Oh, Hello Spring

It's been so lovely to see you this weekend. A little early, but very welcome. The girls spent hours playing in the garden, making potions out of rosemary and grass and water and mud. I sat in the sunshine and drank coffee. We went bike-riding and tree-climbing and paddling in streams. And, best of all, we spotted the first lambs of the season gamboling in the field by our house. 

Epitaph

I spotted this on a bench at the Amelia Trust Farm last weekend. When I die, it's exactly how I'd like to be remembered.

Cheers Jimmy, whoever you were. It sounds like you were my kind of chap.

Feb Photo 11/29 Makes Me Happy

Tramping through muddy fields in my wellies with Blod in the winter sunshine.

(Although today has been a very happy day also involving a cuppa in bed with Cbeebies and my fav ladies, perfect scrambled eggs for breakfast, painting my bedroom with 6 Music in the background, this lovely walk and now off to meet Dave at Chapter for a beer, watching The Artist, then out for Japanese food.)

Feb Photo 10/29 Self Portrait

D's in work, so I'm giving Moll's dinosaur a bedtime kiss instead. Night night.

Lost My Photo Mojo...

... so I'm doing a February photo challenge. Obvs, have missed a few days, but here's what I've done so far.

1. My View Today

A photo I took at work of a set being installed for a play.

2. Words

Gwen made my mum a card at school and wrote this herself - wowsers. The funny thing is, my mum isn't actually ill.

3. Hands

Molly, a carrot and some hungry. hairy, horse jaws coming her way

4. Sun

Late afternoon hazy sunshine coming through the trees in Bute Park

5. Front door

I wonder if a wizard or a pixie lives here?

List 10/52 Words I Love

I like the way they sound. Or look. Or a bit of both.

Kerfuffle
Shindig
Falafel
Hullabaloo
Extraordinary
Lusty
Bubble
Stellar
Bombastic
Caterpillar
Shimmy
Sunshine
Lush
Onomatopoeia
Clandestine
Superstar
Cauliflower
Chablis
Lullaby
Butterfly
Serendipity
Fluorescent
Blob
Hush

Which words do you like?

List 9/52 Foods I'll never get sick of

Avocados - I used to eat one every day and my skin was a-mazing. Best served smushed on toast with marmite. Also makes a great facemask, apparently.

Houmous - king of dips, but best in a jacket spud with grated carrot and lots of chopped tomato. My favourite home alone tea. Babies love it too, but it's a bugger to get out of those fat creases in their necks.

Spinach - because it is full of green goodness and makes you all bouncy and strong. If you are making Indian food, it is illegal not to include it.

Thai curry - I like my Thai curry like I like my men: green, creamy and exotic with a load of coriander piled on top. Bizarrely, I much prefer my own unauthentic Thai curry made with ready-made paste than anything from a Thai restaurant. Does that make me a bad person?

Home-made pizza - preferably made by the Mister. With tons of any type of veggie (not green pepper - what kind of sicko do you think I am?). And a salad on the side. Add a DVD, a bottle of Leffe and it's the perfect Saturday night in.

Carrot cake - no two taste the same. Always great with a cup of Earl Grey. And has veg in, so you can enjoy it guilt-free. Must always, always have cream cheese icing and preferably a baby carrot made out of marzipan on the top. That makes me really happy. The best one is from here, eaten in the sunshine with the chickens running around next to you.

Dark Choc Hob Nobs - a bit like Voldemort, these are the 'biscuits that shall not be named', such is the strength of their dark powers. I only buy them about once a year or things start to get messy. I'm talking whole packets dunked into just one cup of tea and vanishing. Just like that.

Chips - despite professing my love of home-cooked veggie goodness, I adore chips. Home-made or chip shop or even (you might want to sit down for this one) the oven variety - I love them all. The rules are that they must have lots of vinegar and an enormo dollop of ketchup (running out halfway through is a tragedy). The best chips are always from a chip shop, eaten outside after a long walk on the beach.