Tuesday

Another poor new thing. I ventured down a side road that I'd never been down before in Southall. Funnily enough though it was a dead end, so I had to back out of it again - must have looked very strange!

Monday

The new thing today was going for a walk in the woods near my Dad's house. My dad moved into his place in July, and every time I visited I wouldn't venture any further than from the car to the front door. Despite the rain, I'm glad I made the effort, we saw lots of deer, hare and pheasants. In fact, it beats me why people see it as a challenge to shoot pheasant, because I actually have to try my hardest not to run them over in my car - they try with all their might to get in the way of the car! Don't worry, tomorrow's new thing won't be eating pheasant!

Sunday

Da da da da da da da da da Daaaaaaaaaaaaah dahhhhh da da da! The new thing today - we took my pa to see Casino Royale in the cinema in Yeovil. Unfortunately, I've been to Yeovil before, but the film was GREAT! Daniel Craig was superb - very believable, and not at all cheesy. Much closer to the book than the previous efforts, but updated for the noughties. I loved it - and fortunately so did my folks. It was one of those days where you do a couple of new things, so the second one doesn't count - but we went to an Indian restaurant that I'd never been to before.

Saturday

New thing today was going into the dog rough pub just across the road from my house. I don't know what it's called, as the sign's virtually unreadable as it's covered in what looks like soot. Went in after work, feeling a bit conspicious in my formal clothes. Ordered a half of bitter and legged it afterwards congratulating myself on my bravery. The boyf and I then went to what's become our local - a cosy pub that serves Thai food. I tried to teach boyf a phrase in "ancient Thai" to say to the waiter. "oo watana Siam" He said: "Watana - like the Thai snooker player?" "Yes, that's right", I said. It wasn't until boyf said the phrase really quickly that he realised what I was up to - I got a dead arm for my efforts!

Friday

My new thing was over and done with before I got to work this morning. I'm leaving my house earlier and earlier each day, but as the traffic is getting worse and worse, I'm arriving at work later and later. This morning, I thought I was taking a short cut through Harefield. Only problem was that everyone else had the same idea. In a bit of a rage, I decided to take a side road off the main road. But it was a deadend. Nice of them to put a sign up to tell us motorists that. So, new thing accomplished, but got to work at 9.10am. Fortunately, everyone else in my office was late too.

Thursday

I went to the Newbury branch of the company I work for today. Now, I used to live in Newbury, so going there wasn't new - but there were a few new shops I hadn't been in before, as well, obviously as the office of the person I needed to see. I then had another meeting in Reading, and because I was singing at the top of my voice to Muse on the radio, I went right past the junction, and had to come off at the next one - miles from the part of Reading I needed. So plenty of new things by driving in a panic around Reading (while enjoying Muse on the stereo -trying mixing those emotions!

I also stopped by in Kingston as I needed to see someone there who didn't want to see me. She still didn't want to see me, but I managed to get inside the building, so that completed a veritable plethora of new things.

Wednesday

I'm writing this on Tuesday, but I'm usually a day behind. My new thing today was entering some of the shops in Gerrard's Cross - think it was the post office, the HSBC, a card shop and Martins. Quite surprised that they let me in actually, since I looked pretty blooming scruffy, even by my standards, and the place has more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in England. I lost count of the number of times I nearly got run over by daft women in 4x4s, despite the fact that it was pouring with hail (can I say that?), and I was soaked. Is it my imagination, or are there no charity shops in Gerrards Cross? No need, I suppose....

Tuesday

Had to drop someone back to Southall yesterday, so worked out that if I tried out a new road, there was a small chance that it might connect back to the road that leads me to my house. It worked.

monday

Apart from the new thing I discovered yesterday - namely that Ealing Borough Council was spending my hard earned cash on contractors to dig up our road first thing on Sunday morning - talk about waving the double time under my nose - could I have a rebate please? we went to Notting Hill. Now, I may have seen the film a good few times, but I've never been to the place. From the hooha that surrounds the Notting Hill carnival, I expected to see lots of policemen laughing along with the ethnic minorities, but t'was not like that at all. In fact, it was very much like the film - no Hugh Grant, but lots of posh people with similar hair to Hugh Grant, paying three times as much for things that you would anywhere else. Still a very nice vibe, and plenty of new things to do for the next time I return.

Sunday

More housemate mardiness, so we went to Borough Market - never been here before, not while it was open anyway. Had a brilliant time, sampling food from all around the world, getting our feet run over by posh Italian women, and then ducking into a market traders' pub. After all that choice, we had fish and chips, washed down with lots of pints. Then got the train back to Ealing and pub crawled our way home.

Saturday

Last night, got home from work, poured glass of wine for lovely boyfriend and prepared to watch a programme about eBay, since the two of us are interested in setting up an online business. Housemate came back, didn't speak to either of us, and turned over to CHILDREN IN NEED. That's right - not the news, or anything educational, but a bunch of "celebrities" (anyone who's ever been on TV) being stupid. I was so annoyed (a building up of emotions - I'm never able to watch anything I want on TV), that I stormed out and went to a pub that I'd never been in before, up the road called "Ryans", or as my boyfriend thought it was called "The Library". Beautiful Thai food, and a great pint. I should get irate more often.

Friday

In Reading tonight. So ended up in a housing estate, I'm almost sure I hadn't been down some of these roads before, but they all look a bit similar.

Thursday

Back at work after my day at home yesterday. Returned to my usual self, albeit it with a bad back, so I went into the Wetherspoons in Rickmansworth as my new thing. Thought that having a pint of lager might be a step too far, so just lingered near the bar and came out again. That's got to be another first.

Wednesday

I was off work yesterday as I had a combination of things wrong with me that meant I couldn't face another drive to work like yesterday, and also wanted to be near my bed. Didn't actually leave the house. So technically, I didn't do anything new. But since I had never spent the day being ill at home, that was a new thing. As long as I don't do it again.

Tuesday

Monday's new thing was arriving at work at 9.30am as some idiot had closed the A40. That was early in comparison to my colleague who turned up to work just as we were going out for lunch.
Apart from alternate route to work, which wasn't new to me, as I've done parts of it before, my new thing for the day was a little last minute. Again, it's one of those boring ones where I decide that I need to do something new and end up reversing down someone's cul de sac, looking through their windows etc. Something which isn't new which is far more interesting, is that I've been transported back 10 years as THIS LIFE is back on TV. Having lived with lawyers myself and been quite a bad girl when I was young, I keep watching this and shouting "but it can't be 10 years ago!"

Monday

New thing yesterday was a pub in Soho O'Neills - nothing special- met my pa there after he had attended the Remembrance Service in Whitehall. This hair of the dog thing really works - I drank so much that my bad back healed.

Sunday

Yesterday my new thing was asking in each and every pub along Angel High Street whether they allowed children in, as we met my friend who is about to depart for Australia for ever to wish him farewell. He is one of my many friends who has just begun breeding, which it seems, severely restricts the number of pubs you can go into. We found one eventually - I believe it was the Pitcher and Piano. Sat down in an alcove (where there was a boyfriend and girlfriend who spent the afternoon on their respective mobile phones), and drank until I'd finished the pub's supply of Magners.

Saturday

Went to my sister's house after work yesterday. As my back is still killing me, my boyfriend was kind enough to carry my bag for me, so I thought I would be a bit of a diva and demand that he follow me along a contrived route to the tube station as my new thing.

Friday

Ran out of inspiration for new things to do, and was knackered after driving yesterday (what is it about driving that's so tiring?!!), so drove around the housing estate opposite my office.

Thursday

My new thing today was getting lost in Bolton and wishing I had sat nav. Eventually found the place I needed to be (a new office, so not of any of the maps). Also went to Oldham - as another new thing. Had a lovely drive back down to London - took no time at all - until I got to the A40 near my house. Traffic chaos.

Wednesday

Bought a Marks and Spencers dip with some bizarre flavour as my new thing yesterday - think it was basil, rocket and sour cream. Then after I'd spent £1.49 on that, I was summoned up north in preparation for a meeting tomorrow, so my other new thing was driving through the village of Darwen near Bolton.

Tuesday

Monday's new thing - getting lost in Southall.

Monday

We weren't allowed back into the pub where we had grandma's birthday, so that wasn't my new thing. I'd already been to the Day's Inn Hotel in Leicester, the Richmond, Bar Code and the cafe opposite the Huntsman on Narborough Road, so my new thing was driving up the road which runs parallel to the back of my grandma's house. Not sure why I'd never done that before.

Sunday

My new thing yesterday was in celebration of my grandma's 90th birthday. 90! Amazing - she's seen a lot in her life. We took her out for a meal, and relatives descended on Leicester from all over the country. On my way to get Grandma ready (and persuade her to come out - she's not left the house for a while), I realised I'd forgotten my smart clothes, so had to stop off in Fosse Park to get a new dress. In and out of Next in 4 minutes - not bad for a girl's shopping!
Picked Grandma up and took her to the Brant Inn - my second new thing of the day. Funnily enough, it was grandma who gave me directions there. We had a wonderful meal, toasted Grandma's fascinating and tough life, and had a lovely catch up. I then took her home, and proceeded to enjoy the afternoon right up until the moment that a family fight broke out.........

Saturday

My new thing yesterday (Friday) was going to the changing rooms and studio 2 of the William Penn Leisure Centre, Rickmansworth. I'd been to the swimming pool before - almost swallowed a plaster and picked up a verruca. I'm pleased to say that the yoga session I attended was a lot nicer. I've been meaning to go for ages, and as there's something wrong with my back, it was a good time to finally make it down there. The session started at 7.30pm, so I actually had time to squeeze another new thing in before I went - I went to the Rose and Crown pub on a treacherous bend on the way into Rickmansworth. Very nice, quite bosy, but I felt a bit strange as I was on my own and there was nowhere to sit, so actually ended up being about an hour early for yoga. Think I managed to incorporate both ends of the healthy spectrum with my new things today. The yoga definitely helped my back, but I'm not sure I can go back as I snored all through the relaxation session.

Friday

Yesterday's new thing was one of those emergency new things where it's getting late, and I still haven't done anything.
I went into Waitrose and bought a packet of those Pom Bear things that you see in the shop, but you never see people eating. "The Teddy Bear shaped potato snack". They were surprisingly good, but overcome with guilt I decided that it would not cut it as a new thing, so I drove around a part of South Ealing that I'd never been to just before the midnight deadline.

Thursday

My new thing today - going to a solicitor's office to write my will. Started off by wrongly thinking that the office was at the top end of the High Street, and after a lot of searching, called the office to find it was at the bottom. Just near where I had parked in fact. However, the solicitor was very friendly and helpful. His office was great - more like a storeroom than an office, and no leather to be seen. He was a great guy, not only did he put me at ease and not patronise me, but he actually gave up his time free to write my will, as part of the Will Aid charity. If he hadn't, writing the will would have cost more than I am actually leaving.

Wednesday

My new thing for Tuesday - Took what I thought was a short cut home. It wasn't. Ended up going down a one-track road only to find a long since closed garden centre. Had to back all the way up before getting back onto the usual road.