Look what arrived today!

Lyrical mishap.

David – The arse of disappointment?
Me – Yeah. You don’t want to get caught by the arse of disappointment.
David – Otherwise you’ll be pulled into the fallopian tube of fate.

So slack!

I could not believe it when I logged on here and saw that it has been almost a month since my last post.

We had a massive drama llama at work which took up three weeks.

The cross trainer we ordered at home arrived and was broken. I have had a replacement now and it is lovely although I haven’t used it much. Starting properly on Monday when some kind of normality is restored at home. David is rehearsing for a production which starts on Thursday. I am so looking forward to seeing it but also looking forward to getting some time together. I am also excited about making the cast and crew a lime and passionfruit cake for opening night! 

I am excited that I have finally taken the first steps into my dream career:

Hurrah!

I think that I am going to prep a mailshot prosptecting and potential opportunities with local funeral homes. Wish me luck!

What a few weeks!

I’ve barely had time to scratch my butt recently. We had a really busy time of it at work, closing one shop and moving up the road in to bigger and better premises. Then it was the madness that is the Back to School rush. We are finally getting settled in to the new place.  Next up is the Autumn/Winter moves which are going to be a nightmare! We’ll get through it though.

David and I have started looking at houses with the view to buying somewhere. It’s very exciting. One place we looked at is absolutely beautiful and we both love it. Typically, the vendor had found another property but was waiting to sell hers before making an offer on the one she wanted. The one she wanted had been on the market for three years and sold two weeks before we went to view her house. We are still trying to get our ducks in a row so I don’t really think that she is going to want to hang about, which is understandable and a little saddening as the house is so beautiful but I really couldn’t blame her if she decided to stay put. We’ll see what transpires. D and I are still looking for others but that one is really something.

I am getting my new phone at some point today. My contract was up and it was time for an upgrade. I have gone for quite possibly the biggest handset on the planet which would give the mobiles of the 80s a run for their money. It comes with a stylus. I like to play Draw Something. I’m embarrassed to admit that that influenced my decision a little bit! There is a cooling off period so if I feel too much like Dom Joly, I can always change my mind.

Day off today which will consist of house hunting, housework and playing with the new phone when it arrives. I had a little bit of a pamper yesterday: eyebrows waxed, hair cut and coloured. We have ordered a cross trainer (elliptical) which is arriving next week. I had one a couple of years ago and really loved it, so am looking forward to that.

That’s about it for now!

All the hours. I have worked them.

This is my first day off in ten days. It’s not an uncommon thing for me in my job to have to step up and do overtime when it’s needed; and I never complain. I have done a few ten day plus stints in my time but this one takes the cake. Mmm, cake. I worked just over 100 hours in that ten days (as did some of my colleagues – in fact, everyone did way over their usual hours) and the hard work is really paying off. The company I work for moved our shop into bigger and better premises, just up the street from the shop where we had been based for the last however many years. This meant fitting the new shop, setting up the offices, cleaning the kitchen, packing up the old shop, loading the stock on to the lorry, unloading it at the new shop, sorting out delivery, putting stock away and, of course, setting up the shop floor.

Not only that, but this week is one of the busiest of the year with the rush of people who have left it to the last minute to get their kids’ school shoes before they go back next week. This weekend is going to be manic. But it’s ok. We are a great team and are coping well with the change in location and increased trade!

In other news, David and I are going to look at a house next week. We were meant to go this afternoon but he has been called away for work at short notice. The vendor has kindly agreed to let us see the house one evening which I am so thankful for as getting any extra time off at the moment is going to be nigh on impossible. The house look utterly beautiful and I am very excited. Must remember to be objective, though. It would be far too easy to get carried away with this one!

Boredom-induced ‘Break a leg’ muffins!

I am slogging my way through my week off. Currently on Day 5. Today will be housework related. The weekend is jam packed of fun times so I am really looking forward to it!

Yesterday, I got bored. We were off to Dartmouth to see The Inn Theatre Company‘s production of Twelfth Night which was fantastic! Having been on stage with them for the last three productions, it was really odd to be sitting in the audience but it was an utter delight to be so thoroughly entertained.

I decided during my afternoon boredom that I would bake some muffins for the cast and crew to share. I’d never made them before so was a little apprehensive. I think they turned out ok. They didn’t rise up as much as I had hoped but they tasted good!

 

I followed this recipe by the Hairy Bikers. I love those guys! http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_and_blueberry_11428

The first batch (with lemon curd) are above. I found the batter was quite thick and wasn’t sure why. Then I realised I had forgotten to add the milk! I ate one – just to make sure they weren’t awful – and was pleasantly surprised, despite the lack of milk.

 

My lemon curd went all over the place and the cases got super sticky but, hey, that’s part of the fun!

I decided, after the dozen lemon ones without milk, to make another half dozen without lemon curd but with the milk! The batter was much better this time around and they looked a lot more pleasing to the eye than the sticky ones.

 

They were really different from the ones you get in coffee shops etc. But the insides were so pretty!

Yum!

 

Overall, I didn’t think they were bad for a first try!

They went down really well with the theatre guys too – as soon as the kids that were in the play heard the word ‘muffins,’ they swarmed in like a plague of hollow-legged locusts!

Hurrah!

 

Yummy!

Today is the first day of my week off. It has been a lovely one.

Domesticity, laundry, bakery, filmery!

I got some laundry on first thing and changed the bedding. There’s nothing like fresh sheets.

I, once again, had some over-ripe bananas and you know what that means! Cake. Tasty cake. Mmm, cake. I tried to find a recipe that I wanted to try but couldn’t, so I decided to let Google image search be my friend. I found a photo of a cake that looked delicious (thank goodness computer screens are lickable is all I can say) and decided to try the recipe. This is the recipe I tried: http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/afternoon-tea.html

Banana and walnut cake. It is scrumptious. I’m not sure why my cake is so much darker on top – maybe I need to have it lower in the oven or something. (Any baker aficionados have any thoughts on this?) I said it on Facebook and I will say it again here: I still maintain that the best thing about being a (currently) childless adult is that you get the spoon and bowl all to yourself after baking.

 

I was worried that there was too much cake mix but I needn’t have.

Then, of course, the all important taste test. Cue one cup of coffee and a big slice of cake.

The cake is light, moist and tasty. Fab recipe, easy to follow. Highly recommended!

This afternoon, I watched ‘Psycho’ for the first time. We started watching it last night but there was something else on so I went off and bought the DVD this afternoon. It is utterly spectacular. Awesomely creepy, atmospheric and incredible. It as instantly entered into joint first place of my favourite movies of all time – next to the 1922 film ‘Nosferatu.’

Tomorrow, I’m not sure what I will be up to. I might tackle those housework bits that seems to get forgotten – cleaning skirting boards, doors etc. May as well! Off to the cinema tomorrow evening to see ‘Ted.’ Should be fun!

I like Sundays.

It’s my favourite day off.

I used to work every Sunday and have most Saturdays off but these days I work every Saturday and have Sundays off. I don’t know why but I just prefer it that way. There’s something quintessentially relaxing and lovely about Sundays. I love making big fat roast dinners on Sundays. It just has to be done. Well, mostly. Today I am making spag bol and watching cheesy films with a friend so it isn’t a usual Sunday, but still good!

I got some blogging done this morning over at Make Uppa Your Face which now constitutes three blogs and a Facebook page! the content is all the same but I’m trying to reach as many people as possible. Maybe a little bit of overkill but hey! It’s ok!

I was going to do all the housework today but, nah. Laundry and dishes. I will do the rest in the week. I just felt like having a day of relaxing and doing things for me. It’s nice!

Have a great day!

Share the love:

David: “I like a sloth.”

Zzzzz…

It seems I do nothing but feel knackered at the moment! What’s that all about? It’s not even the usual ‘Hmm, I’m a bit sleepy, I’d better have an early night tonight,’ kind of thing. It feels like my body is all heavy and that my eyes might close at any second. It’s very odd. I was at the point a couple of nights back that even the thought of getting up and getting changed for the evening was too much and I had to cancel plans because I was just too exhausted to move. I don’t like it.

Went off into town today and successfully completed my missions. Despite feeling like going to sleep now, I did it so that’s good. My phone charged decided to finally give up the ghost yesterday – frustrating as I am due an upgrade next month – so I had to buy a new one today. It’s not all bad though. It meant that I used my old phone. There were loads of photos that I had forgotten about so I must get them onto my current phone!

Looking forward to the next couple of weeks…for the most part. I just want to get tomorrow and Monday over with. Other than that, we’re all good. Looking forward to Saturday when I get to catch up with my lovely friend for whom I am doing bridal makeup in August. That is an exciting yet daunting prospect and I am pleased that we are having a run through to try some ideas out. After that, it’s the Hen which I am looking forward to! Then, on the 12th I am off to see Robert Plant so there is a lot to look forward to.

Hopefully after tomorrow we will know if the big grey cloud that is hanging about can start to dissipate or if the storms will start a-brewing. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. It will be fine. It will be fine. It will be fine. It will be fine and they will continue as currently planned.

And if it’s not…then we’ll deal with it.

PS – My new makeup blog is here: Make Uppa Your Face