You can lead a horse to water

...but you can't make it buy expensive bras.

Oh dear, you'd think I would learn.

Last year I went to Rigby and Peller as one of my 52s and came away with a new bra size and one wonderfully comfortable, perfectly fitting and very expensive bra.

I only bought one, thinking smugly to myself that I would just pop out and buy a few more M&S versions which would be FAR more economic than taking out a mortgage to restock with the deluxe versions. This has not panned out too well.

I have now bought 6 cheap bras, all of which are pokey and uncomfortable in comparison to the Rolls Royce of the bra world. Two have been consigned to the recycling already for making me look mostly like this:

And two more are on the risk register because I'm sure they are doing this:

With my humble head on, I have just been and done what the lady in the shop said. I went to a reputable outlet, chose a few, took them to the changing room, actually tried them on, and bought the best, which at £27 wasn't too eye-watering.

So I hope to be returning to this very soon:

Note to self: don't google 'hills that look like boobs'. The results won't be what you expect.

The lengths I'll go to

... to make the diet regime interesting are turning out to be quite extraordinary.

Last night for tea I had a boiled egg and soldiers while Tim had a full on curry, rice, naan and poppadoms. I was in desperate need of redressing this huge imbalance.

So I started with the toast:

This isn't ordinary toast. Oh no.

This toast has a flower shape stamped into it. Oh yes.

Both appetising AND filling now, I should think.

Then I moved onto presentation, and this is what I came up with:

Check out that little fella - he looks like he makes a meal into a Feast.

You use your hammer and then your spoon and then his little hat to collect the shells in.

That makes the meal last, oooooh, 3 minutes at least. 

Wahey, tea suddenly looks delicious!

Curry? No thank you very much.

Scavenger Hunt March 2012

I liked the list this month although I did find myself completely distracted by just one of the images: half a face. I have been looking for them everywhere and completely failing to find one. In the past week I suddenly realised I had lots more to find and had to whirlwind through the lot!

Here we go...

Theatre - what's on at the Playhouse in Norwich.
I've been three times this month so quite apt.

City - in particular the little black bin on the left, for food waste.
We live just 100 yards over the city/county boundary so we don't have one of these. Grrrr.

Kitchen - the cafe on Unthank Road in Norwich.
Famous for HUGE breakfasts.

Half a face - here is the troublemaker!
A logo for a BBC history project with offices in the Forum.

Morning - playing with our macro settings on the camera.
It wasn't quite frosty, but not far off. I was looking for cobwebs!

Square - round pebbles in a squarey shape with a handprint
because I can't leave well alone!

Words - what's hazardous? WHAT?

Landmark - Adnams beer in Suffolk.
It's how you know where you are.

Street name - Rattla Corner.
Definitely a corner, but what's a Rattla?

Fashion - for model boat sailors on Whitlingham Broad.
Wellies and warm hats!

Fancy - Tim's currant bun birthday cake.
From not fancy to FANCY! That took hours that did.

Buttons - four Jensons.
What's not to like?!

I have also just learned how to use the collage setting in Picassa.

Could you tell? I think this might be a new toy.

Hope you are all well - I'll be popping by to check out all the other hunts soon!

Click here to find out more and see for yourself.

Unpapped

I noticed this story a while ago and have been giving quiet whoops of

congratulations ever since:

Victoria Coren and David Mitchell are engaged

Obviously it's great news for them, but I particularly love it that not only did they announce it in the traditional way through the newspaper 'Engagements' column, but also, no-one but no-one seems to have a photo of them together.

I've seen David Mitchell on loads of stuff and have read a fair few Victoria Coren columns so I know they choose to be in the public eye to an extent. Yet they have still kept their relationship in perspective and out of the press.

They have probably worked very hard to achieve this and all credit to them.

Congratulations David and Victoria.

ps - I've only just noticed that they are Victoria and David. The irony of the diametrically opposed approach to constructed media engagement is even more brilliant.

Fatties anonymous

Not the kind of stick person I'm aiming to be!

This is one of those blog posts I'm not sure I should do because I hate the idea that people will read it and think I'm talking about them. I wouldn't be critical to their faces and in thousands of ways a public blog is worse, but from my point of view also better if you consider this a shared diary. If I didn't make note of this, all I would have to tell you about is a trip to Sainsburys and hanging lots of curtains. 

Last night I went to my first ever 'fat club' meeting. I won't name the organisation so hopefully no-one will sue me, but I think we can safely say that not everything they do will really work for me.

I know I need to eat appropriate portions, less cake and to build a wall between myself and Kettle chips, but I'm not sure I was expecting to hear that exercise was too complicated to get my head around at the beginning and to try to master food planning first.

Or for there to be a terrifying lady packing up all of the chairs around me while I sat through my 'introductory briefing'. Or to be told that avocado was on the bad list - SIX avocados maybe, but a bit in a salad when (as a veggie) I get very few omega oils any other way? Hmmm...

On the flip side, and very luckily, I am chucking myself in at the deep end with logging every single thing I eat on the online system and am motivated to get back into the Parkrun routine, keeping my fingers crossed that my brain can take the strain. After our rubbish few weeks, I'm determined to get a bit more aerodynamic and blow away some cobwebs.

I'll do a wobble report after a while, if you're lucky!

Clapping hands and shuffling feet

Last night I went to see these guys:

The London Community Gospel Choir.

They weren't wearing white suits and there were more of them, but I couldn't find any creative commons pictures and I failed to take any while I was there. Ooooops.

The trip was arranged through a lovely lady at the choir that I sing in every week and I confess I was a tiny bit worried that having no real faith to speak of might be a tiny bit of a problem... We do sing lots of spiritual type songs at the choir, but we also sing Simon and Garfunkel, Lloyd Webber, silly rhymes and cheesy pop so it has never really been a problem for the singing that I actually join in with.

These guys, however, are a full worshiping choir. I was slightly worried that my lost soul might start flashing warning beacons as I took my seat.

Thankfully not so. I can confirm that, whether you believe in what the songs are about or not, these guys can SING. Loudly and quietly and in tune and powerfully and with feeling. And crikey can they fill a space with sound. They all seem to be able to carry a solo as well as harmonise wonderfully so there is real variety in the kinds of songs they pull off as a group.

The only problem is the same thing I find with all theatre concerts - it is slightly bizarre to be chair dancing to really infectious music. These guys did get us up on our feet but there is only so much you can do while lined up neatly and with 6 inches square to shuffle about in. There was a bit of atmospheric whooping though, which made up for it.

It only really occurred to me as I left that this was a reduced group and the whole thing must be a remarkable experience indeed. I feel the need to practice my diction more!

Well hello Princess Armbands

I have just realised that the Olympics might be about to take over the entire summer, so I thought I ought to give in, immerse myself and make my own Wenlock.

Here she is - Princess Armbands!

Bring on the Olympics Prepares athletics, the hand ball (?), beach volleyball (hooray!) and the paralympics (if I'm lucky). And the scrum for train tickets.

You can make your own little mascot here:

https://mascot-games.london2012.com/

Scavenging in February

Hi everyone and hope you are all well.

This post is the first in a while, as we have had a bit of a nightmare of a month. We have ended up with a real shock to our systems which has left us not quite sure which way to turn. We'll pull through but we just can't quite see which way to set off.

And yet, I have still more or less had a decent go at the scavenger hunt. It has been a good distraction / sense of purpose / productive activity / way to waste time this month so I have even more reasons to thank Kathy. Here are my (slightly snowy themed) lot...

Food

A french market with all of the right levels of cheesiness.

Music

A vinyl records shop on St Benedicts in Norwich. I was originally trying to be arty with a black and white shot of the zebra crossing and then spotted the shop in the background.

Love

The big welcome on the door of our ski chalet.

Lots of hearts and a big roaring fire inside!

Cupid

I really struggled to get a photo of cupid anywhere and by the time we got back to England Valentines was well and truly over.

So this is what Cupid delivered to Tim this year - we called it the heart tart :-)

In the sky

This is the view from our chalet down into the valley, with cloud at eye level. From home and even more from the ski lifts, if always feels like you are higher than the sky.

Black and white

I ditched the zebra crossing when I spotted this.

Classic Norfolk flint work on one of Norwich's many churches.

 (minus) 5

This is how many clothes are needed when it is proper chilly.

Leap year

The lamest of the lot. This is what a free day of TV looks like:

Train

This is the little road train that runs skiers from one side of the village to the other.

We've never needed to use it but lots of people do.

Empty

This is how the slopes look before half term...

Crowded

...and then when the schools break up.

Heritage

We stay in a little hamlet attached to the main ski resort, which is really trying to build a little community to keep it's lift connections open and well used. They have started running a weekly vin chaud night which the locals seem to love and turn out to in force. We went twice and loved it both times.

Oh BLOGGER!!

Or I guess I should say oh DISQUS.

A while back I installed Disqus as a comment manager, so I could reply to comments and manage them more easily, a function that the Blogger comment manager couldn't quite cope with.

Within days of course Blogger launched their own comment management system, making the swap unnecessary. Grrrrr.

I have now swapped back as a couple of people have said that Disqus isn't very reliable anyway, and of course I have lost all of the comments that Disqus has got stored. I chuffing hate software. Anyone want to do this by pony express???

On the up side, this is my view as I type. Not too shabby :-)

Yes those are BBQ tools in the front
seemed like a good idea before it fell to -13!

Photo scavenger hunt: January 2012

For some reason I just couldn't hold this list in my head for more than 5 minutes. I had it in my phone as usual, but every time I looked at it I seemed to see something that I hadn't seen before. Maybe because I was so pleased to have done the full alphabet last month, my brain has gone on holiday.

Here's my lot:

2

Level two of St Andrews car park in Norwich.
I'm a bit scared of La Belle Angele...

blur

The garden steps through a smiley face.

In season

A heart of crocuses that is planted at the end of a neighbour's drive.
It comes up every year for Valentines, but it's a bit early this year!

Mess

This is one end of a new estate development we walk past regularly.
It has looked like this for years.

Information

This is just next to the river in Norwich, which used to be a hive of activity
and is now flats and posh warehouse conversions.

Warning

Doesn't get much clearer that that!

Odd

He sat like this for hours.
No idea what he found so interesting..

In the distance

A frosty fence stretching out into the distance.

Entrance

A sneaky way into the school playground.

Soft

The Tangzhong bread for my Fresh from the Oven Challenge.
It stayed soft for days.

In my bathroom

Handcream - lots of it.
I haven't had any for ages so I splashed out on some for practically every room!

Company

These guys followed us around Whittlingham lake,
with their entourage of ducks.

Nothing very spectacular here I'm afraid. I'll try harder for next month!