Some days only a Cadbury's Flake will do.
There is no way to just eat half of the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate bar in the world. The guilty pleasure must be enjoyed alone to ensure every last crumb can be licked up, then the wrapper needs to be discreetly concealed and any crumbs of the divine experience removed.
Suddenly the grey skies switch to bright and the day just keeps on getting better.
My light hearted account of a fifty something mother, trying to stay up to date and in touch with the pace of life today. I have always ended text messages to my girls with LOL mum xx. I thought it meant Lots of Love! Now they tell me why it really did make them laugh out loud!
Friday, 25 January 2013
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
A winter wedding
How exciting I thought when the unexpected invitation
first flew through the letterbox, a winter wedding sounds so romantic.
The daughter of one of the Chief’s old flatmates was to
be married and a chance to catch up with some people we haven’t seen since her
christening, so this was an occasion to glam up a bit!
I decided to set off on a shopping trip to buy a dress
with plenty of time to spare as I always have a problem in finding just the
right thing when there is a specific occasion in mind, then end up at the
sewing machine for hours making an outfit.
It usually feels fine, but this time I really wanted to just come home
with something ready made, and for once I was successful.
The brand ‘Damsel in a Dress’ in John Lewis had the perfect
turquoise dress with interesting folds and gathers, just the right length and
most of all it felt comfortable and could be a useful addition to the
wardrobe. I couldn’t believe my
luck! Then there was the perfect Chanel style
jacket hanging in my cupboard from a few seasons ago with just a hint of a metallic
fleck and even better, one of my vintage handbags had a tinge of turquoise in the embroidery to bring the whole look
together. Shoes, no problem with about a
dozen pairs of smart black gathered over the years to choose from!
Now, I do love a hat.
Sadly there are very few occasions to wear one, so I was eager to hear
from the Bride’s mother that it would be a hat wedding. I don’t like to be the only one!
That was when my luck in outfit planning ran out. A word of warning, if you have any notion of
an occasion requiring a hat during the winter months, buy or start your search as early as possible. I scoured the
department stores, local shops, exclusive boutiques and online, there was
nothing. The shops simply had their
supply of bobble woolly hats and felt pull-ons, maybe the odd fascinator and
some still had a few tired old dusty pastel straw hats left over from the
summer. Where is the imagination of the
buyers and designers, it’s no use saying they are going out of fashion, if they
are not available we can’t buy them.
So what did I do? Not
one to take no for an answer I came home with a stack of ‘ingredients’ and
assembled the flowers and feathers and netting on a piece of sinamay, which I had
shaped and covered in antique lace. Job done!
It was a magical wedding, the bride was stunning and her
groom beamed with pride, the winter wonderland theme was glorious and gave us a
warm glow on a freezing day.
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Salads can wait
Time to wear something brightly coloured to counteract the dreary gloomy days we
have been enduring.
New year's day, with the bright sun and blue sky gave us reason to look forward to the new beginnings of 2013 and become enthusiastic about plans and dreams for the year ahead. But the dark mornings, which only briefly give way to a glimmer of brightness before fading into darkness in the early afternoon, have pushed the optimism to a high shelf and motivation is a distant dream.
The reality of January, after the magical qualities of the weeks before, is always difficult to adjust to but after such a phenomenal year in 2012, it's hard to think another year can match it. A lack of exciting dates planned, the pages of the smart new diary are still crisp and stuck together, struggling with winter illness all around and the pressure to be optimistic and brimming with resolutions. All these factors can only lead to one thing... FOOD!
There are still a few of my tasty mince pies lurking
in the tin, there is half a very boozy Christmas cake offering comforting aromas
and then the brandy cream will be out of date in 3 days time. So perhaps there
will have to be a lapse in willpower just to make sure nothing is wasted!
Salads need to wait until warmer days!
New year's day, with the bright sun and blue sky gave us reason to look forward to the new beginnings of 2013 and become enthusiastic about plans and dreams for the year ahead. But the dark mornings, which only briefly give way to a glimmer of brightness before fading into darkness in the early afternoon, have pushed the optimism to a high shelf and motivation is a distant dream.
The reality of January, after the magical qualities of the weeks before, is always difficult to adjust to but after such a phenomenal year in 2012, it's hard to think another year can match it. A lack of exciting dates planned, the pages of the smart new diary are still crisp and stuck together, struggling with winter illness all around and the pressure to be optimistic and brimming with resolutions. All these factors can only lead to one thing... FOOD!
It was a 2012 theme for our madcap cake this year! |
Salads need to wait until warmer days!
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Goodbye Christmas, bring on Spring!
One of the great benefits of taking down the Christmas decorations is that you suddenly feel your home has almost doubled in size!
It's not that I don't like all the busy, brightly coloured adornments, it just reminds me how my taste is edging away from the cottagey look with every surface filled, towards more simple and clean lines, much to the Chief's delight. He would go for the absolute minimalist look if he was given the chance.
Although, I couldn't bear to remove the pretty glow of the warm white fairy lights which I spent hours carefully attaching to an alcove, they have been providing such a welcoming warm light in the horrible gloomy days we have been having and they don't have to be just for Christmas.
The memories of our festive season will obviously not leave for many months, in the shape of the rogue needles from the tree which always manage to find their way inside drawers, carpets, books and everything. Although, I did seriously consider dusting down the old artificial tree which is stashed away in the attic when I saw the price of the trees this year. However, the thought of a Christmas sitting room without the powerful aroma of a real tree was not an option.
Days of parties, families, far too much food and inability to remember which day of the week we were on, are all a distant memory and now to think about all the family birthdays coming up and spend a few hours searching for the perfect cards. With so much choice, I can never believe just how much time it takes to find the right card for all the characters. The most difficult to buy for are are teenage boys, all the humorous ones are too smutty to come from a Mum, so when I do come across a good one I have to buy several then remember who I have given them to!
I think I have been hearing a different tone to the birds over the past few days, I'm sure I could hear chirping when the alarm went off in the pitch darkness of 5.45am, it certainly awakens the senses in a very pleasant manner . Do they actually believe Spring is around the corner?
It's not that I don't like all the busy, brightly coloured adornments, it just reminds me how my taste is edging away from the cottagey look with every surface filled, towards more simple and clean lines, much to the Chief's delight. He would go for the absolute minimalist look if he was given the chance.
Although, I couldn't bear to remove the pretty glow of the warm white fairy lights which I spent hours carefully attaching to an alcove, they have been providing such a welcoming warm light in the horrible gloomy days we have been having and they don't have to be just for Christmas.
The memories of our festive season will obviously not leave for many months, in the shape of the rogue needles from the tree which always manage to find their way inside drawers, carpets, books and everything. Although, I did seriously consider dusting down the old artificial tree which is stashed away in the attic when I saw the price of the trees this year. However, the thought of a Christmas sitting room without the powerful aroma of a real tree was not an option.
Days of parties, families, far too much food and inability to remember which day of the week we were on, are all a distant memory and now to think about all the family birthdays coming up and spend a few hours searching for the perfect cards. With so much choice, I can never believe just how much time it takes to find the right card for all the characters. The most difficult to buy for are are teenage boys, all the humorous ones are too smutty to come from a Mum, so when I do come across a good one I have to buy several then remember who I have given them to!
I think I have been hearing a different tone to the birds over the past few days, I'm sure I could hear chirping when the alarm went off in the pitch darkness of 5.45am, it certainly awakens the senses in a very pleasant manner . Do they actually believe Spring is around the corner?
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