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Sadly my intention to read one hundred books in 2009 has stumbled somewhat. So far I've read 48 with 2 nearing completion.
I have however also read 10 to 15 graphic novels as so much cool stuff is going on in the DC Universe this year. Do they count towards the One Hundred...
So I'm not sure how close I'm going to get if they don't. I easily have another 50 books lined up, hundreds in fact, but one book every two days might be stretching it a bit. And not forgetting the DCU keeps on going too...
Laters,
C.
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Dear Livejournal,
I'm back. Apologies for my absence but I have to confess that I was with that temptress Facebook. We had some good times, she introduced me to some new people and we played some great games but in the end she was lacking what I needed. Oh and also in my despair I even saw that superficialwench, Twitter once or twice. But as the nights grow longer I have returned to you.
So let me tell you about my weekend. After a late cancellation of the planned paint party on Friday I had a quiet night in with Fringe and True Blood. The second season of Fringe kicked off with a cracking opener with some surprises, a new character and an X Files reference. I'd not jumped on the True Blood bandwagon when it came out as I'd seen the pilot and thought it was okay but no Moonlight. So imagine my surprise when I found myself at the end of episode 4 in the one sitting. I really enjoyed it and will be watching some more.
Saturday was Em's surprise which was Little Shop of Horrors at the Hippodrome. I'd never seen it before and thought it wonderful and macabre. After a quick pitstop and change at The Red Lion that evening we headed off to Zeph and Lizzie's wedding do. it was nice to see them both and catch up with a couple of people I'd not seen in ages.
Sunday was an early start as me and Em's headed into town to see the new DisneyNature film, Crimson Wing. It was awesome, not a film for everyone but if nature programs show up on your Plus box every now and again it's well worth seeing. We then headed home for some pre-winter gardening and some cleaning before heading up to the Lion again for a tasty lunch with friends.
In the evening (after more gardening and cleaning) we watched Friday and Saturday's Strictlys which at 3 hours 15 minutes was a bit of a haul, but I distracted myself with a couple of games of Dungeonquest. Sadly my hero was brutally slain before escaping with any loot both times but fun was had nonetheless. We finished off with a thoroughly enjoyable episode of Bones before bed.
All in all a nice, if somewhat busy weekend. Holidays next week ! Must book something...
Laters,
C.
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Well, after a fashion...
I spend loads of time playing computer games. Mainly because they are awesome, however the computer games playing comes at a price. The sacrifice of time which could be spent doing one of many other things, not the least of which is playing boardgames and wargames.
So as a ittle experiment I'm going to step away from computer games for 10 days (perfectly timed for the release of Wolfenstein I may add) and see how I enjoy some old fashioned games.
I'll probably rope Em's in for a few but I have solotaire rules for loads of games and also it'll give me a chance to try out the new(ish) Chain Reaction 3 Swordplay rules as well !
Tonight (after dutifully cooking dinner and doing some filling/sanding in the bathroom) I shall be giving Twilight Imperium 3 Solo rules a go !
Laters,
C.
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Any of you that do you will recall it was awesome (damned near impossible but still awesome), I was lucky enough to share a house with a chap who many of you know called Luke *waves hello* aka ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mrmisanthropy (I think that was his LJ tag) who owned the game.
Well you can now play the first three missions online in a browser window at the address below...
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/408816
It's an excellent reproduction as far as I can remember.
Anyone who's never played it, it has full instructions and there are some tips too further down the web page. Give it a go, it's brilliant !
I just lost my whole team on the Reactor mission :)
C.
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Morning All !
I'm still alive and thought I'd update you on June's film day(s). The original plan was a normal four movie day on Sunday the 14th but due to a variety of factor's (not the least of which was the rabbit I was cooking for tea) we actually only saw one film on Sunday, one on Monday and I went on a man date last night to see a third.
First up was Sunday's film, one of Em's picks - Angels & Demons
This was actually much better than I expected, most people told me this was pants, at best okay but a bit meh and becauseof this (and the woeful Da Vinci Code) I really didn't want to see it. Well its been years and years since I read the book and the story was noticeably short on depth (despite the length) but I actually quite enjoyed the movie. Definetly better than the very below par Da Vinci Code. Hanks is still awesome as Langdon and the rest of the cast was good too, MacGregor's role was good too. This is one of those books that would have been better as a tv series but it still makes for an enjoyable film. Prolly worth waiting for the DVD as opposed to venturing out to the flicks but still recommended.
Next up was another one of Em's picks - Last Chance Harvey
This film was brilliant. It wasn't really a rom-com as Hoffman and the ever awesome Emma Thompson have too much dignity and acting topness for this to be pencilled in as a romantic comedy. It's probably best descroied as a romance with funny bits. I really enjoyed it. It has cringe moments which any one would recgonise from thier own expericnces as well as genuinely heartwarming laugh out loud moments. It does have a slightly too predictable downer moment just when you think everythings going okay but other than that it was great. ooo, and it's set in London so there are many recognisable places, it was odd seeing the two stars peruse the book market on South Bank.
And finally last night me Drinky Paul and boristhedalek went on a three way man date to see The Hangover
This could quite easily have bombed with all the funny bits being in the trailer, thankfully this was not the case. It was a pretty much non stop laugh out loud comedy with some many wrong wrong jokes that were bloody hilarious. The humour's probably not to everyones taste but if you liked the trailer go an see it !
And that's it for the moment with movies, soon I'll be off to see Transformers 2 (which I am looking forward to quite a lot so I'm expecting a crushing dissapoinment) and at some point I'll get around to Terminator Salvation.
Laters,
C.
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| » Friday Night Scruffage ! |
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This Friday myself and Drinky Paul will be attending Scruffy Murphy's for a Traditional One or Two (tm).
Any and all are welcome ! We should be there from around 7pm !
Drop me or Paul a text if you can't find us. We may be there all night (depending on table or non table), if we move and I know you're planning on coming along I'll text you !
Laters,
C.
May. 18th, 2009 @ 02:57 pm
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| » May Film Day ! (No Spoilers) |
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Yesterday me and Emma saw Coraline 3D, Wolverine, Star Trek and State of Play at Cineworld Fiveways ! All were good with my favouorite being Star Trek and Em's favourite being Wolverine.
Coraline 3D was excellent and much better than Nightmare Before Christmas imho which I still love. The 3D was the most downplayed of any 3D film I've seen which I thought was an excellent choice, instead of a gimmick it just makes the film look better giving it s sense of depth.
Wolverine was a damn sight better than what I had led to believe it would be, saying that I don't (and probably never will) read Marvel comics so perhaps thats why I liked it so much ?
Star Trek was everything I hoped it would be ! Simply awesome. Star Trek is back ! Huzzah !
State of Play was good too, a nice conspiracy thriller featuring Russell Crowe as a haggard journo with a young bit of totty journo in tow. Also Ben Affleck played someone who didn't come across as a smarmy twat so that was a pleasant surprise.
All in all a good day was had !
C.
May. 18th, 2009 @ 02:12 pm
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| » April Film Day ! |
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In much the same vein as our January and February film days; tomorrow me and Em's will be going to see the films below. We will also be in O'Neill's Broad Street for some grub around 1pm before going back to the cinema.
17 Again (102 Minutes) - 10:45
Fast and The Furious (107 Minutes) - 14:10
Monster vs Aliens 3D (94 Minutes) - 16:15
The Boat That Rocked (129 Minutes) - 18:30
Laters,
C.
Apr. 17th, 2009 @ 10:23 am
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| » Awesome Bank Holiday Weekend ! |
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I did loads !
Summarised version below.
Friday - Surprise trip to Doctor Who exhibition in Coventry.
Saturday - Em's parents came down and helped us blitz the garden including dispatching the Zombie bushes. Had awesome home made souvlaki meal for tea.
Sunday - Went to Sandwell Valley RSPB centre and did the whole walk around (including nice owrking farm place you can walk around) and saw loads of birds (including many Bullfinches). Headed to the Red Lion for a late dinner.
Monday - Me and Em's had a day of board game goodness and a few Grey's Anatomy.
We played quite a few boardgames on our April board games day:
The Da Vinci Code (top bargain purchased on friday in 99p shop in Coventry) Which Em won twice, but I blame my inability to pick up clue cards and not cos I'm thick...
Mensa Connections / Ingenious - Which I won for a change due to some very very lucky double tile pick ups, Em's usually kicks my ass so I was chuffed.
When Darkness Comes - Which we played the first scenario of and Em's really enjoyed. This hasn't been off the shelf for nearly 5 years but it will be played again. I won the scenario by killing the requisite number of Zombies but Em's nearly won on Victory points.
Evo - which I won due to lucky bid for a horn which led to an aggressive dino killing strategy.
Ravensburger's Labyrinth - Which I won but only just !
Ooo, and I got around to starting painting my new 15mm Flash Gordon miniatures. They're bloody tiny and really hard to paint but after 30 minutes of painting my Flash mini is tabletop gaming worthy I think. The cost savings of 15mm are so huge and the painting so quick that I'm probably going to continue in this scale for a while.
This coming week's plans...
This week evenings I have to get the remnants of the various bushes into green bags and incinerator bin as we are going to get a skip[ but there is too much shrubbagefor that at the mo. DIY will take it's place if it's bloody horrid weather :)
This weekend we're doing a cinema day on Saturday as we've not done one for a while and are off down to London for a surprise for Em's on Sunday as a thank you for my trip to the Doctor Who exhibition.
Hope this missive finds you all well !
Laters,
C.
Apr. 14th, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
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| » Return to Operation: BATHROOM ! |
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Yesterday I booked off work as a 'house' day. The plan was to head into Kings Heath early to drop papers off at Solicitors (now knowing weekends are a no go) then head home to let window guy do some measuring for a quote then do a bit more of the hideously overdue Operation: Bathroom.
Well parts 1 and 2 went really well, especially part 2 with a considerably lower quote than the first one. So then with hope in my heart at around noon I started to install our shiny new extractor fan/shower light. Well it's fair to say things didn't in exactly to plan...
The light and fan unit are all installed but I've had to reassess the ducting and the electrics but hey ho such is the nature of DIY. I'll be finishing it off after pay day after the arrival of the Uber Ladder of Doom (tm).
Tomorrow the plan continues with plumbing in the new towel rail and also the new flooring for the bathroom should be arriving :) Once the towel rail and flooring is in it'll be time to do all the small fiddley bits like sealing the tile edges and repainting a few bits and bobs.
Laters.
C.
Apr. 8th, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
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| » Top Weekend ! |
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Morning All !
A top weekend was had by myself and Emma.
We had a nice night in on Friday with tasty home cooked Shrimp Leek and Spinach Risotto (recipe here) which despite initial misgivings (the taster bit of rice I tried was still crunchy in the middle just before I served it) was lovely when all served up with a nice glass of wine.
Saturday started will an ill fated attempt at visiting my solicitors (who were closed) followed by an awesome charity shop book haul. I picked up Jean M. Auel's first three Earth's Children books, The Worst Case Scenario Handbook: Christmas, Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction, the second Moneypenny Diaries (for Emma), Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and a random fantasy book I liked the look of but whose name has escaped me. All for under a tenner !
I then met Emma and we headed into town to see the first part of the stage adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. I thoroughly enjoyed it as it served as a reminder to the first book and a half (as it's been years since I've read them). The puppet5s although stlyistic worked really well although I wish the puppeters were in black (as they were in the original London production apparebtly) not in school charcoal grey. I'd be intrigued to find out how it is for anyone who's not read the books to see if it makes narrative sense as there are some quite big jumps. We're going back to see the second part on Tuesday night by which time I hope to have read the third book (which I have never read).
For tea we had Cottage Pie (recipe here) which was nice although a little on the unhealthy side.
Sunday was a bit lazy with a smidgen of DIY and late breakfast followed by a stroll to The red Lion for snacks and a drink before heading home for TV and a Sunday Roast.
TV wise we watched season two of Gavin & Stacey and the Christmas special. All of them were awesome and very funny ! We also watched the end of Boston Legal. The ending was brilliant, more of a nice quiet finish than some big blowout (or even a sets being taken down Moonlighting type ending which part of me was expecting given it's frequent nods to the fourth wall) but the ending itself quite fitting and nice and a little bit daft which is what Boston Legal should be. We also watched the fourth episode of Dollhouse, which I'm quite enjoying and is still quite a mystery, sadly it has that feel of show that has an awesome premise but will not get renewed.
Work continues, I'm trying much harder than before as they've cracked down a bit but I still like the job (underneath all the meh) so hopefully things will pick up.
And that's it, I hope all is good with you and yours.
Laters,
C.
Apr. 6th, 2009 @ 10:38 am
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| » The Evil Tyrant - Ming the Merciless in 15mm |
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As dictated by duality theory, good cannot exist without evil so today I have turned my web crawling towards getting a good miniature to represent Flash's nemesis on his adventures on Mongo, Ming the Merciless.
   
Unlike most characters who undergo massive changes depending on the source material you look at, Ming remains pretty much constant throughout all the different incarnations of Flash Gordon, the only notable exception being the slightly under-par* 2007 series (shown above far right image). ( Read more... )
Mar. 18th, 2009 @ 01:50 pm
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| » The Space Adventures of the MadWelshWizard |
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Afternoon All,
I've started a new blog to document my journey into the world of 15mm science fiction and fantasy gaming. This entry here is a slightly modified initial cross post. I know I have like, a hundred obsessions already but I wanted a new one for some specific reasons.
It has been 100% inspired by a friend of mine from the world of Flintloque. Dampfpanzerwagon often forays into the world of 40mm Flash Gordon gaming on his blog. I always read Dampfpanzerwagon's blog updates with awe, his painting is awesome and the conversions and scenery he somehow finds the time to create are truly a wonder. For a long time I have played pretty much one system, Flintloque, which has taken up much of my time with both the game itself and the website I run for it, Orcs in the Webbe, I will still be carrying on with Flintloque as it enters it's 3rd incarnation but I have decided it's time to get a different gaming perspective so I'm changing to 15mm gaming to see what it's like.
I must be honest the main deciding factor in loosing a whole centimetre off my models has been cost, 28mm miniatures have been gradually getting more and more expensive over the last few years and whilst I do appreciate the amount of effort and time that goes into creating them in the current climate I simply can't afford them any more. I have toyed with (and as a result, created) many print off minis and flats to try gaming with but there's just something about miniatures games that make them so much more appealing. For me it's not just the gameplay (although that is obviously hideously important too) but the hobby itself, collecting the miniatures, painting them and getting them onto the gaming table.
Taking Dampfpanzerwagon's lead I have decided to stick to Flash Gordon for my initial encounter with the world of 15mm, not because there was a plethora of minis that suited it (quite the opposite at first glance) but because I liked what Dampfpanzerwagon had done. For him the seeking out and finding of new minis/terrain that fits in with his chosen theme and scale has in itself become part of the hobby.
All of this has tied in nicely to my trip to the big gaming convention, Salute, at the end of the month, meaning I can pick up some minis without incurring postage, although at 15mm the costs don't stray too high anyways :)
So without further ado I leave you gentle reader to enjoy The Space Adventures of the MadWelshWizard.
C.
Mar. 17th, 2009 @ 02:23 pm
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| » More free books ! This time Paul S. Kemp's Twilight Falling ! |
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Yet another awesome writer is using the tried and tested method of getting people hooked using the 'first one's free' method !
For a 'limited time' Wizards are offering the first book in the Erevis Cale trilogy for free !
You can get it here -> http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/20090309
You can see Paul S Kemp's LJ here -> http://paulskemp.livejournal.com/
Go get it, read it, and order the others off Amazon !
It's on my list for this years The One Hundred reading task* but the earlier Cale stories by Mr Kemp were excellent (having made it onto last years Fifty-two reading task) and by the authors own claim this one is better written than they were !
Laters,
C.
* Which I am doing okay on I just haven't updated this fair blog yet. Look for a big posting towards the end of March with my first 25 books on it !
Mar. 9th, 2009 @ 07:49 pm
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| » Bioshock 2 Teaser Site... |
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For those who haven't seen it, Bioshock 2 has a teaser site with news reports and stuff attached to a map. You can see it at http://somethinginthesea.com/
It quite good and does indeed 'tease' about the details, worth a look for anyone who enjoyed the first game !
C.
Mar. 9th, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
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| » Noami Novik's first Temeraire book - Her Majesty's Dragon free ! |
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Evening All !
For any of you who've not read it Namoi Novik has released the first book in her awesome series featuring Temeraire the Dragon free online in a non DRM PDF.
I read it (and a few of the next ones) as part of last years 52. The remaining books will no doubt get swallowed as part of this years' One Hundred.
For those not sure what the hell these books are about here's the high concept -> The novels are works of both fantasy and alternate history: they are "a reimagining of the epic events of the Napoleonic Wars with an air force — an air force of dragons, manned by crews of aviators".
Oh yes.
You can get it by following the link to the PDF on her LJ here -> http://naominovik.livejournal.com/37981.html
Enjoy !
C.
Mar. 6th, 2009 @ 09:24 pm
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| » Bloodsword - The Battlepits of Krarth |
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Set in the same world of the excellent Dragon Warriors RPG, the Bloodsword adventure books have quite a few bits and bobs that raise them above other 'choose your own path' books. The main two are that you can have multiple characters in your party and the combat scenes are more involved as they include movement, party order and fleeing as well as using a variety of different skills and abilities including initiative. They are almost like small miniature battles but still easy enough to run through without much book keeping.
You can find a much more in depth look at the gamebooks on the web site here -> http://gssq.entori.net/gamebk/gamebkbs.htm
I decided to start this first book with two 4th level characters, a Trickster (Thief) and an Enchanter (Mage).
I found the book very difficult but good fun. There were some places where you are stripped of weapons (which I usually hate) but I got some new ones soon, in fact there was a cool moment with the Trickster to overcome the issue of no weapons at the start using a trick he once learnt with a silk scarf. Sadly my Enchanter died a somewhat arbitrary death after having killed four Night elves some sodding black mist rose from the ground. This was a bit annoying after the tension in the battle was really good as it was very a hard fight which I won and then the mist killed me anyways, pah, stoopid mist. My very beaten up Trickster lasted quite some time, the tricksters have loads of cool alternatives to standard fighting (and the ability to attack twice each round, something I forgot to use in the earlier fights). But sadly after a few cool encounters he died too. After winning a game to descend to the next level my Trickster perished by drinking a mysterious potion, no save or anything. Ah well, perhaps I should have had a larger party as a Sage would have probably been able to identify the noxius brew (and heal my characters at other points too). I might give it a go again at some point in the future as I think the replayability would be high, working for a different Magus and having a different party. I’m definitely going to try the second book but with a full party.
In total I played for 1 Hour 30 Minutes.
C.
Mar. 4th, 2009 @ 02:34 pm
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| » Drinky Paul's Birthday ! |
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My good friend Drinky Paul is old on Friday and to celebrate this fact he's going out for a night on the town on Saturday. We shall be starting (probably) in The Old Contemptibles near Snow Hill around 5pm but walking between many pubs throughout the evening.
It would be grand if any of you who know Paul come along (or even if you don't him come along anyways :) )
I'll have my mobile with me all day and night on Sat so text me if you are on your way and wandering where we be.
C.
Mar. 4th, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
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| » February Movie Day ! |
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Afternoon All,
I forgot to share with you the details of mine and Emma's February movie day, up this time we saw a mammoth 4 movies on the one day !
We saw...
Bolt 3D
Push
Slumdog Millionaire
He's Just Not That Into You
Bolt was awesome, everything a Disney movie should be and the 3D was handled superbly. No pointless in your face antics (apart from one well used splash) it just made the film look better. it turns out almost every new animated movie is going to be shown in 3D from now on and now that they don't overuse the effects it brilliant.
Push was sadly a bit shite. It was confusing, completely wrongly billed and advertised as an action movie. It's more of a confusiong trip that ultimately doesn't go anywhwere. Much like last years Jumper it feels like an over long TV show pilot that didn't quite work. Emma actually thought she'd fallen asleep for a bit but no it just didn't make much sense.
Slumdog Millionaire was really good. I don't think it was multiple award earth shatteringly good but it was really good. The flashbacks with the kids were the best bits.
He's Just Not That Into You is not a Rom Com (as the cast might suggest) but a really good 'life movie'. It's like a grown up version of Friends where not everone has a happy ending (although there are quite a few in there). Perhaps slightly long at over two hours but the multiple endings are needed to tie up all the loose end.
Best of the bunch was Bolt.
Tonight I'm off to see The Unborn with Drinky Paul !
C.
Mar. 4th, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
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| » Weekend Update... |
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Morning All !
I had a top weekend, what with loved up commercialism running riot in the streets and restaurants on Saturday a generally lazy day was had.
Emma got breakfast in bed and a pseudo-card in the form of Heat magazine to read through, and I got 2 hours on the Xbox whilst she did just that. A couple of hours on Mass Effect spent tracking down the problems plaguing Zhu's Hope colony on Feros meant a perfect Valentines Day morning ; )
Me and Em's decided to stay in and cook a Chinese meal for the both of us in the evening instead of battling the crowds so we pottered to the shops and stopped of at the Lion for a few drinks on the way home.
Mealwise we did crab and sweetcorn soup with spring rolls from scratch (although we had to use filo pastry they came out really well) for starters and Szechaun Prawns with Beijing Rice for the main. All was very tasty !
Sunday started with a lie in and then Operation: BATHROOM was back with a vengeance as I went to Wickes to return unused supplies and purchase the Bathroom paint to apply over last weeks base coat. A couple of hours later and it was all nice and bright yellow ! There's a few bits and bobs left to do but in a couple of weekends time it should be finished (then I start planning for the epic Operation: KITCHEN ! ).
I hope all your weekends were good too ! I don't get to read LJ much anymore as they've blocked it in work so if you have anything of note to tell me then just email me or reply to any of my posts !
C.
Feb. 17th, 2009 @ 11:21 am
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