Coming from Yorkshire, I've always believed in the power of tea. Finding this message inside a new box of Twinings Earl Grey tea bags made me realise that I'm not the only one. "If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm ... read more
The twelve days AFTER Christmas
I think Muddling Along Mummy is actually quite right when she says that there are far too many blog posts that are all the same at the moment. I did struggle for a while with the question of whether or not I should jump on the reviewing bandwagon, but I'm afraid that the mortgage and desire to stay home with my daughter a little bit longer made that decision for me. True it does seem that the Next 12 days of Christmas campaign is all over many UK based blogs at the moment, but I thought I'd go slightly off on a tangent and remember what happens when the festive ... read more
A morning in the kitchen
My whole morning has been spent in the kitchen today, sadly not baking, but instead coming up with meals for Little Miss C. Pureed vegetables are nice and simple, but today I branched out a bit and tackled my first Annabel Karmel recipe: Apricot Chicken and Sweet Potato. I'm beginning to wonder if I should have bothered though. LMC is currently teething and while her front bottom two teeth have come through the gum, I'm pretty sure there's more going on in that little mouth of hers. Not only is she chewing everything that comes into her hands, but she also has moments where ... read more
November snow
Snow in November in the South East of England is rare, but it's what we woke up to this morning. No where near as much as what they have further north, but still. There's at least a cm out there and it's the sort of snow which sticks to tree branches giving things a wonderful wintery look. Little Miss C is fascinated by it all. Her breakfast was significantly slowed down today as she was far more interested in looking out of the window than eating her porridge. ... read more
In love with … Radio 4
As much as I completely love my daughter I have to admit that if we're just the two of us at home together then the conversation is a bit one way. I'm sure she has some very deep considered views on the state of the country and how the coalition government is working out, but at the moment she seems to be keeping those views to herself. After several hours without adult conversation I do find that I need something to keep me sane and a re-discovery of Radio 4 is meeting that requirement rather well. No where else can you get such a range of audio delights and a typical day can ... read more
Money, Money, Money…
When I first started this blog (over 2 years ago now!) I had no idea quite where it was going to go. Looking back my life has changed a huge amount since then and so has this blog. I started off writing about the things in life that make me smile and in a way that's what I still aim to do. When I started though I have to say that I wasn't too sure quiet what I would end up writing about! Of course I had some initial ideas, but once those first few posts are written you really do need to think a bit harder as to what else to write about. I never imagined quite how many book reviews I ... read more
Proud of the BBC
I've seen the #potbbc hashtag in use on twitter for a while now, but have to admit that until tonight I had no idea what it was all about. Oh boy have I been missing out. In short, the fabulous Mitch Benn has written this wonderful song all in praise of Auntie! I'm a softie who has been deprived of sleep these last few nights, but even without that I still felt a lump in my throat when I heard this tonight. The original video's pretty good, but this version created with pictures brings it all to life a bit more. At times like his I'm proud to be British, and a TV ... read more
One Good Turn – Kate Atkinson
To say that my reading has slowed right down since LMC was born would be an understatement. This is only the second book that I've managed to read in five months. Yikes! Years ago I remember reading Kate Atkinson's Behind The Scenes At The Museum but strangely I remember very little about it. When my MIL passed me One Good Turn I again recalled reading BTSATM, but no more. One Good Turn felt familiar from the first page. I'm guessing that the Edinburgh setting must remind many of Rebus and as someone who loved Ian Rankin's detective that was certainly the case ... read more
Book memories
It's funny how some things from childhood can evoke such memories when you see them again years later. Mr C visited his parents with LMC over the weekend and came home with four books that had belonged to him and his brothers when they were all small. The three Janet and Allan Ahlberg books (Peepo!, Each Peach Pear Plum and Cops and Robbers ) are ones that I don't remember (that doesn't necessarily mean I didn't read them!) but they instantly reminded me of one of my favourite books from that time: Funnybones. The Tiger Who Came to Tea is yet another children's book that ... read more
Autumn colours
Another blogging break, but this time due to a family holiday to Northumberland and Little Miss C's first holiday. A lovely trip where we were fortunate enough to have amazing weather for this time of year. The thing that stunned us most though was the autumn colours that we were delighted to see wherever we went. Even the trees along the sides of the A1 were beautiful! Nature's autumn show may not last long, but whilst it did it was stunning. The trip itself provided a lovely opportunity to catch up with my whole family and to spend some precious moments with them. LMC also had her ... read more