Dunno if they're still there, but there were some SERIOUSLY fantastic delicatessens in that area. TBH, I lived in Goldhurst Terrace for about a year and I don't really remember cooking much.....
I can recommend those tabletop hobs/cooker/grill as well - we had one for about 6 months when we were temporarily kitchen-less two or three houses ago and it was great.
Helen, well done on the run....are you recovered now, from it and the pub afterwards?
Sarah, the dogs watching you from the back of the car is hillarious, you really should turn your adventures into a book, I know I'd buy it
Frus, congrats on the new flat, it all looks very sleek and modern, love the new pick tennies too... I am quite partial to pink myself.
Well work is keeping me busy and last Thursday night (my day off of course) they asked me to go in and move all the machines and clear floor space to hold a dance class. It's called NIA and stands for 'now I am'. It combines tai chi, karate, sumo, yoga to name a few things and I thought I'd give it a go as I was having to be there to set everything back up for the next day afterwards. Well what a work out it was, I was sweating buckets and apart from my coordination being absolute crap, it was a really enjoyable session. The women that came want to do it again, so we've scheduled regular Thursday nights, so that will be another bit of exercise that I'm getting.
And.... I got my It's very lovely, the saddle is perfect for my bum and apart from it only having back pedal brakes which will take some getting used to, I am really looking forward to a long ride around the neighbourhood in the next few days.
It was Mother's Day here yesterday and I got the bike, a lovely Brigton bracelet from Hannah and J presented me with a cheque to pay for my pedicure this week...and they cleaned out my car and washed it while I did absolutely nothing...super day.
The weather has been nice and sunny of late, so we've been doing plenty of walks with pen and Lew, had to buy Lew his paddling pool now though, so he can have a dip when we get back from our walks....he's had a bath in it along with Pen yesterday, courtesy of Hannah, she wasn't their most favourite person yesterday, so it's well and truly theirs.
Well I must get on with some housework and laundry before work...hard to get back into after being so lazy yesterday...
I have been a little quiet of late. What with losing posts and this and that I havent managed to post. I have of course read all your news. Just love your trainies Frus.
Peacock I was a bold girl and kept the straightners. I know I know I am a big eejit but I have filled in the guarantee thingy so at least should they conk like my others did I can get another pair. Bloody helll though they are so hot I can't even have them at their highest heat because I swear you can smell burnt hair urgh. I won't be able to use these everything day I shall have to be curly some days.
I had a good weekend I looked after Mandy's seven year old daughter on Saturday oh what a sweetheart she is. She bought her kareoke playstation game so we sung for a good while then went to the shoppies. Then we went to the cinema to see the Bridge to Trebithia which was so sad I cried so much. My friend's little girl said itsssssssssss a filmmmmmmmmmmm Michele. Afterwards we came back and had cheesy nachos and victoria sponge her choice and in my opinion a thoroughly good one. We then sung some more then settled down to You've been Framed. She went home about 7ish. Mandy had gone to the new Wembley Stadium to watch Stevenage v Kidderminister. She took my eldest fella who she said didn't say much but was polite thank god. Mandy is the big fella's godmother.
Sunday had my usual drink with my father who is doing well and had said to me on Thursday night "girl i'm not having another fecking drink" which of course he forgot he said and is still having his few pints of Guiness.
My mother has lost half a stone I am thrilled. I was round there and I said jesus mother your looking great have you lost weight she said she didn't know. So we got the scales out and lo and behold she is now 12 and a half stone down from 13 stone. She has no idea how she has lost this weight but I do. She no longer has sticky puddings from ameals on wheels she has the diabetic puddings which are mainly fruit and custard, she no longer has sugar and my father says she no longer eats chip shop chips which she had a real penchant for. She is now a Subway girl!!!
I have been a greedy girl and I've been fretting that I'm on the rocky road to blobdom again.
Miche - you really should take those straighteners back - they will ruin your hair! Congrats to your mum - that is good isn't it? Your Dad deserves a tipple so no harm there.
BritNJ - You mentioned a bike with back pedal brakes? Well my brother had one years ago like that. I used to like it. But, when I went cycling with him in the New Forest on another bike about a year ago - I was screaming "Where are the brakes?" I was pedalling backwards furiously and nothing was happening! He yelled back - "on the handlebars, of course"! I was thinking - what a weird place for them.......
I have decided to start making clothes... I bought a book at the weekend that inspired me. It's got some really simple ideas in and I want to make them all right now! I've bought 3 patterns because I really want to make myself some trousers - that's all I really wear. Well I say I bought them, but they're on DH's credit card He owes me BIG after shlepping round Shrewsbury on Sunday!
2frus - have you room to make clothes in your new bijou residence??? I have made the occasional skirt (with a lot of help from my aunt). I used to love looking at all the material (and being told why it would be unsuitable, by the same aunt!!). Vogue did a book (I think it was them) about professional finishes to homemade clothes. I cannot rmeember the title.
Morning! Good luck with the dress making. I managed to achieve an 'O' level in needlework - heavens only knows how cos I am completely and absolutely useless with a needle. The last time I did any dressmaking was about 20 years ago and I turned my dining room in to a workroom which got progressively more and more untidy. Several days in to my dress making experiment and my home got burgled while I was at work... I came home to find the front door smashed open... so, rather than risk a clonk on the head by going in and find the burglars still at work, I went next door to phone the Police (no mobiles in those days). When the Police turned up (mob handed) they all took a look round my house then came and found me to tell me that, although most of it looked okay, I should brace myself for the worst because one room in my house had been completely trashed... and could I do a walk round to tell them what was missing. Turned out that the part of my house that they thought had been 'trashed' was my diningroom come workroom and the 'damage' was, in fact, the component parts of my various masterpieces in progress. I'll never forget the look on that Policeman's face when I told him that I didn't think the burglars had, in fact, touched that room.... I haven't done any needlework since... still got the sewing machine in the loft, though!
Michele.... those hair straighteners sound a bit scary.
I'm really enjoying having my guests here.... the first day or two was a bit tiring but I'm getting in to the swing of it now and I'll be sad to see them go, especially the children. I'm fairly sure the dogs will be glad to see the back of the kids - I never thought they'd ever feel this way but I think they have now had enough of being 'loved' all the time. I've tried to explain that the dogs' beds are their special place and when they are in bed they are to be left alone but I'm forever finding them cuddled up in bed with them - especially the little one - it must be a comfort thing I suppose.
I just know I've put on weight during this visit... my size 14 jeans are straining at the seams again.
I've got a sewing machine at work I've found a bag of material in our current place but there's some lilac crushed velvet and some lovely sparkly silver crushed velvet that I made some pyjamas out of once a little bit of netting and a square of red felt. I'm ebaying for some fabric!!!
I'm also chucking a TON of books and travel guides and stuff on e-bay so if anyone wants a time out guide for Tokyo, you know where to look! I was trying to get a scheduled start time on some of my auctions since we're off to Spain in a bit. But could I find it????
Last night at kickboxing was fun - I did about a million spinning hook kicks. Oh and yummy mummy, my black belt competitor who has an 8 month old little boy... WELL, she's stopped training about 2 weeks after she started because... DUH DUH DUH... she's preggers again! Poor little lass! Or maybe it was planned, but I can't imagine so I haven't spoken to her since Lee let the cat out of the bag!
Eating's going really well at the moment - the real test of this IE thingie will be at the weekend with Mum and Dad and moving stress. Fortunately DH is off to Dublin on Sunday so it will be less of a stress for me. Most of the time I feel like piggy right in the middle!
I'm feeling slightly bummed since I have almost foresaken the gym. I haven't been for ages and I certainly haven't been there 4 days a week as usual. Well I'm out for a run at lunch - 4 miles today. Then on Sunday I'm planning 5 miles in the morning before packing. Then in SPAIN I'm going to do 6 miles because this is kinda the middle ground between easily being able to run a distance and it turning into a "long distance" run. I really need to concentrate now so that I don't get behind in my marathon training.
Lilac and Silver Crushed Velvet trousers? Sounds very Austin Powers. For a good supply of interesting fabrics why not try your local markets. Do they still have that Sunday market out at Camden Lock? I used to spend a fortune there.
Well.... I just went to see the only allotment which is currently available and, honestly, it isn't hard to see why nobody wants it. Oh... its HUGE - about twice the size of the one we've already got ... its even got its own artisean well.... but its so blummin overgrown that it wouldn't suprise me if Tarzan lives in there somewhere! You can't even get in the gate (which is hanging off its hinges) ... in fact, you can't even get TO the gate.... we had to climb up a wall so we could see how big it is! The old boy showing it to me tried to make light of it..... 'all you need is a sythe'.... ME.... use a SYTHE??? I don't think so! I managed to do grievous bodily harm to the back of one of my legs the other day on a bamboo cane... just think what mayhem I could do with a sythe... I'd probably chop off a foot or something.
I suppose I'll have to get DH to go and have a look... he agrees that it would be madness to take it on.
Ooohhhhh meant to say.... the Allotment Committee have a little shop selling gardening bits and pieces at incredibly low prices... so I went in there to get some B,F&B fertiliser... and, in a very old fashioned way, they sell it by the stone - but I didn't know that! The blackboard by the door just lists the items for sale and says that everything is £1 - so, on the assumption that the packsize would be something like the 500g packs you get in B&Q - I asked for three packs. Boy, did I get a shock! But not wanting to look an idiot I bought it anyway and then had to stagger the half mile back to my allotment with it in three carrier bags. I thought the carrier bag handles were going to cut the ends of my fingers off!
It wasn't until afterwards that it occurred to me that I used to carry around that kind of extra weight - and more besides - all the time.
Sarah that made me smile about your mess in your dining room. I did home economics in high school and used to do dressmaking with my mum. We used to make a lot of clothes. I have memories of being on the floor cutting material, making dresses and skirts etc. Used to love looking through the catalogues at all the patterns. Now I can sew on a button and thats it . I've forgotten everything.
Amazing isn't it how heavy 3 stone is when you have to carry it in bags.
I went out for a run at lunchtime and I got lost... I ended up at Watford Junction station from Abbots Langley. I had to reverse the charges from a phone box to get someone to come and pick me up from work!
It was my mother's birthday yesterday she is now 61. I bought her a bouquet of flowers and a lovely box of Thorntons choccy. When I gave her the flowers she looked so happy and said are they really for me. I said to my father you really should be buying my mother flowers way more regularly. She got up and really cuddled me which got me all choked.
Work was busy today this is the third day i've resisted the crap we have there. Well two days really since I was off yesterday, mind you I had a very healthy day yesterday.
The big fella is off to Ypres in Belgium next week him and I are just off to my parents in a moment as my father has euros for him. Conor doesn't know this he thinks he is just popping round to see grandad.
Little fella has been given the job of sorting the odd socks out since his school rang me at work today and said the bold thing had been rude to his teacher during maths and that he will be having an after school detention tomorrow. With my two boys whenever they misbehave at school it is always someone else and nevvvvvvvvvvvver them.
Oh I wish I could dressmake. I am lefthanded or cackhanded as my grandmother always used to say to me. I can barely sew a button on.
We have allotments round the corner to us. I often peer through the gate hubby and I were thinking about putting our names down at one point.
I have kept the straightners and your right Sarah they are scary.
Hello! I'm still here, busy writing lists of things I need to pack for Edinburgh. 10 days
I did a very wet 7 miles with running club this evening, that's probably my longest run before the big day. There was a boy on the canal towpath with two ambulances and loads of people round him. It looked like he'd fallen off a bike, reminding me that I MUST NOT GO CYCLING NEXT WEEK even if I want to play with my bike.
I dread to think what sort of mess I'd end up in if I attempted dressmaking. I'm not particularly crafty. The stuff I attempted at school was uniformly awful.
It's very lovely, the saddle is perfect for my bum and apart from it only having back pedal brakes which will take some getting used to, I am really looking forward to a long ride around the neighbourhood in the next few days.
I haven't done any needlework since... still got the sewing machine in the loft, though!
and some lovely sparkly silver crushed velvet that I made some pyjamas out of once 
Poor little lass! Or maybe it was planned, but I can't imagine so 
I haven't spoken to her since Lee let the cat out of the bag! 
he agrees that it would be madness to take it on.
I ended up at Watford Junction station from Abbots Langley. 
I had to reverse the charges from a phone box to get someone to come and pick me up from work! 
