A year on....

It's been 12 months since we signed the Bahamas deal and things in my life were turned upside down. On the 20th of December 2005 we started to plan how we were going to sell 300 plots of land on Long Island and how we were going to apply for permission to build a Marina and 18 hole golf course... seems a long time ago now, we have 50 plots left and the application is with the government.

Then on the anniversay spookily the lodger completes on his new house purchase and I get a call from Nico to say he's been selected to go play for England in the 1 day Internationals cricket... What a day! I cooked chilli for 8 of us and we toasted everyones good fortunes with buckets of red wine.

I've got a stinking cold today and I'm travelling back from Andorra to sunny Athertsone. Can't wait to see my bears though. They won't mind if I'm snuffling when I get home.

For anyone reading my blog I'd just like to wish you a very Merry Cristmas and a prosperous New Year. Thanks for bothering to take an interest in my life :)

How lucky?

I watch once more in awe March of the Penguins this evening. I must admit to a very soft spot for the penguins. Watching makes me realise what a blessed life we live. We don't have to endure any of the hardships that these wonderful creatures do. The fathers have to look after the eggs for 4 months without food and suffer the worst blizzards, waiting for the mothers to make the 70 mile journey back to them with food. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

One day I want to visit the land of the penguins....

The Post Birthday Aftermath

So I'm now 39 years and into the final countdown to the big 40. What does all this mean? Well one thing is for certain I'm not as good with alcohol as I was at 29, it takes longer to recover after a big night out and I look forward to nights in almost as much as nights out.

Did I tell you all how amazing George was? OMG he was awesome! He gets better and better as he gets older. It was nice to hear him talk with such passion about his life and loves and the blow up 40ft high George W with a British bulldog sucking at his crotch was a total hoot!

The big day was celebrated by going out to lunch with Mum & Dad and Me-me (friend who's between jobs at the minute) at a local restaurant which overlooks a fishing lake. Food was great and Mum & Dad were happy to be a part of my day. I just love the fact that I can enjoy time with them both. The rest of the day was getting the Chrissie decorations in ready for putting up the tree then out with my mates in the evening. The original plan was to all go skating in Birmingham at the outdoor rink put up for Christmas in Centenary Square but it poured with rain so that idea was abandoned in favour of a few glasses of vino in the local in front of the open fire.

So that leads us here to another year in the life of a lyndyloo...
The Christmas tree is up, I've done some Chrissie prezzie shopping so I'm going to wrap some up and write some cards... I feel quite festive!

One Sleep To Go

The company Christmas "do" was on Friday. I took the lodger to be safe and boy was that a good move! We set out from my house, me, him, my work mate and my friend Lou at 6.00 after a quick home made Cosmopolitan (which was very lovely) and went into Leicester to the hotel that Curly & San were staying at so that we could dump the car. We had a drink in the bar and Curly (who I've worked with for 19 years & who is one of my bestest mates) presented me with a beautiful Mont Blanc pen for my birthday! I was gob smacked! What a gorgeous prezzie... then he explained that after all it was going to be a big birthday and I realised that Sandra had got her years mixed up and for some reason thought I would be 40 tomorrow!!! "Not to worry" says Curly, "by this time next year we can think of something even better."

At this point the evening was going swimmingly... The taxi was late picking us up to go to the "do" we got there just in time to sit down at the table (luckily no-one had started eating yet) and the rest of the gang were already seated. The food was good (amazing as it was mass catered for 500 people) and the banter was great.

Goodness knows what happened between 8 and 10.30 but by 11pm I had crashed and burned, made friends with the ladies toilets and had to be rescued by the lodger! Fell asleep on the stairs in the foyer before falling asleep in the taxi and then falling asleep as soon as I got home.

Thank goodness I was with friends. I sufferred on Saturday, my hangover was nasty, my team lost 4-1 and I was there to witness it so I stayed in to watch Mr Ramprakash on Saturday night and drank lots of Pepsi Max.

Sunday I went to the golf range with the lodger and John (who works with us and had stayed for the weekend) and hit a few golf balls before going out for lunch and then having a chilled out afternoon/evening. I haven't been near to alcohol since Friday but with the birthday looming large it may be expected of me tomorrow... we'll see.

It's George Michael tonight and I can't wait.... I'll tell you all about it.....

5 Sleeps to go...

I'm now counting down to my Birthday celebrations starting with our Christmas come Birthday Do. We have a table of 10 at Darren Maddys finale to his Benefit year before he goes off to play for Warwickshire next season. There's a big dinner Shawaddywaddy are playing and no doubt we'll have the loudest table. The lodger's coming with me and my mate Loulou is coming along as well but to be honest the lot of us are all great buddies anywayso it will be a great laugh. On Monday night I'm going to see George Michael and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! I haven't seen him since he played at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert and he was awesome then so .... Ooooh it's making me shiver just thinking about it.

The other thing that's happened since my last post is that I bought a new car! It's a beautiful Audi A4 Quattro convertible and I love it! I can now listen to Chris Evans in luxury while being told where to go (in the nicest possible way) by Miss Sat Nav and as of tomorrow I'll even be able to talk hands free on my new bluetooth watsit. How very posh.

Roobear

This is my Roobear. She's 13 and 3/4 and she is (to be honest) my life. When I got home today I was greeted by my yougest Bear Boo-boo bounding up at me to say "Hi! Where you been? I still love you. Do you have any food?" in her normal young bear way but my old girl Roo was in her bed looking at me but unable to get up. She's getting on a bit and her hip isn't as great as it used to be. Her eyes were bright but she couldn't lift her back end out of her bed to greet me. This is a first and not a pleasant one. She's always been there with me every step of the way so for her not to be able to get up was heart breaking. I lifted her up and carried her into my lounge and stroked her for a while and massaged her hip until she stratched it out. Boo-boo was there by our side, licking her and offering moral support. Eventually Roo got to her feet and had some food and a little calpol and now seems fine.

I think I might be sleeping downstairs tonight to keep her company. She's a top bear!!

Mange Tout

It's a sunny Tuesday in November and apart from a bit of a sore throat life is good. I had a go on the golf range with the lodger on Sunday morning (again lovely & sunny) and I can hit the ball 80 yards or so and mainly in a straight line which apparently is pretty good for a beginner. Today I have to go fetch one of my colleagues from the airport and then go off to some presentation in London this evening. I'm contemplating a quick swim before all that so as to put me in the right frame of mind.

The lodger has put an offer in on a house and had it accepted so I might not have him around for too long. I dare say he'll be here till after Christmas but could have a new year with my little ole house to myself and the bears once more. Maybe even have room for that elusive partner I keep telling myslef will appear any day now.

Long time no blog!

I have been a very busy girlie. Had a trip out to the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show to meet lots of people who are interested in our Port St George development deal in the Bahamas. A very, very nice man called Mike Myers (yes honestly) took me out, showed me round the show, showed me round the EDSA offices and introduced me to loads of interested companies but far more importantly introduced me to his dog Ziggy. I miss the bears when I'm away so I was having withdrawal symptoms. All was sorted once I'd shared a few G&T's on his porch with his dog listening to Jack Johnson looking at the evening sky in the warm breeze.... Ahhhhhhh seems such a long time ago now. And if you're asking then yes, he is my sort of man, would be a wonderful man to get to know better, just a shame he's quite so far away. He does ask about the bears whenever he's in touch though :) Who knows what might happen....

Since my return life has been a whilwhind of activity with one of my partners (business you understand) now in South AFrica, another one on Long Island, Bahamas and another colleague in Andorra so it's pretty much me left to run the show over here. What joy! At least I got to go meet up with some of the Saracens rugby players earlier on this week. The jobs not soooo bad really.

Sunday mornings

Since the last posting my friends and I have spent more than an average amount of time in local hostelries indulging in alcohol intake. It even included karaoke singing and nightclub dancing last night before returning to my humble abode with half the club to consume another bottle of wine.

I don't know if anyone else watches soccer am but at the moment they have a spot where anyone can send in a video of themselves/friends doing body building poses to the theme of Jean Michelle Jarre's Equinox... well I've decided to send one in of the lodger doing such poses in his boxer shorts but to add a little extra it was decided on (n the midst of the drunken haze) that we should paint an eight pack on him. Most blokes who do this body building stuff get six packs but the lodgers belly is big enough for eight!

Memory loss

I have a confession to make.... I can't actually remember coming home last night. I have woken up fully clothed (without shoes so does that count?) in my bed. After just stumbling down the stairs to find the back door open and my dogs looking at me in disgust I discovered a half eaten kebab. Now I remember the lodger mentioning (while we were out) that he was determined to have a kebab on the way home but I don't remember the journey. Saying that I am in my own home and safe and well so it must have been ok.

Let me explain.... one of my best mates came back from holiday on Wednesday night only to go into work yesterday and be told that she doesn't have a job any more. She's a top girl, had a good job with a handsome salary and all the trimmings (car, healthcare etc) and works very hard so as far as I'm concerned didn't deserve the sort of treatment she got. So when I got the call to say she was on her way home I told her to detour, meet me at Borders bookshop for a coffee and then proceeded to explain that we were going to go home, get changed (out of corporate clothing into jeans) eat and then go out and have far to many glasses of wine... I guess we must have done that very thing. We started off with some food in the shape of sausages in a big Yorkshire pud with onion gravy which was not only very tasty but very sensible and probably accounts for me not having a splitting headache this morning. After that things went downhill fast, I remember a great deal of red wine and then vodka & tonic in a bar, oooh yeah now it's coming back to me... I was talking to a really fit young man about his muscles (God I am such a flirt when I'm drunk) still don't remember deciding to come home via the kebab shop!

Another confession... I've come back to bed with a cup of tea, still in my clothes from last night, and have written this blog under the duvet with a slight headache.... and it's not even the weekend yet! This doesn't make me a bad person does it? All I can say is that it will be the weekend by the end of todays working day (and at least I still have a working day) and this afternoon I have my friends boyfriend coming to see me to sort out his land purchase and he's really dishy so that will cheer my little day up.

Spaces

Today I find myself trying to work out what clutter I can clear out of my home, office and life so as to make space for man of my dreams.... I know, it's a bit weird but someone pointed out to me that even if the knight in shining armour came riding through town ready to swoop me up in his arms I wouldn't have the space to allow him into my life as it's already so full. Hence, I'm making space. Starting with clothes, I threw out 4 bin bags to the charity collectors last week. Toiletries I don't use, you know the sort of thing people buy you for Christmas to be sweet, not realising that there are some products that make my skin erupt like a teenager on a diet of coke and burgers. Well they went as well and I now have a cupboard and a draw in the bathroom that are empty in readiness for whatever stuff the hero needs to keep himself irresistible (to be honest I'd like it if he didn't wear aftershave, I love the smell of a clean man). So now it's time for other "stuff" so it could feel like there's something missing. I have contemplated clearing out the garage, is that sexist? I know most men love to have some garage space (obviously not for keeping a car in).

3-2 is a fine score

What a weekend! After a great Friday night out with the re-instated lodger and the Friday night gang in my local town I thought I was in for a hangover from hell on Saturday morning but was pleasantly surprised. Then I remembered I'd spent a couple of hours in the club talking with an old mate about life, love (or lack of it) and career decisions and not consuming the copious amounts of alcohol normally associated with this type of Friday night behavior.

I met up with my footy-buddy before the match on Saturday for a spot of lunch and a small half. We sat and discussed the 3rd football buddy who had decided not to come along and make use of his season ticket because he was "shopping". This was as you'd have expected, not a course of action that is entirely acceptable in the ranks of the football fan. While annual holidays and family bereavements, even work commitments are taken as being excusable simply shopping for carpets (which can be done on Sundays as well as Saturday mornings or weekday evenings) is simply not good. My attendant footy-buddy also had the dilemma of a night out planned for that very night with our missing carpet shopper and their respective wife and girlfriend. It was going to be a very difficult situation. The other topic of conversation was about the fact that he thought it was time I found myself a husband and made myself a respectable woman (how marriage has anything to do with that don't know). See he had independently made the decision that 40 is not the new 30 as far as being a single/never been married woman is concerned.

After a most pleasing result at the Walkers stadium with two scorching goals from Hume and a more typical goal mouth scramble to earn us all three points I traveled home feeling in the mood for a night out. I didn't rush myself to get to this night out though I did make arrangements to meet up at some point with a good friend in town. At 10.15pm I finally made my way into town and struggled through the smog (which is still allowed in our ale houses) to find said drinking partner out with a couple of blokes who obviously were on form and had been propping up the bar for some time already. The banter was already in full swing and it became obvious my face and ribs would probably be aching in a very short space of time through the constant jibes and jokes that were passing back and forth. It was an easy, jovial evening and the pub was vacated to go for the requisite Saturday night Indian restaurant, the 4 of us became 9, the 1 bottle of wine became 4 and eventually, as we left the nice men to clear up the poppadoms and various curry sauces from the new white table cloths that had initially greeted us, it was decided that the 4 of us should go for another drink. Eventually we ended up back at Chez Lyndyloo for just one final bottle of vino rosso. The 4 became 3 as one fell asleep on the sofa and then 3 became 2 as one went to the spare room to get her head down.

The 2 became engrossed in conversations about everything that could possibly discussed at that time in the morning. We found out lots of things about each other, we listened to loads of music that we shared a common interest in, we discussed the meaning of life, the universe and everything. We drank coffee and talked some more... It was a magical, getting to know you, once in a blue moon, life is good, I don't ever want this to end kind of a night/morning. Sadly these nights to have to end eventually and at 7.30am ours was over but will never be forgotten. A new friend has been made and a ski holiday has been booked. I think thatbecause nights of this nature are so few and far between it's a shame you can't bottle the feeling you get and just have a sniff of it any time you feel a bit down.

Even after the 55 minutes sleep that I managed to get before a visitor knocked on my door for an early Sunday morning coffee before having to take kids footy training, (it was something that would normally be acceptable as I'm always up to take the dogs out quite early) my mood was happy and bright. In fact my mood has been up ever since. Have to admit to being in bed by 8.30pm that night though, (a girl has to get her beauty sleep at some point you know).

Maybe this week will just keep getting better.............

A new start

Today, inspired by Chris Evans's blog on the beeb site I've decided to create my very own. It's probably also because I'm waiting in for my replacement mobile phone to arrive. I managed to drop mine down the toilet and even though I dried it out it has decided it doesn't love me any more:(

I suppose I ought to say a bit about me but that's a bit naff so I'll leave it to a few basic facts... I'm Lyndyloo (Lynda is my grown up name) I'm 38, single and have a couple of beautiful labradors called Roobear and Booboo. Enough me thinks.

This week I've acquired a new lodger, or should I say I've re-acquired an old lodger? He's my old pal and he's no trouble as a lodger, in fact, in a lot of ways he's an asset. It will be a bit strange sharing my home with him again after all this time, last time was about 10 years ago.

I've been in a quandary this week and to be honest this year about the fact that in December I'll be 39, that's nearly 40 and I'm still single, never married, no kids and no b/f. I always regarded the single status as being totally acceptable for anyone in their 30's but I'm not sure it's quite as easy to "get away with" once you turn the big 40. It might be something I voice on the CE blog and see what other people think.

Perhaps I'm worrying unnecessarily and it is a perfectly acceptable thing to have managed to get through this much of my life without conforming, after all I'm a healthy, normal (ish) woman with a load of great friends and family, a job I love and a lovely home. I suppose if I look at it like that then it seems like there's not a great deal wrong. In fact it's only fair to say I think it is ok not to have been married but the older I get the more I see the "good grief what's wrong with her" looks from people. It's the women more than the men that seem to have a problem with it, normally the women that have children. Anyway, like I said it might all just be in my imagination.

Does anyone out there know anyone looking for any land in the Bahamas? I know it's a strange question but it's one I have to ask, over and over, it's just a networking thing I have to do otherwise Rich(sales) has a dig at me for not talking to enough people about it all. Anyway if you do then please email sales@rexhaven.co.uk and a lovely bod (sales support) will help you out.