Morning:
8°c
So a bloke called Anthony Gardiner who lives in New Zealand met a girl and fell in love.
He bought her an engagement ring and proposed. And she, um, said no.
But instead of sending the diamond, worth NZ$5,000, back to the shop or just throwing it into the nearest river, he's decided to stage a treasure hunt so that someone can find a ring for their loved one that perhaps they wouldn't normally be able to afford.
I'm not making this up. If you're in
Wellington on Saturday morning and follow the clues on Twitter then the rock could be yours.
Now I don't know Anthony. He could have a fetish for eating peanut butter with scrambled eggs (a girlfriend spent the night with a man and he had this for breakfast — let's just say it can be off-putting) or he could be a little too close to his mum (“oh, come on babe, I only speak to her four times a day”) or he could smell a bit too much of Lynx (this should actually be a crime against the senses).
But he sounds like a laugh to me. Let's go through what women really like in men.
Sure, there will be some of you who fancy boys who don't call back or boys who think it's totally OK to invite their oldest friends out on your anniversary and then throw up on your chest.
But I'm sort of going with what my friends and I think for this one.
Other than the great sense of humour and good looks and brains and yada yada yada, the other things that come high on the list are gratefulness (“baby, this box of chocolates is just, you know, because I think you're great”) and a total lack of vanity (no one wants to date a man who spends more than two minutes getting ready or who has an opinion about hair gel).
Also up there is a generosity of spirit (who hasn't fallen for the guy who wants to buy a round of drinks for people he's never met? (That's sexy) and a sense of adventure.
One of my friends went out with a boy who only wanted to go on holiday to the same hotel at the same time every single year.
He also wanted to eat the same breakfast every day and sit on the same sun lounger every morning. Yep, it didn't last long.
Men who suddenly say: “Ryanair is doing these deals to Venice, do you fancy it?” are more attractive than Brad Pitt holding a jacket potato with melted cheese (the ultimate in our world).
So Anthony the lovesick boy in New Zealand is generous — he's giving away a ring worth almost £2,000 that most men after being dumped would sell and then spend the money on beer, a water bed and a year's subscription to a channel which promises girl-on-girl action.
He's adventurous — anyone who wants to hold a treasure hunt and is smart enough to come up with clever clues won't be dull to be around.
And most of all, he's honest. And that is maybe the greatest characteristic of all.
Instead of laughing off her rejection and telling his mates she was no good in bed anyway, he's completely truthful about what happened.
He says: “I really liked her but she wasn't keen enough on me.”
I think the girl who said no might be better off if she has a re-think, hooks up to Twitter, finds the ring that was originally bought for her and tells this adventurous, generous, honest man that she was bonkers and she'd love to spend the rest of her life with him.
As long as he doesn't eat scrambled eggs with peanut butter.
Life in the doghouse with Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton has revealed where her dogs live.
And no, it's not just at the bottom of her handbag.
She has, in fact, had a scaled-down version of her own Beverly Hills house built right next to her pool.
I know. She calls it her “mini doggie mansion” and it's home to her 13 small pups.
One is called Marilyn Monroe and another is called Dolce.
The cutest of the bunch is called Prince Baby Bear (I am being perfectly serious) and they all live in a dreamy, interior designed home.
They have a pale lavender wooden wardrobe, they sleep on beds made by Louis Vuitton and they even have chandeliers.
Paris admits that they might be spoilt but insists that she loves them so much she just wants them to be happy.
They have beautiful views of the garden and the pool and they get to eat fillet steak and smoked salmon 24/7.
Now I've often laughed at Paris Hilton with her Barbie shocking-pink sequin outfits and her trumped-up view of herself.
I've thought: “Really? Do we need her to be a celebrity?” I've spluttered with incredulity when it was revealed that people in Britain were competing to be her new best friend for a TV show.
People — I take it all back. A house right by the pool with clothes from Barneys, and a comfy Vuitton bed at night?
I don't want to be her new best friend. I wanna be her dog.
Barry Manilow, our new king of the Proms
Well, you came and you gave without taking, well, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking.
But I sent you away. Oh Mandy. Oh yes — arguably the best song in the universe.
Barry Manilow performing at the Proms? One word. Genius …
Reader views (2)
Same!! I love her.
- Jess, Hull, 21/07/2009 18:02
Report abuse
I love Claudia Winkleman's column. Fact.
- Shane, Southampton, 21/07/2009 17:02
Report abuse
