Location: The Botanist
On the week of this date I had three shoots on at work, one featuring my favourite Spice Girl - Geri Halliwell (now Horner), so I was pretty exhausted by the time Friday came. The perfect excuse to bail after one drink if it didn't work out.
I nipped home after work to drop off my bags, but made the obvious mistake of sitting on the couch, switching on Peep Show and getting under a blanket. I was considering cancelling and settling in for the night when he messaged to say he was going to be early...urgh! I somehow managed to drag myself away from the TV and for the first time in ages made a bit of effort with my make-up and outfit.
I met him at the Botanist, which is a lovely bar/restaurant off the triangle, which I hadn't been to in years. I knew he was 40, so on the upper end of my age bracket, but his pictures must have been taken at least 5 years beforehand as he looked like a proper middle aged man and when we started chatting I realised he talked like a proper middle aged man as well.
He worked for the Highways Agency and for a large proportion of our one-hour date, he talked about his job and the project he was currently working on - the road improvement works on the A303 near Stonehenge. When I told my Dad about this the next day he was really interested and wanted to know more!
But funnily enough I had not found 'road chat' remotely interesting and so had not retained all the information Dad wanted, although (spoiler alert), it looks like they are going ahead with the dual carriageway option rather than the bypass.
We kept the conversation going well enough, but what I have realised is that I treat dates I don't fancy like I do clients at work. I ask lots of questions about things I am not interested in in the slightest (road improvement projects are a perfect example), smile and nod and basically do whatever is required to make the 'client' feel comfortable and ensure they have a good time.
Although I may come across as effervescent and friendly, it actually takes me a long time to really open up, trust people and be completely myself, so it is very likely that this disposable way of dating is completely wrong for me, when everything is so completely based on first impressions. But it's a catch 22.
On the week of this date I had three shoots on at work, one featuring my favourite Spice Girl - Geri Halliwell (now Horner), so I was pretty exhausted by the time Friday came. The perfect excuse to bail after one drink if it didn't work out.
I nipped home after work to drop off my bags, but made the obvious mistake of sitting on the couch, switching on Peep Show and getting under a blanket. I was considering cancelling and settling in for the night when he messaged to say he was going to be early...urgh! I somehow managed to drag myself away from the TV and for the first time in ages made a bit of effort with my make-up and outfit.
I met him at the Botanist, which is a lovely bar/restaurant off the triangle, which I hadn't been to in years. I knew he was 40, so on the upper end of my age bracket, but his pictures must have been taken at least 5 years beforehand as he looked like a proper middle aged man and when we started chatting I realised he talked like a proper middle aged man as well.He worked for the Highways Agency and for a large proportion of our one-hour date, he talked about his job and the project he was currently working on - the road improvement works on the A303 near Stonehenge. When I told my Dad about this the next day he was really interested and wanted to know more!
But funnily enough I had not found 'road chat' remotely interesting and so had not retained all the information Dad wanted, although (spoiler alert), it looks like they are going ahead with the dual carriageway option rather than the bypass.
We kept the conversation going well enough, but what I have realised is that I treat dates I don't fancy like I do clients at work. I ask lots of questions about things I am not interested in in the slightest (road improvement projects are a perfect example), smile and nod and basically do whatever is required to make the 'client' feel comfortable and ensure they have a good time.Although I may come across as effervescent and friendly, it actually takes me a long time to really open up, trust people and be completely myself, so it is very likely that this disposable way of dating is completely wrong for me, when everything is so completely based on first impressions. But it's a catch 22.
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