New Years Resolution

More of a challenge really.

I love reading and since I was a child had always dreamed of having floor to celing bookshelves. When I set up my craft room a few years ago, I finally got my wish. However, i managed very quickly to fill the bookshelves with books that I have bought but not read. I love books but it has reached saturation point. So I came to the conclusion that something has to give. And I set myself a challenge. 2012 will be the year that I do not buy myself any books.

THE RULES

1) No purchasing of any books in any format for myself. (Evem if they are in the charity shop and I really want them.

2) No solicitation of books as presents

3) I can borrow books provided I return them to their original owner.

4) No purchasing of magazines specifically to get a freebie book.

I started the challenge on boxing day (I got given 3 books for christmas) and so far have been tempted only once. But it has brought home to me just how often I peruse books in shops.

Currently I am reading "She Wolves" by Helen Castor which I shall review on this blog once I have finished it and let you know how my 2012 challenge is going.

Wish me luck . . ..

Reindeer!

Yesterday I visited White's Nursery near Earl's Barton in Northampton for the first time. I've heard about it before as they sell fresh fruit and veg there but I visited for their Santa's Grotto and Petting Zoo. I went because they have 2 Reindeer called Dancer and Prancer and I love Reindeer.

The Reindeer were a little bit shy but after a while, they let me stroke their noses through the pen. Only for a few seconds but it was worth it.

There were some other animals there as well.
A gorgeous, fluffy donkey called Jethro who was very friendly and let me stroke his ears which felt like cuddly toy ears. he is only 9 months old and very patient.


There was also a rescued Turkey called Terence who was very inquisitive

And some chickens. I didn't take a photo of the chickens because I'm a bit scared of them. I was mugged by a mob of chickens during a picnic at Chatsworth house when I visited it with my friend R. Chickens are evil.

In the same pen as Terence the rescued Turkey were two pygmy goats. One little one who was VERY interested in what the Reindeer were doing.

She climbed the fence a bit later to say hello to me. But moved as I took the picture.

Her mum was also very friendly and came to say hello straight away and licked my hand. I think she thought I had food but she was lovely and liked having her head scratched and stroked.

There were also some bunnies, one of which was called Bun Bun and is possibly the fluffiest thing I have ever seen.

He is ridiculously cute and fluffy. But back to the Reindeer. After a lot of time spent looking and stroking all he animals (except the chickens) I kept going tback to the Reindeer to look at them.

and I took lots of photos. As i have not (yet) made it to Lapland or Siberia to see a herd of Reindeer, I take every chance to see real ones here in Britain. I was very lucky to have them on my doorstep and had a fantastic time at White's who were kind enough to let me blog about them. I've attached a link to their website in case anyone wants to visit.

http://www.whitesnurseries.co.uk/

Very good, Whites Nursery, Well Done (And Thank you).

Christmas Tradition

Last Saturday I visited the Worcester Victorian Market. In the city centre, for four days every winter, Worcester hosts a Victorian market complete wih hot chocolate and baileys, roasted chestnuts, a choir and lots of stalls. It's very christmassy and for me,  it signals the start of Christmas festivities. We visited Tewkesbury in the day and my sister was not happy about how unseasonally mild it was. Luckily, by the time we headed into Worcester it was getting a bit dark and getting much colder. We had the usual bicker about whether I'd be warm enough and she was right, I was glad I borrowed her cardigan. We wandered into the city just as it was getting dark to enjoy the market stalls, the smell of hot chestnuts, the stall holders dressed as Victorians and the funfair all lit up. I love walking through the crisp, winter air, the sky filled with stars and the sound of Victorian revelry all around. Very good, Worcester Victorian Market, Well done.

A Very Productive Weekend

This weekend I had a most productive weekend. On Saturday I managed to get all of my Christmas makes finished and finally made my family's christmas cards. I'd been struggling for inspiration but I finally found some and I am very pleased with the result. I now only have 3 presents to get and my christmas shopping is done!

On Sunday I had brunch with my best friend R and her boyfriend D. R and I went to school together and even though we live miles apart we manage to see each other a lot. When R visits her family here, we try to fit in breakfast or brunch at the Buddies diner near to my house so this weekend it was the perfect opportunity to introduce D to Northampton's best restaurant chain. We were too late for breakfast so instead of having eggs benedict, R had to have Nachos (always delicious), D went for a classic bacon cheeseburger and I had Tennessee Chicken. We drank gallons of tea (D had a Twirl milkshake) and caught up. I won't see either of them now until Christmas so it was lovely to see my favourite couple in the world.
Very good, my weekend and R & D, well done.

A Day in Market Harborough

Today is my mum's 64th birthday so my sister came to visit and we took my mum to Market Harborough. It's a really pretty market town with lots of small boutique type shops that sell all kinds of pretty and unusual things. It also has a LOT of charity shops with hidden treasures inside. We had a nice long loook round, then had lunch in a pub called Square 53. We carried on shopping until it was time to come home. We all managed to get some christmas shopping done, we treated my mum and came back feeling very festive and happy. As always, we laughed a lot, caught up on everyone's news and had a fantastic day all helped along by Market Harborough's nice atmosphere.
Very Good, Market Harborough, Well Done.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!!

Blood Brothers

Last night I went to see Blood Brothers at the Derngate Theatre in northampton. I am not a huge fan of musicals but my sister loves it so i thought, "Why not?"

OH. MY. GOD.

It is an amazing production. I was completely blown away. Even though I knew the storyline and the ending, I was devastated and almost cried. There were lots of weepy looking people when the audience left. The acting and singing completely sucked me into the play. If you had offered me the chance, I'd have watched it all again straight away.

If you get the chance to see it, please go. It was a perfect production.

Very good, Willy Russell, cast, crew, Derngate, Well done

Leighton Denny

As you may know, I love nail polish and am particularly susceptible to advertising and the lure of a designer polish.

 

About a year ago, my best friend who lives oop north introduced me to Leighton Denny products. She had has manicures at a spa in Sheffield and had been very pleased. My first experience of Leighton Denny was in Edinburgh and I was not disappointed.

 

I fell in love with and recommend to everyone, the crystal nail file. Best nail related purchase ever. Followed by the LD 4 way buffer.

This June, I bought a magazine with a free LD nail polish with it. The colour I chose was "Supermodel" it being an on trend neutral. I wore it the whole summer and have used up half of my bottle!!

 

It is the best freebie I have ever had and when it is finished I will definitely buy it again because it goes with everything and looks grown up as well as fashionable.

 

Very good, Leighton Denny, Well done.

 

Birthday Celebrations

It is my sister's birthday next week so she has been at home all week. This weekend we celebrated her birthday in style. On Thursday we went to Milton Keynes for a pre christmas browse, then we went to the cinema to see some films - Contagion and Paranormal Activity 3. Yesterday we went into the town centre and went for lunch at our favourite restaurant, Buddies New York Diner. There are lots of Buddies restaurants around Northampton but the original one in the town centre is the best.

We've been going there for years and my sister and I have a Christmas tradition of having lunch there on our last day of shopping before christmas eve. The food is always delicious, the service excellent and the atmosphere fantastic. The burgers are to die for and in a shock twist yesterday my sister chose a burger (unusual choice) while I went for Chili and Nachos. Which are always a good choice.

Today we celebrated with my mum and step dad, so we went to the Red Hot World Buffet. Which is always nice.

It's very friendly, good value and with an excellent choice. I alsways have Chicken Korma there because it is just the right level of creamy and coconutty. I also had apple crumble for dessert. Delish. I've eaten out at my two favourite places this weekend. And had a lovely time with my sister. Happy birthday my sister, and very good Buddies and Red Hot, well done.

The Restorative Power of Tea

I love tea. I'm British so I realise I don't really need to say it. But I do. I love the first cup on a cold morning when it warms you up and I love the cups you have at night to relax. I love the cups you make at work before starting a major project and the ones that people make you when you're too busy to look up from your desk.
When I was studying I would brew a large pot of tea and drink my way through it, taking breaks when I needed to refill it.
When I was on holiday and felt overwhelmed by the noise and the heat, we would retire to a Starbucks for an English Breakfast tea and a sit down to recover.
Tea is an amazing restorative. The first thing I look for in hotels is the tea tray (Shame on you America for not providing them).

A good cup of tea is nicer than the finest champagne. And as far as I'm concerned, it's best drunk as hot as possible. I've gone through many stages of tea drinking.
Black (after a trip to France - the love of black tea only lasted about a week, I was in France for two weeks and had to drink it black because they gave us WARM milk to go in it. This is wrong.)
Builders tea you can stand the spoon up in.
Earl Grey, Russian (Another black tea- an acquired taste - very strong), Darjeeling (All your basic Twinings posh teas).
No tea at all (I had a couple of years where I went off it after drinking about 6pints in one morning). The first cup after the break was like coming home from exile.

To make the perfect cup of tea:

1) Your favourite tea bag (none of this herbal nonsense please)
2) The water has to be boiling, actually bubbling in the kettle. (Please be careful)
3) Warm the cup or pot
4) Hot water onto the teabag leave room for milk.
5) Lots of milk (cold).
6) Sugar to taste
7) A biscuit (or several) - to dunk or not is your choice.

The aim is strong but milky. This is how I like my tea now.

Tea is essential.
When you're upset and your mum / sister / best friend sits you down and gives you a mug of tea and a cuddle, you feel that actually, things will be alright. The world isn't such a horrible place and come what may you will always be loved. This is why, most conversations in Britain start with, "I'll put the kettle on".

Very good, Tea - the national drink of Great Britain, Well Done.

Caesars Palace

This summer we went on holiday to Las Vegas. It was our 6th trip there but the first time we've ever stayed in the iconic Caesars Palace. We got a taxi from the airport and pulled up in front of the hotel (Just like in the Hangover)

Then we checked in at reception and the lady on the desk gave us directions to our room which involved walking "Past the statue of Caesar"

We stayed in the Centurion tower on the 32nd floor. The lifts to our floor were right next to Cleopatra's barge and very close to the casino floor.



We had a lovely room, a phone and a telly in the bathroom, a big tv in the main room and the most amazing beds. It was like sleeping on clouds. Big squishy, comfy double bed clouds.

They don't look very special in this photo but after a day walking around giant hotels and malls coming home to flop on one of these glorious beds was bliss.
I intend to go back to Las Vegas. And I fully intend to stay at Caesars. Because it is a fantastic hotel and because the beds are actually made of joy. Very good Caesars Palace, Well Done.

Serenity in the City

Last summer my best friend and I went to Edinburgh for a long weekend. As well as sightseeing and afternoon tea, we booked into a little salon for manicures. The salon is called Serenity in the City and lives up to it's name. After an exhausting couple of days, we headed there for Leighton Denny manicures and were not disappointed. We were spoilt before the manicures, pampered during but the best was after.

 

 

We were shown into a cosy room called the Zen room which was beautifully decorated in black and red with low lighting, the right temperature and a heated waterbed. Yes. A heated waterbed. We were given cold drinks, fresh fruit and left to our own devices while our nails dried. We stayed there for hours, had a nap and thoroughly recharged. It is one of the stand out moments of the break and when I think of it, I feel instantly calm and relaxed. I intend to return to Edinburgh soon and will definitely be revisiting SITC. I would recommend it to anyone on their way north of the border. Very good, SITC, well done.

Dexter Season 1

OH MY GOD. My sister instroduced me to Love Film and insisted I order "Dexter". I had never seen any of them before and am now totally hooked. I finished series 1 on Monday (Thanks to a bout of laryngitis and a week off work). IT. IS. AMAZING. I am now totally addicted to this show. The premise is Dexter is a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police force. He is also a serial killer. But he only kills other serial killers. He was adopted and raised by a police man who realised he was dangerous and taught him morals and how not to get caught. It's bad to root for a serial killer but the writing is funny and clever so you end up liking Dexter as a character. I can't wait for series 2 to arrive!!! If you've not seen it, watch it and if you've already seen it, watch it again!!!
Very good, makers of "Dexter", well done.

Starbucks

I love Starbucks. When I was younger I thought all massive corporations were evil. Many of them are. But as I've got older, I find Starbucks comforting. It seems like nothing bad can happen in Starbucks. You can get an English Breakfast tea (I don't like coffee) there regardless of which country you're in . If you need a chocolate fix you can get a giant chocolate coin all year round (not just at christmas). You can sit there for hours reading the papers and the lemon muffins are gorgeous. They all look roughly the same, sell the same things and the staff are always friendly. The town that I live in recently got a drive through Starbucks. It is possibly the best thing that happened to me this year. It is on my way to work (bonus), an EBT is relatively cheap (£1.55 for a tall) and the staff are lovely. I use it to relax after work before i go home, I get my first cup of tea there some mornings and it sets me up for the day. If i'm on a long journey in the car, I will stop at a services that has Starbucks to give me a perk. And one of my best memories from last christmas was driving my sister home and spending ages sitting in a services starbucks laughing and talking.  To me, Starbucks is an oasis of calm wherever you are in the world. They have also just introduced some kind of coconutty flapjacky bar thing which i shall have to try out and probably blog about.
Very good Starbucks, well done.

Evil Clowns

I love being scared. Love it. Anything ghostly, sinister, things seen out of the corner of your eye. Any time you think you might look in the mirror and see something different - sends goosebumps down my spine and shivers.
It wasn't always like this, when i was about 14 my sister made me watch "Stephen King's IT". We were on holiday in a caravan, it was rainy and she told me it wasn't scary. It was a spoof. It is not a spoof and it is scary. It is the story of a group of children in Maine who are terrorised by an unspeakable evil (Tim Curry) in the form of a clown called Pennywise.  I was scared for years afterwards, I didn't watch it again until i was 25 and I still get shivers from it. Anyone who has seen it will understand.
That said, I do still love being scared.
Very good, Stephen King (and Tim Curry), Well done.

Retro Red Nail Polish

I love nail varnish. I love painting my nails. I love painting other people's nails.

Over the years I have spent thousands of pounds on pretty much every colour under the sun. I frequently become obsessed with a brand and invest heavily only to rarely use the polishes.

I know this is not an effective use of money, but i still do it.

I spend a lot of my time doing my nails, getting them perfect only to have them chip within hours.

I've resigned myself to this. So I focus on colour more than longevity. And I paint my nails almost every night.

Last night I painted my nails with GOSH's pillar box red colour "lambada". it is a truly retro red. and it's making me feel like a 50s siren.This makes me happy

Very Good, GOSH Lambada, Well Done.