The days have just been flying past so I can't really call this 'Five best things I tried this week' because it's been more than a month since I blogged!

SPITTING, NOT SWALLOWING

I've tried this twice in the past month, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. Once was on a tour of the Chapel Down Winery in Kent - a bargain at £10, which includes tasting of virtually everything it produces. I was driving, so I couoldn't drink what I tasted.The second time was with Brown Brothers of Australia, in the middle of the day so, again, I couldn't swallow. I learnt an important trick there: when you're sucking in air to oxygenate the wine in your mouth, lean forward slightly. It makes you less likely to choke. And swishing the wine right around your mouth for several moments really does enable you to taste more of the flavours in the wine. Try it; you never know what you might taste - I got violets with one wine!

CLIMBING THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

Since I first heard about this gravity-defying iconic building as a child, I've wanted to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And it doesn't disappoint. We've all seen the pictures of it but close up it seems even more 'leany' and as you climb the worn-edged marble spiral staircase you can feel the lean. As you climb in the direction the tower leans, it becomes easier, then as you carry on round and start to climb in the direction away from the lean, it gets harder! What I didn't know was that soon after it was built it began to lean - in the opposite direction! Correcting that lean caused it to lean in the now-familiar direction it does today. I was there on a flying visit with Princess Cruises whose Regal Princess ship was moored at the nearby port of Livorno. What I was doing on the ship will be published on Allaboutyou soon...

SHOPPING AROUND - WITHIN THE SAME SHOP

A couple of my side plates have chips out of them, so at the weekend I popped into the large department store where I bought them. They were £40 for a set of four. I don't need four so I kept my purse in my pocket. To see if they were available individually online, I went to the shop's website, and the same set of four cost £12! I 'clicked and collected' from another branch this week and, out of curiosity, while I was there I popped into the homeware department to check the price...£40!!

TRYING A NEW GIN

As you probably know, gin is flavoured with juniper (although not just juniper). My latest bottle is also flavoured with rose and cucumber and it's absolutely delicious, with the rose and cucumber notes easily discernible. It's made by Hendrick's in Girvan, Scotland, and works very well in my 'signature' G&T: gin, tonic and a few drops of lavender bitters. It costs around £26 from supermarkets, and comes in a dark blue bottle, which I'll definitely be upcycling once it's empty.

KEEPING TRACK OF SPENDING

I've turned over a new financial leaf and I'm keeping track of what I spend. There are lots of apps available but I've found the perfect mini notebook with an elastic loop. Knowing how much you spend, and on what, is the first step to using your money better...

What have you tried this month?