[katie_oxo]

Sarah, I'm not a chocolate cake lover but that chocolate log does look gorgeous. Like yourself I'm more a savoury person and often opt for the cheese board when it comes to dessert so can fully understand where you're coming from with the cheese and grapes. One of my main downfalls is that me and hubby really enjoy it in the evening, sitting and chatting etc with a box of crackers and some cheese and red wine - this week I've been very good as I've only succumbed to the cheese and crackers twice and not had any wine!

Helen, welcome back, sounds like you had a lovely holiday.

Michele, quiet like that here today, hubby's gone to Bradford on his motorbike, not for a long ride in the sunshine (honest ), just because he needs to look at motorbike helmets as I'm getting him a new one for Christmas. One of my lads is at Wigan watching them play and the other one is upstairs and now silent and comatose from having got up for the meteor shower.

[peacock 2]

Back from babysitting neice and nephew. Can't say it was relaxing but different!

I had to smile as I watched my nephew try to str e t ch the minutes until he had to go to bed. he HAD to eat 4 tiny oranges before he went to bed. That reminded me of my brother (his dad!) who would drink a mug of cocoa really s l o w l y and always wanted to get to bed after me!

Once in bed my nephew was very good and I got him to read to me from his Horrid Henry book (his name is Henry!) and then I read him something from another book. For once his sister only got up the once to go loo. Usually she is up and down stairs like anything.

I only baby sitted one night, while their parents tried to remember how to act around other adults . No it was someone's 46th and they did not dance until the last dance (chatting too much) and then went into hysterics when someone 'air-guitared' so my brother did 'air-triangle- and my SIL did 'air-oboe'.

Sunday morning we went to take the kids to the New Forest (nearby) and they played pooh-sticks. My neice got two sticks and started messing up the pathway announcing to all and sundry she was "knitting sand"!

Now you know, when you are doing something futile, you are "knitting sand".

Forgot to say, my nephew was in a charity fashion show at the school and got his mum to buy the top he modelled which had Bart Simpson on it. Little Princess mananged to wrangle some pink satin pyjamas out of her mum too.

[2frustrated]

Hello!

Welcome back Helen, your holiday sounds fabby!

I went shopping on Saturday and bought some new pans How EXCITING!!!!! They are really really good though! I got a glass jugged liquidiser too, and we spent some of our wedding vouchers on DH's shirts! Oh and I bought some new jeans - £12 in New Look and an organic cotton T-shirt. I got a 20% off voucher for New look, so those jeans were less than a tenner - they are FAB! I really love them, they fit really well

Oxford Street was bonkers! It was even busy on the streets behind Oxford Street, which is where we walk when we don't want to battle the crowds!

We came back and watched V for Vendetta which was good but they could've cast a better Eve IMHO. I think she was a bit wet, even when she was being all kick-@ss and sock-it-to-'em! Oh and we had PIZZA Although it was a skinny crust and spinach and riccotta so it was reasonably healthy I actually had quite a healthy weekend which is GREAT! On Sunday we stayed in bed and wrote thank you letters and put about 7 loads in the newly-fixed washing machine!

I do like the look of that squidgy chocolate log I don't have any excuse for making it at all at all, and I've just been given a Green & Black's recipe book, so I have enough gooey recipes to try out the next time I'm going to be naughty! I'll print it out anyway and put it in my food porn book!

Oh and I tested out my George Foreman yesterday, I'm in I think you can do frozen things on it too - that's the next thing to try!

[redsoxgirl]

Frus you can do frozen on George Forman, it works well obviously just takes a little bit longer.

I'm in love with mine.

[Sarah Ann]

I wasn't very keen on V for Vendetta - don't know why - just didn't hold my attention. I used to hate Oxford Street, especially at this time of the year. I used to work just behind it in Wimpole Street but the only time I ever went shopping there was in the Autumn Half Term when I used to take my daughter to see the real Father Christmas in Selfridges then on to Hamleys.

I think Ellie's scared off my window cleaners for life. They were happily cleaning the outside of the lounge window when she leaped up and put her front paws on the window sill - she'd just had a drink and was all drippy and slathery and was basically face to face with one of the window cleaners - just watching him. He screamed, she barked, both window cleaners screamed, she barked louder, they both screamed some more and backed off to the middle of the garden - and I had to sit down on the sofa because I was laughing so much. I finally persuaded them that she wasn't going to eat them alive and they could finish the windows. I'm just glad it wasn't an upstairs window.

To anyone whose interested - there is a weird 5p listing day on eBay today and tomorrow (always useful for getting rid of clothes that don't fit any more or to make way for all those Chrimbo goodies). The condition of the cheap listing fee is that you have to offer a free P&P option (just add it on to the start price and put FREE P&P in the title) - the gallery pic is included in that 5p so it is a real cheapy. Click here for details.

[BritinNJ]

Hi Frus,

Sounds like you had a good weekend... I love my George Forman too, but the top has broken now so I'm needing a new one... your pizza sounds very scrummy, glad to hear the washing machine is fixed, my dryer is fixed as well, cost 160 bucks which I could have bought a new cheapie one, but that would have taken time and the washing was hanging all over the place.


Sarah... oh God, that is so funny with Ellie and the window cleaners, like you sy, thankfully, they weren't doing upstairs.... big girls blouses they are, running to the middle of the garden, I would have been the same as you, rolling on the couch. I bet they feel silly, not something they're going to brag about over a pint in the pub

Helen, your holiday sounds perfect and seemingly just what you needed.

Peacock, babysitting hey? Aren't kids funny with what they try to do not to go to bed? I remember one night I wanted to stay up and watch something that I wanted, I must have been about seven, I told my Dad, the first time I yawned I would go to bed. He was in hyterics unbeknown to me, as I was fighting the yawns by holding my mouth shut, turning my head away from him and all sorts...bless, I think he let me stay up for the entertainment value, I was better to watch than the telly.

Chilly here this morning, might have to put Lew in his new coat to walk when I come back from curves...he'll look so snuggly.

Ok, more later, have a good day all.

[YP1]

This magazine thing is winding me up. When she did the interview I wasn't at my best (!!) and she seemed to be pushing to get me to tell a story which wasn't what I wanted to tell, I think I managed to avoid the worst of it, but no doubt she'll have picked up on the minor things that fit "her" outline and missed out the important stuff that matters to me. I might see if I can get hold of a draft and put her right... But at the moment it's mainly the photo shoot that's bugging me. Originally she said that they'd come to Leeds to do it, but now it turns out that I have to go down to London on Saturday, when really the last thing I need to do the day before a race is trekking down to London (no doubt on packed trains) and back. I don't think I dare do any Christmas shopping while I'm down there, I really hate crowds (and Amazon seems to be my friend at the moment, I've got a couple of good ideas off there this lunchtime and could sort pretty much everyone out fairly easily). I'm just hoping they're paying for my train fare too, as me paying to go down there certainly wasn't part of the bargain.

Must check about shoes too. I think from what she said that they provide clothes etc, but I don't know whether they've bargained for size 10 feet...

[peacock 2]

SarahAnn - Ellie is a star! I believe cats and dogs have a real sense of humour even if us humans don't always appreciate it!!

2 Frus - are you mad? Oxford Street? I used ot go there in my teens and 20's but do not have the energy now! Mind you I hear Kingston (Upon Thames) has a German Christmas market so may poke my nose in there.

[sarahgrace]

Birmingham have got a German xmas market. It seels pressies and lots of nice food inclduing hot pork rolls, german sausages, chessy garlic bread, stollen etc etc. They also do hot choclate with bailey's in, mulled wine and hot beer even. I'm going to get lunch there on Friday when I do my xmas shopping. Best not go too mad though!

[peacock 2]

I love Stollen anyway so might get some for when we have our Christmas meeting instead of a normal meeting at work. I love mulled wine too. It will help me deal with the inevitable crowds I think!

I am also trotting over to my Aun't early December to give her the rest of the pressies and buy any more I need. She always wraps them as I am from the 'Abstract art of wrapping pressies' side of the family - as in "what the bu**er is that"? I take after my Nana in the wrapping dept. Every wrapped article looks well weird, frankly.

[LynneA]

Morning .

That chocolate log looks great. I am making Delia's christmas cake this year, well I will be soon as my cousin sends me some mixed peel!

Cold, cold weekend for me. Quiet too, I don't know what to do with myself when husband is gone. It's not like we spend every waking minute together either! It's just weird and quiet without him. I watched Friends with Money (good film though it left me wanting more) and Love Actually for the billionth time. I also made healthy hummus, chilli and my breakfasts for this week.

It will be a short week for me too, heading to Texas Wednesday evening for Thanksgiving with some friends. I spoke to husband this morning and he bagged himself a deer this morning which means my freezer will once again be stocked with lovely venison mmmmm.

[YP1]

I ran tonight, woo hoo! I've only run 3 miles in about the past 10 days so it was nice to get out there again after my rest. We did a route we've run before, and I was two minutes faster than last month, and kept up better with the middle group which was good. We did just over 10k (it's meant to be a 10k race route, but I suspect it's a bit longer and that on race day the start and finish are a bit further up the roads so it's not a complete loop - I've measured it online and it comes out at about 6.5 miles).

I've started driving down there, parking, getting the bus to work and back and then driving home after running and it seems to work better than getting the bus from here, going up there and running, and then getting the bus home. Plus if my car's outside the leisure centre it means I have to go up there to pick it up and have no excuses for not running!

I swam this morning too, I think it's weights tomorrow.

I'm back!!!

[katie_oxo]

Sounds like you've had a good night Helen. I did a 5k walk today at the gym and some weights after that - going to do the same tomorrow, what I've been doing is walking for the 60 mins (+ 5 mins cool down) that the treadmill can be programmed to and just seeing how far I walk in that time, it's improved slightly each time. Am mainly going to be training for the moonwalk on the treadmill I think as I seem to be doing the training on my own now and I don't really want to be out walking in the dark on my own, so I think it's going to be treadmill during the week and then pounding the streets at the weekends.

[2frustrated]

ATCHOO! I think I'm getting a bug. I've got my vitamin C and my Lemsip Max capsules at the ready. I'm going to beat it into submission this week!

Awwwww bless himself. Yesterday I was looking at chests of drawers to spend our wedding vouchers on since my current ones are RUBBISH and from Ikea and they can't cope with as much stuff as I put in them! Anyhoo, so we were discussing getting a £70 set from Debenhams with our vouchers and getting them home delivered for about £4, but then DH says we could get them cheaper in Ikea. I hate going to Ikea and I thought we might have to go to that warehousey bit and we don't have a car and it's all a big PITA. So I said is it worth going to Ikea to save £30??? Anyway, he decided he would go on the way home from work!!!!!! He's MAD!!!! Either that or he loves me very much!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

So I got home and there's this big wet box in a trolley outside the door, it's all ripped up and DH has only just got in, since I saw him waiting for the lift when I rode past reception. Turns out he got the bus back ok with his 30kg package, but it started raining when he got off the bus, then the box got all wet and the wood fell out and dropped on his toe. AWWW! So he carried the wet and broken box up to our flat and was all miserable since he thought he'd damaged the wood, but it turned out ok. We put the things together in the hallway at 8.30pm BEFORE dinner! In the end I was starving, so I decided to put his cheese sandwich on the Foreman so we could eat that while we were building!! We didn't get finished moving furniture and vacuuming and things till 11pm!!!!! By then it was a bit late for dinner! Oh and the vacuum died, so that's another thing we have to buy

So now I have a HUGE chest of drawers that all my workout gear, T-shirts and underwear fits into and I don't have to look at overflowing drawers and step over big piles of clothes on the floor

[Sarah Ann]

Sounds like you've got a good 'un there, Jen. Take care of that cold - but don't overdo the Lemsip.

Its a beautiful day here - I've just watched DH struggle off down the road with the dogs - its the first time he's walked all three together and, going by the language coming out if him, it'll probably be the last.

I had a lovely moment on the scales this morning - they showed a 3lb drop since last Thursday - then I thought I ought to check them again and they'd gone up a pound Still... a 2lb loss at this stage would be nice. I shall have to be patient and wait until Thursday for my 'official' weigh in to see if it was a permanent loss.

I just wish I knew what it is that I do on the weeks when I get a 2lb loss - that I don't do on the weeks when I only get a 1lb loss.

Whoever mentioned Stollen.... STOP IT!!!!! (Its my absolutely favourite cake!!!) Even the thought of it makes me

We're off out this evening to see a psychic - should be interesting!