Buying something new is for many a source of #happiness but we can't always buy what we want. New furniture, a new dress, a nice suit or a brand-new computer would be useful, but too often we either can't afford it or shouldn't make the purchase as the money is needed elsewhere. A study carried out by the Journal of Consumer Research entitled "When wanting is better than having" looks at today's #shopping habits and suggests that when we are able to buy something, the satisfa

Imagine you are sailing in a #boat on turquoise waters under a bright blue sky. The waves gently lapping the hull of the boat, a breeze fluttering your hair….. Blissfully relaxing?? Wrong. This summer I learnt to #sail. It’s nothing like you imagine. Its hard #physical work, the constant adjustments required to keep the #sail and the #rudder in the right places means you have to concentrate all the time. You try to take a different tack and suddenly your #boat tips up and you

What do you do when you want to have a nice meal in that new #restaurant nearby and your dog can't go with you? Anyone who owns a dog knows how difficult it can be to enjoy a nice meal at a #posh #restaurant while leaving the four-legged best #friend at home alone, probably crying and disturbing the neighbours... For various reasons, the huge majority of restaurants all over the world have always decided against its customers being accompanied by their dogs, no matter how wel

Did you know that a standard train #ticket allows you to disembark at any #station on your given journey and continue to your stop later? I sometimes utilize this to see the sights of a #place before reaching my final #destination, and last week was no exception! M&S had an up to 70% off sale and being a man of discerning #taste (ahem), I stopped off at #Reading on my way to #Oxford. Delighted that there were #sale items in my size, for just £100 I decked myself out head to

I am always looking for new things to do and try and I never have to search too hard for #ideas. I told my friend about a previous #blog I’d written entitled #“Baguettes” and it gave him the idea to give me a #‘beer bread kit’ for my #birthday. You empty the mixed contents into a bowl and add beer and bake in the oven for 45 minutes – simple! I didn’t know what to expect but it did smell nice while it was baking. Once the timer sounded I removed the raised #loaf, and inserte

"Hi, my name is Todd, I'm from The Killing fields..." I could have flown, it would have been by far the simplest option however I have a thing for seeing the places between the places and five hours on a bus is not so bad when weighed against potential vistas, or the chance of an enlightening conversation with a knowledgeable local. However... I have no doubt that he, Todd is from Cambodia. I do however doubt that Todd is his given name. I also do not doubt that Todd loves cl