Ice Ice Baby

Mr B's best mate is called Barry. It was Barry's birthday last week and Barry's wife Amelle had arranged a surprise.

At exactly 5:10pm on Saturday Mr B and I pulled up outside their house. Mr B then whisked us all away into London in our trusty car.

Barry had no idea what we were doing.

We parked in an underground carpark just off Regent Street. There were typical London cars parked there. Our nice car was somewhat outshone by the other residents.



Off we skipped to our sub-zero haunt for the night.



We donned well-insulated hooded capes and in we went, into the freezing ice bar. Everything, and I mean everything, was made of ice... the seats, the bar, the tables, the shot glasses...



We enjoyed our shots, though our lips got quite cold.



Amelle and I were toasty warm in our capes.



Mr B and Barry larked about, putting their heads into a tunneled block of ice



Mr B



Barry



We were only allowed 40 minutes in the winterwonderland or we would have turned into ice sculptures ourselves. We spent the rest of the night just next door, warming up, enjoying drinks and delicious tapas and laughing. Mr B even gave my feet a warm-up rub under the table.



That night I dreamt of being in a real ice wonderland, watching the Northern Lights...

Hopefully one day.

Pancake day was not all it was cracked up to be, this year anyway

My cheese & spinach pancakes were delicious, but Mr B was disappointed. He said that they were not "proper food" as there was no meat in them. Charming. I am well aware of Mr B's obsession love of meat but I didn't think it would extend to pancake fillings, especially where spinach is concerned.

I enjoyed them very much.

I was looking forward to seeing what happened to President Taylor's husband, or seeing if Ben & Jack managed to persuade anyone else to go back to The Island, so I was distressed thrilled to hear the football was on tv... Man U v. Inter Milan. Fantastic. Meisha ran away as soon as the game started (she's got the right idea) - Mr B gets quite vocal.

For afters we had dessert pancakes. We both agreed they were delicious.

Last night we did find out what happened to Henry Taylor and who went back to the island, even though there was another football match on tv.

Compromise is our middle name.

Pancake Day

Today is great. Today is Pancake Day!!! One of my favourite days of the year. Tonight Mr B and I will eat a copious number of pancakes. Yum. I’m going to make baked spinach & cheese pancakes for dinner and then we’ll gorge ourselves on as many nutella (him) lemon & sugar (me) pancakes we can eat!

In other news, I have spent this afternoon swooning at the new Laura Ashley Spring/Summer collection, so much so in fact that I have almost convinced myself to start redecorating our master bedroom this weekend… I just can’t wait much longer!



Here it is now. It’s small (like our whole house!) but very light and lovely. I’m going to paint the walls a pale duck egg blue. The ceiling and all of the woodwork (doors, sills, skirting boards etc.) will be off-white.



I’m also going to paint the mirror and little shelves on the wall off-white too. I'm going to frame a few of our black & white wedding photos & frame them in white frames above the bed. I can't wait to see the final result! I’ll be sure to share the ‘after’ photos with you when it’s complete.

W-end Happenings

This weekend was spent:

Drinking coffee, and lots of it. I was the barrista. Mr B was the customer (except I, the barrista, also drank the coffee). I have discovered that I do not heat the milk up enough. I must work on this.

Embarrassingly sitting out of the first part of my hot-yoga class. I thought I was going to die black out – neither of which is advisable so I sat on my mat and watched. Perhaps waking up and eating a big breakfast 45 minutes before bending backwards, sideways, upside down in the most sweltering room imaginable wasn’t my best plan.

Celebrating Mr M’s birthday in sub-zero temperatures… more on this to come later this week!!

Overly relying on our SatNav in London. Like sheep we blindly followed its instructions as it took us over the Thames one way, round South London for a bit only to take us back over the Thames again the other way! Doesn’t everyone love a detour, especially at 1am through scummy parts of London?

Sleeping and reading all of Sunday morning away. I was eventually woken up by my husband at 1pm. Blissful.



Dee-eye-why-ing. Oh yeah. Mr B put up a shiny new chrome curtain rail in our bedroom. I washed the curtains. It was all very exciting. I hung the damp curtains back up. The curtains were suddenly not long enough anymore. Grrrr. Our window looked like someone wearing trousers too short for them together with some attractive pulled up socks… hmm, geeky. [Weirdly the curtains are almost the right length again now – they must expand when dry?!]

This week I will post more - I've been a lazy blogger of late.

TTFN!

Giveaway Shout-Out!

April over at 4 Kennedys and a Dog is having a lovely giveaway... just look at what's up for grabs!

I'd love to win this... I've been looking for a ring bowl (unsuccessfully) and this one is so pretty!

Today I am...

1. Wondering why writing with my fountain pen is so much nicer.
2. Questioning what two horses were doing next to my office in the middle of a town centre this morning. Weird but nice.
3. Wondering when Mr B will buy a whole box of Krispys again? I miss them already.
4. Looking forward to testing the various pale blue paints for our bedroom walls tonight. Mr B has, understandably, vetoed my pink idea. I will post photos and possibly a video - if I don’t get too video-shy.
5. Speculating on what on earth I’m going to do about my job situation. Everything has gone topsy-turvy. I don’t know what to do for the best. It’s a big conundrum. More on this soon.
6. Wondering if the writers of Lost know what’s going on? I doubt it. I also doubt we, the loyal watchers, will ever receive the answers to all our questions.
7. Loving John Locke… does anyone else have this problem? Is it a problem?
8. Planning an extremely successful export business for Littlesack, selling peanut butter m&ms to the UK. It will be a triumph I can assure you.
9. Suffering with peanut butter m&m withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal is somewhat alleviated by Cadbury Crème Eggs. What great things they are.
10. Clamouring to watch the first two episodes of The City tonight.
11. Not recommending sewing early in the morning. My punctured fingertip isn’t thanking me (but I am wearing a cute blouse, work-appropriate of course).



12. Getting close to throwing Weasel-colleague’s pen out of the window. Actually scrap that. I am getting close to throwing Weasel-colleague out of the window.
13. Counting down until 6pm.

Indulgence

My Valentine went to town indulging me.

I came home to



and



and hugs and kisses from the man himself.

Later we had some dinner and drinks at a lovely pub on the edge of the Great Park.

We ate Krispy Kremes, heart-shaped of course, for breakfast yesterday...

And today.

Scrumptious.

A single red rose...

Just for you, my readers!



I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day!

Chaotic Bag Lady

This post is going to be somewhat chaotic I'm afraid, to reflect my life this week! Work has been busy, I've only stayed home one night after work and I've had lots of errands. Mr B and I have truly become passing ships. Tonight I'm going to make sure I leave work on time and I will savour every little minute of my evening at home with my man, doing nothing at all.

Recently I've wanted to take two yoga classes per week but my teacher only offers the one class that I already attend. So I found another class nearby and pre-paid for 6 classes. I shouldn’t have. The class is taught by a lady who I can only describe as a tiny, plump female Buddhist monk look-a-like (including shaved head and orange draperies). I use the word ‘taught’ loosely as all she actually does is sit on a pile of blankets while telling us what to do. She doesn’t do any movements herself at all. The room is dimly lit and we are supposed to keep our eyes closed the entire time. We chant (I don’t). We do maybe 3 or 4 different postures in 1.5 hours (my other class gets through maybe 8 or 9 comfortably). All in all, I’m kicking myself for pre-paying and therefore am forcing myself to attend the remaining classes I’ve paid for.

In a final bid to find another enjoyable class, I am trying a Hot Yoga class tomorrow morning while Mr B works. I've never tried Hot Yoga or this teacher so I'm excited to see what it's like. I think I have a good chance of enjoying it more than the chanting-class!

Tomorrow afternoon I'm finally going to use the Benefit makeover voucher, in the hope that my husband takes me out somewhere nice and I can show off my pretty makeup! Mr B insists that he hasn’t booked anything for us for Valentine’s evening, but I hope think he's joking.

In other news: I've been tagged by the lovely Erica... to show you all my current handbag!

Here are the rules-
1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you can't go into your closet and pull out your favorite purse! We want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house.
2. List how much it cost. And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, we’d love to hear it.
3. Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.



This is my current favourite bag for work. I have no idea what make it is or how much it cost as my wonderful Aunt gave it to me a few years ago. It's leather and pretty, that's all I know! After I took this photo one of the straps on my bag broke!! Oh no... it looks like I'll be doing some repair-sewing this weekend.

I'd like to tag the following ladies:
Shorty
Courtney
Jill
Laura
Bama Belle

I hope you all have lovely weekends!

Mrs.Cup... cake

The lovely Mrs. Cup is hosting her first giveaway! Just take a look at the book she's including...



Doesn't it look wonderful? I doubt I'd ever be good enough to make cupcakes as adorable as that, but I'd love to try. Get yourselves over to My Cup Overflows and enter!

Unexpected

I was inspired to start a blog because of this truly amazing lady and her family.

I thought a blog would be a lovely way of being creative while also keeping friends and family updated on our life. I started this experience with no expectations at all. In just 4 months I’ve come to enjoy creating posts so much more than I had imagined and I’ve made some wonderful, new, friends.

Thank you to all of you who read this for your humour, positivity, support and encouragement. It means more to me than you know.

Treacherous

This morning I had to drive poor little Mazzie-the-Mazda through an overnight lake. I was scared. The water was high. Mazzie is low, small and not so robust. I was convinced that water would pour in through the doors. I'm sure I could feel Mazzie rocking a little as an oncoming car churned up waves. Panic. But she ploughed through slowly and kept me dry.

Keep your fingers crossed that she starts tonight when I leave work...

Phantom

After work on Friday night I dashed through the sleet to meet my beloved. I was very excited. I ran up the escalators in the Underground (you can tell I was excited - try running up two of the longest escalators in succession, I don't recommend it. ). Finally I reached Trafalgar Square.

My beloved wasn't there.

He wasn't answering his phone either.

Great.

Not so beloved anymore. It was cold and I was hungry. So while I waited for him I took some photos.





After eventually meeting up, we grabbed a very quick snack and made it to the theatre just in time.



Phantom of the Opera was so enjoyable. The music is fantastic, the sets and costumes are so decadent and the singing was truly wonderful. It was dark, gothic and very dramatic. I think my mum would love to go and see this - come on Papa, I know you'll read this, please take her!

After the show my again beloved man and I walked through Piccadilly Circus and Soho...







To the infamous hotspot of my man and I, woohoo!



It was buzzing in Ed's. We had to wait for a seat. I think the doorman remembered us. Mr B commented that he should never plan fancy restaurant meals for me as I'm just as happy (and probably more excited) going to Ed's.

I wanted a Bud and some fries with ketchup. If you haven't already noticed Mr B and I are extraordinarily healthy. Always. Mr B ordered 'wet fries' for me. I didn't know what they were but trusted him. I shouldn't have. Some chips smothered in gravy arrived. Blurgh. Mr B, we do not eat chips & gravy in the south of England. Please never ever order this for me again. The chips go soggy. I do not like soggy chips.



We had reserved a hotel room in Greenwich so that we didn't have to trek all the way home in the middle of the night. The next morning we slept through until midday, missing our check-out time by over 2 hours. Whoops. After checking out 5 minutes after waking up we ate a cooked breakfast and then ambled through Greenwich market. It's fabulous there and we picked up the most funky lampshade for our kitchen.



The rest of the weekend we spent catching up with friends, catching up with our recorded programmes and relaxing just like the Meesh.

Tonight I’m having a night on the tiles with my husband. He’s meeting me in the big city, perhaps under the statue of Admiral Nelson (he hasn’t texted me back yet, grrr) where pigeons are no longer allowed to frolic – I miss them.

We are going to see Phantom of the Opera! I’m very excited! NB – I do not normally see one West End musical a month, 2009 so far is exceptional.



Maybe tonight Mr B will take me to the big Ed’s in Piccadilly. That would make me even more excited (Ed’s make their fries from Dutch potatoes don’t you know – that’s why they’re so great).

I’m on a quest to make this afternoon pass as quickly as possible –so far my quest has involved eating, eye rolling* and blogging.

My trusty Minolta is beside me, ready to capture the glamour of a drizzly night in London. I will tell you all about it soon.

* I have the loudest colleague ever. He clicks his pen continuously. He manages to get another level of sound from the pens - it would be quite amazing if it wasn’t so annoying. When he isn’t clicking his pen he will most certainly be making another, equally annoying and loud, noise – perhaps tapping his fingers on his desk for a few minutes, putting too much paper into the shredder which makes it sound like it’s about to explode, swearing (no words are too deemed too rude for the office which is pleasant) and slamming his hands on the desk in a rage to name a few. He’s not pretty. My nice and quiet colleague, who sits near me, and I roll our eyes at each other when it all gets too much.

Ray-key

My yoga teacher, Rosemary, is also a Reiki Master and this week I tried it for the very first time. All I knew about it was that is a type of healing. I am very open to new ideas and new experiences and I was excited to see what it was all about. After welcoming me and having a chat, Rosemary told me about Reiki. I started wondering what I was doing there. I am a realist and am thankfully very healthy so I highly doubted that Reiki was going to do anything at all for me.

I lay on a massage table, fully clothed on my back, and Rosemary tucked a blanket over me. She put an eye mask over my eyes and rubbed lavender oil on her hands. She started going through a normal yoga relaxation with me. But I have trouble becoming truly calm. My thoughts were going something like this:

“I must relax, come on, relax, peaceful thoughts, hmmm – I wonder if the lavender I smell is really a drug smelling of lavender, I bet Rosemary is actually drugging me, I bet Reiki is all a farce – come on, I’m being truly ridiculous now, peaceful thoughts, peaceful thoughts, trust Rosemary and enjoy this, oh my legs are too tense I must relax them, relax legs, relax. Uuurrrgggh, they’re not relaxing, come on stop tensing. Why won’t my muscles work with me? Oh gosh, I’ve forgotten to keep my breathing slow, deep, slow, deep…. Relax … I’m no good at this”

I think you get the picture.

Somehow I began to relax. Rosemary slowly and very gently placed her hands on different places on my head and body. She would hold each position for a while and in a lot of the places she touched I felt real, pulsing, localized heat. I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t want to believe it! But it was definitely happening! It was incredible. A couple of times instead of the heat I felt localized cold. When the treatment was over, I slowly sat up. I felt great and so incredibly calm. Yesterday I felt absolutely fantastic and I’ve slept like a baby for the past 2 nights since the treatment. Is it the Reiki? Or is it me believing the Reiki worked? I’ve no idea, but actually I don’t care. It was a most special experience.

Have any of you had a Reiki treatment before and, if so, what did you think?

PS If you look closely you'll see my new most tremendous necklace.

Double Belle Trouble

I have been tagged, twice, by both Belle's that I follow! Thank you so much Bama Belle in the Big City and Une Belle Vie - I'm loving the fun distraction of answering these questions. If you haven't already, please go and check out both of these blogs - they're fabulous.

It's freezing here - today as well as the snow we have loads of ice. Great. I've been at work since 07:20 this morning... Mr B drove me here on his way to work so that I didn't have to drive in the death trap Mazda. He's a gent. I've already got a lot done and I'm in no mood for faffing around so I'm being naughty and lazy with the tag-rules. Please forgive me!

What were you doing​ and who were you with at 9:59 PM on Frida​y night​?​​​ Snuggling on the sofa watching tv with Mr B.

What is the last thing you read/are currently reading? I'm reading Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. It took me a little while to get into, but I'm really enjoying it now.

Do you nap a lot? No, apart from when I'm ill. I wish I did but I always feel awful after sleeping during the day.

Who was the last person you hugged? Mr B.

What is your current obsession/addiction? Getting ideas & inspiration for my little home.

What was the last thing you said out loud? "Aren't the cars loud?" to my colleague. The cars outside our window are crushing ice as they drive and making a lot of racket.

What websites do you always visit when you go online? Blogger of course, Hotmail, Facebook, Sky News.

What was the last item you bought? Some Dermalogica goodies.

What is your most challenging goal? At the moment it's to find a new, enjoyable, job - the credit crunch has affected my job hunt a lot more than I imagined it would... there's nothing out there!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? Holland, so I could be closer to my family.

Favorite Vacation spot? Bali, Indonesia. It's magical.

Say something to the people who tagged you: Thank you for inspiring me and for writing posts that I enjoy so much.

Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you: There are too many things to mention!! Cheese, Kettle Chips, Wine and currently



Thanks so much Littlesack!

What is your favorite item of clothing? I'm loving my new (ish) boots from LK Bennett.


What would your American Gladiator name be and why? This is a tough one, ummmm.... possibly SAVAGE... (my maiden name)!

Name one thing you can not live with out: TEA. Strong but with lots of milk. No sugar. Can't beat it.

Has a celebrity's haircut ever influenced you on your own hairstyle? No, they copy me! I'm not all that experimental with my hair, it's normally mid-length/long with a longish blunt frige. I had a fringe WAY before Keira Knightley aka copy cat, ha.

If you could pick one ingredient in a mojito that best represents you what would it be and why? Lime. I'm a Limey.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Hopefully I will be a mum living in a larger house (it would be lovely to be able to have guests stay over!).

What is your favorite childhood memory? I have too many to choose just one! I have a topical one though... sledging down the hill next to my parents house with my mum - we had such fun and she's an expert sledger.

Favorite football team: Just for Mr B, Manchester United.

What are you wearing now? My boots, grey woollen trousers, black frilly cardigan & my new necklace.

What color is your bedroom? Cream Magnolia. This year I would like to decorate it a really, really pale pink.

What are you listening to right now? Beth Rowley. She's got the most beautiful voice.

What is something you wish you could do more? Travel. I only get 20 days holiday per year - no where near enough!

If you could have any super power, what would it be? I would love to fly... how awesome would that be? (And it would mean that I could have had a lie-in today!)

What is your favorite weather, and why? As hot and dry as possible! I was not meant to live in the UK, I hate the cold.

What time do you usually get up? 7am.

What is your favorite children’s book? Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree Series. Fairies, magic, adventures, magical places... what more could you want?



If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? Nelson Mandela.

If you could have any job in the world , what would it be? Photographer.

Who is your hero? My parents neighbour and my mum-mark 2, Audrey. She's the most generous, intelligent, motivated, elegant and charming lady. I would love to be more like her.

Phew, what a mammoth post! As a reward to you for making it all the way down here here's my cat-heroine.

White Out

Most of the UK is at a standstill, all because of this...



The whole time Mr B and I have lived near London we've never seen snow like this!



Mr B had to dig our car out of the snow!



Tonight's journey home from work should be interesting...