Bon Jovi at the Ricoh stadium

Date: 24th June 2008
Purpose of trip: Bon Jovi in Concert
Getting there: Car to Coventry airport, Taxi to the Ricoh

Travelling companions: 1 - Karen, my bestest friend
Extra points for:

1. The brill picnic
2. Bon Jovi being fab
3. Overnight stay at the Innkeeper's Lodge
4. Long girlie chats in the dark

Points deducted for:

1. Booking tickets late
2. Traffic chaos and park and ride fiasco
3. The taxi driver who charged £35 for a 10 minute ride
4. Neglecting to buy neither a shirt nor a programme
5. The people in our row who had us out of our seats every five minutes so they could get beer/go to the toilet
6. Failing to drink enough during the day
7. Not changing out of my work uniform

Stamp Magic

Date: 22nd June 2008
Purpose of trip: Craft Show
Getting there: Train to Doncaster, Bus to the Dome
Travelling companions: 0
Extra points for:

1. Straight through train on outward journey
2. Interesting characters on the train
3. Interesting architecture (the Dome)
4. Rob's (Once Upon a Stamp) demos http://thornsartplace.blogspot.com/
5. Great music on my mp3 player on the journey (Muse)

Points deducted for:

1. Trains cancelled and delayed from Sheffield on the return journey
2. Tasteless egg mayonnaise roll bought at Doncaster interchange
3. No chocolate twists left at Costa

Darlington and Barnard Castle

Let's start by breaking the rules. This was a recent trip but essentially predates the blog.

Date: 7th June 2008

Purpose of trip: to visit Graphicus - Crafter's Pradise and Rubber Stamp Heaven

Getting there: Train to Darlington, Bus to Barnard Castle

Travelling companions: 0

Extra points for:

1. meeting papercrafting artists I really admire
2. eating the local speciality - real northern fish and chips (southerners - eat them and weep!)
3. historical connections - the castle
4. architectural highlights - clock towers in Darlington, buttercross in Barnard Castle

Points deducted for:

1. staff with bad attitudes at Darlington station
2. delayed train from Derby
3. no chocolate twists left at Costa

Where did it all begin?

My first off-the-leash experience was many years ago when I took my two young sons on a seaside holiday. I came back a bolder person, having relied on my own resources and made a success of the trip. Since then I've been determined not to miss out on anything because I didn't have someone to go with me. Now I've turned it into a bit of a lifestyle in itself. I wouldn't actually object to going away with my husband but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule these days.
The typical off-the-leash experience involves a trip away from home for some indulgent purpose. Trips are rated according to a variety of criteria such as forms of transport used, amount of research needed to organise the trip, amount of time spent away from home etc. Points can be deducted for anything that detracts from the experience such as train delays and general wimping out of challenges. I reserve the right to make all of that stuff up as I go along. This is my blog, after all, so I can make up the rules and change them on a whim!
I have no pretensions here towards travel blogging. I'm unlikely to report a trip to anywhere glamorous. Some destinations might be distinctly uninteresting but those of you who know me will probably understand what the game is really all about. Those of you who don't know me...how on earth did you find your way here?