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