Hello folks, yes it’s me, I’m back… have you missed me?

Well, prepare yourself, I have had one mad week, fun, frolicks, sunshine and rock music sum it up in short, but needless to say, you don’t want it in short… so expect several updates to my blog because I know if I put it all in one it will be far too lengthy, so lets start at the beginning of my fun week off work, which was, Saturday 3rd June!

Friday 2nd was a blazing hot day, and we wanted a BBQ… but we decided that once work was over and the shopping for the BBQ was done, it would be too late and the sun would have gone to bed! Instead, we settled on going the following day to Coombe Abbey with my lovely little blue bucket BBQ, the picnic set, and the children! Did we ever pick the correct day? When we arrived at our scenic venue it was blazing hot, and it seemed that a fair few Coventrians had had the same idea and the BBQs were blazing, smoke filled the warm air… the convertibles were converted and Bob Marley was ringing out across the fields. We lay down the rug, got my delicious picnic hamper unpacked and lit the BBQ… a stylish little blue bucket of course, not the disposable type that many of the other BBQers were using! Yes I’m even a BBQ snob! I happily cooked up the delights of Quorn burgers, sausages, corn on the cob and… more sausages, and both Peter and the children were happy and full… I felt really happy as it’s the first time I have ever cooked on the coals and it was delish!

After packing up we all went for a walk into the grounds which were packed with people walking their dogs, Akita’s, Staffys and even… a Lhasa Apso… I must say it made me a little broody for the arrival of my puppy Lhasa Apso which I should get around the end of the year… hopefully… I don’t think I can last much longer without a little dog child to put a T-shirt and a sparkly collar on! :o) Needless to say, the day was a success and was topped off with Peter, mum and I taking a wander into town to sample the nightlife… it was ashame that by then my sweetpea wasn’t feeling too well… and no I hadn’t poisoned him with my BBQ… surprisingly!

:o(

Are any of you blog readers from Coventry? Or even Warwickshire? If so then you will understand what I am on about when I tell you I have been casting my votes today for the Godiva Awards As a connoisseur, (when I have the funds) of Coventry’s shopping, dining and nightlife scene, as the wannabe Paris Hilton of the region, I thought it only fair that I let others know my thoughts! So what was I pleased to see on the list this year? Well, Aspire, a wonderful little shop of wonder in Warwick town was on there, naturally that won my vote, I think the wish type boutiques have dominated the scene for a while too long now! Then Dogma and Prague, well that was a hard decision, in the end it went to Prague and call me shallow, but that was only because they sell the bottles of baby piper I love so much…funny how I never get ill on champagne! Yes, there is a rare old selection of establishments to choose from, so go on, fill your boots and vote!

What do I want to learn next? I’m always embarking on new hobbies and courses and am pretty good, even if I do say so myself, at turning my hand to pretty much anything! Now, in less than a week I will have completed my curtain making course, all I have to do tonight is finish a couple of seams and sew some Velcro on and then I can send those off to the college and wait for my marks to come back. Also another few weeks and my counselling course will be over… and then what will I have to be learning? I can do photography so don’t want to learn that, I can sew so don’t want to learn that… I can’t cook very well… but I am teaching myself that, and quite enjoying my new found kitchen independence. I could even post a recipe… there wouldn’t that be wonderful? Ok, Carrot and ginger soup:

Ingredients:

1 bag of carrots,
1 onion,
4 cloves of garlic
Fresh ginger,
Coriander,
Lemon juice,
Olive oil,
Vegetable stock

Method:

1. Peel and slice the carrots, chop the onion and the garlic and the ginger.
2. Lightly fry the onion, garlic and ginger, shallowly in olive oil until the flavour begins to release but before the onion colours.
3. Remove from the heat, add the carrots, some chopped coriander and enough vegetable stock to cover all of the ingredients.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
5. Allow to cool and put it all in a liquidiser, liquidise until smooth adding a squeeze of lemon juice.
6. Heat and serve as required

There you go, even I can make a nice job of it.

Anyway, I wouldn’t mind learning something artistic, perhaps sketching … or a foreign language. Ah well I’m sure I will decide on something eventually!

Well folks, it’s been another bank holiday weekend but this time I quite had fun. Made a change from the usual trying to find something to do over the weekend. Friday night, I was experimenting with cake baking. I used to bake really nice cakes when I was at school, so mum had brought a recipe for coconut cake back from the church, I thought I would give it a go, glad I did as it turned out really well. So I’m going to experiment now by making one with banana, and chocolate and stuff. I might make one and bring it into work as I’m notoriously a bad cook. Might be a nice surprise.

Saturday, I was popping out with mum, just to a couple of pubs, then Peter met us for a last couple of drinks before going home.

Sunday, during the day and after popping out shopping, I decided to make a start on the grass in the garden. It’s atrocious and although the summer isn’t currently forthcoming, I would like to think that maybe I’ll be able to host a summer garden get together involving my new BBQ bucket at some point. So I got down to it, and also managed to catch a bunny which has been running around our estate for a while. It’s quite obviously a domestic one and not wild, as I wouldn’t dream of catching a wild one, but it has been camping out on our door step for 2 weeks and we haven’t been able to get it. But now it is living in our garden, we have named it Peter… after Peter and he’s very happy out there in the garden.

Sunday night, I was off for a night out with some friends in Nuneaton. I was quite pleased that I had managed to get a lovely corset to go out in, white with a blue design on it. So off we went, Peter and I and met up with the others… and I drank… then I drank some more… and some more… and even more, until finally I could drink no more and Peter had to escort me back to the car to get me home… then I was sick… then I was sick some more… and some more until finally I fell asleep. Needless to say I was pretty hung over yesterday when we went shopping to Leamington. I went through periods of the day feeling ok, then feeling violently ill, but I managed a slow shopping trip, although I was happy to get chips and go home in the end and fell asleep on the sofa at about 12pm while watching a hammer horror I had bought for mum, ‘Frankenstein created woman’ mum loves hammer horrors and so Peter and I bought it for her as a treat for missing out on the shopping/ night out. It wasn’t too bad actually, she has some much cornier ones. Anyway, back to work today, and I’m counting down the days because from Monday I have a week off work… c’mon Monday!!!!