cooking up a plan

i've mapped out a plan of my existing kitchen, with measurements for all the walls and units etc. i've even highlighted potential trouble spots. i also have a better idea of now of how i want my new kitchen to function, and have narrowed the look down to one or two ranges at B&Q. i think homebase maybe have slightly nicer ranges, but it's a lot easier for me to get to B&Q than homebase, should i need bits changing or the like. i also had a momentary brain malfunction and considered IKEA – but my stress levels shoot up as soon as i step foot inside the car park there, let alone the store. nah, it would be a suicide mission to go down that route.

my next move to is go to B&Q and book a design appointment so i can get a nice CAD drawing of how it all might look. excited!

the dentist's chair

thinking of having a new kitchen put into my flat (beads of sweat already start forming on my brow). i've left the kitchen until last, and for good reason. put it like this – it could be a nightmare journey, but the feeling when i cross the finish line could make it worth embarking on. a bit like having rotten teeth pulled out?

snowbound in south london

i couldn't stay inside on a day like today. london may never see this much snow again! so i ventured out, down the local park, and had much fun crunching into infinite white. i even saw two people ski-ing down the road ... brilliant stuff.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

at last, a proper white winter! i could tell something big was coming last night when my skylights got blocked with snow – i've never seen that happen before. so today, when i woke up, nothing was moving. no buses, no trains, no cars. i think about a foot of snow has fallen ... we are completely snowed in! i've been keeping myself amused watching wills negotiate how exactly a cat should leap and sink into white fuzz while maintaining some dignity. i also took this picture outside my window ... so beautiful to see.

he's mean and moody ... and he's all mine!

i took this photo of wills a while back, and when i uploaded onto my computer today, i saw how striking it was – just love the composition (if you click onto the pic, it'll blow up big so you can see what i mean). so i'm getting a print made, which i shall frame and hang up high somewhere, to remind me that he really is one handsome beast.

a little light comes into the world

i'm still not really up for blogging, dear readers, but thanks for all your support and understanding. these are difficult times. i think i have blogger's block. maybe if i go for a swim i will feel better, but then, i might just get waterblogged?

anyway, i do have some really important news to announce, so announce it i shall. my sister gave birth to her first baby boy at the weekend, his name is zac, and he looks a real cutie. i haven't met him yet, but according to his dad, zac is "quite long, with big hands and feet". he also doesn't cry much ... yet. so i'm well chuffed, i have a darling nephew now!

no, i haven't died

i've just been taking some time out (to answer your question, saint nick). or sometimes, it's like i really don't feel like blogging. couldn't tell you why ... it just happens. maybe life gets in the way?

it could be this month, this month of january. cold, dark, not much going on. instinctively i want to hibernate.

cough it up, love

my nasty flu bug seems to have cleared up, but i was left coughing so bad that my ribs have burst. or, at least, i've pulled a couple of muscles in my back. now i'm hobbling around like an old timer. today i set myself the simple task of tidying my flat up since it's still too cold to venture out (it'll only encourage my cough to reappear and my back will really thank me for that).

tomorrow, however, it is supposed to be milder. and i hope to go and see a movie, the reader, starring kate winslet. and i hope to also make an appearance at the gym, but only to use their toilets. they have such nice toilets. the cleaners even hum in them.

the windy truth is out there

i don’t often post up links to stories, but being a fan of UFOs, this one has been intriguing me no end. i think it’s also fairly significant that a wind turbine got hit – i mean, they look quite alien in themselves, don’t they? and i love the fact there’s an organisation called the ‘flying saucer bureau’ ... what i wouldn’t give to work at a place with a name like that!

pawprints in the snow

my blogger absence over the festive period was down to catching the worst flu bug ever! the past ten days have been quite uneventful, save for a bit of coughing, a bit of croaking, and various painkillers in various guises. but i'm finally on the mend you'll be glad to hear. i woke up this morning to snow, and let wills out for an hour or so to explore. his little paws made his mark.

the butterfly effect

working, in christmas week no less! but it's nice and quiet at least. i went to see coldplay recently at the O2 arena, where they put on a magical display. there is something really loveable and geeky about chris martin ... he must eat lots of beans, the energy that man has.

may i take this opportunity to wish all my readers the best of crimbo, and a happy new year. chances are, if i get bored, i'll be back within a few hours and blogging more!

what time is it? it's tea-o-clock

today my 'british tea power' mug arrived in the post, from the ever wonderful british sea power. i love my tea, and this is a fitting tribute to our lovely traditional drink. i think a matching flask is called for as well, so you can savour a hot brew while out walking on a bright winter's morning. i must say, christmas shopping is very hard and i'm rubbish at it ... i just end up procuring all these glorious items for myself.

champing at the bit

wahey! i've just realised they are showing the chelsea match on ITV tonight - c'mon you blues, we can't be knocked out of the champs league before it's even begun! hearing that scolari might play anelka and drogba both up front tonight, looking forward to seeing how that little combo works itself out.

when christmas bores, there's always john peel

went for a run, and noticed my breathing was a bit more laboured than usual. is that down to the winter air? i got into my stride soon enough though. trying to avoid all high streets at the moment - those christmas shoppers must be piling in furiously by now, and it's not fun. if i was religious i'd cancel christmas and turn to prayer, but god might get angry with my lack of festive respect. so i will just pick up a good book instead - got john peel's 'margrave of the marshes' autobiography to read. what a legend he was.

keeping it under wraps

feeling peckish? i have discovered a lovely new snack from the deli counter at sainsburys. i can't pronounce the name - it's too long - but stems from a mediterranean recipe; spinach, feta cheese, pine nuts and nutmeg wrapped in filo pastry. i think it's the nicest snack they do. their sweet potato falafels aren't bad, but i think i could do better there. and no-one beats my homemade italian pizza! that's a secret recipe handed down to me by my late granny (god bless her).

and my thoughts go out to ftm, as roy keane quits sunderland. the keane factor was very appealing. i wonder where he will end up next?

don't you just love it

when your cat leaves flea droppings on your keyboard?

mending a miserable moggie

my cat wills has caught a flu bug. i think he got it from the cattery when i was away. now i don't ever want to put him in a cattery again. i took him to see the vet on sunday as he was sneezing all over the place in the early hours of saturday, and he got given a load of medication. i now have to feed him honey-flavoured syrup which he loves. as his appetite is lacking, i've been hand-feeding him freshly cooked cod which he loves even more. i make sure he is warm, comfortable and pampered - he totally loves that too. in fact, just call me nursey.

lanzarote, spain

been quiet on the blogging front, as i've just come back from a holiday in lanzarote to catch some winter sun. i've been to a few of the canary islands now, but i have to say this one was my favourite. it was less of the tourist, more of the artist, being heavily influenced by a homegrown picasso-esque figure, cesar manrique, who made sure the island retained its natural beauty and didn't buckle too much to commercialism. lanzarote is an island of volcanoes and i loved the lunar landscape which surrounded me everywhere i went. here are some snappy shots i took in the glorious sunshine:

the home of cesar manrique, he built it out of five volcano bubbles

inside the green caves, where the colours are eye-catchingly vivid

the highest point of the island, looking down

wandering off the beaten track, into a typical canarian village

the one-time house of famous actor omar sharif, built into volcanic rock and designed by cesar manrique. rumour has it he staked the house on a game of cards - and lost

fine cowboy, he just ain't the president

my mate came back from austin, texas this week. i told her "get me an obama mug" as, you know, it's a pretty significant moment in history and that. anyway she returns and brings me home ... a fridge magnet. with a cowboy on it. duh! i so wanted an obama mug!!

saturday morning means

having a lie-in
boiled eggs on toast
posting up a blog entry
going for a run
hearing frosty twigs crackle under your shoes
dipping into a new book
before falling asleep on the couch

i love lazy weekends.

beauty in motion

if you love the outdoors, you have to love howies. i can't say enough good things about them. below is one of their latest blog entries:

tarmac lit by the sun from the moon.

riding home through the lanes by the light of the moon is a great experience. switch off the lights (you can see cars coming) and the road shines like scratched lead.

well, that was rubbish wasn't it?

well done burnley, but i can't believe we chucked it away like that. i've been thinking recently that scolari's substitutions are very dodge. why take off drogba? especially for a young whipper-snapper who can't seem to find the goal even when it's four yards in front of him.

come back mourinho; you were sexy and you knew how to win stuff!

dusk seeps in and deepens

it was funny, i looked out of the window today at 4.00pm and saw the moon. a sure sign winter is on its way. time to get out the thermals and merino mittens.

tomorrow night i'm off to see chelsea play in the carling cup, and it's sure going to be chilly. do football grounds allow you to bring in flasks for a hot cup of tea?

the boss and the firecracker

today something happened at work that made me so mad, i was ready to walk out. my boss noticed how angry i was, but i couldn't talk to her until i had calmed down. when i eventually did talk to her, she was understanding and said she would deal with the problem. they have basically tried to push another task my way which is in no way part of my job role, and i want nothing to do with it. so i have told them to back off. i hope they will, but if they try and force my hand, i will vote with my feet and offer my services elsewhere. some things are just not worth it. even now, i am still burning with a flicker of rage.

peak district, derbyshire

here are some snappy snaps i took of my time in the peak district last week. i'm missing it already, which makes me think i must book up for another trekking trip soon.

on top of kinder scout, the highest point, where the rocks have been sculpted by years of wind, rain and ice

the terrain on kinder scout is a mix of rock, black peat bog and mud stained by iron

making our descent we went down jacob's ladder, which is the start of the pennine way

this view was on route to mam tor, known as mother mountain or the shivering mountain, as it's famous for landslides

this made me chuckle, with our muddy boots on we know our place