Wednesday 31 October 2012

dietdevil: Cheesecake..................yummmmmmmmmmm

dietdevil: Cheesecake..................yummmmmmmmmmm: So I knew having that slab  I mean slice of baked cheesecake was a mistake yesterday. It's the first thing I thought about this morning and...

Cheesecake..................yummmmmmmmmmm

So I knew having that slab  I mean slice of baked cheesecake was a mistake yesterday. It's the first thing I thought about this morning and nothing was going to stop me from making one of my own.

I went on the BBC Good Food website and found what was basically the easiest recipe and this was the result. I made a basic vanilla cheesecake and sprinkled raspberries over the biscuit base and then sieved and drizzled pureed raspberries over the top before  baking it.
 
I have just sampled some and it is delicious! I had to go out and my hubby said that Martha had been 'hanging round the fridge' while I wasn't it but now it is well and truly ready to eat.
Martha goes to Cardiff tomorrow so I am going to get her to eat as much as possible before then. I have promised my neighbour Gill a slice and my friend Leanne who is I believe, making coffee cake today and  we are going to do an illicit cake swap tomorrow.
 
''But what about the diet?'' I hear you all roar!
 
I am not 'in the zone' today. Depending on how much of this bad boy is left and how much coffee cake I get in exchange there is every possibility that I will not be in the zone tomorrow either.
 It's true and it sucks.
 
It is also Halloween today. I have got a poster saying 'no trick or treaters' to stick on my door primarily because I dont want the dogs barking every 2 minutes.
Mutley has already eaten a lightbulb today and I have spent the afternoon finding big lumps of glass and I feel that a few ghouls and witches may tip him over the edge. My friend Loraine has her grand children visiting though and has asked if they can come down so I have said yes but only to them!
 
Back in the good old days in Northumberland we would carve turnips 'bagies' and stick a candle in them and go and ask for a 'penny for halloween'.  A couple of days later we would dress an old teddy in rags and go and knock on the same doors and ask for 'a penny for the guy'.
There was no pumpkins, no fancy dress and possibly quite a lot of blood lost during the bagie carving but it wasn't the Americanised commercial bonanza that it is now.
 
 I think that it's sad that everything has become all American.
 
Even baked cheesecake is Amercian .................but that is one thing I will forgive.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

dietdevil: What a cracking day!

dietdevil: What a cracking day!: So it's October half term and the town is packed. I had a wander around and snapped this pic from the top of the steps beside the Pedn Olva...

What a cracking day!

So it's October half term and the town is packed. I had a wander around and snapped this pic from the top of the steps beside the Pedn Olva Hotel.
 
The sea is of the deepest blue and the sun is out. Everyone seems relatively happy and it was nice to be out in it for a while.
 
I didn't leave the house yesterday on account of my migraine - or was it because I had 2 huge glasses of merlot on Sunday????
 
Martha is getting excited about going to stay with her big sister in Cardiff on Thursday and I am still trying to get my head round some much needed healthy eating.
 
I have just had a slice of baked cheesecake from the Cornish deli in Chapel Street so it's not going too well today. I am hoping it will click into place at some point in the next few days but at the moment I have too many things happening in my head ,
 
Tomorrow is another day - I skived off fat club this morning as I think a plus sign in my book would have dented my already fragile ego.
 
Onwards and downwards for the future - I hope.

Sunday 28 October 2012

dietdevil: I don't know what time it is

dietdevil: I don't know what time it is: So  as the clocks went back last night  we technically gain an extra hour. Dogs and cats do not understand this concept so I was up even ...

I don't know what time it is

So  as the clocks went back last night  we technically gain an extra hour.
Dogs and cats do not understand this concept so I was up even earlier than ever. Hattie also apparently doesn't understand this either as she texted me to ask what time it was when she woke up.
 
I have done very little today other than invoice people and complain about how cold it is. It is now 5.55pm and it's pitch black. I want wine but I never drink before 6pm so I will wait another 5 minutes.
 
I am also back on my 'diet' again after having eaten anything and everything yesterday. I honestly don't know what got into me but today I have been angelic.
I think it was the fact that my scales said +3 this morning that spurred me into action. I will need a miracle to lose that 3 pounds before Tuesday but if I lose one of them I will be content as I had initially set myself a target of a pound a week ansd that means I am bang on track.
 
Lovely roast pork for dinner tonight with potatoes , carrots and lovely lovely SPROUTS and some wine and the X Factor - that's what cold dark Sundays are all about.
 
I also have a bar of Cadbury's bubbly minty chocolate whcih I am hoping Martha will eat or the dogs will steal.....................

Saturday 27 October 2012

dietdevil: Keep calm and don't shout.

dietdevil: Keep calm and don't shout.: So today the town is busy again. Yesterday Island Road looked like this .................     and it was right at the bottom of it th...

Keep calm and don't shout.

So today the town is busy again. Yesterday Island Road looked like this .................

 
 
and it was right at the bottom of it that I had a 'set to' with 2 obnoxious  men and one incredibly stupid woman.
 
For thos of you that aren't familiar with Island Road, it leads to the most sought after car park in town but most people don't know that there is room for 2 lines of traffic. The left hand line is for people that want to use the carpark and the right hand one for people want to drive round the corner and exit town.
The ISW ( see bold above ) was parked somewhere in the middle and was talking to one of the OM from the car in front, no doubt probably bemoaning the fact that there are no muti storey carparks or Asdas on the harbur. We were peeped at by  the other OM who was trying to access Island Road from the narrow sliproad 3/4 down on the left. I mouthed to him that we couldn't get passed the ISW and he rolled his eyes and mouthed something back. I then got out of the car and asked ISW if she minded 'pulling in a bit' as we needed to get past and we weren't going to the carpark.
The first OM yelled 'yeah alright alright' in mockney gangsta stylee ( I think he thought he was in a Guy Ritchie film ) and I then mouthed back to OM number 2 to stop peeping when he didn't even know what he was peeping at.
 
ISW sort of moved and as we scraped our car around hers I told OM number 2 that it was two lanes and hardly 'rocket science'. He yelled at me to smile and I think may have called me a miserable cow.
 
He's right - I am a miserable cow and on days like this am more than happy to be one.
 
St Ives has small windy roads that are not built for Chelsea tractors or aggression - the Cornish take their time and do everything 'dreckly' and it's sad to see bully boys and driving and parking 'experts' littering the streets.
 
It is also bloody cold.
 
I kept checking the temperature on my iphone last night and St Ives was 6 degrees. My hometown Alnwick was zero degrees and had snow and Cardiff was 2 degrees and as Hattie was our and about I kept hoping that she had wrapped up warm.
 
I have a headache, I have eaten ice cream, I am tired and tonight I am having fish and chips.
 
I know I know I know that I was trying my hardest but after the stresses of today I think only fried food and alcohol ( merlot) will placate me...............oh and X Factor too.
 
The clocks go back an hour too so technically that means an hour extra in bed.
 
I am going to explain this to the spaniels later - in between mouthfulls of the red stuff and mushy peas.
 
On a jollier note - this is what anyone arriving in St Ives would have been greeted with today.

Friday 26 October 2012

dietdevil: Oh I would love to...................but I can't

dietdevil: Oh I would love to...................but I can't: So today has been freezing in St Ives, even by my Northumbrian standards and I wrapped up warm. I have a husband that is incapable of shu...

Oh I would love to...................but I can't

So today has been freezing in St Ives, even by my Northumbrian standards and I wrapped up warm.
I have a husband that is incapable of shutting any door in the house and the atmosphere is decidedly frosty....and not just dur to the weather.
 
On my rounds through town we parked in Island Square right next to the cafe that Martha worked in during the summer.....'Olive's'
 
I really wanted to go in and have hot coffee and a big slab of squidgy cake but as I am still in my angelic phase at the moment I resisted.
In the summer Martha would often come home with gigantic scones and massive pieces of sticky lemon gateau and prawn and cream cheese baguettes and ham ploughman sandwiches on granary bread and I just wanted to eat them too. I never did but who knows what next summer will bring..........
 
It's the sort of weather that you need
1. a warm hearty meal
2. a warm hearty glass
of wine
and as Martha is cooking spag bol and I have already supping on some merlot, then I am taking my own advice.
 
School also broke up today for half term - this means that I can have some lie ins next week - hurray. I could have done with one today - I woke up at 5 am and didn't fall back to sleep until after 6 am and then I had a bizarre dream that Hattie was on the USA X factor and got through to boot camp which was at her friend Poppy's house.
 
I can't even blame the cheese for my odd dreams, as after 'feta-gate' from last week I have laid off it as much as possible.
 
I will be having some with my spag bol however, no doubt in between screaming
''SHUT THE ****ING DOOR''
 
 
 

Thursday 25 October 2012

dietdevil: Canine Kray Twins

dietdevil: Canine Kray Twins: So today my back is a bit better depsite the fact I could feel something wobbling about inside me where the sore bit is.  It felt like a ...

Canine Kray Twins

So today my back is a bit better depsite the fact I could feel something wobbling about inside me where the sore bit is.
 It felt like a wobbly tooth. I can be a bit of a hypochondriac sometimes and had convinced myself that I had some form of alien life form growing in me and I would end up in the tabloids or be the subject of a Channel 4 documentary. Whatever it was has disappeared and my back seems to be on the mend at last. I am glad about this - I don't like taking painkillers and I don't particularly like smelling of Deep Heat or walking around as though I have had a toilet type accident.
 
Work was busy today and I got on with doing some invoicing. There was only me and the spaniels at home and I left them alone for 5 minutes.
They were very quiet.
 
This was why ............................
 
 
Poor old Teddy has now well and truly had it. I'm not sure who he originally belonged to, but he literally had the stuffing ripped out of him. Maddie spaniel was not involved - it was entirely down to the gruesome twosome. Although the photo is blurry and you can't see Freddy's face properly, I can assure you that there was not a trace of guilt whatsoever there. It's a good job that those dogs are loveable as they do try my patience...............all of the time.
 
Today I also went to school to see Martha's form tutor. I was informed at 3.30 that I had an appointment at 4.30 by the girl that Ms C assures me is 'so well organised, mature and sensible'. All good things were said and I have to say when Martha was discussing her forthcoming history project  I was amazed that this  eloquent, self assured and confident young lady was the same surly little madam that I live with. It's the same when I hear Hattie discussing her uni work and psychology - I wonder who this educated young woman is and I have to remind myself that they aren't babies anymore.
 
I think I still have quite a bit of work to do with my 4 legged babies.....................
 
 

Wednesday 24 October 2012

dietdevil: The best toastie ever!

dietdevil: The best toastie ever!: So my back is still sore and I had a busy day so what better way to start it than with a lush big meaty bacon toastie? I have to sing ...

The best toastie ever!

So my back is still sore and I had a busy day so what better way to start it than with a lush big meaty bacon toastie?
I have to sing my hubby's praises here - I may make lovely dinners but his breakfasts are the best. I am so focussed at the moment and I want my half stone award next week so I am 101% going for it.
 
I really can't see how people can not have breakfast. When I get up and have a couple of coffees I just need to have something to eat ( or break the fast ) and a slice of toast just doesn't do it for me.
 I generally like to wait until Martha has gone off to school so I can munch on whatever delights have come out of our kitchen in peace. Anything involving bacon is generally good but if I have none then I will downgrade to some beans on toast, or at worst some porridge.
 
I treated myself to chicken salad from the deli for lunch and dinner is going to be bacon and mushroom carbonara with lots of rocket and the rest of the wine that I didn't finish last night.
 
I know I am talking about food a lot at the moment but I like food and I am genuinely interested in it and what to do with it. As I have also mentioned before, if I don't keep it nice and varied then I will fall off the diet wagon which is the last thing I want at the moment.
 
Martha had an appointment with the orthodontist and needs to have what he alarmingly called 'tracks' , or braces, but she will have beautifully teeth at the end of it.
Back in the 1970's and 1980's very few people had any sort of cosmetic dentistry as I recall but these days it's just a matter of course.
 
Speaking of tracks, I also bought Martha a train ticket to go and visit her big sis in Cardiff for a few days next week as it's half term holiday. Martha likes Cardiff because she likes shopping and when she went there last time they went to what she described as 'the best cinema ever' which I presume she was referring to the plushness and cleanliness - sorry, but the one in St Ives is neither plush or clean - it's just there!
 
I hope they do a bit of sisterly bonding when they are together and no sisterly scrapping.
 
It will be odd having a child free home but it will give me the chance to watch what I want on telly and to experiment on the hubby with some more recipes. .

Tuesday 23 October 2012

dietdevil: Week 2 , another pound off and not a chip in sight...

dietdevil: Week 2 , another pound off and not a chip in sight...: So today was my second weigh in at fat club since I rejoined a couple of weeks ago and I lost another pound! That is now a total of 5 - woo...

Week 2 , another pound off and not a chip in sight!

So today was my second weigh in at fat club since I rejoined a couple of weeks ago and I lost another pound! That is now a total of 5 - woo hoo, hooray, go meeeeeeee.
 
I know a pound doesn't seem much BUT ( male readers avert your eyes ) it's my dreaded time of the month and a week in which I never normally lose so I am feeling very proud of myself.
So proud infact, that I haven't succumbed to the temptation of the chippy round the corner, which it has to be said, is my normal haunt on a fat club night. Instead we are having lamb steaks with carrots and onions done in the slow cooker, mustard mash and broccoli and peas and it's all healthy and the only 'naughty' to pass my lips tonight will be a couple of glasses of the red stuff.
 
This however is medicinal - my back was much better this morning and I was doing really well until I bent down to remove the slow cooker from the cupboard and lo and behold 'TWANG' it went again.
 
I know it will be ok in a couple of days but I really don't want to take any more painkillers. They make me feel sick and quite depressed so I'm going with the theory that the wine will either numb the pain or will make me too drunk to care.
 
I have planned my meals ahead for the next few days and have girded my loins for another busy weekend. It's half term next week so there will be the usual influx of autumn visitors to our little town and then that will be it until the next mob arrive for C********. I refuse to use the 'C' word, but I'm guessing you all know what I mean.
 
I also had the pleasure of having a very long chat to Hattie tonight. It's a standing joke that since she went back to Cardiff we have hardly heard from her. I miss her but this is good. If she wasn't settled and happy and was on the phone or skype every 5 minutes then I would be worried but she genuinely seems to be loving life up in CF24 and if she's happy.............then I too am happy.
 
Martha may be going up next week to join her for a few days. She visited her last April and loved it. Despite having gone up to Cardiff myself several times now I have never really had a proper look round so I am hoping to go up for a cheeky couple of days  in November for a visit and to see why everyone seems to love this city.
 
In the meantime I shall continue eating healthily, will try and not twang my back and will avoid the chippy at all costs .....................probably!

Monday 22 October 2012

dietdevil: Paul and Mary rock!

dietdevil: Paul and Mary rock!: So The Great Birtish Bake Off finished last week and we are all missing the cakes..............and Mel and Sue, and of course Paul Hollwood...

Paul and Mary rock!

So The Great Birtish Bake Off finished last week and we are all missing the cakes..............and Mel and Sue, and of course Paul Hollwood and Mary Berry.
 
The BBC know they are onto a winner and tonight they are televising Paul and Mary doing some baking instead of commentating. The whole nation has gone baking crazy!
 
My Mum used to bake all the time, but then again, everyone did back in the good old days. Scones, rock buns, fairy cakes, quiches, flans, you name it - all homemade and nothing was shop bought.
 
These days, sadly, it's cheaper to buy and I think this is a shame but with this show receiving record viewing figures then I think doing it at home is now all the rage.
 
I rarely bake, apart from 'cakes' for fat club, ie, swiss rolls and couscous cakes and they don't really count. My hubby was a chef for years and makes a mean pastry but doesn't. Martha however, does bake quite a lot and often runs off to the kitchen to whip up a quick banana loaf or some cupcakes.
 
I have just looked up the god like Paul on Wikipedia and what I found quite interesting was that he initially went to art college and trained as a sculpture.
 
One finalist on the show was finishing his medical degree and spent the summer baking bread in restaurants.
 
Another finalist on the show finished his law degree but has moved to Europe to train in pattisserie.
 
Is it a dormant desire in many people to be creative with eggs, butter and flour? I'm sure the job satisfaction would me fantastic and certainly more interesting in being a lawyer.
 
Baking is the new black!
 I'm not sure I will attempt it. I'm not patient enough and I think we all know what I would do with all the delicious fruits of my labour....................

Sunday 21 October 2012

dietdevil: Feeling too sorry for myself to blog properly

dietdevil: Feeling too sorry for myself to blog properly: So today I have spent most of it in bed catching up on the sleep that i didn't get last night due to my back being sore.   It is still...

Feeling too sorry for myself to blog properly

So today I have spent most of it in bed catching up on the sleep that i didn't get last night due to my back being sore.
 
It is still sore and I am feeling very sorry for myself.
 
The painkillers are making the pain subside but are also making me feel sick.
 
I have nothing of interest, nothing witty, or any tales to write today but am hoping normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Saturday 20 October 2012

dietdevil: Ouch............

dietdevil: Ouch............: So today I was talking to the lovely Debbie that works for me on a Saturday and she was saying how she has had trouble with her back recent...

Ouch............

So today I was talking to the lovely Debbie that works for me on a Saturday and she was saying how she has had trouble with her back recently. I have suffered from lower back pain since I was 13 and have actually got a bit of a wonky spine but thankfully I don't suffer from pain that often now...................until today.
 
No sooner had Debbie gone, I walked into the lounge and 'twang' my back went. I am in agony. I have pummelled it, I have sat in a hot bath, I have taken extra strong painkillers and I am now stinking of this..............
 
 
 
I have my hot water bottle at the ready, I have told the spaniels to curtail any boucing around on me and I am umming and ahhhing about whether to have booze or painkillers later. I'm thinking both. It will help me to get through X factor, and , as someone on facebook suggested, all the acts will sound great.
 
My day started badly when I had a very curt message left by the owner of a holiday property we look after to ''ring me now''. I did ring her straight back and no sooner had I said hello then my ear was blasted with -
 ''WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON?''
 
Apparently the guests that departed this morning had reported a blocked toilet to the agent which had  then flooded the whole of the downstairs carpet. I told her that I knew nothing about this and she carried on shouting that ''they must have f***ing done something to my f***ing toilet'' and when I enquired as to if she would like me to go and have a look she then screamed ''yes I f***ing would, that's what I f***ing pay you for''. It's times like this that I wonder what the hell I am doing in the job I am in.
 
If my back hadn't been hurting ( as well as my eardrum ) I think I would have told her to go away, or words to that effect  but I was remarkably calm. This woman is one of life's assertive types ( I am too ) but there is a thin line between being assertive and being downright rude.
 I am currently  mulling it over but will be composing an email to her later today to express my upset at how she spoke to me. Although I appreciate she was cross, it was nothing I had done wrong and nothing the poor young girl that works in the agents office had done either - she too had had a similar ear bashing.
 
It's all part of life's rich tapestry - there's good and bad wherever you go but I think she should have maybe calmed down and taken a deep breath before ringing anyone.
 
Thinking about it, I may email her after an explosive cocktail of Nurofen and merlot ....................I too can swear like a trouper and my punches will not be pulled.

Friday 19 October 2012

dietdevil: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmerlot..............

dietdevil: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmerlot..............: So today was Friday and as Fridays go it wasn't too bad. I was given a thank you bottle of wine by some friends for a couple of favours I h...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmerlot..............

So today was Friday and as Fridays go it wasn't too bad. I was given a thank you bottle of wine by some friends for a couple of favours I have done them and very nice it is too.
 
If  I could eat and drink whatever I liked and be sylph like then merlot would be my preferred drink over everything else - I love it, and preferably a nice Australian or South African one .
 
I am now half way through week 2 of being a born again Slimming Worlder and so far so good. I made something with chicken tonight which should have meant the meat was marinated in honey and various other spices and sauces etc but I had no honey so I did what I do best - IMPROVISE!
 
I love trying out new recipes and it's very rare that I stick to the exact quantities, I just look at the ingredients, throw them all together and hope for the best. Nine  times out of ten  it works - and the times that it doesn't work?......... I make a mental note not to try it again.
 
My issue with Slimming World and other 'diet' organisations is basically that a lot of the food they suggest you eat is utter crap. I love love love trawling the net looking for interesting things to do with my food and more often than not, most recipes can be adapted to healthy living.
 
My favourite food website is the BBC Good Food Website - there are billions of recipes on there, lots of them I have tried and loved - it just usually means to any dieter, to leave out that cheeky couple of tablespoons of oil of butter and the rest is generally ok.
 
I spoke to Hattie earlier and she is coming home in less than 3 weeks for a long weekend. I cannot wait to see her! It is now a whole month and 2 days since we took her back to Cardiff and I am starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I'm not sure she feels the same as she is now 20 and very independent and living the uni dream, but I just want to give her a huge hug.
 
And on that note, I shall have myself another glass of the red stuff.

Thursday 18 October 2012

dietdevil: This will cheer you up..........errrrr...........w...

dietdevil: This will cheer you up..........errrrr...........w...: So today has been crap. I really dont want to write why on here, but suffice it to say there was incompetence on a gigantic level from a gi...

This will cheer you up..........errrrr...........why?

So today has been crap. I really dont want to write why on here, but suffice it to say there was incompetence on a gigantic level from a gigantic organisation involved. I am very angry and I have used a lot of naughty words today. Very naughty words that mostly had 4 letters and began with the letter 'F' and 'C'. That's all I will say on the matter.
 
In a bid to 'cheer me up' my hubby showed me the spare ribs that him and Martha are having for dinner.
 
Sometimes I feel that he doesn't really know me at all. If he thinks looking at a tray of spare ribs from what was obviously a very large pig ( when I am having reheated diet cottage pie) is going to make me smile and be jolly,  then he is quite demented!
 
Last night's dinner involved a lot of cheese. I had posh pasta with rocket and feta and olives and had worked out that I was allowed 100g of the cheese. 100g of feta cheese is a huge amount and I felt quite sick whilst eating it and I don't think I will be trying it again for a loooooong time.
 
I am even missing the quiz tonight. I wont be very good company and being beaten by a bunch of geeky middle aged men in anoraks will not make me feel better either.
 
I'm not sure what is worse - the geeks or the ribs...............

Wednesday 17 October 2012

dietdevil: Nice and not so nice things

dietdevil: Nice and not so nice things: So I had a wander into town and was given a list from Martha of things I had to get.   A diamond nose stud, a nose ring and a shark pos...

Nice and not so nice things

So I had a wander into town and was given a list from Martha of things I had to get.
 
A diamond nose stud, a nose ring and a shark poster from the book shop???
 
First stop was one of my favourite shops - The Painted Bird down Fore Street. It is a real aladdin's cave of scarves, jewellry, hats, ornaments, incense sticks, bags, gloves, just everything lovely really.
 
I know I prommised myself not to mention the 'C' word but I have got an few ideas from going in there this morning and also a couple of things to put on my wish list too.
 
Next stop was the book shop for the shark poster. I used to do in there all the time but since I got my kindle I hurry past the door, feeling almost guilty for abandoning them .
 
And as much as I love my kindle, I MISS PROPER BOOKS. It's just not the same looking on Amazon for reading material - nothing beats seeing a book's front cover and reading the blurb on the back. Also, with a kindle you can never judge how long a book is going to be ..................500 pages? That means nothing to me.
Whilst they were rolling up my poster I had a sneaky peeky at a few of the current bestsellers and made a mental note to look them up when I got home.
 
One of them I was surprised / disturbed / jealous to see was set in Cornwall and written by Judy Finnegan! Is this THE Judy Finnegan , the female half of Britains' favourite chat show couple or someone else with the same name?
Again, I will look it up online later.
 
The not so nice thing today was seeing an old man that had taken a tumble outside the health food shop. He had cut his head badly and an ambulance had been called. In the meantime one of our local coppers was sat next to him on the pavement looking after him but it made me really upset.
 
It made me think of the vulnerability of the elderly and the fact that I wasn't there when my Dad died I didn't even know he was ill - he told nobody) and that my Mum is nearly 80 and I felt a lot of guilt and sadness. I rushed home and had a good cry but it made me think and hope that the old man is ok and that with any luck there will be someone to look after him when he gets home.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

dietdevil: Why aye man - I love the hairy bikers!

dietdevil: Why aye man - I love the hairy bikers!: So first of all - I LOST 4 POUNDS! Obviously my cunning plan to rejoin as a new member has paid off and I am mentally patting myself on t...

Why aye man - I love the hairy bikers!

So first of all - I LOST 4 POUNDS!
Obviously my cunning plan to rejoin as a new member has paid off and I am mentally patting myself on the back.
 
And now on to the rest of the blog.
 In my constant quest for new and inspiring recipes to keep me away from the pies I watched these 2 cheeky chappies last night. Their current series is them going around the country meeting people who are using recipes that have been passed down the generations by their mums and grannies , hence the name 'Mum knows best'.
 The first recipe was from a lady in Denby Dale for a succulent looking meat and potsto pie so I obviously ignored that and also  the ginger pudding with custard too,  but I did like the look of an aromatic beef curry and apart from the oil, it is all syn free on Slimming World.
 
I have a pot of it bubbling on my hob right at this very minute and it's smelling delicious.
 I am looking forward to eating it and watching The Great British Bake Off! Martha is obsessed with this show at the moment and keeps watching it on her i pad . It makes me want to bake ( and eat ) cakes but I will resist. She is in the kitchen right now making, I think an apple crumble.............but again, I will resist, I will I will I will.
 
St Ives is very quiet but today people seemed to appear from nowhere. I visited some friends 'downalong' and whilst walking along the harbour I couldn't believe how many people there were just generally wandering about and eating ice creams and pasties. Mind you, this was the view around 1pm today so who would pass on the chance to just sit and look at it?
 
Tomorrow is the start of another week and I am being very well organised for the next few days. I am going to do something with pasta and olives for dinner tomorrow and then will put my thinking cap on for the rest of the week.
 
I think a few more Hairy Bikers recipes may be in order - but not ones that contain pastry or custard of course..............
 
 

Monday 15 October 2012

dietdevil: A sprout is for life not just for Christmas!

dietdevil: A sprout is for life not just for Christmas!: So I have mentioned the 'C' word in my blog title, but I feel it's very apt as I am having brussel sprouts for dinner hooray! Not just brus...

A sprout is for life not just for Christmas!

So I have mentioned the 'C' word in my blog title, but I feel it's very apt as I am having brussel sprouts for dinner hooray! Not just brussel sprouts on their own obviously as that would be wrong but I am having them with a roast dinner, and for those of you that don't know -
 
I LOVE BRUSSEL SPROUTS!
 
As soon as they become available in the shops I buy as many as I can because I think they are totally delicious. I have made soup with them, I use them in bubble and squeak and an Indian friend once told me she had made a brussel sprout curry and the thought of it excited me......... a lot!
 
I know they are an acquired taste and I haven't always loved them but over the years they have grown on me more and more and these days any roast from the autumn onwards has a huge pile of them - right next to the carrots. My hubby is fairly partial too, but not as keen as I am which is great as that means there's all the more for me.
 
Victoria Wood once talked about Christmas and she said 'oop north' you would put your sprouts on around November . I prefer mine fairly al dente, but really I'm not fussy as it's the taste and not the texture that tantalises my tastebuds.
 
Marks and Spencer do gigantic ones - they are probably full of all sorts of chemicals but I love them the best so I don't care.
 
And once on Hugh Fearnley Whittingsdale's River Cottage show he got Tim, one of his assistants to make a sprout pate which I always forget about but it's something I would definitely try.
 
Jamie Oliver peeled them and stir fried the skins in olive oil and garlic - this is wrong. All you need to do is peel them,  put a  cross on their cute green little bottoms and throw them into a pan of boiling water. I don't add bacon, chestnuts or anything to them because as a vegetable they should stand alone and not be messed with. Using them in a pate or curry is another matter, but Jamie Oliver's idea was ( in my eyes ) sprout abuse.
 
Tomorrow is my first weigh in after rejoining fat club and I am hoping for a decent loss. It is also a taster session where we all bring along something healthy that we've made. I am getting up early to make a smoky sausage ragu with pasta but on hindsight I wish I had bought more of my favourite small round green vegetables and I could have gone for that curry or pate.
 
Ah well, there's always  next time.................

Sunday 14 October 2012

dietdevil: Pottering about and life's simple pleasures

dietdevil: Pottering about and life's simple pleasures: So today was one of those days when apart from a bit of washing and a couple of invoices there was nothing I actually had to do. I like da...

Pottering about and life's simple pleasures

So today was one of those days when apart from a bit of washing and a couple of invoices there was nothing I actually had to do. I like days like this. It's what Sundays used to be about.
 
When I was a wee lassie this day was the best day of the week. Late breakfasts, a huge roast lunch, invariably a walk through 'the parks' ( Alnwick people will get what I mean ) and then home for tea and a Sunday evening BBC drama - Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables, Ballet Shoes etc etc.
 
Sundays these days are very different. In the summer months it's just another day of work for us but now it's October I can relax a bit.
 
I had the late breakfast ( thank you Alastair ) , I did the washing and then Martha and I decided to walk the spaniels up Rosewall Hill which is just outside of town and has a stunning panoramic view of St Ives Bay right round to Zennor. Truly beautiful.
 
We were the only people up there, the spaniels found the largest puddle in the road to splash in,
 
 
 Maddie tried to jump down a capped mineshaft and Mutley briefly disappeared but all in all it was a nice walk.
 
Back home, I had left hubby with the unenviable task of defrosting the freezer in the kitchen and he has unearthed some hidden treasures. I now have a breast of lamb, a turkey joint and some cod and chorizo fishcakes in my fridge and a lot of soggy towels on the kitchen floor.
 
I have made dinner, I have planned tomorrow night's dinner, the spaniels are sleeping ( and very wet and smelly ) and my kindle is calling.
 
Only 2 more days until weigh in at fat club too and I am quietly confident of a loss. To be honest,  I am more than quietly confident as I have a set of scales in my bathroom that weigh in at virtually the same as the ones at fat club and I know I am most definitely a loser this week. Martha has tried to persuade me to go out for a carvery tonight but I am standing firm that I will have a good week this week and with 5 days under my belt I am not going to blow it now..................not even for a cheeky roast at The Sheaf of Wheat.............no, no, no......................

Saturday 13 October 2012

dietdevil: That's the way ah-ha ah -ha I like it, oh and The...

dietdevil: That's the way ah-ha ah -ha I like it, oh and The...: So have a look at Porthmeor Beach at around 11 this morning. How cool is it? The sea was of the deepest blue and the only thing to be see...

That's the way ah-ha ah -ha I like it, oh and The Baftas.

So have a look at Porthmeor Beach at around 11 this morning. How cool is it?
The sea was of the deepest blue and the only thing to be seen was the shadow of a lampost and a solitary couple.

It was flipping freezing though and bearing in mind I am a well 'ard Northumbrian that grew up being blown on by an Easterly wind, even I felt a bit nippy. The one redeeming factor in today's weather was that it didn't rain - unlike last night when it rained enough for the whole of October.

Last night I wrote the first chapter of my inernational bestseller. I have decided to go along the route of a collaborative book whereby at least one and hopefully two of my friends will be writing too. I got the idea from a website that does various joint pieces of work but then realised that it was American so there would be no point in joining  any work in progress as I am such a Brit and anything I did write would probably contain sentences with ''sure thing dude'' ''you dirty rat'' ''oh my god, gimme a burger'' and other such Americanisms and it would be rather obvious from the outset that I was an imposter.

So, after a couple of voddies I started.
I then had writer's block for a while.
I then started again and wrote what I think is quite an 'enticing' first chapter.
I then emailed it to Debbie and am waiting for her to write the next chapter, but I am worried that I think she too may have writer's block - either that or she fell asleep as I took so long getting it just right.
I will be very happy if Leanne does chapter three.

Our ultimate ambition is to attend the Bafta Awards as our international bestseller will be snapped up by  a famous director / tv production compnay and made into a hugely successful film or telly drama.
That's not too much to ask is it? Oh and as long as I am sat next to this gorgeous actor then I will be very happy.

I will obviously be a size zero by then too............

Am I letting my very vivid imagination run away with itself here?

Jim, pass me the canapes luvvy xxxxxxxxx

Friday 12 October 2012

dietdevil: Good Friday

dietdevil: Good Friday: So back to the whole point of this blog - my weight! Fridays are normally a bad day for me in the world of eating low fat healthy food but ...

Good Friday

So back to the whole point of this blog - my weight! Fridays are normally a bad day for me in the world of eating low fat healthy food but today I have managed to avoid the following -
1. Pasties
2. Bread
 3 Chocolate
 
so I am feeling quite chuffed with myself.
 
Since my born again SW virginity on Tuesday I am trying so so  hard to resist all the naughty stuff that made me fat in the first place and it's usually a Friday that tips me over the edge.
 
If I could physically pat myself on the back then I would.
 
For all you non fatties out there, especially those of you that can eat what you want and stay sylph like - you wont understand,  but it truly is hard to feed the rest of your family nice gooey stodgy stuff and not have it yourself. I made Martha a fresh warm bacon baguette earlier ( it was also oozing with butter )  and I am having this ......
 
 
I'm not really. am having a smoky sausage pasta dish , which when I had it last week it burned the roof of my mouth off.
I presumed that a 'pinch of chilli flakes' would be the same as a hearty dollop of EPC Very Lazy Chilli.
 
I can assure you that it's not.
 
And tomorrow is Saturday and the end of my working week and X Factor and potentially a dangerous time as I need lots of wine to watch it / enjoy it / write my famous poem about it but I shall make do with a less calorific vodka and diet coke. It's not the same in any size shape or form but it's better than water.
 
As someone once said ''nothing tastes as good as being thin''.
 
 Not even wine and chocolate and buttery bacon bauguettes?????
 
I think that person was fibbing.

Thursday 11 October 2012

dietdevil: It's a man's world!

dietdevil: It's a man's world!: So tonight is quiz night but my team isn't playing as it's our turn to set the questions. In a quiz we have over 100 questions and the tr...

It's a man's world!

So tonight is quiz night but my team isn't playing as it's our turn to set the questions.
In a quiz we have over 100 questions and the trick is to keep it varied and interesting. I'm not sure I have done either of these things tonight, but they have been placed in sealed envelopes and delivered to the venue so it's too late!
 
The quiz is largely dominated by male players.
 Male players of a certain age who love questions about sport  and politics.
 Our team has one or sometimes two male players and the main man John is quite cool and likes ships and history. He also loves the female attention so is quite happy to go with the flow which is generally any rare questions about musicals / cookery and the telly.
 
I'm sure I'm not speaking for myself here, but I really don't want to know who the Hungarian prime minister was in 1953 or who scored the winning goal at the 1978 FA cup final so that is precisely the sort of questions I have avoided tonight. I have consulted my ex team member and good chum Debbie ( she defected to the pool league a couple of years ago and seems to be having much more fun on a Thursday night ,  hmmmm) and she thought my questions were 'hard'.
 I don't think they are any such thing but if I get shouted at in the street tomorrow or heckled in Tescos by middle aged men in anoraks then  I know she is right.
 
One thing I do love and hope for when setting the questions however, is what I like to call a 'rogue win' whereby a team that normally gets beaten week in , week out will be successful on the pointless and shallow trivia that I have asked.
 
 It warms the cockles of my heart that a group  of 5 intellectuals will know all sorts of bizarre art, science and poetry but wont know the name of who the landlady in a famous soap opera is having it away with behind the beer kegs.
 Cue - not so intellectual team getting it right and winning their first match of the season - what's not to love??
 
Anyway, The quiz starts in an hour's time and I hope everyone enjoys it. I was meant to go and read the questions but I think I have an ear infection so I am staying at home in the warmth of my home.
 
The various results and comments will be posted on the quiz league's Facebook page later so I shall stay up to gage a reaction and then I can plan tomorrow and if I should be keeping a very low profile.

Wednesday 10 October 2012

dietdevil: This soup will change my life........possibly.

dietdevil: This soup will change my life........possibly.: So after book group I am feeling a little unwell and it's not because I drank loads because I didn't!   My throat is sore and my ears ...

This soup will change my life........possibly.

So after book group I am feeling a little unwell and it's not because I drank loads because I didn't!
 
My throat is sore and my ears are aching  but in true newbie style I have been organised and busy in the kitchen.
Everyone at fat club is raving about 'speed soup' - I have made a pot of it. It's a huge pot.
 
There are all sorts of various ingredients including lots of beans.
 I couldn't find a can of mixed bean salad in St Ives so I improvised and used baked beans, butter beans and kidney beans. I am assuming that the word 'speed' in the title of this recipe is because with all the beans and vegetables you would be rushing to the loo very quickly.
 
I can cook but I very rarely get it right when it comes to soup and judging by the smell of what is in the enormous pot on my hob, I don't think this will be an exception.
 
I'm actually not even sure that I like soup that much but I am willing to try anything this week to give me a good weight loss for my 'first week'.
 
When I was a wee lassie in Northumberland my Mum always had a pot of soup or broth on the go. 
Everything went in it - and it was fed from an equally  large stock pot that was boiled up daily and all chicken bones, veg peelings etc would add to the delicious flavour.
 Maybe it's my inner child coming out - but I miss my Mum's soup and maybe that's why mine just doesn't taste as nice - it's because I am always comparing it to the legendary soup of yesteryear.
 
With the speed soup recipe you can 'leave it chunky' or 'pulse' it ( no pun intended ) and I haven't decided which way to go with mine. I know for a fact that I will not be eating any of it tonight, infact the more I think about it the more scared I become. I don't want to throw it out but I also really don't want to eat it...........I may try giving some away tomorrow.
 
In the meantime, it's mushroom carbonara for dinner. I am going to throw a large tea towel over the hot savoury liquid so I don't have to look at it. I reckon there's enough for the next week which is worrying.
 
I am sure that  Heinz , Baxter's or Campbells don't  ever have this problem.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

dietdevil: I's pie.................

dietdevil: I's pie.................: So today I did it - I started afresh! As of 9.30 this morning I am a new Slimming World member and I feel strangely liberated. I was worrie...

I's pie.................

So today I did it - I started afresh! As of 9.30 this morning I am a new Slimming World member and I feel strangely liberated. I was worried incase the thought of losing all those stickers and awards would upset me, but I am now on the second part of my weight loss journey as of now and I am going to embrace it positively.
 
I first had to get through a lunch out. When I say 'get through' that sounds awful, as the people that were very kindly treating me are lovely but it was possibly the wrong day for me to be dining out.
 
Luckily, they had chosen the Porthminster Beach Cafe which obviously works by the mottoes ''less is more'' ''quantity not quality'' etc etc. It is also very expensive , which goes to prove why rich people are usually thin.
 
I chose the fish pie, as nothing else on the menu appealed to me. This was my fish pie.
 
Now you're probably seeing a piece of grilled fish, 4 mussels and a ( very small ) pot of mashed potatoes with a few prawns in it. Your eyes are not deceiving you. One of the lunch guests whispered to me ''it's not a pie'' but Geoff, the lunch treater pointed out that 'deconstructed'' food is now all the rage. Hmmmm. Apparently separating the foods and breaking them up is the in thing , the new black, the nouveau nouvelle cuisine etc etc but all I thought of was how I was going to get the fish and the mash on the fork on the same time without dribbling it all over the place.
I resisted all offers of alcohol and stuck with 2 diet cokes and even though I looked at the dessert menu and desperately longed for the 'raw chocolate creme brulee' I had a cup of tea.
 
This broke my heart!
 
Geoff had a Pimms something or other for pudding and it also appeared to have been deconstructed -
 
I really don't know what every pile / pot had in it and I don't think Geoff did either but he seemed to enjoy it. I think there was a pot of Pimms jelly with melon balls on top, the strawberries lay in a tasteful mound of pink sherbet or icing sugar but I really can't think what the 3 scoops are.
 
All in all it was very nice but I dont think I will be rushing to return.
 
The menu was very fishy and I like meat, the portions were a little on the , errrm, little side and as a consequence I am now starving. I have eaten a banana and a greek yogurt but quite frankly, they're not cutting the mustard.
 
It is also very intellectual book group tonight.
 
There will be wine, nachos, lots of cheese and crackers, cupcakes, quiches, egg sandwiches, crisps and dips.
 
Nothing will be deconstructed and I plan to eat one plateful and then stop.............
 
Now where did I put my Christmas turkey plate?

Monday 8 October 2012

dietdevil: The Lucifer of my life..............

dietdevil: The Lucifer of my life..............: So I'm sure I wrote a similar blog a couple of weeks ago regarding my diet, or non diet as it seems to have been  this last few days but I ...

The Lucifer of my life..............

So I'm sure I wrote a similar blog a couple of weeks ago regarding my diet, or non diet as it seems to have been  this last few days but I have lost all motivation and I am getting frustrated.
 I have decided tomorrow to start afresh at Slimming World, so in true deep south U S of A baptist style -
I am reclaiming my FAT CLUB VIRGINITY!
 
Some may say I am mad to throw away the statictics of what I have already lost but it's hard seeing that plus sign on your weight record so I am wiping the slate clean and being a newbie.
 
I will have a shiny new book and a shiny new weight LOSS record and I will avoid the temptation of this.....................
 
at all times..............
 
It's my downfall, my achilles heel. it makes me crumble and I just can't resist it...........but I love it.
 
I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to how many calories /syns are in it but I do know that no matter how much I nip and tweak any diet that I do, sticky toffee pudding is most definitely out of bounds.
 
I am having a diet coke now to counteract the bad boy pictured above and I am also thinking of ways to stay on the straight and narrow.
 
I have lunch out tomorrow and book group tomorrow night so it's not a promising start to my dieting week.
 
Sticky toffee pussing - get thee behind me..............and not in me or on my behind........

Sunday 7 October 2012

dietdevil: I'm glad I had daughters

dietdevil: I'm glad I had daughters: So today Martha and I went to watch a rugby match. A friend of hers is very talented at it and she wanted to see him play, but she didn't w...

I'm glad I had daughters

So today Martha and I went to watch a rugby match. A friend of hers is very talented at it and she wanted to see him play, but she didn't want to go on her own so I went too.
I have no idea of the rules but I do know that you need to get the ball and run! Her friend did this - quite a few times- and scored - hooray!
 
We stood with her friend's Mum and we cheered him on a few times but one thing I did think was that there was no way on earth that I could watch one of my kids being tackled and not run on the pitch and claw the tackler's eyes out. I said to his mum that she must be very restrained and she did agree that it was difficult.
 
This brings me to the difference between boys and girls - apart from the obvious of course, boys are more physical and girls are more verbal.
 
Now as I only have 2 delightful daughters I can only speak from experience here, but when they were little and at infant school and they had fallen out with their friends they would come home and say ''so and so called me this'' or ''so and so said this'' but I would notice that my friends that had sons would retrieve mud streaked boisterous little people who had settled any differences with a hearty wrestle on the school field and a quick slide down the nearest grassy bank.
 
And growing up - well  boys are so less complicated than girls.
Living in a house where 75% of the inhabitants are female (and feisty females at that ) emotions run high and there are hormones a plenty.
 There is rarely a free bathroom, there is always a shortage of towels, I spend a fortune on make up wipes, shampoo and conditioner and all phone bills are huge.
Friends that have boys seem to do more shopping, more cooking, more washing and despite thumping and banging about a lot, their male children are quieter, ie, a lot less chat.
 
I often wonder what it would have been like to have a son. My whole life as a mum has been geared to fluffy pink things, little cute toys, dramas, tantrums, and a lot of gossiping and squealing. Most of the washing I have ever done doesn't really need washing and apart from their horse riding gear there has been no mud involved at all.
 
And growing up? Well Hattie has mentioned that when she eventually has a baby she would like me to be there at the birth............I have warned her that I will be totally useless and will probably need quite a lot of gas and air myself but as I'm her mum , if she wants me to be,  then I will be there.
 
Hopefully this will not be for a few years yet - it may give me time to practise the same restaint that I witnessed this morning.

Saturday 6 October 2012

dietdevil: Move over Dan and Pam

dietdevil: Move over Dan and Pam: So last night I 'advertised' On Facebook for anyobody that would be interested in starting a writing group in the St Ives area.   I lov...

Move over Dan and Pam

So last night I 'advertised' On Facebook for anyobody that would be interested in starting a writing group in the St Ives area.
 
I love writing - this is why I do this blog and I know at least 2 of my friends ( Debbie and Leanne ) would like to do it too.  I think it comes from my interesting in reading, for example, I've often finished a book and thought ''hang on , I could write something like this'' but it's plucking up the courage and mustering some motivation to do it.
 
My oldest and bestest friend Nicola has written a book and it is currently in the hands of a couple of agents. She has also written plays that have been performed  and been shortlisted to be a screenwriter for Hollyoaks so I take my hat off to her for actually doing something about her passion.
 
My favourite type of writing is poems. I write one every week after the live X Factor shows and I just find it very easy to string the words together so that they rhyme, and are hopefully quite funny. I have also written some serious poems - my husband still talks about 'mad, sad, lady' which was about a lonely female tramp but I cant hep comparing it to Ms Phoebe Bouffait's song 'Smelly Cat' in Friends. I incidentally wrote mine before Friends was even televised but I dont think anyone would believe me now.
 
If  I was to write a book I dont think ti would be either poetic or funny - I think it would be a thriller and quite dark. That is the sort of books I read so that is where my interest would lie.
 
I decided a few years ago to cash in on the trashy magazine trade of true life stories.
 This is what I did.
 
I wrote a garbled letter to Eva magazine around 1995 saying how I had betrayed my sister when we were teenagers and now I could never forgive myself. I was from a strict catholic family ( I wasn't ), I was jealous of my virtuous sister ( I dont have a sister ) and when I found out that she had been sleeping with Jason the frisky altar boy I had flushed her contraceptive pills down the loo every few days. As a consequence my scatterbrained  'sister' Nicola ( named hastily after the friend mentioned above) became pregnant and was disowned by my old fashioned and humiliated parents and they threw her out on the cold streets of Northumberland.
I then went on to say that I hadn't seen her since, and that I could barely live with the guilt of what I had done all those years ago. I swear, even I was crying by the time I had finished it.
 
It was a proper sob story and I thought no more of it .....................until I got THE phone call............
 
One of the writers from the magazine rang me and said they would love to put the story in their magazine  but needed to clarify a few points. I gulped and agreed. She then went on to conduct a half hour interview over the phone and was asking things like ''so, Elizabeth, do you ever cry about your sister'' and ''so, Elizabeth, was it a spur of the moment plan or had you planned it?'' etc etc. I managed to sound suitably angst ridden and then a few weeks later my true life story was published!
 
And I got a cheque for £100!
 
I then became hungry for fame and money so I  wrote another story to a a different magazine. This one was  about how I had been asked by my friend Mandy (who incidentally had a life threatening illness and an abusive husband and no money ) to buy her a lottery scratchcard with her last £1.
 I did  - and guess what? I won £1000! which I then spent on a holiday to Tenerife and obviously never told Mandy about it and she never suspected because I just simply bought her another £1 lottery scratchcard.
 
I was prepared this time - and lo and behold I was phoned up and interviewed and I managed to convey my guilt, anger at myself, self loathing quite well over the phone I think.
 
I got another cheque for £100.
 
You'll be relieved to know that I didn't send any more stories in after that and I often wonder whether they rumbled me and were humouring me because they were quite sensational tales and also if any of the other 'true' stories are actually true at all or whether there are just lots of frustrated writers around the UK that want to make a fast buck for a bit of drama?
 
My friend Nicola , when hearing the first story where she was the star character suggested that she should then write in and say ''it's me! I'm her long lost disowned sister'' but I declined the offer because I just knew that they would then want to do a 'sisters reunited' story with Nicola and I hugging emotionally on the front page.
 
If the writing group takes off then I think I should firstly confess all to the others about my sins against creative writing................or..................
 
Maybe I should just stick to funny poems?
 
Maybe I should write some profound and abstract poems about air and emotions and shapes?
 
Maybe I should just stick to this blog..................................

Friday 5 October 2012

dietdevil: 20 years of Hattie...........

dietdevil: 20 years of Hattie...........:   So today Hattie turned 20. I can't believe that I have been a mother for that long and the little noisy bundle that arrived on Monday...

20 years of Hattie...........

 
So today Hattie turned 20. I can't believe that I have been a mother for that long and the little noisy bundle that arrived on Monday October 5th 1992 at 12.41 pm at Treliske Hospital is now all grown up!
 
 As most of you already know, she is at Cardiff University in her second year of a degree in education and psychology and wants to hopefully be a speech therapist.
 
She is one of life's special people.
 
We may have had our ups and downs and we may have argued like fishwives and alley cats but we've always been close.
 
I miss her so much when she's away.
 
When she comes home I am reminded how noisy she is.
 
She always makes me laugh.......................
 
When she started to write she used to draw giant 'H' signs everywhere.
 
We once  shared a bath when she was about 3- I got out and she said ''Oh Mummy dont get out you make the bath big''
 
She used to fall asleep in her baby bouncer.
 
She never crawled - she sat , then walked.
 
She used to say 'umpin' instead of 'open'.
 
She drew on Martha's head with a felt tip when Martha was a day old.
 
She played Tatiana in the infant school play when she was 5 and won critical acclaim.
 
She won a computer for the same school by writing a poem about phone boxes.
 
Hattie and Becky Nankervis drank so much wine when they were 16 that Becky's Mum had to take them home from Penzance and when Hattie came home the next day she was wearing Becky's dad's tracksuit.
 
She'e very good at public speaking.
 
She loves all animals.
 
She also loves weepy films and once when watching 'PS I love you' her dad had to get out of bed and check she was ok as she was howling so loudly.
 
She was nervous about going to uni and leaving home but now loves Cardiff and all things Welsh.
 
She is the noisiest person ever in the early hours of the morning.
 
She has explored all areas of Cornwall on Cinderella her moped and in Sylvia her little KA car.
 
She is a very speacial person and I am proud to be her Mum and that is all I have to say..........
 
Happy Birthday Hattie xxxx