Grow up........

I went to a 60th birthday party and she's not one of my parents' friends she's my friend.....when did my friends start turning 60? I made (almost) 60 cupcakes, to take with me, using Lily Vanilli's madeira seed cake recipe, omitting the cream and jam interior and adding the omega-3 seed mix instead, to make the healthy option......yeah sort of.

Also this week I realised I'm older than the Prime Minister......that's never happened before. How can I be older than the Prime Minister?

Top tip: go to the cinema and see Beasts of the Southern Wild...astonishing on every level.

Brought to book.........

It's taken me a year to read a book. Over a year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen; it's a great brick of a hardback book but a year is a long time.
"You must read this," a friend had said, giving it to me, "I couldn't put it down."
So I did, despite not being able to pick it up. Or rather I didn't. The thing is I could only read it when tucked up in bed, propping it up against my knees. It was way too big to fit into my already over-flowing handbag or be secreted amongst my I'm-not-paying-to-put-it-in-the-hold luggage and come with on holidays and mini-breaks. And so it sat in the bedroom while others took the bus. Yes I did read other books over the year. Slighter volumes that travelled better. In the end I decided to just push on through and finish the book but it just wouldn't end. It went on and on. And when I did finally finish it....... I was a tad disappointed. Some of it was good, some of it was great, some of it was boring but to be honest I didn't really like any of the characters.

My new year's resolution was to actually read..... not watch..... something by Charles Dickens and as luck would have it, there was upon the shelf high up in the hallway, a copy of Great Expectations. I do hope it is with a happier heart that I can report upon the enjoyment I hope to find betwixt its yellowing pages.

Top tip: Nurse Jackie is back on Sky Atlantic....... top telly. If you don't have it put the boxset on your Christmas list.

That was the week.........

This week I mainly .......
ate cake at Ottolenghi's...... sublime

worked with Ralph Fiennes...... great voice, beautiful eyes, utterly charming
and had dinner at the Afghan Kitchen in Islington...... beyond delicious

Top tip: As Patti Smith said: 'Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid to be broke.'