Ask Betsy

Friday  A glimpse into the daily life of a single, 50-something, entrepreneurial mother-of-two with very definite opinions! Join Betsy B. each week as she shares with you her thoughts, plans, dreams, fears, struggles and triumphs. Motto of the week: 'You snooze you lose'. Must try to be more productive this week.

Last week seemed to run away with me, several tasks left undone and added to this week's 'To Do' list.

Finish reading friend's marathon email. Her life is always full of drama. She was pet-sitting her neighbour's budgie and somehow Ben, her bumptious German shepherd got into the cage and snacked on the poor bird.

Her dilemma is whether or not to buy her neighbour a new bird to soften the blow when she owns up.

Reminded me about those poor animals who have been slaughtered and tortured by unidentified maniac or maniacs. Makes my blood run cold.

Today its animals, tomorrow humans. A case of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' being appropriate punishment. Animals are God's creatures too.

Saturday

Reckless female driver cuts across highway and nearly sends me hurtling into poor motorcycle delivery guy. Of course, her hand with mobile phone in it was clamped to her ear at the time.

She drives away, laughing, chatting and oblivious to the chaos she has caused. Stop to check motorcycle guy is OK, but he is only worried that his food delivery will get cold. Really shook me up.

Arrive at gym and try to work off stress but several loud conversations on mobile phones make me more stressed. How come the rules of 'no mobiles' only applies to some members?

Need to make mammogram appointment this week. The joys of being a woman.

Sunday

Spent last night digesting British Prime Minister David Cameron's speech on multiculturalism in the UK. Ironic that he made the speech in Munich, same city Hitler made his infamous speech in July 1922.

Cameron seems to be saying similar things about the failure of multiculturalism and ethnicity that were being bandied about in Europe in the first quarter of the 1900s, with catastrophic results.

The topic of the conference was security, so, was he saying that security was threatened by the failure of multiculturalism and the (non-white) Muslims were to blame? His message was that it is time for Britain to stop tolerating Muslim extremists and find ways to help Muslims integrate better into society. Also, 'we must ban preachers of hate from coming to our countries. We must also proscribe organisations that incite terrorism against people at home and abroad'.

I can see some potential problems here, David. Does this mean Britain will stop offering sanctuary to foreign extremists who try to incite violence/terrorism in their home countries from British shores? Does this mean Britain will refuse visas for visiting politicians and Heads of State whose views fall into that category?

How can you say that Muslims need to be better integrated into society and taught how to be a 'Londoner' as well as a Muslim, when your party is reportedly recommending the removal of citizenship lessons from the national curriculum?

Surely, this is one of the most important lessons to teach young people if you truly want them to feel included and patriotic. I am left confused and disappointed by Cameron's mixed messages.

Monday

Slept really well last night. Think herbal MP stuff is helping. Understand why sleep deprivation is classified as torture!

Hosted press conference for French Week at Capital Club. Programme of events is very impressive and media very supportive. My French linguistic skills were called into question by none other than the French Ambassador who sweetly helped me with my pronunciation of a rather challenging name.

He made great statement about FW2011 boosting bilateral ties and promoting cultural and economic exchanges. Lots of great events for all the family, many of them free.

Discussions about unpredictability of weather mean our plan for the opening ceremony which was to be held outside will now be going indoors. www.frenchweek2011 website is looking good and added FW2011 to my Facebook page.

Golf this afternoon. It was fff...freezing despite warm clothing. Went over badly on ankle, fell down some sort of hole in the grass. Finished golf but by the time I got home and sat down at my desk my ankle was swollen and painful.

RICE strategy applied - Rest, ice, compression, elevate. Slept with crepe bandage on and by morning, much better. Paperwork piling up and TD List growing rather than diminishing. Change of strategy needed. Do least favourite task first.

Tuesday

Woke refreshed full of beans, so paperwork out of the way first.

Email from Royal Golf Club, headed 'you are receiving this email because you are a member of staff'. Oh good, does that mean I get a refund on my membership fees and a salary?

Email telling me that one of my potential suppliers in France can guarantee organic essential oils for my new spa range, but only a very limited selection. Decisions. Is it more important to offer 100 per cent organic oils or to offer a more comprehensive product range? More market research beckons.

Welcome news that His Makesty King Hamad has announced more food subsidies in light of rising costs. There are many families who need all the help they can get.

Makes me think that whilst basic nutritional foods deserve subsidies, surely in light of reports about Bahrain's battle with obesity and diabetes, then a 'tax' could be levied on junk foods.

Consider there are around eight teaspoons of sugar in a can of cola and that many people drink several of these a day because they are so cheap.

Same thing for fast food burger meals with fat laden skinny fries. OK as occasional treats, but not every day or even several times a day as some do.

Wednesday

Coffee morning hosted by my friend Mariam. A lovely group of ladies. Much conversation about Egypt and what the future holds there and the implications the outcome could have on the rest of the Middle East.

I caught up with Mariam's latest news about her granddaughter who was kidnapped over six months ago, by her daughter's Saudi ex-husband.

He pretended he wanted to take her to Dubai for two days for Eid and the family agreed as they did not think it correct to deprive him from spending time with his daughter and so they trusted him and let little Haya go with her father.

Despite the courts awarding custody to the mother and her family, and the Saudi courts also ruling in their favour, he refuses to bring his daughter back and for more than six months has refused to even let her mother or grandmother speak to the child.

Saudi authorities search fruitlessly for him and no one even knows where little Haya is being held. As if that was not enough, Mariam and her family are subjected to nasty abusive, taunting telephone calls.

Who could fail to be moved by this family's plight? If you are a mother, a grandmother, if you have even an ounce of human compassion then you will understand the hell that this family is going through.

I pray that Haya will be reunited with her mother and grandmother soon. I also hope that those who have failed to recognise and act on the injustice here do not find themselves in such a situation one day.

Thursday

Phone call. It's 6.45am so I know it can't be happy news. Khalid was on his way to work and stopped to buy a coffee, the lid was not on correctly and when he went to drink it, it spilt down his chest and torso.

He was just around the corner from home so back he came and shirt removed he displayed a huge angry red burn. Applied lavender oil and a special burns gel from the first aid box, calmed him down, got him to phone his boss and relax.

I cover the gel with a dressing and half an hour later finds us at the hospital and thankfully, although he is in pain, it is just a superficial burn and is already beginning to look calmer.

Doc says, reapply the gel, leave the skin open to the air and rest today and drink iced coffee next time. Funny. Not.

Office work beckons and tick off several items on my list. Client meetings today and working on the text for my website. It never fails to amaze me how incredible the internet is. Imagine being able to seek and find information for virtually anything at the click of a button. Wonder how encyclopaedia salesmen feel about this?

Visit from friend who is having relationship trouble. Try to listen and console but an aching heart is not something I know how to heal. This is a situation where words are always going to be inadequate. Where just listening and not judging is the best you can do.

Wish I could think of something to say to make my friend cachinnate at my remarks. Laughter is the best medicine.

End of the week leaves me with just two things left on my To Do List, so not too bad.

Managed to get one of my items off the list whilst writing the diary. I love words, and every week try to learn a new slightly obscure word and use it in conversation or writing. Cachinnate (editor's note: To laugh hard, loudly, or convulsively; guffaw). I highly recommend it.