Going Grey Gracefully

I've just returned from one of my regular 'grey extraction' sessions at the hairdresser's tonight. I've recently reduced my once-every-6-weeks appointments down to once-every-5-weeks, because for that last week, I'm ready to slit my wrists. No, not literally, but it *does* make me depressed.

Dad went completely grey from lovely dark black within about 5 years from his 38th birthday. I have the same hairline, thickness and double crown. My hair even used to do the same 50's quiff when I had it as short as his. Hmmmm I wonder what else is going to be the same?

True to my genetic heritage, I started noticing the grey around 2 years ago when I turned 38. My hair grows really fast and so for about a fortnight before I was due an appointment at the hairdresser I'd notice the tufty unruly grey straggley bits at my temples - most out of line with the normally shiny, rich dark brown colour of all the other hairs on my head. Brunettes have it hard.

The fringe is the friend of the 'greying at the temples' 30-something girl about town, so I had one cut in at the beginning of the year. It allows you to hide the grey in your parting (or the scars from your facelift) by moving the parting to your crown - thankfully not greying there yet!

I've yet to have *that* conversation with my hairdresser - the one that a good (brunette) friend of mine recently had. The one where the hairdresser says that trying to keep your hair at your 'natural' aka OLD colour is like trying to push back the tide, a losing battle. "Go lighter" they tell you. "Have blonde highlights". I think I'd rather have no hair at all.

So no, there'll be no going grey gracefully for me. No getting lighter and lighter until there's more 'ash' than 'blonde'. No coming out as a 'silver surfer' like Jamie Lee Curtis. No.

I'll be a brunette 'till the day I dye!

Best Hot and Sour Soup EVER!

Dan's just made some soup for my tea. It's THE BEST SOUP EVER! Can't say much more than if I had to choose a food to eat for the rest of my life - it'd be this.

A big poo

I came out of work yester- -day and this
was on my window.

Two of the biggest bird(?) poohs I've ever seen, on the driver's side.

There had been some very very heavy rain in the early afternoon which would definitely have washed this off - so it must have happened afterwards.

I'm thinking maybe this was an eagle or possibly an incontinent pterodactyl.

Tee Hee!

So, Dan and I were having lunch the other day in the Thorpe Park Hotel next door to work - a really lovely steak sarnie & chips - and I was telling him that I'm getting my new Thinkpad for work after about 4 and a half years. He got his new one earlier on in the year (as mentioned here) and so we were chatting about the process of swapping your old data onto the new machine as it's changed a bit since I got my last one over 4 years ago, and I was checking with him what data I needed to back up before the new one arrives.

As you know, Dan's a super techie - but he is a very busy super techie - so since he's had his thinkpad he's seen a particular problem (a message saying there is a power overload in one of the USB ports) but he's not really paid it much attention.

Anyway, at lunch he confessed that he had found out what the problem was; while we're at work, we have to keep our laptops locked with a kensington lock to the desk. Different models have the slot for the lock (it's like a slim keyhole) in different places. Some at the back, others at the side. His new one has the lock at the back, and the old one was the side. BUT HE DIDN'T NOTICE and in his groggy state in the mornings when coming in to work - BEFORE his cup of tea - he has been reaching round the side of the machine and sticking the kensington lock into the first slot it fitted into...

one of the USB ports at the side!!!!

No wonder it was having a power surge!!!!

Julian's 40th

Dan hangs out with a group of friends who he's known since school, but didn't go to school with. They all went to Morley High and he went to Bruntcliffe. Every time we see them I try and get the story of how they know each other and they don't really know.

Anyway, Julian is one of those guys. This weekend he turned 40 and we went to The Buck Inn in Buckden in the Dales to celebrate with him and his wife Karen.

First part of the weekend was a bit of wandering about along to the next village. We had a few pints and lunch there. Some slightly scary stepping stones to get across the river, oh and a close encounter with some cows! Dan - the cow whisperer!

We had dinner in the pub that evening - a nice bunch of 20 friends and family. His sister had got him some suitably age related gifts - some nice specs, big undies and some haemorrhoid cream! Nice. These and other pics from the weekend are up on our picasa web albums --> here.

Baby Birds & another wildlife story

Told you they were cute didn't I?

I reckon I can count 9 beaks (some underneath the others keeping warm!) click on the pic to see the full sized version you can zoom in on.

The bird box is about 7 or 8 inches wide and I reckon the area of the nest circle filled with the little birdies is about 5-6 inches in diameter. That'll give you an idea of how big or rather how small they really are if 9 of them fit into a 6 inch space!!!

The mum and dad are still going in about 3 times a minute feeding them up and when we checked on Sunday the birds were quite a bit bigger than you can see in the pic. I'd say about half as big again! It's not exactly getting crowded in there yet but they aren't going to fit in for too long if they keep growing at this rate!

Anyway, in new wildlife news we have seen a bat (maybe 2) flying round the house at dusk - 10 pm for the last week or so. Can't work out if there's more than one as they flit past so fast. They're quite big - maybe between the size of a sparrow and a starling - but no idea what type.

Anyway, obviously he had to have a name (remember Cedric the killer spider?) we had a bit of a discussion as to what to call him - I wanted Boris, as I thought it went well with horror movie / vampire conotations, but in the end Dan's corny joke won the day - so hopefully I'll soon be able to get a picture up on the web, and introduce you to...

"Bert Baterach"

(groan)

Fairburn & other birdy news

Just spent a lovely couple of hours having a bit of a wander around the Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve. Didn't wander round the hides or feed the swans as we usually do. Today we took a picnic and a half bottle of champers! Very luxurious. 

It's about 24 degrees here today - just about as hot as I like it, so prepared as ever, I'm smothered in factor 30, and I took a leaf out of the Japanese tourists' handbook - bring a brolly - yes a rain one - it really shelters you from the sun! Great for those of us with translucent skin. (Even though you look a bit of a wally).

Picnic consisted of some fried chickeny bits (Dan's speciality) in pittas, hoummus, cheese & crackers, grapes and champers. Lovely!

In "other bird news" there's a nest of bluetits in the nest box on the fence post at the back of the garden. Only about 4 foot of the ground! When you lift the box up to have a peep in, all you see is about 10 teeny tiny beaks squalking up at you for a worm!! I'm going to try and get a camera in there to show you the size of these little things. Each bird is about an inch high at the moment. They're adorable!

  

  

Kev is Fab

This is my lovely friend Kev - we've been friends since we started school aged 5 years old!

This is him looking as fresh as a daisy after running last year's London marathon in an amazing time of 3 hours 18 minutes.

Our Jane (who also ran it last year) was a spectator this year and saw him whizz by this morning at mile 25.

I just looked up his time - he rain it in

2:58:39

I think that's pretty incredible! Especially when the winner did it in 2:05:10! According to the website, Kev finished 864th overall.

Well done Kev, speed up a bit and you'll be ready for 2012!

Picasso at the Bellagio

Well, so far our only 2 Michelin star experience has been at Pied a Terre in London, at which we had a really SUPERB experience. So, we were really looking forward to our dinner at Picasso, a 2 star restaurant in the Bellagio hotel on the Vegas strip.

Well it all started off well as we walked into the Bellagio - one of the posher hotels on the strip. The interior was rather more tasteful than some of the others; some lovely touches - glass umbrellas suspended from the ceiling, a garden of fountains and flowers in the conservatory. It was lovely. We wandered through the hotel and got to the restaurant. A bit early, but we thought we'd get a drink at the bar to kill time if needed. There was no need. "Would you like to sit outside?" the Maitre d' asked. Did we ever! All the reviews of the restaurant had said 'try to get a table outside on the balcony' so we really didn't need asking twice!

We were shown to the table. It really was the best in the house. As you can see; right on the lakeside with a great view back down the strip (we could even see the Eiffel Tower!)

So we were given the menu - we already knew we were going to have the menu degustation (with the accompnying wine menu) and then all we needed to decide on was which of the lovely bread options were we going to have!

The sommelier came out and painted such a wonderful picture of the wine we were about to taste with the first course, that we were completely transfixed. Then the 1st course was placed in front of us. At that exact moment, the music started and the fountain display began. It was so perfect that I have to confess to a small amount of emotion (what a surprise!) we clinked our glasses and vowed to remember everything about it.

The taster menu consisted of several small courses...

Maine Lobster Salad
with Apple-Champagne Vinaigrette
2006 Morgadío, Albariño, Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain

Pan Seared Sea Scallops
with Potato Mousseline and Jus de Veau
2006 Domaines Schlumberger, Les Princes Abbés, Pinot Gris, Alsace, France

Sautéed "A" Steak of Foie Gras
with Roasted Peaches, Vanilla, Muscat and Crushed Almonds
2004 Maculan, Torcolato, Breganze, Veneto, Italy

...then a choice between

Sautéed Filet of Halibut
with Sautéed Royal Trumpet Mushrooms and Roasted Sunchokes
2005 Château La Nerthe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Rhône Valley, France

or

Roasted Aged Lamb Chop
with Ragout of Flageolets and Mushrooms
2005 Dominio De Tares, Baltos, Bierzo, Spain

I had the halibut and Dan had the Lamb, in the only choice of the menu. Nick also had the Lamb and Laura had the veggie menu - which, it has to be said, was every bit as wonderful as the other menu.

OK so how do I describe the food - and more than that, how do I describe the combination of the food and the wine. It's really difficult unless you've experienced this sort of thing before. When we went to Pied-A-Terre, we had a similarly amazing experience with a couple of the food wine combination. Some are good, but some actually blow your mind!

Imagine food being placed in front of you which is so beautifully presented that it's like a work of art. It's almost too good to eat! Then take a forkful of food and it's the nicest thing you've ever tasted. You try to eat slowly to make the flavour stay in your mouth longer! Then, with the food flavour still in your mouth, you take a sip of the wine, and BOOM, the 2 flavours explode into the most sublime combination. It's hard to explain!

Anyway, this meal was like that. Every course. With music. And Fountains!

I'm sorry now that we didn't take pictures of the food courses. We were a bit reluctant because in Pied-a-terre they'd specified no cameras. However we did take pictures of the desserts and noone said a thing so possibly it'd have been OK throughout the meal.


These were Nick's (left) and Laura's (right) desserts.

I haven't got the flowery descriptions from the menu - just to say Nick's was full on chocolate fondant, and Laura's was a coffee pyramid!

Dan's was a panna cotta (bottom left) and mine was a grapefruit cream soda (bottom right)

Each one was a work of art.

All the way through the evening, the fountains coordinating with each course, highlighting a fact that I never knew before; that Michelin star food could be enhanced by music and fountains!

It's all been a bit expensive!

Our holiday in NY and Vegas has been a little bit erm harsh on the pocket. It's not like we thought it was going to be cheap in a major city like NY, but I think the dismal exchange rate has made it VERY steep!

On our 1st night, we'd just checked in and went for a wander down W45th St to see what we could find. We wandered into an Irish bar (and realised we'd been in there before) and sat up at the bar for a few pints of Guinness. The rules of going over the water are that on the 1st night you have to make it to 9pm, and there's no doubt abut it, beer helps!

So we each had 3 pints and then Dan had some chicken wings (excellent) and I was craving nachos and guacamole which was lovely!

We made it to about 10 past 9 and then asked for the bill. With the tip (obligatory) it came to $75 which at an exchange rate of 1.44 comes to £52!!!! For a night in the pub with 2 bar snacks. ERRRK!

Fortunately we were too jet lagged to realise that we'd spent that much in the pub. We went to bed and slept really well.

As could be expected we woke quite early and headed off to 57th Street to the Brooklyn Diner where we'd been for several spectacular breakfasts 3 years ago with Scotty and Michele.

We sat in and got the obligatory coffee and menu. We chose juice, and 2 of the standard menu classics.

Dan = THE MIXED MARRIAGE OF IRVING & GINA - Their First Breakfast!
Liza = Smoked Salmon, Eggs & Onions “A New York Legend”

The bill with the tip came to $60 (£41). For breakfast! OMG the money was going to run out very quickly at this rate!

Needless to say, after these two expenses we had to come up with an alternative strategy for eating cheeeeeeeeeeap!