Sunny Southend

Today I took the boys to sunny Southend for the day with my parents in tow.  The day didn't start as smoothly as planned as we discovered we couldn't all fit in the Eos, so I ended up driving too.  Anyway it was only a short hours drive so it was not a big deal really.

When we arrived the boys were so excited to be beside the sea.  It was windy and chilly but bright and sunny.  We were so lucky with the weather.  We took the train ride down the pier, and walked over the the lifeboat station.  Sadly it was closed for maintenance but it was great to be over a mile out to sea on the pier.  Southend has the longest pier in the world, and its actually quite impressive and unlike Brighton's pier, relatively tack free.

Mum and I were watching the cutest birds on the pier, they are so pretty.  They are Terns, something to do with Stone is in their name also.  Basically they turn over the stones to look for food, but typically I now can't think of their name for the life of me.

This afternoon we took the boys to Adventure Island and they went on the rides.  Well C went on the rides with Dad and L watched most of them.  He wasn't feeling particularly brave and didn't want to join in.  Both of them had a great time though, and poor dad got dragged on all sorts of crazy rides, I think he was kinda enjoying himself though!

By the time we left the sun was going down on a lovely day and the coldness has crept in.  It was so windy and really very chilly.  We were all very glad to be able to get into the cars and pop the heaters on!  

A great start to Half Term, finished off with a trip to Pizza Hut on the way home.  So far so good, school holidays aren't so much of a nightmare after all ........ I hope!

Waiting for a call

I'm sitting here just waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for the foster agency to have a placement for me. The room is all ready, dad has been painting the skirting, the windows and the door today, so actually maybe its best they don't call me today, the house smells of paint!

I'm just excited and apprehensive I guess.  I don't doubt that I can take on the challenge but I'm pretty sure i'm going to be terrified when the phone call actually comes!  There again I don't suppose its anymore terrifying than coming home from the maternity ward with a new born and then realising that you have this child to care for.  So if they can do it, I can do it, plus I have an amazing support network of friends and family to help me out.  I've been touched by all the offers of help that have been coming my way, people have been so very kind.

Almost An Auntie

I'm almost an Auntie.  Kt's baby is almost cooked .... but might need to come out a little bit undercooked.  We went for her midwife's appointment this morning, and she waddled in with her extremely swollen feet, which she tried to hide!  Once Midwifey saw her high high blood pressure we were promptly dispatched to the Maternity Ward, stopping to fetch mum on the way!

The three of us hung out in her room for a couple of hours before being seen by a doctor.  When they finally took her blood pressure I think there were slightly horrified at how high it was and the dashed about checking her and rechecking her every few minutes.  She has pre eclampsia, which is pretty dangerous for bubba and even more dangerous for her.  So she has been admitted, and is most definitely there for the weekend ...... she may be there longer but is more that likely to emerge with a nearly fully cooked bambino.  Due date is October 6, but hey this one is going to be a little undercooked.

So it will be a weekend of entertaining the pregnant lady at the hospital.  I see some crafting coming on, a trip to Hobbycraft might just be necessary before my visit tomorrow :-)

The only questions to ask now is is it a pink or blue baby, and when will it come?  Hurry up baby, we are looking forward to meeting you.  But if you could just hang on over the weekend so I can photograph mummy's bump that would be fabulous

L x

The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

I guess every day can technically be labelled as 'the first day of the rest of my life' can't it, but yesterday was all about new beginnings for me.  It was my first day out of work, my first day knowing I'm officially self employed and raring to go.   It wasn't the first day I felt terrified about how I was going to pay the bills, but I do feel excited about the prospect of making it all happen.  I also feel safe in the knowledge that somehow it is all going to be ok - not quote sure how just yet - but somehow it all will be.

I had a boosting and inspiring meeting with my friends Clare and Nicola and we brainstormed and came up with loads of new projects for me, and for Hertfordshire Social Stuff.  So today I have the hugest to do list, and as I start each task the list seems to grow and grow as I mind-map, and come up with other ideas. Its going to be an ever evolving project, the business has so much scope and I'm bursting with enthusiasm.

Yes Mum & Dad, I am incredibly mindful that I have bills to pay, don't worry its on my mind too, I'm not totally unrealistic.  I've never not worked in my life, so I can't see that happening :-)

I'm just excited for new beginnings, to make my life wholly mine again, and to focus on being happy.

Happy Friday everyone, I'm off to get on with my life and to tackle my to do list

L x

Movie Night - One Day

Having read and loved the book I was very excited to go and watch One Day at the movies. I loved it. I've actually just looked at some online reviews that are pretty negative, and I'm so glad I didn't read them before we went tonight, so they clouded my judgement.

Anne Hathaway played a great Emma, although yes, her accent did slip on more than one occasion, but who cares, we all know she is American, and to be honest who watches a movie to sit picking faults in the accents anyway. Jim Sturgess just got better and better with age - the movie is set over a 20 year period, and mmmmmhh age is kind to Mr Sturgess ladies!!

You can't help but get on Emma's emotional roller-coaster, despite knowing the story, I got totally swept up in it all over again. Cried, smiled, gasped and at times wanted to punch Dex! Lets face it, we've all fallen for guys like Dexter, wished things were different, wish they meant what they were saying, wished they didn't just say what they thought we wanted to hear! But you know what, despite knowing this, and watching it happen, I can't ay I won't do it again. Sometimes a girl just has to fall in love, and sometimes its with the wrong person, but sometimes, just sometimes he becomes the right one too!

I personally would recommend this movie, if you are a book worm then I'd suggest you read the book first, only because its never the same after watching a movie. But for those of you who don't do reading, just go see it. It will make you smile and will more than likely make you shed a tear too.

Don't just take my word for it, check out this site for all the movie details: http://focusfeatures.com/one_day

Pudding Club: Chocolate!

Tonight was Hertfordshire Social Stuff's Pudding Club.  It was the first pudding club we have run and I think we can safely say it was a success.

So what's pudding club and how does it work?  Well its simple really, its all about puddings and desserts and the sweeter things in life.  We set a theme, and everyone makes a dessert / pudding relevant to the theme, they bring them along, we eat them and have a good old chat!  Simple!

So the theme for the first pudding club was Chocolate.  I decided to take a chance to try a vegan recipe for chocolate mousse, made with avocado!  It was a bit of a challenge as I didn't have a food processor but I managed to successfully mush up the avo and make the mousse.  I was amazed as to how chocolatey it was, ok so you could taste the avo a little bit - but I'm wondering if this is more psychological once you know about the avo being in it.

Ok so it wasn't the bestest chocolate mousse in the world but I can't say I disliked it.  Being lacto intolerant it was just lovely to be able to eat chocolate mousse regardless of the weird and wonderful ingredients!  The link to the receipe incase anyone is curious enough to try it is: http://greenplatedinners.com/2011/05/06/raw-vegan-chocolate-mousse-w-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-balls/

Nicola made the most amazing Chocolate and Ginger Tarts and they were simply divine, she is a domestic goddess.  Sharon made whoopie pies and they were equally fabulous - never doubt your culinary skills Sharon, they were yummy.

Katie and Laura cutely forgot we had a theme and bought a lemon cheesecake - which actually was just prefect as a palate cleanser between chocolate puds!

Someone left a pudding plate on the floor at the end of the night and Kai decided to show his appreciation for the desserts!  I had to grab the camera and capture the moment before shooing him away.

All in all we had a very successful first pudding club, lots of calories, chat and laughter.  I'm really looking forward to next months.  The theme is FRUIT - fruit salad is  banned, and its time to get creative.

Come and join us: www.hertfordshiresocialstuff.co.uk

Bertha and her mussels

Who is Bertha and what's all this about her mussels??

Katie and I were taken to Bertha's for Sunday lunch by our lovely friends Lauren and Ryan Christopher.  Bertha's is a seafood restaurant in Fell Point, Baltimore, famous for its mussels.

Bertha's became known as Bertha's when the bar's owner Tony found a stained glass memorial window in a Baltimore junk shop. The window was dedicated to the memory of Bertha E. Bartholomew but who was she .... ? Well nobody knows, and this still remains a mystery today.  Tony displayed the stained glass window with lighting behind it, and hung it above the bar.  The bar was from then on know as Bertha's

Tony designed a bumper sticker with the message 'Eat Bertha's Mussels and this has become famous.  These stickers are mailed out daily, and are seen worldwide.  To be totally honest I'd never heard of Bertha's until our visit.  But took a picture of Katie holding the bumper sticker (every customer leaves with one!) and uploaded it to Facebook when we got home.  My cousin Penny, commented on the photo and said 'Who is this Bertha'?' It turns out her neighbour, in Hitchin, UK, has the bumper sticker on his car!  So Tony, your marketing is working :-)

The food was excellent, my salad was humongous and did, yes, include mussels and they were delicious.

So when in Baltimore, go to Bertha's and do eat her mussels!

Maryland Crabs

Maryland is know for its crabs and Old Bay -  a seasoning that Marylanders (and my family) adore.

Friday night was crab night and my first experience of bashing a cooked crab with  a hammer in order to get to the yummy crab meat inside the shell!

The lesson goes a little something like this:

Get to know your crab

Struggle to break off the legs - ooooh gross!

practice using your crab hammer on your friend

Eeeek! Bash the crab a bit whilst showering your friend in crab shell.

I'm not sure i'm loving this!

Check cleavage for bits of shell and crab meat - hmmmh classy!

Look very unimpressed with the lack of meat for all this messy work

Pose for messy hand photos

Celebrate all the hard work with a snowballs with added vodka!

Fun at the Supermarket

How much fun can a group of English girls have in an American supermarket?  Well ...... the simple answer is LOTS and LOTS!

The photo's say it all I think

Ok so are childish, but we laughed so much we cried.

Birthday Girl

Birthdays are a HUGE thing in my family.  We are more than a little over the top with all things celebratory and I know no different.  I personally wouldn't have it any other way, its my normality and its the way I hope to celebrate with my family in the future.

Birthdays overseas are somewhat different.  I've had one before, my 30th when I lived in South Africa, and despite it being lovely, it just wasn't quite the same.  This year I was in Baltimore, and then in Washington DC.  The less said about my trip the better as it wasn't the best - and this is a glass half full blog!

Katie and I went to DC to see old friends of ours Catherine and Alex for lunch.  Catherine lives in DC with her husband Forrest and her newborn son, Freddie.  Alex was also over from London visiting Catherine and the bambino, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet the new addition.  We had a lovely girlie lunch, caught up on all the news and had cuddles with Freddie.  Freddie was so cute he kinda made up for not being at home for my birthday!

Katie and I left the girls and headed over to Georgetown for some retail therapy and more importantly cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake Store.  Clearly I don't watch enough tv as I was unaware of this store but it apparently has its own show and is well know!  Ooops!  Anyway the cupcakes were divine and we quickly chose two each, Vanilla Birthday and Raspberry & Lemon.  Mmmmmmh they were so good!

From cupcakes me moved onto Cocktails (virgin for Katie as she is preggers!) at the wonderful Mie N Yu.  Where we ended up meeting everyone for dinner later on.

It was great to have some quality girls time with Katie as in two months she will be busy being mum!  We mooched around the shops, chit chatted and had a lovely day.  

The Start of the Birthday Fortnight!

Today was the start of my 'Birthday Fortnight' and it was such a lovely day.  The sun was shining down on us, so fingers crossed that lasts the fortnight too!

Having had a birthday BBQ every year since my 2nd Birthday it would have been wrong not to have one this year, despite the fact I'll be away for my actual birthday.

There was a lovely mix of family and friends, and there were loads of little cousins tearing around the garden in the sunshine, so it was perfect.  I got thoroughly spoilt, had cuddles with baby Ayrton and had a generally lovely time.

We were celebrating Piper's Birthday too as her actual Birthday is tomorrow - so there were two rounds of 'Happy Birthday' this year!  I was more than happy to share the candles on the cake - there was rather a lot, not so sure that I'm so happy with being 33 - it looked rather a lot of years when represented by candles!

The Nearly Birthday Girls

Nicola and I had a lot of fun with Cards doing readings for family and friends.  Some of whom were a little sceptical - although they were soon convinced when they saw how accurate it was.  Everything is looking bright for the future, the only way is up and the glass is most definitely half full.  Happy days!

A Lovely Sunny Saturday in London Town

I spent my Saturday in London with some girls from Hertfordshire Social Stuff.  We went to The Museum of London to see the London Street Photography exhibition.  Its well worth a visit, I'd thoroughly recommend it.  If you like photography and like London history then pop in when you are next in town, its running until September 4 and has free entry.  There are over 200 images of London life, captured by Street Photographers.    More information can be found on the Museum of London Website.

We then took a stroll through the City in the sunshine and I was busy snapping pics myself, no change there then!

St Paul's looked stunning in the sunshine

So did St James Park with the London Eye in the distance

This street sign made me smile a big smile - the amount of times I've walked through The City and never seen this street.  How could I have missed it.

But my favourite photo and sighting of the day has to be this one

A beautiful vintage car, waiting for the bride and groom at St Paul's Cathedral.  It was super cute.  What a special wedding venue St Paul's is - lucky bride.  I had a twinge of wedding envy!

Samuel Johnson famously said "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford"  I think I am inclined to agree with him.  We have an awesome City.

Talking Spirit

Just back from an amazing demonstration of mediumship by Clare Teale and Alan Albiston from Talking Spirit.  I am so into all things spiritual, guess I always have been and have always known, just needed my eyes reopening to it all.  Thanks to Nicola and a lovely lady called Joan, that happened and now all sorts of wonderful things are occurring.

Its so special to see people get messages from loved ones, and sometimes hilarious too.  Tonight a lady had her father come through and he was telling her off - not in a mean way - she was laughing hysterically - but he was actually telling her off through the medium.  Very amusing, I think he succeeded in getting his point across quite nicely.

Talking Spirit are fabulous.  Clare Teale and Alan Albiston are really special special people which such lovely souls, their energy is infectious and inspiring.  I love the fact that Alan always gets animals come through to him, he dances about as dogs weave their way around his legs, ducks as low flying parrots and budgies come though and looked more than slightly nervous when he got a giraffe come through for me.  Its a true gift and one I hope I can develop fully.  I'm yet to meet Tracy who co-owns Talking Spirit with Clare, as she is based in Kent.  I'm pretty sure our paths will  cross soon enough.

More information about Talking Spirit and upcoming events can be found at: www.talkingspirit.com

Light and Love

Lu x

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