us back up to the top!!

The Vegas Round Up

So I've now been back home a week after the holiday of a lifetime to Las Vegas with Mr P, and frankly I'm not happy about it. Las Vegas was everything I had hoped it would be and more I LOVED it, didn't want to come home at all and could quite happily have stayed there for weeks more. But seeing as I'm back here is my pocket sized guide to all the awesomeness that we experienced in my Top 5 from Vegas

1. Freeeeeee stuff
There is so much to see and do that is totally free in Vegas it blew my mind, from seeing the lions at MGM, to the moving statues at Caesars to the Mirage's Volcano and the pirate ship show at Treasure Island it is so easy to spend days just wandering up the strip dumbstruck by everything. My favourites were the Bellagio fountains (well we were staying there and they were amazing) and just looking at the New York New York skyline

2. Cocktails
Now I love a good cocktail (favourite is the classic Woo Woo, with vodka, preach schnapps and cranberry juice lush) and in Vegas they were on form, mainly due to the fact that I only needed 2 to be flying - strong is not the word for the measures but tasty they are. The best ones I had were in Treasure islands Oriental Bar and at the Venetian in the Venice bar, both were amazing and knocked me off my feet hehe

3. Helicopters
The lovely Mr P has a slight obsession for helicopters, he does get very giddy when he sees one while we are driving so I'd been thinking for some time that for his birthday this year I'd get his a helicopter flying lesson. However our Vegas trip coincided with his birthday so instead I booked us on a Maverick Helicopters trip from Vegas, out over Hoover Dam (and bridge!!) to the Grand Canyon north rim and then a long flight down the strip. Originally planned for a sunrise flight the stormy weather meant our flight was cancelled and we flew out on one at 12 instead. Now I'm not the greatest flyer, I get very nervous on take off and landing and turbulence freaks me right out so I was pretty worried that I'd be a proper girl and freak out in the helicopter. I could not have been more wrong flying in a helicopter is the most awesome thing ever. Being able to see so much all around you as you fly over such amazing scenery was just fabulous and one of the best experiences of the holiday by far!! I highly recommend everyone tries it

4. Shopping
Now as much as Mr P finds it very hard to understand the shopping was fantastic too. Being able to walk through the hotel lobby at the Bellagio past Prada, Dior, Tiffany etc was just fantastic. Window shopping only I'm afraid but it was fantastic to feel like you belong in the high roller world where spending $1,000 on a pair of shoes is a common occurrence. Should I have won big (which sadly I didn't) that would have been my first port of call - especially as they stay open until Midnight!! I did however indulge in a new bag, which I saved for before the trip and saved $$$$ compared to purchasing in the UK and despite Mr P's shock at the price is only about 25% of the cost of his new bass that he had recently and I can use my bag everyday!! The most gorgeous memento of the trip however is my new Tiffany necklace which in Pretty Woman style Mr P asked while I was trying on "Shall I buy that for your birthday" and whipped out his credit card. I do love that man!!!

5. Casinos...
Now you can't go all the way to Vegas and not talk about the casinos. They are so vast with so many tables, machines and games it is mind blowing and no matter what time of day you are there it is always busy. The machines are full of ladies of a certain age who just keep hitting buttons, the poker machines have aged, haggard old men who look like they have been there since before the hotel installed the machines and the high stakes rooms are full of the glamorous people who know how to play (unlike me) and play big. The most confusing game has to be Craps though, extremely popular and the only gambling game where it seems acceptable to scream and holler when winning despite reading the gaming rules and instructions remains an elusive enigma to me - I get that you throw dice and need to roll certain numbers but as to where you place the bets or how exactly you win anything confused to hell. Fun to watch though!!

So there are my top 5 - which to be fair does include much more than that and there is so much I've missed out if you get the chance to go - take it! And stay at the Bellagio its fantastic!! x

Disappearing time....

I don't know how this has happened but it is only 1 more week until the lovely Mr P and I depart for our Autumn sojourn to the bright lights and glamour of Vegas. Understandable I am tres excited, I have only visited the USA once before an amazing and frantic 4 day trip to New York but never with a young man have I travelled so far.

So a quick travel guide to remind Mr P just what he has let himself in for on this trip away:

1. Packing Lists - I love lists, like proper LOVE them. I love writing them in my Filofax, on post it notes, in spreadsheets and a holiday means lists extraordinare - what to pack, what to take as hand luggage, what to wear, what not to forget, what to buy....the joy of creating all these micro organisational elements of the holiday become a huge part of the fun for me (tragic but true)
2. Passport Panic - I am a frantic passport/ticket checker, multiple checks an hour just in the rare chance that instead of putting the tickets back in my handbag I tossed them out of the window while we were driving up the motorway - how else to explain why I will check the tickets even while still in the car having checked them already upon getting in and securing the door. Truly bizarre and probably a tad annoying to any normal person but seems perfectly sensible to me
3. Airport Shopping - I love shopping at the best of times and airports have all the loveliest things all tucked away together ripe for the picking - at discounted prices. I could easily spend my holiday money in the departures hall so that I'm shopped out before even getting on the plane
4. Freaking Out On Planes - I'm a bit of a scardy cat when it comes to planes. I really can't understand how these big things stay in the air, or take off, or land? And when I start to think about it as invariably you do when strapped into one I start to freak out. It's the loss of control I think - no lists for me to create for the staff and pilots without fear of being thrown out the plane at high altitude
5. The Itinerary - Back to the lists I have a mehusive list of things that I really want to see and do - from watching a show (Cirque du Soleil??) to riding the Stratosphere to seeing the Venetian gondolas and walking the length of the strip - I want to see and experience as much as possible - I mean I bought new trainers for the occassion and everything!!

As you can see despite all of these things that Mr P witnessed on our first holiday to Egypt together it is surprising that he has signed up for a long haul mission to the states with the travelling companion from hell. Spontaneity and fun I don't think so. Tightly scheduled lists of activities oooh yes please. And there is still the iPad question...a perfect travel companion do we think, is this the time to bite the bullet and finally purchase my new toy?

So will Mr P survive the holiday travel planning in one piece? Will I? Watch this space....

3D Star Wars - oh yes yes yes please

I am having a proper OMG, so excited I could squeal moment much to the disgust of Mr P because I came home with the news that George Lucas, inspired by Avatar is going to 3D up the Star Wars series.....

O M G

I am literally joyous at this prospect - does this make me nerdy hmmmm I think the answer there is a resounding YES!

But listen, while episodes 1-3 (the newer ones) I will agree are not great, episodes 4-6 (the original 3) are awesome, my favourite films of all time and the ones if I were stuck on a desert island I could watch all day, every day (assuming I had a working TV and DVD player on a desert island obviously!)

I mean can you imagine watching Darth Vader and Obi Wan fighting with the light sabers and literally popping out of the screen in front of you...eeeeee I'm so excited for next year's cinema trips!!!!

Find out more here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8032634/George-Lucas-to-release-Star-Wars-in-3D.html

Oh iPad how I love thee...

Ok it's true while not a mega technical geek (see previous posts) I am so desperately in love with the gorgeous new iPad that while typing on this laptop I am contemplating what would happen should I throw it on the floor and stamp on it to justify purchasing one right now....

Actually I know exactly what would happen if I did throw my laptop on the floor here in Mr P's lounge. I would be homeless!! Or at least sleeping in the garden for a few days.. This floor was a labour of love for Mr P and while as yet unfinished (well it has only been 2 years and you can't rush perfection or so I am told) it is his pride and joy. To the degree that we had to choose a sideboard that went with the floor (feel my pain oh readers of trying to co-ordinate your lounge furniture with your flooring have you ever tried to find soft furnishings in Oak?!!)

Anyway I digress, the iPad, a computerised vision of loveliness that can be a book, a magazine, a photo frame or just a portal to the wonder web. It however is also the best part of £800 (taking into account case, SD card adaptors and the like) this is much monies... So I have a Pros and Cons list for the iPad lets see if I can justify the spends:

Pros:

1. Travelling- the iPad would make travelling (trains/planes etc) far more fun and the luggage far lighter as the iPad could hold numerous books and magazines plus movies and music for entertaining me while trapped in the confines of public transport hell
2. Work- being in the magazine game being able to view, subscribe and interrogate magazines on the iPad will become a vital part of my job - I neeeeeed to be on top of all these technical advances otherwise I will loose my edge (or something like that..)
3. Socialising- with all my photos, internet, blogs, facebook etc on one speedy easy to use device keeping in touch will take less time allowing for more reading
4. Photos- being able to download holiday photos while still away thus creating a record and saving the photos (handy when you are as clumsy as me!!) makes sure that all the photos can make it home even if the camera doesn't
5. Post- Mr P will of course be delighted that many of the magazines that currently drop through our letterbox on a daily basis are available as iPad Apps thus removing the need for Wired to be delivered monthly adding to the recycling mountain I generate every week
   

Cons:

1. The Cost- do I really need one? Isn't £700+ a little much to spend on a gadget that technically I don't need (although referring back to a previous post I would probably have less issues with spending £700 on a handbag than a piece of tech!)
2. The new one- and as if the mehusive cost wasn't enough there are strong rumours of a iPad version 2 due out pretty early next year - surely waiting for a new one is a good idea?
3. Sharing too much?-with the iPad offering Apps much like the iPhone - will it become too tempting if people see it to just scan through my email or check and update my Facebook status. I know you can pass code protect it but is that not saying "hello lover I may love you but I don't trust you" or is it really just based on knowing that if it were the other way round I am far too nosy not to peek???
4. Duplication- surely my iPhone is enough? Does the iPad really do that more??
5. Competitors- with so many new tablets out over the next few months are any of them going to be even better than Apple? The Microsoft Courier looked like an awesome potential competitor but word is that project has been shelved and with the Blackberry version not yet available for journalists to see does it mean that no-one else has really nailed the tablet premise?

So here we are - will I actually read books on it? - I love paper, the smell of a magazine or new book can be intoxicating and at least if I drop it in the pool it is only 1 book and not £700 caught in the drainage system...Will an iPad really reduce my paper recycling contribution in Dorset? Would it become that random techy thing that was a waste of money or will it become as vital to my wellbeing as my iPhone and chocolate?

Hmmmm decisions decisions...

Classically Edgy?

I am having trouble getting dressed. There it is, the very shallow and superfluous but utterly frustrating issue currently facing me every morning. I have a fair old drive of a commute so I get up early and leave the house at about 6.45am. I also work in an office where wearing flip flops, cut off jeans and a crop top is dressing smartly. I long to be able to wear the Mad Men inspired ladylike looks, with pencil skirts and sexy secretary. I miss the days of dressing up for work to look professional and smart, frankly ironing a vest top is about as close as I now get to immaculate preening. However the main issue is being able to gain valuable extra minutes in bed so removing any issues over what to wear would save me much valuable time.

Therefore I have decided I need to create for myself a "capsule wardrobe". For the capsule wardrobe is an enigma, it consists of having the perfect number of items that not only flatter your body, make you feel amazing but also work for any occasion while seamlessly mixing and matching effortlessly. This is fashion Mecca.

I however am the antithesis to a capsule wardrobe owner, I own a wardrobe groaning at the seems with clothes and yet I have nothing to wear. How so the lovely Mr P often asks (he who shops barely once a year and yet always looks dapper and well dressed) with all these clothes can you have nothing to wear???

Well after reading Red magazine this month it seems clear it is because I have not yet uncovered the 3 words that epitomise my "style". Whether this be Modern, Chic and Edgy like the author of the piece Anna Van Praagh or Elegant, Eccentric and Edgy as Brix (Gok's "aaaaaah fashion" glamorous sidekick) Smith-Start would describe herself. Now I am in no way in the league of these glamorous ladies but could the 3 word principle help in my search for wardrobe nirvana?

What is my style and how would I sum it up in just 3 words? Frankly based on the examples given in this article my initial thoughts of Creased, Comfy and Casual just won't cut it...So I decided to compile my fashion saviours to see if they can shed any light:

1) Denim - I love denim, jeans for work, the perfect denim jacket over a dress, hotpants (well maybe not but you get the drift)

2) Black - I adore black - it suits me (officially I had my colours done years ago and I was a Winter the only black wearing season and also why you'll never see me in pastels as I look like I have developed some tropical disease which has sucked all the life out of me). Black is cool, glamorous, chic - just look at the photos of the fashion editors at London Fashion Week if you don't believe me!!

3) Accessories - I love beads, bangles, boots (hmmm I'm sure there are other non B related items that should go here too) generally all the accoutrement's that you can use to dress up a simple outfit and personalise it to make it your own. Plus even in the midst of the occasional crisis called "having a fatday" my accessories still fit

4) Handbags - now technically while bags may be classified as accessories anyone who knows me can testify to my love of handbags. I have far too many I'm sure but I love them all and they all add a different edge to whatever I'm wearing. Prim and proper with a structured hand held bag or edgy and glam with my new tasselled tote courtesy of lovely Mr P. Each bag epitomises a different look or personality and spruces up the sometimes bland uniform I can find myself in.

5) leopard print - I am so very excited that leopard is back in fashion in a big way this winter. I own shoes, scarves, bags and soon to be a belt (hopefully) as I think leopard print done carefully looks so chic and old school glamorous (think 60's Sophia Loren not 80's Bet Gilroy)

6) High heels - I am a munchkin it is official at only 5'3 now while this is a giantess compared my sub 5' mother I am of dinky proportion to my social circle as highlighted by a friend on Friday who commented "my aren't you short" I've known her 2 years and clearly always wear heels when I see her based on her shock at my diminutive stature. I love high heels, sparkly ones, wedge ones, stiletto ones - I feel sexier and more glamorous dressed in them and I wouldn't dream of presenting at work without them.

7) Earrings - or more specifically the small silver stud in the top of my right ear. I had my ear pierced after having a mini mid life crisis when I turned 30. After quitting my career, home and relationship I planned to mark my rebirth with a tattoo, permanently commemorating the new me. However rebirth or not I'm terrified of needles (did you know that tattoos involve needles and pain!!!) the tattoo idea was short lived but as mark of rebellion the ear was pierced. Baby steps that's me - rebel without a clue.

So for fear of boring you (and potentially me) any longer what do these 7 key themes to my wardrobe mean to my "style" ?

Am I edgy? Not really.
Am I urban? Not at all unfortunately.

My 3 words I think then are as follows:

Structured - I like to wear things that skim not smother so that I celebrate the curves rather than drown them (otherwise I can look like the size of a bus)

Classic - simple separates put together, practical but not boring, classic chic looks if you will

Rebellious - whether it be leopard print or new ear piercings every day there should be something subversive or edgy without being too overt. An accent dish not the main course.

So now I have my 3 words it is time to use them to inspire my autumnal shopping - therefore this is my current wishlist for the new season:

A) Leopard print belt
B) the perfect crop trouser (gap?)
C) a lightweight trench coat (gap again)
D) a black lace t-shirt for layering
E) a furry gilet - Oasis have shown some lush ones
F) high heeled hiking boots from Red or Dead

So, thoughts? What would your 3 words be and do you agree with mine? Or what are your new season wishlists?

Birthday jollys and musings

Firstly apologies for the length in time between posts...I have been enjoying the gym and nights out and appear to have lost a whole month - this is very careless at my age - and with only 98 sleeps until Christmas I need to re-engage with my life before it turns out it is January!!

So it was my birthday this week, I love birthdays, mine, my loved ones, friends, random strangers who have happy birthday sung to them in Italian restaurants - I just love the celebration and not just because of presents (although I love those too) I think birthdays are special because they are a matter to celebrate still being alive and going.

Call me maudlin but as we get older more and more people we know and love disappear each year as you loose touch, or due to hideous and disgusting illnesses and the like. This is why birthdays I think are a fantastic chance to say "Wayhey I'm still here and I'm going to make the most of the next 12 months until I get to be the centre of attention again!!"

So to celebrate my birthday - which of course I have stretched over several days to maximise the attention being on me hehe has resulted in the following loveliness - actual birthday Thursday - dinner with lovely Mr P, Friday cocktails and singstar with the urban family more to follow on that night of excess soon however I do now have a v poorly Mr P who is still in recovery, fingers crossed he recovers in time for tonight's Saturday night dinner with my lovely family for Thai food (my fave) and then it is Sunday, a time to relax and pump my liver full of anti-oxidants....