Almost the weekend.....

It's amazing how quickly the week goes when you don't have work on the Monday!

Last night I attended Body Pump at the gym which was fun. It really makes it SO much more enjoyable when you have an enthusiastic instructor! Although I had to laugh to myself a little. On the way up to the aerobics room, I stopped at the restroom to wash the tube off of my hands. I set down my towel, my water bottle and my locker key. I came back to only find my key! Seems like the cleaners are VERY efficient at our gym. Oh well. I try to be 'green' by reusing my disposable water bottle time & time again, refilling it at the gym. Now I guess I'll just have to buy a new one:)

I am VERY VERY excited that Season 5 (the FINAL season) of the Sopranos premieres on UK tv tonight!!!! We have been waiting for this for like 2 years now - I can't wait!
We got into that show a few years ago, and ended up buying all the seasons on dvd. I can't wait to see what's going to happen! And I'm hoping this is now the start of the fall tv season here - we need something decent to watch in the evenings!!!!

Oh dear - 2:36 in the afternoon - I MUST blog!

It has been yet another very busy day at work.
Which is a good thing! I like being busy.

Yesterday I worked late, so didn't make it to the gym (plus I was SO sore from the Monday class that I was limping around). My muscles are very happy today that I took a rest!

Murray made a yummy chicken quesadilla last night, however the totillas were not nice. He used some corn ones that I bought a few days ago (rather than our usual purchase of flour tortillas). He took them out of the oven & stuck them under my nose to demonstrate to me how much they smelled like dog food. VERY strange - but true! We threw out all the ones we didn't use, and will NOT be buying those again. They tasted like paper as well - hmmm not sure what those are ACTUALLY made of!

I think now I have officially gone off watching CSI: Miami. After about 15 minutes of Horatio last night I had to turn it off. I will just stick to CSI: Vegas from now on - the only really good CSI!
Anyways, what cop can afford a hummer? So annoying.

And now back to work

What a stressful day so far - I'm glad it's almost over!

It was a nice weekend though - fairly relaxing.

Other than Friday night. Friday we went to see the movie 'severance' (which was really good) then went home & after watching a little bit of tv went to bed. Our flat mate Kirsty pounded on our door at midnight to say she could smell smoke. So we jumped out of bed & along with her ran down the steps. When we opened our door there were half a dozen fire fighters in full fire fighting gear standing there, and a hallway filled with smoke! They had a hose & everything! They turned to us (probably surprised to see 2 girls in pink robes with a guy looking shocked to see them! They said everything was fine and to go back upstairs, that they would come and get us if they needed to get us out. Ummmm ok. So we went and sat in our front window and watched them load their gear back into the TWO firetrucks that were sitting outside. We shut all the windows in our flat as it reeked like smoke and eventually went back to bed. Kinda scary though. I went out Friday and bought replacement batteries for all the fire alarms in the flat. We still don't know what happened, we're guessing probably a kitchen fire? Murray and I knocked on their door on Saturday morning to see if everyone was ok, and ask what the heck happened! But no one answered. I would like to know though!

Saturday was nice and relaxing. Our ex-flat mate Debs came over for dinner & a chat - was good to catch up. Oh and Murray surprised me with a GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers! There are so many that I actually had to split them into 2 vases!

Sunday we caught up with Eva & Abigail. Abby was sweet as usual, curling up with Murray, holding his hand as we walked to the shops, etc. It was nice to see them.

Monday we went to the gym - I attended a circuits class at 11. OH MY GOSH am I sore! I think this was the first class that this instructor had ever taught (he was walking around in the beginning with a folder & seemed very confused). He decided that because it was such a small class (only 4 of us) that he'd integrate lots of sprinting to 'keep our energy levels up.' Ummm ok. So we rotated around the room, after 4 weights exercises we'd come to him. Each time we came around he had organized the cones slightly differently & yelled as to 'run faster, faster, FASTER.' It was good though, made me run as fast as I could even when I was completely exhausted.

Today has been VERY busy at work, but thankfully things are starting to come together. My legs are so sore that I have been walking VERY slowly back & forth to the printer, I think I need to do some serious stretching tonight!

Nice weekend though. It was funny not going away like we usually do, but really nice to just chill out, sleep in and just relax!

YAY NO Work Today!

It's noon, I just finished an exhausting class at the gym, and we're soon off to see a movie.
Ahhhh I wish we had 3 day weekends every weekend - Lovely!

TGIF! Bring on the long weekend!

Bit of a late blogging session this morning (it's noon).
Work has been CRAZY busy this morning, but I'm getting a LOT done - so I'm happy!

Last night we met up with some of Murray's friends from his photography class. One of the girls is originally from California, nice to hear an America accent, and nice to meet nice new people!

I'm looking forward to a nice long relaxing weekend! We don't have work on Monday - YAY (bank holiday).

Now, I have to get back to work - only 4 hours left finish everything!

And I will leave you with my a great quote I heard today

"Love means nothing in tennis, but it's everything in life!"

Lovely Thursday Morning

Not
It's raining & 20c (70f) - chilly for AUGUST!
Oh well, good day to be in the office.

Yesterday nothing exciting happened (other than getting an email from one of my favourite gossip bloggers Perez Hilton)! Sadly, I was very excited to get a response to my email. I emailed him to tell him he was mentioned in a UK gossip magazine interview with Jessie Metcalf, and I got this response:

"LOVE it!!!! ha ha
Love the U.K. Love you!!!
xoxo"

This was the highlight of my day.

Work was very busy yesterday, and my right hamstring was killing me, so I took a night off from the gym. Instead I went home and made peppers stuffed with brown rice & veggies along with some chicken kiev (ok, those were store bought) for dinner. (YAY for lunch leftovers!)

Exciting - I know! Not.

Every time I open my book to read on my commute now, I have to laugh a little. This weekend I found a bookmark in my drawer that I think I got in middle school. It's a pink ribbon with a metal tennis racket on the end. It just reminds me SO much of middle school, and even though it's a pain to keep in the pages in my book, I keep using it because it's sentimental:) Funny how little things like that spark so many memories. Also, the book I just finished was about a 31 year old who made a wish to be a teen again, and then magically was transformed into a 15 year old again, but with her 31 year old brain. In the end, she ended up wishing herself back to 31, but had made some changes in her life, and was in a job she liked with a man she had previously pushed aside. Anyhow, just made me think of being a teen, and how I wouldn't want to go back and change anything. I'm so happy with how my life is now, and thinking back to high school - in theory it sounds fun to go back, but honestly I don't think I'd want to. Maybe I'm just burnt out on studying? I would like to go back to playing tennis every day though. I LOVED tennis practice!!! Other than when our coach would make us run. At the beginning of every practice he told us to go run around the building (we'd run half way, rest for a few minutes around the corner, then run back). I mean, why do we have to run? We're playing TENNIS! I liked the on court drills though - those were always fun. Some of the best times though were when the football team was practicing near our courts and we'd lob balls over accidentally (yeah, sure) and try to hit the cute guys. Ah what a luxury - to be able to play every day (and at 3 in the afternoon)! I miss that!

Ahhhh what a morning. The bus we usually take never showed up, so we had to take another one to the bridge, wait for another bus FOREVER, THEN the tube, then another bus - fun fun. Only made me half an hour late - so annoying!

Oh - and while we were waiting for either of the buses to come, we saw a parking ticket attendant (or whatever they are called) jumping out of a tow truck to give someone a ticket. That's interesting - so now they drive around WITH a tow truck driver - I've never seen that before. Weird.

Last night I got to the gym in record time - and 15 minutes before the class I wanted to attend was about to start! Then the lady at the desk informed me she had JUST given away the last token for the class:( Bummer! Oh well, my muscles were so sore from Monday's class that I was kind of relieved to just do some cardio on my own instead.

Last night I caught an episode of CSI: Miami from the new season. Horatio is just getting more and more ridiculous - his acting is just horrendous! And the 'hip' fast dance style music just got on my nerves! However, I did watch the entire hour of the show because I had to know - did they catch the killer - and WHO was it! Horatio himself was being framed by a crazy guy come back to seek revenge, which made it interesting. I was really annoyed though that the show did not end with a concrete conclusion. **sigh**

I was searching the web to see if there were any B&B's closer to where we live this morning (for when my Mom & Dad stop by London for a few days in September) and I found THIS PUTNEY WEB CAM from a local venue on the river that hosts receptions of all sorts. Kind of cool! Now I'll be able to tell if it's raining or not before I go home!

This is a still picture from this morning. Hmmm can you tell they have watering restrictions at this summer? The grass looks terrible!

Last night, after I exited the tube where my gym is, a guy tapped me on the arm and asked me if he could ask me a question.
Me: 'Sure'
Him: 'Do you feel nosey when you read your book while walking?'
Me: 'What?' (thinking - what the heck is he talking about - did I walk into him while reading & walking - no, I'm sure didn't walk into anyone - I was keeping an eye out for people)
Him: 'Do you feel nosey when you read your book while walking?'
Me: 'WHAT?'
Him: 'Sorry, it was meant to be a joke'
Me: 'What? I still don't get it' (thinking - what is this nutter talking about? as I start to inch away towards the escalator)
Him: 'Do you feel sick while walking and reading'
Me: 'OH - I see what you mean - do I feel DIZZY while walking. No, I was only doing it because I wanted to catch one more page before going up to the gym, and I keep my eye out for people.'
Him: 'It was just funny, I have never seen someone do that before'
Me: 'Just one of my London skills - bye'

strange, very strange

At the gym I did a new class called 'Cross Training.' They had 10 little areas set up around the room and you did one minute at each station then moved to the next one. It was a bit cheesey, but actually a REALLY good workout! The 'instructor' just walked around giving tips & pointers (suck in that stomach, hey - there's money on your knees reach higher, jump higher, you in the red shorts (that's me) get up there and do one more jump before moving on!). Ha ha, it was a bit like having a personal trainer - with 14 other people. I felt a bit like I was back in middle school though, jump roping and doing situps (and sneaking a quick rest when the instructor wasn't watching)!

On the way home I stopped by our old flat to pick up any stray mail that may still be going there. WOW - it looks AMAZING! I wish I had taken pictures. The place is a decked out bachelor pad - new EVERYTHING. And the bathrooms were both redone and look fab, especially since he had a professional do it this time rather than doing a half baked job himself.

Here's a cute picture of our good friends' little girl Amelia - gosh is she cute (and wearing the Pumas we sent her when she was a baby)! Ahhhh she looks SO grown up:)

G'Day Mate

The sunset over Putney last night

(I had to hold Murray's legs as he leaned out the window to take this shot)

Ahhh another Monday, another late bus, another Monique 30 minutes late for work solely due to public transport - fun.

It was a nice weekend (although it did rain a lot).

Friday night we went to that Gavin DeGraw concert with Heather & Jason. Although I only know 2 of his songs, I really enjoyed it. I didn't realize he was a pianist as well - quite impressive!

Saturday I ran errands in the morning and then spent most of the afternoon cleaning. Although my vacuuming didn't clean the stairs leading up to our flat, they do still look a LOT better without all of those dust bunnies! That evening we hit the gym, before stopping by our favourite Chinese takeaway place in our 'old hood.' I'm happy in our new place though, it's nice to have a change:)

Sunday Murray's niece Lorraine came over. She's been away for 9 months on her 'gap year' in Australia & New Zealand. It was really fun to hear some of her stories and see some of her pictures. She looks great, and it's great to have her back in London - I really missed her! We had a nice dinner in and enjoyed the movie 'Anchorman' with Will Farrel. He is such a goof, funny movie though. Then we stayed up too late watching Big Brother recaps. Thank goodness it's all over now, I wasn't addicted, but towards the end it was quite entertaining to watch!

And now - a few photos that the very talented Murray took on Thursday evening.

A bus flying by us on Putney bridge

The stunning sunset over the Thames & South West London from Putney Bridge

I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately

Lyrics by the amazing Gavin DeGraw who we're going to see tonight in concert with Heather (YAY she's back!) and her husband. I can't wait!

Gavin posing in his ever present hat

Amazing news (well kinda) today is my 100th post!!!!
WOW - who would have thought? I was inspired by Heather and other expat blogger friends, and now I'm totally addicted:)

Oh - and HAPPY Wedding ANNIVERSARY Mom & Dad! Miss you & Love you!

Last night when I got home from the gym Murray convinced me to go down to the bridge with him to catch a few sunset shots. We brought his big fancy camera, the big fancy tripod and WOW were the pictures amazing, I wish I had some to post today (maybe Monday? Murray?)

Then we stopped by our favourite Italian place - Mascalzone. I LOVE that place. Not only do they have great food, I swear they have the best service I have had in London! The all Italian staff are so on top of things, and so friendly, SUCH a pleasant change from standard London service.

I hope it doesn't rain all weekend as we'd like to go the the London Wetland Centre tomorrow (just for the heck of it, cause it's so close and we've never been there). And it would be nice too BBQ on Sunday, but the weather forecast predicts rain, fingers crossed they are wrong!!!

And now, I will leave you with a picture of my in-laws and their adorable puppy Emma, and then some more Gavin McGraw lyrics:)

Part of where I'm going is knowing where I'm coming from

I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately

All I have to do is think of me and have peace of mind

I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wondering what I gotta do, Or who I'm supposed to be

I don't want to be anything other than me

Almost the end of the week...

Well I was good again last night and went to the gym. My ipod died about 15 minutes before I was finished, which was annoying, but the workout felt good.

Last night we watched Gordon Ramsey's last show in 'The F Word' series. AND I actually learned something! He was demonstrating how to cook a steak and said you can tell how well done it is by comparing it to poking your face. The feeling of touching your cheek is rare, touching your chin is medium, and touching your forehead is well done. Interesting!

Other than that a very uneventful night other than I was told I accidentally unplugged the fridge on Wednesday morning (the plug is right by the dryer plug - which I had taken out to plug in the iron). Opps. So a bit of food went off for having the fridge go warm for about 20 hours. OPPS! So, from now on I will be plugging the iron in a different plug very far away from the fridge.

Oh - and I got a text this morning from Murray's niece Lorraine saying she had landed safely in London this morning. She has been away on her gap year for about 9? months in Australia and New Zealand, and is now back to start her University course. I'm SO excited to see her on Sunday and catch up - I bet she has a million great stories!!!

I love group exercise!

Last night I attended the class 'Body Attack' at the gym.
The website describes it as 'A high-energy, calorie-consuming athletic workout that will push you past the limit with strong, simple moves and pumping music. This is the most intense workout you'll find in the world of fitness, a session guaranteed to take no prisoners.'
I agree.
It is absolutely exhausting. By half way through the class my face had overheated (giving me that lovely white and red blotchy look), and I was so so tired! But, the enthusiasm of the instructor and the great 90's dance music kept me going. Forty five minutes was more than enough though, by the end of the class we were all glad to collapse down on the mats for a bit of stretching.

I think this advertisement for Body Attack is Hilarious!!!

I don't know what is - but I absolutely LOVE group exercise classes. Whether it's weights, aerobics, step or just abs - I love them! I like that you have no excuse to quit early and leave, I love that the instructors push you to keep going, and I love how the fast dance music pumps me up to keep going. Now, if my gym could just schedule classes that better fitted my schedule, that would be great:)

HAPPY 21st MEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is my 'little' sister Megan's 21st Birthday! Wow, how time flies. I remember when she was a chubby cheeked little girl:) I hope you have a wonderful day - we both wish we could be there with you to celebrate! Love you!!!

I think this is a lovely picture of Megan (on the left) with my other two sisters Mandie and Mariah at our wedding last year.

Well, according to the paper this morning, summer is over. Even though August is usually the hottest month, this year we instead are to expect chilly temperatures of around 20c (70f) and rain for at least the next 10 days. I guess it's not that bad though, it felt refreshing this morning walking to the bus, although I have resorted back to wearing long sleeves and closed toed shoes now. I just wish it would warm up for the weekends - oh well.

Last night I went to the gym and had a really good workout. I just about left when I opened my bag in the changing room though because - gasp - I had forgotten to pack my brush! All my hair ties are on the handle of my brush, so I had nothing to tie my hair back with. This is very upsetting at the gym, and I do admit that I almost used this as an excuse to leave. Then I realized that that was just silly, and I was already there, so I best just get on with it. I felt like I got a lot of funny looks though and it was SO SO annoying to have my hair on my neck when I was hot from exercising. After I finished my weights programme I suddenly remembered that there is a women's only section that I haven't used once in the year I have belonged to this gym. So, I went to check it out. It's tucked in the back and has big swinging doors to keep it private. There's a few weights, some mat areas for stretching & situps, and a dozen cardio machines (and FOUR tv's)! It was great. I finished off my half an hour on the cross trainer and really enjoyed watching and listening to the 'top female singers of the 80's' music videos on one of the tvs.

I love how music videos from the 80's are pretty much either a video of the artisit dancing and singing with backup dancers in a studio, or clips of the artist singing mixed in with clips from the movie the song is featured in. One hilarious one was Barbara Streisand's song ' Woman in Love.' They had clips from a bunch of her movies, one in which she had tons of baby's breath stuck in her hair for her wedding ceremony (yuck, yuck, yuck). My favourite though was 'Wind Beneath my Wings' sung by Bette Midler. Beaches is one of my favourite movies OF ALL TIME! In middle and high school I think we watched that movie at every sing birthday party, tennis party and misc. sleepover I went to. The video actually made me tear up a bit because they kept showing clips from the movie. The more time I watch that movie, the earlier I start crying, because now I KNOW what's going to happen.

This morning I was about half way to the bus when I realized I forgot my book on the kitchen table. This was very upsetting as I just started reading it yesterday and is was so so good that I actually read it while walking home very slowly as well as on the bus and train. Bummer. I guess I'll have to buy a gossip magazine tonight to keep me entertained, I hate just sitting there and looking at people. Oh well.

Now, back to enjoying my Chair Latte - Yumm!

Late Bus = Later Tube = Later Bus = Late for Work

Twenty minutes late to work on a Monday all due to the first bus of the day being 9 minutes later than usual, great way to start a Monday!

It was a nice relaxing weekend. Saturday we did a bit of shopping, and then decided to just go see a movie because the weather was so dire. It was chilly (I wore a long sleeved t-shirt AND a sweater) and rainy, no fun. I guess it really was only about high teens, low 20's c (low 70's, high 60's f), but since this is SUPPOSED to be summer, it felt cold. We went and saw Miami Vice after a nice lunch at one of our favourite restaurants Bodeans - the American BBQ restaurant. I had the pulled pork sandwich doused with WAY too much BBQ sauce and it was so so lovely!
We met up with our ex flat mate Debs for the movie, then chatted with her afterwards, it was nice to catch up.

Sunday morning we headed out early (well, 9 - but that's early for the weekend!) for breakfast with some friends we haven't seen in awhile. It was POURING with rain! So, we got pretty wet getting to the tube, but the Eggs Benedict and lovely company were worth it. Afterwards we headed into Oxford Street for a spot of shopping. When we were finished Murray suggested we stop by the National Portrait Gallery before heading home. It's so fantastic that most galleries and museums in London are now free! We wandered around a bit looking at the contemporary (since 1990) photographic portraits, and spent a bit of time looking at the display of The Beatles photography and album covers. The photos by Linda McCarthy of the band were really fantastic, and the blurbs written to go with all the photos were really interesting. Luckily we got home before it started to poor again, and instead we were able to curl up on the couch to watch the dvd 'The Matador' with Pierce Brosnan. It was a strange story, but overall a good movie.

Now, back to another week at work. YAY :)

Oh - and a happy belated B-Day to Grandma Sally - her birthday was Saturday!
Miss you & Love you!

Where my Peeps at?

Yesterday, while working, I listened to the cd my aunties Joni & Jani sent of their radio show. It is SO funny! I really enjoyed it (especially since Murray and I got a few 'shout outs') ha ha. It really was funny though! They told some funny date stories, a bit about their experience growing up as twins, had some phone ins from people with funny stories. I really enjoyed it! I don't understand why they didn't win - must be a conspiracy! I would totally listen to their talk show, they did a great job!

On the bus ride home last night I perfected yet another 'London commuter' skill. Turning the page in my book, while still holding it, all with one hand. The bus driver must have been new because the ride was so jerky that if I had let go for one second I surely would have fallen over. So when I came to the end of a page I balanced the book with my thumb and two fingers and worked another finger into the gap between the next pages. Eventually pushing that gap wide enough to turn the page and stick my thumb in the newly opened pages. I was very proud of myself (sadly) as this turned out to take a bit of practice before I perfected my technique. And by the way, the one time I had trouble getting the page to turn and let go of the handle I nearly fell over - so it really it really is a necessary skill!

I love those moments in life when you smile to yourself because you are reminded that deep down most people really are good. While I was waiting for my second bus ride home, a little old lady was sitting by me (waiting for a bus I think? I don't know though - I saw her there yesterday too)? A little girl who was about 3 ran up to her and jumped into her arms for a hug. Her Dad stood behind her with a look of surprise, they obviously did not know this lady. But the little girl grabbed onto her and just kepting hugging for several minutes and the lady was beaming with a huge smile. The father looked a bit upset and tried a few times to get the girl to go as their bus was waiting, but she just kept hugging. It was just so so sweet. The innocence and openness of children really is refreshing. I smiled again as the lady yelled to them as they were getting on the bus 'Hey Dad, help her onto the bus, she needs help.' Ahhhhhh bless

Last night I watched one of my favourite programmes - Dragon's Den.
The show has 5 'Dragons' who are successful business people looking to invest their own money in new businesses. People come and pitch their idea in front of the Dragons and ask for a certain amount of money for a percentage of their business. If the Dragons like the idea they negotiate the percentage (the rule of the show is you HAVE to leave with at least as much money as you were asking for). It's really interesting to watch the people who ruin a good business idea by giving a poor presentation, those people who are really on top of it and pull the Dragons in to get funding, and those GREAT ideas that have the Dragons fighting over percentages. I really like that show!

And a big THANK YOU to Joni & Kevin for this great shirt that they sent me - I'm wearing it today. I have a little giggle every time I look in the mirror!

I LOVE Peeps:)

All is OK in London

The Big News in London Today of course is the bomb scare at Heathrow. I'm really glad to hear that they caught the guys before anything could happen. From what I can piece together it sounds like they found explosives in someone's hand luggage when it was being screened at security. Well done to the security person that spotted that. It makes me feel better to know that they are on top of it, and caught it before anything could happen.

The Price is Right - ususally

Last night I went to the gym planning to attend a class called 'Body Attack.' I love that class - it really is the most intensive aerobic class I have ever attended. By the end of it I usually feel like I could just collapse on the floor and rest for 15 minutes. I got to the gym about 20 minutes before the class started. So, I took my time getting ready, and then slowly warmed up on the cross trainer machine while watching the UK version of 'The Price is Right.' I didn't even know they HAD a British version of that show! I'm sorry - but it's just NOT the same without Bob Barker.
So, I get in the class 5 minutes early and stand around with about 18 other girls waiting for the instructor. Five minutes pass and then someone decided to call down to the front desk to ask what was going on. Another five minutes pass, no one from the desk has come up and no instructor. She calls down again. Finally someone came up, asked AGAIN what class we were waiting for and went off to find out what was going on. Fifteen minutes after the class was due to start someone came up to tell us that there would be NO class tonight as they don't know where the instructor is. I muttered to myself 'Geez, they are SO disorganized.' A few people turned and looked at me, and I thought 'What? it's true'! Then I remembered - Oh, my accent. I've been here so long now that I forget I don't sound like everyone else sometimes. Anyhow, by then I was crabby for having had to wait around for so long so I left.

I got on a bus and after swiping my ticket headed back to find a seat. On the way I saw a DOG in the baggage area. I thought this was hilarious - something I have never seen before. So I used my camera phone to it's full advantage and took a few sneaky pictures - he he.

You can just see his head poking up to the left of the yellow button in the back of the picture.

She picked him up and put him on the seat next to her -

ewwww other people have to sit there too!

But he decided that it was time to go.

Anyhow, that was my exciting bus ride. He was SO cute. A little old dog with those cute little legs that makes his or her whole body shake while walking quickly. Ahhhhh

One not so cute thing was the lady sitting next to me. The back of the bus has a row of 6 seats facing forward. There are also 2 seats on either side of the aisle facing towards the back seats. I was sitting on one of the backwards facing seats and there was a lady sitting across from me and one seat over (next to the window). My mouth almost fell open as she slipped off her sandals and put her bare feet on the seat next to me! Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww

That was just TOO much. So as soon as the bus stopped I popped up to a seat far away from the naked feet on the seat lady. That's how I got such a good view of the bus dog!

Our bus got stuck in a HUGE traffic jam. I have no idea what was going on, but the traffic was backed up SO far!!! I ended up getting off and walking just over 20 minutes home. I felt like such a Londoner. I opened up my backpack and got my trainers (i.e. tennis shoes) and socks out, put my flip flops back in my bag and laced up my shoes for a walk home. I'm glad I did though, the traffic was still inching forward when I got home and it was a lovely evening for a walk. The weather in the afternoon is SO nice here now, in the early 20's c (late 70's f), warm, but not hot. Just lovely!

Quorn - such a funny word!

I worked late last night, but still managed to stop by the grocery store on the way home. I was looking for tofu for my salad, but couldn't find any. So instead I grabbed a package of Quorn 'Suprisingly low fat Chicken style pieces.'

Hmmmm - a bit of a funny name, but worth I try I thought. I have tried the quorn made to look like ground beef before and it was ok. But I MUST say these 'chicken like pieces' were REALLY yummy - and tasted like and had the consistency of chicken (that kind of freaked me out)! I have a bunch of it on my salad for lunch today - always nice to try something new!

However, I admit, I did have to look up exactly what was in it - as all the packaging said was 'microprotein' - whatever that means! Here's the description from the Quorn site. 'All Quorn products contain mycroprotein. Mycroprotein is a nutritious member of the fungi family, as are mushrooms and truffles.'

How they make mushrooms taste & look like chicken I will never know - but I do know it is GOOD!

Monday Monday

We had a nice relaxing weekend which was lovely.
Saturday I went to the gym and actually had a really good workout while Murray was off lugging his clubs for hours on end around the golf course.
Sunday I got my hair done. The guy I got told me I was old, he was 22. And the girl who washed my hair pulled out tons of hair - ouch! But, I was happy with the colour, it is a nice cut, and he must have been new at the salon because the bill was much smaller than I expected which is always nice!

For my Monday morning rant I'd just like to talk about how different hair salons are here in London compared to America. I just find it so bizarre! It's nice that when I arrive at the salon here, they offer you a drink from the coffee bar which is being run by a student. That's kind of a nice perk. It all goes downhill from there though. Every time I go the stylist rushes through applying my colour so they can start working on the next customer. After my colour has set, they send a young girl to wash my hair and give me a head massage (I just KNOW they are whispering to them - 'I'm not done with my other customer yet - so make it a LONG massage'). Now, I like a good head massage, and usually they are lovely. But, yesterday's was painful and not enjoyable at all. The thing as well is that I don't really want to spend 3-4 hours there every time I go - just wash my hair, condition and let me get a cut please. So, then I go back to the stylist for a cut, and he does it quickly then blowdries while looking around and glancing at his watch every couple of minutes. I guess it just frustrates me that I am paying so much for this service and I would really like if I was their only customer for that period of time. Oh well, I suppose the way the salons are set up here - if that was the case I'd be paying double what I pay now. I've tried a few different salons in our area and had just about the same experience at all of them, so I'm assuming it's just a London thing. Oh well, I'm blonde again with a nice fresh cut so I'm happy:)

I've been Tagged!

I just noticed that Charlotte tagged me!

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag five people.


The book I'm reading is 'This is not a love song'
Page 124 - 5th sentance - "I'd have thought it was good enough if I stacked the cans of mixed peas and carrots on the shelves the right way around"

Ha ha! The book is about a girl growing up in Germany and her struggle with school, keeping a job, etc. The sentance is about her complaining that while working at a grocery store stocking shelves they wouldn't let her sit down while doing it. It's actually are really slow hard read, I'm not really enjoying it, but I'm 3/4 of the way through now so I may as well finish!

I'm am tagging:

Blogger Friends:
A Novelist, Janet, Life on the Dark Side

AND Fam & Friends (to post in the comments to this post) Joni, Mom, Lyn (Mrs. Wood) & Helen

Friday Friday Friday

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I'm so glad it's Friday!

Last night I came home to find the washing machine handle laying on the floor. Apparently it was locked and someone pulled too hard and it fell off. Now the machine is locked and we can't use it. Of COURSE I didn't notice this until AFTER I had pulled off our sheets, duvet cover & pillow cases. How annoying! Hopefully we can get a repairman in soon! Good thing I did so many loads of laundry Wednesday night, so at least we have clean clothes!

There is one thing that I REALLY REALLY love about our new place - leaving in the morning with my husband. At our old place it took me half an hour longer in the mornings to get to work (1 1/2 hours total), so I left just as his alarm clock was going off - for nearly 3 years! However, now we both catch the same bus in the morning & kiss goodbye before getting on separate trains at the station. It's lovely to be able to see him & chat to him in the mornings.

Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. The only exciting thing is that I'm having my hair done on Sunday (FINALLY)! But I still haven't decided what to do. I'm usually pretty conservative when it comes to my hair, so I'll probably just have a foil & cut as usual. I'm looking forward to getting rid of my regrowth though!!!!

Oh - and check out what I found - a LIVE London Web Cam - how cool is THAT!

What day is it today?

Oh yes, Thursday.
I feel like this week has gone by in a blur.
I have been VERY busy at work so the days just fly by!

Last night was lovely & relaxing. I worked an hour late then went home and enjoyed some quality TV while catching up on laundry & tidying our room. I really do enjoy watching Gordon Ramsey's 'The F Word.' He's a bit of a nutter, but I love the show because there are so many things going on. One section of the show is the actual 'F Word' kitchen (he claims the 'F' stands for food). They get in 4 cooks every week and he yells at them and makes them redo the food until it's perfect. I love how when he is demonstrating how the dishes are put together there's a presenter telling us - the viewing audience - exactly what he's doing. I learned a few lovely new recipes last night. Also, they have a section where a 'celebrity' takes Gordon on making their favourite dish - then blind taste testers decide who made it best (Gordon almost always win). Also, there's usually a section about his pigs Trinny & Susanah. He is raising pigs in a little paddock in his garden - they go to the butcher next week and I swear he almost seemed like he wanted to cry about it! I can imagine though that you would become quite attached to them when you've been raising them like pets in your garden! There's also a section where he finds someone who's completely hopeless in the kitchen and teaches them one simple dish - last night was Sunday lunch - I may have to use that recipe - looked really yummy! Anyhow, I just like that in a hour long show there are SO many things going on, makes for a very interesting programme. Now if they'd just accept my application to dine in the F Word restaurant! Since it is a TV show and the dining room only seats 50, you have to apply to pay for dinner there. I really want to go!!!! Fingers crossed:)

Whistle Down the Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind

Last night I went to see 'Whistle Down the Wind' with a bunch of girlfriends. I hadn't really heard anything about this show, and it was really refreshing to see something without any preconceived notions. The 2 leads were fantastic singers, there were at least 30 children in the performance (amazing when they were all on stage!), and the songs were classic Andrew Lloyd Webber - captivating! I think I can sum up the show as heartwarming and wholesome.

The show is a story about a father and his three children living in a small town in the very religous Southern United States. Their Mother recently died, and of course the children were very upset. A convict escapes from the local prison and the kids find him hiding in their barn. They ask him what his name is, and when he wakes up startled he yells 'Jesus Christ.' So, they think he actually IS Jesus. The story is about them learning 'from Jesus' and his becoming a better person. It was a bit slow moving at first, but by the end we all had tears in our eyes - it was a lovely story!

However, there was one long lasting upsetting incident. The row behind us consisted of a mother, half a dozen young teenage girls, another 2 mothers and a little boy. The little boy was cute - he simply could not whisper and asked his Mom questions about what was going on. No worries - it was a family show and he was quiet most of the time. However, the young teenage girls had a bag of sweets that they passed back and forth for the entire first hour of the show. It was SO loud and distracting. It sounded like someone taking a plastic shopping bag and crumpling and un crumpling it constantly. Everyone around us was getting upset, but no one wanted to disrupt the show by saying something. Many people in our row turned around and gave them 'the look' though (i.e. PLEASE stop that).
After intermission we came back and overheard a man a few rows in front of us say in a joking non confrontational manner 'hey girls, why don't you see how loud you can rustle that bag for the second half as well.' The Mother of the girls freaked out and started yelling at him. We all just had our mouths hanging open - I couldn't believe it! She was very defensive - saying that what did we expect at a family show. He countered with that we expected not to be disturbed by rustling bags for an hour when we paid for these seats too! She continued yelling at him, one of my friends turned around and agreed with him - saying it was really disrespectful and that she should have taken the bag from the girls or told them to quiet down. Then she started yelling at my two friends as well!!!!! (because she knew she was in the wrong!) Anyhow, the second half was pure bliss - I could actually concentrate on the SHOW and there was no rustling. I don't blame the girls, they were young and on a fun night out with their girlfriends. It was the Mother who should have told them to quiet down - just out of common courtesy!

All in all a great night though. I LOVE the theatre:)

Whistle down the wind, let your voices carry
Drown out all the rain, light a patch of darkness
Treacherous and scary

Howl at the stars, whisper when your sleeping
I'll be there to hold you, I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping

Make it clear and strong, so the whole night long
Every signal that you send, until the very end
I will not abandon you my precious friend

So try and stem the tide, then you'll raise a banner
Send a flare up in the sky, try to burn a torch
And try to build a bonfire

Every signal that you send, until the very end, I'm there
So whistle down the wind, for I have always been right there

I feel sick

I woke up today feeling not too hot.
My throat is sore and I think I have a bit of a fever.
But I had to come into work today. There is a lot I have to get done at work, and tonight I have organized a girl's night out at the theatre. I have all the tickets, plus I really want to go - feeling sick or not. I took a multi vitamin and some Day Nurse tablets this morning, so hopefully I can make it until 4 when I'm leaving to go meet the girls for the show.
I blame Axl Rose for keeping me up so late Sunday night.

BUT I do have some new black pointy high heeled shoes on today that I LOOOOOOOOOOVE which puts me in a good mood:)