25 September 2008

We are a week or so away from the “7 months till the wedding” date stamp. Cripes.

He was away again last night. I couldn’t get to sleep till gone 1.00am. It’s the second time he has slept elsewhere, since he moved in. Nothing sinister. He’s at his Mum’s – doing stuff. You would think, would you not, that I would have had a great couple of nights. Chilled on my own. Done my own thing. Had some space. But no. I miss him like crazy, the flat feels empty and lonely and quite frankly I’m miserable without him.

Yes, he is intensely annoying sometimes. He just never stops talking… He has his own, very special way, of doing things. As his Mum says, he’s particular. Everything has to be just so with him.

But he is so funny, and cute, and very sexy and lovely to look at. He does lots round the house. He can take care of himself, and doesn’t expect me to do all the “stuff”. He doesn’t talk with his mouth full.

I am a very lucky girl. I know this.

I got myself in a bit of a needy-please love me-I love you so much-tizzy at about midnight. I have a horrible feeling I might have begged him not to ever leave me.

That’s never a good side to show someone….I’m banking on him putting it down to my hormones.

20 September 2008

FaceLift

It's been a rather quiet day here in Olde Hanwell. We went to the Post Office. We did our big shop at Asda. We changed the bed. We did a couple of loads of laundry. He hoovered. I dusted. There was some tidying up, and some putting away. I made some fairy cakes. He made dinner. He is next to me now on the sofa watching Match of the Day. Arsenal won. Thank Christ. I have been ripping out recipes I want to keep, but will probably never try out, from the pile of glossy mags that live next to the sofa... Life is certainly full and fun.

So I was sitting here. Deciding whether to paint my toe nails. Do myself a face mask. Do nothing.

When I thought, I know I'll check my email, see where we are in the aol fantasy football league, have a quick surf. And I ended up here. At my blog. And I thought, you know what, a change is as good as a rest. So what do you think? Like it?

19 September 2008

I am suffering today. I got a bit squiffy last night. When I say squiffy, I mean the waiter at one point refilled everyone else’s glass with champagne except mine and said “You may have had enough”. I rest my case. I saw my lovely friends Louise and Bernie together with their big cheese Hiawatha Editor, Jo. I still get a complete and total kick out of the fact that I can say they are my friends. If I was my friend I would be so jealous of me and my celebrity author friends. So jealous I might cry a bit actually. Sometimes life really is just great isn’t it?

Other news to report - we’ve gone all fancy-pants at New Work. We moved into our sparkly new offices on Monday, and now have the following which we never did have before:
Actual real carpet not carpet tiles
Purpose built book cases not “shed” shelves
A swanky new reception area, bigger than any reception you ever did see in your life
A “breakout” area – otherwise known as four table and chair sets in our new kitchen.
We have a feature wall in lime green.
We all have matching (white) desks
We have new desk privacy screens the height of an A3 box file
We have more meeting rooms than you can shake a stick at
We all have matching desk chairs
New rubbish bins
A “Hub”
A Café 180 greasy spoon down the road


What we do not have is:
Natural light
A shower
Offices for half the big cheeses that had them before
Anywhere to hide
A supermarket over the road
A Boots over the road
A newsagents next door
A post office
A bank
A Starbucks
An Eat
A Costa
A Nero
A Krispy Kreme
A Superdrug
A New Look

I now have an extra stop and a 15 minute walk from the station to our swanky new pad. It could be worse. I could be unemployed.

Lastly, I finished my next sneaky-don’t-tell-Boo shopping spree book last week. As a starting point, I have to reiterate how much I love Jenny Colgan and always have. And how much I’m looking forward to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” which is coming in January 2009. And I really hope that I can skirt over and around the fact that Operation Sunshine didn’t rock my world without anyone ever holding it against me. I know I’m getting old(er), and perhaps less chick, but, oh blimey! Obviously people far more knowledgeable than I have really enjoyed it, and raved about it in all the reviews – so I know it might only be my humble opinion – but I just felt it never got it’s groove on and I feel I know no more about the central character Evie now, than I did when I opened the book for the first time.

16 September 2008

Get Me One

In Metro this morning was something so beautiful, so special, so marvellous I ripped out the page and have it next to me on my desk.

La Bibliochaise from Nobody & Co would look perfect in my house, and I want one. Now.

14 September 2008

The Birthday Club









Today we celebrated another day of birth - this time Claud(e)was the chosen one, and we hot-footed our way down to Chiswick for some Pissarro's goodness. We managed to get a table for 6 in the conservatory overlooking the Thames, and got stuck in to the Sparkly Rose quick sharp.

The Girls were all fabulous entertainment, such good value for money, and so fine too. Look.

10 September 2008

Let Down Larry

Back in November I got myself all excited by this news.

Can I just say, what a load of rubbish. Like REALLY?! That’s really the best you could do. Like really? I saw it on DVD at the weekend, and I am still really really angry.

The whole booking the holiday scene didn’t even frigging appear. My bestest, most sweetest, saddest, heart breaking scene didn’t even appear, unless you count the travel agent lady moving a box of tissues on her desk. Fuck a fucking duck.

I am SO very VERY disappointed. But thank Christ I'm not the author of the book. If I was Cecelia Ahern, I would be suing everyone associated with this mockery of a shame, of a shame of a mockery. The scriptwriter, the producer, the director, the casting agent... every last MoFo. That is of course, after I have picked myself up from the floor where I had been crying my eyes out for 6 months.

4 September 2008

Tan Lines

There are three programmes on TV that I can’t bear to miss at the moment - The Secret Millionaire, Who Do You Think You Are? and Don’t Tell the Bride. Obviously I am still addicted to Midsummer Murders, A Touch of Frost, Wire in the Blood, Without a Trace and any and all of the CSI’s – but am happy to record them all and watch them at a later date.

TV is weird I think. There was a time when I would watch as many celebrity (!) reality shows as you could shake a stick to. I would watch every cookery programme, every home DIY thing, and almost any show involving sex in any form.

Like music. There was a time when I would only listen to jazz. Another time when it was all about the hip hop. Classical took its turn for a while, as did R&B, Rare Groove and even a touch of Opera. (Never The 60’s I hasten to add).

But I think I’ve only had five distinct phases in my book reading life. (I don’t count books that were read to me when I was a kid for a couple of reasons – but mainly because I don’t really remember them (except Where the Wild Things Are?, which I still love today)).

So, I believe my first phase started when I was about 9 or 10 with the complete works of Agatha Christie, moved onto the likes of My Sweet Audrina , and Kane and Able, when I was about 13, Jackie Collins and books of that ilk from about 16 or 17 for the next 10 years or so, and now chick lit. It has been one of my best friends. At times I get very frustrated with it; even (dare I say it) a bit bored now and again. But I love it from the bottom of my heart. I will defend it to the death. And even when I am old, grey(er) and smell of wee, I will still have it by my side. Now and again though, I am unfaithful and I see other friends. I know, I know. But like people, we can’t get everything that satisfies us from just one human being. We need a plethora to tap into the different characteristics, interests and passions within us. I have been known to wander into crime on occasions. I’ve done some mass market general fiction. The odd thriller. I’ve even been known to skim read the odd non-fiction title….

It will came as no huge shock therefore to report that I enjoyed Tan Lines more than is strictly necessary.

Sometimes I don’t want to have to think when I read. I don’t want to be challenged by language and grammar. I don’t want to be stretched and educated. I just wanna have a laugh, been titillated a little bit, be entertained in short sharp spurts and close the book at the end thinking “excellent”. Tan Lines delivers on every level with the main characters Liza (feminist writer), Kellyanne (beautiful wannabe actress) and Billie (off the rails rock chick) and their adventures during a summer share in the Hampton’s. With bags of hoo-hars and to-dos, a dollop of sex, drugs and rock and roll, some stalking, a gay husband, a randy old sugar daddy and a gorgeous crab fishing surfer dude – its great fun, and very reminiscent of the Queen of the Bonkbuster – Jackie Collins.

For what it is, its great - if only the author hadn’t have rushed through the ending in five minutes flat I would have given Tan Lines a 10 out of 10.

2 September 2008

Girls Weekend Away





















I remember when a girls weekend away involved getting roaring drunk by 11am, snogging strange boys, eating breakfast after noon and dinner at about 2am. It always featured a fight, some karaoke, a touch of disco dancing and preferably some recreational pharmaceuticals.

My, how things have changed.

Now it involves breakfast before 9am, whole sandcastle villages being built, icecream at regular intervals, dinner at 6pm involving vegetables, a few games of cards then bed by 9pm....

Awesome.

Here are some snaps to prove that in one small pocket of Kent, the sun shone all weekend.