Happy birthday to me 🎂🎃🎉😁

We started the day with some rather bracing paddle boarding.
Having got home at 2am (allowing for daylight saving) from Dita, 8am was slightly brutal.
Marley hasn't got the hang of the clock's changing and doesn't have any comprehension of lie-ins so she got us up at 6:45am.
This means that I should have been ready to go, but sleep deprivation isn't great for organising yourself.

Paddle boarding was ace! The new boards Tracey and I bought work really well.
We tried to go out on Monday but we couldn't get the pumps to fit. It turns out they're just new and too stiff. Traff saved the day!

After paddle boarding I had a quick bath and we went to Los Gatos for lunch. On a Sunday they only serve paella.
At 1.30pm.
And there is a triumphant song as the chef serves it.
So Ray, Andy, Traff, my parents and I tried their fancy lunch paella.
It was good. Definitely worth another visit.
With Ray's ice cream for afters.

We come back to the house for cake after.

In the evening we met with our landlady to talk through the sale stuff, but that is a tomorrow problem.

Frosty morning

Last night the temperature really dropped, and it's going to continue to get colder over the next week. It's almost like we skipped autumn out completely and just went for winter.
Not that I mind, Autumn is my favourite season but I do like having a sparkly garden.
We woke up this morning and the grass was frozen.
Marley disapproves of the frozen grass and is just glaring at it. She's taking snack breaks but the last hour and a half has been thorough glaring.

I'm not sure I have any properly wintery clothes suitable for today.

Dita Von Teese

Bri managed to get Dita Von Teese tickets!
I asked T to do my hair for me to help me to keep up with the burlesque girls Bri was going with, but actually, I was pretty underdressed compared with the other attendees.

I spent a fortune on merch too.. but these things happen.. I showed restraint thought and didn't buy a signed photo of her nudist cat!

The show was incredible. I won't ruin it, but if you get the chance to go then do!
Just go dressed to the nines!

The upshot of this is that I brought my birthday in eating BBQ space invaders on the train!
Yay for 60p crisps!
Start as you mean to continue!

Burlesque at the Vic

On Friday night I went to watch the burlesque and bands evening at the Vic, raising money for women's aid.

Blue grass music and some unusual burlesque acts.

The Ballet

Tracey and I went to see swan lake at the Wyvern on Thursday.

You know you look old when..

You know you're looking old when: You drop your bike in the process of locking it and a plethora of young men appear to check you're ok. Like, the 'do you need first aid?' 'should I call someone?' kind of help rather than 'hunky knight in shining armour'.
31 in 5 days.
The struggle is real.

So, I'm having cake for dinner.
It's making me feel young and impulsive.

Lush spa

My Sister, mum, Aunt and I but ourselves a lush voucher at Christmas rather than exchange presents.
We then have a girls day out at some point during the year, so it's a good idea.

On Sunday we went to Cardiff. We had pizza in zero degrees and did some shopping in the arcades.
We then went to  the lush spa. We all bought the synesthesia voucher this time, but as the treatment requires you to pick things unique to you each one is different anyway.
I'd definitely try that again! So many word combinations!

Continent clothing

I love this shop! It's a cooperative, the woman who brings it employs people in Africa to make different garments.
She can tell you who made the fabric, who made the garment and which village you're supporting through your shopping.

I bought a dress from here that I took to Malta and people stopped me to ask where I got it. I not only are these super ethical, they're also beautiful.

Each piece is hand crafted and totally unique. Which is both a blessing and a curse...
You have to buy things when you see them or they won't be there again!

She's based in the Harris arcade in Reading. On the end by O'Neil's.

Today my eye was caught by the leaf skirt... And then the back pack... So I had to get both. Obviously.

Trying to be more environmentally conscious

So, this week our council became the first in the country to abandon it's plastic recycling services and tell residents to put their plastic in the normal bin to save money.

This has redoubled my awareness of the amount of plastic we use as a household. I'm in the process of switching all of our bathroom products to lush products- the containers can all be returned to gain discount on your next purchase. They're also ethical, and good to their staff so I'm happy to have an excuse to buy more.

At work we've started collecting plastic to make ecobricks. I need to do some more research but this seems like a good solution.

I'd like to start making my own soups etc as that will reduce the plastic we use too, but one step at a time I guess.

Reading with my Nan & Mum

Today my Mum and I met my Nan in reading and had a mooch around all the festive looking shops and did the Abbey ruins trail.
We had lush weather for looking for ruins!

One step closer to home ownership!

It's been a crazy few days. If you've never bought a house, I'll forewarn you that it's bizarre. You fill out forms. They all go off into the ether, periodically they're replaced with different forms and then suddenly everything happens all at once and is extremely time pressured.

So yesterday the mortgage contract arrived, as did the request for the deposit to be paid (minimum 5 working days before the completion date- and there were only 8 working days to go). Just as traff was due to leave for a flight to Spain.
So we spent the afternoon running round to banks and solicitors getting everything signed and transferred etc.

This morning I made the final money transfer and all the required phone calls.
Bought something on Amazon and fell fowl of the fraud department at the bank and had all my accounts temporarily frozen.

I celebrated both the final payment and the reinstatement of my accounts I bought a Halloween jumper from peacocks and a Halloween bath bomb from lush.
The cashier gave me a pumpkin one for free to celebrate my house buying!
I love lush even more now!

New paddle board

Yay! Paddle boarding!
I picked up mine and Tracey's paddle boards yesterday. They were supposed to be delivered but I was in Barcelona so I had to get them from the TNT depo.

I had failed to consider how challenging this might be.

It took 3 strong men to get the boxes into the car.
I realized my error when I parked in the closest space (2 streets over) and tried to get the boxes out of the car. My knight in shining armour came in the form of a gas fitter who needed to use the loo as the water was turned off in the house he was working in. I guess that's a fair exchange.

I can't wait to get out on the water!

Injury

Nurse traff has been diligently strapping up my poofy ankle. Marley has been less helpful. She just tried to steal the bandage.

Drinks reception at steam to welcome 2818

Tonight was the welcome drinks and official 'opening' of 2818 at Steam.
The train was made in the railway works and is now owned by Swindon.

I've never had champagne with a train as the guest of honour before.

Jenni's birthday meal 🎂

Jenni's birthday was on Thursday so as I was away in Barcelona, we celebrated this evening at Lalbagh.

Catalan cod with blacked aioli

https://www.elnacional.cat/en/gastronomy/catalan-classics-recipe-cod-burnt-aioli_241920_102.html

Ingredients for 1

cod fillet - 180g / 6.5oz
tomatoes - 2
flour - 100g / 3.5oz
egg - 1
garlic - 1 clove
olive oil
salt

Recipe

Deseed the tomatoes, just leaving the flesh, and dice

Fry in a splash of olive oil until they break apart to form a sauce

Season

Coat your cod in flour

Heat a saucepan of oil (see video)

Cook the fish, then remove carefully and remove excess oil with kitchen paper

Place the egg and garlic in a small diametre jug

Start mixing with a hand blender

Slowly add oil as you blend until you get the required quantity and texture

Plate: tomato sauce first, then cod, the aioli on top

Using a kitchen blow torch (or a hot grill), brown the top of the aioli

Barcelona day 4

Barcelona day 3