I've been tagged by Mosey Jones, (also known as Morag) author of the Mumpreneur Diaries. I'm very honoured to be tagged by someone who's actually written a book. I mean we all want to write a book. Right? But to actually do it. To sit down and concentrate and not notice a spot of bolognaise sauce on the sofa that needs to be vanished, well that takes staying power.


Anyway, my task at hand is that I've got to answer these 20 questions, but I also have to replace one question. And add one question. And then tag some bloggy people. This is hard because time is short these days. And answering these questions takes some thought. But I will endeavour.


1. What are your current obsessions?
Sailing. Refusing to accept that just because I'm a mum I can't do something utterly ridiculous. See http://www.moretolifethanlaundry.com/ for more details on this life altering obsession.


2. Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Jeans. I have several pairs:

- Oasis - dark blue in good nick. For when I need to look smart (snort)

- Hobbs - used to be my looking smart jeans, now ripped in the crotch area from overuse and have been used for gardening but still in second smart place.

- Random old faded light blue jeans that are too tight, too short and has a zip that goes down all the time

- Very tight jeans that make my legs look very skinny but cause a muffin top and are impossible to sit down in.


3. What was your favourite childhood meal?
Macaroni cheese. Still love it, although now I wash it down with gaviscon.


4. Last thing you bought?
A piece of red carboard. Intrigued as to why? I'm not telling.


5. What are you listening to?
Take That - The Circus. Have Hold Up a Light on repeat cycle. Love it, love it, love it.


6. Wine or chocolate?

Wine. Duh.



7. Favourite holiday spots?
Selous Game Reserve Tanzania. Yes, I do sound like a bougois (sp?) snob. We went there on honeymoon, before the days of kids clubs...sniff.


8. Reading right now?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho



9. Four words to describe yourself.
Away with the fairies OR alternatively: Very, very, very busy



10. Guilty pleasure?
Listening to music and imagining my life as a music video



11. Who or what makes you laugh until you’re weak?
The blokes on my last sailing training week. Can't decide which story was funniest - the gorilla choosing between the cabbage vs poo to have for lunch, or the elderly gentleman's testicle popping out of his boxers. You had to be there, honest.


12. Favourite spring thing to do?
Wear flip flops for the first time after months in confinement


13. Planning to travel to next?
Sailing 5,300 nautical miles to Rio de Janeiro (jealous yet?)


14. Best thing you ate or drank lately?
Illicit bag of peanut M&Ms. Didn't realise I wanted them till I ripped the bag open and scoffed the lot in under a minute.


15. When did you last get tipsy?
Last night. And I fear tonight might be a repeat performance


16. Favourite ever film?
The Sound of Music. Singing nuns and clothes made from curtains. What's not to love?


17. Care to share some wisdom?
This is the life we've been given, so open your mind and start living.


18. Song you can't get out of your head?
Compare the market.com; Compare the meerkat.com - it is driving me sodding insane and if I ever come across the marketing person for this company I will personally introduce a meerkat to their nether regions and see if they'd like to compare before and after snaps.

19. One thing you'd really like to do this year
I'm doing it! Crossing an ocean


20. What or who makes you irrationally rage and totally not proud of yourself at the same time?
People who drop the Ts in words, like saying be-er instead of better. I was almost moved to point out to some teenagers recently that the word Better had two Ts in it and neither are silent. But instead shuffled by mumbling about the youth of today and then thinking that maybe their parents never mentioned the fact that the word actually had Ts after all.

I'm not going to tag any bloggy people. I'm rubbish that way. But feel free to have a go if you fancy it.

Happy thoughts

I've been memed by Katyboo and I must now come up with six frivolous things that make me happy. Given my mood today, this is going to be hard work. I could come up with a very long list of things that make me unhappy, grumpy, mardy, generally not very pleasant to be around, but that is not my challenge. I really should be doing this with a glass of wine. But that's a good starting point:

1) A glass of wine. Large, white, very chilled, Sancerre or similar if possible. This should ideally be drunk on a lovely terrace overlooking a gently lapping ocean with a beautiful sunset and a temperature still warm enough for a summer frock to feel just weighty enough. But I'll settle for having it on my sofa watching some trash on tv.

2) Knowing that I am two thirds of my way through my Christmas card list. There's light at the end of the tunnel man... (that last bit was actually said in a stoned hippy type impersonation. Not sure why really, it just was)

3) Having a son who actually joined in the Christmas carols service at his school last night. He sat still. He sang the words he knew. And when everyone applauded at the end of each song, his face lit up with pride as though it was entirely for him. Made me weep with joy.

4) Braised rice with peas and corn and gravy (ideally roast chicken gravy). This isn't ordinary food. This is comfort food.

5) Cupcakes. Making them. Icing them. Eating them. And very importantly, arranging them on a three tier cake stand. They need to be pink and girly.

6) An impromptu meet up with friends. So much better than something pre-arranged. It feels like a present you weren't expecting.

So those are my happy things. They've cheered me up a bit. Although I now want cupcakes and rice with peas, corn and gravy - none of which are readily available. But the wine is. So I'm off. Feel free to share your happy things with me. I need to hear them.