Stamps at the ready...

Being Mrs Christmas (or should that be Miss?) the first few days of December heralds one of my favourite yearly activites.

No not Christmas shopping and wrapping- I actually finished that last week, they are now all under the tree which was errected yesterday- but Christmas card shopping, writing and sending.

I always find this quite a task. The Christmas cards you opt for will ultimately say something about the sender. Personally, when people recieve a card from me, firstly I want them to think, "score! She sent ME a card!", ok so i'm not being serious about that one. But when they do open my card I want them to think I'm a traditional person.

So this year, whilst browsing the shelves at the National Portrait Gallery after reviewing an exhibition, I opted for a delightful set of cards, Christmas with Dickens. For me you can't get more Christmassy than Dickens so I swiftly paid the £6.50 for a pack of 20 (there are 5 different designs).

As well as cards I like to give everyone a little gift. It's only a small token but everycard is not only sealed with a loving kiss but also contains a candy cane or a chocolate coin. It's a silly touch but it has become a tradition for me. 

This evening I shall settle down with a glass of port (and maybe a cheeky mince pie) and get writing.

Oh I do love Christmas!

To Tinder or not to Tinder?

Having a pretty busy work life I like to spend what evenings and weekends I get free doing not much at all, as boring as that may sound.

So how does a single gal go about meeting a lovely chap when she's at home in her pjs with her hair in rollers? And that's when I heard about Tinder.

Tinder has been all over the internet but just in case you're sitting there thinking "what is this Tinder?" then I'll explain.

You set up a profile, the images and biog of which are initially taken from you Facebook page, although you can edit it if your Facebook pics don't show you in you best light. Then you set a radius, say you only want to hook up with guys in a 20 mile radius of where you live set the radius and voila.

Once that's done you're ready to get going. A guy will show up on your screen and you swipe one way for yes, the other for no. If you have said yes to a guy that has also said yes to you, you will be informed of this match and you can either say hi or carry on playing.

When I first downloaded the app onto my iPhone, I'm won't deny it, I was obsessed. I would be working at my desk itching to get on it and see what potential beaus Tinder would show me.

And a word of warning here, some people are there for a bit of fun. When a pciture of a guys crotch shows up you know it's not true love they have on their mind, and you quickly swipe to no. 

Swiping through I amassed a fair few matches quite quickly which was great, but this is where it all sort of went wrong for me.

I am incredibly old fashioned and will never chase a guy I like. I just assume if a guys feelings are mutual they will do something about it. But sadly for me we aren't in an old black and white movie and sometimes I, the girl, have to make the first move. And that right there terrifies me.

So despite all of these matches on Tinder, I haven't actually done a single thing about it. I have been on one Tinder date but, from the stories I've heard from other Tinder users I could have been on a lot more.

Deep down though I'm  not too bothered. Granted people meet organically, eyes across a bookshop style, less and less today, but I still have hope.

Delusional? Maybe. I just like to think it's having hope that technology hasn't taken complete control of my entire life.

A few of my friends have suggested I start internet dating (I'm only 23 don't write me off as a hopeless case just yet!), but  I don't think I'm quite ready to give up hope of meeting a chap the old fashioned way. And for me Tinder, although it is very much a step in that direction, it's more a curiosity thing.

You never know maybe I will meet my Mr Darcy via the app, in which case I would like to thank it's creators. But for now I'm going to hold out for something a bit more old fashioned.

A hearty hello to you and welcome

Having neglected this for far too long (if there were any avid followers out there, can't apologise enough) I have decided to get back on the blogging horse as it were.

After a press dinner last night I decided I had lots of opinions I wanted to share with the world (granted I had had several glasses of wine).

But before we get bogged down in putting the world to right and sharing my day to day adventures, just a quick catch up.

Anyone who read this a while ago will have seen that I was an intern at The Lady, well now I actually work for them as a Staff Writer. Have also moved to the big smoke from my hometown of Southend. This means although I miss my Morris Minor (and of course my family) life is a tad more exciting!

So hello again and stay tuned.