Knowing the interest some of you have in baked goods, look what our very kind guest last night brought us from the lovely Hummingbird Bakery:



Three words: OM. NOM. NOM. I have had three so far, a red velvet (OM!), a 'bling' one with silver balls (NOM! teeth still intact) and a regular luridly iced one (NOM!). Yes I am a big fattey seeing as how you ask.

He also brought some lovely books for Harry aw.

Tags: big fat tummy, food food food
Current Mood: sugar rush!

Last April I posted about my concerns about childbirth given my puny ability to tolerate pain or even mild discomfort. Today I went and had my eyebrows threaded for the first time in a very long time (I had plucked in the interim, they weren't overgrown like an elderly gent). OWx1000000. yikes. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and the nice threading lady (threadist?) had to give me a tissue & apologise for the pain. I wanted to shout 'I GAVE BIRTH ONLY USING GAS&AIR' to prove that I am not a total wuss but somehow that seemed TMI and inappropriate. The pain of childbirth is often rationalised by focusing on the wonderful end result... somehow focusing on neat eyebrows was not enough to mitigate my suffering.

The brow bar seems to have expanded its repertoire since I was last there - they now do a range of facial hair removal (eyebrows, sideburns, lip, chin etc etc - can't wait for the menopause!) and also the intriguingly named bollywood bikini wax. I want to know what this is but ph34r googling it. I hope they take you to a private room for this rather than spreadeagling you on the dentist styley chairs in Fenwicks' beauty hall.

Tags: pain, vanity

I have just been to register Harry at his nursery for when I go back to work and feel quite tearful and wibbly :( partly cos I've just handed over £££s (registration fee + 2 weeks deposit + fees for first 2 weeks) but mostly cos it means the end of the mat leave era really is nigh. The daytime tv I can live without but I will miss my afternoon snuggles which are in short supply in my office (and most offices I guess. though you never know). He seems to like the nursery and was smiling and laughing at the other kids who all came to prod him, and the lady in charge seems really lovely but still - waaaah. He has a couple of 'settling in' days which seem to be more for the parents than the babies, I think there are a good deal more wibbly moments to come for us.

In other hormonal news - I was buying a Mother's Day card yesterday (it's ages away but I was being organised) and reading all the cards in the shop brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I hope Harry remembers to get me a card. ahem.

Tags: baby, parenting
Current Mood: wibbly

Me and my brother have always got on reasonably well even if we aren't particularly close. We never really had big fights. When we were growing up our neighbours had 2 little girls about the same age as us (they are still v close family friends) so he was a bit outnumbered and yes once we did dress him as a bride. But really there was no call for this http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000JF9MV4

This is what he gave his nephew for Xmas. The batteries went into it at the weekend and today I gave it to Harry for playtime (yesterday we were on the stacky blocks http://www.elc.co.uk/toy-43156?&category=531&age=6-12&price=0-10&els=none&filter=filter&parent_category_id=531 which are blissfully SILENT).

ARRGGH. Let me back to work now. If that annoying b*tch says 'hello baby! let's have fun together while you learn your ABC!' in her overly perky voice ONE MORE TIME I will do a crime. At first the 'a is for apple! CRUNCH' was quite amusing but now... well it isn't. And of course Harry seems to love it with its garish plasticky colours and tinny tunes and flashing lights. In my day we just had a bit of string and a stick and we were happy (this may not be strictly true).

When he and his wife have kids they will be getting a large drumkit.

Tags: annoying toys

I just found out my oldest friend is going to be on the chef's table on tomorrow's Saturday Kitchen! OMG!!111!! Not sure who with (not me wah bah oh well) but I am ridiculously excited about this. SK is my favourite way to pass a Saturday morning and now I get to see my mate too :)

I hope none of the dishes has cooked carrots. When we were kids she wouldn't eat cooked carrots so my mum would do her a little pot of raw carrot batons and she still does this now some 25 years on.

Tags: friends, telly

So, chums, I tried quite hard to complete the 2007 memey thing but just couldn't find the time, and this in itself seems to sum up my 2007 fairly well. I have become the (willing) slave of jauntybaby which means not enough time for friends, family, other loved ones, interweb memes, washing, housekeeping, working, shopping, flicking through magazines or any of the other things I used to fritter away my time upon. I'm sure that anyone unfortunate enough to be within spitting distance* of me when drunk will have been bored by me waxing lyrical about the joys of motherhood... but since 2.50pm on 21 July this year really has been the most breathtakingly and discombobulatingly emotional one EVAH. He is currently lying on his gym blowing raspberries and will hopefully be fast asleep by midnight so on behalf of him and me, happy new year to everyone and a virtual toast (champagne from me, sweet potato puree from him) to 2008.

*literal spitting distance most likely

ok so this is getting silly now. This morning I set off before 9.30am (on a Saturday! omg!) to be sure of getting a turkey from Waitrose. Obviously parsley was also on the shopping list. Duly selected a nice free range bronze turkey (inc giblets), grabbed some parsley and a few other wobs essentials, whizzed thru checkout and home before 10.45am. Hurrah! I thought. Unpacked bags... hang on... where's my parsley?! Oh noes! Nowhere to be found. Checked my receipt - it hadn't been put through the till. ARGHHHHH.

I have twice tried and twice failed to purchase parsley from Waitrose. I think the baby jebus does not want me to put parsley in my stuffing this year.

Tags: xmas

Ocado suggest that you return their delivery bags to the driver for recycling and I was keen to do this (esp as they are not exactly frugal with the bags). So I was quickly unpacking stuff when the driver was here and in my haste I left a pack of parsley in a bag and gave it back to him :( oh noes! It is a crucial ingredient in my celery & apricot stuffing.

bah humbug.

Tags: xmas

Apart from the occasional ludicrous judging decision (I'm looking at you Len Goodman), one of the things about this season of Strictly that has got me riled is Tess's frocks. FFS BBC stylist dudes, sort it out! She's an attractive young lady with a good figure so why (oh why) do they make her wear such appallingly unflattering gowns (they are definitely gowns I think not just dresses or frocks)? Today's was extra atrocious, a sort of bastard offspring of a bin liner and something Alexis Carrington-Colby might have worn to the funeral of an ex-lover.

The main faux pas seem to involve poor Tess's boobs which are fairly ample but rarely given the support they are so desperately crying out for and so richly deserve. Last week's dress was beautifully draped and on a less buxom bosom would have looked great but as it was it made her look lumpy and matronly. Previously she's gone strapless but without enough scaffolding beneath to hold it all in place. I think overall the more cocktail style frocks she sports on the Sunday results show are better than the full length Saturday ballgown type things, but maybe tomorrow night will prove me wrong.

Mind you any girl who has to accessorize with Brucie is really on a hiding to nothing so I suppose she's making the best of a bad job. Maybe all the corsetry budget has gone on his undergarments. What an upsetting thought.

Tags: fashion, strictly come dancing

bah last night he woke me at 5.20am for a feed. Clearly the whole 'sleeping to 7am' thing was an aberration.

Tags: parenthood, sleep