love those cupcakes

A day out

On Wednesday I met up with the Gorgeous Girlie in London.  We wanted to see the exhibition of Scott's final expedition to the South Pole at the Natural History Museum and luckily managed to buy cheap-ish rail tickets.   

Sadly no photography was allowed inside the exhibition (which I found incredibly moving - such determination and effort and human endurance).  The purpose of Scott's expedition was primarily scientific research and the various scientists in the team set out to study antarctic weather, zoology and glaciology.  But Scott also aimed for a small group to reach the South Pole and be the first people to do so.  On 17 January 1912, five members of the team reached the Pole, only to find that Amundsen's Norwegian group had beaten them to it. All five perished during the return journey. 

There are lots of original items and personal artifacts on display and if you do visit the exhibition, which I highly recommend, make sure you take plenty of tissues.

Whilst I waited for my girl to arrive I had a mooch around the V&A which I don't think I've visited previously.  Too early for this, I would have visited the British Design exhibition there (they have one of my Trimphones) if I'd had more time but I didn't fancy paying and then rushing round the exhibits.

We also treated ourselves to afternoon tea at the Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner.  It started with a reviving glass of champagne, followed by strawberries and cream.  Then came the highlight for me, a shot glass filled with a tangy orange jelly, buttermilk cake and the lightest chocolate mousse all topped with a square of chocolate, raspberry and gold dusted honeycomb.  After that was a variety of little sandwiches (baby brioches filled with egg, roast vegetable wraps, beetroot in beetroot bread, buffalo mozzarella, tomato and pesto in a mixed grain bread  and cream cheese and cucumber fingers), mushroom tartlets, cakes and little pastries.  Finally we were presented with scones, served with pots of lemon curd, raspberry preserve and clotted cream, and little toasted teacakes. Copious amounts of refreshing pomegranate (me) and apple and mango (Girlie) tea were drunk throughout.  The service was impeccable and we were even given the cakes we hadn't managed to eat in a box to take home.  (The husband polished those off in seconds.)

Kings Cross station has undergone considerable improvement and the new departures concourse is rather impressive.

I always forget that London means lots of walking and by the time I alighted the train at Darlington station I was aware I was moving very strangely. (Little did I know that putting one foot in front of the other was about to become rather more challenging but more of that in the next post.)

Oh, look what came home with me.

Ding dong indeed.

 

Love story......kind of

It just sort of happened.

When I least expected it.

I fell in love.

                                                                                           (Source:  http://www.primelocation.com)

With a little cottage in an attractive village not too far away.

It's currently for sale.

I'm up for a change and can just imagine living there. 

I'm sure we could easily manage with less space.  (After a bit of serious sorting and  decluttering and furniture downsizing.)  

The name is perfect.  (If I did any less, I'd be comatose.)

Boo would thoroughly enjoy the easy access to the countryside.

The cats would soon adapt.

But the Man from Del Monte, he says no.

Ah well, as love affairs go it was short.

But sweet.

 

The scarf of Olympic proportions. A whodunnit.

We don't often walk on the pier when we're at the beach (for a start, it used to be so much longer with a bandstand at the end) but it was the main reason for today's visit.   We'd heard (thanks for the little hint in your last comment, Jill, we're a bit slow on the uptake here) that guerilla knitters had struck - attaching a 50yards long knitted scarf, depicting a variety of Olympic sports, to the pier railings.

My favourite bit of the scarf:  the (not so) synchronised swimming.

If you fancy having a go at knitting your own Olympian, you might find this book useful.

 

Getting there. Sort of.

The cards have been written and mailed this morning.  Too late for those recipients overseas but it's the thought that counts, isn't it?

One Christmas cake has been iced and boxed and is ready for its journey to the north west.

The tree has been bought and is currently lounging in its net against the wall in the garden.  We went for a Nordman fir and will be decking it tonight (after the nimble Boy has finished work and been sent up the ladder and into the loft to retrieve the boxes of decorations).

The Ikea trip happened last night.  After successfully completing the giant jigsaw puzzle in the car boot (at one point it seemed likely that I'd be hitching home), an assortment of Expedit units are now piled up in the hall (along with the inevitable impulse buys), awaiting their moment to transform an entire wall in the guest bedroom.

I've also received a couple of surprises in the post this week. 

HM Revenue and Customs awarded me a four figure tax rebate.  Most welcome, thank you very much.

The extremely talented Natasha over at Amelie's House generously hosted a giveaway of her amazing bakes and what do you know,  I won!

The parcel contained iced gingerbread cookie lollies, mini Christmas cakes and chocolate dipped gingerbread sticks (which we've scoffed already and yes, they were delicious).

Just look at that handpainted icing.

You can read more and order here or pop into Selfridges if you're in the vicinity and treat yourself from their display.

Now, shall I have one of those cookies or a cake? 

Oh, decisions, decisions.

 

The search continues

Following his impressive undergraduate performance, the Boy here is hoping to enrol on a Master's course next year.  This, unsurprisingly, will cost rather a lot of money.

He currently has a part time job working in my cousin's cafe but the wages are low and don't allow for much in the way of saving, despite living at home which does cut costs somewhat.

The search for full time work is ongoing but so far has only reinforced the view that there are very few opportunities here, an area which for many years has witnessed  decline and high rates of unemployment.

However, an advert for several jobs which sounded promising (and maybe even a little bit exciting) was spotted recently.  

One of the posts involved managerial responsibilities with a higher rate (£10 per hour) of pay but required particular personal characteristics which the Boy simply doesn't have.

He considered applying for one of the other lower paid (£6 per hour) jobs but finally decided not to because:

• the work was very time limited
• at 6' 2" he was probably too tall
• green definitely isn't his colour

Whilst I do think he should get his albeit very limited CV out there, I had to agree.

Somehow, I just couldn't visualise him as one of Santa's Elves.

 

Anyone seen the sellotape?

 

 

Who's a clever boy, then?

We've always thought The Boo was a handsome chap.

Now it's official.

He is.

Best Puppy In Show 2011.

The competition was fierce.

Licking the judge's face (him, not us) probably helped.

And the fact that this was a fun dog show at a local animal rescue centre.

Boo loved all the attention.

And the quacking duck soft toy that came with the rosette.

Flushed with success, he entered the Cleverest Dog/Dog With Best Trick section.

He pulled out all the stops and performed well.

"Sit".

"Give me your paw".

"Down".

"Roll over".

He came sixth.

Ach, you win some, you lose some.

 

May treats

Soft boiled egg and home baked bread soldiers to dip in.  I don't often have this  but sometimes it just hits the spot when a change from breakfast muesli is required.

A vegetarian recipe book.  Menus here have become a tad predictable and need a shake up.

A new lippy.  My desert island essential, can't-do-without makeup item.  I buy lots though I'm not particularly brand loyal.  This one is a sort of beigey pink colour, lighter than the photograph suggests.

 

Something to watch. We somehow missed this when it was on the telly recently.

Something to wear. A new favourite. 

A week's holiday in Northumberland.  With the Mister.  And the Boo.

Back soon.

It's just another brick in the wall

Have you heard of the Dispatchwork project?  Artist Jan Vormann uses Lego bricks to repair damaged walls in cities and towns. He started in Italy but lots more places, including London, have since received the treatment.

(London, picture from http://www.dispatchwork.com)

(Amsterdam, picture from http://www.dispatchwork.com)

(Barcelona, picture from http://www.dispatchwork.com)

Makes me wish I hadn't given away all those boxes of Lego pieces after my two stopped playing with them. 

 

"Now let's hear from our correspondent in Rome"

Stuck in traffic on the way into work the other morning, I was only half listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. 

Until the item on the Italian prime minister's controversial efforts to replace a missing body part on a marble statue of Mars at his residence.

Reported by a BBC journalist in Rome.

One David Willey.

I know, I know.  

I can be so very juvenile.