Wired help

Lately, there has been little to bring a smile to my face at work.

But every now and again something comes along to lighten my mood - like the offer of another pair of hands to help me out with some of my more tedious tasks.

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my new assistant...

Unfortunately he's only temporary and is moving on to bigger and better things on Friday.

I shall miss him.

Two things...

... that have brightened my return to work this week.

Hoping that maybe, possibly, I might be in with a teeny weeny chance of winning this fantastic giveaway from Silver Pebble.



Her jewellery is so beautiful - do pop over and have a look. Be quick though - I think the giveaway ends tomorrow.

And then I discovered this story on another blog, and it has made me chuckle all day. If you need cheering up then go and read this - I can't get the vision of it out of my head.

Easter Sunday

Lots of chocolate eggs (I survived my no chocolate and coffee for Lent!) and cooking dinner for my mum and my in-laws.

Smoked mackerel pate (my very own made-up recipe):

Get out the food processor and whizz together 4 smoked mackerel fillets, 400g of cream cheese, a bunch of chives, lemon juice, horseradish sauce and black pepper to taste. Put into ramekins (this quantity made for 7 generous servings) and chill until ready to serve. We had it with crispy rolls and green salad.

Followed by Delia's roast lamb with onion and rosemary sauce and then Nigella's heavenly rhubarb meringue pie from How to Eat.

Wish I'd got a picture before it all got eaten.

Progress report

Readers of a nervous disposition please look away now - the following blog post contains pictures of a graphic nature which many may find disturbing.

Before:

Please excuse the mucky trainers - at this time of year I only tend to get my legs out when I'm going for a run.

After:

Let's just say Famous Dave's fake tan was not a resounding success. Please note the tide marks around my toes - believe me, it looks even worse in real life.

My legs look like they've been creosoted and my sheets are stained in a most disturbing manner.

David Dickinson eat your heart out.

It's arrived!

My parcel from the Beauty Bible:

Just look at all those goodies!

There's probably about £150 worth of stuff there, so that's my first concern put to rest - but I now have others to take its place.

Like I have to try a fake tan.

Right now.

We've been away for a few days (more of that another time) and I've already missed one of the deadlines for submitting my opinions, so today has seen me undertaking a major deforestation program on my legs a few months earlier than I was hoping for. Then there was the exfoliating and the applying with a special mitten to get my head around. Now I just have to wait until the morning to see if I've been tangoed.

By the way, don't let any impressionable young children follow that last link - apparently it may turn them into happy slappers (not to be confused with the unhappy slapper that I will look like tomorrow morning if this all goes disastrously wrong.

The weekend round up

There has been bad and good.
I won't go into the bad.
It's not really my story to tell.
But it has once again made me appreciate how you should never take life for granted.

And so, onto the good.

I have been getting the washing dry on my new line.
After getting drying envy all over blogland I took matters into my own hands and, rather than waiting for my husband, I put it up myself. Not sure how long it will stay up (knots aren't my strong point) but so far it has survived.

My rhubarb is shooting...

...and please note the rest of the weed free, freshly dug vegetable plot in the background.

Smug? You bet I am! It was so pleasant being out in the garden, all on my own with the sun shining down on my back and only birdsong and church bells to punctuate the silence.

I've even set up the electric propagator and planted my cucumber, tomato and aubergine seeds. This is very much an experiment for me, so fingers crossed something will grow eventually.

On Sunday we shared a romantic champagne afternoon tea for two at Rookery Hall, a much appreciated Christmas gift from my husband's brother and his wife. If you're interested in celebrity stuff, this is where Posh and Becks announced their engagement. Can't say that sells it to me, but I remember the local papers being full of it at the time!

Oh, and at some point we made homemade hobnobs using this recipe. I've been too busy eating them to take any photographs, but they are delicious and have had the thumbs up from the whole family and a couple of my son's friends as well.

But today it was back to work and all that entails. I won't bore you (or me) with the details.

Lunchtime escapades (part 1)

One of the advantages of working in the city centre is the wealth of different places you can explore in your lunch hour.

I have certain favourites and, just recently, I revisited one that had fallen off my radar a little since we moved offices to the other side of town.

The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is a former Victorian fish market, tucked away in the Northern Quarter, which houses a range of independent studios making and selling jewellery, textiles, ceramics, paintings, photographs and all sorts of other treasures. And there's a rather nice little cafe as well.

The last time I was there I noticed this little thing going on:

Yarnbombing, apparently.

The idea is that lots of different people, from all around the world, submit a piece of knitting 7cmx40cm and they continue to build this exhibit until it covers the whole banister.

As a complete non-knitter how long do you think it would take me to learn and complete a piece that size? Or am I just being completely ridiculous for even contemplating it?!

If you do ever visit, check out Linzi Ramsden's ceramic studio. I have been coveting some of her wall plaques forever.

And, if you do happen to be in the Northern Quarter and you're feeling a little peckish, might I suggest a stop off at Bread and Butter.

It's next to Rags to Bitches, a vintage clothes shop that will probably warrant a post all to itself at some point, and it serves tea in vintage china cups and saucers, pretty little fairy cakes and a very wicked chocolate Guinness cake. Sadly, it's a bit too far from my new office for me to go to regularly, but every now and again it is definitely worth the hike.