Like It Is

That’s right people, Huzza and I celebrate another year of wedded bliss today. It’s truly been a blast and it gets better. Not bad for an on-line, international, transatlantic couple from Toronto and London, England. Seems like only yesterday we were celebrating three years… and I have to say the memory of how we met is just as sparkling as it was when we met seven years ago. Because we met on-line and we are an Internet success story, and because I’m British (and as soon as I open my mouth you can tell) and live in Canada people who meet us – well, meet me really – are always intrigued to hear how me met. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: met on-line, Internet success story

Perhaps because I’d blogged about Valentine’s day I was more acutely aware of all the Valentine’s day trappings and interesting little things people were doing… So I thought I share what I noticed today going to and from work. Had to grin to myself.

1. 1. The Hallmark card shops were packed… mostly with guys. I have never seen so many guys in a card shop before! Looks like they’d nipped in to get that card for The One at the last minute. Just like Christmas… (heh)
   2. All the nice classy cards went very quickly. Spotted quite a few empty display holes and lots of leftover cards
   3. Even the crappiest simplest cards were bloody expensive!
   4. I happened to spot the prices of a bunch of flowers in one of the flower shops near where I work. Nearly $CDN40.00 for a smallish bunch!? So.. for an acceptable bunch we’re looking at say $CDN80 and up. But the alternative? Turn up with no flowers? On Valentine’s Day? Not worth the risk
   5. There was a queue (line) in the flower shop. Mostly guys.
   6. Flower wrapping services were available. Mostly guys in these lines.
   7. I did get wished Happy Valentine’s day – to which I replied “same to you.” It hadn’t occurred to me to say it first, because although I’m reminded of it, I just never remember it! Except when I blog

Valentine’s Day. February 14th. If you don’t know about St Valentine’s Day, you are obviously from another planet. For weeks now, everywhere I go has been decked out in red and pink, with hearts, and flowers, fluffy things and simply everything to speak (and help you speak, should you get tongue-tied) the language of lurrve.

There are going to be many people writing about the History of Valentine’s Day, Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day, Ways To Part With Your Money on Valentine’s Day and How Not To Blow It On Valentine’s Day, Where To Go On Valentine’s Day, How To Express Your Lurrve Love And Affection on Valentines Day, Music For Valentine’s Day and of course What To Do When You Stay In On Valentine’s Day.

One thing’s missing though. What To Do When You Don’t Get a Valentine’s Card on Valentines Day (and everyone else does) and What To Say When You Get Asked How Many Cards Did You Get – to git being smug about their pile. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is my birthday. January 22. Slap bang in the middle of long January, when people are still getting over their Christmas shopping reality check. Or not. It’s another year but I love birthdays! Birthdays are YOUR special day.

Living in Toronto with my immediate family (Mum, Dad, brothers and sisters) in the UK, it was so nice to have phone calls from England and Europe from my family and friends. As well as my family in Canada. And birthday cards – which they go to extra effort to post to make sure they arrive on time.

But I had a lovely surprise today – around 2.45 at work, the receptionist popped her head round and said to me “ You have something out at reception…”

“Really?” I said, all excited. “Yes. And you can’t miss them”.

So I hurry out – to find a sight that always turns me to mush… a dozen beautiful red roses. Well, she was right - there was no missing them. Sent by my lovely husband, who hadn’t breathed a word even though we’d talked twice on the phone today. They’re sitting on my desk where I can see them and smile at them – and share them with my colleagues (seems to make the men feel guilty, heh heh!).

My day had been hectic, packed full of meetings, but my roses really made my day. Flowers always mean a lot to me because when we were dating – just over seven years ago now – Huzza and I both lived in different countries (Toronto, Canada and London,England) and couldn’t be together as often as we wanted and he always sent me flowers. We made do with the Internet and long telephone calls and transatlantic trips, but whenever I got flowers, they always lifted my spirits.

Anyway we’re back from a leisurely dinner and I’m looking at my pressies, squealing in delight and smiling at lovely day… and wondering – why can’t we have birthday week?!

I vote for a birthday week, but my Sweetie doesn’t think too much of the idea. One day a year is plenty for him!

Wow! I don’t know about you, but I always get excited about a brand new year. I say goodbye to the outgoing year that will soon be no more – with thanks for having come through it, and not too much dwelling on the fact that now we’re a year older – at the same time as I look forward to welcoming in the brand new year.

At work today, we left early, with everyone saying “Happy New Year and “See you you in 2007!” Then there’s the one minute before midnight, doing the countdown when we step from one year into another…

Being a Brit abroad, with my family in England I mark the start of the new year twice. At 7 pm in Canada it will already be 2007 in England and we’ll have wished everyone there a happy new year, before we celebrate the new year here in Toronto.

The New Year brings to mind those things.. called Resolutions. I don’t make new year resolutions because somehow I never ever managed to keep them in the past. For some strange reason fwhenever I made new year resolutions the action set up a corresponding and immediate invitation to break them. By the time March came around they’d be abandoned and forgotten them.

But I do review the year, what I’ve done, become, achiieved, what I’ve learned (or not) and set goals for the year, which I write down and review at intervals through the year.This really works for me. I’ve been doing this for several years now and have found that I achieve most of the goals I write down. It’s actually pretty amazing to look back during the year and see the goals I have achieved - that of course means I set new ones. The key for me is not merely thinking them, but writing them down and setting a time around them. There is something very powerful about writing down goals and intentions. I believe it sets in motion the elements of what is needed to bring the goal. And the journey is always interesting!

So what about you? How was 2006 for you? Did you have a high point? A low point? Surprises? Are you looking forward to 2007? Do you set goals? Or do you make resolutions? If you make resolutions, how well have you kept them? What works for you?

Wishing you a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!

A Merry Christmas, a safe and peaceful holiday time, and a wonderful New Year to my all readers and friends.

Thanks for all your support and see you in 2007!

Hope you enjoy these Christmas laughs as much as I did

I wanted to share this - I thought it so fitting for the season - and so true.
A smile costs nothing, but creates much.

It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none are so poor but are richer for its benefits.

It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away.

And if in the last-minute rush of Christmas buying some of our salespeople should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?

For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give!

By Dale Carnegie from“How To Win Friends & Influence People”

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy new Year!

The Times Online reported today that Pope Benedict XVI is considering “concessions” over the use of condoms to fight Aids.

Before we get all hopeful that this means that perhaps the millions of Catholics are going to reduce their rate of breeding, or that at last the Catholic church has at last stopped to listen to anyone other than the Catholic church, you might want to hold your horses. Crush that flicker of hope. The Vatican intends to keep perfectly intact the overall ban on condoms, the use of which is, of course, considered a sin even if you are married. Because condoms are a from of contraception. And contraception is banned. According the the Times report, medical and theological experts advising Pope Benedict have suggested that:

“married couples could be allowed to use condoms when one of the spouses is HIV positive or a drug user”

A chink in the armour? Or a false dawn? Read the rest of this entry »

My husband and I are DVD enthusiasts nuts. Between us we have approaching 1,500 DVDs. My husband has more than me, but I’m not doing too badly considering I got into them when I came to Canada five years ago. In fact I got into them when I met him. Our collection includes TV shows as well as films (movies), however altogether we have more than most small DVD stores.

I used quite a few of mine in my popular post – Calling All Movie Buffs. We hardly watch any TV - Poker, baseball and some American football, the Footie is about it. If we like a show, we simply wait for it to be released on DVD. Then we can watch it without advert interruptions or waiting a week for the next episode and risking missing one. Of course, Read the rest of this entry »

Many people think being childfree is a phase. It isn’t. Being childfree is a state of mind and attitude. When people say “I used to be childfree” it tells me:

1.They don’t really understand what being childfree really means and

2. They are using the term to describe something other than being childfree.

Maybe parent-in-waiting would be a better term for these people - since that does describe a phase.

I am very fortunate to be married to someone who was not only sure they didn’t want children, but had given it a lot of thought and was also prepared, when we met, to talk about it again. Which we did early on in our relationship. I have to say that in finally making the decision to remain childfree I found my husband’s common sense approach really helpful. We still thought about it over time though.

But what about couples who start off seemingly on the same wavelength only for one to change their mind? I know of at least two situations where one half of the couple changed their minds. In one case it was the woman who changed her mind. In the other it was the man. Read the rest of this entry »