Happy halloween!

Roll on Bonfire Night!
I luuuuurve this time of year :-)

It's not looking good

I've finished cataloguing the books in the study, and it turns out there are 45 waiting to be read!! What is it going to look like once I've gone through the piles in the bedroom, living room, kitchen etc?!!

Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all. Ho hum.

Ahhhhh chou!

Since last weekend I've had a bit of a cold which sort of receded a little during the week (although in retrospect that might have been the adrenaline of a busy working week) and has now returned with a vengeance. Ahhhh chou!! This morning I woke up with a heavy head and a sore throat, so I've decided desperate measures are required: Ι've made myself an extra large cup of tea, found a box of tissues, a packet of Strepsils and a new book (No! I don't want to join a bookclub), and promptly got back to bed.

If I feel more human later on, I'm planning to work through my stacks of books and separate out those that I've already read from those that haven't yet been touched. I reckon there are at least 50 "new" books around the house. I really ought to stop buying more, as there are now books in all of the above places:

In the bedrooom:
By the bedside table
In the magazine rack
On the shelves by the wardrobe

In the ensuite (!)
By the toilet (I know, gross but true)

In the study:
On the desk
On the bookcase
In the wardrobe

In the hallway:
On the little table where we leave the post
On the shelves in the alcove

In the kitchen:
On the counter (that's all my cookery books that live there)
On the table (books that most definitely should be somewhere else)

In the living room
All over the place

(Gosh, it looks more frightening when it's in black and white).

I've recently discovered LibraryThing, a web tool that allows you to catalogue all your books online, and I'm planning to use it to record all my unread books so I can remind myself of what's threre. I bet I've bought books twice just because I don't remember I've already got them.

I'll let you know how it goes. Should be fun.

Nancy Drew & Ratatouille

As the autumn nights are drawing in, this seems to be the perfect time to start watching movies again. I'd not been to the cinema for some time, and I'm rather pleased that I've managed to watch not one, but two films over the last week. As it's mid term there are several kiddie movies out at the moment (as well as a load of depressing adult flicks) and I could hardly avoid Ratatouille, so Ratatouille and Nancy Drew were the two I watched.

Dare I say it, I enjoyed Nancy Drew way more than Ratatouille. Aesthetically-speaking I'm not a big fan of Pixar's movies (I much prefer the classic Disney style of animation) and Ratatouille, albeit pleasant, didn't have a terribly engaging storyline. I guess if I was more susceptible to marketing tactics, I might have appreciated it a lot more. It was heart-warming and funny in places, but definitely over-hyped. Not the kind of film I'd go out of my way to watch again, enjoyable though it was first time round.

On the other hand, I was quite taken with Emma Roberts' Nancy Drew. I thought it'd be a silly film for kids, but far from it. It was engaging, witty, fast-paced, well-acted and well-directed, and certainly kept my interest throughout. As kiddy movies go, I really couldn't fault it. I loved Tate Donovan (the OC's Jimmy Cooper) as Nancy's dad, Josh Flitter was hysterical and Max Thieriot would be hot-hot-hot if only I was 20 years younger. Adam Goldberg and Bruce Willis in cameo roles were a nice touch, too.

All in all, Nancy Drew is a great all-rounder and I highly recommend it to anyone over 10 years. I'll probably buy it on DVD as I'd love to watch it again. If your kids are younger and/or you're particularly keen on cartoons, then Rataouille is the one for you, but don't expect to be amazed by the storyline, or you might just be disappointed.


Now I'm looking forward to watching Enchanted.

It's a month of birthdays!

You know how in theory your friends' & family's birthdays should be spread throughout the year? Well, mine aren't. They either happen in October/November, or March/April. It's really weird. There are practically no birthdays to celebrate in the summer, or at the beginning of the year. October is particularly busy, first around 12th-17th (for the Libras) then around 23rd-29th (for the Scorpios). This year I've been really bad about sending birthday cards, as our Post Office has been on strike on and off since the beginning of the month - something I posted 19 days ago finally arrived at its destination yesterday, and that was inland and first class.

I've been sending emails and Facebook messages instead, which I know is not the same, so I thought I'd do a post specially for my friends who celebrated/are celebrating/are about to celebrate a birthday this month, with extra-special greetings for those who reached the big 3-0 this year :-)



A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY MESSAGE GOES TO:

Lucy
Elena
Kostas
Raquel
Oana
Delphine
Eirene
Dimitris


Hope you have/had a fab birthday and wishing you all the very best for the next 12 months and beyond!

Tinsie xxx

Food for thought

While I'm killing an hour or two till it's time to have dinner, I thought I'd answer a questionnaire about food that I found in Sarah's blog.

1. How do you like your eggs? I'm not that keen on eggs.
2. How do you take your coffee/tea? White, 1 sugar.
3. Favorite breakfast food: I don't eat breakfast. At a push, I'll have Greek yoghurt and honey, or a bacon sandwich.
4. Peanut butter - smooth or crunchy? Smooth. On a bagel, with papaya jam. Yummie.
5. What kind of dressing on your salad? Vinaigrette.
6. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke.
7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? Soup or pasta.
8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Pepperoni or something Greek-style (fresh tomatoes, green peppers, feta cheese and black olives).
9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? Probably soup. Or sweet and sour pork chops.
10. Do any foods bring back good memories? Tomato soup like my dad used to make.
11. Do any foods bring back bad memories? How can food be associated with bad memories?
12. Do any foods remind you of someone? Spaghetti carbonara reminds me of hubby because he used to cook it all the time for me when we first met :-)
Apple strudel reminds me of my friends at uni (you know who you are!).
13. Is there a food you refuse to eat? I don't eat lamb and I'm not too keen on artichokes
14. What was your favorite food as a child? Lentil or cheekpea soup.
15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? Nope, my tastes have pretty much stayed the same over the years.
16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? I've gone off cheekpeas somewhat.
17. Favorite fruit and vegetable: Watermelon. Tomato.
18. Favorite junk food: Chocolate.
19. Favorite between meal snack: Fruit (but I usually end up eating biscuits or chocolate or chocolate biscuits).
20. Do you have any weird food habits? I eat aubergines raw and I like crunchy fruit rather than juicy ones. I love crunchy nectarines.
21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Pasta or soup.
22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? Pasta, soup, pizza, cheese and chocolate.
23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? Medium to hot.
24. Can I get you a drink? I'll have a pomegranate juice or a strawberry mochito, please!
25. Red wine or white? Rose. Preferably White Zinfandel.
26. Favorite dessert? Ice-cream.
27. The perfect nightcap? Coffee with Baileys or spiced Chai with extra milk.

Anyone else want to share your foody thoughts with us?

An apple a day

October 21st is Apple Day. There are no events near where I am that I know of, so I thought I'd celebrate with an apple-centric post. Apples are my all-time favourite winter fruits (my favourite summer fruit is the watermelon) and seeing carts full of them at the supermarket is what says to me "autumn's here" more than any other sight, smell or sound.

My favourite variety is the Pink Lady, which sadly isn't UK grown, but has to be imported from Australia and other far away lands with hot climates. You may think Pink Lady is a fancy name for an apple (and you'd be right) but British varieties have even more interesting names - you really can't beat Slack-me-girdles and Cox’s Orange Pippins!

If you're in the north hemisphere and looking for seasonal inspiration in the kitchen, BBC's Food pages list a number of traditional apple-based or apple-enhanced recipes, such as tart tatin, strudel, crumble, pie and also sausage & apple patties, curried parsnip & apple soup and many more. There are also some "lifestyle" recipes (ranging from iced apple margarita to caramelised apple & pate brioche bites) in the Pink Lady website.

As for me, I'm off to pour myself a glass of M&S Pure British Cox Apple juice. Cheers!

Prepare for Halloween

Are you planning to take your pooch trick or treating on October 31st? Let them participate in the festive fun by getting them their very own costume - turn them into a Hot Dog! Hehe.

Available in two sizes, small and medium, from Amazon over the pond.

You can't beat this for sheer entertainment value - although having a baby snail around the house has got to be good too.

I just thought this was sooooo funny! If I had a dog, I'd order the costume for them and get them to wear it all year round, or at least every time I was down and needed a pick me up :-)

Season 6 of Spooks starts tomorrow

Finally, they're back :-)

I can't wait for Adam - the babe - Carter to appear on my TV screen again. I'm sooooo delighted he didn't drown after all. It's bad enough that the writers have got rid of all my favourite characters (Tom, Zoe, Danny, Sam, Christine). If Adam goes, too, that's the end of Spooks for me. So there.

Tuesday nights, BBC ONE @ 9:00 PM.

LOTR vs. Harry Potter

Apparently, Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) was given a picture of Hobbit Star Elijah Wood to autograph by a mistaken Japanese fan. Commenting on the incident, he said:

"If I were a bit more puerile, I would have written, "The Lord of the Rings is rubbish".

As someone who fell asleep half an hour into the Fellowship of the Ring, I'm inclined to agree. Go Harry!

We've won!!!

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home!

Way hey! We're through to the final :-))))))))))))

What a game.

(Sorry, French people, this must suck.) Hehe.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

...you're looking all lopsided!

No, I've not posted the picture upside down, this really is in the shops.

A fantastic space-saving idea which originated in the U.S. This upside down spruce effect tree leaves plenty of room underneath for all your Christmas gifts. Includes stand.

Now, what I want to know is... where does the fairy go?!

Are you a child of the 80's?

Oh the glorious 80's! The decade that taste forgot - but such great fun too. Kathy recommended this quiz and I just had to try it.

You Are 64% A Child of the 80's

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of the 80's?

Hey, at least I have one leg in this millennium ;-)

I tell you what made me laugh though: the statement about my mum wearing shoulder pads. Forget my mum: *I* wore shoulder pads. And neon colours, batwing sleeves, tight jeans, hoop earrings, lace gloves, big hair & glasses - the works.

My fave was the sleeves-off-the-shoulder look. Total class.

Are you a thrill seeker?

You Keep Things Chilled

For you, the whole adrenaline thing is totally over rated. You'll take safety over an emergency room trip. This doesn't mean you don't break out of your comfort zone. You just don't stray too far from it.

Are You a Thrill Seeker?

Well, I knew I wasn't, but I can't resist a little test. What about you?

Guts and Balls - The Medical Distinction

We've all heard about people having guts or balls. But do you really know the difference between them? In an effort to keep you informed, the definition for each is listed below.

Guts - is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask: "Are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?"

Balls - is coming home late after a night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and having the balls to say: "You're next."

I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions.

Medically speaking, there is no difference in the outcome since both ultimately result in death. Hehe.

Slow news day

On the front page of today's London Lite paper:

Lily [Allen] admits she doesn't know what day it is.

Big deal. I often don't know what day it is. Only today I had to ask three times coz I kept thinking it must be Friday (if only). And I wasn't even "absolutely steaming drunk". If you ask me, Lily had a darn good excuse for being confused, which I can't say about my good self.

It's been a hell of a long week and there's still more to go. Ho hum.