You’re rushed off your feet, just arrived home form a crazy day at work, barely have time for a spritz with the deodorant, let alone a shower … and you have someone special coming for dinner.

You could do a cheat, ring the local takeaway, hope it arrives in time, or that you have time to go and collect it, plate it up nicely and shove the containers in the wardrobe so your special person doesn’t see them in the bin.

Faking a home cooked gourmet dinner, however, is easier. It is also cheaper, you don’t end up with a globulous Thai red curry sauce on your Jimmy Choo’s and there’s a good chance it will be quicker. Your special person will see that you’ve whipped it up yourself and feel even more special and you can easily fake the “oh, I’ve been working on this for ages!”

Pasta is your friend. Bow tie pasta, penne and rigatoni make a pasta meal look spectacular.

Avoid spaghetti and fettuccine, both of which have been known to cause major embarrassment at dinner parties.   You know what I mean….

Pasta takes ten minutes to cook, during which time you “create” the sauce.

Cherry or sun dried tomato, olives, smoked salmon, tinned tomato, garlic, olive oil or a small jar of cream can create the most gourmet of meals.

Smoked salmon will require some preparation (slicing – very difficult) but the rest simply come out of a jar or punnet.

A small amount of olive oil in a pan, crush a clove or two of garlic with the flat part of a knife, remove the skin and toss it in.

Stir through whatever it is you decide you want in your pasta:

• whole cherry tomatoes, coated in garlicky olive oil,
• sun dried tomato or smoked salmon in a creamy sauce, or
• olives in a tomato sauce …

 The choice is yours and the only effort is the opening of a tub of cream or tin of tomato (diced, preferably). The cream or tomatoes need to be brought just to the boil and then it’s ready to serve.

They all look pretty good as they are, but a sprinkling of grated parmesan, or some torn basil leaves just finish it off.

Turn the lights off and light a few candles and your fake gourmet will not only look gourmet, but it will feel it, too!

If it still all sounds too much, contact me and let me whip you up a meal and escape without being spotted.

This week I thought I’d share this article by Katherine Giovanni with you….

Why should you hire a concierge?  I can think of a hundred reasons actually. Here are just a few …

People around the world are trying to squeeze thirty-six hours into a twenty-four-hour day, and when you do that you don’t do it very well. If you continue to do it on a regular basis, then eventually your body will resent it and you’ll get sick. Concierge are here to give you your health back. They’re here to give you the extra hours that you have been craving and will do what has to be done, so that you can do want to do like spending more time with your children or spending a few extra hours at work.

Companies around the world are also getting into the act. They are not only starting to use concierge, but they are making them a part of their corporate benefit packages. They are reasoning correctly that the less time people spend running personal errands during the workday, the more time they can spend at their desks and, subsequently, with their families at night.

Still not sure you need a concierge?  Here are a few more reasons why you need to hire us …

• The average U.S. worker admits to frittering away more than 2.09 hours a day, not counting lunch, on personal business. This costs companies an estimated $759 billion a year.” – Salary.com and AOL Survey.
• The average worker skips 24 minutes of his or her lunch break every day, the equivalent of approximately two weeks more holiday per year (figures from Data Monitor).
• Since 1969, family time for a working couple has shrunk an average of 22 hours a week. U.S. Government
• Workplace stress is costing the Australian economy $14.81 billion a year. Medibank-commissioned research
• Stress related presenteeism and absenteeism are directly costing Australian employers $10.11 billion a year. Medibank-commissioned research
• According to the Health and Safety Executive, 6.5 million sick days are taken every year as a result of stress — costing £7m per week and £1.4m per working day.
• Approximately 13.7 million working days are lost each year in the UK as a result of work-related illness at a cost of £28.3 billion per year – National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

When looking at these statistics, it is easy to see why time has become the commodity of the century and will be even more so in the decades to come. The popularity of concierge services stems from the fact that people are stressed out, overworked, and need help dealing with life so they can spend their free time nurturing themselves and their families. As good workers become harder to find, businesses are looking for concierge services to offer as perks to keep valuable employees happy.

That being said, below is a list of 20 ways you can use a concierge (the real list of what a concierge can do for you is endless)…

1. Obtaining tickets to concerts, special events and sporting events
2. Transportation Services – train, plane or automobiles … concierge can get it!
3. Travel and Vacation Planning
4. Business Referral Service – need a landscaper or a plumber?
5. Restaurant Recommendations and/or Reservations
6. Pet services
7. Internet Research – need research done and you don’t have the time to do it?
8. Personalized shopping and delivery
9. Dry cleaning pick-up and/or delivery
10. Grocery shopping
11. Senior care
12. Picking up or returning a gift
13. Bill paying
14. Auto Maintenance
15. Home Organization
16. Delivering a Meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner
17. Prescription Pick-up and delivery
18. Repair and Service Calls
19. Sick Care – sick in bed? Call a concierge and they’ll do your errands, arrange for dinner to be delivered and can be on hand to help your family out

So get your life back!  Hire a concierge to do what has to be done so that you can do what you’ve always wanted to do.

About the Author: Katharine Giovanni is an award-winning author and the world’s leading concierge trainer and consultant as well as a Certified Concierge Specialist (CCS) and Speaker. She is one of the founders of Triangle Concierge and is the Chairman of the Board and Founder of the International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association (ICLMA) as well as the author of several business books including her award-winning book Going Above and Beyond and The Concierge Manual.

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On the 19th August I was lucky enough to be featured in the Melbourne Herald Sun. The article caught the eye of the producers of radio station 3AW and I gave my first interview with Ross and John at 6am that morning. They are both fun loving blokes so I proceeded to laugh my way through that one! Next a call came through asking if I had time to be interviewed by Denis Walter at noon – of course I had time! This interview was a little more informative than the first one (I am certainly not at my best at 6am…)

So please click on the link and enjoy!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could be chauffeured around town to all your appointments?  Imagine being able to go wherever you need to and not having to worry about finding a parking spot.

You can experience that for yourself.  Day 2 Day Personal Concierge can be your driver for the day.  I take care of the business of driving and don’t intrude into your personal space and time.

You could take a day trip to the wineries and not have to worry about who’s going to drive home and how many drinks you can have.  You can plan a girl’s day out and go from shopping to lunch and back to shopping again, all without having to manage a car.

Do you have a special event coming up – perhaps an anniversary or birthday?  You could plan a picnic on the beach and I can chauffeur you there and back.

You can even give me as a gift.  Book me for the day, pack some chocolates into the back seat and I will take your loved one wherever they need to go.

If you don’t like driving or would prefer not having to worry about it for one special day, call me and I’ll make your day smooth and memorable.

Americans take note.  You may think you are familiar with our way of life thanks to Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) and Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter), or familiar with our diet courtesy of the Outback Steakhouse (Bloomin’ Onion anyone?) but we offer much more to American holiday makers.  Australia is a country with a great many varied travel destinations from the outback to the beaches through to the multicultural cities offering a wide variety of entertainment and dishes to eat ranging from spicy Thai to tasty Lebanese.

However there are some things to know before you visit, especially to do with our language. We don’t all speak like Crocodile Dundee and some of our phrases tend to be a little unusual.  Here are some which may be helpful to you during your visit:

A shout – Your turn to buy usually referring to drinks as in “your shout” or “my shout”

Cuppa – A cup of tea or coffee

Chook – Chicken

Maccas – McDonalds

Footy – Australian Rules Football

Barrack – To support as in a particular team

Snag – A sausage

Tomato Sauce (or sauce) – ketchup

We love our meat pies at sporting events and vegemite on toast is a breakfast favourite.  We rarely say “Gidday” opting for the more universally accepted welcome of “Hello”.  And we NEVER EVER use the term fanny pack preferring bum bag or belt bag instead.  In Australia the word ‘fanny’ refers to a part of the female anatomy.  Use of the word and the anatomy can both lead to trouble!

Our currency is dollar and cent-based although you may notice the absence of the one cent coin and the quarter.  Our lowest coin is 5 cents and we have a 20 cent coin as opposed to a quarter.

One important fact to remember is that Australians drive on the left side of the road.  To counteract this make sure you look both left and right before crossing a street.  Speeds and distances are measured in kilometres not miles and this can add to confusion.

Stay safe but most of all have fun!

If I can make your stay here a little more comfortable or if you are looking for someone to show you the sights, contact me, your personal concierge.

Looking forward to meeting you!