My Oven

My oven and I have a slightly strained relationship it has to be said. I want it to bake my cakes and roast my Sunday lunch and it wants to get things done as quickly as possible. It only has one temperature, which is ON - although it should be a bit more variable than that - and it likes things to be burnt round the edges but raw in the middle. I do not.

To be fair I don't really clean it, that would be way too icky, and I maybe slam the door a little too hard so perhaps it's just taken the hump with me and decided to not work properly. It was also free when I got it. A friend of mine had her kitchen redone and 2 eye level double ovens fitted so my little mini range spent a bit of time in her garden before being stuffed in the back of my car (it just fitted and the boot didn't quite close) and transported to my Mother in Laws garage in Shropshire. It spent some time in there too before being brought back to Leicestershire and finally installed in my kitchen about 2 years ago. Perhaps it's just sulking at the neglect.

But I have now got a man out to clean it in noxious chemicals, scrub it within an inch of its life and generally spruce up the whole cooker. Hopefully that will make it work and make me less embarrassed about opening the door when there are other people in my house. If not, I have the number of a man who can get me new parts and fix it.

Coz even if it doesn't like me, I am rather fond of it.

Yep. It's the first pair of new shoes this year!

Ok I know these aren't the best photos of them but you get that they are orange, high heeled, with pink and blue polka dots and a rather massive beige bow on the fronts. You also can see the quite frankly awesome little feet pictures on the soles that leave little indents in the ground as you walk (on mud for example or in the kids sandpit) and make it look like little pixies have been following you around!

They are not that mad really - I have many more insane pairs - but I think these will work out and get worn quite a lot this year. They have already been on a vintage Valentine's date on a steam train dining service with hubby and drew envious looks from the more sedate passengers.

And they were bought from a client too. Yep, I have a client who is as into shoes as me - yipee!!!!

So far so good.....mostly

Well 2011 has already given me quite a few nice surprises! It seems like him upstairs at least read my previous post about it all here and sent a few much needed breaks in our direction. A few serve as a half decent excuse for my absence, despite my intentions, from here!

Firstly we inherited some money which we were not expecting to in the least! It wasn't masses but it was enough to clear the credit card and go for a much needed night out with hubby. Then our wonderful accountant got us out of having to pay a tax bill this year AND also got as a decent tax rebate too- I think I may actually love him! So there went the car loan, the other loan and a bit put by towards the inevitable tax bill next January. You can see I really know how to live it up and celebrate in style, all rock n'roll here.

My business has also stepped up a notch and I'm now pretty much full, have no time for myself, am a bit rushed round the kids as I know how much I should be doing instead of making castles and space rockets out of loo rolls and cereal packets and generally feeling busy. Blogging of course, as a none income earner and being particularly self indulgent, gets put on the bottom of the to do list. I'm working on that too and have bought myself one of those mobile internet dongle thingys with the intention of heading off to a local cafe to write. Haven't managed to actually go to one yet though! Ah well. All I really need is an extra 3 hours a day and the ability to survive and feel refreshed with naff all sleep and then I'll be fine.

Walking

You see a lot of the beauty in nature when you have a dog (or 2) to walk. This one is when we were visiting family in Surrey at the weekend.