The Number 2

Today is Princess' 2nd Birthday Party and so much has changed since her last birthday.

Her hair can now be put into 2 bunches, she has learned to jump with her 2 feet and she can now string 2 words together to make a sentence.  She also knows what the camera is for and no longer needs to be cajoled into posing for it.  The above picture is proof of that.

In preparation for her birthday I had gone shopping a few weeks before to find her gifts.  I had to reign myself in to not go too crazy and ended up walking the floors of the shopping mall several times to make a decision on what to get.  In the end I settled for a Aqua Doodle and a Dress/Leggings combo.

Then closer to the date I was in a nearby shop and saw a pinata in the form of a rainbow coloured Donkey.  I couldn't resist and all restraint went out the window.  I got bags and bags of chocolate and sweets, not realising that you could only fill the body of the Donkey.

As I got into my car to make the journey to the birthday party, I realised that it was quite warm outside and double the temperature inside my car.  Warm temperature + chocolate =  not good news for my chocolate stuffed Donkey.   I ended up driving to the Carters with the windows fully open and the fans on full blast to stop the chocolate from melting.

In the end it all worked out ok.  The Donkey Pinata was a great choice.  On sight the first thing Princess wanted to do was ride it.  She even climbed a chair so that she could sit on it, not realising what it was for and what treats were hidden inside.

She even got into hitting the donkey, although I don't think she realised why everyone was having a go at it until Nannie literally broke the Donkey's back and all the bags of chocolate came flowing out.

Then came the mad dash to get all the chocolate and the squeals of delight of seeing it all over the floor.

Happy 2nd Birthday Princess.  I hope you had a fun day.
x

Wandering Around Wien

It is not often that a business trip gives time to visit the city I'm working in, but this time my work got delayed to the next day, which left me with a free afternoon/evening to wonder around Vienna.

The weather outside was perfect; warm yet breezy.  A beautiful day with clouds that gave the sky an amazing back drop to the architecture that made up the streets of Vienna.

As I wandered around I saw the sign for Pandora and got lured in by the prospect of a new charm (for those that know me well, know of my slight obsession with their range and to walk on by without popping in would have been quite a feat).  And as always, I wasn't disappointed.  The lady in there was fantastic, she came up with a choice of 8 charms and a story for each of them.

In the end I went for the horse and carriage as they were everywhere and it seemed to give the streets of Vienna that fairy tale charm to it.

A city to definitely visit again and to spend some quality time in to shop, listen to music, look at art and to soak up the atmosphere.

Livin' On A Prayer

Today it has been hot, hot, hot.  Good job too because Ala and I were out in the open air rocking out to Bon Jovi.  It would have been terrible if we would have had the British Summer that we've been having so far... rain.

With it being Ala's first concert, her excitement had us stood in the queues waiting for the doors to open at 4pm.  As we didn't have seats I thought her reasoning was to get a good standing position in front of the stage.  It was only when we got to Aston Villa Football Club that I realised that she thought Bon Jovi was going to start his show straight after the doors had opened.  She was a little deflated when she found out that we had a 4 hour wait ahead of us.

The atmosphere at the concert was incredible.  People dancing and singing along with Bon Jovi.  I realised that I actually didn't know the titles of any of his songs, but as soon as the music started the lyrics just came to me.  Ala kept saying I hope he sings 'Always'.  It was only when he started singing that I knew what song she was referring to.

As with any concert there is always some drama to add to the entertainment.  This concert was no exception; we had a short and super drunk couple who thought it would be funny to throw their drinks in the air, giving nearby bystanders an alcohol shower and then trying to push their way to the front because they were too short to be able to see anything.  In the end they got heavy lifted out by 3 burly security men to open cheers from all that were there to witness.

His best song is still Livin' On A Prayer for me.  And I'm amazed that despite his age he can still rock it and was able to do a set that was 3 hours straight.  Kudos to the man.

Awesome show Bon Jovi.

Come Dine With Me (Part 1 of 4)

The idea that we should do a series of "Come Dine With Me Dinners" was a discussion that we girls had when we were together for our weekend in Bristol earlier this year.  But this was just pillow talk at the time.

Then came the mysterious parcel in May from the Duchess of Hanwell (a.k.a Bing).  At the time I put it down to another random activity spawned by Bing (after all it is how she got her nickname), but then the light bulb in my brain flickered on... ahhhh... she's put our ramblings into action...

Well today was the day.  I was the first to arrive, on time for a change.  But I had the incentive of being guest and crew... Oh yes the event was filmed in a "Come Dine With Me" fashion, except there was no filming of the prep and no sarcastic commentator doing the voice over.

Well maybe there is something that can be done when I do the final edit of the video.  I'm sure there would be people who would jump at the opportunity to do the voice over.

As you can tell by the place cards it was a posh affair and we each had our titles to fit in with Bing's theme of Aristocracy.  I don't want to ruin the final video so no editor cuts here of the judges thoughts on the food etc... until we have had the last dinner.  But I will leave you with pictures of the food to feed your appetite and to make your own decision on what score to give.  Remember marks out of 10.

Hors D'Oeuvres:

Sparkling wine (with Chambord liquor and cherries),Thai chilli crisps, Salmon Blini's, Parmesan Puff Pastries

Starter:

Crispy poached egg with Parma Ham and Evesham Vale Asparagus

Entree:
Pan-fried duck breast with seasonal vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes

Dessert:

Chocolate creme with coconut ice cream and raspberries with a chocolate tulle

Petit Fours:
Strawberries and Cream Macarons, Chocolate truffles with choice of tea or coffee

Goody Bag:
Wine and bag for the Petit Fours because we were too stuffed to eat any more

Next up is Amee.  Best of luck.
x

Chilli Vodka

Chilli Vodka is like Marmite.  You either love it or hate it.  I'm in the love category.  The only one out of the Hen Party that seemed to see it as pleasure rather than pain.

The Chilli Vodka was penance for 'wrong doing' on our cocktail course.  However, I won't elaborate on the 'wrong doing' as I would be breaking the cardinal rule of any Hen Do; 'What happens on tour, stays on tour'.

Apart from the Chilli Vodka (for me), the best part of the cocktail course was the pyrotechnics.  Thinking back I'm a bit surprised at the mix of alcohol and flames, but it seemed a great idea at the time.

The best pyrotechnic was during the making of the 'White Russian'.  Luckily this one was done by the sober one in the group, setting the cocoa powder alight into a ball of flames as it dusted the surface of the drink.

An awesome weekend girls.
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