getting fit...

So, another of my new years resolutions was to get fit, which should in turn tone me up and result in s a bit of weight loss... (that's the theory anyway!)

In the spring, I hope to start cycling to work again and i'm debating whether to go back to dancing lessons. On Monday though, I returned back to badminton and today, i'm feeling the delayed effects! I'm hoping that means I actually did some good!

L x

dinner at malmaison...

Friday night we headed off for dinner at Malmaison - my treat! I am nice sometimes ;o)

We started with a couple of pre-dinner G&Ts before heading off to the Brasserie for dinner at 8.30pm. Mal have a special offer on at present - 2 courses plus wine and coffee for 2 for £29. We had a limited menu to choose from - the "home grown and local" menu which had a choice of 4 starters and mains. IN the end, we both chose the same thing - pea and Gorgonzola risotto to start followed by coq au vin with a side order of cabbage and bacon. Yum! Of course no dinner is complete without dessert so we chose a bread and butter pudding which was out of this world!

After dinner it was back to the bar for a nightcap before heading home to bed.

L x

the national lottery...

We've decided to play the lottery for a year - well, they say you've got to be in it to win it!

We've missed a couple of weeks of the year but I finally got round to signing up yesterday and have bought 8 weeks worth of tickets online. They're lucky dip numbers (although they gave us the same numbers for the whole 8 weeks) so we have no idea what they are.

Any wins under £100 will go into the holiday pot - anything over than that - well, we can decide what we do with it if we win.

So - here's hoping for a lucky year!

L x

more travel adventures...

Oh dear, we've done it again! Booked holiday no.4 for this year which will actually be holiday no.3 :o)

We're off to Stockholm for the weekend at Easter, going on the 7th back on the 9th. Well, it's Dan's birthday weekend so it's his birthday present too!

We've also done some planning on holiday no.4 - our Vegas trip. We've finally decided on the route for our road trip and made some reservations for motels.

The plan...
Day 1 - Drive from Vegas, NV to Williams, AZ along Route 66.
Day 2 - Day trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim on the The Canyon Train.
Day 3 - Drive from Williams, AZ to Monument Valley, UT. Afternoon at Monument Valley.
Day 4 - Drive from Monument Valley, UT to Page, AZ. Afternoon at Antelope Canyon.
Day 5 - Drive from Page, AZ to Springdale, UT. Afternoon at Zion National Park.
Day 6 - Drive from Springdale to Vegas, NV.

And it looks like it's gonna be pretty cheap. The accommodation for the 5 nights is about the same cost as 1 night at the Bellagio in Vegas!

L x

first day at work...

It was my first day at work today!

I've got no desk, no computer and no log-on details but I have got a nameplate for my door! All I need now is a door to put it on :oP

Hopefully I should have somewhere to sit by the end of the week. Seems there's gonna be a re-organisation as to where people go so it might not be just me with a new office and desk.

So far everyone I've met has been really nice and friendly.

L x

another interview...

I had another interview today. Another PA role to two mangers, this time at a private hospital.

The interview seemed to go really well and I wasn't my usual panicky worried self when it comes to interviews, I was actually quite relaxed which I think helped a lot! I hate all those "tell me a time when you..." questions. They're a load of ***. Instead they asked questions which were a "what would you do in this situation" question. Much better!

So, the wait begins.

L x

bad luck...

I didn't get that job I went for on Friday. No real feedback other than to say that they have shortlisted a few other candidates who they feel "better suit their environment". Whatever that means!

Oh well, they're loss! :o)

L x

temporary job...

I started a 3 week temp job today to help pay the rent and put food in our mouths.

I've got a week of training followed by a week of holiday cover and then a final week where they're using me to help finish backlogs of work.

At least it's money and will help to allow me to keep looking for that perfect permament job!

L x

interview...

Got my first interview tomorrow! It's a PA role to two managers for a company based on the Kings Road in Reading so nice and handy. And it sounds like a nice company to work for so fingers crossed!

L x

car insurance...

We received the renewal quote for our car insurance and decided to shop around for new quotes as we felt like we've been paying too much. It's one of those things that's annoying to do which is how it's took us so long to get round to doing it.

I wish we had done it sooner though. I checked out confused.com and all but 1 of the searches came back less than our quote. In the end, we managed to save over £300. Very pleased! :o)

Of course the internet makes it so much easier now.

L x

anyone want a pa...

Found out today that i'm being made redundant! :o(

It's all moving fast with my last day Tuesday/Wednesday next week! They don't hang about! :oP What that means is that i'll have a few days off before our holiday so I can do all the packing which i'm rather pleased about.

It's not all doom an gloom though. I've already been put forward for 7 jobs with another 2 in the pipeline so things don't seem too bad. Even better is that while all the jobs are more money, a fair few are up to £5,000 more :o)

Every cloud has a silver lining...

L x

snow...

Wooo! Woke up to snow this morning :o)



I bet it doesn't last very long though...

L x

more car trouble...

Marvin got sent to the doctors on Monday and he should be ready for collection today, once we've settled the £600 bill!

Seems he needed a new starter motor and clutch! Lets just hope this is the last he needs in a long time.

L x

good start to the new year...

What a start to the year.

First of all there's the bathroom... This is the bathroom that around 6 months ago was completely replastered, painted and new flooring laid so should still be looking brand spanking new.

However, there is now no paint on the ceiling or the walls. Why? Because it peeled off. That's right, the PAINT peeled off like wallpaper! Don't believe me? Didn't think so, so here's the proof...










Next to go wrong is the car. Yes, the car we bought to save us money on fixing the old one. The new car that in the 4 weeks we've had has cost around £220 having the key scratch and paint chip repaired and the starter motor looked at. Well, the starter motor is playing up again so back to the garage it goes again. More money!

And talking of car trouble, the garage can't fit it in until Monday which messes up our plans to park the car at Heathrow for our trip to Brussels on Friday.

Oh and finally, we need a new camera! And quick! :oP

Lets just hope the year gets better!

L x