I kicked off this week by meeting my friend Debbie for a quick drink (it had to be quick as I had double booked myself with Ocado – oops!) and delivering a HUGE pumpkin. Debbie’s uncle grows enormous vegetables on his allotment and enters them into competitions. The pumpkin had won a prize in a competition in Harrow and was being donated to a local school for their harvest festival. I think that the pumpkin weighed around 50kg, but luckily two caretakers did all of the lifting for us as I am pretty weedy when it comes to upper body strength! The school were very grateful to receive such a gift.

I also went and checked out Watsky at Scala in London on Wednesday. He is one of Phil’s favourite artists, but his songs are quite fun. He also writes a lot of poetry which is quite moving. Having not seen Watsky live before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of energy he gave. There is no doubt about it, the guy is talented. The crowd were electric and I noticed that his fans generally don’t think that he is ‘alright’, they think he is amazing. I felt like I was amongst a cult. All in all, it was a fun evening.

We are making progress on the wedding planning front too… I went wedding dress shopping with my Mum!

We went to a shop in Northolt called Bridal Affairs. They were absolutely fabulous. The staff were friendly and really helpful. There was no pressure either, which was great as it is such a big decision to make. I had actually been taking it quite lightly, but people pointed out that everyone will be looking at the dress and it will be in all of my photographs and memories of our big day. Now I am definitely making sure that it is ‘the one’. Unfortunately, neither of the dresses that I tried on were perfect for me, but it has helped me realise what will be perfect even more.

For a start, I do not want a huge dress. The dresses were so difficult to walk in and I was constantly paranoid about treading on it, thus resulting in either falling flat on my face, or ripping the dress, revealing my nudeness to the world. They were really heavy too and I felt that I resembled a bride from ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’. No thank you to wedding night back ache and sore hips. So basically, I have realised that I am really fussy and practical. The search continues…

We also had our first proper rehearsal for the first dance last night with Alex and Nick. It went really well and I think that we have made great progress. Looking forward to bringing Kim and Simon in next time!

Today we found Phil’s wedding ring and so we snapped it up. I am so pleased to have that one checked off of the list. Slowly, but surely, everything is starting to come together.

I spent some time with Grandad this week, looking through old photographs. We both enjoy reminiscing, so expect more of these throwback photographs in future blogs!

I love these two photographs. Such a nice one of Mum and I. The one with Grandad is completely typical of how he was when I was younger, always playing with me and having adventures. I am so lucky to have him in my life.

In other news, I woke up on Tuesday with a sore ankle. I am not sure what happened exactly, but I think I have strained the medial part. I’ve got it all strapped up and am trying not to over exert myself. Hopefully it will be normal again in a couple of days!

I’m now going to stuff myself with Ben & Jerry’s whilst watching trash tv. Enjoy your weekend!

L x

Okay, so another week has passed and it has been quite a busy one.

I went for a lovely lunch at Ask Italian in Northwood with my Mum last week. I’m not sure why we never go there as it is mighty delicious! Mum had a divine pork dish whilst I opted for a risotto. Both were scrumptious (I made sure Mum shared some of her pork after eyeing it up on her plate!) and we had a chocolate sharing platter for dessert. My only criticism being that I could have happily eaten the entire sharing platter myself, but in all honesty it’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth.

We also popped over to Cook. They sell the most delicious ready meals that taste home cooked. It has become my ‘go to’ place if I’m in a hurry or feel lazy about cooking. I particularly enjoy their Chicken Korma – yummy!

Whilst we were in there, a lady recognised Mum as a childhood playmate. They haven’t seen each other for over twenty years. It was so nice to see the excitement in their eyes after rediscovering each other.

That’s the thing these days, we are so lucky to have social media, email and mobile phones to stay in touch with each other. I think it’s so easy to forget that it required a lot more effort a few years ago!

Phil and I have also been going to the gym. It feels really good to squeeze in a work out in the evening. Even if it is only for half an hour or an hour. Whilst I was on the treadmill, I noticed an error in the spelling of ‘elapsed’. It’s going to irritate me every time I go there now!

Last Thursday saw the opening of Topshop in Watford. I received an email saying that it will be opening at 10am and as a person who quite enjoys shopping, I decided to pop along with my friend Adele. We were quite early so decided to have a look around first before bracing ourselves for the shiny new Topshop. When we returned just before 10am, there was a crowd of around fifty people and a lady outside telling everybody that they weren’t ready. It was pretty disappointing and reflected badly on the brand in my opinion. Adele and I still had a nice time though and I snapped up a dress to wear to baby Archie’s christening next month.

We also went and had lunch at Ed’s Easy Diner. I love it there as I am all over American Diners. I also adore the music that they play and if you are lucky enough to be sat at a table with a jukebox, you can even choose your own track!

The other good thing about our trip to Ed’s was that I had a 50% off voucher emailed to me, so we ate for half the price. Bargain!

On Saturday we took a trip into Maida Vale to meet my friend Alex for lunch. It was lovely to see her and check out her swanky West London pad. We went to a place called Raouls and I had a duck dish that was wonderful.

Yesterday was the last day of summer I believe and what better way to end the season of warmth than a trip to Thorpe Park. I hadn’t been since I was a small girl with a fear of rides. The last time I went, I only went on the tea cups, so I was a bit apprehensive about the thrill factor of the rides. I needn’t have worried though as there really is something for everyone. I also think that I am a bit braver now. Especially as I even went on Logger’s Leap. Although, I did pull a face like this:

I honestly think that this is the single most grotesque photograph of myself ever taken. And now it resides in my living room.

We went with our friends (who are much braver than I am!) Sarah, Matt, Nick and Alex. It was nice to hang out with couples. I have been with Phil for almost ten years and it is only recently that the majority of our friends have coupled up. It’s great because now we can all have fun together.

Here are a few snaps from our day!

I have also been Vlogging and you can find my Vlog on Thorpe Park here:

We were thrilled last week when finally (after months of nurturing), we saw our first flower on one of our Black-Eyed Susan plants!

I also visited my Grandad last week which was so nice. Whilst I was there, I found this gem from sports day in the mid nineties:

I don’t think I have changed very much, although thankfully I have ditched the cycle shorts.

Until next time…

L x

So I’ll just say it… I’m a TV junkie and I cannot resist watching Big Brother.

I know it’s trash. I know I really shouldn’t watch it, but I just can’t help myself.

Naturally, my urge to watch Big Brother extends to Celebrity Big Brother too, and in case you hadn’t heard, it was the CBB final on Friday night.

Gary Busey was crowned the winner of this summer’s CBB. Not going to lie, I’ve been a bit disappointed with the line up and wasn’t particularly bothered who actually won (despite being an avid B*Witched fan when I was thirteen). It wasn’t that I disliked the people this season, just didn’t feel like I was bothered by any of them.

Another show that I have been enjoying consuming recently is the return of Wentworth Prison. I really think that this drama is fabulous, although dark at times. Really enjoying season 2. Check it out if you haven’t already but be warned it’s not light hearted.

So, you’ve probably realised by now that I am a bit of a foodie and this week has been no exception on the face stuffing front.

I met up with two friends who I used to work with for lunch during the week and we went to the Harvester. It was so wonderful to see them both, especially as I hadn’t seen one of them for around eighteen months! It’s strange how life just gets in the way sometimes and before you know it a year has passed. Really glad that we managed to squeeze in a catch up.

I also met with my friend Adele on Friday. We went shopping and chatted about wedding things and life generally. We decided to hit up Wagamama in Watford. I really like Wagamama because you know exactly what you are going to get and it’s very reasonably priced too. Unfortunately, the service was a bit slow when we went and we waited ages for our drinks and had to chase it up which was a bit disappointing. We also waited fifteen minutes for the bill before going over to the till and paying.

It’s always a bit funny when you go to Wagamama’s because you can never tell who you are going to be sat next to and ultimately you are often in amongst strangers. Phil and I had a similar experience when we were in Florida and we went to a Japanese Steak House in Cocoa Beach. It was one of those restaurants where they cook the food at your table and the chef generally does a few tricks. Anyway, we were sat amongst a family of about ten who were out celebrating a birthday. I felt really sorry for them having us two English intruders sat with them during their special meal.

Whilst we are on the subject of food, there is a company called Cook who make really delicious prepared meals. We are fortunate to have one of their shops in Northwood and when I am feeling lazy or have little time to cook, I really enjoy a Chicken Korma from Cook. Check them out!

Continuing the food theme, Phil and I tried out Five Guys in Uxbridge yesterday. Not going to lie, I was a little disappointed. Sure, the food was nice, but I just feel like the Five Guys experience is lacking some va va voom!

So from food to fashion, and the Altuzarra for Target collection launched today. There are a few lovely pieces. I particularly like the Orchid print sweatshirt, Embroidered jersey sweater and the Orchid maxi dress. The only thing I find really frustrating about the ‘For Target’ collections is that in the states, an item may be $70, but other here it’s £70… not a fair conversion, just like Apple products…

In other news, I have started vlogging. Not for any reason in particular aside from I thought that it might be fun. You can check it out here: http://youtu.be/bEKhnHJ2Avw

I’ve made a bit of progress with wedding planning and purchased a few cute bits from Hobbycraft on Friday, including a wedding magazine!

Looking forward to having a nosey and gaining some inspiration.

We also took Holly to the vets yesterday to have her nails clipped and a lump on her neck checked. They are really good in Medivet Pinner and they treat Holly really well. Holly was quite good having her nails done this time. She is always so terribly wriggly, but this time was a little more settled and they managed to clip her nails with only Phil holding her. They also had a grope and are quite sure that Holly just has a fatty lump which is common in dogs, so brilliant news!

Phil and I had our hair cut yesterday. I hadn’t had my hair cut for almost a year because I am growing it, but realised I was looking decidedly more and more unkempt. It feels so lush now though. I love that feeling of a fresh hair cut where it all just feels nice. The hairdresser used one of the GHD hairdryers which I have decided are amazing and I think I will invest in one once my trusty Lee Stafford hairdryer gives up.

Finally, we decided to have a BBQ last night as the weather has been so mild recently. It was really nice to see Alex and Nick and spend the evening outside. I really love the warmer months when it is comfortable to be outside in the open. I doubt that we will have many evenings like that now that October is fast approaching.

I will leave you with a picture of Holly being adorable this morning.

L x

On Thursday evening of last week, Phil and I did something that had become a mere memory over the lazy summer that we have just had. We made a triumphant return to THE GYM. We had signed up to The Gym in North Harrow in July and have only actually made it there once. We had chosen this particular gym as there is no contract. I am very much a fan of the idea of contract-less gyms as I feel that you should be in control of what you spend your money on and when. If after five months, you don’t enjoy going as much or your circumstances change, you should be able to readily cancel and move on without being penalised or forced to continue for the remainder of your contractual obligation. If the facilities aren’t up to scratch then you should be able to find a place where the facilities are. Anyway, without dwelling on our mediocre gym session last Thursday too much, I would just like to mention that we quite enjoyed it. So much so in fact that we are going to spend our Monday evening doing it all over again.

We were due to go to a roller disco last Friday, but after a few people pulled out and poor Phil had to work late, we opted for a quiet meal and catch up with my forever friend, Nichola. I have known Nichola for pretty much my whole life. My Mum and her Mum used to go to school together and were neighbours, so they had grown up together and so have Nichola and I. We may not see each other as much as we used to (everyday at school and there was a wonderful time when we were both at Uni where we had an abundance of time on our hands and filled it with each other’s company!), but we are still the best of friends and know that we are always there for one another no matter what. So off the three of us strutted to Pizza Express in Pinner. We were originally going to go to Indulge for delicious crepes, but unfortunately, it was absolutely packed. I was still full from my trip to the Harvester in Ruislip for lunch with my uncle, but as I adore food so much, managed to squeeze in a lasagne and chocolate glory dessert.

I have a very sweet tooth and the chocolate glory went down a treat.

Unfortunately on Saturday I woke up feeling poorly, so plans were scrapped and I spent the majority of Saturday wallowing on the sofa and playing our new board game ‘Logo Billionaire’.

Logo Billionaire is basically a game of luck with little strategy involved. We played it three times and I lost every round. I’m not a sore loser though, so it’s all good!

We also had a Chinese takeaway feast (did I mention I like food?!) for dinner which, along with a big sleep, made me feel absolutely fine on Sunday.

Sundays are perfect for long walks with Holly. I think I mentioned in my previous post how much Holly loves her frisbee. Honestly, I think it is the best £2 I have ever spent. It brings her (and us watching) so much joy.

We had a lovely stroll and a play before making our way to meet our friend Rachel for a carvery dinner at Ruislip Lido. Unfortunately they had run out of all meat except for turkey (an outrageous thing to happen at a carvery!), so I had turkey and sausage with two Yorkshire puddings and a tonne of vegetables. I felt completely stuffed, but managed to make room for a scrumptious profiterole sundae.

It’s been feeling distinctly chilly when leaving home in the mornings recently, bringing with it the promise of Autumn and Winter. I am still enjoying the garden though and thought that I would share some of the flowers that are still around.

It has also just been announced today that Prince William and Kate are expecting another baby. I thought that it was true when I heard the rumours weeks ago, even if their ‘evidence’ was a bit sketchy to say the least. I am completely thrilled for them and am delighted to have a positive item on the news after a week filled with terribly sad stories of various deaths and missing persons. I don’t think that I will ever be able to comprehend how some people can be so very cruel.

Right, I am off now to do some cleaning and book Holly a vets appointment to have her nails clipped.

Till next time, L x

 

Hello!

So here it is. My first ever post on my new blog. Exciting right?!

I have decided to start blogging for a number of reasons. Mostly because I enjoy writing and I adore reading other people’s blogs. Not that I am assuming that anybody will be overly interested in reading mine! I would also like to start documenting my seemingly mundane life and sharing things that I have discovered that I like. I don’t plan on committing to anything, but I think that my life is interesting enough to blog around once a week. We’ll see how it goes…

We had a relatively busy weekend and Saturday started with meeting my wonderful bridesmaids. We have been having monthly meetings to put together ideas and also ensure that everyone gets to know each other (I’m really milking this bride-to-be malarkey!). We usually go to a nice place for substantial face stuffing, along with a catch up/gossip.This month’s meeting was held at Ye Olde Greene Manne in Rickmansworth. It’s a cosy pub/restaurant that’s clean and well presented. It was really lovely to see some of my favourite ladies and discuss ideas. I think that it was very productive and we’ve all got things to work on.

Sunday was devoted to Phil’s family. His Dad came over in the morning and I soon put Phil and him to work in the garden. I’ve been terribly busy of late and the garden was starting to resemble an Amazonian jungle (the grass was about three inches!). It’s beautiful again now with short grass. Hurrah!

We also had some news at the start of last week. Phil’s sister Sarah had given birth to her fourth baby. A beautiful baby boy called Archie. Sarah, her husband Dave and their newly increased brood joined us in the late afternoon and we got to meet our new nephew. He is very cute although he has the constitution of an old man! I think Phil really enjoyed meeting him and he had a look in his eye of broodiness. I’ve also been asked to be his Godmother which is a charming compliment.

The first time I held Archie, he started to make that newborn baby cry sound. You know the sound that newborn babies make when they haven’t fully learnt how to cry yet? Luckily I’m not easily offended and it was soon confirmed that he was hungry. Anyway, once he was all settled we had some cuddles  and even Holly snuck in a snuggle before heading off to a local park.

It was such a perfect late summer’s evening on Sunday and we had a blast playing at the park with the children and Holly. Often it is the simplest of things that are the most enjoyable and this was one of them. Holly adores her frisbee and had a ball playing fetch with it. Poor Holly was exhausted afterwards and pretty much fell asleep on the short drive home.

 

 

In other news this week, we have been growing chillies in our back garden and I tried the teensiest weeniest piece last night. I had used them before in a Chinese duck dish that I had made for Phil’s lunch and he had said that they were ‘really nice’. REALLY NICE IF YOU LIKE THE FEELING OF YOUR ENTIRE HEAD ON FIRE. Oh my goodness, I have never tasted anything so hot. I had to hold my mouth under a running cold tap and my nose was still tingling hours later. I think I will give them another chance in a chilli con carne dish next week, but will ensure that I chop them VERY finely!

Anyway, I think that’s enough from me this week. Enjoy the lovely weather that we have been having!

L x