...entering Badger in the La Senza 'Pets on Pyjamas' competition

...thinking about it, I haven't asked Badger yet how he'd feel about starring on pjs in La Senza stores next year...I'm taking liberties, I know.

My lovely colleague Grace is submitting her gorgeous sausage dog pup Dexter and has demanded that we all enter our pets. So I couldn't really refuse and his photo is just too cute not to submit it.

Here's a more recent pic of Badger sleeping with his partridge.


It may look cute but Badger has destuffed the partridge, poor partridge.

Happy Friday! x

...celebrating Willy's 30th birthday

...finally recovered from my best friend Willy's 30th birthday party. His lovely girlfriend, Laura, rented a cottage in Mere, Wiltshire for the weekend.


We had a relatively well-behaved Friday night with his parents and sister, before the idiots turned up on the Saturday. With a surprise appearance from his close friends up north (which means past Southampton) Windsor and Scrase.



Here are some of my favourite photos of the weekend's antics...

...tickling a pig

Wondering where to start after all this time has passed between us...

With the three Fs is as good a place as any: food, fun and friends at Open Sandwich #5

Thanks to Toby Thomas for the pic 

Hosted by Poppy Mae in Westbourne, Nick organised a fab evening with a food quiz and charity auction. Now, if I was ever in any doubt that I know nothing about food, this quiz cleared that up. Fast.

 I did manage to surprise myself by knowing the correct answer to one of the questions was wild garlic – but can I remember the question now? Can I heck. As it happens, we came 2nd – not too shoddy at all. Without my team members, drafted in for their knowledge and enthusiasm for food, I would have had a much lowlier place on the results list, I’m sure.

During the auction, I bid for brunch at the Living Room in Alum Chine – which I am really looking forward to – and Sam bought dinner for two at the opening night of the Tickled Pig in Wimborne.

 So opening night finally came around and we made our merry way over to 26 Westborough, Wimborne Minster, GB on Friday 1^st June.

I loved the quaint but stylish restaurant as soon as I walked through the door. Very friendly staff led us upstairs where another older couple were already dining. The lady was enthusing about the interior design, especially the farrow and ball paint, whilst having a right good snoop around, opening cupboards to see what she could spy. 

Sour-dough bread, olives and olive oil and Mascatel vinegar arrived right away with a bottle of rose – the palest of pinks, perfect.

I picked scallops with asparagus and bacon for starters while Sam plumped for the beetroot soup. Even after my warning that it was served chilled, Sam mischievously declared, as delicious as it was (and I can vouch for that, it was delicious) it would be even better after a quick blast in the microwave. Men!

The flavour of the asparagus, bacon and scallops combined managed to pip the soup to the post, winning me the best starter in our ongoing competition. Yay, me!

For our mains, I was seduced by the crackling and Sam went for his old favourite; marinated lamb rump, hummus, beetroot, mint, fennel, rocket and feta. Both beautifully cooked and full of flavour.

Now I am a sucker for dessert and usually go for the chocolatiest mess I can find. But my head was turned by the lavender and honey panna cotta.  Sam’s chocolate tart was divine but…oh my, the lavender with the honey… and the lavender… and the pana cotta, and did I mention the lavender…woah.

Thanks Matt, Luke and Nikki for looking after us so darn well. And let me put it this way, even though at no point did I get to tickle a pig, (though perhaps Sam could have if he’d tickled me afterwards) I’m looking forward to going back again, very soon. 

...asking socks or no socks

There is still a chill in the air which leads to the question, socks or no socks? My friend Matt has responded to this with his typical cool style, which I have to share with you.

Does remind me of Hunter S Thompson, always a good thing in my book.

I have seen some interesting fashion choices today, driving to and from work. This unseasonably warm weather seems to caught some people on the hop. And some people on the hop straight out of their clothes - those who, in typical Bournemouth-style, have stripped off before their hibernating bodies are ready.

To contend with the chill, I myself haven't been brave enough to bare my legs yet. They need a bit of fake tan to prevent them dazzling passers-by with their bright whiteness. Daz could learn a thing or two from me.


I am also suffering from an extreme case of shoppers guilt...but I blame LisaB who directed me to this dailymail website article and my twin who made me do it. Well encouraged me, maybe I didn't need much encouragement to buy this dress.

Lipsy

I really can't wait to wear it for my best friend from uni's wedding, here's hoping I can squeeze into the size 6...

...singing a song for Sam

...celebrating Sam's 30th birthday.


The oh so talented Tom Rosenthal very kindly made me a song for Sam's 30th birthday.
Using my many emails filled with facts of Sam's likes and little quirks, Tom composed 'Song for Sam' and made me cry it was so good.

Luckily this was one of the criteria 'Would be good if we could make him cry a bit'
Well his eyes did well up so wonderful work, Mr Rosenthal.

The Museum Inn

I also whisked Sam and Badger off to the Museum Inn for his birthday night, where we were fed up like foie gras on the finest foods.

Badger in the Stables

My dippy egg with blue cheese soldiers was to die for and Sam's goats cheese and red pepper souffle was ridiculously good tasting. My steak was tender & juicy, but Sam had picked the winning dish; pork belly - so crispy Sam declared it was definitely not toothkind. All topped off with sticky toffee pudding and coffee...we ended the evening passed out Tinie Tempeh styley to try and digest it all.




This did not deter us from ordering the beautiful, big breakfast, (when in Farnham and all that!) the next morning to have a tiny taste of the black pudding.

Snowdrops

After a roam through the village in warm sunshine(!) we set off for The Fontmell, where we could only tackle a liquid lunch. I definitely won that round though, the crab soup was so delicious it totally trumped the leek and potato.

We headed home, full of North Dorset goodness to starve ourselves for a visit with our idiot club friends to the Larder House on the weekend. And James did not disappoint. His lamb shoulder, gave all the other restaurants the cold shoulder. So tender it obligingly fell off the bone and happily on to the fork to be eaten, and so much that we all got to have a mouthful.

An absinthe cold jasmin and peppermint tea cocktail finished the birthday celebrations off and nearly finished me off too. Fantastic.

Thanks to everyone who looked after us and helped me make Sam's birthday a special one xxx

...wishing my dad a very happy birthday

...singing along to the Beatles song:

"Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out till quarter to three, would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?"

My daddy is 64 today and I just wish so much that he was still here so I could sing it to him. He was the biggest Beatles fan and he loved telling us the story of, when he saw them live, how he shouted "Spit on me Johnny, I'm in the third row!" Much to my young disgust, why would you want his spit? I kind of get it now I'm older and aware of what a huge impact he had on the world. He had a pretty big impact on me just through my dad.

My daddy

My family at my older sister's wedding

This verse is so fitting, it includes Valentine's Day - my dad's birthday greetings and my dad loved red wine so we will be toasting him tonight for sure. I never thought while listening to that song as a little 'un that he wouldn't reach 64 - I was looking forward to singing it to him and seeing if it came true.


I love this photo that Sam took of the beautiful, sad sky on the evening that my dad left us.

Happy Birthday Ronnie.
All my love x

....watching Charon

So I've welcomed the relaxed weekends of January with open arms.

As well as comfort food, this depressing month has awoken my hunger for melancholy music. Rihanna and the party playlist has been usurped by Keaton Henson - a creative soul, who wrote his album while ravaged with heartache, as all the best albums are.

My spectacularly, sprained ankle over New Year meant it would've taken me an age to negotiate the aisles at Tesco, so i was car-ridden with 'Nests' on loop. On Sam's return he found me in floods, exclaiming "The poor guy, he's really hurting."

This video is beautiful, just like the song.

Keaton Henson - Charon from Keaton Henson on Vimeo.