Meet The Parents

We had a nice and calm weekend with my parents in tow.

Friday night Mum and Dad didn't turn up until fairly late (various train-related complications), but we managed to end the night on a good note - an entirely pleasant Slimming World vegetarian shepherd's pie, a couple of bottles of vino, and a good session of putting the world (well, Lowestoft) to rights...

Saturday:
Mark worked, but I took Mum and Dad into town for a spot of Christmas shopping and a trawl around the shops. Was lovely, and very very Christmassy - am still finding it all a bit of a shock since coming back from Asia! We had a nice lunch in Pizza Express, and spent a large portion of the day exploring the new John Lewis store in Cambridge. I managed to buy a nice black dress (in a size I can't normally fit in, so that made *my* day!), and even started the Xmas shopping for all the kids in my life!

In the evening, we went to The Indian Ocean in the village for a yummy dinner - a couple of drinks in The Red Lion, and a not too boozy finish to the night.

Sunday:
We went to Newmarket and had a look around the shops there - its my first visit to Newmarket town itself (as opposed to the racecourse, which I have frequented a handful of times). I was quite taken with it, and suspect it may be the place that I finish my Christmas shopping at! A good, but small, selection of shops (lack of choice can focus my mind better) - including my fave (TK MAXX... yay!). Best of all though was that the shops were almost entirely empty... bliss compared to the madness of Cambridge on Saturday!

We had a nice roast dinner in The Red Lion in Cheveley (not sure we could find it again - but the roast beef was outstanding!), and then dropped Mum and Dad back to the station. Mark and I went home, did a bit of kitchen planning, and then settled down for an evening in front of the fire (by God we needed the fire! Its so cold...). Had red wine, nachos with cheese and dips, chocolates, and watched Star Wars I (for Mark) and The Magdalene Sisters (for me). A lovely evening...

Looking forward to tonight as going out for a few drinks in the village for my birthday. Have invited lots of people, but so far looks like there will be a poor turnout (combination of the night of the week, and the fact that I couldn't afford to pay rent-a-crowd to turn out! ;-)

Hope you are all well
Lots of love
Hayls
xxx

Return From The City of Angels

Well... I'm back! YAY! Don't all scream at once! ;-)

We survived chaotic Bangkok (said City of Angels, as it is known), we positively thrived in Cambodia, and chilled in Laos. A glorious holiday, yet again... and yes, the usual stories relating to weird eats (I excelled myself this time by eating fried wood crickets and silk worms (pictured), along with the normal frogs legs and weird fruit and veg), cheap shopping/haggling tales, temple visits, and lovely local people. A variation on our normal routine is that I decided to spice things up a bit by leaving our passports and traveller's cheques in a distant hotel.... a very exciting mid-holiday thriller... would the money get through or not? Would we have to spend the rest of our lives in Cambodia sans passport or money? Heh... all is well that ends well. We got our stuff back, but not until after a rather scary non-encounter with a man that couriered them for us to Phnom Penh, and then proved increasingly difficult to track down! (thankfully he was unaware of quite how much moulah he was actually carrying!). Mark loved my style... ahem.

Anyway - this is just a heads up really! I will bore you RIGID with photos as soon as I have pulled my finger out and sorted through them (there are far too many of me looking a little "tired" (read drunk), and far too many blurred ones taken by me when "tired").

Hope you are all well... got my parents coming this weekend for a pre-birthday bash (the big day is next week). This year am unsure whether to fully embrace what can only be described as true "middle-age", or for the first time ever try to pretend that it isn't happening!

Much love,

Hayls

xxxxxx

Bo Fo' Sho'

A bit naughty... but very funny!