Friday Links

Happy Friday! So I’m not on a plane and I will stop going on about it soon! So this week has been a week of grinding through when I’d rather be in bed. About this time of year, my thoughts turn to why humans haven’t evolved to hibernate through winter. In my next life I’d like to come back as a bear or a red squirrel so I can sleep through the winter.

However, it’s not to be and so this week I’ve worked and slept and read and rescued my sourdough starter and even got to the gym. It’s the small victories like a week well done, even when you really would rather be somewhere else that are the best ones. Anyone can slay a dragon once in a lifetime but the small things you have to do every day they’re actually the hard things. I seem to have gone off on a philosophical tangent…anyway this weeks links.

1) Best explanation of why we should do things we don’t want to do, in this explanation of why Anders Breivik has been allowed to study at the University of Oslo.

By sticking to our rules and not clamouring for new ones we send a clear message to those whose misguided mission it is to undermine and change our democratic system. We do acknowledge that there are moral dilemmas in this case, but the last thing we need is a “lex Breivik“. We keep to our rules for our own sake, not for his.

2) Dunkin’ Donuts are coming to the UK. There was lots of excitement in the office about this last week. To which I can only say, 49g of sugar and it’s spelt doughnuts.

3) The Dead Sea is dying.

4) The unified theory of Pixar. Someone has too much time on their hands.

5) I really want to try making these.

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Holidays

This morning a reminder popped up on my phone, it said “you need to pack”, I don’t need to pack, so although I’m sad about not going on holiday, I’m also feeling like a weight has been lifted because I suck at packing.

The only time I ever got it right was when I went to Cote d’Ivoire because Ma helped. To highlight how useless I am, on the return trip, I left all of my trousers (5 pairs) in Africa! I was only saved because Jo came over that week, bringing them back! Then I started thinking about that holiday and I found this photo taken by Lazare, of Jo and me at the market.

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And this one.

Which got me looking at pictures, I’ve taken on holiday. So here are some photos, I’ve taken while on holiday. Bonus points if you can work out where they are!

 

2009 in lieu of words...

 

More Cote d'Ivoire

 

 

More Cote d'Ivoire

 

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Bathroom cabinet

This year, I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of stuff I have in the bathroom, this is harder than you’d think I could happily spend hours shopping for lotions and potions for my hair, body and face and that’s before I’ve even thought about make up. So things build up, something I noticed last year when I realised that I had 4 tubs of body moisturiser in a basket!

So I resolved to start using them up and thinking about what I needed in the bathroom. Although I feel that I’ve de-cluttered, my bathroom cabinet doesn’t seem to reflect that.

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Behold the contents of the bathroom cabinet..

Bottom shelf

pot full of various sachets and samples/floss/mouthwash/face serum/day cream/night cream/baby bottom butter/cotton wool pads/toothpaste/baby oil

Apart from the pot I use everything on this shelf almost every day, the baby oil is for very stubborn eye make up. In case you’re wondering my tooth brush lives on the other side of the bathroom on it’s charger and next to the plug.

Middle shelf

deodorant/pot with scissors, hairbrush and hairclips and bands/pot with cotton wool buds in it/tweezers/baby shampoo/contact lens solution/contact lens case/sunblocks for body and face

Two types of deodorant because they seem to work better that way, I always brush my hair before I wash it and scissors to cut into tubes of things to get the last bit out (waste not, want not etc). The pot that holds the cotton buds, came home with me from Cote d’Ivoire and used to hold crème fraiche or the Ivorian equivalent (I have a thing about packaging), the tweezers are for eyebrows and the chin hairs of doom that always seem to grow overnight (random hair production is the thing that no-one tells you about ageing – all of you in your 20’s and early 30’s, you’ve been warned!). The baby shampoo is for washing my make up brushes and I don’t think that I need to explain contact lens things or the sunblocks again!

Top shelf

spare contacts lenses/Always/Eve Lom rescue mask/mini dermalogica cream exfoliant/germolene/spot gel/eye wash/mini dermalogica toner/Bobbi Brown Repair Moisturising Balm

Thing that don’t get used too often or where I put them when I don’t want to throw them out but I don’t really like them (the free pot of Bobbi Brown, I’m looking at you). The most used things are the contacts, spot gel (because being old enough for random chin hairs doesn’t mean that you stop getting spots!), Always and the eye wash because I have really dry eyes and in the morning they are sticky and this helps!

What about you? What does the inside of you bathroom cabinet look like? What stuff do you use everyday and what goes in the cabinet to die?

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Random Things

I find myself glad that I’m not going to stay in Washington DC this week, but horrified that the US still can’t get gun control sorted out. Yes, I know that horrific things happen in the UK too, some of them involving guns but not as many in as in the US, seems to me that this is one thing that both parties over there should agree on  and work to change.

I also realised yesterday when talking about references on CV’s, that Tina is on mine as a referee. I’m not planning on changing my job anytime soon but it made me sad that’s she’s gone.

It could be something to do with the change in the weather and growing darkness but I’m tired. I’m not alone everyone in the office is tired, yesterday it felt like all we did was yawn and try to stay awake.

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I’m feeling amazed that despite being tired and grumpy and wanting to eat all the things but especially the cake that our head of department brought to work yesterday, I didn’t. Self control, there’s a first time for everything.

I did eat a Victoria plum though and it was heaven. Seasonal eating at it’s best.

I’ve been waking up around 3.30am and can’t get back to sleep, but when my alarm goes off at 5.45am, I feel sleep and drift off for half an hour or so. Maybe I should just set my alarm for 3.30am and see if that helps me get back to sleep.

I have a new role as a dealer of entertainment. Ma is working her way through The Wire and Jo through the works of Georgette Heyer, all borrowed from me. The godchildren already use my bookshelves as a library. Maybe I should start charging?

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Speaking of which if anybody has any spare money and would like to buy me something, membership of the London Library would be ace and at £38.37 a month, a bargain. Oh, for some money.

This week it’s roughly 4 degrees celsius colder than average temperatures, I’ve had the heating on for about half an hour so I could drain the radiators but I’m really trying to hold out until October because heating is very expensive.

Next weekend, Ma and I are going to babysit Oli (or the demon nephew as I have taken to calling him). I haven’t seen him since July so it should be fun. I am trying really hard not to expect the worst but Oli and I don’t have good days. I love him but he really isn’t very keen on his ‘bossy’ (his words!) aunt and I think holds me responsible for is parents going out without him. Grandma he’s fine with! I’m beginning to think that I liked him better when he couldn’t talk!

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What about you guys? Anything you’d like to share?

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The Weekend

I spent Friday night at Ma’s for Friday Night Pizza (we’re doing Christmas at Ma’s this year so it was a good opportunity for me to get used to her new kitchen!

Also this, I made this in my first year at secondary school. 29 years later Ma is still using it, which means that either she doesn’t cook very much or I am a woodworking genius!

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It was a relatively early night so we could get up early to get to Jane’s for haircuts and catching up.

When Jane was done and I could see again, I headed home for a quiet afternoon/evening, a small nap and a sad face when I realised that my beloved Chelsea had lost the match to Everton. Not good…

On Sunday morning, I leapt out of bed with enthusiasm and went to the gym, did the ironing, some washing and sorted out my wardrobe, putting the summer stuff away, getting out my winter clothes, changing the duvet and bleeding the radiators! It’s fair to say that all this activity was part of the reason I was late for meeting Ma and the reason we didn’t get to the theatre – sorry Ma!

Instead there was wine and chocolate brownies and home for an early night!

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The plan for this week is work, some gym, lots of sleep and trying not to be sad about my lack of holiday!

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Sunday Music

Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High

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Friday Links

It’s that time of the week! I’m very glad we’re nearly done. This weekend the plan is haircut and washing and rest? Not exciting but much needed. My fringe is taking over my face!

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Anyway, this week’s links and have a good weekend….

1) Cooking in Soviet Russia

2) Glaswegian’s are talking cockney. This amuses me no end.

3) The wealthy make mistakes, the poor go to jail. It was ever thus but it’s getting harder to escape your class.

4) Rules for country walks.

5) Rules for Entertaining, No 8 I’m wary of ‘rules’ telling you how you should live, but as I already do this, I’d recommend it!

6) Celibacy might be up for debate in the Catholic Church. Francis’ PR effort goes on, but I’m still not convinced.

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Breakfast

I’m not good in the mornings. Even on lovely light summer mornings, I struggle to surface into conciousness. Weekday working mornings are the worse, it’s too early and there’s too much to do to get myself washed, dressed and in a reasonable state of mind

I want to be good at mornings though, I understand that getting up, maybe doing some exercise, then getting ready to leave the house and eating breakfast would be a good way to start the day. However, the reality of me in the mornings, means that this is never going to happen so I decided to be good at breakfast.

At first that meant, forcing myself to eat something in the morning rather than just chugging coffee and running out the house. Now it’s part of my routine and I plan breakfasts as part of my weekly food plan and if I don’t wake up full of the joys of a brand new day, at least I’ve eaten breakfast.

Eating breakfast is supposed to help you regulate your appetite through the rest of the day. For me, this only works if breakfast contains protein. Although I’ve become accustomed to it’s texture and eaten lots of porridge over the past year or so, if I have it for breakfast, I’m always hungry by mid morning, I know that for lots of people the reverse is true but that’s how it works for me.

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Earlier this year I made a breakfast oatbake thing which was good but I had the same issues as with porridge and there was too much sugar in it for me to be comfortable eating it too often so it fell out of rotation. For the last couple of months most of my weekday breakfasts are egg based. I normally buy 12 to 15 eggs a week and eat most of them for breakfast, poached eggs on sourdough toast, egg cups (with or without the goats cheese) with peppers and carrots, boiled eggs with toast soldiers, frittata or my current favourite scrambled with spinach and mushrooms. With winter coming I may go back to the magic smoothie, which is quick and great during cold season.

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On the weekends, my breakfasts are later and more indulgent, a sausage, slice of bacon, slice of black pudding with a poached egg and toast keeps me going until dinner time, pancakes with blueberry sauce, apricot crisp and yogurt, granola and yogurt. There are other less healthy breakfasts of course, the Boxing Day cold yorkshire puddings and roast beef, sometimes leftover Friday Night Pizza.

There is always breakfast though!

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Cookies make everything better

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I know that I’ve mentioned that last week was not a good week about a million times but there were some silver linings to the bad cloud I seemed to be carrying around with me. One of them was the finding the lost cookie recipe!

Quick, easy and you melt the butter so no need to wait for it to soften from the fridge.  I used to (and will be doing so from now on) to at 150g to 200g of whatever I fancied into the dough. My favourite was sultanas. Sometimes 150g sultanas and 75-ish g of oats. However, I’ve also made them with M&Ms, Rolos or whatever was on hand that needed using up, (glacé cherries and mini marshmallows were not a winning combination but the godchildren loved them!

For these made last Thursday, I dumped several boxes of the little snack packs from Sainsburys in, so they had nuts and dried fruit and all sorts of interesting things in them.

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They were the perfect antidote to a bad week and surprisingly, I didn’t eat them all in one go for dinner and I still have some left but they really did cheer me up!

 

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The Weekend

This weekend was pretty low key.

Friday Night Pizza

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Dinner and champagne with Ma on Saturday night, starting with a G&T

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Walk around Richmond Park with Christelle and Ma, which we timed perfectly, just as we finished, the heavens opened!

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