What I've Been Up To

Well, where have the last five days gone?  There's been a little bit of this:

Followed by a bit of this:

Some cutting out, some baking, some cleaning (!), some working and some viewing:

I'm not overly into vampires, but I stumbled upon this a few episodes into the series and got hooked.  When I ascertained that no-one was rushing around getting me a Mother's Day present, I decided to buy it for myself!  Oh err, not one for the children, however, much as they are into the undead!

Spring has definitely sprung and the weather has been lovely, although we have had a little rain tonight.  It's quite nice to be able to go out in a light coat.

Many thanks to you all for the lovely comments lately and, please keep reading, because I'm coming up to my 100th post and also my birthday, so who knows what will happen then?

This fellow has been hovering around a lot lately:

Do you think they have come to take me away, ha ha?

Three cups: egg, cakes and 36JJ

A certain teenager was trying my patience today.  So I thought I deserved a present:

Four little eggcups, just in time for Easter, from a nice little shop called Leaf Street.

Then home and a little more experimental baking from my new-ish cook book 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies and other tempting treats: banana and pecan cupcakes.

Just have to try one, in the interests of quality control.  Would hate to serve up something that wasn't up to spec.

On to cup number 3.  During an attempt at an unknown yoga position whilst trying to reach a spoon lodged at the back of the dishwasher last night, there was a rather loud snack in my vicinity.  Marathon Runner enquired what was that?

Well, the RSJ in the left cup of my brassiere had just snapped in two!

Quick as a flash, he says: "well, that one's tits up then"!

More like down, I think.  Oh well, have to visit this lot I supppose.

(image from Bravissimo)

Do you think it will suit me?

Tesco are at it again!

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Tesco Stores plc. They are the only semi-decent supermarket in my town and so logistics dictate that this is where I shop. There are two other smaller supermarkets but I cannot get everything we like in either one, or even both together.

Even so, I very rarely buy meat in there as I go to a local butcher and sometimes get my vegetables from good old Riverford.

(image from Riverford Blog)

Short of driving 15 miles into Exeter every week, shopping in the local Tescos is my inevitable destiny.

So obviously I have a Clubcard and I usually do very nicely out of it. We have had tickets to theme parks, subscriptions to magazines, saved them up to (almost) pay for my daughter's laptop, etc. Lovely job, thank you. Would rather you just made my groceries cheaper, but hey, might as well get what you can!

So, to the point. We have really big bags (mostly Tesco ones) to take to the supermarket, to get our points do our green bit.

See:

Always in the past we have been given 2-3 green points for a big bag and 4 for a box, because if you used their carriers, that is probably the number of bags you would use.

Two weeks ago we had a big shop (£140 worth) and when I got home I noticed that I had only been given 7 bag points.  I'd like to see someone get all that shopping in 7 carrier bags.  I think that may warrant a visit from the Guinness Book of World Records.  I'd then like to see them pick up the bags and carry them!

This week (just over £100) I was only given 5 points.  So I complained.  Believe me when I say this does not come naturally to me (unlike my Marathon Runner).

Evidently since Christmas, they have been told that one bag = one point.  Doesn't matter if the bag is the size of a small country.  It's still one point.

So all of this:

will go into one carrier bag, right?

Just thought you might like to know. 

Rant over.

A Grizzly Day

Today dawned bright and fresh. Very fresh actually. Rather chilly when you are hanging around waiting for your husband to finish a race.

Even Seaton (!) looked nice in the sunshine. Time for a few pensive moments before one of the toughest races. It's called by some 'edge-of-sanity' running!

Marathon Runner was taking part in 'The Grizzly', a 20 mile multi-terrain race starting in Seaton, Devon and going through Branscombe and Beer and eventually back to Seaton.

When they say multi-terrain, that's exactly what they mean. It starts off doing a loop on the pebbly beach. That in itself would wear me out. I can't even walk on the pebbles without twisting my ankle.

Roads, fields, bogs, beaches, steps, hills, rivers, oh and cow muck!

Do you fancy having a go? 2001 people entered and the entries were closed in one week!

I wonder why they let that extra '1' in?

You wouldn't think there were that many daft buggers about would you but they come from all over the world to do this.

At least this guy seems to have got the right idea!

Oh look, another hill.

I don't think the sun stopped shining all day.

On the way around they have a few people to raise your spirits(!).

And they even have a shrine for you to leave your offerings.

They also have a tree onto which you can tie ribbons but Marathon Runner didn't like to take a picture of this, as a lady was there crying!

Oh look, here's some mud!

This is near the end of the race. You see the white cliff at end of the beach? Just when you think you're nearly finished, you have to make your way up that cliff!

Can't show you the pictures from the end because the camera broke! I have taken some with the 35mm one but of course I will have to wait for them!

For all his efforts, Marathon Runner got a round of applause, a (rather unpleasant) chocolate milkshake, a banana and a pink t-shirt!

Wouldn't It Be Lovely

Wouldn't it be lovely to be going here:

Marathon Runner and I did manage to get there a few years ago and it was a lovely day out by ourselves, no children, all on our own. The amount of organisation it required when the children were younger though took some military precision! Now the girls are older, I thought we might try it again. When I totted up the cost, I had to sit down!

Rail fare £100

Underground £16

Tickets £23

£139 and that's not even taking into account food (most important) and buying something (which I know I couldn't resist)!

Think I might just have to browse on the internet instead!