The Hangover

It's been a VERY exhausting week. Too many late nights. I am flagging at 8.15pm on a Sunday night. It's a kinda tragic, I know.

I hosted Book Club on Thursday night. Ten women, including yours truly, huddled in my lounge with more drinks and nibbles than you can shake a novel at. We discussed The Catcher in the Rye in great depth. We then discussed the merits of guzzling Champagne on a school night in great depth. Then I felt out of my depth when at 2.15am I was propping my eyelids open with matchsticks and they were STILL in full swing. The husband went to bed at 1am with three pillows on his head. He never goes to bed before me. Ever.

The Prince came to the rescue by having his regular night terror at 2.20am and the girls decided to call it a night (after consuming nine bottles of wine, a massive vat of Nigella's humous and flat breads, my dodgy looking but lush tasting vanilla cupcakes, savoury-coated soya beans, a cheeseboard, pistachio nuts, fruit and millionnaire shortbreads).

I went to bed with a spinning head and a smile plastered over my face though. Not so much in the morning when the alarm went off and I remembered I was meant to be doing the "reading with parents" bit in the classroom. I couldn't get my head off the pillow. The husband, he in shining armour, offered to do the school run and reading while I slept it off. I was delighted. Not so much so when I later discovered from the husband that all the women from Book Club were at school, reading with their children with faces fresher than morning dew. Not one was hung over or tired...how hard core is that?! Yet I looked like the freaky girl from The Ring (god that film freaks me out). It was a great night, we all had a laugh and it once again helped me feel like one of the gang. They're lovely girls.


This week I have spied (with my cherry shop eye) the following books from Link Romania, one of my all-time fave charity shops.

I am kidding. I did NOT buy this doll but she is still haunting me.
She looks like she has cataracts or something...

It's a large shop, with plenty of space for pushchairs and it also has furniture, toys, books and clothes. Plus a tiny vintage section although I never seem to find anything from that little area that really catches my eye, other than the odd teacup and saucer. I've not found anything else though, certainly no clothes have caught my tired eye.


The husband got help from a little gardener on Friday afternoon. They make my heart melt faster than Vienetta in a sauna.

What a glorious weekend! One of my best friends and her family came to stay. We had a brilliant time and were sad to see them go today. I tried hard to tempt them with a cream tea in the garden but they were still full from lunch and knew they had to make tracks. It's hard to think of them back in Berkshire now, while we are here, but they loved visiting and the kids loved the beach.

Our girls are very close friends and our boys are just a year apart and although we had to break up a couple of fights, they played really well.

I did lots of nice food and we ate every meal in the garden - serving up a hearty casserole and dumplings under the shade of the tree is quite pleasurable at this time of year (hark at me being all Cherry Menlove here). I made keylime pie for dessert which was gorgeous, although my insides feel congealed now and I think the cellulite may be upping its pace. We had a late night last night with them, as standard, so I hope my bed will be giving me that "come hither" look early tonight.

Pics from the weekend:

This makes me a bit sad. I know how much they miss each other.

The Fab Four

Look at the colour of that sea!

Friends Reunited

Eat your heart out Hepburn...

Too cool for school

Very Brokeback Mountain...

I'm up to date with my freelance work, the washing basket is E.M.P.T.Y. (this never happens so is worth the emphasis, believe me), packed lunches sorted, school uniform laid out, shoes polished, clean bedding for us all, a brand new book to start for Book Club awaits me  (we're now reading Salmon Rushdie's book The Enchantress of Florence) and I now have to cut down on my pork life. I've eaten ridiculously the past few weeks, and now is the time to rein it in. My jeans are too tight, and my tummy looks like it houses a baby or two. And I feel sluggish and portly.

Oh, on a final note, I was reading the local rag this week and scanned the adverts as I always do:

Then something caught my eye...

Only in this town.....as always! I was very tempted to phone up and see if it was still available. But then remembered I am on a diet...