Just got back from a break in Spain where I spent my birthday. Had a great time catching up with family and friends and went to a Salsa club!! Great fun! I think that learning to dance is going to be one of my things to do in 2008.

Well, hello everyone. Hope you've all had a good start to 2008. My mother finally went back to Spain after staying for a month!, and yes I have put on weight. I need to start exercising again - new year resolution!

One of the reasons that she stayed so long was because of my brother. After 12 years of marriage he has walked out on his wife! None of us saw it coming and he was always seen as the 'sensible one'. My poor sister-in-law is of course devastated and my mother wanted to get to the bottom of it before she left.

It seems that he'd been unhappy a long time and suffering from depression. He has had a few flings and although he's not left to be with anyone specific, it may have been a factor. He said that he and his wife just didn't have sex.

I guess that commitment thing has always scared me and that's one of the reasons - just how do you keep the sex alive after a few years?

Well it looks like my mother's coming over for Christmas which is great, but she seems to think it will be a good idea to stay at my house. This now means that I will have to spend every evening 'til Friday trying to sort the house into something more habitable.

I haven't lived here long and since moving in have just left it as it is - she's not going to like it. I just know that she will end up trying to sort out my life for me. She'll no doubt try to find me a nice woman and fatten me up! (Spanish mothers are never entirely happy unless their offspring are married and fat!)

Oh God, I'm off to B&Q after work today!

Marrying a divorced man is ecologically responsible. In a world where there are more women than men, it pays to recycle.

...the name game chain?

It's simple - I start with a name of a famous person, and you then need to think of a christian name that starts with the same letter as the last surname:

Pamela Anderson

Angelina Jolie

Jamie Theakston.... See?

Ok, I'll start....

Vanessa Redgrave

WHY DOGS ARE BETTER THAN MEN

Dogs do not have problems expressing affection in public.
Dogs miss you when you're gone.
Dogs feel guilt when they've done something wrong.
Dogs don't criticize your friends.
Dogs admit when they're jealous.
Dogs are very direct about wanting to go out.
Dogs do not play games with you--except Frisbee (and they never laugh at how you throw).
Dogs don't feel threatened by your intelligence.
You can train a dog.
Dogs are easy to buy for.
You are never suspicious of your dog's dreams.
The worst social disease you can get from dogs is fleas.
(OK. The *really* worst disease you can get from them is rabies, but there's a vaccine for it, and you get to kill the one that gives it to you.)
Dogs understand what no means.
Dogs understand if some of their friends cannot come inside.
Middle-aged dogs don't feel the need to abandon you for a younger owner.
Dogs admit it when they're lost.
Dogs aren't threatened if you earn more than they do.
Dogs mean it when they kiss you.

HOW DOGS AND MEN ARE ALIKE

Both take up too much space on the bed.
Both have irrational fears about vacuum cleaning.
Both are threatened by their own kind.
Both mark their territory.
Both are bad at asking you questions.
Both have an inordinate fascination with women's crotches.
Neither does any dishes.
Both pass gas shamelessly.
Neither of them notice when you get your hair cut.
Both like dominance games.
Both are suspicious of the postman.
Neither knows how to talk on the telephone.
Neither understands what you see in cats.

HOW MEN ARE BETTER THAN DOGS

Men only have two feet that track in mud.
Men can buy you presents.
Men don't have to play with every man they see when you take them around the block.
Men are a little bit more subtle.
Dogs have dog breath all the time.
Men don't shed as much, and if they do, they hide it.
And the number one reason dogs fall short...
It's fun to dry off a wet man !!!!!!!! (If you're a woman that is !!!)

My son found this on a website about men's fashion. I think I need some help!!

He Must Have Borrowed His Son's Clothes
Men over 40 should pay attention to what fits correctly, but avoid wearing trendy clothes. Trendy clothes just make him look like he is hanging onto his youth, and more importantly, make him look like he hasn’t found himself.

Just Because He Has a Nice Body . . .
Even when a man over 40 has a good body he should wear clothes differently than he did in his younger years. For example, even if he has a six-pack and a great butt, he should avoid wearing low cut and tight fitting jeans he might have worn in his 20s and 30s. He can still wear flattering, stylish jeans and t-shirts, but just differently.

I need a companion. At times I feel a bit lonely and think that maybe a dog would be good. My line of work means that it could come with me in the day so it wouldn't be left at home. It would also get me out in the fresh air. Seems like a winner to me... Any suggestions?