Thighs,Teamwork & 10

I am of course referring to the game of Rugby!.. Well that's what Treats I look forward to! Today England kick off their first game in the Rugby World cup in New Zealand.
During August I got A ticket for the Twickenham game against Wales.... The best treat of the game, other than the win was the gorgeous Jonny Wilkinson in the 10 shirt... So as I soak up a little of the Italian sunshine.... Will be supporting the boys down under!..


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Romeo, Romeo......

where for art thou Romeo... yes I'm off to seek Romeo in the beautiful city of Verona for a few days... A few days rest & relaxation in the Italian sunshine is on the menu, along with a train trip to Venice and the Lakes (if I don't return, it means George (aka Mr Clooney) has met me in the Italian Lakes and realised I am the lady that he has been missing all his life!) Also planned is an evening with Mr George Michael at the Opera di Verona....

off now to finish packing..... Arrivederci Tx

Summer reads ~ chapter 2

Mmmm where shall I start... the reading list has been considerable over the past few weeks, so onto chapter 2 of my summer reads:

• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow ~ Claudia Carroll,  Annie & Dan are high school sweethearts, married young and are now firmly in a rut in the Irish countryside... with Dan working long hours as the local vet, Annie struggling with in laws & village life, she gets the opportunity to head to the bright lights of New York and star on Broadway... can a gap year make the heart grow fonder? they say absence does!...time will tell. Any book that transports me to New York has a head start above the rest!... loved it, made me want to jump on a plane!
• Breakfast in Bed ~ Eleanor Moran .. if you are a foodie this is one for you!... Amber finds herself in a new job in a prestigious restaurant cooking for a chef that makes Gordan Ramsey look like a pussy cat! Oscar.. struggling to come to terms with her divorce, should she fall for the arrogant Oscar?.. and deal with a teenage daughter & ex-wife & is she over the ex husband?.. a cracking read with some fabulous food recipes thrown in...  devoured in one sitting!
• Bad Sisters ~ Rebecca Chance... a romp of a read.. 3 estranged sisters with a deadly secret, Devon (celebrity cook - Nigellaesque) Deeley (Hollywood wag) and Maxie (politician's wife) - all have a lot to loose if the secret gets out... sibling rivalry, glamour and a rugby hottie as a husband.. what more could you ask for!.. the bonkbuster is back!... the new Jackie Collins!
• One Day ~ David Nicholls now have to confess this has sat in my pile to read for sometime, it has been picked up many times.. but after seeing the trailer for the film I was determined to read before I saw the film... I'm so glad that I did... not the best tube read as i did sob at one point... the story of Dex & Emma over 2 decades on the 15th July.... it takes you through every emotion, from happy, to despair, you will love them both, Dex is wrong on so many levels but he will slowly melt your heart... before the making of the film I would have likened this to "The way we were"... never quite sure how the story is going to unfold... fabulous book.
• The Summer Season ~ Julia Williams  revolving around  the lives of 3 friends in the village of Heartsease, dealing with loss, & break-ups they embark on a little guerrilla gardening and then the restoration of the local memorial garden.. can they restore their broken hearts... a heartfelt read, with some lovely historical references.... it soon has you wanting to plant from the heart!
• Who's afraid of Mr Wolfe?... Ellie a fabulous copywriter in an Ad agency, isny so fabulous in her life, boyfriend, attitude and dress sense could all need a little work!... along comes the gorgeous Jack ( new boss and bares a passing resemblense to Heathcliff!) decides to smarten Eliie up... under much duress, Ellie embarks on the adventure, with a dotty aunt to look after and 'knicker' pitch to deliver.. it will have you laughing out loud and sniffing into a tissue at the same time.. a girl after my own heart.. complete with a brief adventure in NY!

off now to compile my reading list for September and my Italian adventure.....

Summer Reads ~ chapter 1

I use the title loosely as summer seems to have passed us by in August!... but with my daily commute my book reads have been sheer escapism... I can pretend whilst sweating on the tube, that i am sitting under a palm tree, being fanned by George Clooney, sipping cocktails and devouring my Kindle ( or that could be George!)

Whilst I have moved over to the dark side of Kindle reading, I have still purchased some books.... in particular the fabulous Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan (complete with recipe cards!)

• Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe ~ Jenny Colgan (I can't tell you how many people tweeted or text me to say, "saw this and thought of you!") I read this a while back, but have not got round to blogging.... Issy has grown up with her beloved Gramps who was a baker.. a inherited love of baking sees her start a cupcake cafe... through precious letters & recipes sent to her from her Gramps she sets out starting a business, not gaining the best support from her friends ( Izzy can be a bit ditzy!) she gets stuck in to prove them all wrong!... I loved this book, it has a character I could so relate to, her relationship with her Gramps was so poignant to me, and yes of course it made me cry! ( It had me at Gramps x) and lots of recipes!!...It's in the running for "Favourite book of year!"... a must for anyone who loves cupcakes or dreams of opening their own cafe!..
• From London with Love ~ Jemma Forte.... how would you deal with life if your mum & dad were  007 and his most famous Bond girl!.. Jessica wants a life of her own .. so she heads for London where no one knows her as the Bond Girls daughter...and gets a job running for a TV company.. a great romp through London & the TV world!... sheer escapism.
• The Beach Cafe ~ Lucy Diamond... having spent many of me teenage years on the beaches of Cornwall, this made me wanting to pack my cake tins and head down to the Cornish coast and open a cafe. Evie (the black sheep of the family) inherits the cafe from her aunt, not knowing really what she wants from life she heads down to Cornwall. Surprised by what she finds and trying to deal with a long term relationship she realises that obstacles need to be overcome!... with laugh out loud humour, perfect heros and food to dribble over the pages to... a perfect summer read.. loved it!

Pop back tomorrow for my Summer Reads ~ Chapter 2!.... I have been reading lots!

Poptastic Afternoon

Wednesday saw me spending the afternoon in a kitchen in Hackney with Molly Bakes making pop cakes.
This was my birthday present along with the book from my brother & co..
Due to the recent unrest in London the evening workshop had been postponed to two afternoons. Unbeknown to me this meant that when I arrived I found out that my afternoon was going to be a 1:1 with M.
M launched Molly Bakes a couple of years ago and now provides Selfridges with its cake pops for their bakery.
the concept is simple... cake on a stick covered with chocolate coating!!.... if only... biggest lesson on cake pops is planning as there are a lot of stages to take a ball of cake to the finished product!... with some not always making it to the finish line....

What I loved about M was that she wasnt precious, she answers all questions, shares secrets and tips, and signed my book...I had a fabulous afternoon, not all was perfect, but that just added to the learning!... I now know what to do when the coating refuses to set... hold arm in fridge with said pop cake!... made over 24 pops, tea pots, tea cups, ice creams & donuts, which were a huge hit at work in the office next day!...

Thanks M for a great afternoon, good luck with the wedding and hope to see you at Netil Market soon....
check out M's website here... the book is delicious too..