trying to grow sunflowers

last weekend we went to the otter and butterfly sanctuary not too far from where we are and I bought a little pouch to plant sunflowers in. It is really cool so see them start growing so quickly. The pouch said they will germinate in about 2-3 weeks, but I'd only just planted them and now they are already this far!

still battling with my motivation to come back to me, but so far not too much luck. At the moment I guess it is ok because I am data collecting so at least I am doing something. Data entry - very mundane but still is something I can do and then feel like I have accomplished something at the end of the day. I am very determined to get this paper I am currently writing done by the end of May. It really needs to go and be submitted to a journal and then the reviewers can deal with it. It was quite interesting, I went to a workshop for PhD students last week about writing and publishing work and the guy talked about reviewers of paper as co-authors. Not sure if I agree with that, but I can see his point. In some way these people are co-authors. They contribute to other people's work in the sense that they have a distanced view of the work and maybe can be more critical about it. Still I am not so sure if I can really take everything from the workshop on board very easily. He also said that you shouldn't take it personally when reviewers say you have to revise your paper... well in a sense it does seem like a slap in the face, as if they are saying: why did you even try to submit to this journal, we are way better than you are! Hmmm, maybe I am over analysing reviewers there, and I should really be careful about what I say, I have been reviewing papers for a journal as well. Oh yes that's something else I can add to my annual progress report... invited article reviews. Sounds quite good actually... ok well all this talking about work, maybe I should actually try and do something. Need to add the data I collected yesterday into the excel spread sheet and see how many people have now participated in my study. And I need to figure out a way to maybe make a digital version of the study so I can get more participants.

not much is happening at the moment. I've just finished a teaching session for pre-university students and I think they had no clue about what I was talking about, and there I was thinking that my research is not that complex. But I guess if you know nothing about what research really is then even the work I do is quite difficult to grasp. But still we had good fun talking about shopping and what they liked shopping for and what they thought men like shopping for. At least that part they understood...

A few days ago I watched "Failure to Launch". Good film with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey. Very amusing film about a woman who gets hired by parents to get their 30+ year old sons to move out, and as these films go she falls for him and then there are all sorts of complications before the end. Enjoyed the funny moments and the sense of humour. Last night we watched "Elizabethtown", and it was very good. All I knew about the film beforehand was that it involved some sort of death, and a roadtrip. And that's what it pretty much was, but it was also so much more and it was still really good, apart from Orlando Bloom's inability to act... sorry but it had to be said. Kirsten Dunst was in it too, and she was much better, and the music was really good. Must get that soundtrack!

I've been getting ready to collect some more data, and now I need to find loads of people who can sort some cards into groups for me. I really hope this study will work and it will add to my work so far. I have been going through a low phase yet again, these really seem to come and go on an alomst regular basis now. I have days where I think I really want to just quit and get a job folding jeans in Gap, but at the same time I know that I don't really want to quit and that I want to finish this PhD, even if it is the end of me! Grrrr, stupid motivation, COME BACK!!!

Been fiddling with my camera a bit more, but still have no idea what the different manual modes do. I understand the basics, shutter speed is how long the lens stays open, aperture has to do with how wide the lens is open, but ISO still is a bit of a mystery. And friend told me something about depth of field which has something to do with how blurry the background of a photo is. And now I need to figure out how to use all these things in combination to take cool and arty photos... We'll see. Still it is nice to have the amount of pixels, it really does make a difference. so much more detail there in the pictures.

Guess since I am not really done anything productive here at the office any more, I could just as well go home... so that's what I'll do!

Back home

I had a great little holiday in Germany, as always. This time we've mostly seen family, but that was mostly the purpose for the trip was my cousin's confirmation, and as one of the god-mothers I had to be there. I arrived there in the evening on the 26th and then the next few days were quickly absorbed by family meetings and confirmation celebrations. It was just like usual family celebrations with loads of food and chatting. I really enjoy those times at home lately, not that I didn't enjoy them before. The rest of the time my mom and I spent mostly just visiting family members and going shopping and going out to eat. I think my mom really enjoys that as well, my dad is always away so he never really wants to go out to eat. We also went to the cinema and watched Keinohrhasen which was really good. I sometimes wish more German movies got exported over here, but usually it is only the critically acclaimed ones and the very very strange or ones about the war that get over here. Oh well, there is still time. And this way I always have a reason to go back.

The time at home really went by much too quickly, and on the 8th of April I was back in Exeter. Flight, bus and train journey were fine and I arrived almost on time at the Station in Exeter where Neil came and collected me.

The next day we went to Budleigh Salterton and Ladram Bay to enjoy some sunshine and over the next few days I tried to get back into working mode, which hasn't been very sucessful. I am still working on it now, but I am sure it is because students aren't back yet either so I am thinking why should I work if none of them are...





Monday I finally got to get my birthday present from my parents. A really really nice new camera. I am completely overwhelmed with it, but it takes really nice photos. It is a Nikon D60 SLR camera. I really have a lot to learn now. I have been buying slightly geeky camera magazines to learn more about how to use these cameras, but so far I am not so sure. Maybe I just have to experiment a bit...



Tuesday we went to see Shine a Light at the cinema which was really good, just not quite what we expected it to be. From the advertising I thought it was much more of a documentary than a concert film. But it was still really good.

Yesterday we went to Darts Farm to buy some nice food and to have fish and chips for lunch and then went for a walk in Topsham after that. It was fun, we went into this Bird Hide thing which was full of Bird Geeks as Neil called them to have a look at some birds, and then walked along the estuary back to the Quay and had a drink at the pub there. We took some photos along the way, but I'll have to add them later I am writing this from my office computer... I know still not back into work mode!








Tonight we are meeting some friends at Wagamama - there are 2 for 1 vouchers again. So that's something nice to look forward to!

A lovely easter weekend!

and it all started with my 30th birthday on Good Friday. I had known that my 30th birthday would be on a Friday for years, but only sometime last year I found out that it would be on Good Friday. At first I was quite annoyed about it, but after all it was a lovely day. Friday Morning I woke up not too early and even had a present to unwrap there and quite a few cards had arrived early as well. The package from my mom still hasn't arrived now as I am typing this on Tuesday. Anyway, I spoke to my mom on the phone and then my grandma rang as well. As I was speaking on the phone to various people Neil put balloons all over the living room, which made it look very nice and birthday like (and not just because the balloons had happy birthday and happy 30th written on them!) In the afternoon a few people came over for cake which I baked myself. It was nice to have people there and even better that they liked all the cake. In the evening we met up with even more friends for a lovely dinner at Harry's Grillbar. It is an excellent choice if you are in the mood for steak and grilled things. We had a great time, and didn't even find it too expensive for what it was. And the restaurant is a lovely building too.

Saturday Neil had to go to work in the morning, and then drove a friend out to an antique shop to pick up something so I just lazed about in the morning and then met a friend for coffee in the afternoon. It was a nice day as well. If you can't tell by now I like being lazy...

Easter Sunday again we didn't do very much got up late and lazed about for a while and then met a friend in the pub just across the road from us. Very nice thing to do in the afternoon.

Yesterday Neil went for a run in the morning while I watched Numb3rs and then I met another friend for coffee in town. And in the afternoon and evening we watched the last 4 episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Very good show, I can't believe it was canceled after just one season. But who knows, maybe there will be more episodes coming...

Today I need to pack my things for the trip to Germany. I leave tomorrow for just under 2 weeks. It's my god daughter's confirmation, and since we are on break at uni I said I would be able to make it. And just in general it will be nice to see my family for a little bit. My parents had been planning to come over for my birthday, but with my dad's crazy work schedule it just didn't work out.

PS: And being 30 doesn't feel at all different...

getting up early to go to the gym...

... just isn't always easy. This morning it almost felt like torture to make myself get up. Still am up and nearly ready to leave the house now, but thought a tiny bit of procrastination is ok so I can put something on the blog. We had a very nice weekend. Friday night just stayed home, even though I had an invitation to birthday drinks. Didn't really feel like going, mostly because it was too late (9:15 pm start - that's nearly my bed time!!!) so we just watched a few episodes of Studio 60 and then went to bed early. Saturday I met some friends for coffee and lunch and then spent the afternoon lazing around the house not doing a lot but waiting to go out for dinner that evening. Dinner was really nice, we went to a place near Exeter for a lovely meal with Neil's mum and dad for both our birthdays (early for me, but late for Neil). and yesterday morning was spent again lazing around the house - that's what Sundays are for! - and then met a friend in town for coffee, then went for a drink at Mill on Exe and then had friends over in the evening to play bowling on the Wii. And now I can't believe that it is Monday morning already and time for the gym...

finally we are getting to the end of the open day period, these days are quite draining and I never get anything else done. There are always little things to sort of throughout the day, but today it looks like I am getting a bit more time. Students and parents seem to be enjoying their visit to Exeter, and for the most part the students do show a lot of interest. I never quite know how to deal with students who clearly are being dragged here by their parents, and I just want to say that it's not worth it sending your child to uni if they clearlt have no interest. Give them a gap year to have a think, makes life for us who have to teach and tutor them easier. But it's not up to me to say this at these days. Anyway, let's see what this afternoon brings, aparently it is going to be very manic with loads of people coming to find out about our various degree programmes.

sometimes I still wonder what I've got myself into when I am up at this hour of the day to get ready to go to the gym. Didn't sleep particularly well last night with all the wind out there, but now I still feel awake enough to go swimming.

We had a nice and quite weekend, apart from Friday night when we had a birthday party for Neil's 30th birthday. It was fun to have people over, and most of them had a go on the brand new Wii we got as a combined birthday present to ourselves. Saturday was spent being lazy and going for food in the evening at City Gate, very nice food for pub food and good prices. Yesterday Neil watched three films, all for free. One at the Picturehouse in the morning, one at home in the afternoon, and then another one in the evening. I just wanted a bit of dreadful telly and some DVD in the morning, had coffee in the afternoon, and then played on the Wii in the evening.

and now it is already time again to get going... Hope the gym isn't too busy today...

another update

while Neil is having a go on the Wii (and making sure I can never beat him at the bowling), I am quickly going to update my blog. Been quite busy over the past few weeks. We've been having Post offer open days in the university, and on top of the central programme run by the Admissions office each department/school has also been playing host to lots of students and their parents. It has been quite fun so far, but these days are quite challenging. Organising over 100 people is not the easiest thing to do, but at least we seem to have a lot of interest in the new programmes being offered here. It is also interesting to see pupils of varying backgrounds and with varying reasons to come to Exeter in the first place. Besides that I have been seeing my students to talk about their exam results (which they never like that much) and been trying to write a paper for publication (which I am not liking very much at the moment). The problem with the paper is the flow, the information is all there, but somehow it just isn't quite what it should be.

Hmmm, besides that I don't have that much to say, Neil pretty much said it all already in his blog, so just have a look there

still not feeling that much better, but at least I didn't have the same nasty stomach cramps all night, so I did actually sleep quite well for a change. Normally when I am ill because I sleep all day I can't really sleep in the night, but last night was OK. So what can I write... since yesterday not much has happened, I spent most of the day in bed, not eating, and then by evening my stomach was complaining because it was upset and because I was hungry at the same time. Very strange feeling, but eating didn't help that much, and having breakfast just now, wasn't the best idea either I am starting to think with the way I am feeling now. Still hot one minute and then cold, but maybe I need a shower and then a walk. See if Boots have some medicine that will help get rid of this sooner.
I am very annoyed about being ill now anyway. I was supposed to take a friend to dinner last night as a late birthday present, and today Neil's sister is visiting so we are invited to dinner at his parents'. I was really looking forward to that, but the way I am feeling at the moment, I am not sure I will be going. But we'll see how I feel after a shower and a little walk... since the weather is so nice (but a little freezing) out at the moment.

I'm rubbish

I've been rubbish at updating this blog for the past month or so, but today I am feeling rubbish so I thought I should at least be less rubbish about the blog and update this. Neil has been doing a really good job and keeping his blog up to date, so whatever we've been up to should be there. I really should be in uni today helping out with an open day thing, but I just can't get myself out of bed. I hate feeling like this, even the headache keeps persisting, and then I feel hot and then cold again...
I just took this quiz about what time of day I am, and i think it got it completely wrong.



I can never be 6:49 in the morning, I am way too grumpy that early in the morning...

anyway, Neil has been ill the last few days, and I am not sure if I caught it off him, or just somewhere at uni... who knows. these things seem to be flying around at the moment.

long overdue

I know this post is long long overdue, but I just didn't feel like I had much to say that was interesting enough to put on the blog... well I guess I could have put down that I have joined the gym, and have been very good at going every other day in the week. So far only swimming but it feels good to be doing something, and I really enjoy swimming anyway. I always think I should go swimming more, but then don't get around to it. So this time when my office mate said she had been thinking about joining the gym, we looked around for one that has a pool and then I said we can join together. The joint membership was a good deal too.

this past weekend we went to Wales for a party. One of Neil's friend's had booked a singer - what a great idea. I hadn't heard of Brian Houston before this weekend, but it was really good. He was really funny and the music was great as well. And he signed the CD we bought as well, which makes it even better. It was also great to meet some more of Neil's friends from Greenbelt whom he talks about a lot.

Besides that we had Brotzeit one evening with friends, have been to the pub lots to eat or just to meet friends, and have watched lots of the Eddie Izzard DVDs Neil gave me for Christmas. It is really great, he is so funny!

I completely forgot to put up the pictures of my mom's christmas decorations at home...

update...

I got back last night after a pretty stressful day of traveling. At least it was all delayed by enough time that I still managed to catch the train from Reading I was booked on so I didn't have to buy a top up to my ticket so I could travel during peak time. It was nice to get back though, Neil collected me from the station and then cooked dinner pretty much instantly after we got home. Then we watched some things on video that he had taped while I was away, Have I got news for you was funny as always, and Omid Djalilli still makes us laugh.

this morning Neil got up early for work, and once i got up and unpacked I did a few loads of washing to get it done and then I met Neil in town during his lunch break. Lousy day out there, but I still wandered around town for a while. I can't believe how busy it is now, almost worse than it has been before Christmas!

My time at home was very nice. I went to my 10 year high school reunion which was a very bizarre night. Very surreal to see people again after over 10 years, and to see that some people hadn't changed at all. Still same haircut and fashion sense... And it was fun to see people's faces when I they heard my answer to the obligatory "and what are you doing now?" question. Seemed like hardly anyone thought I would be the one to go on and get my PhD... but who cares really. At first I didn't even want to go to the reunion, but my mom and also a friend of mine kept saying I should go even just for a little bit, because I would regret not having gone later. And it was nice to see some friendly faces, but it becomes more and more difficult to talk to people. Our lives are just so completely different that we just don't have that much to say to each other.

I also met with a few school friends for dinner one evening and with them it is very much the same. The three of them are very much settled where they are and they don't really understand much about what I do, and vice versa. so it is hard to have good flowing conversation, but I have learned that it is always a safe bet to ask one of them about their new babies and they can talk about that forever.

Christmas was nice and quite really, with one very few annoyances caused by my dad, as usual. He doesn't particularly like Christmas, or maybe it is just the fact that we get together with the whole family, but my mom and I really enjoy that part of Christmas. So anyway, Christmas eve we spent at home. I watched The Muppet's Christmas Carol and my mom cooked a delicious duck roast dinner. Then we exchanged presents and watched more christmassy stuff on the telly. Christmas day we went for a meal at lunch time with my mom's side of the family at a really nice restaurant. Very nice food again and then went to my aunt and uncle's house for coffee and cake in the afternoon. Then out of the blue my dad decided that he wanted to go to his parent's house which my mom wasn't quite as happy about as she pretended to be. We had hardly finished cake at my aunt and uncle's and then left. At my grandparent's house it is always busy, nearly all 9 of my dad's brothers and sisters were there with children, and now even some of my cousins have started having babies, so loads of people, and some of the small ones can be very very moody, which is not always fun to watch and listen to. Boxing Day one of my dad's brothers came over in the afternoon, otherwise the day was pretty nice and quiet and I had to get packed for my trip back.

pre christmas cheers

since I got to Germany it has been pretty much just eating different christmassy things. I arrived Thursday night about an hour later than I was supposed to as the plane left late, but all else was ok. Friday my mom and I went to Hamburg for the day to just window shop and also to have steak. We always go to the same restaurant, and they can cook steak like no where else. It is so nice... After the day of shopping we dropped by my grandma's in the evening for an hour and then we came home to be lazy. Saturday we went to my grandma's house again for advent tea, coffee and cake in the afternoon. My mom's oldest sister and her youngest brother with family were there as well, so there was lots of cake... one of which was this one



it is my favourite christmas time cake, mostly because my grandma always makes it at this time of year, which is odd because it is even better with fresh strawberries, these ones are frozen ones... anyway... after we finished coffee and cake we got dressed up warm and went to a christmas market a few towns away. It was so nice to see a proper German Christmas market instead of the tiny one in Exeter... but it is still nice enough in Exeter. But the evening was spent there wandering around drinking Glühwein and Heißen Apfelpunsch.

oh yes one thing I do miss from Germany at Christmas time is what we call "Naschteller" something like munchie plate in English would be the closest... when I was younger my mom would make one for each of us here, now it is usually just one for all three of us. But this was the one at my grandma's house...



Yesterday my mom and I stayed in for most of the day, watched The Holiday on DVD and then later went out to have pizza at our favourite pizza place (I think you can see a theme there...)

Today we want to go to another Christmas Market, the one in Bremen as it is very big and very nice. I will try and take some photos... but can't promise anything. We went last year as well and really enjoyed it. Not sure how long that will take. But speaking of it, I better get in the shower and dressed now so we can head off.

More soon...

Teignmouth Beach

CIMG1346, originally uploaded by ivo_loves_london.

I took this photo earlier this week on Teignmouth beach. Neil had the day off and we thought we should drive to the beach, and so we did. The drive was through very pretty countryside. We wandered through the town for a bit and along the beach and then we hit the archade on the pier and played on the 2p machines for a while. Somehow they are quite addictive. We didn't win much, and what we did win we put straight back into the machines. Very much fun though.

typical sunday really

I slept in quite nicely today after being woken up at 5:30 am with a blinding headache, and then went to meet some friends at Starbucks for a cuppa. It is always nice to get out of the house for a little bit, and I think the fresh air did me good as well. After coffee I went by the Apple store for a bit and it was much nicer today than yesterday. It wasn't as packed as yesterday when they just opened, and I had a play with the new iPod touch and the iPod classic as well as with Leopard. I am now thinking about upgrading, it seems worthwhile just for Time machine alone... but anyway. After the visit there I walked home, and was greeted by a very strange sight; Neil sitting on the sofa with my DS! It is the scrabble game that had him convinced. But then again he is really good at it, and can actually beat most of the opponents in one try, when I still need a few more gos. But it is still fun, I prefer the mini games - they really help with building vocabulary. Not much else going on today really, we are having roast later and then then just vegging on the couch I assume... maybe pub quizzing later, but no word yet.

finally

I am free... I finished all the marking I have to do this year... I still can't quite believe that I am done. It was quite a nightmare, but I am just thinking about it in terms of how much I will get paid at the end of December because I have all this marking done now. All the things I can do with that money, but I really should be careful and just be good and pay off my credit card rather than going crazy and spending it all on nice things.

Anyway, I was in town this afternoon and saw that the Ice Rink near the Castle is opening up and it is combined with a little Germany style christmas market - all it is really there are a few stalls with things to buy and then the obligatory Bratwurst stand. I only walked by briefly, and it looked authentic, but I need to find out if they are real and good Thüringer Bratwürste. Might see over the weekend if I fancy one!

Also apparently the Apple Retail Store in Exeter is opening up tomorrow morning, but at the moment it doesn't look like it is anywhere near ready. Still all boarded up on the outside and no shiny windows to display any cool things yet. But who knows, they are probably making everyone work like crazy so it is all perfect for tomorrow morning. I will go but not first thing in the morning, having a lie in is more important to me...

Monday morning...

gosh how in the world do weekends just disappear so quickly and we are back on another week... well this week isn't just another week, it is also another week of marking :( It's just not fun at all, I guess it would help if the module convenor would set a different assignment, but they are just the same every year... and for this particular one it has been the same for the last 4 or 5 years... very sad, but oh well. This year apparently the students are supposed to be better quality (A-level wise) but must have got stuck with the bad batch (the other markers have a higher average than me and I am not being too harsh we checked!) so I am hoping things will pick up with the ones I mark today. It isn't that it is the most difficult thing they have to do, I had to write more difficult papers in my first year and I did it all in a different language and there aren't that many students whose first language isn't English... anyway, enough ranting (sorry it is Monday morning) and better get to my lovely cup of tea that's waiting for me (Mmmmmhhhhh Roiboos Strawberry and Cream flavour yum!)

Once

went to see "Once" at the Picturehouse yesterday and it was brilliant. Well not very much happens in th film really, but it just really made you feel happy inside. The story is very simple. A busker on the streets of Dublin (?) meets a Big Issue seller and they record a few of his songs together and both are happy in the end with choices they made. Doesn't sound like much, but trust me the music more than makes up for lack of anything happening. Plus the girl dragging a vacuum cleaner through the streets as if it were a dog is just really funny!!!

this afternoon I got a pile of first year practical reports to mark by the 27th of this month, which will be nice for the money I am getting in December, but not so good for my sanity. First years are just a bit inaccurate in the way the report findings. should be interesting. and then of course I have all my own work as well, a paper that needs to be written, and a load of data to be analysed from two studies now. Still typing in data for one of them, but the other one can soon be written up... so I really should get to that, so that I can actually properly enjoy my christmas holiday.

oh speaking of collecting data... if you know of any men who have 3 minutes to spare and don't object to contributing to science, here is a link to my current study.

I have more than enough women, but it would help if I could get a few more men to fill it in, as the numbers are too unequal at the moment. so thanks to anyone who can help.

another weekend has come and gone way too quickly for my liking, but there you go. Not much that can really be done about it. It was a nice weekend though. Friday night we went for a drink with a uni friend who had finally submitted the final version of his PhD after a long time of trying to please the external examiner. then we came home and just vegged out on the couches and watched some tv.

Saturday I wasn't feeling too great, so I stayed in most of the day and in the evening again we met another friend for a drink at Mill on the Exe and then I came home and watched Ocean's 11 from the very nice big couch in our living room, while Neil went to play some snooker.

And then yesterday morning annoyingly started with my parents ringing with computer problems, so they kept me on the phone for a while and Neil was thinking we were having an argument. the main problem was them putting me on loud speaker on their end and then walking away from the phone so i couldn't hear a word of what they were saying and my dad just changing random settings on the computer and then not telling me about what he had done. That made me all flustered, but thankfully friends had invited us over for Sunday lunch and to see their new house. It was really nice to finally see the house, they moved in August, and now it is November... way too long. Anyway, we had a nice afternoon with them eating a lovely lunch, and then playing on their Wii for a while, then I saw I had a text from a friend who was desperately looking for a dinner buddy to use up a 2 for 1 Wagamama voucher. So I ended up going with her which was really nice, I had one of the ramen soups, and it was just the right thing. Not overly filling, but just really nice and tasty. I have been craving soups with this colder weather... not much else to report, we watched Top Gear and then A Long Way Down and played on the computers for a while, and then went to bed....

And now it is Monday morning already and I can't get myself out of bed... well I will be staying at uni late to though, so I can warrant going in a bit later. Hope the film tonight will be good. We are going to see "Once".

I'm really not feeling very good at the moment. It seems that my body can't quite decide whether it wants to be ill or not, so I am constantly in this weird stage of where I think I can get a good day's work done and then end up sitting in the office feeling all sluggish and lazy and can't get anything done. I wish it would just develop into something properly so I can just stay in bed for a few days and get better... but this way I just can't justify staying in bed. So I am just waiting now for the washing machine to finish the cycle and then I am off to uni to have yet another unsuccessful day. At least one thing to look forward too, Neil is back tonight :) YAY!

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

went to see the above film last night, and it was quite good... just a bit in the middle was a bit annoying and seemed to be superfluous to the rest of the plot (what a big word so early in the morning), but the fact that Clive Owen was in it made it all worth wile to watch. Cate Blanchett was brilliant again as Queen Elizabeth, but I thought the first film was better than this. But then again it was a long time since I have seen it. I seem to remember to have gone to see it to get some extra credit for a class in my very first year in college (1998 or 1999), don't know anymore though how that film related to the class I took.

weekend catch up...

First I should say that the Ann Summer's Party wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We played a few slightly embarrassing games, but the lady who ran it was nice to the few of us who hadn't been to one of those parties before. I did feel slightly bad about not having any money to buy anything, but I also didn't quite see the point in spending so much money when I don't have the money... so maybe next time I just won't go...

The rest of the weekend has been nice. Yesterday afternoon I met some friends for starbucks coffee and then met Neil at the Continental Market to have an overpriced German Thüringer Bratwurst (something I much rather spend my money on twice a year) and then wandered home to watch Fireworks from the flat... some were really really nice, and there are more today!

Neil cooked a roast dinner/lunch today and we had friends over which was lovely and very relaxed.

I am off to an Ann Summers Party tonight - not quite sure what to expect... Hope it won't be too embarrassing :-/