Wednesday

Today's new thing was driving up the M1 to Mansfield today, for a meeting. After the meeting, I went into the town centre and bought a pair of trousers after noticing mine had a massive rip down one leg. I forgot to get lunch while I was there, so after venturing a bit further down the M1, I stopped at Leicester's Fosse Park to get a dress for my cousin's wedding on Friday....difficult to choose a dress that will suit the unpredictable weather conditions.

Tuesday

Today's new thing was going into Entrance B of the building where my office is, instead of entrance A.

Monday

New thing today was cycling through a field that I'd never been into before on my way home. Absolutely stunning views of the back of what look likes a sewerage works. Being a novice cyclist (am I too old to have stabilisers on my bike?) it was much easier to get into the field than out of it again.

Sunday

New thing for today was going to Leicester avoiding the M1 - a neat trick which involved the new thing of driving into St Albans and Harpenden. Then, went to a bar called Pi that I'd never been into before, before going to the Quay. Can't remember if I've been here before - seem to think I might have done years ago, cos I remember my cousin's friend pronouncing it like "Finlay Quaye".

Saturday

Again, went into a newsagent I'd never been into before. More interestingly, we also went to a sushi restaurant in Ealing that I'd never dined at before. Called Okawari (which means "double helping" fortunately for me), the food is amazing - the fish is really fresh.

Friday

Ill again. So I needed a new thing which entailed not moving around too much, so I went into a newsagent in Ruislip that I'd never been to before, and bought chocolate and Yours magazine. Later on, also ended up drinking something I invented made of Guinness and Coke, but the least said about the results, the better.....

Thursday

Yesterday's new thing was driving to a village called Heronsgate near Rickmansworth, and discovering that if you turn right by the second pub, that road takes you (after flashing you a fantastic view of the M25), right round to the sports centre in Rickmansworth, which looks like it's being rebuilt. Obviously Three Rivers Council took note of my blog and its comments about the manky swimming pool and decided to start again....

-------------GUEST BLOG-----------------------------

It's not just the Today programme and the Guardian who have guest editors! My esteemed colleague TC (do I get a cup of tea for that) has contributed a write-up of the new thing he did yesterday, in pure plagarism, oops I mean homage to my "new thing every day" ritual.

"Dear Blog desk - I hope you might consider this for publication. When will it be going in and could you send me a voucher copy?

My new thing was going somewhere I’d never been before, even though it is only about 250 metres from my front door. I took a late evening stroll up to the post box at the top of the road (this was about 9.45pm, it was still light and balmy enough to be wearing shorts and flip flops), and decided to walk into the executive cul-de-sac that is Cowley Business Park. Although I’ve been past the entrance to this estate at least 1,000 times I’d never gone in. Now I know exploring a business park is never going to be a life-changing experience, but finding something totally unexpected on your doorstep three-and-a-half-years after moving in is quite exciting. Especially as Cowley Business Park is something of a corporate oasis amid the frayed suburb of Uxbridge that is Cowley. Willows weep down onto neatly manicured lawns and into the Fray’s River, security guards stare blankly into CCTV monitors in glassy atriums and there is strictly NO PARKING anywhere except in the designated block-paved spaces. It was a bit authoritarian for my liking and I was expecting someone to emerge from one of the company headquarters and ask me to move along."

copyright TC Teamaking and communications. Terms and conditions apply.

Wednesday

I was a bit stumped for new things to do today, but after work, I set out in search of a new place to get my fruit and veg. Then, while I was wending my way around the pothole infested roads of Rickmansworth, a woman coming in the other direction was on my side of the road, so I had to swerve without hesitation away from her. There was an almighty bang, which at first I thought was one of my veins popping, but was more likely to be from one of my tyres. By this time, the cause of the incident was long gone, so I pulled over to inspect the damage. Nothing. By this time, I noticed that I was in a road called Stockers Farm Road - my new thing of the day, so I checked the car over again, and then rolled to the end of the road to do an unobstructed three point turn while muttering to myself about female drivers.

Wednesday - swimming and Uxbridge- my two favourite things

Today's new thing was going to a very posh gym at Stockley Park thanks to my inscrutable colleague Simon M. After my mishap while clubbing on Friday night, I thought it might be safest to stay well away from anything involving putting weight on my left leg, so spent most of the evening in the swimming pool in an attempt to swim a mile. It's the first time for a while that I've been swimming without finding tonnes of toilet paper in the pool. Topped it off by going to the jacuzzi (which turned out not to be only for men, despite my first myopic inspection) and talking to Simon about Japan. He then abruptly shot out of the pool in under 5 secs when I said that I'd hurt my leg when I'd fallen off a podium and didn't speak to me again. I then managed to get lost on the way home, and nearly ended up in the short stay car park at Heathrow.

Monday

Spent most of today being so tired that I was hyperactive, if that makes any sense. Went home after work and slept until 9pm, thinking that I should do something new. But wait! I didn't get to bed until 5am, so I'm allowed to include anything after 12 midnight as a new thing. These include being stuck in rural Kent cos the M25 was closed for some reason, driving round new bits of central London, going to a petrol station I'd never been into before, and seeing dead cyclists being put in ambulances.

Sunday

An absolutely stupendous new thing today, which makes up a little for the fact that I'm not going to the Glastonbury Festival this year. My Christmas present from Mabel was tickets to see Muse at Wembley. Either of these things in isolation would have been awesome, but doing both was fantastic. I love Muse. I love Matthew Bellamy. Though the sound quality where we were wasn't brilliant, they were true performers, and each song was a masterpiece.

When they played Newborn, I nearly cried with gratitude that the man has been blessed with so much genius. As the lad next to me said, he's a magician. Wembley was an incredible experience too - it's massive, even the statue of Sir Bobby Moore is larger than life, as were the prices of their hotdogs. In fact after the bloke behind me dropped his third pint down my back, I asked him if it would be cheaper just to give me a fistful of cash?

Eventually, I got fed up of listening to the woman behind me talk throughout the performance, and not without some ado, we managed to barge our way onto what's normally the pitch at Wembley to hear Muse's encore.....

Saturday

New thing for the day was going crazy in Oxford - new shops that I'd never been in before buying all the tops and shoes that I could find. I hate shopping, so when the mood hits, you've got to make the most of it!

Friday

Lots of new things for Friday as it was my friend Clare's birthday, and I travelled up to Oxford so the new things started with Clare's lovely flat in Woodstock Road where I met one of her friends, and also saw my friend Theresa, who I hadn't seen for about four years. In fact the same amount of time it took her to get married and divorced again. We then went to a pub called the Cricketers, which I'd been past, but never inside, where Theresa and I drank rum and ginger ales - now dubbed the Sir Alan to celebrate her firing this week (not by SAS).
We then went to a club called the Cellar Bar - another new thing, for a night of dancing to break beats and house. I also spectularly toppled backwards off the podium I was dancing on, but that's nothing new.

Thursday

There was a car tailgating me all the way for about 3 miles on the M4, then off the A329 and onto the Bader Way, so I pulled off a roundabout up a side road that I'd never been up before to let him past. Serving the road safety needs of Berkshire while doing new things - I am lovely.

Wednesday

Discovered a rest home and new community on my way home when I turned left just before reaching the canal path on my way home, as my new thing today. Had no idea Rickmansworth was so exciting!

Tuesday

Ah, the sweaty back and red face gave it away; it was obvious when I got to work that I'd cycled in. My boss told me of a slightly longer, but more scenic route home along the canal, which I took as my new thing for the day. Have a lovely collection of bruises and nettle stings on my legs, but it was worth it.

Monday

Tried to cycle to work without being seen by any of my colleagues this morning, lest I should be reprimanded for not wearing a hat or made to join the office mountain bike club.
On my way home, I cycled up a bridleway that I'd never been up before, leading to a bunch of garages.

Sunday

New thing today was going down Summer Road in St Nicholas at Wade, and also driving aimlessly round the outskirts of Maidstone when I got confused on the way home (three times).

GLastonmarge

Today's new thing was clambering into my new tent which I bought with the intention of going to Glastonbury. Sadly the ticket-buying process proved too confusing for me, so I decided to have my own festival instead, called Glastonmarge (or Piltonmarge to the locals). Highlights included dropping most of the burgers into the fire and pretending to defibilate my sister.

Friday

New thing for today was turning 31 :( Went out for lunch with my colleagues to a pub called the Rose and Crown in Rickmansworth, but I'd been there before. Could count the Leffe- fish and chips as a new thing, but I also went to Tesco and bought a Hibiscus and wine spritzer (see Tuesday for details of different flavouring of previous spritzer).

Thursday

New thing for today was pretending to be lost and going into another office in our building, asking if there was someone there called Robert Smith. It's just occured to me now that I don't know where the lead singer of the Cure lives, so would have been a bit stumped if he'd been in there.

All the Es - Wednesday - England v Estonia in Ealing

Parked about a mile from where I wanted to watch the football, so I walked through Walpole Park as my new thing.

Tuesday Jeez Margie

I bought a pomegranate wine spritzer!

Monday

New thing for Monday was running round parts of Rickmansworth that I hadn't been to before - including roads such as Mill Way, and Penn Road (pauses to contemplate how rich her life is). It's quite difficult to run somewhere new as you end up going up dead end streets and cul-de-sacs and then having to retrace your steps. In fact, that's exactly what I was doing when I encountered my first bit of racist abuse since living in Hertfordshire. I don't know if it's because I am of mixed race, or because my face was bright red from the exertion that a kid saw fit to give me a load of marf about being furrin rather than running up and down a dead end street.

Sunday

The intention was to walk to the CHiltern Open Air Museum as my new thing, but after nearly been killed a number of times by drivers making most of the open roads, we veered off down a country lane, past some true Hertfordshire mansions and back.

Angel

New things were going to a pub called The York in Islington, then to Wagamama in Islington, and then to another couple of pubs where I lost track of whether I'd been there before or not!

Friday Not very Bella

Had the most revolting meal - and that's saying something as I've eaten my own cooking, and anyone who has seen my rotund form will know that I'm not picky about food. Went to Bella Italia in Ealing, and it was B-A-D! I didn't know where to look when the waiter asked me if I wasnted dessert.