Most of us associate October 31st with witches, spells, potions and curses. But it’s not just a day to celebrate magic of the supernatural kind. Halloween happens to coincide with World Magic Day, an annual celebration of illusions, tricks and sleights of hand. And whilst you may not know how to pull a rabbit from a hat, or saw a glamorous assistant in half, there are plenty of ways you can get involved in World Magic Day this year. Origins of Magic Day No doubt you’ve heard the name Harry Houdini. Often regarded as the greatest magician who ever lived, he wowed audiences across Europe ... read more
Modern day, old fashion fun at the bingo
One of my fondest memories of my late Nan is her love of the bingo. She was never one to go to one of the big bingo halls that you get nowadays (in fairness I'm not even sure they had those near where she lived when she was alive) but she loved playing the game down at her various drop in clubs and day care centres over the years. Whenever my sister and I went to spend a day with her were always allowed to go and explore the cupboard of toys that she kept for us in her spare bedroom. There, amongst various toy dolls and a Kermit the frog space hopper (that I so wish we still had!), was a ... read more
Super+Super at Drink, Shop & Do!
I've always said that things in life are cyclic and trends certainly seem to go that way. Years and years ago women (and it was mainly women back then) used to gather together and craft as a group. This wasn't only done for social reasons, but so that skills could be shared between generations, as well as the practical issues like sharing childcare and saving fuel by only heating the one venue where people were meeting. After years in which crafters seemed to work at home on their own it now appears to me to have gone full circle with more and more people (of all ages, and both male and ... read more
Product of the Year Awards 2014
It's fair to say I don't get out much in an evening. Certainly not when it involves finding a posh dress to wear and heading to a swanky venue in London. Most definitely not when it involves an award ceremony presented by a household named comedian and a private gig from two number one artists. Amazingly Thursday night was just that though when I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Product of the Year Awards 2014, held at the stunningly beautiful 8 Northumberland (which bizarrely used to house my old office when I was a civil servant!) Some of you may not have heard of ... read more
The Raymond Blanc Lunch at Brasserie Blanc
One thing I really miss since having children is being able to go out for dinner or a weekend lunch on a whim with Mr C. We were very lucky in that we could just phone each other in the afternoon and decide where to meet for dinner that night - a big luxury indeed. I was thrilled therefore when a weekday lunch for local bloggers was organised on a date that I could actually do and on a day of the week when Little Miss C was in nursery. The venue was the newly opened St Albans branch of Brasserie Blanc and we were all invited to try the November version of their seasonal fixed price menu - The ... read more
Full of festive cheer
Tonight I'm planning a night on the sofa. It may not be the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night, but I'm in the middle of a "six Christmas parties in five days" marathon and I'm shattered! The final one is tomorrow and as much as I've enjoyed them all it has been a bit full on. The picture above shows where I was on Thursday night though - the Houses of Parliament in central London. On behalf of the Watercress Wildlife Association (where Mr C and I are volunteers) I attended a reception that was hosted by our local MP, Anne Main, to thank ... read more
A week in pictures
I've been lacking words this last week, so instead here are some pictures from what I've been up to. Highlights include a hen weekend where we got to stay on a working farm (with the lovely pair at the top of this post outside where we slept!), the first bulbs coming up in our garden, Mr C's birthday (which obviously required a home made chocolate cake), the completion of my raised bed, and today the first day of Spring proper. Somehow I also managed to squeeze in two books (Vanessa and Virginia and Deaf Sentence - reviews of both to follow), ... read more
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Mr C's parents invited us to join them on Thursday evening to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (apologies if that link doesn't work as their website appeared to be down as I wrote this). I've heard of these guys before, but I had absolutely no idea just how funny they are! I've certainly now seen the ukulele in a completely different light and I wish Mr C could play his at this level.They do some brilliant takes on classics songs that we all know and also some more modern stuff. My absolute favourite has to be their rendition of Kate Bush's Wuthering ... read more
Chaos
Ae we really only ten days into 2009? Last weekend I remember feeling so organised for going into the new year; now I'm not too sure. So much seems to have happened in these last ten days that I'm not even sure where to start. Sorry there are no photos to accompany my words - I've just not had time to take my camera out of my handbag all week.I went back to work on Monday and was expecting a quiet week before starting all the regular meetings etc next week. Someone else obviously thought differently. I feel like I've been on a treadmill that's been getting faster and faster ... read more
St Pancras
Once again I'm just not too sure where the last week has disappeared to. It's been a difficult week at work, with a couple of days working away as well, and I was certainly ready for the weekend when it came around. One big highlight of the week was Mr C and my fortnightly Thursday meal out. It was my turn to choose this time and I managed to book us a table at the St Pancras Grand in London's St Pancras International station. Normally the idea of going to a train station for dinner would be laughed at, but St Pancras is no normal station.Since it was re-opened ... read more