ADVENTURES
Winning The War
It was a brilliant weekend. Hot, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. We took the monkeys to the in-laws to play in the garden and jump through the sprinkler. Then some one armed the little angels. We'd prepared for them getting wet but in a serious misstep, we...
Norton Priory
Some days Perkin Flump is your spirit animal. "The water is too lumpy. The floor is too wet and sloshy. And the porridge is too loud. It's a too much morning." On days like this you need a day out but on too much mornings that's effort. That's when it...
A change of perspective
We've just got back from a week in Anglesey. The weather was distinctly British and the monkeys were at their most demanding. It was certainly not an Enid Blyton style romp. What it was though, was exactly what I needed. The family together, the dog getting...
Rock Me Amadeus!
Me and the bestie are off to Vienna in October. I got over excited watching Rick Stein and booked it. It's EasyJet from Manchester and we are staying in the Hotel Zipser. Apart from cafe culture, Freud, Mozart and sacher-torte I am woefully ignorant so have no...
#ParisBaby!
God, I love Paris! I would move there in a heartbeat. It makes my pulse race just thinking of it. My beloved husband had never been. This had to be rectified. As there are three monkeys (children) to look after, it had to be a short jaunt. EasyJet flies direct...
CELEBRATE
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CULTURE
Barry Cryer
I love Barry Cryer. He's been at the heart of British comedy since the 50's and he worked with everyone. By my reckoning if you grew up with Morecambe & Wise, The Frost Report or Kenny Everett he's made you laugh. That's most of us. His influence goes far...
Dunkirk
I did not want to see Dunkirk for a number of reasons. First, Christopher Nolan may be a cinematic genius but life is short and he likes a lengthy running time. Second, I have no interest in watching the glorification of war or human pain. Finally, I watched a lot of...
Tell Me About Your Dog
I have varied taste in rom coms (the phrase is the opposite of fizzy). I am all for the classic Ryan/Hanks combo with the preference being You've Got Mail. I love When Harry Met Sally. I am a Richard Curtis fan girl. All impeccable, I'm sure you'll agree. I also love...
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes Shonda Rhimes is a power house. Watch her TED Talk and she'll tell you. What she does is breathtaking, her achievements endless and she was unhappy. After her sister pointed out she didn't do anything anymore she promised herself to...
The Uncomfort Zone
I have agreed to chair the work book club as our fearless leader is taking time off to look after his children during the summer holidays. Although I love books and the sound of my own voice, this is not a natural fit for me. I have many opinions. I have lots....
A Trip To The Theatre
I love the theatre. From a back stage trip to the Playhouse in the Brownies to playing the milkman in a school production of Blood Brothers I fell for it at a young age. My dreams of being an actress were thwarted due to a fear of heights. Seriously, have you seen...
Sounds Of The South
BBC2 are showing Reginald D Hunter's documentary Sounds Of The South tonight at 10pm. It was originally shown on BBC Four and it's wonderful. Obviously the music is brilliant but Reg is a warm and wryly amused, bemused and angry commentator. It's worth your...
Drums Please
Music hits people in different places. Some people are all about the guitar riff. For others, it's the bass line. A horn section does it for others. I'm a sucker for the drums. Stand still long enough and I will lecture you about the importance of Phil Collins...
The Men Who Own My Soul – Part 3
My feelings for Bruce Springsteen run deep. He has always been there. I don't remember discovering him. No one introduced his music to me. He was there and I just kept falling more in love with his work. Even when he's writing about the darkest times his lyrics...
Doctor Who
The 13th Doctor is female. I'm so excited I could pop! I think Jodie Whittaker is a great choice. She was fantastic in Broadchurch and Attack The Block. And I have noticed that she's a girl. Don't tell anyone that bit, they may freak out. I do love a...
Midsomer Murders
I still fancy Bergerac... Now I have thoughts about ITV detective drama: Morse - yes Lewis - no Wexford - yes Wycliffe - if I must Vera - yes Endeavour - can I hear a dead horse being flogged? Foyle's War - yawn But Midsomer Murders. Perfect, bliss, heaven....
Hokusai
I married an artist. I am not an artist. Unless you class eyeliner as art and then I'm a genius. In attempt to be arty I took the beloved to see a documentary on Hokusai, the Japanese artist best known for the Great Wave at FACT. I was slightly sneery as...
Clue (1985)
I will hear no arguments on this one. This is comedy genius. Live action Cluedo with Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn and Eileen Brennan. It's screwball comedy set in 1950's America at the height of McCarthyism. It's witty, silly and arch. The cast are brilliant (I'm...
To Kill A Mocking Bird
A book club is an interesting beast. You join on the basis that you will expand your reading horizons and engage with people about literary themes and deeper meanings. You then find yourself resenting your fellow book clubbers for picking something you've read and...
California… not the place
It's Sunday afternoon and I'm trying to write but the universe is having a wee conspire against me. Laptop updates, wibbly wifi and a howling dog. So boomed the tunes on. Spotify had done its handy personal playlist thing. Cue California - the Tchad Blake remix by...
Men Who Own My Soul – part 2
Richard Thompson Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson. Where do I start? Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson. I love him. Completely and unapologetically. I can even sit through very long guitar solos for Richard...
Rivers of London
Slight crush on PC Grant I do love a good accidental stumble across an excellent book. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronvitch was on a reading list for the work book club. It didn’t have it’s moment in the sun but I was intrigued enough to try it anyway. Oh Lord, I...
Family Viewing
DIY SOS: The Big Build I’m not a big television watcher. I want to be and I get very giddy about starting a new series but I get distracted and it can feel like a big commitment with work, a husband, friendships, dog walking and an internet shopping habit to...
Stevie Nicks
I will never be Stevie Nicks. An obvious statement but a true one. I will also never be Diane Keaton or Audrey Hepburn. In the past, this has kept me awake and worried at my soul. I am not bohemian, ditzy or gamine. I am me and I lean towards Bette Midler’s stage...
Taylor Swift
Shake it off! Sometimes you are awake at 4.26am because you're full of cold and feeling sorry for yourself. You start half heartedly reading the news on your phone because that's a sensible self-caring thing to do when you stumble across great news that just has to be...
The men who own my soul – part 1
Billy Bragg When I met the beloved I told him that I loved him (ours was a whirlwind kind of thing) but he would never own my soul. Three men got their first: Billy Bragg, Bruce Springsteen and Richard Thompson. Luckily, he's an understanding man. Music got me...
The old masters
Three monkeys and Eric & Ernie I was brought up by a Mum who loved The Goons, Billy Connolly and Dave Allen. Comedy was taken seriously. I can, and will if given half a chance, recite Billy’s “Football Violence” complete with dodgy Glaswegian accent. My...
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
You need to hear me out on this. As step mother to three monkeys keeping them entertained without traumatising them is a fine line. I grew up with male cousins and was forced to watch action and horror movies with them from a young age. It did me no harm... I don't...
FOOD
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INSPIRATION
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NESTING
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STYLE
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TINY DELIGHTS
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TUNE OF THE DAY
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