The Party People...

Cheese & wine at the Mill..

Take a few bottles of wine, lots of cheeses and pickles, some fresh bread, fruit and crackers, oh, and the neighbours... and you have the makings of a great Saturday night! My neighbours are very much 'party people' and we get plenty of practise at socialising. Indeed, there was definitely a bit of a competition going on Saturday night with the 'Longford Six' partying somewhere else for a birthday ;-) They had been looking forward to sitting on my sofa and getting together for a catch up on important neighbourly issues - the bins! I'm rather pleased I missed that conversation too busy filling glasses with my happy, chatty hostess hat on!

Thundering applause.. !

Happy Holibob!

Being on holiday is such a great feeling! I've got time... time for anything and nothing or both at the same time. It's been a hectic week. From the girl who got very narkey with me for going through the barrier on her ticket at Paddington. Well, she had jammed me up against the turnstile so when my ticket didn't work, by the time I had turned around, she's put her ticket in so what was I supposed to do? As you can guess, she wasn't impressed! I just stood calmly as the nice man put his ticket in the machine, she went through and stormed off. Grrrr... Then there's been a big barney going on on one of our forums at work. Why grown women want to behave like 6 year olds and be nasty to each other beats me. As always, my tolerance levels are set very high but when I snap, I don't hold back. I am the most patient, understanding person on the planet and everyone who knows me knows that. If I get angry there is a very good reason for it. I blame all the angry people on the weather! Have you noticed that when the weather is stormy, so are the people around you? Grumpy lot... the only ones that aren't angry and grumpy are my friends!

An expensive day...

Two new tyres, brake pads and wheel balancing doesn't come cheap! Worth every penny though, because they are the only part of my car that touches the road! I just have to find time for the service now.. ;-)

Happy 140th.. !

It's a rare occasion when we manage to get our ever-expanding family together but we almost managed it this week. We were celebrating the joint birthday's of my dad and lickle sib, Marie. Not to mention the birth of Jo & Dan's baby, Violet and Lois's 4th birthday, all within the same week in November. It was great to see everyone after what has been a rather eventful year! Dad, I love you. Every time you stand up to give a speech, we discover something new ;-) You make us laugh and you're right, it's not about the presents (lovely as they are), it's not about the cards, even the homemade ones ;-), it's not even about the lovely meal - it's about the wonderful people we have in our family. It's about the smiles, the laughter, the tears and the love that we share. As our family grows in size, so does our ability to share more memories and lots of adventures together. Long may that continue... As my lickle brother said, we're so proud of you and mom and everything you've achieved because without you both - we wouldn't be here! My lovely lickle sib became a granny this week, he he. I love you siblings. My wonderful lickle brother is already a grandad, (TWICE OVER!) with another little one on the way. I thank my children for not elevating me to that status yet. One thing is certain, I won't be looking like a granny for a very long time to come with my new brunette bob.... !

Curious..

This year there has been just a single pair of swans on the lake so I presumed they'd not had any offspring this year. That was until they appeared a few weeks ago with a single cygnet. This morning when I looked out of my window, there they were with three cygnets. I'm just curious as to how that could happen..? It could be a different family of swans, that's possibly...

Cake bake...

All for Children in Need... ;-) The day began with big highs, cake and ended with silly forum blues ;-( sometimes I could scream! Instead, I go for a wander around the building and if counting to 100 slowly doesn't do it, I come home early to enjoy my chenin blanc!

Twinkle, twinkle little star...

How I wonder... what I'm doing here with a camel and a calf?! Only joking! We came to the garden centre to get some new lights and found exactly the same ones that were broken. Woo hoo, I've managed to replace them tonight and they look fab! I've also baked some chocolate, coconut slice to take to work tomorrow to sell for Children in Need. Oh, what a wonderful life ;-) x

Race day...

Today was race day and although it was quieter than normal, there was still a lot of action both on and off the course! Here I am with the lovely Lisa as we were walking up to the course. Little Miss Dominique was too busy chatting to be in the photo. The races is a great excuse to share a bottle of fizz and the seafood platter was yummy. Bet a little, rubbish as usual but a great day out. I got myself noticed, as always. Never to be forgotton, even with my new hair - some people do keep numbers in their phone for years!

I love Boots...

And not just the leggy ones! Boots the chemist have some brilliant money saving offers on at the moment. And, I get points! I needed to buy some brunette hair products because would you believe it, all my hair care shampoos and conditioners are for blondes ;-) so I did a bit of homework. Boots came out top so I made a special trip this afternoon to stock up. I couldn't believe the amount of products on offer. I picked up my six brunette best buys which should have cost me £32.37 and I paid just £20! How amazing is that.. ! I also bought other products in their 3 for 2 offers and spent £115.33, which sounds a lot, but, here's the best bit. I looked at my till receipt and I have made a massive saving of £44.35 and added 1320 points to my card by using just a couple of vouchers. I'm definitely going to be shopping in Boots again!

Supermarket sweep... ;-}

I just haven't met you yet! I've not come across Mr Buble at my supermarket. Conclusion - I must be shopping in the wrong one!

Hey, it's what I do...

When I'm not checking covers, writing website development notes, conjuring up new mag ideas or juggling figures, I'm being the craftbubblicious queen of all things crafty! There's no hiding my crafting tendencies, I'm as crafty & crazy as the best of them. This wondrous cross stitch piece was created by a cross stitching gma in Kiev, Ukraine as a gift. Today is the first birthday of our crafting community website so I've been blogging, giving away prizes and getting in the party mood. Where is my party hat and more importantly, where is the cake?!

All you need is love..

And a piece of cake! Happiness is being brunette and resisting the temptation to eat too much of it! So many other wonderful things begin with b... today I had yummy broccoli, brie and bacon quiche, yes I know it's girl-fodder and very beautilicious. Best B's are brother, new baby, being in love, bubble bath, barcelona, blue-eyed, breathing, bachelors, bling, belgium waffles, belly dancing, blossom, board games, blush wine, books, BOOTS, bolognese, feather boa....and butterscotch of course!

Today I'm a Great Aunt.. woo hoo!

Not content with being a mom, sister, daughter and friend to the worldy wise and the beautiful - I'm now a great aunt again! It brings back all those baby moments, well just for a tincy, wincy second anyway. Jo & Dan have had a gorgeous baby girl and I was only 3 ounces out in my 'Guess the weight of the baby' sweepstake. Lickle brother beat me, he just knows too much! I'm so looking forward to meeting the new Matthew's baby and this new addition means just one thing - OMG... my sister is a Nannabread!

Found this...

And even though it's not my job.. it's still amusing ))))

Dastardly digger moments.. !

I crawled to work this morning in thick fog and all because a pesky digger had decided to play follow the leader! I don't object to anyone being on the road, it's a free country, but at a certain time in the morning when everyone is driving to work, that's takes the biscuit. What else is there to do when you're crawling at 25mph, but work out how late you're going to be! And, whilst you're staring at the rear fog lights on the car in front, you're listening to the radio and wishing they'd put on some decent music. Don't you think life is like that? One thing is going wrong, your mind goes into negative mode and everything starts tumbling around your ears. Fear not for the bountiful brunette fairy is here to bring you good tidings. Not sure what they are right now because I'm just off to bed but when I've thought of some, I'll let you know ;-) x

It's just magic, magic, magic..

Sometimes you come across a product that is just simply amazing. Harpic Power Plus is one such product. In fact, it's £1.49 worth of sheer brilliance! Not only has it cleaned my cheap plug holes, which have had green tendencies whenever I've cleaned them with ordinary bleach, but it has brought a new sparkle to my walk in shower. It's amazing stuff and cheap with it! This little gem has certainly put a smile on my face this weekend.

No more blonde moments.. !

Just 100% brilliant brunette from now on! If blondes are supposed to have more fun, brunettes are considered more educated and intelligent ;-) Brunette is the new blonde and it's definitely a more dramatic look for the winter. All I need now is the yummy new wardrobe to go with it!

Sausage and wine...

Sounds like a Cliff Richard record ;-) Happy, happy, happy...I had a lovely evening at a new place; Sausage & Wine, as it's affectionately know, or the White Hart in Winchcombe for those of us who have never been before. Invited there by KN, who was looking all the more gorgeous for leaving his hair to grow just ever so slightly and, dare I say it, for putting on a few pounds. Why do men always want to be shaven so shaun as to resemble the proverbial sheep? And, is it just me that fancies them even more when they're not as skinny as a stick?! OK, KN is not only good looking but also very fit, being the most enthusiastic gym junkie that I know. And, nice with it! We had lots of laughs and a thoroughly good evening and guess what... not a chip in sight! Myself and KN put the world to rights and shared stories about what we'd both been up to during the past few months. I'd been to Edinburgh, London and Derbyshire - he'd been on a cruise visiting places such as Rome, Genoa and North Africa! I have never spent a lot of time in Winchcombe however, I do have fond memories of visiting Sudeley. It was years ago when I was Editor on Needlework magazine. I wrote a feature on their needlework and lace exhibition to go in the magazine. I've been back since but it was a long while ago. I feel I've made a welcome return to dearest Winchcombe which is, after all, a lovely location. I will return ;-)

Tempus fugit

If there was a good thing about being ill it is discovering the value of time. It's a myth to believe that filling up your diary is the best way to make every moment count. Packing more into your life just means time flies by faster. When you're in a hurry, hours fly by like seconds. When I'm that busy, I feel under pressure and that's when I struggle to remember the special moments. That's a mistake because they are the very reasons why I put myself under so much pressure. I sometimes get the feeling I'm going to miss out if I don't take up an offer or go on an adventure but living life to the full isn't about filling time. Who, after all, wants their life to fly by. The best way to make life slow down is to step out of your routine and create a little space in which to drift. That's what holidays are for. That's what has happened to me this week though I haven't engineered it. I have had little energy or inclination to do much and I know I'm not well when I don't want to craft! No moment is ever wasted though, and although I've done a lot of sleeping, I have managed to enjoy all four episodes of Emma on iplayer, I have watched some of my overdue lovefilm dvds, I have done a fair bit of surfing and waited patiently for my flu bug to leave. Time is precious and that's why it's important not to waste it but doing nothing can sometimes be a very good thing.

Having a lemsip duvet day...

Where do those little bugs come from? You can't see them and you don't know that one has got you until the symptoms strike! I got up yesterday morning and it was just a tickly sore throat. Within an hour I was coughing and that's when I knew I wasn't right. I managed to work until 3pm then decided I was no good to anyone so drove home for an evening with a box of lemsip. I couldn't speak, couldn't think and ached intermittently which was slightly unnerving. Lisa reminded me I should get a thermometer so I've been out to get one today just to make sure I've just got ordinary flu and not any other strain of animal flu. No temperature so I must be ok, hurrah! I'm just waiting now for lemsip to wave it's magic wand and make me better again ;-( x

Muffin magic...

What's better than a homemade muffin? A raspberry and white chocolate one.. yum!!

My feet are aching... !

We left the apartment at 10am & returned at 6! We've had a fab day! We've done over 12,000 steps & how do I know that? Ginger has a nintendo stepper & I want one! We went to the farmers market first thing to get supplies for tea. The met delicious baked ham, asparagus quiche & homemade scotch eggs. There were some lovely Scottish touches including local cheeses, Aberdeen Angus steak & porridge stands. We've done a bit of shopping, the girls went up one of the towers & spied me disappearing into Top Shop! Quite funny really. It was pouring with rain & I needed to find shelter, a good excuse anyway! We had a wonderful afternoon tea at Eteaket. Scones, clotted cream, jam & so many varieties of tea. All delivered on a 3-tiered china tea thingummy! We dragged ourselves back & are watching Strictly... Who's going out tonIght?! X

Edinburgh Rocks!

Jen knows all the best places! It would have been rude to stay in on a Friday night so we headed for cocktails. The first was scored a disappointing 3 out of 10 with very sub standard cocktails, Jo said she had a mouldy raspberry in hers! Didn't stop her getting to the bottom tho! Next bar was supremely better & I happily swopped my prossecco for her apple, cinnamon & cream martini, yummy! It was one of those moments when you can't resist cleaning the glass with your little finger, who me, mmm! So round 3 & I had to have another because I just wasn't sure how much I liked it! Next bar was a cosy, funky, dancing bar which was my favourite - time for a glass of water! We all got home to bed by 1 tho someone a bit worse for wear!

Just had a haggis moment!

We've just been Into a Scottish eatery to sample the local fare. I'd try anything off the menu as long as it came with whiskey gravy, yum! I didn't know you could have veggie haggis until today. No idea what it as made of but it tasted yummy on a bed of mash & turnips. Had to follow that with crannach which is porridge, cream, raspberries & guess what... Whiskey! It did feel as if I was following lunch with breakfast & the oaty texture is a bit weird but it tasted yummy! Just got to the apartment which is on the Royal Mile so the girls are deciding what adventures we can go n whilst were here. So far, it's all ghost tours, underground tunnels with lots of stairs & graveyard tours! Me thinks not! Drizzling here so were doing people watching & someone will be nominated to pop over the road in a minute to visit Oddbins!

Just 'ONE' spa is all you need...

Elegant, yet welcoming, peaceful, yet with a gentle buzz, here's the waiting area for the spa treatments. And when you've done, you can lie in a lovely room to rest and remember how it feels to be unstressed, calm and chilled, mmm.
Isn't this the most awesome pool every?! Stainless steel, roof top jacuzzi - it's worth getting up at 4am to be able to have an experience like this. I think it would be fabulous in the evening when it's snowing and chilly outside but beautifully hot inside. It's definitely the best pool I've ever been to. Even having to wade through the main pool and through the flappy plastic bits, you know like you used to get in Quicksave between the proper shop and the chill area, didn't put me off. Once you get outside the view is amazing and it just feels incredible to be in a hot tub on the roof. Truely 'One' of the best experiences ever ;-)



I've spent the morning at One-Spa in Edinburgh & I can thoroughly recommend it - it's amazing!! The stainless steel roof top jacuzzi pool that's heated to 37 degrees is... Awesome! Everyone is friendly & helpful, even my 4am start seems a distant memory. Every girl should be pampered & I feel thoroughly chilled & a tad sleepy now it's all over. Ginger & the girls are heading over to find me so I don't get lost trying to find the apartment we've rented for the weekend. I'm just relaxing with my beery juice smoothie which I'd have to admit, resembles a glass of liquid mud, mmm, nice!

Why aren't they still in bed?!

What's the matter with everyone? Can't they sleep?! I thought, a quiet start this morning at the airport, but no! It's not even 6am & the place is heaving with people! I know half term begins today & there's a recession which must explain why the cheap flight destinations are packed with holidaymakers. It feels like August Bank holiday here!

Me and the little ones..

They made me feel so welcome. I got to read a bedtime story, play with plastic pets and they had hidden fuzzy felts under my bed ;-) lovely kiddies ;-)

More appeele-ing than apple crumble.. !

It appears I've lost my little vibrations, mais oui! I'm missing all my texts and calls because my trusty mob has no vibrations left in it. No way to fix it either! How's that for a greener planet, I just trade it in or use it broken. I was however very impressed with everyone in the apple store. They were all very friendly and helpful without doing that big sell that you so often get in mobile phone shops. I'm a mac girl so the apple store has always looked appeale-ing and I can't believe it's taken me until now to step inside.