a totally brilliant late sunday lunch in the communal garden...
sun, lovely people, wine, delicious food and no travel

slow roast lamb, roast sweet potatoes with carrots, rosemary and garlic cloves, green beans, stuffed tomatoes and more

plus four brilliant puds... baklava, dark chocolate cake with cardamon and chili, raspberry pavlova and cheesecake

finished at 9.00... perfect
(and I am still full)



*thinks... must lose a few lbs before the holiday*



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit was 2009:06:15:13:04:50 by charliecharlie.

oh yes, and Saturday.... winning 'The Plate' at the Boule D'Or 2009 London Tournament

I was so chuffed!

This isn't a tiny thing, it's a huge thing, but there isn't a thread for those and this has caused me joy today...

A couple of years ago when my sister was very ill with lymphoma (she's fine now) a close friend of mine went on the bone marrow register as a gesture of support. Now she has been found to be a match for someone who needs a stem cell transplant, the same treatment that saved my sister, and next week is going to donate her stem cells. She is going to give someone else the chance of life-saving treatment.

I just thought that might add a little tiny bit of balance to all the "isn't the world a terrible place" threads.
It's not.
The world is full of amazing people, like my friend, doing amazing things, because they care about other people.

Thanks for that Anna. You're right by the way as it certainly is a cheery catalyst to all the muggings and other encouraged paranoia that keeps rearing it's annoying head. Seriously though...you should give you friend a great big pat on the back...with sugar on top.

That is lovely news, specially as it's painful. What an amazing friend.

I think for the most part we go around commiting little acts of kindness that cumulatively make us enjoy other people and our day to day life.
And then you hear of something that goes beyond that and it just makes you have the hugest admiration for someone you've never met or are never likely to.
AnnaJ please on to your friend my thoughts, best wishes and good luck.

To anyone inspired by AnnaJ's friend to think about joining the register - I'd say go for it. I have been "harvested" and I say this not to polish my halo, but because the Anthony Nolan Trust (the people I signed up with) does ask people to publicise their own experiences as a donor, so that others will perhaps consider signing up.

Also, if you do come up as a match, which is of course by no means guaranteed, the procedure these days doesn't have to be done by a needle going into your hip. As in my case, it can be done with a short course of drugs which may give you slightly achey joints and bones, followed by a few hours lying on a bed attached to a machine that goes whirr-beep. It's a medical decision which option they go for and you as the donor can express a preference too if you wish.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:06:22:20:50:57 by Ted Max.

my courgette plants growing at the rate of knots and producing masses of mini courgettes... it's working!



with joy from the first time veggie grower that is known as charliecharlie

Charlie, pick 'em now and get frying:

fiori di zucchini ripieni

I just put a tiny bit of mozzarella in each flower and fried them with a bit of butter and olive oil... oh joy


Unlike your Carluccio receipe/image, I did not pick the mini veg, I only picked the male flowers so as not to use up any future crop
thanks for the inspiration DaveR

Cracking open an egg and finding not one, but two perfect yolks....

is that like eating twins ?

Inspired by Atila on the nasty slapping thread, I've dredged this thread up for some much needed positivity.

Tiny things that have caused me joy in the last few days...

The string quartet in Covent Garden playing an inspired version of The Final Countdown by Europe.

Browsing in a bookshop and seeing new books out by two authors whose first books I loved.

Getting a copy of the first nursery picture of my 18 month old niece and nephew through the post.

My dad making me giggle over dinner in a very nice french dining club.

Anyone else?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:10:08:16:42:49 by annaj.

After not drinking or smoking for a few days, a night in with some cans, will be giving me much joy tomorrow!

Wot Keef said - Dad's night too



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:10:08:18:01:07 by ££££.

Thank you AnnaJ for rescuing this wonderful thread

The lovely barrista in Cafe Nero who gave me a freebie when I switched handbags and left my purse at home

Doing the zipp up on my "skinny jeans" without having to lie down on the floor and suck everything in first

The 176 being my personal taxi of late - it seems to come within 60 seconds of my arriving at the bus stop

Have I mentioned the Pixies gig last night?

Did you go?

Autumn leaves - so pre-Raphaelite!

giggirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you go?

O! M! G! I was like so there it was completely the best gig ever at the beginning they played clips from Un Chien Andalou and just when you were getting into they like totally showed the scene where the guy slices the girls eyeball open like they sing about in debaser and it was totally gross but Salvador Dali has the best moustache ever and Mockey wasn’t going to go but he got a ticket at the last minute we were going to drink Carling but I didn’t find him but it didn’t matter and they only had Tuborg anyway which I should have remembered from when we went to the Empire for Pearl Jam which was also so @#$%& good so I drank Guinness instead and they started off with some B-sides and then the stage lights came on when they played Debaser and they totally @#$%& rocked the place balls to the wall even though Frank Black looks like a potato but he always did anyway and I bet *Bob*’s bummed because he was going to go but then didn’t and it so rocked they played the whole of Doolittle because it’s the twenty year anniversary of its release and it’s like completely the best Pixies album ever except for the others which are also really good and after they finished the album they did some encores like Where is My Mind and stuff and I was all like ‘wow this is so @#$%& cool’ because I was like totally into these guys in the 90s but I only discovered them when they were breaking up so I thought I would never get to see them and bands like that never went to small town South Africa anyway and here I was in London totally watching them with Joey Santiago rocking out on his Les Paul and the drummer Lovering like going totally apeshit on the drums and Mockney’s right Kim Deal does look like my aunt.

Behold: Brendan the groupie!

I felt the fist kick of our baby to be Elsa one morning whilst spooning with mrs easy at 5am, I got so excited I couldn't go back to sleep and had to get up and clear out the cellar to make room for all the junk thats cluttering the babies new bedroom. I won't forget that as long as I live.

Iain, that's lovely, and you have many more of these moments to come - good luck to all 3 of you!

Today's things...

Baking.

And the positive and supportive response to Mark's announcement of the forum shut down for holidays. It's nice when people are nice.

I'm still waiting for eater81's contribution to that thread. Or this one...

I hear you on the baking thing - I'm going with stewing. As in food.. not miserable internal monologues

making a sponge cake and then filling it with loads of whipped (double) cream and fresh raspberries and all you mates going "f*ck the calories..." and eating massive slices of it...
bring on the cakes, Autumn is here...

The sky this evening - it changed from pale undulating gold to glorious purple in the time it took me to get home on the bus.

The dome of St Paul's against a golden sky makes me glad to be alive.

yes yes yes RosieH.... what a sky... I am meeting a friend on one of the Thames Bridges at sundown tomorrow eve...
we are hoping for a re-run

oh how romantic...

Wallace & Grommit
I just love those guys. Anyone tried Googling anything today? The boys are 20 years old. The Wrong Trousers - seems like only yesterday.

I'm rescuing this thread from oblivion because there simply isn't enough irrational joy in East Dulwich. I, for one, am feeling very happy today. No reason.