Vlogging the blogging

So I thought I shake it up a bit...

I've given Vlogging a go this week. We went to  Leeds Castle in Kent to watch the Medieval Jousting.

Although when I say vlog, it's more of a video but I am trying new things and will hopefully be making more of this with a bit more talking from now on (Also apologies for the sound a the start it was a super windy day). 

Will be back next week with a proper blog apologies been hectic what with a new job and not having internet at home don't ask but now I have super fast broadband so will be able to blog quite happily from now on.

Winner, winner Sunday Dinner

Sorry bit late in posting but in the final stages of moving so try (and failing) to get the final bits done before we have to actually move.

But to cheer myself up we too a trip to the Disney Store my little chap got an Olaf  who join us for Lunch and I got this amazingly gorgeous cute little Tsum Tsum Jabba the Hut.. 

I also added to my happy by getting this uber sparkly office shoes  They have sandals too so I think I might be force to shop again to add to my sparkly collection. lol

We went out for an Amazing Sunday dinner  at the North Pole Pub  I've reviewed that pub before when we went in the summer but I haven't been for the Sunday Dinner yet so this was a treat.

Now being from the UK it's a good bet that I love a sunday dinner.  It's like a ritual well it was every Sunday when I was growing up. No so much now as it's a lot of work so unless my Mother offers to do it (and to be fair hers are much better than mine) I only do it on rare occasion. Also as they are super yummy but lots of calories.

Now the one at the North Pole is a Carvery so you can pick your own meats and veg I went for beef and turkey, with roast potateos, cabbage, cauliflower cheese (love it) carrots, parsnip, stuffing and a yorkshire pudding topped up with gravy. It was A-Maz-ing delicous and you can tell it was all freshly cooked. it was only £10 so a bargin for all that you got. have to say definitely try this place if you are looking for a good Sunday lunch.

They do a kids plate too save process just a smaller plate but as you can choose he had the beef and I filled it up with all the little ones favourite veg and he enjoyed it just as much as the rest of us. We sent back all the plates empty :) 

For dessert (so yes the diet is going well), they do have an fantastic dessert menu with loads of classic puddings, I had bread and butter pudding with custard.. I did share it with my little pudding pop so felt less guilty about getting it. 

I do like a classic English dessert but this had a twist and came with chocolate chips (traditional raisins) which I though was really neat idea and will definitely be pinching it when I make this in the future.

The hubby had the apple pie and ice cream.

That was great too, the only down side and this is totally just my weirdness but in winter I want hot desserts so the fact he had it with Ice cream put me off a bit. If it was custard or just warm on its own it would have been perfect (Okay I know that crazy but hey it's my blog and I can be crazy if I want too).

Oh and on the bar they had this lovely working mini carousel 

In was so detailed and really beautiful although I did worry about it being on the bar as I don't think delicate ornaments and alcohol mix lol :) 

So all in all a great lunch a great venue and a group of very full people :P

What with everything going on very little cooking took place this week. The only thing I did manage to cook up was a yummy vegetable risotto topped off with salmon (see pervious post for the recipe).

Hopefully this will go some way to compensate for the not so healthy but super yummy Sunday Lunch 

Well ta-tar for now and hopefully next week if things have calmed down, I highly doubt they would have I'll have a yummy recipe for you all :) 

Sadness, happiness and Cinnabon

Going to start off my Blog this week with a recipe as I might get a bit maudlin later on as I went to a funeral so if you're just looking for tasty recipe I made Char-grilled vegetable with Turkey on a bed of rocket.

so simple just char-grill any vegetables you want. I had Courgette, Tomatoes, Onions and Mushrooms. Stir Fry some Turkey with a bit of 5 spice then layer the rocket Veg and Turkey you can add a bit of Soy sauce if you like.

But it super health and super yummy. 

I also got to visit Oxford Street last week in between meetings. I got to go to one of my Favorite places the Disney Store and found Wandering Oaken Trading Post - unfortunately they weren't having a big summer blow out :)

I did how ever pick up two lovely Mickey one just a standard plush toy and the over a baby comforter for my friends little 4 month old. The staff were also extra lovely I did tell a manager how nice everyone was. As normally people only complain in stores. I think if I get bad service I'll complain I must on the flip side mention when I get outstanding service. 

Then when I went to get to the Tube at Bond Street Station, I found a Cinnabon concession stand. I don't think you understand how excited I was. I love these little fellows and consider it a major treat when I visit the USA.

My Favorite Cinnabon store is the one on Universal Studio Orlando City Walk. Every time I visit Universal Studio I have to pop in there for a sticky Bun. So now I have a place in England to go. Also as I'm not up Oxford Street very often it will still remain a treat food. As I could eat my body weight in these if given the chance. 

I got myself a Mini Chocolate one and very please to say it was a nice as the one in Orlando. Although did get some disparaging looks while scoffing it down on the Tube.

We also after the meeting have cake at work. As I had the Cinnabon I did not partake but they did look lovely and thought they deserved a picture :) 

Right Fun part over now for the sad part of my week. I had to attend a funeral don't want to go into too much detail as it's not fair for me to share others grief. Just to say it was for two people one of the had a good long life the other one didn't.

The thing that struck me was just how sad it was. I know funerals are sad but why. As death is the only thing in life that we can guarantee will happen. We've had thousands and thousands of years of the great circle of life you would think by now we would cope with it better.

I was crying along with the rest of the attendees so I just as bad as everyone else. I assume we're mostly sad about not see the person again or wrestling with our own mortality.

I personally am not scared of dying: although would like another 50-60+ years before it comes along. I just wish there was a way of it being less or a traumatic experience and we could deal with it better as a society. 

 I also was so upset for my friends as they were effect by two losses and when I saw how upset they where my heart broke. Empathy plays a big part in these processes.

I think I just want a change so it  takes away peoples pain. I would hate to cause my friends and family so much distress when I pass away.

Well that's Life I suppose and change nature of it, as the next day I went to visit my friends 4 month old that I bought the Mickey's  for. He was so cute and I got lots of cuddles even though my little was very upset with his mummy having hugs with anyone but him.

So a weeks of ups and downs and lots of thinking about life. I know I'm lucky alright there's thing I want to change like having more money and a better job, don't we all. But I am amazingly blessed and I just need to remember that more as we all need to enjoy life while we can ;)

Christmas Decs and Do

Hello everyone hope you're all doing well.

With only 9 days left till the Jolly Fat man comes, hope festive cheer is filling your lives. 

I am starting to now feel christmassy as we've got the decorations up. Although as we have a very inquisitive (and by inquisitive, I mean want to destroy everything he sees) 14 month old darling son. We thought it best not to get a tree.

This is quite sad in a way as I've never not had a tree :( although it is far less stressful than constantly try to prevent the little man trying to pull it down on himself :). We'll get a massive one next year to make up for it. 

We also had our works Christmas do in a very nice pub called The Queen Adelaide in Shepherds Bush. I had smoked salmon to start, Duck for main and Christmas Pud for dessert. It was all super lovely unfortunately didn't take any pics as I was in charge of the event as well as our Christmas Attire competitions. I didn't win boo, I didn't even get one vote out of 35. I thought my headband and Totes Amazeballs T-shirt were very festive.

Oh well, but a fun afternoon and night was had by all. Also my folks had the little one over night so I got to have a couple of drinks. I even got the 10pm train home which sounds early but if you have a little on and the fact it started at 2 that is uber rock and roll.

Yesterday I had a lovely night out with my hubby and couple of good friends. My folks even had the baby overnight again which was great for us. (although it transpired that he wasn't well he's got an infection so wasn't a good night for them).

We went to a lovely restaurant call 28 West in Canary Wharf.

Also for once as I am now driving I didn't drink boo, but I got to drive all the way home and even got my first time on a motorway which was interesting I was a bit scared to go over 65mph but I did manage it a couple of times lol... What do they say practise makes perfect :)

We all go there hungry which was a bit of a bad idea as we all over ordered.




I got the Bones and Buns combo and changed my fries to cheesy chips.

I ordered the Chicken, brie and pesto Burger it was nice it came in a Brioche Bun, which seems to be all the rage at the moment.

My Hubby ordered a load of sides including Nachos and Onion Rings as he thought the burgers might not be enough.

We tried to eat it all but failed.

The food was nice but it was way to much I couldn't even get through my Burger and Ribs let alone the sides.

My advise is if you go there not have eyes too big for your belly. Start small then if you're still hungry order some more till your full.

To sign off this week I thought I use a quote from the 1980 film "Working Girl" as it was on at E4 at some ungodly hour this past week but with a sick baby you sometime come across these gems when dealing with soothing them in the middle of the night.

"You want to be taken seriously you've got to have serious hair"

Which is a true now as it was in the 1980 lol. 

Driving Test and Santa

Just a short post from me this week as I'm trying to pull myself together for Christmas don't know why but I can't seem to get into this year. I'm hoping after I put up a few decorations and start wrapping presents I'll feel better.

So this week was a momentous occasion in my life, I finally past my Driving test.  As I grew up and lived most of my life in London and what with the great Transport links and the fact that I always commuted and my Husband who I met in 1999 drove when we needed to get somewhere, it never really came up.

But now living in Kent and having a child I definitely needed to be on the road so after 6 month worth of lesson and one failed test I can now legally drive on our fair nations roads.

The other fun thing I did this week was take the little one to visit Santa at the local school fete. I love these things. The smell of classrooms mixed with, mulled wine and a ancient tea urn coupled with the throng of mostly parents of the children who attend the school they are quintessentially English. So we entered the grotto which was two classroom merged together with a actually quite festive array of lights and tinsel to the Beard Man sitting in his sleigh. Then in usual comic as it is with Kids he was having none of it so I now have a blurry photo of him throwing a fit lol

So hopefully we'll have better luck next year :)

Liberty's and Sausages

So yesterday I had a meeting near Oxford Street as I got there a bit earlier so I thought I would pop into Liberty as I've always loved the shop. When I was little I thought it was a magical place with all its nooks and crannies we always take a look in especially round Christmas when it was extra lovely.

I love the fact that when it was built it was meant to look old, but now due to it being built in 1875 it is old. So you've got the double history and double soul in the place. The feel of the weather beaten wood from the ships that have absorbed the knowledge of the high seas and the years of shoppers from all ages looking at the spectacular wears. I not much for the supernatural but that places has a mystique about it that is wonderfully eerie (Although I would not like to be there after dark on my own) lol.

I am also a huge fan of the show currently my two favourite shows are Liberty's of London on Channel 4 and Posh People on BBC 2. I think I love all the glamour and the idealistic lifestyle. I lead a relatively run of the mill life (albeit with a couple of Crazy antics thrown in) I'm do okay financially but I am far off rich and I'm fascinated by how the other half live. Some people think they lead feckless lives and its wrong to spend £1000 on a T-shirt or 30k on a dog's bed (honestly I saw one for that price in Harrods a few years back). But I'm still undecided, obviously there's the Jealous aspect of that argument do we criticises because we are on the other side of the fence; and would be behave any differently if we had the money.

Also I think its also a part of cutting your cloth to suit your means. I spend what I can afford on Clothes so if I had more I could spend more. So by that reasoning if I have millions I would be top to toe in Designer fashion lol.

but I digress I was in the store to look at there lovely displays. In the Scarf hall they have a wonderful ship mast which is perfect for the history and the look of the store. Really wanted to climb up the rigging dressed in a flora print with a matching eye patch.

I had to get the view from above and below. It worked especially well with the festive Christmas coins strung up around it and between the floors. Like gold doubloons stolen from a Spanish Galleon.




I also had a look at the light display in the second atrium when I stopped by the 4th Floor carpet hall.




Didn't realise it was going to be featured in last nights programme :). But I love it, it is definitely like a Moroccan Bazaar. Think it especially Apt to visit round Christmas as you can pretend you're in a panto. Think the staff are missing a trick and not getting into the holiday theme and dressing as the cast of Aladdin lol...


As I was in a shop I though I'd make a purchase. I really wanted some Nancy's Nail scented top coat. Although not sure if it a good look to go round smelling your nails all day :). Alas they had sold out which is a shame as I'm not sure when I can get back to pick some up.



But as I didn't want to come out empty handed I went to their Christmas shop and got this little fella. Who is bound to brighten up the festivities in our household. Although I haven't thought of a name. (So any suggestion would be appreciated) :).


Managed to see the Christmas lights down Regents Street. Hmm not really a big fan of such blatant sponsorship on the lights but I suppose that how they get the companies to pay and it probably better than not having them at all.


I stopped outside BBC Broadcasting hHouse as they were having a Sausage fest I bought myself a Uncle Henry's Firecracker Sausage. OMG it was A-Mazing. I do like sausages and this was one of the best.  If you're ever in Lincolnshire definitely pop on by as it is definitely a treat.



I was also asked to try a random bit of sausage from of the stalls and rate it out of 10. It was a herb one and that too was so good. I got a little too into it and proclaim that "I was enjoying it a bit too much" which is something you should never say with a sausage in your mouth. My husband found it hilarious as we watch the "One Show" and my mug popped up. He proceeded to tell all our friends of Facebook. I just thank god no one at work watch it as it been all morning and I've had no comments phew.

But if any of you guys want to watch my now amazing 5 second of fame I sure its on the BBC Iplayer according to my friends brother on FB it's about 18 mins in.  Although I am talking with my mouthful which of course is the height of bad manners and should not be emulated lol.