The Secret Diary of a Slummy Mummy... : Wicked Weekend!

My Danish friend Sofie kindly came to visit me last weekend. It was absolutely lovely to see her - and I don't think she will mind me saying, that she was on the best form that I have seen her for quite some time... happy in herself, and showing no signs of the anxiety that seemed to overtake her last year. She has been successfully treated for hyperthyroidism, which has really really helped her.

I picked her up late on Thursday night, and in true Sofie style she actually slept the next morning until lunch time. I admire her sleeping prowess - 9am is about my limit these days! She had had a stressful week though - she is putting up her distraught cousin, who had been dumped unceremoniously by her long term boyfriend (who had by all accounts seemed like the perfect guy until that point). A real shame, as I have met Marie Louise, and she is an absolute stunner, who (which is rare in such stunning looks stakes) is a lovely, humble, kind and gentle little soul, with a mean brain to boot (qualified doctor). Honestly, the girl looks like bloody Helena Christensen.... anyway. I guess there is no accounting for taste (I have told myself the same many times over the years... heh).

Friday night we stayed in with PW, and I cooked her my Tuna Meatballs... bloody delicious, and I don't mind saying so myself. We did consume rather more wine than I had planned, but hey - it's what friends do when they haven't seen each other for quite some time, and we were not ready to break the tradition just yet. To be honest though we made up for it by being pretty sober for the rest of the weekend... halo, check.

On Saturday I dragged the poor unsuspecting girl to Primark on Oxford Street. I think that she regretted asking to go there (she had heard it was good), as I don't think she expected quite so many people fist fighting over untidy heaps of illegally cheap clothing! True to form, she spent not a penny, and I came away with bulging bags - full of things that don't fit me, and are unlikely to unless I go back in time to Middle School... (I seem to have developed an unrealistic sense of myself - in my mind I have the figure and styling of Aygnes Deyn, in reality I loom more like Judith Chalmers on a bad day). The afternoon made up for it though. We went to see "Wicked" the musical at the Victoria Apollo. All of the rave reviews are spot on. This was by far the best theatre production that I had seen in a very long time, and the standing ovation at the end was well deserved! The story, the songs, the jokes... genius! I will say no more other than to go see it if you get a chance.

Saturday evening, we went to Wagamama on the way home (Sofie's first ever time there - and she loved it). Yummy! By registering on their website, I even managed to get one of the main courses for nothing. We were so pooped though that we went straight home... and only spent an hour or two gossiping and sipping Lilt (Sofie's beverage of choice!) before turning in.

Sunday, we took a little saunter around Cambridge, and all too quickly we had eaten lunch at Pizza Express and she was on her way home (via a little pit stop at Burwash Manor to look at all the lovely little shops there). Very sad... its nice to spend time with distant friends, although to be honest many of mine seem to be that way these days!

Anyway... things have been a little bit hectic Chez Brown and Benstead in the last couple of weeks (hence crapness of email contact and general lack of blogging). My house in Norwich requires much sorting, and on Monday night I had to get over there to give it a look over. I am going to decorate it this weekend on the exterior, but thankfully I have a new tenant in the form of a male friend of my Cousin Mark and my friend Nikki. I am glad it is someone I know... We have also been spending a considerable amount of time organising PW's party on the 4th October - a belated (very belated) 40th birthday party for him, or his "mid-life crisis" party as I prefer to call it... heh. I have also been involved with stuff for the football club, and have somehow been drawn into serving behind the bar at a beer festival tonight (all to do with netball, and some money we were donated for kit). I am however due to start a new pottery class in a couple of weeks, which will in fact put pay to my netballing for the forseeable future (not a bad thing considering the number of injuries I have had).

Anyway... enough excuses. A HUGE happy birthday to my darling little nephew Oscar, who is two today. I cannot believe that it was two years ago that I witnessed him spilling into the world! (if the use of that verb seems inappropriate, then tough... believe me when I say that that was the most polite term I could come up with... heh). Where has the time gone?!