I'm holding out for the sales so I can replace my food processor which went to the great kitchen in the sky not so long ago. But which sale?
I think a new bale of fluffy towels is on my list too, and some jumpers, and and and...
In the meantime, have a lovely Christmas everyone.
Bah humbug to germs is all I can say. I thought I was getting better, but then the feverishness came back on Monday night, and I've had to cancel tonight's festivities. Fortunately EDY has been looking after me, so it ain't all bad.
I went online to check my email, and thought I'd see how the latest book was selling on Amazon. It's the #1 seller in its category today, which makes me feel as though, finally, something's going right. In your face, rubbish employers. Best Xmas prezzie ever.
Will I look like a twat if I put it on my CV? Hmmm.
I have been rather remiss this month, but here's the list of goodies.
Fruit: almonds, apples, hazelnuts, pears from store, walnuts. Imported chestnuts, clementines, cranberries, dates, pineapples, pomegranates, satsumas.
Vegetables: asian greens, brussels sprouts and sprout tops, cardoons, celeriac, chicory, endive, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, parsnips, salsify and scorzonera, winter squash, red cabbage, seaweed, spring onions, swedes, turnips, white celery.
Fish and shellfish: brown hen crab, carp, conger eel, Dover sole, mackerel, mussels, native and rock oysters, sea bass, skate, turbot, whiting.
Meat, poultry and game: goose, grouse, wild duck, partridge, pheasant, turkey, woodcock.
Cheeses: Stilton, Blue Wensleydale. Brie de Melun, Vacherin Mont d’Or.
I think I could manage some vegetable soup. And maybe a satsuma or two.
What are you going to cook?
I've finally succumbed to what seems to be the early stages of the so-called office lurgy. If I've got what I think I've got, this is going to turn into flu, unless my flu jab from October helps me to rally round. Flu jabs are pretty good, but they don't/can't protect you from every strain, and they take a few weeks to kick in.
Most of my co-workers didn't bother to get their FREE jab - they're a bit superstitious and most of them think the jab itself will make them extremely sick. Really, it won't, and it can't. I got mine on the earliest day they offered it - if, like me, you've ever had a proper bout of influenza you will never forget it, and will take serious steps to avoid another one in future. So, the upshot is that a very nasty virus has been going around here like wildfire because hardly anyone else got immunised, and anything that makes the office macho workaholics take 5 days off sick ain't a cold.
Anyway, after a very crappy week, where I've been put upon, taken advantage of, ripped off, had my Christmas lunch spoiled, and been sent abusive emails for no discernible reason, I have absolutely zero loyalty left for my employers. Rather than struggle in and make myself 100% flat out sick I've decided to look after number 1 for once. I'm resting, taking paracetamol, drinking warm drinks, wrapping up in my lovely new relaxing-in clothes and trying to get better.
So far I've got a big headache, muscle pains, stomach pains, sore throat, slightly runny nose, bit of a temperature and a gigantic bad attitude. But who knows, I might pick up after a lot of sleep and some Vitamin C.
Today is also the anniversary of the big breakup with my ex. I haven't missed him once but then only a crazy woman would - and my standard of living is vastly improved, but it still feels like something inside my head is a bit broken. My get-up-and-go hasn't quite come back yet, which is a bit of a worry. Still, all things considered, I'm fit, healthy and doing pretty well, and I'm looking forward to Christmas too. My long lost cousin, also a family 'black sheep' (for which read 'decent human being') is coming to stay, and I've booked us in somewhere nice for a 6-course slap up Xmas lunch.
My annual leave starts tomorrow and I refuse to be ill, dammit.
The Xmas shopping is pretty much done, and I've done almost the whole lot online. Ha! No Oxford Street! Woo!
For my dad, I've found an introductory offer from a wine club that's just the ticket, but without any further obligations: 15 bottles in an oversized mixed case, much of it award winning, plus a freebie silver bottle stopper for less than £46 delivered. I think you need a link from the promotional email to find it on their website, but I can forward it if anyone wants it.
For my Mum, I got a rather posh picture-a-day art desk calendar (40% off at amazon), a set of REN shower goodies from John Lewis (6% cashback and free delivery, via quidco), some Cath Kidston bath melts (less than £3 after using a John Lewis £5-off voucher), and her favourite sweets from my French day trip.
For my sister and her family I've decided to do a communal gift. No point knocking myself out, they're kind of stingy when it comes to giving gifts themselves... However I did manage to pre-order this year's must-have family board game from play.com (£2 off, and it's sold out in most shops), and a puzzle-a-day calendar (50% off, thanks again, amazon), and if they don't like it, no biggie.
For friends, I've also bought some new-release DVDs in HMV's 3-for-£20 offer, some gorgeous high quality leather-bound makeup brush sets and cosmetics from the Pout website (50% off - hurry, they're nearly out of all stock), and a variety of books from websites and high street stores (with cashback deals and vouchers wherever possible).
All that remains is to buy a few little stocking-fillers, cards and wrapping paper. It's under control.
Last Sunday I went to Lille on the Eurostar with Wifey and Mistress. We fancied a trip round the Christmas market, a stroll through the main art gallery and a bistro dinner, and that was exactly what we got!
Beware the outward journey - some of the Lille trains are bound for Eurodisney, and when you stop off at Ashford the trains fill with slobs and brats who kindly play their crappy DVDs at full volume for the benefit of the whole carriage. That aside, St Pancras works well as a stop. The return station, Lille Eurostar, has nothing by way of facilities inside the station, not even a coffee shop so be warned.
But you probably want to hear about the shopping, right?
If you're not going for Xmas markets, beware of Sundays in Lille. Almost everything is shut, including the gastro restaurants, and 99% of shops. Even the coffee shops in museums are closed. We were lucky to get into a good chocolatier (Chat Bleu) and a good patisserie, and we also managed a super-quick supermarket sweep in the only open supermarket.
Five minutes in the tiny supermarket off the main square yielded good wine and hard-to-find liqueurs for under a fiver, mustards and other condiments for less than 35p each, deli items such as white asparagus and palm hearts, and lovely mature cheeses. I also managed to get some raclette cheese (EDY and I scoffed half of it yesterday for brunch on top of eggs florentine - scrumptious), and a few bits and bobs such as chestnut puree with vanilla, lovely bars of praline chocolate, and langue de chat biscuits. We all did double-takes with our bills, as our deli basketfulls came to between £10 and £15. It seemed too cheap...
Anyway, that was plenty to lug back on the train, and we had a fantatic Christmassy time with some culture thrown in.
I'm currently enjoying some unctuous ripe cheese and biccies (sorry France, Hovis really have got the biscuits covered) and a glass of 2005 Bordeaux, and all's right with the world.
If I go to Lille again in the near future I'll go on a non-Sunday day, and take advantage of the enormous shopping centre right outside the Eurostar terminal, including the Sephora for perfumes and cosmetics, the La Redoute shop for clothes, and the enormous Carrefour hypermarket. And I'll probably have a 2-hour lunch in one of the super-posh restaurants.
A website aimed at reducing food waste:
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
And a constantly-updated list of all the current high street discounts:
How's that for a bad title? Anyway, a while back I was asked how to get discounted tickets for Dirty Dancing The Musical. When I'd finished making cheeky comments about guilty pleasures, I set to work looking for deals.
And there weren't any. As it's very popular/sold out until the end of January etc etc, they really don't need to do any discounts at all. At the time, the only possible thing was to buy using a cashback credit card, pay it off right away, and enjoy the teensy 3% return in the knowledge that it was the best you could do.
But NOW......I can do you a deal, ladies. I have not one, but two cracking options:
1. Change your pigsback.com piggy points for free theatre tokens (easy to get hold of)
2. Change your nectar points for theatre tokens too (but really, the best offer is only for the £50 voucher, here)
The only drawback would be that you have to go in person to book, but frankly, given the circumstances it might be as good as it gets. The theatre in question does accept theatre tokens, I've just checked.
Well, I've had the time of my teabreak...and I searched through every open door, 'til I found a discount...
As I'm hoping to spend almost a month writing this winter, I'm looking for some stylish, warm and comfortable clothing that I can just chuck on in the morning that doesn't make me look like a total frump.
I don't want to be the stereotypical crazed author who spends all day in their PJs and dressing gown. Plus I look like hell when I wear a tracksuit (so do a lot of my neighbours, but it doesn't stop them - even though it really, really should), on account of how the cut of most sportswear doesn't suit me. What a minefield 'loungewear' is. At one end there's the trust-funders-only gorgeous cashmere, and at the other end there's ugly slippers and ill-fitting fleece abominations that cost a few pounds (but you'd have to pay me to wear them) and shrink in the wash. There's very little that falls between these ends of the spectrum.
Luckily my credit card is currently offering its users 20% discount at figleaves.com plus 1% cashback on top, so I've plumped for a pair of DKNY black wide leg PJ bottoms that look like posh yoga pants. And with Quidco currently offering 6% cashback and free delivery at Marks and Spencer I've managed to grab a some rather nice grey jazz pants, and 2 pretty thermal tops. Yes, really, they do have pretty thermals, honest.
I will now be able to nip out to the supermarket of an afternoon without being arrested by the fashion police or making small children cry, so it's quite a bonus. The world is a safer, more aesthetically pleasing place.
All I need is a non-ugly non-scratchy cardigan and some big slouchy grown up socks that don't have giant squiggles or cartoon animals on them and I'm in business. Any ideas, fash pundits?
So, in the last few months it's been increasingly difficult to get points on the pigsback website (which then get translated to high street vouchers etc). And I've been a bit disenchanted with them. You get money for clicking through to offers, cashback for buying from websites via them (rarely as good as, say, quidco who also give you back cold hard cash and not vouchers), or for signing up for newsletters etc (hello tidal wave of spam, no thanks).
But right now, as mentioned previously, they do have the only cashback offer for amazon.co.uk I can find. They are also doing 10% cashback for the lovely things at HQHair (but make sure you can't buy those products cheaper elsewhere).
More to the point, they just gave me another £20, just for entering some random prize draw. So I now have £40 to spend in any Arcadia Group store (yes, ladies, TopShop beckons), in return for not doing much - and will have to stop slagging them off.
Do I get something now, or wait for the sales?
