As a non-skier who nonetheless loves ski holidays, I decided to add to my usual schedule of walks, spas and bars in the French resort of Tignes last week, by learning to drive a Husky-drawn sled.
I use the term “drive” loosely – it was more about strong core control (thank you pilates) to balance the sled as the dogs did their stuff and sensible use of the brake to ensure the sled didn’t hurtle into the dogs on downhill runs – but what an incredible, exhilarating experience.
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Having not had any previous experience at a PR agency before, I was a little apprehensive about what lay ahead but this was all eased when I welcomed with open arms (in the metaphorical sense) and a stream of good coffee (although I did have to surreptitiously call my Mum from the kitchen to ask how to use a сafetière!).
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A few days ago we celebrated my Godmother’s birthday with a tea party. She wanted finger sandwiches, little cakes and all things delicate and dainty. We (me, Mum, sister) accepted the challenge, confident that we could do fiddly as well as the next home-baker.
We had listened to super-judge combo Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry on the BBC’s Great British Bakeoff, we’re not bad in the kitchen, we invested in Lakeland’s finest piping equipment and we were ready.
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A few years ago I created a ‘30 things to do before I am 30’ list and, with that deadline fast approaching and a marathon definitely not on the cards, I decided to aim for the one that had topped my resolutions list for quite some time…
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There will be so many people who have been touched by the life of Jimmy Saville – not least the thousands who either raised funds for or benefited from the charities he supported. Many moons ago, I was a junior PR executive helping out with the Yorkshire Television Telethon – one of the 27-hour televised [...]
Read moreWhen was the last time you paid someone an unexpected compliment? It’s nice to tell your partner they look lovely or to praise a friend’s cooking, of course, but there’s no risk involved. How would you feel about telling a complete stranger that you admire their haircut or that their child’s behaviour is a credit to them?
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I remember turning up on my first day at MCG as a young, shy, teen not knowing what to expect from the big daunting world of work. As the days at MCG continued, I was always looking forward to the next day not knowing what job I would be given. From writing press releases, research work and blogging, to jobs such as cuttings and mail outs, I’ve pretty much done a selection of exciting tasks. Okay, well not all of the jobs were exciting. You have your repetitive ones, but someone has to do them!
Read moreOn my way to work this morning, among the carrion on the A64, I was greeted with the sombre news that despite Big Dave’s best efforts, long term unemployment has doubled over the past year.
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When I won eleven brand new paperbacks from MCG I didn’t know what to do because I’d never taken possession of more than six new books in one go before. So, naturally, I pretended I was a Booker Prize judge. And then I put them in an artfully wonky pile and took a photograph of them.
I looked at the titles, read the blurb, fondled the covers, read the review quotes, checked how many chapters they had, read the first lines, fanned the pages, smelt their scent, made a cup of tea and then put them in an artfully wonky pile again. I did all the procrastinating things people who supposedly like reading do before they start reading. And eventually I did start to read one of them. I’ve now read four and here’s what I thought of them.
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Last week I had the absolute pleasure of helping my Czech friend prepare for her wedding- one of the most bizarre traditions was to abduct the bride half way through the wedding day, take her 10km away to a bar and then run up a massive bar tab whilst the groom tracks her down. The groom then has to pay the tab and is also charged a hefty ransom for her release… the tradition was that the bride keeps the money, but since they are a modern couple (and the groom Welsh) the money came from their joint account!
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