beaulieu

We popped in to Beaulieu (a village in the New Forest) before driving back to the big smoke. The Beaulieu Camera Group was holding a photographic competition so we had a look and registered our votes, then we had a wander around The Learning Garden - an allotment style garden where people can learn how to grow their own. It was abundant with fruit, vegetables and herbs - putting my meagre back garden crops to shame. I tried to cosy up to the gardener to see if he would tell me his secrets - but his lips were sealed.

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 10:56 | link to this post  0 comments

new forest times two

Two glorious weekends in a row were spent camping in the New Forest this summer. The first week I forgot my camera, but here are some pics from the second week.

Both times we stayed on a fantastic campsite called Long Meadow, between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst. It is a temporary site that is put back to pasture after the season ends for minimum impact on the environment. The portacabin shower and toilet facilities were excellent. As an added bonus a herd of about 150 deer hang out in the field next to the site and regularly come into the site itself when everyone is asleep to munch on the grass. We saw them one night when we left the tent where we had been chatting to go to the toilet before bed - they were right in amongst everyone, and later they kept us awake with their mumching and breathing right outside!

From the site you can walk directly into the forest and it is so beautiful - an enchanted place, full of interesting flora and fauna - a world away from work. I came back each time feeling truly relaxed.

The second week we made a fire by collecting wood from the forest. I was always camp cook.

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 23:15 | link to this post  0 comments

summer days driftin' away

And in the blink of an eye summer is gone... well, maybe we'll get a few more sunny days. Fingers crossed. We had such a busy one though, I am really craving some down time.

For Dom's birthday at the end of July I took him on a microlight flight over the Medway and arranged a picnic at Bewl Water. Late in the day we hired bikes and rode round the reservoir. It was fab. Next time we go we will arrange to do some water sports.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 12:01 | link to this post  0 comments

thames times

My friend Nicola and her hubby Martin came to stay with us for the weekend. After serving up a three course meal on Friday night (including the heavy heavy chocolate tart), we spent Saturday in London.

First Greenwich where we ate sarnies in the park, then took shelter from a sudden shower in the market (only to realise that the market was full of seriously yummy foodstuffs that we could have eaten for lunch - doh!).

We took a Thames Clipper to Bankside. What a fab way to travel: fast, smart and air-conditioned inside and just enough standing space outside for the tourists on a sunny day. By now it was sunny, so we walked along the south bank, eating ice cream then cooled off with a couple of pints of lager in the Princess of Wales.

At Trafalgar Square there was a big party going on for Gay Pride, so we joined the crowd for more beer and a bit of music, then it was home on the train for a slap up BBQ with fresh sirloins from our favourite butchers.

As the sun set we walked down to the river that had served us so well and took some great photos. Happy days!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 21:30 | link to this post  0 comments

all hail

The rain may have held off for The Killers, but it hit us with avengeance yesterday while we were out running. The thunder was already rumbling ominously before we left, but we thought we'd take it on, and see if we could get back before the rain came. Of course, we were exactly half way when the heavens opened and it wasn't just rain we were pelted with but oversized hailstones. We took what shelter we could find, but we were already soaked to the skin so we decided we might as well run through the storm, and when the stones turned to water and the road became a river a passing car kindly whacked me in the face with a bucketful of road water, half of which I swallowed!

Still, it was good fun. I love storms - the power of nature and all that jazz.

Labels: running, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 22:29 | link to this post  0 comments

i got soul but i'm not a soldier

The Killers totally rocked Hyde Park last night. The rain held off, it was a lovely sunny evening and the crowd loved every minute.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 22:53 | link to this post  0 comments

spa day

posted by vic @ 20:19 | link to this post  0 comments

jason and jane

Congratulations to the gorgeous Mr and Mrs Kinsey who were married yesterday at Alexander House. It was perfect weather for a perfect day!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 20:39 | link to this post  0 comments

smokin'

posted by vic @ 21:48 | link to this post  0 comments

counting crows at brixton academy

Finally, after waiting over five years for UK dates, having had the concert we'd booked at Wembley Arena last year cancelled, and after postponing the original date of this gig last week, we saw the Counting Crows last night at Brixton Academy.

They are Dom's favourite band from his teen years (although The Killers are now proving stiff competition), and I'm now a fan too, but I didn't download their latest album, so I was a bit out of touch. My fave album is August and Everything After, and they played a few of the songs from it like Round Here, Mr Jones, and Rain King (which really got the crowd going) so I was well chuffed. They also sang Mrs Potter's Lullaby, Colorblind (which was brilliant), Hard Candy and a kind of medley with a few different songs combined... not sure I could make out what they were, I think Goodnight Elisabeth was in there.

Adam Duritz seemed a bit crazy on the stage. I almost wanted him to just sit still and sing, but he seemed to like jumping around a lot.

It was the first time I'd been to the Academy and I really liked the venue - good view even from the back of the standing area because of the sloped floor.

Adam's last words before he left the stage were "we'll be back". Don't leave it so long this time, OK!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 21:46 | link to this post  0 comments

chelsea chelsea

Just got back from a fab day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. I was very lucky to be in the Hospitality Village, and after meeting the fellow guests, we headed off to view the Courtyard Gardens.

My favourite was the Demelza garden, a cool haven of a seating area, surrounded by plants and sound from the pendulum water feature and tubular gongs with their deep echoing chime. It was a Silver Gilt Flora Medal winner. I also really liked the Freshly Prepped garden - an outdoor kitchen with all your fresh ingredients close at hand - imagine!

Of the thirteen Show Gardens my favourite was probably what would be considered the most traditional - the HESCO Garden - bursting with colour. I also liked the Cancer Research UK garden, but wasn't all that struck on the Best Show Garden sponsored by The Daily Telegraph, nor the Gold Medal winning Laurent-Perrier garden.

After champagne, canapes, and a four course lunch we headed back out to look round the Great Pavillion and the Urban Gardens. The Plants of Special Interest Nursery Garden was spectacular to my mind - really bright and striking. It won a Silver. James May's Paradise in Plasticine was 'non-compliant' but still fun and impressive.

The air in the Pavillion was heavy with pollen from all of the species displays. The perfume from the David Austin roses was gorgeous. I enjoyed seeing some of the more unusual plants like the carnivorous species, and seeing the diversity of species such as the begonias.

We didn't get round everything, and I could have easily spent another day there. It gave me great inspiration for our own garden, but I will have to restrain myself as we must focus on finishing the house!

Labels: gardening, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 22:13 | link to this post  0 comments

the pantechnicon rooms

posted by vic @ 22:30 | link to this post  0 comments

kevin turns thirty

posted by vic @ 11:02 | link to this post  0 comments

I don't look a day over thirty

That's because I'm not, but I soon will be!

What a great night last night. The venue was fantastic, the food was lovely, everyone sang really loudly and really badly! Perfect.

Dom gave me the biggest surprise by showing a video he had made of my life up to now, there were so many funny moments, and clips from friends and relatives who couldn't make it. I was blown away and very emotional. I really do have the most amazing husband. Thank you Dom!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 22:25 | link to this post  2 comments

they say it's your birthday

Woo hoo! It's my birthday today. I am 30 years old - that is OLD!

Yesterday I took my mum, dad and Dom to my admissions ceremony to celebrate me finally qualifying as a solicitor in November last year. There was a presentation and a photo op and some nice tea and scones.

Later we had the lamb shanks that I had put in the slow cooker before leaving. They were lovely and tender, but a little bland. I used this recipe and I think it needs some improvement. I served the panna cotta I made on Thursday night for dessert and they were delicious, but could have done with a little less galatin I think - another thing to work on.

I have already been having a lovely birthday, I got some lovely presents and at lunch today we had a lemon birthday cake baked by my mum. Yum yum!

Tonight we are off to Imperial China for a meal with friends and a private karaoke session. I can't wait!


UPDATE: As if all this wasn't enough, I have found out that I won the Envirosax giveaway on LJCFYI! Hooray! What a wicked birthday.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 12:29 | link to this post  0 comments

poor us

I got a call from our neighbour today to say that our fence had been hit by a car. Sure enough, when I got back, a good 18ft of our front fence had been smashed to pieces. I remembered just how much work we put into erecting this fence over the first summer we moved in, and to see it in splinters was really quite sad.

I reported it to the police, as it was technically a hit and run, although some of the neighbours had seen a young lad changing his tire next to the fence not long after some other neighbours had heard the crash, but nobody actually saw it happen.

Later that night a nervous teen knocked on our door and apologised for what, he explained, had been a genuine accident. The poor soul. He could barely get his words out. I was so pleased that he had come to face the music. Bless.

Labels: d.i.y., seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 00:28 | link to this post  0 comments

au revoir les arcs

What a wicked day. Gorgeous sun again, blue skies, three times down Saint Jacques, giant hot chocolate, one more run then lunch.

After, up the Varet bubble, then the Aguille Rouge lift to check out the amazing view across the alps from 3226m and marvel at the crazy skiiers plummeting over the edge.

Dom and I went out again after that to savour the last possible hours of skiing. I did Saint Jacques another three times and Dom did the Cascades. One more day and I reckon I would have been able to tackle that too.

I am sad to be leaving. I might not have the skills or the confidence but I've definitely got the bug. Au revoir Les Arcs!

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 17:39 | link to this post  0 comments

hmm

Hmm indeed. Not quite as into it today as I was yesterday. We tried a longer blue run first thing this morning and it freaked me a little. I think I needed to have practised first on the Saint Jacques runs. I slowly scraped my way down the edge of the run, gritting my teeth and clenching my buttocks so hard that I was in agony.

I forced myself to do another Saint Jacques run before lunch, then Caroline and I did it twice after lunch while the boys headed off on their own.

Back to the chalet for more delicious cake and another day on the piste draws to a close.

It's been lovely and sunny today but if I'm honest I think I'd prefer more snow as it's more forgiving on a cowardly newbie like me.

One more day to go!

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 16:08 | link to this post  0 comments

anything is possible

Today was absolutely fantastic. I love it!

Caroline and I went up to do the Saint Jacques run first thing this morning and I made it down the first steep bit on skiis which was already an improvement on yesterday. Then a guy on a skidoo came up to tell us that they needed to close the run to do controlled avalanches. Well if anything was going to get me down the mountain fast it was the thought of an avalanche, so I was off, at speed, turning like a pro and made it down the mountain in five minutes!

I couldn't believe it! What a difference to yesterday. Again! Again!

We did a different run next time - turning right off the top of the lift - and the boys caught up with us half way down. Then we all did it another time together and twice after lunch. I've still been falling a lot but I have such a difference in confidence and understand the principles that I now feel like anything is possible. Bring on the black runs!

Can't wait to get out there tomorrow. The sun came out at lunch time today and the mountains look beautiful under the blue sky.

It's the chalet host's night off tonight so we are off out for a meal and then off to the Crazy Fox pub for some karaoke!

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 17:18 | link to this post  0 comments

saint jacques

posted by vic @ 08:25 | link to this post  0 comments

first day on the slopes

If I'd mastered the snow plough early on I think I would have made more progress but we moved on too quickly for me and after careering under the pulley rope and landing on my back hitting my head I lost my confidence.

This meant I got left behind the others when they learnt turns and wasn't able to attempt the chairlift this afternoon with the boys. Caroline did but it was too much too soon and now she's spooked.

Feeling positive, just going to pace myself.

Chalet is nice, good bunch of people and food is gorgeous.

Tired but happy!

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 18:16 | link to this post  0 comments

blogging: i have company

posted by vic @ 20:12 | link to this post  0 comments

peter is dead

He suffered from a degenerative disorder known as melting. It was all quite sudden. He looked weak when we left for work this morning, and was unable to stand up straight. His condition worsened throughout the day and when I found him, he had lost his head. It was too late for a transplant, there was nothing I could do.

R.I.P. Peter. Have fun in the big snow covered garden in the sky.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 23:40 | link to this post  0 comments

snow day

The deepest snow I can ever remember was in 1989 or 1990. I remember it because I was only 11 or 12 years old, a pupil at Coates Endowed Middle School, Ponteland, and the snow on the school field nearly came to the top of my wellies. I remember everyone making snowmen in break times and falling in the snow to make snow angels. Since then, every time snow has been forecast, I have always hoped for it to be as thick as that year, but it has never materialised. Until today.

After nearly twenty years of waiting and hoping, the snow is coming down so thick and heavy that the whole of London has come to a stand still and joy of joys I have been prevented from making it into the office. Dom is stranded too.

That doesn't mean we can't work, because we can work remotely on our laptops, (which, of course, we have been doing very diligently), but it does mean that in our lunch break we have been able to go out and play...

And now, I would like to introduce to you, Peter the Snowman.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 15:10 | link to this post  0 comments

weddings

Before Christmas (in fact the day before we went to South Africa) we attended the wedding of our friends Jill and Chris at Leez Priory in Essex.


Then last weekend we went to the wedding of my old school friend Nicola and her new husband Martin in Ponteland, the village where I grew up.


Both brides looked so beautiful and despite the winter season both had enough clear weather for some outdoor photos, even if it was bloody freezing!

That completes our wedding marathon of six weddings in the last seven months (seven in nine months if you include our own). 2008 was definitely the year to get married!

Labels: seeing_doing, wedding

posted by vic @ 14:55 | link to this post  1 comments

howzit

We spent Christmas and New Year in Cape Town, South Africa.

A-MA-ZING.

On Christmas day we just had to go to the beach. This is Camps Bay, just a short walk from our holiday home. We ate lunch in Blues Restaurant, then went back to the beach to sleep it off!

On 27th we took a long drive along the False Bay seaboard to Cape Point stopping off along the way for a swim and lunch at Fish Hoek, and to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. It was a fantastic day.

On 29th we did tandem paragliding - it was wicked!

We spent the last day of 2008 hiking up Table Mountain. We reached the top in about 2.5 hours then spent an hour or so doing a summit walk to Maclears Beacon, then took the cable car down which took 4 minutes! The 360° views were incredible.

On New Year's Day we drove out to the breathtaking scenery of the winelands. We stopped for lunch at the pretty town of Stellenbosch, chilled under a huge tree at the Boschendal wine estate and sampled some of their fine tipple, wandered round the postcard town of Franschhoek and drove back to Cape Town via the Huguenot Mountains.

On the 2nd we went early morning sea kayaking from Mouille Point and saw dolphins! We were so close to them as they jumped out of the waves, but they were too fast to capture on camera.

In the afternoon we wandered around Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

On our last day we came across the Cape Minstrels parade and watched it pass through the Bo Kaap, there was so much music and dancing. It went on for hours, but we headed off to Milnerton for a look back at Cape Town and Table Mountain and one last swim.

Labels: seeing_doing, travel

posted by vic @ 14:36 | link to this post  0 comments

in a nutshell...

A training course, an exam, a work placement, a hen do, a trip up to Newcastle, a Monopoly pub crawl, a wedding and a world financial crisis later - here I am.

We've been really busy over the last month, with barely one weekend at home. When we did have one, we finally bought some curtains for our living room, to help keep the heat in, what with the dark nights, climate change, the credit crunch and all that jazz.

Some recent pics...

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 19:37 | link to this post  0 comments

London. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. All this in one day.

London is where people are drawn by greed to fore-go the pure and simple joys of life and to sacrifice too much of their precious time on this earth. Fuelled by caffeine, drink, drugs, but most of all by other people.

London is a strikingly beautiful landscape built around a curvaceous and enduring river, conceived in the minds of people who were driven and fuelled by a desire to make it a successful, strong and prosperous place for the good of other people.

Every day I walk across London Bridge amidst the crowds, I look across the water at this view and I look at the feet marching in front of me.

Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.

The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 16:03 | link to this post  0 comments

jenny and hugh's wedding

On Saturday we flew to Edinburgh and then drove to North Berwick for the marriage of our friends Jenny and Hugh at The Marine Hotel. It was a lovely day, (as we are beginning to find out, all weddings are). Jenny looked gorgeous and the setting was wonderful - by the sea.

The evening celebrations took the form of a traditional Scottish ceilidh and it was brilliant. Everyone got involved and danced the Gay Gordons amongst other more complicated formations which Dom and I managed with varying success!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:28 | link to this post  0 comments

shall I compare thee to a summers day? no, because I can't remember what one is

Really, where is the summer? I must have blinked and missed it. I know British summers have a reputation for being rubbish, but I'd always thought that was a bit unfair as actually, they weren't that bad, but this year definitely feels worse than others.

I know that even if it was sunny we'd be stuck in our offices unable to appreciate it, but even from indoors, just knowing it's sunny outside gives you that reassuring feeling that summer is here and helps to lift the mood.

In the last two weeks there has been one day of blue sky. The rest have suffered from a dull, grey coating of cloud. Here is a photo from that blue sky day. It's the Stella Artois airship flying over our house. A rare occurrence indeed (the summers day that is).

If like me, you have questions like, "Aren't they dangerous?" and "Is an airship the same as a blimp?" you can learn all the technical ins and outs on Wikipedia. You never know when it might come up in a pub quiz!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:56 | link to this post  0 comments

waterside weekend

Friday night I was out for a drink with my friend Jill down at Shad Thames. I'd never been there before and thought it was a great outdoor eating and drinking area along the banks of the river. Definitely somewhere to go in the future.

Saturday, my sister and her boyfriend came to stay. We walked along the Thames at Greenhithe in the afternoon, and sat out for a few pints by the river in the beer garden at our local. I put on a bit of an Italian spread in the evening and we all drank lots of red wine. It was a lovely day

Sunday was Dom's birthday treat. We hadn't been able to celebrate his birthday properly last week because we were at Smita's wedding, so we postponed the fun. I had bought him an hour's helicopter lesson with Polar Helicopters at Manston Airport, so that was our first stop. He's had a couple of lessons before, and he seemed to be thrilled with this one. He's a total flying nut.

After that I took him for Sunday lunch at 81 Beach Street in Deal on the Kent coast. I found the restaurant through Top Table. It certainly lived up to expectations and offered a delicious 2-course roast. We both went for the slow roasted duck, and I followed with plum crumble and cream while Dom had bread and butter pudding. Yum!

We had a bracing walk along the beach front and up the pier before heading home to rest.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:38 | link to this post  0 comments

smita's wedding

On Friday we travelled up to Harrogate for my friend Smita's wedding to Ron. I lived with Smita at university which was where Ron and Smita met. She has been a great friend to me and it was lovely to see her marry her sweetheart. After a traditional Hindu ceremony, and lunch, we popped to Valley Gardens for an ice cream and a snooze in the sweltering temperatures. Then it was back to the hotel for some amazing food and a great party.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 07:59 | link to this post  1 comments

We've just had one of those weekends where you need another weekend to recover. Luckily, we don't have them very often.

Friday night we were at a surprise stag do for a work colleague who apparently, has been told by his wife-to-be that he's not allowed one. The night was disguised as someone else's birthday celebration and then when the stag went to the bar we all donned t-shirts, and gave him a big cheer on return, then dressed him up with a pink wig and got him terribly drunk so that he had to be taken home (no doubt to his very angry fiance).

For some reason, I had roped myself in to making the t-shirts. The challenge being to make them as cheap as possible in case no-one gave me the money back. Most printing companies wanted at least £5 per t-shirt, but I managed to make these for less than £2 each.

How? I bought 22 t-shirts in the sale at Matalan for £1.50 each and two fabric aerosol spray paints for £5.50 a bottle. I traced a template made in word with a bit of free clip art onto a piece of acetate and cut out with a craft knife, then sprayed each t-shirt through the stencil, protecting the edges with pieces of newspaper.

They worked brilliantly if I do say so myself.

Saturday we went with friends to Chai's Garden, a Thai restaurant in Brockley and stuffed ourselves silly with lovely food and lots of beer, then Sunday we went to the Dartford Festival in Central Park to watch a Queen tribute and Chas 'n' Dave. I'd no idea how big and nice the park was. More beers and a curry later, we were exhausted.

Labels: crafts, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 10:37 | link to this post  0 comments

watching lewis win at silverstone

My dad's 60th birthday present from the family was a three day ticket for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He has followed Formula One every year since I can remember, but this would be his first time at a race.

We arrived at Hamilton Fields campsite on Thursday night, which is about a half hour walk from the track and thankfully it was dry and sunny so we could get the tent up and have a barbie.

Friday was practice - it was lovely weather so we were able to walk all the way round the track, take a picnic lunch and soak up the atmosphere. There were loads of other races going on: GP2 and Formula BMW, as well as air displays, but nothing compared to the first time we heard the roar of the F1 engines. With our roving tickets we could sit anywhere for practice and qually, so today we tried out the Pit Straight. There you really got an idea of the speed these cars can do.

Back at the campsite we had a few drinks, more outdoor eating and then a big sing and dance in the beer tent, where a local Irish band were playing. Great fun - reminded us of Dublin.

Qualifiying on Saturday was a little colder and there was the odd shower. Lewis only made 4th on the grid, but knowing that the McClarens were fast left us positive about the race. We sat in the Pit Straight again, but this time with a better view into the pit garages.

Surprisingly I still managed to sleep that night in the tent through strong winds and rain, and woke up on Sunday morning excited for the race. It was pouring though, so we decked ourselves in everything we could find to keep us warm and dry, including plastic bags on feet and made our way to the track.

We watched the drivers' parade, which was about an hour before the race, and although we had reserved covered seats in the Luffield B stand, we were in the front row so the wind was blowing the rain horizontally into our faces and laps and I was soon wet and shivering. I went for a walk around to warm up and came back for the national anthem. Luckily after this the rain and wind eased off, and we could enjoy all the thrills and spills that were about to take place.

I cannot tell you how exciting it was - loud, fast and unpredictable - so many drivers spun off at the corner where we were sat.

At the start Lewis made it up from 4th on the grid to second behind Kovalainen, and after Kovalainen spun, Raikkonen came up to second place in his Ferrari. For a while we thought he was going to catch Lewis, but then they both pitted together and Lewis got out ahead of Raikkonen by a hair's breadth and because Lewis had changed tyres but Raikkonen had not, Lewis started making headway at an incredible 4 seconds a lap. Rakkonen dropped back so far that Kovalainen in 3rd place was able to try and overtake him right in front of us at Luffield, but in the tustle, both Kovalainen and Nik Heidfeld in the BMW passed Raikonnen! It was AMAZING!

We saw Jenson Button do a fantastic 360 spin without slowing and speed off again, and everyone in the crowd took a deep breath and exhale as they watched Lewis narrowly miss Massa in his Ferrari who span and stopped right in the middle of the track.

In the spray the drivers can be almost blind to the cars in front, and the skill required to stay on the track, never mind drive competitively is incredible.

Lewis drove excellently and increased his lead to over a minute. He held on and went on to win. The time passed so quickly, and I didn't want it to end. Being there to see Lewis win was absolutely fantastic and quite emotional.

Final result:
1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2. Nik Heidfeld (BMW)
3. Rubens Barrichello (Honda)

Well done Lewis! And now for the championship!!!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 11:19 | link to this post  0 comments

jimmy white

Look it's Jimmy "the Whirlwind" White cruisin' across the QEII Bridge last night! He may never have ever won a world championship, but he's got a pretty damn nice car - a Bentley. Check out the reg too - CUE BOY.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:48 | link to this post  0 comments

here come the girls

It was my hen do at the weekend. I was dreading it a bit but it was GREAT! Some of us travelled from London, others Newcastle, others Scunthorpe and arrived in York on Saturday morning. We checked in at the glamourous Youth Hostel (highly recommended), then made our way into town for some lunch.

We did archery and 4x4 driving at the North of England Activity Centre, which was a great laugh, then, after a lovely bridal shower gift-giving session we dolled ourselves up for a raucous evening on the town. We ate a luscious meal at Silvanos. It exceeded all expectations and was really geared up for hen-dos. Their keyboard player could play every single random song we requested and had us dancing and singing and doing the conga round the restaurant! A hardcore few of us partied away until the early hours in a very sweaty and very cheesy Reflex 80s bar.

My lovely sister even prepared me a book with profiles of all the chicks to remember it by. Thanks girls!!

Labels: seeing_doing, wedding

posted by vic @ 08:57 | link to this post  0 comments

shoooooooooooooes

There's a lot to organise at the moment, but what do they say? If you want something doing give it to a busy person. So I'm currently organising my shoes. I've decided they need more loving. They are getting new boxes and nice labels. Look how many! Naughty me! And this doesn't include my boots and trainers.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 14:09 | link to this post  2 comments

the boys are back in town

where it's warm and dry...

Labels: seeing_doing, wedding

posted by vic @ 15:46 | link to this post  0 comments

stag time

posted by vic @ 22:41 | link to this post  0 comments

amy macdonald

Dom downloaded This Is The Life in summer last year and was raving about it so much that by the end of the year it had become our favourite driving album. So, when I spotted tickets to see her at the Shepherd's Bush Empire for £12.50, I bought them for Dom for Christmas.

She didn't disappoint. As well as singing every song from her No 1 debut album, she gave us two work-in-progress new tracks, plus a cover of Mr. Brightside by the Killers, and then totally blew me away with a surprise appearance by Steve Cradock, lead guitarist for Ocean Colour Scene. Co-incidentally, we have been listening to Moseley Shoals a lot recently too, so to hear him play those incredible riffs from the Riverboat Song was just amazing.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:41 | link to this post  0 comments

roses are red, guinness is black

What more could a girl ask for than to be whisked away to Dublin for a surprise romantic Valentine's break? I really was blown away...chauffeur pick up at the airport, hotel on the banks of the River Liffey, candles and rose petals scattered across the room, champagne on ice, chocolate-dipped strawberries and a wonderful six-course meal. I was in heaven!!


Neither of us had been to Dublin before so on Friday we set about exploring. First stop, naturally, was the Guinness Storehouse. The black stuff definitely tastes better in Ireland.


We loved the craic at the Ha'penny Bridge Inn and the live band singing Molly Molone, Finegan's Wake and other clap-a-long, stamp-a-long tunes.

Then the train to Howth on Saturday, and what a beautiful sunny day it was by the sea. Colourful rusty trawlers bringing in the day's catch, seal spotting, and a long vertigo-inducing walk around the cliff path.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 19:00 | link to this post  0 comments

flippin' yummy

We had lovely pancakes last night, with the traditional squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of sugar.

We got 8 pancakes out of such a small amount of ingredients (1 egg, 4Oz plain flour, 1/2 pint milk), why anyone would buy ready made pancakes I don't know. All the fun is in the flipping!

Is Pancake Day at risk of dying out?
Why do we eat pancakes today?

Labels: cooking, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:11 | link to this post  1 comments

weekend with friends

It's been a while since we cooked for friends, but last night we had our mates Kevin and Caroline for dinner. On the menu was pancetta wrapped mozzarella with fig jam, followed by duck breast and mango salsa, with molten chocolate puddings for dessert.

Of course there was plenty to drink, and our hangovers were cured by a morning walk along the river and a fry-up in the very classy Asda cafe.

Then, Sharon and Andy came over to see us this afternoon with their beautiful baby Callum - he is soooooo cute! At seven months, he's not as floppy as he used to be. He's sitting up on his own and is smiling and kicking so I feel much more confident holding him.

It was a really lovely weekend.

Labels: cooking, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 17:18 | link to this post  0 comments

the chiefs

Mid-December we went to see the Kaiser Chiefs at Earls Court. They ROCK! We moshed away all night and suffered the pain in our calf muscles for about a week afterwards.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:31 | link to this post  0 comments

eggheads

posted by vic @ 18:29 | link to this post  0 comments

so long, farewell

Dom and I both work at the same company, but on Friday, after six and a half years, he left. He has a new job, a new beginning, new challenges.

He was given a great send off by colleagues, many of whom are friends. After a presentation in the office and lunch in the local pub, we all headed to Guanabara, a brazillian bar, restaurant and club in Covent Garden.

It was excellent, the drinks were great and we all got trolleyed!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 22:54 | link to this post  0 comments

feed me

posted by vic @ 09:48 | link to this post  0 comments

alistair sawdays

posted by vic @ 16:56 | link to this post  0 comments

there's been a murder!

We had a lovely weekend in the Cotswolds solving a murder! It was part of a sight-seeing coach trip with our friends Sharon and Andy. After an early start and a lot of pick-ups our first stop was Bourton-on-the-Water, then on to Stow-on-the-Wold for a three course lunch.

Once at our hotel, we had just enough time to get our glad rags on before meeting in the bar for the murder mystery. It was obvious who the actors were, and they took control of the whole evening, orchestrating the investigation over dinner in between each course.

It began with a mock auction, during which some family jewels were stolen and then two murders followed between the main course and dessert! Each table had to decide who the thief and the murderer was and put their theory to the words of a song - then sing it!

It was a good laugh, but I would have liked it to be on a smaller scale and for everyone to play a role. I think I will have to try a dinner party murder mystery game and play from home.

On Sunday we were taken to Bath. We only had a couple of hours to spare so Dom and I decided to visit the Roman Baths. This was my favourite part of the whole weekend! The whole site was very well laid out around the excavated ruins and the audio tour was excellent. The climax was the Great Bath itself with 46°C water! I'd really recommend it. I'd definitely like to see more of Bath, it was a beautiful city.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 17:08 | link to this post  0 comments

ha-ha-happy halloween!

I love Halloween. Unfortunately, the rest of Britain doesn't share my passion. Next year I think I will plan a mad science dinner party like LJC.

As we had planned to be out all of last night, I didn't even carve a pumpkin. We did go and watch Saw IV though. I'm glad the series is continuing, but this one didn't hold up quite as well in the storyline department as Saw III.

We just made it to the cinema in time after picking up our new car. It is LUSH! It's a 2 litre diesel Audi A4 estate. It's multitronic, which means it can be either automatic or manual. I haven't driven it yet, but this automatic malarky looks like a piece of cake! It's got a lovely big colour screen inside with sat nav, so we can throw our battered NavMan away. It has a BOSE sound system, SD card slots for MP3s, a 6-CD changer, 18inch wheels, directional headlights,... er that's all I can remember. I'm not the car nut, Dom is - when we got back from the flicks, he sat outside in it for well over an hour, checking out all the nooks and crannies. Bless.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 10:02 | link to this post  0 comments

bits and bobs

posted by vic @ 10:25 | link to this post  0 comments

book...cover / movie...title

posted by vic @ 10:18 | link to this post  0 comments

weekend activities

Dom and I ate at a Loch Fyne seafood restaurant on Friday night which was nice. On Saturday I got to work making the first batch of wedding invitations. This is the part of the wedding preparations that I have most looked forward to. When other little girls were dreaming about their wedding dresses, I was thinking about the handmade stationery!

I made slow progress on Saturday when a quick trip to Bluewater for supplies took 3 hours, but I made up for it on Sunday. Even though I took lots of breaks (to watch poor Lewis Hamilton come off the tracks on the Chinese Grand Prix, to bake banana muffins and to go for my first run since the Great North) I got all the inserts printed, piled and ready for combining together. Tonight I will bind the outer cards with ribbons. I am so proud of them.

Labels: crafts, seeing_doing, wedding

posted by vic @ 08:03 | link to this post  0 comments

the great north run!

In a few weeks time I am running my fourth Great North Run. After number three I swore I would never do it again, but here I am. I've had a two year gap, but that hasn't been long enough to forget how much pain is involved.

My training has been decent, for me, but you can never do enough. I am getting excited and nervous - it's 13.1 miles you know! That is a long way.

I am starting off with two other girls from work, which will be fun.

I am raising money for Beating Bowel Cancer and I would really appreciate your support and sponsorship for this worthy cause. Read why and sponsor me via my Justgiving page.

Lots of runners have set up training blogs. Here are some of my favourites:
They Say I Must Be "Mental" To Run (Great South Run)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (also at www.tism.co.uk)
Am I Ever Going To Do It?

When you are running alongside people like this you cannot fail to be inspired. Good luck everyone!

Here's me in 2003 and running with my sister, Caroline, in 2004.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 11:13 | link to this post  0 comments

the police - twickenham

Last night we went to see Sting and The Police at Twickenham Stadium. They absolutely rocked! Sting looked and sounded amazing. It was my first time at a stadium concert and the atmosphere was brilliant. We had decent seats too.

We arrived early and parked in Nelson Primary School. This was fine on the way in, but not very well managed getting out. We queued for an hour!

We had a leisurely and delicious meal at Cafe Venice on Whitton High Street and then made our way down to the stadium. It was about a 10 minute walk and we got to our seats to catch the last half of Maximo Park.

The Police played all the favourites - the crowd went expecially wild for Every Little Thing She Does is Magic and everyone sang their hearts out to Walking On The Moon. They finished with an encore that included Every Breath You Take and the final song was Next To You.

To think that Sting was born in Wallsend, (and his dad was my best friend's mum's milkman - apparently!) he's quite an inspiration.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:51 | link to this post  0 comments

first & last of the summer

After drooling over Jamie Oliver's BBQ on Jamie At Home last week, we just had to use the opportunity of what felt like the first and what could have been the last of the 2007 summer to try out his delicious marinade recipe.

I crushed the cumin seeds, cloves, paprika, fennel seeds, rosemary, thyme, garlic, pepper and salt, then mixed with red wine vinegar and tomato ketchup.

Unfortunately we do not have any independent butchers nearby so we had to settle with pork ribs from Asda (don't even get me started on the state of supermarket meat). I rubbed in the marinade and left in the fridge for a few hours. These were accompanied by my homemade beef burgers - yum!

We still haven't got round to buying a barbecue, at first we toyed with a gas one, then came back to the idea of traditional charcoal, looking at a classic Weber, but we didn't like the size and the circular shape, plus it would be good to have something we could take camping as well as our stove. The funky versatile Son of Hibachi would be just about right, and I've found one for £49 inc. delivery.

Our (very) brief summer is probably over now though, so a party sized instant BBQ had to suffice.

All in all a scrumptious outdoor feast!

Labels: cooking, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 13:03 | link to this post  0 comments

party time!

Dom's birthday hog roast passed in a blur. The food was fantastic, there was music, fireworks, dancing, large amounts of booze and thankfully, fair weather that held out until about 8pm when we all crammed into the gazebo.

I had such a bad hangover the next day!

Dom and Waldu from Nyama Catering

The party in full swing

Night-time brings the rain

Me & my cagool, Elliot & baby Callum, Pete and Dom

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:59 | link to this post  0 comments

house update: 19 days to go

Most of the kitchen doors went on yesterday and I finished taking up all the gripper-rods and skirting boards ready for the floor.

We still made time to go and watch the Le Tour de France which came through our village. It was excellent!

Labels: d.i.y., seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 07:37 | link to this post  0 comments

under milk wood

posted by vic @ 23:05 | link to this post  0 comments

isle of wight festival

Got back from the festival yesterday and it was wicked! We saw The Feeling, Snow Patrol, Amy Winehouse, Paulo Nutini, Keane, Donovan, The Fratellis, Muse, Kasabian and The Rolling Stones! Highlights for me were The Feeling, Snow Patrol and The Stones. I can't believe how much energy Mick Jagger puts into his performance - more than I've ever seen any young person do. When the stage started to move and the whole band came into the crowd for Satisfaction everyone went wild and we got so close!

The weather was extremely hot, so we all got sunburnt and it meant no lie-ins in the baking hot tents, but we can't complain!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 12:46 | link to this post  0 comments

pressure

posted by vic @ 12:00 | link to this post  0 comments

this time next year...

posted by vic @ 23:13 | link to this post  0 comments

kombat opera

Last night's spoof was Question Time Out, last week's was Spouse Change (Wife Swap). This is definitely the most original programme to grace the television for a long time. It is so refreshing to see something different!

I was all the more impressed when I saw Stewart Lee's name in the credits. Stewart Lee is a talent indeed, I used to watch him on Fist of Fun with Richard Herring, then This Morning With Richard Not Judy, and his work is always er... unique. I was always amazed at how many religious jokes they got away with on TMWRNJ on a Sunday afternoon, but probably didn't receive many complaints because I don't think they had many viewers (apparently Points of View did receive lots of complaints).

He wrote Jerry Springer the Opera which was controversial to say the least, but I have to say I didn't take much notice of it.

Kombat Opera is fantastic. Look out for The South Bragg Show next week with the understated legend that is Kevin Eldon playing Melvyn Bragg, and then Manorama the following week. Highly recommended.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:19 | link to this post  0 comments

spring

It is such a gorgeous spring day outside: the sun is out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view... but I'm stuck indoors concentrating on big daunting law exams and that's enough to cloud any rosy outlook.

I took a stroll down the garden path and this cute little crocus display cheered me up, but now, it's back to the books.

Labels: gardening, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 10:57 | link to this post  0 comments

loving

Dom told me he had gone up north with work yesterday, but when I got home, there he was, along with a lovely bunch of tulips (my favourite flower) and he cooked me the most gorgeous risotto (which is, I think, if I can possibly narrow it down to one, my favourite meal).

It was quite low key, because pressures of work and study are sapping both our energies at the moment, but it was very sweet.

Labels: cooking, seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 09:15 | link to this post  0 comments

snowing

There's always a big fuss when it snows these days, but I don't remember it being such a headline grabbing issue when I was a kid. Of course then, all I was interested in was getting outside and building a snowman. I don't remember adults moaning about travel, but then I did live in the north, where people walk a lot and driving more than half an hour to work is practically unheard of. It seems like the whole nation has turned into a bunch of soft wimpy drama queens, because in my mind I'm still a kid, who woke up this morning, looked out the bedroom window, saw the beautiful sight of freshly fallen snow, and all I wanted to do was get outside and build a snowman! I hope it's still there when I get home.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:18 | link to this post  0 comments

plates - clearing them & smashing them

We spent Christmas with my family in Newcastle. It was very lazy, being overfed, waited on hand and foot by my poor mum! I think I enjoyed Boxing Day better than Christmas Day - we all went to the coast. It was freezing cold, but this didn't deter us, nor anyone else, judging by how busy it was.

New Year was spent out with friends, Sharon, Andy, Toni and her son Elliott, at a Greek restaurant. I have to say it was possibly the nicest meal I had eaten out all year. We had copious amounts of alcohol, participated in the ubiquitous plate smashing and danced into the early hours. Of course New Year's Day wasn't quite as great, as I was as sick as a dog!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:34 | link to this post  0 comments

the hoppings

Last weekend I went up to see my mum and dad to search for wedding venues. We found one, and booked it. It's a castle and it's beautiful but it is still a couple of years away.

Coincidentally I was in Newcastle at the same time as the Hoppings which is the largest gathering of travelling fairs in Europe. There were some pretty scary rides there but that's not my bag. I was much more interested in the people watching. I had my fortune told by the lovely looking lady in the picture. Total rubbish.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:19 | link to this post  0 comments

revising (again)

posted by vic @ 13:43 | link to this post  0 comments

proposing

Dom proposed to me while on our amazing holiday in Thailand. It couldn't have been more perfect. It was 11th March and we were staying on the beautiful island of Ko Tao. Our bungalow was just a few feet from the beach.



We wandered down to watch the stunning sunset. Just after the sun disappeared behind the horizon Dom began writing in the sand, then pulled out the ring and got down on one knee! Of course I said yes!!



That night we walked down the beach to one of the seafood restaurants that set up on the sand after dark. We enjoyed fresh king prawns and fresh king mackerel - delicious! Further down the beach we enjoyed a few more Singha beers in a bar, lying on sand cushions listening to music.

When we walked back to our bungalow at midnight, the tide was on it's way in and the proposal was still there in the sand. We waited while the waves washed away the words - the perfect end to a perfect evening!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 13:15 | link to this post  0 comments

lovin'

posted by vic @ 09:17 | link to this post  0 comments

travelling

posted by vic @ 10:22 | link to this post  0 comments

Happy New Year

posted by vic @ 15:16 | link to this post  0 comments

Christmas

Christmas Day was spent at home with exchange of prezzies and a huge Christmas dinner of turkey and stuffing with homemade cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, mashed swede and carrot and sprouts. It was delicious.

After a relaxing Boxing Day we drove on 27th to my mum and dads', where it felt like Christmas all over again. It had snowed quite heavily overnight and on 28th we went with my sister and the dog to Bolam Lake Country Park for a walk.

On 29th we headed for Dom's mum's house where we delivered and opened more gifts, had snowball fights with Liam and Sophie, Dom's nephew and niece, and took them to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was excellent.

We got back home late last night and have stocked up on champagne to see in the New Year this evening.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 12:19 | link to this post  0 comments

Christmas Tree

Last weekend we put up the Christmas Tree. It looks lovely. Our Christmas shopping is all finished and most of the presents are wrapped and stored under the tree until we set off and deliver them between Christmas and New Year.

Dom and I aren't putting our presents for each other under the tree until Christmas Eve to make sure they stay top secret!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:02 | link to this post  0 comments

MPH05

Last month I took Dom to MPH05. It's a car show. Boys stuff. Dom enjoyed it though!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 17:55 | link to this post  0 comments

Guy Fawkes Night

On Saturday 5th November it was 400 years since Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament. Britain celebrates his failed plot every year on this date by burning effigies of Guy on large community bonfires and by letting off fireworks.

Dom and I went to a small firework display sans bonfire at our local pub. It was just enough to make us feel like we hadn't missed out, whilst at the same time enabling us to walk back home within a couple of minutes and enjoy the rest of the night indoors, warm and with a few glasses of wine.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 21:51 | link to this post  0 comments

watching

posted by vic @ 22:26 | link to this post  0 comments

pumpkin carving

When I was a child, I only ever saw big orange pumpkins on TV or in story books. The reality of Halloween was, for me, (and I think most other British kids) carving turnips (or swedes if you are from the south). Sometimes, we just used large potatoes!

Pumpkins have been appearing in the shops in Britain for a good few years now, and this year, for the first time, I bought one. I had no idea what the flesh would be like and was quite suprised to see how hollow they are - much easier to carve out than turnips! I love all the different designs at www.extremepumpkins.com but the Michael Jackson lantern was a bit too ambitious for my first attempt so I went for a plain old scary face.

On Friday night, it went on proud display in our front window.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 14:39 | link to this post  0 comments

Leeds Castle

On Saturday Dom took a helicopter flight lesson that I bought for him last Christmas. It was such a beautiful sunny day and the Kent countryside was so enticing that on the way back from Headcorn Aerodrome we made a spur of the moment decision to visit Leeds Castle.

We spent a few hours walking around the beautiful autumn-coloured grounds, we had lunch outside overlooking the castle, we cracked the suprisingly difficult yew hedge maze and then wandered around the interior.

There was even a hot air balloon flight taking off, which was interesting to watch. It was a brilliant day and Leeds Castle is highly recommended.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 12:58 | link to this post  0 comments

housewarming

What an excellent evening. A red carpet welcomed guests which included Austin Powers & Felicity Shagwell, Homer Simpson, Cleopatra, Morticia Adams, Fred Flintstone & Betty Rubble, Braveheart, Daisy Duke... the list goes on. Everyone made such an effort and we were all still going at 4am.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 13:41 | link to this post  0 comments

stressing

Over the last few weeks I have been training for the Great North Run, then I ran it on 18th September. It was very hard and I won't be doing it again!

Since then I spent many hours when I wasn't at work preparing for my legal study weekend, which was last weekend. It was intense but good and although I didn't get a rest at the weekend, I don't feel like I need one as much as I thought I would.

I am still taking this Friday off work to give myself a break, but also to prepare for our housewarming party this Saturday night. It is fancy dress in the theme of movie characters. I am really looking forward to it, we have a red carpet, movie posters to decorate the walls, pop-corn and hotdogs for food and awards for the best costume.

I am going as Julia Roberts when she is dressed as the hooker in Pretty Woman. I have got some wicked black PVC thigh length boots, a blonde wig, and am busy making the dress she wears.

Dom is going as Tom Cruise, when he plays Maverick in Top Gun. He is wearing a flight suit and we have got some Tom Cat fighter pilot patches to sew on.

It's all go - and I need a rest!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:31 | link to this post  0 comments

studying

posted by vic @ 12:02 | link to this post  1 comments

celebrating

posted by vic @ 08:49 | link to this post  0 comments

happy birthday dom!

Dom is 28 today! I bought him a Dewalt Circular Saw. He was very pleased with it. Tonight we are going into London for a meal and to see some stand-up comedy. Cool!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 08:07 | link to this post  0 comments

surprising

posted by vic @ 08:42 | link to this post  0 comments

sunsoaking

The weather is beautiful at the moment and it was just right last weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival. Our six man tent might have taken nearly two hours to erect but the comfort of space and height was well worth it. Having experienced festival camping for the first time, I can now confirm that the toilets are pits of eternal stench, and the showers, well, 15 divided by 20,000 doesn't really go, does it?! Luckily I have relatives on the island and we took full advantage of their washing facilities!

As for the music: Travis stole the show, reeling off hit after hit that I'd forgotten, but knew all the words to. The band that we really wanted to see, Snow Patrol, were excellent. The headliners, R.E.M., were almost too big and too polished for a festival of this size. They didn't connect with the audience in the friendly fashion that the other bands had.

Ray Davies from The Kinks was also very cool.

It has spurred us to download an array of albums, including some of Mark Knopfler's new stuff, after we had seen him in concert at the Royal Albert Hall. He was amazing.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 17:28 | link to this post  0 comments

listening and applauding

posted by vic @ 08:50 | link to this post  0 comments

relaxing

We have had time to relax. This was us having lunch in the back garden, the weekend after we moved in...

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 20:51 | link to this post  0 comments

unpacking

posted by vic @ 11:40 | link to this post  0 comments

packing

This weekend, Dom and I will be leaving the flat that we have been renting and moving into our new home. We have been packing up our belongings ready for the big day.

This place will be our very own to decorate exactly how we want it. We can't wait!

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 18:24 | link to this post  0 comments

canterbury

A couple of weeks ago we drove to Canterbury for the day. It was very pleasant. Nice pedestrianised shopping streets and an impressive cathedral.

Labels: seeing_doing

posted by vic @ 19:36 | link to this post  0 comments