Tuesday 13 November 2012

Start of a sort of Reading Week



Good eventide one and all! I’m currently jolly excited as I have a few days of to “catch up on work” (basically a reading week) which means sleep, working at Twickenham and popping home to walk the dog! I’m also getting to that point where it feels acceptable to start looking for Christmas pressies for everyone (one of my favourite pastimes) and it’s becoming a real struggle not to start singing Christmas carols!

Primrose Hill...complete with "ferret hat"
Anyway I’m going to rein myself in and save my Christmas excitement for a couple of weeks and instead talk about the past week or so and all the fun I’ve had.  I sadly managed to miss Halloween this year as I’d returned home to convalesce after contracting an ear infection; my mother realised it was serious when I was no longer able to eat chocolate. I did however make up for this around Bonfire Night by having a lovely weekend that involved the rugby club, various pubs and fireworks followed by  a trek onto Primrose Hill with the wonderful Alice, Penny and Jess on Monday for fireworks. I must admit, despite the fairly anti-Catholic origins of this celebration (is that the right word for it?), Bonfire Night is one of my favourite events of the year. There’s just something about standing in the freezing cold (and possibly rain), reeking of bonfire smoke and eating undercooked sausages whilst staring skywards and getting neck ache that I can’t resist! I also had a rather splendid weekend this weekend as I went for a brunch on Saturday (complete with The Telegraph, a Bellini and buying chrysanthemums for the house) followed by a “girly sleepover” including a dog, curry, rugby, films and far too much sugar and rounded off by a Sunday with a roast and a walk to the pub…all rather fantastic to be honest!   I’m sure I had plenty of other things to tell you lovely people all about but yet again it’s all completely disappeared out of my head!
Girly sleepover...I know where I belong!

To make up for my forgetfulness I’m going to have to discuss my new favourite book EVER! Ok, not ever, but for making me laugh on the train it was brilliant. Miranda Hart is a bit of a heroine of mine anyway (her television series often feels like a copy of my own life in as much as we share being terribly clumsy, the habit of singing and saying things at inappropriate times and a mother who feels her number one aim in life is to embarrass us!) and her new book “Is it Just Me?” is a comic self help guide based around her own mistakes and moments of madness! Considering I’m the sort of girl who can walk down the street with her shirt unbuttoned (I couldn’t work out why I kept getting such weird looks) and who pours scalding hot tea over the people sitting in front of her in lectures, it’s always nice to know that it is indeed not just me!  I highly recommend it although please skip the bit that encouarges people to stop wearing hats (shame on you Ms. Hart!).

Deary me I do feel dreadfully boring! I’ve had lots of ideas for this entry and it’s so frustrating that now I’ve actually sat down to write they’ve all disappeared; I shall have to blame the fumes from the nail varnish (my horribly chipped, short nails needed some cheering up so they’ve gone gold).  Haven’t done much on the cooking front although I did make some spiced shortbread (http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/citrus-and-spice-shortbread) which was rather nice and I’m awaiting the arrival of some pheasant tomorrow which is terribly exciting!  

I feel I ought to depart to tackle some work (or go and make a coffee and curl up in bed with a good book) but I shall leave you with two things. Firstly, go and youtube music by Einaudi. It’s amazing ( “Primavera” is a particular favourite of mine!). Two, here’s a picture of my wonderful dog Chaucer at the rugby because, hey, what’s not to love about a dog in a stripy scarf!