Wallington's no wally!

A lovely day at Wallington in Northumberland - National Trust property near to Cambo. Set off early to avoid the crowds gathering for the Easter Egg Hunt. The walled garden was eerily quiet and deserted, all the ponds and lakes frozen, then after a welcome latte, a walk around the house, counting fluffy lambs as I went. The knitted William Bell Scott looking scarily like Edgar Allan Poe!

Badger's Drift

Well, the pie was great! Beef and merlot, chunky chips and some green stuff on the side (melange of green beans, broad beans and peas0 and the carrot and coriander soup went down very nicely before it. The crumble, however, was just that - crumble, yet I'm sure the menu stated there should have been apple and cherry in there somewhere and the accompanying custard was skimpy to say the least...and...I'm not sure a busy Saturday evening is the time to be inducting new staff, but hey ho - I've had worse experiences and I'll certainly be going back. Oh yes - this is The Badger at Ponteland!

And the winner is...

Well, after a crazy week, culminating in a super-crazy Thursday of interviews for the new PA post, I'm really ready for the weekend. Interviews went very well, met some great and interesting people, and one of them even got the job! I'll keep it under wraps just a little longer though until all the paperwork is done! So now, with four blissful, work-free (almost) days upon me, I'm left considering how much I can cram into them and still feel rested. Shopping, food and film at the top of the list, with perhaps a spa day to round things off. Lovely.

Howling with delight

A round-off to the night with a trip to the Tyneside Cinema to see Howl's Moving Castle during Studio Ghibli week. A beautiful film, much watched but still has me sobbing into my hanky. Looking forward now to Dans La Maison.

Leaping Lizards

My poor head! Silly mistake really - Iguanas Cosmopolitan cocktails (totally yummy) followed by red wine, does not a clear head make! Poor drinks choices aside, the food at Las Iguanas Newcastle was really good, the service equally so, and, most impressive, they took notice of the requests made when booking the table. Teeny tiny little gripe - the over-sensitive auto-loo-flush system.

Matchsticks

I could do with a couple to hold my eyes open. I slept through the alarm this morning - never good - losing half an hour, which I never seem to have quite made up. As yesterday, the to-do list just keeps getting longer with nothing actually being crossed off. There are still plane tickets to book, hotel, meetings to confirm, deadlines here that I'm just about managing to meet, and I daren't look at the laundry basket! I'm hoping that should the weather develop a spring in its step, that I might follow suit, but a quick glance out the window tells me not to hold my breath.

Blue Monday

Is it Friday yet? A 14 hour day so far and I haven't managed to get half the things done that I wanted to today. Ever get that feeling you're just going round in circles? That's me today. It's not good for the mood. Small tasks should have been crossed off the list, leading to some sense of achievement, but no, they're all still languishing there, waiting for me tomorrow. Along with the bigger tasks, plus all of tomorrow's jobs I hadn't even thought about today. I need a PA.

St. Agnes Smooth

Tuesday was the Gateshead Schools' Dance Festival at The Sage. A day-long event of 3 sessions, showcasing both primary and secondary school talent, and boy is this region talented! The 6th formers at both Whickham and Emmanuel gave great performances, but the highlight was really St. Agnes' Primary from Crawcrook. Their dance to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal was simply superb. One tiny little complaint about the night event - the families of the kids from St. Augustine's. I know you're only really there to watch your own kids, but there really wasn't any need to shuffle, kick the back of my chair, and talk through every other performance. Shame on you!

Skin Fix

So, what with the weather and central heating and a few days (weeks) of less than saintly eating, my skin has been pretty awful. Dry, flaky yet oddly shiny at the same time. My usual moisturizer appears to have been discontinued (hate when that happens) so I was left feeling a little panicky at the thought of having to buy a new one. Not wanting to spend £££ for something to irritate my ever-so delicate skin, I happened upon an ad for the new Olay 2-in-1 moisturizer and serum combo. And Thandie Newton radiates good skin health in those ads. Does she really use Olay? I hope so; I've invested in it. It is a bit of a snip - even more so with the Superdrug £5 off (could have done the Boots 3 for 2 but then I'd be stuck with 2 more if I didn't like it), but already I'm really happy with it. Non-greasy, lightweight but still packing a punch and it smells like summer!

Manic Monday

What is it with Mondays? After a perfectly respectable Sunday, making use of my lovely camera again, the onslaught began at 6am and has not yet ceased. This wouldn't happen on a Wednesday. Only Monday. I need a wide open space in which to scream. Or a holiday.

Street Spice

So, I was pretty annoyed to have missed the Street Spice event in Newcastle, in aid of Brain Tumour UK. By all accounts - Twitter was going mad for it - it was a fantastic few days and for such a good cause. I hope to see the event again next year.