Boy Meets Girl: Bank Holiday encounters

Aug 27 2008 Playing the dating game with Ed Saunt and Vicki Eltis

Vicki and Ed lift the lid on how singletons spend the bank holiday weekend.

Ed: A romantic break in Rome, camping in the Lake District, a wedding in Dorset, a visit to the in-laws. All staples of the bank holiday weekend for the quintessential British couple.

But what about us crazy young single things? How do we fill our lonely, miserable, unwanted time away from the office?

Well, I, along with a few hundred thousand others, made the most of the space vacated by those trusty travellers and went to Europe’s biggest street party – the Notting Hill Carnival.

Now if you are asking yourself what this has to do with dating, you obviously have never been to Carnival as it is teeming with some of the best-looking scantily-clad women this side of Rio.

The drinks are always flowing, spirits are high and there are no end of girls revelling in the party atmosphere.

And, true to form, after an hour raving at the dance stage and a short television interview for Turkeys’ national channel, we were in business.

My friend Owen and I were heading to our next pub of call when we were flagged down by a pair of Italian girls who quite quickly realised we were famous.

It’s one thing I love about meeting foreign girls – it’s really easy to convince them you’re a celebrity and have them snapping away like fools at you for pictures to go alongside their Buckingham Palace holiday snaps.

Anyway, Owen persuaded them to come for a drink but, if I’m honest, neither of them were up to much.

Unfortunately they were tricky to shake off and although I acted distant and aloof they hung around like a bad smell.

Owen, who likes a bad smell, gave in and took his smell home with him, while the other was left to trail off into the night on her own as I attempted to charm many another poor soul.

Fine, I didn’t hit the jackpot this time but I know where I’ll be spending my future bank holidays. Trip to the in-laws anyone?

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Vicki: According to a survey by the AA, 56% of people in the UK were due to stay home over the Bank Holiday weekend.

It was, say the researchers, due to the credit crunch, rising fuel prices and the dismal British weather. I thought I’d be staying at home - because I’m single!

While all my closest friend were off spending quality time with their other halves what was I going to do?

Luckily at the last minute my ex-boss and friend, Carina, decided to come and stay with me. And she is single too.

I was wondering where I could take her when my oldest friend, Lucy, who I’ve known since I was three, decided to have a barbecue.

She lives in London with her boyfriend and now three other guys.

She'd already suggested that there was a single one who she thought was just my type. I do love a good house party. They are a lot more sociable and cost effective too.

So Carina and I headed into London, I with the prospect of meeting a very handsome man!

And Lucy was so right! On meeting ‘R’ he was definitely ‘my type’ - with longish, brown hair, gorgeous eyes and into music.

The trouble was he couldn’t join in the party because he was going abroad in the early hours.

I managed to chat to him for about 15 minutes before he went to bed. But later I only went and embarrassed myself!

He'd pop back downstairs because he couldn't sleep. By this time I was intoxicated and I went on to tell him about a conversation I'd had earlier with one of his housemates.

It involved telling ‘R’ his housemate had suggested I go and warm his bed up!

Talk about rush in there! It was exactly what life coach Deborah Lane and I had decided I shouldn't do.

He actually took it well and said I should have, (to my amazement). I got his number. So now I have to keep it cool and just wait for Lucy to put in a good word.