Birthday lunch

Ready for my birthday lunch ....let's get back to blogging !! 

Christmas

Having eaten all my advent calendar choccies, and opened nearly all my prezzies, (naughty, naughty me!) I'd like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year....

Hope Santa is very good to you!!

Sue x

Come die with me!!!

Oh, am I glad to be alive and well this morning!!  To understand the meaning of this comment I have to backtrack several months to an idea mooted over dinner in a lovely restaurant with a group of close friends.  All of us are fanatical foodies, (and of course drinkies), and think we can cook reasonably well, so I guess it was inevitable that someone would eventually suggest our very own version of 'Come dine with me'...Well the first of these took place last night. Janey treated us to a very ambitious dish comprising mainly of wild exotic mushrooms, which, she informed us, had been freshly gathered only that morning.  We all exchanged anxious glances, wishing fervently that she'd said 'professionally' gathered, and tentatively took a mouthful.  Delicious, no doubt, but could it also be deadly!!??..."I'm thinking of cooking this for my latest love" she announced, with a rather sinister look on her face, " I've heard he's been seen with another woman", she continued, visciously spearing a mushroom on her fork. "So I need to create a very special dinner for our date on Saturday"... ..She suddenly goes silent, catches the expression on our faces and bursts out laughing..."You weren't thinking that I???, were you?"  ...

I am now working on ideas for my own dinner party...Not one to be outdone I'm thinking along the lines of that Japanese puffa fish dish....That'll show em!!

In the meantime, 'That time of year has crept up again' (I keep seeing groups of santas huddled together, fags in mouths outside pubs, so it must be!) It's now  time to brave the loft and play 'hunt the Christmas decorations'.  (No doubt I'll soon be needing the number of an emergency electrician!)...

Happy shopping, and remember guys, the woman in your life will probably love anything fluffy, (luxury bathrobe) and scented, (perfume and candles)....And, unless you have exquisite taste, try to avoid lingerie!!!  

Byeeee!

Sue x

New boots...

These boots definitely aren't made for walking....Especially to the pub and back!!! 

Notes from the bewildered

.What a week!!!  Just when I thought all was well with the parents, off we go again. My Dad, bless him, who at 85 is seriously struggling to come to terms with having to give up his driving licence, has decided he is not ready to vacate the roads just yet.  Having come up with several ingenious ideas to keep himself mobile, his latest is...A BIKE!!!  Various unwelcome thoughts come to mind. Images of Dad, on a motor bike, zooming along the high street like some sort of geriatric hells angel, or wobbling along the road on a push bike, dressed all in Lycra, his legs shaved for extra speed....shouting abuse at anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way.

Do they still do cycling proficiency tests, I wonder?..if so, he would definitely need one, along with stabilisers and the local A&E on speed dial...

Talking of 'senior moments', I'm not immune to the odd one myself. This was very clearly demonstrated at a coffee shop recently.  There was I with a friend, enjoying tea and cakes, when I heard a friendly voice behind me shout "Hello Sue, how are you?"... Shock, horror, that awful moment when you realise this is someone you know well and really like, but cannot recall their name!!......Er, erm, I spluttered as I desperately tried to work out how I was going to handle the inevitable introductions.  Wracking my brain frantically, a name suddenly appeared in my mind, Yes, that must be it, mustn't it?!! In a split second I decided to go with it...As everyone waited expectantly I replied loudly and confidently, "Trudi, how lovely to see you" and was about to make the necessary introductions when she suddenly burst into laughter..."Sue", she giggled, "Trudi is my dog, I'm Tania!"....Oh No!! Please ground, open up and swallow me!!!

In the light of that monumental gaffe, I have decided that, if in doubt, plead temporary amnesia and say nothing..

Till next time ..

Sue x

Notes (not tales!) from the Riverbank...

Here I am at the River Cafe in Matlock, enjoying a rather large cappuccino and an equally large and scrummy cup cake on a gloriously sunny October afternoon. The perfect opportunity for a spot of people watching, (a favourite pastime of mine).  I have Molly with me, (the newest and most lively of my furry family)  who, at the moment, is all loved up with a particularly handsome golden retriever at the next table.  Awww!!

Talking of people watching, (and not in a good way), last week I decided to take the tram into Nottingham  City centre to meet my Mum for lunch and a spot of shopping.  All was well and relatively calm until a group of lads boarded. Loud, brash and possessing the confidence that being in a like minded group creates, they proceeded to try and impress each other.  I watched with interest as, after trying unsuccessfully to engage with the girl, clearly out of his league and unfortunate enough to be sitting next to him, the 'dominant male' of the tribe decided the best course of action to attract her attention would be to treat her to his, (obviously not tried and tested) party trick.  Removing a large brown paper bag from his rucksack, he then removed the contents, (a pair of grotty looking trainers from what I could make out), put them to one side and, yes, folks I did see right.....proceeded to, bit by bit, slowly eat the paper bag, a mouthful at a time...After what seemed an age, and when he had finished, the object of his desire looked impassively and disdainfully at him and said..."Excuse me this is my stop"....

Thankfully, it was also my stop!...

Sue

x

Notes from a sick bed

Oh dear!....Feeling a bit under the weather, today.  So much so, in fact, that, like a Victorian lady with an attack of the vapours, I decided to take to my bed, give in to whatever is ailing me and wait for normality to return.  As I usually have the constitution of an ox, and, with the exception of colds or hangovers, rarely feel unwell, this is definitely bringing out my 'woe is me' side.....There is a plus though. Provided  I'm actually not at death's door, it's sort of quite nice to have a 'duvet day'...

Well last week saw the finale of Coffee and Collectables.  A great finish to what has been a hugely enjoyable 8 months.  I've had interesting conversations with lovely people who share my passion for beautiful things over delicious coffee and cakes.....I'll certainly miss it.  A big thank you and the best of luck to Russ.

Well that's about it for now..

Sue x