Prosecco won tonight..

And beat the Clifton Sausage without breaking into a sweat! Prosecco was a cheeky, little number with enough fizz to add sparkle to the dullest, dreariest of evenings. One for the great restaurant guide I may write one day. I'd arranged to meet my good friend Amanda after work. The problem is I can never remember where I left Clifton. I know round about where it is but never visit regularly enough to know exactly how to get there. It appears Amanda was as confused as I am. It's a wonder we both found each other but find each other we did and trotted happily along to Prosecco's for an Italian taste-bud-tingling adventure. We certainly weren't disappointed. The food was delicious, so much so that we didn't even realise that there was no one else in the restaurant. It's not that the food is bad either, we were there just after 6pm so the real devotees were arriving as we left at 8pm. I had the roasted figs with dolcelatte and parma ham to start. The figs were warm and very ripe. The parma ham was very thin, sweet and delicious. And the dolcelatte just added that bit of perkiness to the dish. This appetizer left me craving for my main course which was pappardelle with shredded roast duck in thyme sauce. I was looking forward to this dish which it turns out, is more like a flavoursome meat sauce on pasta and tasted delicious. A much better alternative to Bolognese! Amanda had the crab ravioli in saffron sauce, which was also yummy. I had room for desert of a white chocolate slightly frozen, creamy mousse thing with a lovely sauce, followed of course by a cappuccino.. now all I want is to go to Venice.. ;-)

J j j james.. the new bond 008 ;-)

Oh how could a girl resist?! Good looking, charming, intelligent, fit, good looking (did I say that already) and hot doesn't even come close to describe his... cooking, of course! The good news is that James Martin is officially a dish. The kind you might want 'for one'. Over six foot tall, this guy is not a plate for sharing. Cheltenham town hall was packed for this Literary Festival 'chat with James' and he was every bit as charming as he looks! He swooned his way through the interview, chatted easily about his life in Yorkshire and how he became so interested and passionate about food. He's not afraid to cook with butter, didn't get on the health kick band waggon and just entertained us with his anecdotes and some simple recipes. Pity he wasn't up for auction, he could come and cook for me any day!

Grasshopper on tour.. !

Okay, this might not look like a global experience but that's where you're wrong! I am a global commodity, oh so true, and as such, this yummy pot of porridge is sitting on my well travelled laptop enjoying the view of my rather untidy desk. I could have staged this but it was much easier and less obvious to those around me to just get snap happy.

So, it's a date for my next grasshopper adventure! Not the kind of date you'd expect me to be on, but one of those squishy kind that I'm not that fond of. I'm willing to give it a go though, for two reasons. Firstly, I love coconut and are willing to overlook any undesirables to sample the infamous coconut porridge. Secondly, I realised a while ago that my most favourite veggie indian take-away does in fact, have dates in it! It's surprising how a creamy, coconut sauce can dramatically change the flavour of the humble date. So, although it's not date Monday tomorrow, I'm looking forward to a fruit & nut adventure for my breakfast.

I've found a new BF

No nasties in this little beauty, just oats, skimmed milk powder, raisins, cane sugar and cinnamon making it a delicious pot of grasshopper goodness. Liz had some when I visited her in London and it was the perfect, easy breakfast. Past experience with teenage kids has taught me to give anything that comes in a pot that you add water too, a very wide berth. The shelves of pot-noodles, pot-doodles, pot-poison-me with e-numbers has always been an aisle to avoid. The hallucinogenic, vivid packaging is a give-away as to what's inside.
My new BF, grasshopper porridge, is 'tastefully' packaged and makes you feel there's only something really good for you inside. These little porridge pots are made by a small company, in fact two sisters who used to pot up their own mix of oats because they couldn't find anything good and convenient to eat. One sister in Cornwall wanted something to eat after a chilly morning's sailing. The other sister in London wanted something hot to eat without frequenting a chain of shops whose name ends in 'bucks'. Three years on and they have a proper little company and it's what they both do full time.
And their little website is fun, featuring pics of their little pots on adventures all around the world. Must dash, I have to hop along to Waitrose to seek out these little pots of organic sunshine.

Just sometimes...

My brain is like a doughnut! Sweet and full of zing-tingling, calorie-laden energy with either a hole or hot air in the middle! I've been away for two days and have forgotton how to prioritise. For instance, I forgot when I left my car at the station that I needed to call to pay for my parking, doh. How stupid did I feel when I realised. I do remember the thought passing fleetingly through my head... and then it had gone again. I only remembered a day late when I was chatting to a couple of lovely ladies over a coffee. Doesn't the thought of a big, fat fine make that thought zing to the top of the priorities list in my brain? Quite clearly, it does not!
I got off the train last night at some ridiculous hour and the first thing I saw was a low loader. And no, it wasn't parked because the head lights were beaming across the car park and the engine was running. I'd already started to think about what I was going to say as I tripped across the car park, still I might add in the wrong shoes (I want to know who shrunk them whilst I was away?!) as I got alongside. Phew.. big phew.. and double big phew! It wasn't my car but a rusty old trailer that he was strapping onto the back. Not out of the woods yet I thought but over the first hurdle. So I began the walk of wonder, surreptitiously strolling across the car park towards my car. It was like the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Three weary commuters making a bee line for our cars and little me wondering if I was going to be the one with a golden ticket! Thankfully, the guy in front found his car before me so we didn't have to share the experience. And when I reached my car, checking quickly that no bits of paper were tucked under my windscreen, I breathed a big, fat sigh of relief. I can't quite believe I may have been rescued by the sensible parking police. After all, I did call and pay for 2 days parking as soon as I realised. It just wasn't the same 2 days that I was there! They say it's the thought that counts and I'm thinking nice, happy parking thoughts at the moment.. ;-)

I love my life.. and Dave, so it seems..

Yes, I know I've said that before but hey, it's true. No matter how much my feet might ache tonight, I've had a lovely week so far and that's all that matters. I was on Ginger-time all weekend and that was great. Closely followed by some London-time, which is always different, exciting, tiring and surprising. It was pouring with rain when I left home yesterday evening, bound for Art London VIP evening preview. First impressions were good, very nice venue at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, though it was such a pity that it was raining. It would have been great to see the sculptures dotted about in the gardens and I just had to settle for a glimpse as I rushed from the taxi to the entrance under my umbrella. The taxi ride was as eventful as ever. I do find taxi drivers see so much of life that they are interesting to chat to. My chappie was full of stories of politicians who are not as discreet as they should be, enough said! Anyway back to the fair and my artistic wander.
First of all, it seemed odd not to have a catalogue to find my way around. It's a bit of a maze trying to find my favourite galleries but challenge for today was to go hunting so I took my glass of champers and weaved my way around the stands. Lots to see, lots of visitors so lots of weaving to be done!
A visit to an exhibition wouldn't be complete without catching up with the lovely Richard from Mauger Modern (nice legs, btw!) and I managed to seek him out, no problem. I saw a preview of 'There's Still Life' when I visited his gallery in Bath a couple of weeks ago. I do love the Dave White (of sneaker art fame) Pop Art pieces, having seen some of his work at Scope earlier in the year. They are very striking and the paint has the quality of whipped cream, which makes these glamour pics all the more appealing! I love the thickness of the paint and the raw, energy of these happy pieces.
I also managed to find Nick from the Woolff Gallery and it was so lovely to see the girls, Susila and Grace too. I haven't seen Grace since last year and she remembered me! Nick had managed to get hold of a Zac Freeman - OMG, what a brilliant piece of art that is. I should have taken a pic (doh!) but I got so excited about all the art that I forgot which is why I've found 'Dave' off the artist's website to illustrate what I'm going on about.

All Zac's pieces are created using found objects. I've seen the portraits online and they all look dynamic, sharp, monochrome with great texture. It's only when you get close that you notice a phone, buttons, bits of video and realise that the portrait is made up of pieces of junk. I think they're amazing and I'd have to sell a chunk of my house to own one. Having said that, they must take him a long while to create so perhaps I should just start saving right now! I think I'm in love with 'Dave'.. ! Other notable favourite was the Tatler stand. Celebrating it's 300th anniversary, there was a brilliant display of covers from the year 1709 to the present day. I was surprised that Diana didn't make it onto the wall of fame especially as the infamous 'Miss Piggy' did!

Today is SOW

If you have 'inbox-envy' please think again. It may look as if you're a popular person if you receive a lot of emails every day. It may even make you feel important. My 'inbox is brimming over with mail which suggests I'm a little of both! But this is just a half truth. Here's what I really think...

The rotton spam is removed automatically so I'm going to ignore that chunk. If I remove the mails that are not from real people, & by that I mean the computer generated ones such as newsletters, that's another big chunk. Then take out the ones from within the building at work who are either copying me in or have lost their legs. That leaves me with the really useful ones that have information in that I want to act on and stuff for sharing. There are a few hidden gems from external clients, which is where new business may come from & that just leaves one from my mom!

So I'm left wondering, how do we manage our 'inbox. It wasn't a subject on the national curriculum when I was at school because the only teccie bit of kit was the less than impressive slide rule! Is someone now going to invent a whizzy email priorities system so we don't have to work it out for ourselves? It's a serious question because as our inboxes get fuller, does production increase or decrease? I have an organized mind so I'm more than capable of working out what is important & what is not. I'm also very good at standing back & not getting sucked into cyberspace. I acknowledge how important emails are for communication but unlike letters that didn't shout 'open me'.. emails have a habit of willing you to open them! I remember a time when we didn't have an email address. Now everyone has a website, more than one email account and there is no escape. We're available 24/7 on our phones which means we have to be even more diligent about maintaining a balance between drowning in emails and keeping in touch.

I believe we all have a capacity, an internal counter, a measure that is called 'moderation' (a family thing!). We can only cope with a certain number of anything. You don't need me to tell you what happens when you scoff too many doughnuts! I believe we're reaching our inner capacity where the internet is concerned. It's such a useful resource when used wisely but we do need an idiot's guide. How many times you have wanted to go out, looked for somewhere to go and 2 hours later decided there's no time left?! I'm looking forward to the next generation of emails and internet ;-) We don't want to get to a point where we fear our inboxes because they have taken over our lives. With twitter, websites, texting, facebook, email accounts and more 'apps' than you can shake a cyber stick at, we have to become more cyber-savvy.

It's so exciting that there is always something new but let's not forget making time for real friends, real conversation and real life. Remember, cyberspace should enhance our daily lives and experiences because as the best tool ever invented, it's got such great potential. But... and there's always a but.. it's also worth remembering that it's a money making machine. Even less than cynical little me knows that big brother is closer now than he's ever been. It's likely he's already here and able to watch every move we make. That's the flip side of this communication hungry, cappuccino indulged, cyber world. There is a flip side to everything in this world. We just have to ensure that we benefit from the fluffy, bubbly bit on the top of the cappuccino rather than drowning in the dark, molten layer that is hidden beneath! YOU have been warned.. !

ps and if you were wondering what SOW refers to, it's switch off wednesday! Yeah, dream on.. though, perhaps a switch off during certain hours will happen in the future...?

Deli-licious day out!

Today was just too nice to stay in all day long so at lunchtime, we ventured into Tetbury for a visit to my most favourite deli. Unfortunately, they mixed up the orders but it turned out okay in the end - I just ate Ginger's pasta dish and she had my butterfly garlic prawns. I do love that place - the olives are to die for and I just want to work my way along the shelves, trying out all the different ingredients. Ginger was on a mission to get the best mushroom pic and I think she must have inhaled a magic one judging by her entertaining moves in the deli. We always have great fun when Ginger comes to stay. I get to stop doing whatever else I might be doing and just craft and Ginger... well, Ginger gets to see me ;-) We've stuck, stamped, sprayed, inked, coloured in, glittered, stickled, gemmed up and thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend of crafting. I've had a tidy up and sorted out some old stuff to share between Ginger, who has taken some for her crop class and the brownies, who will benefit from the rest. I've made lots of Christmas cards and have another beautiful Basic Grey kit so I can make more. I've started another project for a special friend and made a card for Jeremy for his birthday. It's been fab.. ;-)

Someone's a star...

Men's cards are always tricky, that's when you need a friend like Ginger on hand to give you some useful advice. A couple of packs of Tinkering Ink papers, one star, one gridlines, some wonderful clear star and word stamps, inks and hey presto, I have a fabulous birthday card to send to Jeremy!

It's about the view... it's not all about YOU!

Famous words from someone sitting not very far away to me ;-) Though she was referring to herself at the time. We went for a walk today to take a photograph of the view of where I live, from up the hill. Trouble was, the leaves are still stuck to the trees so we couldn't even see the Mill, let alone where I live. It was a good walk though and gave us an appetite for supper. Another glass of fizz, finished off the bottle from last night, and baked a Vacherin Mont d'Or, bought from my new favourite deli in Tetbury. This is a special cheese only available mid Sept to March. It's made using winter milk from cows brought down from their pastures and it comes wrapped in a circle of birch strip, and enclosed in a pine box. Yummy..

Don't you wish..

It might be the start of October but it's time to start making my Christmas cards! I'm covered in glitter glue and I'm still on a roll! The challenge was to create as many cards a possible using my Stampin' Up kit and yippee - I've made 32 cards and am still counting! Ginger says I'm a star, but that could be because I just found a tiny clear stamp she's been looking for - and it's a star, he he ;-)

A Strictly Yummy Bouquet...

Ginger is here! She never comes empty handed so I have a bouquet, bottle of Lanson Rose Champagne and some Green & Blacks Butterscotch choccie.. that girl knows me so well! What I want to know is do these cabbages count as one of my 5 a day ;-) ?! Ginger was working yesterday so I had a very lazy day. I cooked a yummy dinner of organic, free-range chicken with leeks accompanied by Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes with butternut squash and his magic ingredient - balsamic vinegar. It was absolutely yummy and very moorish all washed down with pink fizz. Saturday night's are 'Strictly' nights so we watched the dancing then did some Strictly crafting until 1am. 24 Christmas cards later.. woo hoo.. it's time to eat again ;-)

Fluffy roll of honour.. !

As you can see, I've had SUCH a fun day!

It's All About ME!!!

I was sent this by my dear little brother ages ago but thought it was fun so a couple of years on, I've done it again. Was still fun second time around - try it. You can learn a lot of little things about yourself by answering random, silly questions like these…

IDEAL LIVING ARRANGEMENT?
Somewhere peaceful overlooking the sea/water or just not too close to everyone else.. and hopefully, not on my own..

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Just finished one and poised to read another. Lisa has kindly given me 3 to choose from, problem now is which one to read first?! Last book, James Patterson, ‘Sail’.. a tad boring, not his usual style or pace, but ok.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Blue bubbles of course.. would prefer pink and in a glass.. but hey ho

FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Monopoly

FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
I enjoy so many it would take too long to list them – ignoring my own of course. I like ‘Stuff' magazine because I like gadgets and it’s just a fun read.

FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Angel fragrance, minty chocolate, home-cooked food

SOUNDS?
Sea, strangely enough You’re Gonna Make me Lonesome - Madeleine Peyroux – I love that style of French music when I've had a glass of wine and am just winding down..

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
When things (like my car) or people let me down. I like choices and that’s what people take from me when they let me down.

THINGS YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING?
Work, cup of tea and where is my banana?

ROLLER COASTER - SCARY OR EXCITING?
Very Scary doesn’t even touch it!

DO YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
Only if I know who is calling

FAVOURITE FOODS?
Rocket, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, smoked salmon, avocado, mum and dads hungarian dishes and some Indian concoction that’s veggie but absolutely delicious.. doh!

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Vanilla – are we talking ice-cream?

DO YOU SLEEP WITH AN ANIMAL?
Not recently and come to think about it.. if I do find a spiddy in my bed then he’s taking flying lessons pretty dam quick!

THUNDERSTORMS COOL OR SCARY?
Oh so Cool

WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
An orange one and I’m not expanding on that for love nor money

IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE?
Marilyn Monroe, preferably alive. Am I too late?

YOUR FAVOURITE DRINK?
Non-alcoholic: not fussy
Alcoholic: Fizz, champagne darling.. or a lovely rich red or chilled white wine, pina colada, baileys on ice and snowballs!

DO YOU EAT STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Doesn’t everyone? And cauliflower too

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A Blue Peter presenter

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Yes, it starts off being the best feeling in the world, then it just hurts but you get over it and are then ready to do it all over again – I'm sure it's much better 2nd time around.. ;-)

IS YOUR CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Half full always brimming over

FAVOURITE MOVIE?
You’ve got mail, The Notebook, Beaches, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Mamma Mia.. closely followed by Pretty Woman and most chick flicks

ARE YOU A LEFTY OR A RIGHTY?
Righty

DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE PROPER KEYS?
Mais oui..

WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED?
Mmm, better not be anything otherwise I won’t sleep tonight! Last time I looked it was a spare duvet, 2 spare pillows, a picture I haven’t managed to hang yet and I suspect a tiny bit of dust..

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE NUMBER?
4

SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
He’s my lifesaver and I love him – little brother

SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON YOU’VE SENT THIS TO?
If they've got this far and are reading this, they must be someone very special who knows me. If so, try this & email me to let me know how you got on.. ;-)

Plymouth ho ho ho...

Wow, this marble runway was amazing and so much fun to watch. Press the button and just watch the marbles roll down the different paths, flip up in the air and.. yes, silly but fun ;-)
I was having one of my rare animal print days.. doesn't happen that often and thankfully for everyone I know, I usually restrict it to away days.. ;-)
The biggest and most brilliant marble runway with marbles the size of tennis balls. Great to watch but would drive you totally bonkers if you worked there because quiet, it ain't!
Here's the lovely Lisa who passed the emergency incident training course as I knew she would. I'm sure it was tough but she's a bright cookie and I know who I'd want around if I was involved in an incident.. !
What a great time we had in Plymouth. I took the train and my little loan lappy from work so i could work on the way down - fantastic idea. Arrived at the hotel around 6pm so we shared a bottle of wine and Lisa told me all about her course. We had a lovely time just chilling on Saturday morning then stopped off in Bovey Tracey at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. I had joked to Lisa that we should go to the House of Marbles - only joking, well I was but when she saw the sign, she couldn't resist turning off to see what it was all about. Good decision.. and so much better than where we'd come from! The marble runways were amazing, you pressed the button and watched the marbles roll in different directions down the runways. There were a few small ones and the most enormous runway on the upper landing which was brilliant to watch and lots of fun. We drove back to Lisas, bought a delicious fish salad for supper and watched Ghost on tv... how's that for the best start to a chilled weekend ;-)

A little home cooking...

Tres bon! Someone said this week that it was satisfying enough to just stand and stir a risotto - so I did and it is! I drove home from work fantasising about what I could have for supper. Lunch was ok but dull so I felt hungry and as it was raining, it had to be comfort food. I bought some leeks, a yellow pepper, some courgettes and made the most delicious risotto. I added stock, white wine, lemon juice, garlic and seasoning and topped it with some roquefort cheese and rocket - yum, yum and double yum! I've sat and half watched one of my favourite Kate Hudson films on tv, le divorce, which is the perfect end to yet another anniebananie day.

Did you know..?

That Hendrick's is a better gin than Bombay Sapphire? Golly, no! I do now, as my tastebuds were well and truly ticked this afternoon at the Old Lodge. Myself and Lisa had popped up to this wondrous establishment for a late Sunday lunch and a little tipple. We were welcomed with a new menu of drinks especially for Summertime and although my first choice of Chelsea Rose wasn't available, I plumped for the Hendricks gin/mint/lemon/cucumber and rose petal jam concoction called Tea-Time Martini! Here's our trusty expert waiter in full flow. Having lost his cocktail strainer, he had to get a large colander from the kitchen, very resourceful of him. He shook, stirred and strained my decadent cocktail into a bone china teacup. "More tea please, Vicar?!"
After much deliberation, we chose what we'd like to eat for lunch and waited patiently at the bar. We were joined by a guy who'd come to pay his bill "May I say" he said "The sea bream was excellent, lovely and fresh and tasted delicious" Oh, change of heart because I much prefer to order by recommendation when it comes to trying something new on the menu so I ordered sea bream - again - the dish actually being 'Whole sea bran with garlic thyme and anchovies with butter beans, peas and mint" And very delicious it was too! I'm also now a fan of Hendrick's Gin, mmm! We followed this with a couple of scrummy desserts and dashed back to the Mill for a buffet, supper, drinks, soire with my neighbours. Drinks outside in the sunshine followed by a quick guided tour, a few nibbles and it was back to watch a dvd and snozzle time. I love weekends ;-) http://www.hendricksgin.com

In 'The Bath'

Sitting in the sun in Bath & it feels like Summer! I've done my good deed for the day & rescued two young Londoners from their plight & now it's lunchtime. The purpose of my trip was to call in on the lovely Richard in the gallery & pick up my ticket for Art London. I always get a good feeling going into the gallery, it's where I began my big art appreciation kick & that just keeps getting stronger! I love art.

I've found a new lunch place - Quayles!

Q has the best view ever! Hot giant butterfly garlic prawns, a delicious salad, glass of rose, people watching and listening to soft jazz - you just can't beat it! There's so much more eye candy in Tebury - woo hoo! Not 3 or 4, but 5 horse boxes, personalised plated 4x4s worth more than my flat, a vintage car made for 2, the girl in the pink coat and shoes, the guy with the pink and grey stripy blazor & cream chinos fit for Henley, and tractors galore all wizzing around the traffic island with somewhere to go! It's enough to make your head spin. Visitors, tourists, young, old, with dogs, without dogs and one or two scallywags! And last but not least, the best brownie I think I've ever tasted in my entire life and the cappuccino wasn't bad either. Too many wonderful experiences, it's hard to find fault with any of them. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. This place is definitely now on my gastronomic map. I remember driving from home and it was a last minute decision, should I turn left or right.. mmm?! I'm so glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a taste of something new. Suffice to say, I'd also written a list of ingredients for my first casserole for Autumn. I bought olives, sundried tomatoes stuffed with anchovies, a box of smelly cheese like Brie for Sunday evening and a well recommended bottle of their house red. Everyone was lovely and welcoming and I can't wait to go back for a second course.

Montpellier

Montpellier is such a gem of a city. I do wonder though, if I'm paying just £1 for my flights, who is paying for the rest?! The flight over was very busy and coming into land the plane suddenly pulled back sharp at the last minute and we went back up into the air. That's not a nice feeling, particularly as the ocean is just at the end of the runway. The pilot did another circuit before we landed safe and sound. It did feel as if he'd never landed a plane before and his excuse was that there was something on the runway - yikes! Anyway, my scary moment was soon forgotton as my bag arrived in double quick time and I went outside to meet my good friend, Rob.
Montpellier is one of France's best kept secrets. it's a cosmopolitan city where the sun shines all day long and the restaurants serve great food long into the night. I had a lot of time to shop and just wander along the narrow streets. We chose a different restaurant every evening, the funniest experience being on the Sunday night. Many of the restaurants are very close together so it was an easy mistake to make to read off the wrong menu. It was on a blackboard between the two restaurants and it's hard enough being entirely in French with all the different menu options. Spookily, I managed to order both my starter and main before the waiter realised those exact dishes weren't on his menu! Thankfully, the couple on the next table talked us through the menu and gave our order to the waiter, who seemed terribly confused. Dinner was delicious, in fact every meal was a culinary adventure. I don't think I've ever ordered anything in France, other than a salad, that hasn't surprised me. It never looks as I imagine it will but it always tastes delicious. My highlight was the lasagne which was absolutely scrummy, enormous too. Thankfully, Rob can hoover up anything I don't eat, which is perfect for a girl who'd rather not have an expanding waistline. I think MP is a place I'll keep coming back to because it has so much to offer but for now, I had a great break from work so it's "Au Revoir MP!"

Cracking good day Gromit!

Today I went on a secret mission to visit Gromit and what did I find.. he was asleep on the job! Shaun the Sheep was more alert than my mate Gromit who was being shadowed by one scary monster rabbit. Oh I love my life.. ! The day started with a budget meeting and ended with me searching for my car. Yes, I looked out of the window and it had gone. Not gone completely, just 5 yards behind where I had left it.. spooky or what?! I had what could only be described as a Wallace sidewards grimace on my face as I stood in the doorway trying to figure out how it got there. I think I know.. tut tut, must have been that perishing penguin and his remote - Obviously!

Me and Walter...

I was in London for a press launch which I thought was at the V&A - wrong! So I had to scoot all across London using my favourite mode of transport, the tube, to get to Baker street. I just about made it half way through the presentation but was glad I did. I think the Quilt Show next year will be phenomenal so it's good to get ahead with some new stories. Then I went to meet Liz and we had a bit of a marathon tour. When the day was done I'd travelled by car, train, tube, bus and boat.. how's that for using public transport. Liz took me to see Walter Raleigh at Greenwich so i stood on the Greenwich Meridian line which divides he earth into the eastern and western hemispheres. WOW! There was also a great view of the Millennium Dome from that side of the river. We had a drink in the pub near J's and then had a quick supper in DimT's before I raced back to Paddington to get the train home. A very long day, as always when I'm in the city, but worth it.

Rainbow over the mill...

I just glanced out of the window and ran to get my camera to capture this beautiful rainbow.

It won't run on fresh air.. !

You know that feeling when you wish you hadn't put something off until tomorrow? I drove back from Helen's BBQ last night and almost stopped for petrol on the way home last night but it was dark and almost 10pm so I decided to skip the filling up and get home. Of course, this morning I heard that the price of petrol had gone up by a couple of pence! I wished I'd stopped to fill up now! But as luck would have it, I drove into Nailsworth instead of chancing my luck along the M46 and hey ho, the shell garage was still selling petrol at the old price of £1.05! When I drove home this evening, it was £1.08... that's one cheap tank I'm going to remember for a long time!