New Year's Eve 2!

Ok, I'm taking this doing New Year 'my own way' to another level... I was eating lucky charms at 3pm watching King of Queens, I'm still in my pyjamas (although I have now at least run a bath), I've made vanilla cupcakes and fresh bread and the champagne is in the fridge... Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve

I think it’s no secret my clubbing days are over. In my mid to late twenties and early thirties I sort of did what people do when they are 18 or 19... except I did it when I was 18 and 19 as well! I loved dance music and one of my favourite musicians is still DJ Paul van Dyk.

As my knees got progressively worse there were practical and painful reasons to make a lifestyle adjustment, but actually there was a mental shift as well. I’ve always been a homebody and as I got older being at home became more important. Being squashed up against friendly but sweaty strangers, spending a fortune to get into clubs, up all night and then having to go to work the next day – all familiar I’m sure! – just became less fun. Coupled with this sea change, is a severe dislike of New Year. I’ve always gone to parties but never really enjoyed myself...

There’s two reasons I think, one is I hate being told what to do and being told I have to enjoy myself and go crazy makes me want to do anything but. And people either become manically depressed about how much they haven’t achieved in the previous year, or maniacally intent on setting unrealistic goals that they will break by February and then feel disgusted at their own inability to achieve impossible targets.

So if you want them (and please don’t feel obliged) here are my top tips for NYE:

1. Don’t feel pressured to go out – staying in is the new going out
2. Or, if you do want to go out, do something different; drive to a beach, sit on a hill and watch the fireworks, go for a meal, walk the dog at middnight, go bowling... (Slightly decided at the last minute to jump in the car and spend NY in Cornwall, they are sleeping in the car! I think that's cool)
3. Spend it with a person or people you love, not people who you think you should spend it with (good tip for Christmas too!)
4. Don’t make resolutions, if something is that important to you, you shouldn’t wait for December 31st, you should do it straight away
5. If you do decide you like the symbolism of setting targets at NY then make them realistic and don’t announce to the world that you are going to give up smoking and then try to hide the fact you’re still smoking two weeks later...

I am planning to spend this evening with my lovely partner, champagne and Jools Holland. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it suits me :0)

You canute!

Can we stop a bad day turning into an even worse day? Like Canute, can we try to stop the tide? Is there such a thing as luck, because if there isn’t one can assume that yes, we can reverse ‘bad fortune’ and our day need not be a waste of makeup...

I’m prompted to ask, because as loyal readers of this blog (both of you) will know, I had a shit day yesterday. Lots of things went wrong. And today started pretty lousy too! At 6.17am to be precise. We are friends with our neighbours who live above us, they are nice people but we do hear them quite a lot – or rather their stereo and surround sound TV. We have told them but still, it does bother us much more than we let on. So when I learnt that they were going away for the weekend, I was pleased for them and for us because it would be lovely and quiet. Everyone’s a winner!

One of them has an alarm that is a stereo and it gradually gets louder and louder until someone has switched it off. It then plays at full volume – and remember this is a powerful stereo not some small tinny alarm – for an hour. You know where this is going don’t you? They hadn’t switched the bloody thing off. So we were woken up – and then kept awake as this thing blared through to us and the neighbours next door. Eventually, we had to make the bed up in the spare room and try and fall back to sleep. We could still hear it through ear plugs and in another room but exhausted, we did eventually fall back to sleep. Thanks to them leaving the alarm on, we can expect this to happen tomorrow and Monday morning as well! So you can understand why I’m pissed off and wondering if this is an omen for a bad day again? Everyone makes mistakes but this has happened before and I would have thought they would have tried a bit harder to make sure it didn’t happen again, especially not being here for three days.

It got me thinking what I can do that’s nice today. So I’m still in bed drinking coffee and I plan to start the day with a bowl of my favourite cereal and a long bath. Then later I’m picking up my new flat screen TV/monitor and seeing a friend at the same time. I also plan to take the dog out for a walk with another friend of ours and her dog. Which will make Mr P happy, and if he’s happy etc., etc. After which, who knows! If you’re wondering where my partner is in all this, she actually just left to visit her grandparents in Brighton for the weekend so she should get a lie-in tomorrow! I also just perused the Next online sale and found a lovely pair of jeans and a jumper. I’m amazed because unless you’re up at sparrow’s fart on the day the sale starts (either at a store or online I’ve discovered) you should expect to find bugger all. Certainly nothing in your size.

So if there is no such thing as luck, the rude awakening is not an indicator of my day. There is no chain reaction here, instead I’m slamming on the brakes and just saying NO! (Which also helps when confronted with drugs I’m reliably informed.) I am the captain of my ship and as such, I am determined to head for calm (quiet!) waters and sunbathe on the poop deck all day! (What the hell is a poop deck?) Whether I will be this calm at 6.17am tomorrow morning however, does remain to be seen. I can only tell you that Ladbrokes stopped taking bets an hour ago...

PS. I may also go get some pecan pie and read my Jessica Fletcher mystery novel - first time in print! Yes I know it's tacky, but I love that woman and when I saw you could get Murder, She Wrote on Amazon I was too weak to resist. Think Mills and Boon but replace the romance with moider and you get the idea. I, reader of Shakespeare and Dickins also love trash. Personally I think it makes me a much more rounded person, or it will if I keep eating pie and not moving off the sofa anyway...

Let's go now...

We’re off to Cornwall next Thursday for 2 weeks. I can’t wait. I’m as excited about this as I was Christmas. I wish we could go now, I’ve had a really crap day and the thought of doing something as daft as jumping in the car and driving 400 miles is very appealing. Everything has gone wrong and whilst it’s nothing major, I’m very fed up. We popped down to Blue Mountain cafe for passion fruit cake and hot chocolate. And I have to admit (begrudgingly!) we did leave feeling a little better! (Yay for cake.)

Something nice did happen today, I have been looking for a flat screen computer monitor on and off for ages now. It’s not a priority so for once I haven’t been impetuous and just gone out and bought one. Today a friend told me he was selling his 23” flat screen TV which he uses as a computer monitor and I agreed to buy it off him! (He’s having a major New Year clear out!) I’m picking it up tomorrow and can drop off his Christmas present at the same time. Oh and I found the hand-held Hoover, so I can Hoover the car now... ok, not sure that is such a good thing :0)

Not sure what we’re doing for New Year’s – we’ve been invited to a couple of parties, but you know, a bottle of champagne (or 2!), putting the fire on and Jools Holland on the TV is coming out as odds on favourite!

29 minutes!

29 minutes! There was so little traffic it only took 29 minutes to drive to work! It was like getting another Christmas present...

Big Lol

We went to Richmond Park to walk off some turkey, blow away the cobwebs and exercise the dog and it was fantastic. We did a couple of miles and it was good to be out in the fresh air. We were almost at the car when I saw him! My favourite rugby player Larence Dallaglio! He was in his massive range rover (number plate W4SPS!) and he was with his children. Unfortunately he exited by the entrance but it was Lawrence Dallaglio, who cares?! It made my day - you don't expect to see one of your hero's when you're out walking your dog...

Two more sleeps!

It's two more sleeps till Christmas!

Today was a lovely day, we went to the Dulwich Farmers Market this morning to get some last minute essentials such as brussel sprouts on a stick! (When did this happen? I can assure you that when I was growing up, brussels came in a plastic net bag... they were never on a stick. It's modernity gone mad...) After the market we took the dog to Dulwich park where we all had a lovely walk. And this afternoon (after taking the car to be washed - as did the rest of the Sydenham) I've been loafing around on the sofa reading or watching a Diagnosis Murder film! I managed to read the chapter I've been dreading in the Amber Spyglass (The Harpies) - it made me cry the first time, it made me cry today... But now I've got through it, I can carry on with the rest of the book.

On Friday I had a few friends over for birthday drinks and it was lovely. And I recieved my first Facebook wall posting saying, you have the same birthday as Jesus! Hehe.

I spent yesterday afternoon with a friend who needed some love and some pecan pie and I was happy to oblige. Another friend has just called to say that he is dropping off a birthday present. It was and is a timely reminder that this time off year isn't just about presents, it's about making the time for people that are special to us.

In case I don't blog until after Christmas, have a wonderful time and may all your dreams come true in 2008!

Christmassy

Well I did it. I’ve managed to drag my sorry arse through most of this week and if you’re wondering why I’m not counting tomorrow, it’s because I work from home on Friday’s and so it’s never as stressful/tiring/demanding as being in the office. Hurrah! We have our Christmas lunch this afternoon and then with the exception of the 27th and the 2nd, I’m not back till the 18th January.

I feel Christmassy and excited!

My mum is moving to a new place just after Christmas which we’re all very excited about. She had asked me to take her to do a “bit of shopping” tomorrow but with news of her new flat, this has now mutated into ‘potentially buying a new fridge, cooker and TV’ trip. That won’t be hideous on the last Friday before Christmas! But as I said, we’re all really pleased about her new flat and so I shall just have to take deep breaths and count the karma points as they stack up in my favour at my small attempt to extend goodwill to all men… well, my mum at least…

Gay people in positions of power

I’ve got into the habit of picking up a couple of croissants on my way to the office because my general lack of organisation in the morning means I often don’t have breakfast at home. I go to Gregg’s and there is a lovely gay guy that works in there. Now I’m not saying it’s because I’m a lesbian (it is) but he always gives me a lovely warm greeting and then, chooses two of the just-been-baked croissants from the back. (When really, he’s supposed to take two off the shelf.) To be fair though I always smile, say hello and take the time to ask him how he is so I’d like to think personality plays as much of a part as sexuality. But it’s just a really nice exchange to have each morning with someone who is effectively a stranger. Some people though are very rude and so I think any politeness is generally very welcome. I was thinking therefore in what other positions of power would I like gay people to do me favours? (Take your mind out of the gutter…) But, and this is a good indicator of my level of affection for baked goods, I could only really come up with a bakers and as you've now discovered, I'm all sorted on that front!

Anyway, our computer is fixed! My partner’s dad really is as clever as he looks. I’m so relieved. I haven’t really given it a test-run and I still need to check my remote access works but it’s looking good. It didn’t actually take all that long and we didn’t need to re-install everything as we were told we would, so that was a relief.

I’ve just paid my parking ticket. I should be in a grumpy mood but surprisingly I’m not. There’s nothing I can do so I just have put up and shut up… and I’m certainly not hoping my payment chokes them…

Tomorrow is our staff Christmas lunch. Should be good fun even though I work with some very odd people. I did think about leaving the car at home so I could have a drink or two but I decided against it. Besides it’s not like any of them will really drink so it might be embarrassing if I was on my 4th pint before we even got to the starters…

Computer says no...

We’ve got a problem with our old computer. I thought our security programme had expired and so tried to install Norton but it didn’t install properly (and the old programme hadn’t expired either) and now everything is corrupted. We have tried everything, including Norton recommended tools to remove the programme. But the whole computer is FUBAR’d*.

Although we have the laptop now, I have photos on the old computer and I need it for working from home (my laptop is Vista and my remote access doesn’t support Vista, whereas the old computer is XP). We have asked two people we thought were friends if they would mind fixing the problem. We even offered to pay; one said they would do it but has not bothered to get back to us, the other never replied. To say no I can’t / don’t want to do it would have saved a lot of time but apparently even that’s too much to ask…

My partner’s dad is coming round tonight to have a go. Fingers crossed, because we really do need the beast in good working order…

* Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

Mice in the hice

My partner was on her knees for most of last night. Which for those of you reading this ‘lesbian’ blog for all the wrong reasons will be a cause of sweaty palms, but it’s because we have a mouse problem that she was on her knees…

We don’t just have a mouse problem; we have a fussy mouse problem. They only eat Thai fragrant rice apparently. Each to their own. So my partner decided to lay bait and fill up the holes and cracks with expandable foam. Unfortunately, we think a mouse is now trapped in the bathroom/kitchen wall because there is a suspicious scrabbling noise (imagine, if you will, something with pneumatic teeth eating through expandable foam and you get the idea). The dog keeps running up and down the wall ready to pounce. Ever the brave defender.

Hopefully her extensive and thorough efforts to relocate the mice through fair means and foul will work, otherwise I will start charging them rent and for the rice.

Christmas baskets

What a lovely day. We decided to do homemade Christmas presents for some friends. We bought some stuff in France and made the rest, so homemade bread, mince pies and apricot and brandy pies and then French herbal tea, biscuits, chocolate and jam and some Satsuma’s (from Somerfield) and all in a lovely basket... we dropped two off today (and one yesterday). So we got to have tea with some friends, then popped to a shop in Crystal Palace called It’s a Green Thing where we bought some household stuff and toiletries and an organic cotton baby grow decorated with dinosaurs! Then we went to a lovely coffee shop called the Blackbird Bakery where we had a spot of lunch and watched three fire trucks turn up and tackle a blaze in a deserted building next to the coffee shop. We could smell the smoke as we ate our lunch. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of my leek and emmenthal quiche thankfully...

Then we walked the dog at Crystal Palace and now we’re home drinking tea and glad to be in out of the cold.

Now I plan to put my feet up, rest my sore knees and enjoy the rest of my Sunday. I hope you enjoy yours.

Moving

I'm moving office today. I hate moving. With a passion. We moved so much when I was a kid that the running joke when we couldn't find anything was, 'it's probably in a box in the garage...' (I didn't say it was a funny joke.)

There are some positives; my boss is buying us pizza for lunch to make up for the upheaval. I will be two floors away from the reception and so don't have to cover and deal with enquiries that I don't have a clue about and finally, it's a fairly nice office. But still, it's a loathesome job. Why would anyone become a removal person? No offence if you are, I sort of admire you in a weird way.

Anyway, they are moving furniture around me so I better get out of the way before I'm shoved in a box or covered in bubble wrap...

What with one thing and another...

Eventful day? I should coco. The boiler man turned up at 9am and has just left. We now have a brand new energy efficient boiler with thermostats on the radiators (ensuring even more energy efficiency!) Then Thames Water turned up because we noticed another leak from the drain, and this time the water was running into our garden. It turned out that there was a blockage in a neighbour’s garden. Anyway, kudos to Thames Water, they turned up within 2 hours, sorted out the problem and the engineer was also really sweet and polite. Now that’s good service! In between all this, we’ve wrapped some Christmas presents, I went to get all the stuff we need for Christmas baking on Saturday and the missus is currently fixing the toilet seat!

I have a bit more work to do, dinner and then an early night. I’m exhausted! And I’ve got to get up really early tomorrow because we’re moving office – only two flights up but it’s true what they say, you don’t realise how much crap you have until you move...

An eventful journey

I was turning this morning on to a busy road and a cyclist was too. I judged that there was enough room for the both of us, but I was conscious he was there and tried to steer clear. As I passed, he shouted something but I didn’t catch what it was. I was mystified but even more so when we stopped at lights and he glared at me. I beckoned him over and opened my window to indicate I wanted to ask what the problem was. He cycled round and over and leant on the car very cross with me. He said I didn’t give him enough room as we turned the corner. I apologised and told him I thought there had been enough room and that I had been aware of him as I turned. He asked me whether it would have hurt to wait a couple of seconds to ensure he had enough room. To which I said, no of course it wouldn’t, and apologised again. He was very surprised that I apologised. He cycled off a lot less annoyed. So there you have it, my partner is a cyclist and I genuinely respect the rights of cyclists but even someone with that attitude can get it wrong. And believe me a car can do a lot more damage to a bike than a bike can do to a car. It’s embarrassing because I’m a very good driver, but next time I will make sure I don’t think there is enough room, I’ll make sure I know there’s enough room…

I continued the rest of the journey in a very sombre mood. I’ve seen cars knock into cyclists, cut them up, act like they don’t exist and it disgusts me but this morning, I was one of those idiots and I didn’t like it.

Today is very cold. Hat and gloves weather and I’m still fretting over a winter jacket. We’re trying to save money as I have mentioned before (although Paris and a new car in one week is not a great example) and in November I bought a winter jacket that I thought would be just the job. It’s not. It’s too short and if you do the neck up you choke and if you don’t you get a very cold neck – although a scarf would help. You don’t really identify the flaws until the temperature drops. So now I want a new jacket that is more effective. But it seems like such a waste of money. The only thing that I could do is take the ‘old’ one down to the charity shop. It’s a designer coat, generally very warm and would please someone, sadly however, it’s not pleasing me!

I’m working from home tomorrow because we’re having a new boiler fitted. I could do without the hassle – they will be there all day and it’s a messy job – but it will be great to be more energy efficient. I think we should see a real difference in our gas bills as well.

Well I better get on with my coffee and to-do list and hopefully my commute home will be less eventful.

We need a meeting!

A bloke insisted on us having a meeting. Very important says he, internal audit! Need information! So I reluctantly agree to meet him today and he has just left. Our meeting was at 2pm it's now 2.16pm. I asked (not unreasonably) could this not have been done by email? He looked puzzled, so I elaborated. The half a dozen questions you have just asked me, you could have put them in an email, yes? I could have then read your email and replied to your questions, yes? And it would have saved you travelling twenty minutes each way for a 16 minute meeting, yes? Apparently not, he was quite sure he needed a meeting. I fear he may want another meeting even though he was left in no doubt as to what I thought of this one...

Dirty robbing bastards...

It’s official. I’m a doofus. I got a parking ticket! Yesterday we had to get to an appointment and we were running late, it was a residential street, approx. 7pm and I thought I would be ok. I wasn’t! I have to pay £60 (or £120 if I don’t pay within 14 days).

Traffic wardens really are parasites. I’m of the view, that you need traffic wardens (there, that surprised you!) because as a breed, car drivers are generally quite selfish. ‘I’m not disabled but I can’t bear the thought of walking so I’ll park outside the shop, mounting the kerb meaning anyone with a buggy or a wheelchair can’t pass on the pavement, but with the backside of the car sticking out causing cars to slow down and back up…’ that sort of thing. When you see someone being an idiot, parking dangerously, causing a blockage etc., etc. you think well they need to be moved on and someone has got to do it. But I’ve got three tickets now and at no time was I causing an obstruction or parked dangerously. In one case my ticket was for not displaying a permit – I was – and the person that gave me the visitors permit has written to the council saying how disgusted he was that I was issued said ticket when I did everything that was expected of me. But last night, I was on a yellow so I won’t be contesting this ticket because I was in the wrong. However they are still parasites. What happened to common sense and decency? What happened to benefit of the doubt? What happened to, this is a quiet residential street and she or he isn’t in anyone’s way…?

I have a meeting in less than an hour and I’m not sure I can rouse myself. I chair the meeting (I’m a very strict chair!) and I feel I should show enthusiasm otherwise how can I inspire enthusiasm in others? I’ve bought everyone doughnuts and mince pies so hopefully that will kick everything off in good spirits. But I suspect I need a very large and very strong coffee before then.

Tonight I’ve decided I want to wrap presents. I’ve bought quite a few now, but there are still one or six I need to get. I may have to venture into a shop – I’ve done all I can online. The thought terrifies me. People become crazed and single minded when they do Christmas shopping, and they have no problem hurting you if you stand between them and whatever it is they want… ‘tis the season to whack you in the ankles, jump the queue, stockpile food, buy expensive plastic crap and body slam strangers who happen to be in your way…

Ho, ho, ho!

Could there be a TV series in this?!

Work sucks. It’s so tiring. Take today (please), I haven’t done anything but I’m now ready for a nap. (Don’t get me started on my ‘we should all be allowed to nap at work’ argument.) And it’s cold.

Anyway, my irritating colleague has decided to raise money for Children in Need. (Hasn’t that gone already?) She is offering Reiki; five minutes for a fiver, or a head and shoulder massage; ten minutes, also for £5. Now I don’t know much about Reiki, but I’m pretty sure it needs longer than five minutes. In fact (and I can’t be sure this is correct, it’s just what I was told), rushing Reiki or doing it wrong can be very damaging.

She showed me the first draft of the poster she designed to advertise her services and I pointed out that the picture she had used to illustrate said poster might not be in the best taste. She got a bit defensive and asked why and I pointed out that using a picture of two children in obvious distress was not appropriate to advertise massage! She went ahead and used the picture anyway. And to be fair, it has given me something to blog about so who am I to complain. I’m not sure if anyone has taken her up on her attempt to save the world, but I am tempted to ask what qualifies her to offer Reiki and massage? It’s a bit like me doing some random poster ‘Oil filter change £8.50, colonic irrigation (bring your own hose) £2.35, painting and decorating by the hour… all monies to Save the Ferret.’

I should really try and get on with some work. Who knows when the next instalment of ‘Irritating Colleague’ will air, but I have a feeling you won’t have to wait too long…

J.O.B.

My first day in the office in like for-evah… so far so good… My always-eating-colleague is yet to appear so for now, all is calm, all is bright…

I enjoyed my commute in this morning, not surprisingly. I particularly enjoyed my cup holder, a clock that works and my comfy elevated seat. There were cup holders on the Vectra but frankly they were a little inadequate and the clock never worked. I’m not sure why the clock is so important actually, I wear a watch, but I found I kept looking at it so clearly I found it useful.

Now I would like to drive straight back home and get back to enjoying the Christmas decorations but unfortunately life isn’t that easy. My work insist on me, well, working. So on that note…

Golden Compass

It was date night last night, and a bit of a belated celebration of our anniversary so my partner took me to dinner and the movies (she knows me so well). We went to see the Golden Compass. Now I am a massive fan of the books. They are breathtaking. Rarely have I felt such grief, joy, excitement and fear in reading, and the subtlety and depth of the books is incredible. So I was a bit nervous about seeing the film whilst at the same time, desperately curious. I'll get to the point shall I... the film is really good!

You have to accept that they are two different things, there is a lot that has to be missed out from the film otherwise we would still be watching this morning... but it was a fantastic spectacle. I really liked the casting as well, Dakota Blue was convincing as Lyra and Nicole Kidman as Mrs Coulther was brilliant - in fact she was imspired! She was as beautiful, icey and as driven as she is in the book... Oscar methinks! And Iorek the ice bear (voiced by McKellan) was great. The CGI was something else worthy of Oscar attention. Daniel Craig is Lord Asriel. He is a brutish character prepared to let nothing and no one get in his way. We saw glimpses of that, but I don't think we'll really appreciate his character until the next film.

Anyway, well worth going to see but don't be a snob. Films and books are different beasts so go with an open mind and accept how much has to be left out and adapted for film.

Incidentally, we saw a clip for a new Jack Black film (Jack Black for President!) called - I think - 'Please be kind and Rewind'. It looked amazing and I was shaking with laughter just from the clip. The next must see!

We're decorating the tree today. Yeah!

The Hyundai has landed

I’m not sure where to start! We picked up the car today – after much stress. We transferred the money for the car from one account to another, except the transfer went astray! If you’re a Coop customer and you did a transfer last weekend, you may want to check whether the money has actually arrived! Anyway we called the bank today and the money should turn up by next Tuesday... we can only hope anyway...

So our day didn’t start too well but we got over that and sorted everything out. Picking up the car was tres exciting! It looked just as lovely and shiny as it did the last time we saw it (just as well really) and before long we hit the open road... or at least, the road out of Welling. Since then I have been finding excuses to go and look at the car. At first it was taking out the rubbish, then I had left the old tax disk which needed to be sent back for a refund, in the glovebox, but then I started running out of excuses so I just occasionally stood in the garden gazing lovingly at our new edition to the family...

I did think about going for a drive this afternoon, but I’m exhausted – it’s been a busy week! – and I needed to do some work. Tomorrow we’re off to buy a Christmas tree and then my partner is taking me out on a date! So far, all I know is that I can drive there, lol!

Paris dispatch

We bought some croissants in Paris yesterday and I’ve just eaten some now and they were delicious! Anyway, so Paris in the autumn (although at times it was more spring-like than autumn) the weather was clear, dry and mild and it made all the difference. Although most people have travelled on Eurostar by now, it was my first trip on Monday. It was a pleasant experience; no hold ups, no delays, a clean, comfortable train and quite mind boggling that it only took us 2hrs 15 minutes to be in Paris! I no longer travel so much that stuff like that doesn’t impress me!

We jumped in a taxi at Gard du Nord and arrived at our lovely hotel in about half an hour. We were staying at the Hotel Cadran (walking distance from the Eiffel Tower). It was lovely! Because we had gone for a Eurostar deal i.e., travel and accommodation in one, we had no prior knowledge or experience of the hotel but we had checked some independent reviews and the lowest the hotel had scored was 7.5 out of 10. And the main criticism was that the rooms were quite small.

It’s a small, stylish boutique hotel. Impeccably clean, well furnished and the staff were very nice. There was a bar, large open fire, international newspapers and hundreds of books you could borrow in the foyer, and had we been there longer I would have definitely spent more time in the bar area, it was very relaxed and the large windows facing the street meant you could watch the world go by...

The rooms were small but not excessively so, we were very comfortable and it was nice to have a mini bar as well. Every room was en-suite and the showers were very powerful so waking up wasn’t a problem! Breakfast was, as you would expect, a mixture of cereals; croissants; baguettes; cheeses; ham; fruit; yoghurt; lovely strong coffee and creamy hot chocolate – and you could have as much as you wanted! So we left every morning well fed and watered.

We only really did one touristy thing and that was a river tour. Highly, highly recommended, even if you have been to Paris before (which we all had, my partner on quite a few occasions because she has French relatives). It was so relaxed and a lovely way to see the city. But really, we concentrated on shopping! We made several trips to Lafayette a famous department store, akin to Selfridges. Where we bought food, a dog toy and some Christmas decorations! The Champs Elyse’s where we bought music and for me, a Quicksilver hat (finally a hat that doesn’t make me look like I need constant adult supervision!), we bought art prints, champagne, cheese, biscuits, even a penknife! We went to the Louvre which was closed but I did take some pictures of the glass pyramid which always impresses me. Then we found a cafe where I made the mistake of ordering a ‘large’ beer. Well... see picture! Everyone in the cafe burst out laughing because clearly I had thought I was ordering a pint, when in fact I was ordering a keg! (I finished it though!) We ate well, drank lots of coffee and wine and had a very chilled and enjoyable time.

Parisians are generally quite rude, but like Londoners who are also very rude at times, ask for help and they will show great kindness. I guess it’s a big city thing. It’s difficult dealing with tourists all the time – tourists that don’t speak the language, don’t know where they are going, and often don’t know about the unwritten rules of city etiquette that exist to keep us rushing from one place to the other often with a sense of our own importance. Basically, tourists get in the way!

Buses are a great way to get around. It costs 1.50 per trip, or there is a day pass for 5.50. Don’t expect to get a seat though, not just when things get busy but there are less seats on French, or certainly, Paris buses. Expect to see a lot of small dogs being carried in large bags. If you intend to drive then you are mad. Paris drivers are the most impatient and risk taking drivers I’ve ever clapped eyes on, it’s like a stock car race. And if you decide you still want to drive, may whichever god you believe in, go with you, because you’ll need all the help you can get!

Don’t dismiss Eurostar deals –we thought they might be expensive, but we got a great deal and ended up in a lovely hotel. (But don’t forget to look up independent reviews of the hotel online to make sure you choose a good hotel.) If you like well-done meat, you may end becoming a vegetarian for your stay. It’s just easier. Even a cheeseburger I had was red in the middle and if you get a steak and want it well done, well, let’s just say it’s would be easier if you carried around your own grill! If you drink black coffee but are surprised that you keep getting an expresso, ask for a long coffee. That way you get a regular cup of coffee and not a teeny cup of, delicious but not really what you want, expresso. Oh and be careful what size beer you order! Look up restaurants around the hotel as well, there’s nothing so nice as to have a lovely meal, too much wine, and then to be able to amble back to the hotel taking in the night air.

I definitely want to go back, and would try and stay in the same hotel. This time though I think I would like to do more touristy things. Paris is just so interesting it deserves many visits! My mum had a great time as well, it was after all, her birthday present. Right now though, reality beckons – unpacking, laundry and walking a very relaxed Mr. P who had his own holiday with friends. Although I might have another long coffee and some apricot flan before I start work, keep the holiday spirit for a little longer...

Au revoir

Hey kids, I'm back! Paris was fabulous but as you can appreciate, having only got back an hour ago, I'm a little pooped so I'll blog in depth tomorrow...

New car!

We bought a new car! A lovely grown up Hyundai. She test drove beautifully; really light and responsive. The car only has 5000 miles on the clock, is still under manufacterers warranty and is quite fab. So far the most expensive purchase I've ever made (well, until we buy a house next year)! I pick her up on Thursday and everytime I think about it, I do quite literally shudder with excitement!

We part exchanged the Vectra and so have changed a disaster into something lovely. Well done us. And we're off to Paris tomorrow morning I mean, hello? How much fun can two young ladies have in life!

Eh?

I’m considering a Hyundai Matrix and it feels weird. A bit too grown up. I currently have a Vectra. I like Vectra’s, they are fast, powerful and (I think) sleek. Hyundais are not sleek. Hyundais are for those with a growing family, who travel a lot. A Matrix comes with a roof rack for god’s sake... It’s true that we do travel a lot, we are a growing family and are hoping to grow considerably next year once we start trying for a baby...

I quite like the Matrix. It’s comfy, powerful, roomy, full of useful things. Does it matter than I won’t look like a woman with a wild side? (Question, did I ever? I mean Vectra’s are good, but are they that good?!)

Just to really throw the reader in a tizz I should point I’m considering the Mercedes a-class as well. Apparently not overly expensive to run, but can be pricey if something does go wrong which puts me off. But it does look a nice car...

And what about a Meriva? That’s got some good reviews.

The one thing I am certain about is that if we’re not certain (my partner’s coming with me today), we won’t be buying a thing. I feel very sore about being duped the last time. I feel that the instinct I had that the Vectra was a good car has taken a battering. Actually, it wasn’t wrong. Paul the mechanic told me it is a fine car and she drives beautifully (and she really does) but because the previous owner or that devious fucking slime as I have now affectionately renamed him, did not maintain the car, all the wear and tear has come at once and so it makes it hugely expensive to fix. Plus there seems to be an ongoing problem with the rocker gasket. And basically it’s like anything, problems rarely go away. They don’t decide, well, this has been a bad move – nobody’s happy about me being here so I’m going to slink off... sorry to have troubled you! No, problems say, well you can ignore me but I should warn you I am contractually obliged to get bigger and much worse. And it doesn’t take a genius to know that by that stage, the problem will have caused other problems and is going to cost you a fortune to fix.

Anyway, I’m going to do a bit more research, then throw myself under a hot shower, followed by some hot, fresh and very strong coffee and then dear reader, we’re off. We may come back in a Vectra, or we may come back in a horse and cart... it’s all to play for...