try not to hate me

but this holiday rocked out!

At the bottom of Chemin du patre.
La Sarenne.

At the bottom of Signal de l'Homme.

Another of my favourite snaps. Me having a quick rest on the Sarenne run - longest black in europe. Watch this space for more!

nous sommes de retour

One of the best for starters.

4 days...

...until this

" The domain covers an area of 10,000 hectares which includes 248 km of linked pistes extending over an altitude range of 2,230m. The top station, Pic Blanc ( 3330m ) offers breathtaking views of the Alps including Mont Blanc, Mont Cervin and the Meije and on a clear day a fifth of France can be seen from this point.
The Alpe d'Huez slogan is L'ile au Soleil or Island of the Sun and this reputation is well deserved with almost all slopes south facing. The national meteorological office further confirms this with average figures of 300 sunshine days a year consisting of up to 7 1/2 per day in December and 11 per day in April. "

My Hero

TONY HARRISON is going to be reading in Cambridge to coincide with a newly released collection of his poems. I am beside myself with excitement. AND what's more, a rep promised me a finished copy today. You can keep your celebs and sports stars, TH rocks my world.

ecriture

Today I bought some splendid 'Fold and Mail Stationery'.

I am already the proud owner of Emily Fold and Mail

Something I have only ever seen at 311.

Pick your design and I will write you a hippy trippy peaceful message or a downright grouchy letter with attitude.

Kasper

The Enigma of Kasper Hauser.

Werner Herzog.

http://film.guardian.co.uk/Century_Of_Films/Story/0,,96504,00.html

A most extraordinary film I watched last night. Real brain food about socialisation and a host of moral questions.

3 cherries!

got it. 6 month secondment. pretty chuffed.

in other news i got to share the surprising delights of Isla Negra with the borrower and her computer generated boyfriend and Alimal this evening. Uncanny resemblance on the golf course.

to answer your "?", big dog, i'm liking ghostwritten. some parts are really gripping, others are very readable but not earth shattering. it will be interesting to see how the threads join up. i can see why you mixed it up with murakami. lots of similarities. well one or two maybe. if you need a prompt think of the cultural revolution, a ghost girl in a flat and a freaky terrorist religious group trying to purge the world!

who says?

Who said having teenagers was relentless hassle? I'm sat on my computer while mini-me is downstairs dipping peppered chicken breasts into beaten egg and coating with an interesting mix of crushed crackers and parmesan ready for dinner. Yeah, it's really tough being me this evening. Ahh, back to my reader.

freaky monday

What a weird day...had an interview this afternoon for a job I only applied for on Friday, after I had found out I had the interview. I was mediocre. No question. Official result Wednesday.

Actually spent this evening doing something I really wanted to do rather than prep for interview at short notice or speed read kids books for review. So I sat down with take out pizza, Chianti, my hound and 'Jimmy Corrigan. The world's smartest kid.' Finished 2/4 of them.

gourmet-a-go-go

...and last night he made Paprika Pork which I have to say was amazing. Really sizzling and yummy. He decided to sprinkle sage into the rice. Damnit if it wasn't delicious!

the uncommon cold

damned if i can't taste my red wine properly with this awful cold.

Got home tonight and mini-me was planning dinner. he made me bacon pasta with spinach and pine nuts. he seems to have this uncanny knack of throwing something else in that just works. it was meant to have lemon but we didn't have any so he chucked in a couple of cap fulls of red wine vinegar - it went great with the bacon and gave the dish a bit of extra kick that the lemon would have. hmm.....if the animation doesn't work out for him ...!

i provided pudding and the evening's entertainment. a small chocolate easter egg each and an hour in front of planet earth!

i've already bought ingredients for the dinner he's making tomorrow! he laid the table with wine for me tonight so i'm looking forward to getting back from my late shift already :)

snow patrol

MIDWINTER IN MIDSUMMER >

< NO BATHING

< STARLING

ICE CAP >

35

Friends, wine, chocolate, lights, jokes.....

...not a bad way to see in middle age.

Coming in May

Moths by Karl Manders.

Well worth picking up. I finished it in the small hours. I need to write a review for it so will post here later.

Am in the depths of another 10 or so books to review for work. Kids fiction. Currently on 'Skulduggery Pleasant' which is fun for a 10 or 11 year old.

what do you say?

"Excuse me, do you sell those things that you stick on other things?"

12

Every night at midnight nothing happens and yet i still seem to wait up for it...?

hospital visit

visited the world's best sister in hospital today. i am so fed up of her having to struggle with ill health. it's not fair. she deserves so much better than this.

wine b(l)uff

Running out of adjectives to describe the reds in my wine journal without sounding pompous. One day I'm going to write out a description of something as having rich plum flavours and a lingering taste of lemon then turn the bottle over and 'sweet mother of pearl, i've got it word for word!'

Casino Royale

There's probably not a lot i can say about this film that hasn't already been said.
Enjoyed the twist of male/female roles and the psychological background to 007.

Was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film considering how much I've hated
James Bond in the past. Was it his vulnerability and possibility of failure or was
it the big blue eyes. I don't know!

red-crested pochard

Saw one of these as I ran.

half marathon? ha ha ha. oh my aching sides.

Ran 3.1 miles with stops. Rubbish.

tuesday's with me

writer's group yesterday, which i think ought to be given a literary name like lawrence or arnold or something, was really good but i so hadn't put in the effort beforehand. all that has changed. sat for my whole lunch time making plot notes. would having lots of stuff going on be the same as having a plot? not convinced!

K left MK today :( will miss her good humour and bad language.

writers group

nicely nicely how are you yes i'm fine oh let me tell you about oh is that right how interesting no it's awful not me you your work do it again lots of red ink good good good BAD no no do that again call yourself a writer ha more drinks oh yes thank you and you oh yes please ha ha ha rocket on a monorail genius so anyway it's great i'm only jealous oh yes you've finished well we didn't like you anyway glug glug nice more oh ok so where did they find the head in the end the arm was where slurp where are the pictures on the wall no in my head oh i see more geeky than linux don't get me started on my unix joke so she was picking up her own teeth how about chips don'[t tempt me yes a portion please walk taxi key lock dog computer bed.

puzzle riddle

When is a complete puzzle only half done?

When it's reversible and you have to break it up to start on the other side.

A really cool Christmas present from 2006.

Saturday with impeccable hosts

i've been terrorising a ball pool all morning and you want me to stay awake as well??








you don't go to monkey puzzle and come back feeling sociable, ok??

Mmm, cup of tea, box of chocolates and a film.

Just me and Mrs Nesbit then!

who brought him up?

Having a conversation down in Shoeburyness today with a friend who has started teaching. Deep into the conversation on how film adaptations can be used to make Shakesperian texts more accessible, mini-me turns to me and says " Is that what dumbing down is?"

Shall we pretend you didn't just say that?

"I want to see Miss Potter"
"What's that about"
"Beatrix Potter"
"Oh yes, of course"
"Apparantly the animals come to life and talk to her"
"But that didn't actually happen did it?"

he dunnit

Went to a murder mystery party this evening with 'small group'. Dazzler stole the show with his Yorkshire accent and double entendres all evening! But an honourable mention to Marcus with his petulant hand flapping at the possibility of getting blood on his hands. Few could beat the dance moves of Reeda or the moving spectacle of resident mad woman spiralling back down into psychosis. Emmanuel's chest hair, waxed moustache and penchant for red dresses won't be forgotten in a hurry. Good to see a hair spray revival from the costume department and find out that the host was guilty of more than just smoking a snowman's pipe!

New Year, Old Me

Back to my pre-Christmas running today. Ran 3.2 miles / 5K round Willen Lakes with Jem. It felt like twice that after a season of record breaking choccie stuffing and I still have heart burn but we did it!!!

The bad news is that; http://www.justgiving.com/marathonjoy but it's still a substantial goal to go for.

And now for an evening in with mini-me watching my Christmas Present; http://www.jvw.nl/images/Planet%20Earth%20DVD.jpg !

Happy New Year Y'All.

R1

Guess who my first customer of the day was today?

Jo Wiley.

Pretty cool huh?

I kept looking at her thinking, blimey you look like Jo Wiley but what are the chances of her coming into my shop to buy a couple of books for her kids. Afterwards I made the ridiculous suggestion to my colleague who replied 'oh yeah, it probably was, she comes in all the time, she only lives up the road.' I was pleased I'd just smiled pleasantly and had her respond with a smile I can now interpret as 'uh huh, you clocked me but you're not going hysterical which is nice.' I was even more pleased I hadn't taken the 'oh wow, you really look like Jo Wiley, do you get that much? do you? do you? it's uncanny. of course you're not Jo Wiley that would be ridiculous but wow, you look like her' line.

Let's ask Santa if this train goes to Luton.

The internet is an amazing place - now you can pretty much find out anything you want to. The problem is...what do I want to know?

You tube. What a great toy. But what do I want to see?

Tonight I typed in the name of my home town and clicked on a film called 'Santa Express'. It had me laughing out loud. You might want to give it a go.

Christmas dinner as made by me;

whole roast leg of lamb - never done that before. Stuck it on as low as possible overnight and it just fell apart beautifully at lunch time. Roasted potatoes, parsnips, squash and sweet potatoes. Steamed baby carrots and mangetout. I've got to say, it was superb. And I made a pecan pie for the first time ever. (Jamie Oliver) Wasn't bad!

I now have the first entry in my new wine journal. ('New' referring to the journal!) Tupungato. Cab Sauv Malbec. I can strongly recommend. I rate it high 2. Now I'm drinking Tesco Finest Californian Cab Sauv. I rate it medium 1.

(ratings in ascending order; low 1, 2, 3, medium 1, 2, 3, high 1, 2, 3)


I know nothing about wine apart from that if it's red, I'll drink it. I'm going to try and be a little bit more informed by next Christmas.

Even as he's holding up the toilet roll he's wondering why!

"You probably don't want to say that when you see her!"

If no-one sees the camera, is it really there?

They were NOT called Golden Nuggets.

I think you'll find they were.

(repeat)

Only sugary lolly pops could turn these cherubs into......

c R a Z i E s

you shall go to the ball!

all change?

Today I spent a good quarter of an hour looking through all the hair dyes in Tesco deciding what to go for. Eventually I chose something that looked considerably different from my hair colour but natural enough not to make roots look like my head is cracking open when they grow through. I followed the instructions to the last letter.

The result?

Absolutely nothing. I can't see any difference, nor can mini-me.

What mighty conquests rise from trivial things

Have been thinking big thoughts recently. It starts with me having a huge blank canvas and a paint brush in my hand......I add me and mini me in the middle......

All suggestions for a future picture welcome.

lost

"I can't find W"

"Sorry?"

"The W's. I can't find them."

Whose line?

Forgot just how much I loved 'Whose line is it anyway?' when it was on. Have only just dipped my foot into you tube.

Love Ryan.

Have just started reading this and I think it should be very good. More teen fiction - as I'm too busy at work to keep going with anything that needs a great deal of concentration at the moment - the blurb goes;

It was just supposed to be a routine exam. But when the doctors snake the fiber-optic tube down Robert Smith's throat, what they discover doesn't make medical sense. Plastic casings. Silver filaments. Moving metal parts. In his naked, anesthetized state on the operating table, Robert hears the surgeons' shocked comments: "What the hell is that?" "It's me," Robert thinks, "and I've got to get out of here." Armed with a stolen automatic and the videotape of his strange organs, he manages to escape, and to embark on an orphan's violent odyssey to find out exactly who--exactly what--he is.

Quite the weekend

2 days off in a row deserves blogging!

made an apple, blackcurrant and redcurrant crumble, 3 dozen mince pies & 20-25 parmesan cheese rounds for savoury snacking.

Had the work Christmas do which was fun. Lots of fabulous chinese food to eat, hugs from people I least expected but most welcome and lots of agreeable red wine. Plenty to laugh about and a most successful secret santa.

I gave a picture type of thing I had drawn that went down really well. I received a pack of 4 Reebok running socks that I am well chuffed about. I reckon the poor quality socks I've been using before might be partly to blame for the sore legs I've had all week that has prevented me from running. We shall see.

KA had its Carol Service this evening which was packed out and went really well. Always very creative and ambient.

And now we head into the mythical and legendary WEEK 34, the place where dreams come true and nightmares flourish!

christmas visit. ho ho ho.

tomorrow (later today technically)

we have the M.D coming to visit.

no doubt he'll be happy

just to make small talk

and not get bogged down with details over

atv figures and

stockturn.

'this is meant to be an 'appy occassion,

let's not bicker over who killed who.'

It's official.

I asked '82ASK' if my sister would like the cuddly bunny i've bought her for christmas and they replied that while they didn't know my sister, she probably would like it because, and i quote; "most girls like stuffed animals."

is there anything a phone can't do for you?

The Rope Ladder

Hot on the heels of my last read, I have picked up another proof. I think this is a teen book and it's by Nigel Richardson. I'm 66 pages in and finding it really gripping. Just the kind of easy, exciting quick read I need at the moment.

(his first novel)

There really is so much good, quirky, well written teen lit out there.

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea.

Just zipped through Michael Morpurgo's latest in the last couple of days after having had a proof sat on my shelves for a good 2 or 3 months. For something that resides in the 9-12 section it's pretty harrowing. It's like a seretonin-free Louis Sachar's 'Holes'. Clearly by the speed at which I gobbled it up, it's compulsive reading. The first 2/3 reads more easily that the back third but it still hangs together pretty well.

Orphan boy gets shipped to Oz after his parents are killed in the war. He leaves with a key thread through with string given to him by his big sister Kittie. He meets a variety of cruel, sad, strange, gentle and hearty individuals who shape his life and move the story full circle until he has a daughter of his own and she decides to return to England and find out the truth about Kittie. Not a sniff of sentimentality and some pretty harsh things get thrown at the characters; abuse, snake bites, 30 foot waves to name but a few.

A very memorable read. I don't care if it's written for kids, he's a very accomplished writer, grounded in social realism and well worth the effort.

M I L E S

last night i caught a glimpse of f-nakaj'sbf.

i approve.

not that my approval was required.

all i have to say is that anyone who calls that silly hair but prefers this;

needs their eyes testing!

condiments

I refer you to
http://newyorktrilogy.livejournal.com/
where the following is posted:

"Do you have a book in stock called: 'Mayo'?"And there I was, like a fool, looking for a book that intrigued me by the title alone. There was I, expecting to be rewarded with a Mark Kurlansky-esque insight into the world of Mayonnaise - a la 'Cod' and 'Salt'."It's called Mayo: The Unknown Story"And there I was, like a fool, now even more intrigued, excited by this historical investigation into the very beginnings of the condiment... until..."And it's by someone called '...Chung Chang?' and '...John Holiday'."Oh.

Only today, in another unnamed, unmentioned, uncited and positively ANONYMOUS branch, the same request was made for 'Mayo' but then the customer added:

"It's the sequel to the curious incident of the dog in the night time."

FOUR

I need to up my running distance by a mile a week from now on if I'm going to stand a chance of completing the London Marathon.

So today I ran four miles. It took me 55 minutes which I know is really slow BUT it was further and longer than I've run before so I'm happy with that.

Bad news is that I've not been accepted through the ballot and all the Oxfam Gold Bonds have gone which means I have to find another charity to run for that still has places. I'm rather miffed about that.

But I ran four miles !!!!!

Need to plan a five miler for Thursday. >gulp<

Homeland security announcement

Subject: Teacher arrested at JFK airport NEW YORK -

A public school teacher was arrested today at John F Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. "Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'." When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes." White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the president.

brave

tonight i plucked up the courage to go and run with http://www.kingsafc.co.uk/ chaps while they did their mid-week training. I've been missing out on so much running time because it's dark by the time I leave in the evening. This way I get to run for as long as I can round a floodlit pitch. Kind of scary cos I only knew 2 of the guys there and I don't expect the others knew who the hell I was! I went for a modest 26.5 minutes which isn't bad considering I haven't actually run for quite a few days.

2 purchases

&
Chicken with Plums & The Gaze of the Gorgon.
Marjane Satrapi Tony Harrison

4 weeks to go!

yeah I know that's the last thing you want to hear but it's all go-go-go at work and i'm loving it. Spent enough money on books this week to buy a three bedroom house but it's paying off already as we have enough cover on titles that have already gone into reprint. of course this hive of activity leaves me in a near vegetative state in the evenings with only enough energy to sit down with mini-me and watch

s-l-o-w

not making much progress despite the offer of champagne.

1a

Here is Kumquat.

Kumquat has a dog.

Here is Monty.

Hello Kumquat.

Hello Monty.

Kumquat pats the dog.

The dog has a ball.

The ball is red.

reverse bathos

what an amazing day.

wandered over to http://www.giraffe.net/home.html two doors up and saw it was open and full of people. decided to try something new for lunch. girl met me at the door and said that she thought she had a couple of places left as they had invited people in to eat for free that day as it hadn't officially opened. there was one woman in front of me, so i was officially the last person they allowed in to eat for nowt. they positively encouraged you to eat lots so you could try as much as possible. not one to look a gift horse in the chops i had a blow out. tiger prawns and sweet chilli dip, spicy turkey enchilladas & choc chip cheesecake. and a drink. then i left a tip and literally got up and walked out. niiiice.

went back to work and arranged for a film crew from Anglia News to turn up tomorrow for a signing with Geraldine McCaughrean and a different lot from BBC4 to come on Friday to use the branch as a setting for a documentary with the highly interesting-to-google character Digby Anderson. Exciting.

Also a "competitor" dropped out of a high profile event and we have bravely stepped into the breach.

And now, after an evening of playing cards with mini-me and the dog resting his head on my feet, I am sat with a glass of wine.

nano III

'Amandine is refusing to come with us.'
'Oh dear, we've been through all this before. It's really quite unnecessary.'
'She's putting furniture up against her door, Clarissa.''Anthony, this is really too much. Let me speak to her.''She won't yield this time, we only got her there by bribery last time
and she's got all those ghastly teenage hormones going round her now.'
'She's still our daughter and she'll do as she's told until she's no longer living under our roof. This will take two minutes, you just need to be firm and consistent.'
Anthony tilted his head as another scrape-thump of furniture resounded fromthe floor above. He rested his brow on his forearms and waited for thepromised miracle from upstairs. Clarissa looked formidable today in herburgundy suit. One word from her in that outfit and Anthony would buckleunder her glare or stern word but it appeared to him that young people werefar more resilient than him in such matters.
'Amandine! Come out this instance. I will not be made to run late because of your childishness.'Anthony sighed deeply and thought about how much he would give to have the old au pair return and coerce his daughter into a family trip out butClarissa had let her go. She seemed to think her girl was a woman and nolonger required the attentions of a babysitter.
'I shall not be ignored young lady.' Clarissa's growled. 'Come on darling, let's be grown up about this shall we, Uncle M isn't the liveliest ofrelatives but he is still my brother.'There was no response and then Anthony could hear her trying to push thedoor open in a series of short jabs.
'Damn it Anthony,' Clarissa raised her voice, 'something is splittingbecause of this silly girl.'Anthony pulled himself upright and walked to the bottom of the stairs.
'Would you like me to try?' he enquired reticently.
'Your father is coming up now.' She replied, addressing the bedroom door as Anthony wearily climbed the staircase.
'Amandine, love, we're going to be running late. Could you at least speak to us? What's the problem?'
'Good Lord Anthony, we're not in a hostage situation, there's nothing to be gained by negotiating with her.'
'Well we're still trying to get a response your way.' He snapped,regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.
'Fourteen years I have brought this girl up and you think you can undermine me as she sits behind that door while you make a mockery of my parenting?'Clarissa's voice, which had risen in volume was like an unexpected downpourwhen the best you can do is shield yourself from the worst of it and find somewhere to bolt for cover. Anthony edged towards the door andproduced the same horrible splintering sound. He paused but something hadgiven on the other side of the door and it suddenly gave in to his pressureand he found himself stumbling into Amandine's room. The front legs of herchest of drawers had collapsed and toppled the piece over onto the carpet.Her room was unusually chilly but the mess of unattended textbooks and washing remained the same.
'Ah a visit from Captain Hook.' Anthony chuckled behind the relative safety of the door.
‘What has she got to say for herself? We’re running late and I’m leaving in two minutes flat.’
Clarissa poked her head round the door and immediately caught sight of the window swung open to its widest capacity.
‘Oh the minx!’ Clarissa gasped. ‘Let me past you.’
Anthony edged the drawers away from the door and both legs sheered off as he pulled the piece out of his wife’s way.
‘Her grandmother’s!’ She expostulated. ‘I will be having words with her about that. I should never have let her use it.’
She stepped over the adolescent debris to the window and looked at the drop onto the lower roof.
‘Any sign of her?’ Anthony ventured.
‘Nothing but she can’t be far. Go down into the garden she’s probably hiding somewhere there. I’m ringing Magenta to say we’re stuck in traffic.’
Anthony looked at her in disbelief.
‘Do you really think we should still be going?’
‘Oh really Anthony, I don’t know.’ Clarissa clenched her fist anxiously over her mouth and lines of anxiety furrowed her brow.