Tomorrow we are off on our hols in the Dolomites. One of the highlights, for me, will be driving along this road:
I have a new front door knob, it's pretty.
It feels nice in our new flat. It's warm, cosy and like home. A real home.
Our kitchen needs a lot of work but I love the feeling the room gives me. Oh and we get our fridge today too.
I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I lost my emmpeethree player a few months ago, the day after my birthday, somewhere between Tottenham Court Road station and the pub. I was pretty gutted but being as how I hadn't actually paid for it (I got it with nectar points) it wasn't the end of the world.
Anyway, the time has finally come to replace it. I'm thinking of a Creative Zen but it has mixed reviews so I'm still undecided. The last one was a Samsung and I really liked it - it was glossy black with no visible buttons (the buttons appeared as lights when you switched it on - it was like the FUTURE*).
Can anybody recommend anything? And please don't say ipod - I've taken against all things Apple (no reason. I just don't like them).
*I'm not very technical and am easily impressed by coloured lights.
So into it
Sunmaid raisins - 6 pack, 1st box. The raisins are just so fresh when the cellophane has just come off. Eaten with natural roasted cashew nuts, as I am doing now ... lush and crunchy.
Cider - How could I have neglected the fizzy apple drink for so long? Once only drunk because it came with a screw top and it didn't taste like lager, after over 20 years I am drinking it like a grown-up (i.e. chilled, from a glass, sitting on a sofa as opposed to lukewarm, from the bottle on Richmond Common).
Hummus and the Hummus Bros - a 'small' dish of hummus with lamb rogan josh, a side of pitta and a little dish of chilli sauce. Can I just say 'yum' here? And I also love that their portions are small and regular, none of this fast food-standard 'regular', 'large' and 'super size' here - just understaded, I'm-not-a-greedy-pig portions. Yum again.
Jugs of Pimms - say no more. Actually, I wouldn't say "no more", I'd say "yes please".
Bolognaise sauce with rice - It's really good and lighter than spaghetti and it can fool young children into eating it.
Diet Coke and Quavers - So wrong, yet so right.
So over it
Rancid milk - I can feel the bile rising again as I think about it. I got into work this morning, took my Shreddies into the kitchen, poured into the smallest bowl (it's all about portion control), took out the skimmed milk "BBE 18 July 08" it says on the sticker. Pour, return to desk, take first mouthful, yak, ak, ak. Spat straight into my bin. I don't know where that milk was stored - possibly the oven, it was RANK.
Lemon sole goujons - Used to love them, now I find them too greasy. They are part of our staple 'give the kids some fish at least once a week' meal. They still like them, so I guess we'll persevere - they're not keen on anything that resembles a fish, unless it's whitebait, weirdly.
Chips - Again - used to love them, now I find them too greasy.
Crunchie the Champagne Bar that's been left in the work kitchen fridge for the last 2 weeks - Won't somebody eat it? It whispers to me whenever I open the door, "Eeeeeat meeeee" it says and then shrugs a suggestive chocolate shoulder from its gold foil wrapper, "Eeeeat meeee" ... I can hear it from here. It's trying to turn me into a thief.
Obviously I have a golden ticket to get into corporate hospitality; but unfortunately that doesn't bypass the rain or traffic.
Arriving at the wrong entrance, I have to drive across the circuit to get were I need to be (that first left hander is a mite tricky in the wet). The public areas of the course resemble a refugee camp, art directed by Millets. Groups of sodden punters huddled round a £3 cup of tepid Bovril as the rain lashes against their cagoules. It brightens in the afternoon, and I join them, briefly, on Hamilton Hillock; before returning to the champagne bar.
Just waiting for the call from the Estate Agent saying the lawyers have sent and received the monies and that I can have my keys.
Nervous? Me?!
Hot to trot
1. Only one more sleep until we move house. Have I mentioned that yet?
2. The unreliability of the Southern Weather forecast. This is a good thing. They say rain and cloud and grey but yesterday we had about 5 hours of cloud, one hour of showers then boiling hot sunshine to end the day. Today, approaching rain and cloud by lunchtime. So far some high white fluffy clouds and boiling hot sunshine.
3. We are off on holiday next week for two weeks. I'll be thinking of you while I'm standing on top of the Pale di San Martino and swimming in Lago di Garda.
4. Bills. Bills is a Brighton institution that M and I dined at twice this week. The food is good and the feel is like a café in the West Village. Inside it looks like a French produce market held in a Victorian fire station. Their pumpkin, sweet potato, courgette, sunflower seed, leek, goats cheese and parmesan pie is outstanding. I am also addicted to the pamplemousse French sodas there, so pink.
5. The Real Eating Company in Hove. Their coffee is lovely and strong and served in beautiful paper cups. Can't wait to eat there. It's a real foodies deli paradise.
6. Bromptons Opticians in North Laine. I have never seen so many funky frames in one shop in all my life. My London opticians seem quite boring by comparision. M went there yesterday for a sight test and ordered a grey and yellow pair of specs. Can't wait to see them. I quite fancy some pink Vivienne Westwood ones myself.
7. M is going for a haircut tomorrow at the place I went to in Kemp Town. New glasses and a new haircut, get in there boy.
8. I have discovered - much belatedly - Bravissimo. I now know I am a smaller back size and a (yet) bigger cup size than I thought. (I am actually rather proud of having a 30inch chest.) I also get into a size 10 dress that fits in all the right places. My new holiday dresses are not the ill fitting tents I am usually forced to buy so they fit my bust. They do fit my bust but actually show off my waist and hips. Hurrah.
Standing at the side of the dance floor
1. As of tomorrow I am internet impoverished. Until BT and our internet provider start talking nicely and do their jobs (they may yet surprise us!) we'll have the usual up to one month wait for our new broadband connection.
2. I bought some more sunscreen. Isn't it expensive?
3. I bought five t-shirts for £6 today. I kind of feel guilty about it. I did need some new ones though, my old ones are mostly covered in paint.
4. The people up stairs have elephants for children.
*Well everyone else is using this blog title
It's grey here today so I'm indoors catching up on chores. It's been absolutely stonkingly sunny here the past few days. Yesterday I was on the beach all afternoon reading Austen and listening to the conversations of the old biddies next to me. Every time they came out of the water they would exclaim "It's like bathwater!" Hopefully this is a good thing. I am also going through sunscreen like nobodies business.
Only two more sleeps until we move. I must admit I am getting excited now. I hope we get the keys before the removal men turn up. I really want to take some pictures of the flat all empty and waiting.
As our vendors were taking all the kitchen appliances that were not nailed down we needed to buy a fridge asap. It's coming on Tuesday, so only a few days with UHT milk.
I'll bore you even more with a picture of it:
In other news I've had my hair cut (a blunt trim and an assymetric fringe) at a salon in Kemp Town. Apparently Cate Blanchett goes there too. She wasn't in yesterday but they do have a resident dog called Sparkle. Nice.
Off to watch Wimbleydon on the telly.
