Fathers Day 2014

I decided to cook a meal at home for my Dad for Fathers Day

Seafood gnocchi 

Chicken with mozarella in arabiatta sauce with asparagus, carrots, baby corn, mange tout, pesto mash and green beans 

Toffee apple crumble pie with cream

Baileys chocolate shots

And a selection of presents based on things he likes

I hope you've all had a good day too, whatever you did

Comfort food

This post may surprise you. 

No I'm not writing about chocolate, crisps, pizza, pasta and ice cream or drinking wine. 

I'm taking comfort from food and exercise. 

Things are going a bit off track with the house purchase (don't ask!) and I've realised I can't control any of it.

So what have I done? Returned to my trusty old friend food and exercise.

I can control what I eat and how often I try and work out.

And as I said I'd blog my progress with the 30 Day Shred here I am writing about it.

I've been completely stressed out all week, tired out and had a banging headache.

As is always the case when you get yourself into exercise you always feel better for it. 

Exercising this week has helped me de-stress and switch off temporarily. 

Tomorrow I am weighing myself to see what progress I've made this week.

I'm really hoping to see something positive.

This week I've stuck to eating healthily, within my recommended calorie allowance to lose weight, for all seven days of the week.

In terms of exercise I've done my workout DVD (30 Day Shred) for five of the seven days. 

Fingers crossed as well as benefiting me to help relax, this week's food and exercise efforts have helped me lose weight and get fitter too. 

Until tomorrow's weigh-in...

Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring

Last night I was lucky to have the company of my other half for once as he was on a different shift at work.

We decided to just stay in, watch a film and have something different for dinner. 

I've been eating very healthily the last week and so we still wanted to be 'good', but thought of trying something new for a change.

My fiancé suggested healthy homemade burgers.

We ended up having homemade burgers made with extra lean steak mince in a wholemeal bun, with reduced fat cheese, onion, tomato and a tiny bit of relish. This we had served with sweet potato wedges, some salad and a dollop of low fat mayonnaise.

It was yummy! 

I have to admit it was good to have something different for once too!

I even took a photo! 

I'll post up some more pics if we try anything else out too.

Today is now the start of level 2 on the 30 Day Shred and my weigh in day.

I'm pleased to say it's going in the right direction and I've lost 1lb again. 

Although admittedly I was hoping for bigger numbers given how this week I've eaten healthy food for 6 days and exercised for all 7! 

Just what I needed

Trying not to do some sort of countdown, but I've realised that we're now on day three of the four day bank holiday weekend.

So far so good. This break has been just what I needed I think.

Good Friday was indeed very good (particularly since I didn't seem hungover from the night before's work drinks). A lazy start to the day filled with hot cross buns and chocolate treats. Then a family day at my parents with a big roast dinner and catching up until the early hours.

Saturday I woke up feeling stuffed to the brim, so decided a healthy day and spinning was in order. Then a relaxing evening in with my man.

Today, Easter Sunday, again I've been 'good' with healthy eating and spinning this morning at the gym. I've had a lovely relaxing day a lovely hot bubble bath, reading a good book, lying on the sofa watching some TV. And now I'm waiting for my man to get home so we can enjoy a nice evening together, probably going to see something at the cinema.

It's hard as although I don't want to reach Monday since it marks the final day of the bank holiday, I'm excited to see it.

Easter Monday means another family day. I'm going to have a nice lie in, then head to the gym for spinning. After a few hours at home to myself (likely featuring some chocolate treats!) I'm meeting my parents and Auntie for an early dinner out. Once we've eaten we're off to the local theatre where my boyfriend will meet us to watch the Moscow Ballet perform Coppelia. What a great way to end the break.

So for now I'll carry on chilling on the sofa waiting for my man to get here.

And rest assured there'll be a blog on the way after tomorrow's latest theatre visit!

Easter eats

I'm sitting here watching MasterChef on TV and yet again I'm thinking about this weekend.

After making it through one more day of work most of us can look forward to a long weekend ahead, a whole four days to rest up.

I for one can't wait. I feel so rundown right now I feel fit to drop!

Plus, I won't lie, I'm not religious. So this weekend is Easter and it should mean thinking of stories from the Bible and what this time of year is really about. However like many people nowadays, I'll admit I'm focused more on seeing family and Easter eggs.

In fact at work today after our team meeting I gave my team a selection of Easter gifts, well treats. What were they? Various animal shaped chocolates - various bunnies, chicks, carrots (well carrot shaped) and eggs. Everyone in our team has a pretty sweet tooth it has to be said so they were all pretty pleased.

As I've been counting down the days until this break a key item in my mind is food.

Yes, eating healthily and exercising regularly clearly food or rather 'naughty' food is going to be top of my mind.

This week has been ridiculous, I have constantly found myself daydreaming and fantasising of all sorts of culinary delights.

The other night when my boyfriend got home from work, we found ourselves giggling away at how food-obsessed I've become this week. I just kept reeling off item after item of food I could eat.

And what's started this all off?

My Mum. Well, my Mum's roast dinner.

Recently I blogged about childhood memories and I have to say Mum's roast dinners would certainly be a key one. They always say you always love your Mum's roasts the best and for me that is so true. Nothing can beat it.

In particular roast lamb. So when my parents invited me and my boyfriend over for a meal on Good Friday and then told me it was going to be roast lamb I became a woman obsessed.

I am actually counting down to when I can eat that mouthwatering meal.

We are spending time with my family on Friday and on Easter Monday I've talked everyone in to going to our local theatre to try out some ballet. Otherwise we don't have much planned since as per usual my boyfriend unfortunately has to work most of it.

Both of us are watching our weight and trying to keep on track so I didn't want to go overboard, but it wouldn't be Easter without some basics. So of course I've got some hot cross buns, Cadbury Creme eggs (my fave), Cadbury mini eggs (my man's faves) and some Malteaser mini bunnies (which we can share).

Aside from desperately trying to get hold of some Cadbury Egg n Spoon (if you haven't tried them do it, they are gorgeous!) these are the only treats I plan to have in my flat. Of course if my Mum wants to stuff us silly on Friday I'm certainly not going to argue!

So whilst I sit here admiring the talent in front of me on MasterChef and look forward to getting tomorrow's working day out the way, the main thing in my mind right now is without a doubt that roast dinner meal.

Mum, don't let me down!

It's Christmas Eve!!

So the inevitable happened. I put on weight.

Two pounds to be exact.

At first I was really upset and disappointed but after going back to sleep in a nice warm cosy bed I've come to just accept it. It's Christmas after all and it would have been pretty incredible to lose weight after consuming all that fattening food and alcohol!

The fact still remains, over a five week period I lost 13lbs which is not something to completely disregard I know.

So now I'm about to get ready to go meet friends for Christmas drinks and then head to my boyfriend's to enjoy food and fun with his family tonight. I've just had a lovely breakfast of choc au pain and eaten my last advent calendar chocolate.

It is Christmas after all!

Okay okay, so I'm not THAT relaxed, I've written off the next four days to festive food and drink. However I have drawn up a new planner for me to track my eating and exercise afterwards. It's all about the balance apparently...

Food, glorious food

I love trying new food and it’s one of the great things I enjoy about going on holiday – sampling new cuisine and discovering new tastes and textures I enjoy. So, I thought I’d do a bit of Google-hunting to see what Thailand has to offer. Oh my…

Well, it appears I could tickle my tastebuds with a whole host of new flavours. How about prawns – lovely – still alive?? Er no thanks. Or a nice healthy salad accompanied by some pork – yum – the meat is raw though?? Um, pass. Want to try a barbecued meat dish served over steamed rice – tempted – this meat though is typically field rat?? No way on earth!

Check out some more culinary delights here:
http://www.beontheroad.com/2012/03/10-unique-foods-to-try-in-thailand.html
http://ouroyster.com/jade/10-best-foods-to-try-thailand
http://www.thailander.com/what-exotic-foods-to-try-in-thailand/

It seems insects are pretty popular…Still I shouldn’t be too shocked, I did see a man eating an un-hatched egg (complete with bird embryo) on a recent holiday programme in Thailand.

I think I’ll stick to the more standard pad thai, red or green curries, mango sticky rice (dessert), fresh spring rolls and panang curry.

Thinking of foods I do like and have discovered (this is making me hungry now!) here’s a selection of some I recommend:

Saganaki with honey tried in Skiathos (a twist on the Greek fried cheese dish – this one was cooked in filo pastry and generously drizzled with honey).

Konditor & Cook frosted carrot cake – the icing is to die for.

Posh eggs and bacon tried in a local gastro pub near where I live – duck egg, bacon ‘foam’, crispy pancetta and brioche soldiers.

Black pudding bonbon – side dish served at the same pub

Roasted salmon on penne pasta in a lobster cream – from a local eaterie

Afternoon tea – scones, jam and clotted cream – the best I’ve had was at Cheddar Gorge

Rump or fillet steak at Miller & Carter near where I live, or steak in a Roquefort sauce in France

Lamb Kleftiko – the best I’ve ever tried was on a cobbled street in Zakynthos many years ago (before it became an 18-30 holiday spot!)

Selection of seafood – scallops, crab, prawns, cockles etc at the Company Shed in Mersea

Devils food cupcakes (peanut butter frosting, dark chocolate cupcake, Reece’s peanut butter cup on top) from Angel Food Bakery in Brighton – THE best cupcakes

Pan fried fish with black squid ink risotto – from an Italian/seafood restaurant in Brighton

Hate to admit it but Dominos Texas BBQ pizza gets me every time!

A huge mouthful of meaty goodness – Kiwi Burger from GBK (massive beef burger, fried egg, beetroot, cheese…)

Pear pancake with chocolate sauce and ice cream from My Old Dutch pancake house (and if you can manage one of their chocolate milkshakes – amazing!)


Okay okay I need to stop now as I am getting far too hungry thinking about this. Maybe I’ll follow up in another blog as this is not helping me in my bid to stick to healthy eating. If anyone has been to Thailand and can recommend some different dishes to try (which aren’t going to make me want to be ill) please get in touch and comment below!

Or alternatively any dishes you can recommend trying, perhaps I can try them out when my healthy eating plan is complete and successful!

Wowed by Warsaw

This week has involved me feeling ill with tonsillitis, having a bad chest, giving myself a scalded arm and on a more positive note travelling abroad for work. To Poland, to be precise.

I’ll be honest with you, when I was asked to attend the pitch meeting in Poland and I found out it was an overnight stay, the main reason I went was for the opportunity. I was expecting Poland to be not that pleasant and judging on my last job (big mistake) that we’d be staying in some run-down cheap as can be hotel. Plus as we all know when it comes to meetings I turn to a bundle of nerves, until I’m actually face-to-face with the people and then I’m fine!

We travelled to Poland on a budget airline (Wizz Air), which I must admit I’d never heard of before and after I panicked about the limited luggage allowance (and then marvelled at my achievements in packing such a small bag) was surprised to find the flight was relatively quick at just over 2 hours.
I’d seen details on the hotel the afternoon before we left and it looked lovely, on arriving I was pleased to find it was just as good in real life! We were staying in Warsaw, in the old town and were about a 30 minute cab ride from the Warsaw Chopin airport.

Well all I can say is wow when it comes to the old town, such a picturesque area. By the time we were unpacked and went out for dinner it was dark and all the little streets twinkled with lights. There were numerous cafes and restaurants with tables outside on the cobbles under big umbrellas. The big squares and beautiful buildings really reminded me of the piazzas in Rome. Shop after shop of ice cream parlours selling huge towering cones and warm waffles seemed a hit too!

On the evening we arrived we took a stroll around the area and were hoping after our meeting the next day we’d have a little time to explore, but due to a long meeting, a studio tour (more later!) and taxi troubles it was not to be.

However, we happened to stumble upon a very quirky looking restaurant – full of decorations/lights/plants/vases and more – and decided to give it a go. It turns out the restaurant is owned by a local celebrity TV chef, so we couldn’t have picked a better option and the pricing was reasonable. I ended up dining on Lithuanian dumplings in a butter sauce, venison in a rich sauce, served with potato dumplings and a apple stuffed with beetroot/red cabbage pickle. This was then greedily followed with a chocolate, rum and walnut stuffed pancake.

Those of you who've eaten food in Poland will know it is very very rich and very very heavy!
Other delicious delights enjoyed over the trip were a super indulgent hot chocolate (which was literally like drinking thick melted chocolate) and some potato pancakes. The house wine (although only a small amount was sampled) was pretty good too!

Perhaps it was the sunny weather that made it so, but all five of us on the work trip said we felt like we were on a holiday, the area was so nice and the fact lots of the cobbled areas are fully pedestrianised make it even nicer. No traffic, no car fumes, no noise – it was lovely!

On the drive from the airport we were also surprised how green it was, travelling to a capital we expected there to be lots of buildings, concrete and dirt. However, there was a long and wide tree-lined road and lots of parks. Of course I appreciate we only saw a minimal amount and we were staying in what I imagine is a more tourist-friendly area, but what we saw we loved.

I guess the only thing that could take getting used to is the people – although the prospective clients we met and the staff in the hotel and the first restaurant we went to were super friendly and couldn’t have been nicer, others were not so. Polish people seem very abrupt and have a quite cold manner about them – or at least that’s what I found on this very brief trip.

Bad points? I guess here I would have to say traffic – the place is swarming with traffic and we constantly hit traffic jams, no matter what the time of day. Plus the cabs we travelled in never seemed to have heard of air con or opening their windows so any experience of driving involved lack of air and lots of sweat, not nice! Ha! I guess other ‘bad’ points I should list was the super slow service in not one but two separate restaurants we experienced at lunchtime (I have never seen anything like it), the waiters from the first restaurant chasing us and demanding we pay for the drinks we never had and also my experience of being semi-trapped in the client toilets we visited (thankfully my colleague helped get me out before we had to call someone from their company!)

Check out some of my pics below (unfortunately I didn’t have my camera so my HTC camera had to be used, not the best quality, but better than nothing!)

Our marathon weekend

An unexpected first as I manage to pack just a teeny tiny case
Sure something's been forgotten, panic on my face

A 'traumatic' train journey as we get stuck with hectic hens and their giggling plans
It only gets worse when we're joined by our drunken companion, with his self-filled vodka and red bull cans

We arrive at the station and start the walk to our home for the weekend
Over 45 minutes later we arrive at a lovely modern apartment hot, sweaty but ready to meet new friends

All settled in, everyone takes a wander along the seafront and marina
Then back home to get ready for an evening out and some dinner

A Vietnamese feast awaits, drinks and lots of laughter
Then a seafront walk, more drinks and funny chats after

Home to bed with sore feet and full tummies
Quick to fall asleep, before awaking to another day which is cold but sunny

Saturday involves more walking, sussing out the marathon route and attending an expo
Then time for lunch, shopping and treats, The Lanes of course, we all know where to go!

Quirky shops, individual boutiques, decadent cupcakes and soft creamy fudge
Breathing in the sea air and strolling by the pier, eating all the sweets we love

At night it's dinner and time to load up on all those carbs for our marathon two
Pasta, jacket potatoes and lots of ingredients all good for you

Early to bed for the runners in our crowd
Outfits, race numbers and running supplies packed and laid out. We'll all be so proud

Sunday we wake ready to cheer them on
Runners already left for the start line, they are long gone

Banners are finished, balloons are blown and tied
Loudspeakers are tested and our outfits are checked, all matching, side by side

We set up our position, making other supporters giggle and likely waking the locals
As the runners start to appear we soon become very vocal

A great atmosphere is created despite the wind and cold
Calling out runners' names for encouragement, especially those whose costumes are bold

A long, tiring day but so worthwhile as you see those you support
Some run for charity, fun or just because they love doing this as their sport

The emotions run high as you await their arrival
Happiness all round as they cross the finish and pick up their medal

Some finish super fast, others slower but still do well
Whilst some struggle on, though they're feeling unwell

Medals, freebies, food and drinks
Bags full and heavy, legs ache, backs hurt and heads start to sink

Time to head home and rest or eat
A nice hot bath, lie down or to soak those blistered feet

After a celebratory glass of sparkle it's time for our weekend to end
We're tired out, faces pink from the sun and are sad to say bye to new friends

Brighton was full of fun, great food, laughs and fab company
Sad to be over, but was worthwhile for the fun, marathon achievement and money raised for charity

Two steps forward, three steps back

Apologies in advance but this post is likely to be a little whingey.

So yesterday was Valentine's Day, which was lovely, well the evening was. The daytime during which I was at work was pretty rubbish if I'm honest. However, did anyone else notice how negative people were this year re the occasion?

Granted we all know how much the day sucks if you're single and for those buying or receiving gifts it's well known how prices rocket for flowers, restaurants put their costs up and seemingly in turn their service levels down.

Yesterday though I witnessed so many miserable updates on social media and in general everyone I encountered seemed to be on a downer or just plain rude. For a day of love it was severely lacking in some amore that's for sure!

Of course being Valentines Day I didn't think it suitable to stick rigidly to my diet plan and exercise. I ate healthily all day, but I did no exercise and in the evening consumed a three course meal and quite a few chocolates...

This of course I enjoyed, but I've since realised with dismay the next couple of weeks are going to be a nightmare. One day 'off' already, I have a meal and drinks with friends planned on Friday AND Saturday night! One involves pizza and one involves Mexican food - not the healthiest of options! Don't get me wrong I can't wait to catch up with friends, it's the calorie consumption I find concerning.

Then of course next week sees Pancake Day, my parents have already suggested an invite and our nephew recently asked about us coming to eat pancakes with him too, so it's inevitable we'll be stuffing our faces at some point.

Add to that celebrations with friends and a work do involving lots of food and you have two weeks of eating! Plus I have a humongous box of chocolates to get through from Valentine's Day.

So well done me for losing 4lbs at Monday's weigh-in, but the next few weeks have lots of food and booze in store! Oh well guess I'll have to step up the exercise and try pick the 'healthy' options when I'm out...

Merry Christmas everyone!

So it's Christmas Eve and I have no more work until 3rd January 2012. I was thinking about New Years Resolutions the other day and I have to say the top one was to blog more. As you may have noticed my posts have been a bit slack lately, but in my defence this has primarily been down to one of my busiest Decembers ever!

Now, after a month of gigs, meals, nights out drinking and dancing, parties and Christmas lunches I have ahead of me days of family time. In fact, because we're at the boyfriend's on Christmas Day, today is the start of my Christmas and we are off to my parents' house for Christmas dinner (number one).

Yesterday at work we had a Children's Christmas Day which was just lovely. I took my niece and nephew along (with the help of my boyfriend) and had a day of mixing doing work, making Christmas cards and gingerbread men and countless trips to the bathroom to clean both the kids up! We had a really lovely time and everybody loved them (well, who wouldn't they are just SO cute!) I was absolutely shattered though, I went to bed at around 10pm yesterday as I simply couldn't keep my eyes open any longer! I've been waking up countlessly throughout the night though, not sure if it is Christmas excitement or my body nervous at the thought of more food and drink again, in even bigger amounts this time!

Due to being so tired last night I didn't get anything ready to take to my parents (we'll be staying there for the next few days). So I have a ton of presents to pack, outfits to choose and a bag to pack with enough stuff in for the next few days (no easy feat for an over-packer like me!)

I've been a super lucky girl already though I must admit. Secret Santa at work I got some super cute earrings and a book, my boss gave me an Amazon voucher and card and I got two Christmas presents early from my man - Stereophonics gig at Shepherds Bush and Rihanna at the o2. Amazing! So only knows what's in store for me the rest of Christmas!

I'm also lucky to be getting the best of both worlds this Crimbo - Christmas dinner and celebrations with my small family and things I'm used to, a day with my boyfriend's family which will involve 8 adults and 2 lovely kids, a calmer day at my Auntie's and then a combo day with them all mixing together!

The only issue with all this is I've already been overeating this month and consuming too much alcohol. So is my body going to hold out? Only time will tell, one thing's for sure I'm not going to be able to fit through the door at work come January and as for my bridesmaid's dress fitting perhaps a nearby camp shop or local funfair might be more appropriate - a Big Top tent is coming close to being my ideal fitting option!

Whatever you are up to over the festive period I hope it's amazing. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!

Too much of a good thing?

This weekend I visited Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park. After first trying out this festive event a few years back, the visit has since become an annual trip for my boyfriend, me and my parents.

I remember our initial visit to the Christmas attraction and feeling so Christmassy I could've moved to Lapland and become one of Santa's elves there and then!

The German market full of festive food, handmade crafts and delectable drinks couldn't help but raise images of Christmas in your mind. Your tummy was filled and your hands warmed from holding mulled wine and stuffing your face with huge bratwursts.

In addition, I always go to Somerset House with a close friend of mine each December. This year we've both been a bit tied up, so on my family annual visit to Hyde Park we popped in to Somerset House first. Don't get me wrong, I don't ever actually skate! Oh no, I like to sit and sample the mulled wine or special hot chocolate in the bar and enjoy some giggles over wobbly skaters on the rink.

So, you're wondering, what's the big deal? What am I building up to here? Well, at the risk of sounding like Scrooge - again - it was a little disappointing.

I really was trying to get into the spirit of things, honest. Yet when we were sitting in the bar watching the skilful skaters and not-so-sure novices, I just felt kind of, well, nothing. I kept thinking 'oh same as last year then'.

On our way to Winter Wonderland I was wondering what we might find this year. I was also a little concerned as I'd heard how busy it was this year some people I knew has queued for 40 minutes just to get in to enjoy an elbow-to-elbow walk amongst hundreds of strangers. Others didn't get in at all. The website had warned on weekends 3-7pm were the busiest times and they had to adopt crowd control. So when we reached Hyde Park Corner and the swarms of people I was getting nervous if we'd get in at all.

Hurrah! We did make it in and without any need to queue. Walking round I found I took very few pictures (which anyone who knows me will know my obsession with photos). We also seemed to walk round the whole offering pretty speedily. The reason being? We'd seen it all before.

Whereas in past years I've felt I'm experiencing something somewhat magical, this year it seemed more like we were just at an oversized funfair. The trinkets seemed a tad like tat and there seemed to be too many people. Security men in bright yellow vests, booming 'Keep Left!' and holding boards donning the same message didn't really help to create a We heart Christmas vibe either...

So we looked at some stalls, we took a few pics and we sampled the obligatory bratwursts, Bavarian beer and mulled wine and then we decided to make a move. Admittedly it had started to pour down with rain at this point, which added to a dampened mood (and clothing!)

I've also found the same with eating out. I'm just not enjoying my food at the moment (although still eating plenty of it!) I've already had quite a few celebrations this month (meals or drinks with friends, work do, client meals and the like) and have a pretty hectic social calendar until 2012 arrives. Problem is I don't do 'in moderation', so although no turkey dinners have been consumed themselves as yet I am closely to feeling partied out. All my clothes are tight, I'm bloated out and feeling tired and we've still got 12 days until Christmas comes!

So the moral of the story is this, no matter how much you think you love something, don't overdo it. There can be too much of a good thing. Vary things up a bit, plus life's too short to always do the same anyway (brave words for a bit of a creature of habit!)

Ps SORRY it's been so long since I blogged, what can I say? I can't stuff my face and shove down wine AND type at the same time! Now if you don't mind I'm off for our annual booze cruise and meal in France...

Random hungover Sunday musings

What a shocker, I am indeed hungover today as I suspected. I had a great night last night and ended up reliving old memories as we ended going to a club we used to have nights out at back when we were at college and teenagers. I am suffering for it today though. Why is it as you get older hangovers are so bad?... I am sitting here watching X Factor and still feel rough, am not impressed.

Another discovery I have made since going out last night - and looking back at the photographic evidence - is that I have definitely put on weight recently. Something I have got to sort out, particularly as in less than 4 weeks I will need to put a bikini back on! Woohoo!! Yes I have a holiday booked and I cannot wait, just a week of sun, relaxing, reading and listening to music. A nice break. Okay, yes, it is away with my parents and we may well kill each other, but I'm sure we'll survive a week together.

Especially now I have a proper bed and will not have to sleep on a camp bed or short, cramped, sofa bed. Yes, that's right, when searching for a holiday we found that companies seem to think it's acceptable for three people wanting to go on holiday together to not allow for 2 rooms and under occupancy fees, but in fact have them in the same room and one person can't have a proper bed. What a cheek and as I'm sure most people will agree and have seen if they have booked a holiday recently, holidays are not cheap right now...

Anyway that aside, I have a holiday booked and I can't wait! As long as the sun is out in full I will be a happy bunny.

So, last night, I was shocked when we got to the restaurant/bar, after blogging about how many 'orange' visitors it usually attracts, I actually found that when we arrived there wasn't a TOWIE wannabe in sight. Regardless, I just have to say the food in The Brickyard is great, yes it's not the cheapest of local eateries to dine at, but they do great food, it's well presented and you get huge portions! The cocktails are yummy too. Last night I sampled a starter of pigeon breast (something I've not tried before) salad, served with walnuts, mixed salad leaves, a raspberry vinagerette, crispy bacon and raspberries. It was amazing, not wanting to sound like a Masterchef judge, but it was such a good mix of bitter and sweet flavours. I then moved on to enjoy sea bass fillets, on a bed of saffron fondant potato, carrot puree and a mussel and prawn ragout - again a great mix of tastes.

And I think we've realised I'm probably not made up to be a TOWIE star, after applying my tinted body lotion yesterday, I awoke this morning to find my arm half 'tanned' and half white. Nice.

I also stupidly decided to go to the gym today and have a workout in this state too. After a night of drinking and hours of dancing to garage, going into a gym with music pumping out the speakers was not the best solution.

Oh well, by the time I have finished typing my random musings, X Factor has finished and Nu Vibe have been voted off. I have to agree with the bottom two though, both gave pretty naff performances in my opinion...

I'm going to carry on vegging out on my sofa and feeling sorry for myself whilst I nurse my hangover and cringe after last night's pictures! Oh and I might even indulge in a bit of The Only Way Is Essex later too. What an exciting life I lead indeed.

These are a few of my favourite things

Another poem, this time about all my favourite things...

The smell of freshly baked bread

All cosied up in my lovely big bed

A great impromptu night out with family or friends

Flicking through a trashy mag for the latest trends

Freshly cut grass and that morning cup of coffee

Relaxing by a pool when it’s lovely and sunny

Seeing the sights and learning new things

Drinking and laughing and late night dancing

Coming home from the shops laden down with new buys

Then modelling the purchases in front of interested eyes

The sound of the wine pouring out of the bottle

Eating a great meal, but not feeling too full

Lying on a beach hearing the waves lap against the sand

A smile from my boyfriend as he reaches to hold my hand

My hair being stroked as I gradually drift off to sleep

Beautiful packaging from a gift I will always keep

Buying again yet another bikini

And dresses and bags and really cool jewellery

Curling up with a really good book

Gossiping with the girls just with a look

Feeling loved and being smothered with cuddles and hugs

Eating post-run picnics in the park, food completely covering the rug

The super soft skin of my niece and nephew

The way I feel when my man says I love you

Just managing to catch that bus or a train

All snuggled up indoors when outside it’s full of cold and the rain

Counting down the days until you go away

All the things you enjoy on a great holiday

Watching my favourite bands at a gig or festival

Or discovering new acts sometimes can be the best of all

My Mum’s roast dinner, my man’s lasagne or Thai soup

 Partying with my friends as a really big group

Catching a good film or a great theatre show

Sipping on cocktails and trying new ones I don’t know

The buzz from keeping fit when I go to the gym

Compliments I get and the way I feel when I start to look trim

Going swimming, so refreshing and cool

Checking out my fave male celebs, oh how I drool

Looking back over photos of all those great times

Getting new things for my flat and knowing it’s all mine

The sense of fulfilment and pride when I receive praise

Taking part in charity events and the pleasure at cash amounts that I raise

Keeping my clients at work really happy

Everyone there knowing the person with the answer will most likely be me

Getting back into my writing and the sense of relief at this time of change

This new chapter in my life, although it still feels a bit strange

No matter my mood my niece and nephew, always full of fun and games

Them trying out new words and managing to speak my name

The sense of security knowing my parents are always there

Feeling relaxed and rejuvenated when I restyle my hair

I could carry on, the list seems never-ending

But for now I shall stop, look on Facebook or Twitter and see what’s trending