Going the Distance

I’ve only been married for 4 years.  I know I moan a lot about my hubby on Twitter but honestly we’re happily married, even though I do get the urge to stab him occasionally!  A few people have got the wrong idea and have tried it ‘on’ but that’s a whole different post.

We’ve had a very difficult year, some of which I’m willing to share and some I’m not.  Many of you know that my in-laws passed away within 18 hours of each other in June.  Interestingly, and without sounding soppy, it did bring us closer together, even though the stress of his father being terminally ill and relocating his mother did result in a few flare ups to be honest.

My in-laws had been together for 63 years and in a way it was romantic that they went together and his mother would not have coped very well on her own.  They’ve both been cremated and their ashes will be spread together in Belfast next spring.  The registrar said it was the first time she had ever put two family members next to each other on the death register.  They’ll always be together now.

One thing I wished I would’ve asked them was what was the secret to a successful marriage?  Statistically, one in two marriages ends in divorce and I don’t want to be one of those statistics.

I was contacted by Diffusion Media and asked to promote a new series, which follows recently married Mike and Alanna on a motorcycle and sidecar, as they search for the secret to a long lasting relationship. The first part of their quest takes them across states and countries, meeting with everyone from Eskimos to Nobel Peace Prizewinners! And now they’re coming to the UK to discover just what it is that makes British couples special when it comes to making love last.

I did not receive anything in return for this post; I just think it looks brilliant.  I love travel programmes, adventure and would love to know the secret to a lasting relationship.  I hope it’s as good as it looks.  What do you think?

Ice Skating in the UK

I know that the English are weird with their pickled eggs, eggy bread and squash but who in their right mind would design an ice skating rink that resembles a giant plastic cutting board and then strap a couple of butter knives on their feet!  We all know that plastic cutting boards can dull knives.

The thing is I can skate, not brilliantly, but I can.    I started when I was 3 and at one point my mother was the President of the Ice Skating Club.  That is me on the left.

However, when I took my daughter skating this morning I could barely stand up let alone do a few strokes and heaven forbid a Camel Spin or a Double Salchow, which at my age would’ve been a bad idea anyhow.  The skates were dull and I looked like a duck walking on a frozen pond.  Luckily, I could feign the doting parent and propped myself (safely) up against the edge to take this video.

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Covent Garden

We were invited to Build-A-Bear Workshop in Covent Garden for a tour on Friday. We’d heard good things about it. The night before Madame and I spent some time on YouTube checking it out and to say the least we were both very excited!

We were warmly greeted by Jimmy at the store. He was brilliant with Madame, speaking to her the whole time at her level. He was very knowledgeable about all the bears and the process, even though he’s only been at the store for a couple of months. He guided her through the entire process from choosing a bear, to filling it, to inserting a beating heart, choosing clothes, dressing the bear and creating the Birth Certificate.

Madame normally has the attention span of a goldfish, like most other 3 year olds, but she was absolutely captivated the whole time. See for yourself!

Thanks to everyone, especially Jimmy, at Build A Bear for a brilliant experience.

Recycling Rewards

Can someone please pass this onto the powers that be?  I hate to do the 1001 comparisons between Canada and the UK but there is one thing in Canada that I really like.  This morning my mum put her bins out…she has two; one for rubbish and the other for recycling.  In the UK, I have 5 bins; one for rubbish, one for compost, one for glass, one for paper and one for tins.  Our drive barely has enough room for a car.  Trying to remember which week is which and forever being stuck behind the Lorries drives me mad!

The reason why she only has two bins is because….

Everyone pays a deposit on bottles and tins, approximately 10 cents per can/bottle.  It does vary.  Some may panic and see it as another tax but in fact if you get off your lazy arse and take the recycling back you get your money back.  We always use the money to buy more beer!  I think it’s fantastic that people are being rewarded for doing good.  I honestly think more people would engage in recycling if we had a similar incentive.

When we were kids it wasn’t uncommon to have bottle drives to fundraise for sports teams etc.  You would knock on people’s door and they would gladly part with their empties.  Plus, if you’re in town and don’t want to litter you can put your tin beside a bin and a homeless person will take it.  It’s a win win for everyone!

I’m not sure how heavily subsidized the program is but I think it’s worth a look into.  My hubby is absolutely gob smacked with the program.  The first time he took the bottles back he gave them the recycling and walked away.  Boy, was he surprised when they called him back and gave him some cash.  I think it was the highlight of his trip!