Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.

I've been watching a programme on BBC2 called Arrange Me A Marriage. It's basically about how a thirty something year old woman who isn't married trying the arranged married route. It's got her parents and friends trying to find her a man, and judging men by class, money and what they think to him.
This whole programme is all about how the modern British woman isn't part of the two point four children ideal and how terrible that is. It's making me really sad that women can't be on their own in their thirties, or can't make mistakes in life. What's wrong with people being on their own, why do we all need to be married and settle down? I refuse to believe we need to go back to a time where women's choices are made for them by other people and that by being independent they are doing something wrong.

Books Coming Out of My Ears

I've been re-visiting The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James over the past few days and had forgotten how unsettling it was. Not least because as soon as you start to identify with the main character then she says or does something that makes you think she's cuckoo. It's the whole is she or isn't she mad thing. I suppose it's also quite sad because although this was fictional there was a history of Governesses in Victorian times who did go a bit insane because of their situations. Or of course this could all just be me as a reader putting my slant on it and James could have actually written as a ghost story. I guess that's the beauty of it.

I've also received as a gift a wonderful cookbook by Marguerite Patten called Feeding The Nation. It's basically a collection of World War II recipes but fascinating stuff just to see how people coped with so few ingredients. I promised myself that I would make at least one thing from it a month but it was a bit of an empty promise because nothing sounds that great. For example, Whale Burgers - apparently in 1947 it made it's appearance on British Shores and wasn't rationed. Marguerite describes the meat as having a "strong and very unpleasant smell of fish and stale oil", sounds appetising doesn't it?!

To Charge Or Not To Charge

Ok, so one point eight million people signed this online petition against national road pricing, I wasn't one of them but I can understand why so many did. I realise that congestion on Britain's roads is a massive problem but I don't think that pay as you drive motoring is the way forward. Motorists already pay massive amounts to be allowed to be on the road in the first place in terms of Road Tax, MOT costs, and insurance etc... Crippling the motorist financially is not the way, we should look at our public transport and make it more desirable for people to use. Take me for example, I wouldn't be able to get a bus or a train to anywhere near where I work (cheers Dr Beeching!), in fact I would like to and I would rather spend an hour not driving to and from work everyday - but it simply isn't possible. And why don't we like public transport? Old buses, dirty trains, and the expense! The last time I looked at taking the train to my friend's house I was shocked that it would cost me nearly a hundred pounds, not to mention the fact that I could get only one train and that was at 6:05am. She doesn't live in the middle of the countryside or anywhere out of the ordinary so why the stupid times?! I guess nobody has all the answers but I really think that more thought needs to go into it.

In other news I have succumbed to the adverts and bought Guinness flavour Marmite. I was quite excited by this and couldn't wait to try it, only to be massively disappointed as it tastes exactly the same!

Wish You Were Here?

We got back today from ten days in America, had a splendid time and didn't really want to come home, especially as I have to go to work today and am frightfully jetlagged.
Speaking of which the flight back was appalling, almost constant turbulance, a delay, uncomfortable seats, force 9 airconditioning gale and so on. I hate air travel at the best of times, and cattle class is generally not much fun. Having said that though, I'm with Alan Bennett on this, he says he refuses to pay for more expensive seats because he hates flying and doesn't see why he should pay more to do so. He's got a point.

As The Rush Comes

Over the past few days I've reached a kind of epiphany over my mixing, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere and am finally understanding how it works. I have to say though that I feel like I've worked hard at it the past week or so, and come away from it feeling a bit drained, but I think it's paying off. It's a great feeling because there have been times when I've wanted to throw the decks through the window and the records after them! The only downside to all of this though is I want to buy a tonne of vinyl which will cost me a small fortune.

EGG!

Well, that's Christmas over and done with for another year, and if I'm honest I've really enjoyed it! Yes, I've had some bizarre gifts, but I've liked all of them, and I'm still struggling through the mountain of chocolate. Speaking of chocolate - CADBURY'S CREME EGGS ARE BACK!!!!!!! yay! I've seen them in several shops but I just can't bring myself to buy one, surely it's too early isn't it?!

Shoes Glorious Shoes

I have twice attempted to go Christmas shopping, and twice come back with something for myself. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on the matter in hand because there are shoe sales everywhere - and I do conform almost entirely to the female stereotype of a woman around shoes. It's not unknown for me to completely go crazy around shoes, I have several pairs that I have never worn but were bought completely on impulse and I suspect before this festive period is out I will have a pair of strappy, glittery, silver, high heeled sandals.