What were they thinking?

In theory the new Bus Lane - or more correctly the bus 'corridor' between Peacehaven and Brighton (Ovingdean actually) was meant to improve the traffic flow along the coast road. Presumably because everyone would jump out of their cars and onto the buses. However, the reality is that people will continue to use their cars and now that they've cut the lanes from two down to one along some stretches of this road, to make way for the bus lane, all those cars are now squeezed into one lane instead of two. Things will be so much worse.

While they've been making the 'improvements' the traffic has been worse than ever. In the morning after the rush the traffic has been much slower getting down to the Rottingdean lights and coming back from Brighton has been much, much worse. Usually any time after 9.30 and before 4.30 you can whiz into town in about 20 minutes, now depending on what state the roadworks are in and whether there are temporary lights, stop/go boards or not, it can take 30 minutes - 50% longer. I haven't attempted to make the journey during the rush hour since they started the road works and will avoid it at all costs, unless I have no choice.

One of the advantages of working from home is that I don't have to sit in traffic these days in order to get to work.

Let's see what it's really like once the school traffic has been added to the mix.

How To Spot An Email Scam/Chain Email

Now I know many people will already be familiar with this and most people these days can recognise a spam or junk email - especially when it mentions all those important pills that can do wonders for certain parts of the anatomy but some emails are getting better and are more difficult to spot and there are still people who fall for the more obvious, older spams doing the rounds.

I know that I don't have a bank account with Halifax or Nat West, so I can safely ignore those emails saying my account information needs to be verified but if you do just happen to have an account with the particular bank that has apparently emailed you, you might think twice and even be tempted to click on the link - particularly when they include all the logos and an apparently valid website address and it all looks very official.

Here are a few tips to spot the scams:

1. Check the status bar at the bottom of the screen (if it's switched on) when you hoover over a link in an email. It's then pretty obvious to see that the link differs from the company purporting to have sent you the email. The text might say www.halifax.co.uk but in the status bar it shows as something different. They usually include the company address but something along the lines of http://alivoo.com/www.halifax.co.uk/.... or www.halifax.cs and then a string of letters and numbers or some other spurious domain.

2. Language is usually a give-away too. The grammar or spelling will be slightly suspect. Some are worse and more obvious than others. Banks will always address you by name and will never request your log in or personal information by email. Most phishing emails address you as 'Dear Customer'.

3. Install McAfee Site Advisor - or something similar. If you happen to click on a 'phishing' email - they'll block you from going directly to the page - put up a warning message that the site is a known phishing/scam site or source of spam.

4. If ANY email says forward this all your friends - DON'T. 9 times out of 10 or 99 times out of 100 they're nothing more than a chain email, they're not going to bring you untold riches if you forward it on or bring you loads of luck in the next 24 hours or find a missing child - who was never lost in the first place. Even if it says as verified by Oprah, Bill Gates or the Wessex Constabulary or whoever ... doesn't make it any more valid.

5. If there's a file attached- don't open it unless you know the person who's sent it to you. If it's a zip file attached - it's highly likely to be a virus.

6. If in doubt about the validity of an email and it's contents, check out www.breakthechain.org or www.snopes.com for all those urban myths, chain emails that do the rounds but you may not yet have come across. Our inboxes are full enough as it is without adding to them.

Install a good virus application, use a spam filter and you'll reduce the amount that gets through in the first place.

Blogging - What's it all about?

Having just attended the Brighton Chamber Training session on blogging I not only have just added my blog to my website - finally, but was thinking about the reason people blog - or rather why I blog.

When I started up my own business I found I had a knack for writing. For years - many people had commented that they enjoyed my writing - which at that time was mainly limited to letters, postcards or emails home, when I was away travelling. One of the first things I did when starting up my business was to create a newsletter. The blog was started from wanting to continue the 'chat' element from my newsletter about what I was up to each month, as well as passing on tips and advice on more time-related topics or just business in general.

It's certainly evolved and not only do I have this blog but also a more focused M.A.D. Moments blog - which gets updated every Monday and may eventually get merged into this one, two personal interest blogs and one for Financial Advisers which is more business focused and specific in content.

If you're thinking about blogging, ask yourself these questions:

What do you want from/for your blog - who's going to read it, what do you want to say?

How and how often are you going to blog - separate blog, part of your website, several blogs on different topics, daily, weekly blog?

Blogs are easy to create, so don't let that stop you. Blog frequently, play, practice, adapt and once you've found your feet, tell people about it, share your blog and share your comments.

Oh, and of course - if your blog is important to you personally or your business, set aside time to blog regularly.

An Amazing Cake

If you want the lightest, fluffiest, most melt in your mouth victoria sponge then you just have to get along to Badgers tea-rooms (or Tea House) in Alfriston. A friend and I went out for a walk and I suggested walking along the river as far as we wanted and then have a bite to eat back in Alfriston. It was a short walk as we encountered a herd of cows - which she's none too happy with - blocking the path, so we turned round and walked back.

We had a light lunch of their special of the day, an open prawn and avocado sandwich on proper, decent brown bread, which meant we had plenty of room for cake! :)

Having seen the size of the cake sitting on the counter in the shop next door, we didn't need much time to make our choice and it really was the most amazing sponge I've ever tasted. As light as air, moist, yellow and fluffy. Taste the difference ... we certainly did. Nothing beats home-made.

Guilt Free Holidays

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about how to have a guilt-free holiday.

It’s coming up to that holiday time of year when in the next couple of months, most people will be looking forward to their annual two week holiday.

It’s also a time of year when things get busier and you’re more likely to be stressed (and in need of a break).

If you want to be able to leave for a guilt-free break having got everything done then read the rest of the newsletter, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive the latest issue and free Power Time Tips.

I Gave Blood

I have to say I haven't done so for years, having got out of the habit and no longer being sent a reminder but finally I managed to co-ordinate some free time with the Blood Transfusion service running one of their regular donations sessions at the Meridian Centre and went along to give blood. When I worked at Amex it was easy - they turned up a couple of times a year - boards were placed in reception areas letting you know they were coming and you signed up.

It's a relatively painless (no honestly) process - requires about an hour of your time and obviously many people wouldn't survive without transfusions. They take slightly less than a pint - not a whole armful as Tony Hancock's famous Blood Donor Sketch goes and it's not just the blood that gets used.

If you can donate then do. You can find your nearest blood donation session from www.blood.co.uk
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Ah - The Great British Summer

Gale force winds and lashing rain - yes, it's another great British Summer. The weather is always unpredictable - that's why it's such a great talking point and you never know whether the three hot days you had last week is going to what makes up summer this year or not. However, even for July the weather seems to be unseasonably inclement! The Worthing Birdman Competition was washed out this year - at least on Sunday, although if it had gone ahead, I'm sure they would have had some record breaking distances covered - in fact they would probably have got as far as Brighton with a following wind.

Saturday in complete contrast (apart from the wind) was warm and sunny. Sadly the Peacehaven Carnival took place on the Sunday and those who turned up were buffeted and soaked in equal measure. I'd only intended to be there to help out for a couple of hours and that was about as much as I could take before heading back home for more editing.