Hi everyone! so sorry I haven't written for such an age but I have been very busy planning futures and doing very exciting things like moving home and getting on MA courses and getting a job etc etc.
So I shall just pick up where I left off really then try and make our little chat a regular thing once more.
So...
Watching??
Most recently I went to the cinema with the boyfriend to watch 'Salt', I was told by some trusted few who claimed it was on par with Inception (the greatest film of 2010) and was brilliant and that Angelina Jolie wasn't terrible as she usually is. However on watching it I became more and more infuriatingly annoyed with her. Angelina Jolie is one of the only actresses I know who makes me want to stab myself repeatedly with a corkscrew. She is so skeletal thin and depressed looking and whiny and spends the entire film running around flicking her hair and doing death defying stunts. Though the film itself starts off with an acceptable American spy action flick storyline and you are genuinely worried for poor Evelyn Salt in the beginning. It turns out she is a Russian spy trained from birth when she was kidnapped from America and sent back to spy on the American government and yadda yadda yadda. The whole point of the movie is who is this blonde haired wannabe Evelyn Salt? She is a Russian spy, she has betrayed the ever so patriotic America, but in the end I didn't really care (sorry to ruin the supposed twist but you weren't going to watch it anyway) the only reason to watch it is to see Angelina Jolie put in a poor show as a plastecine man. But personally I was tremendously dissapointed in it. thumbs down Angelina. shameful performance.
3/10 what else can I say
Reading?
Oh my gosh this summer I have fallen back in love with books and my current fad is for gruesome and scary crime novels especially by my favourite author writing duo Nicci French. The duo are a couple called Nicci Gerard and Sean French and they combine their literary genius and create exctiting stories that are just so addictive and brilliant that I pick them up and I can't put them down until its finished. This summer I have read three of their masterpieces and am hunting down the rest. The first was 'Losing you' which follows the protagonist Nina Landry who is trying to go on holiday with her new boyfriend and her two children, just as her daughter completely dissapears. The book follows twenty four hours that Nina spends desperately searching for her daughter. The second was 'Land of the Living' which follows Abbie Devereaux who wakes up bound and hooded in a dark cellar and forces her way out just to find she remembers nothing of how she was taken, she doesn't have a clue what to do next and nobody believes that the kidnapper is still out there and is hunting her down. The third I have just finished is 'Secret Smile' which follows Miranda Cotton who split up with a creepy new boyfriend just to find him going out with her sister a week later and thoroughly destroying everyhting she loves and needed, and she is the only one who knows what he is truly like.
These stories are so exciting I can't explain my need to read them. I recommend them highly, the web address for Nicci French with full descriptions of the books is
http://www.niccifrench.co.uk/ Nicci French gets a 10/10!
Wearing?
This summer I have discovered a new shop, which isn't new really and has been around for ages. But I keep noticing other people starting to shop there and coming out with amazing things. It sounds silly to have never noticed it before but the shop is 'Miss Selfridge'. As barmy as it sounds I has always assumed it was a shop for tweens and high school girls and I had never been there seriously before this summer, but I have found some really beautiful things there. I now have three dresses one in black with a turquoise and pink skirt I wore for my birthday, one in black and white with a lace frill, and a red and white poppy sun dress which I love. The shop is just full of very 'pretty pretty' things that are just lovely and when you wear them you feel all girly and silly and there aren't enough little brands that do that anymore you always have to be fierce, sporty, sexy, vintage or retro or something, but I think we should embrace our girly side and visit Miss Selfridge. I also have reccomendations from them from my friends and family who have found dresses and pretty lacey cardigans and lovely tshirts I reccomend every girl goes there soon. The dresses themselves are great quality and a good price usually around £30-£40 and are great for going out in as they also sell my favourite Girls Aloud false eyelashes. Their day range is also great, my only criticism is that sometimes the clothes are a bit too dainty for the likes of me and it can be hit and miss with certain dresses. The website address is
http://www.missselfridge.com/Miss Selfridge receieves an 8/10
Listening?
I have been listening to a new Manchester band my fella introduced me to called 'Hurts'. It's made up of singer Theo Hutchcraft and synth player Adam Anderson. They've released 'Wonderful Life' which is amazing, and you may have heard 'Blood Tears and Gold'. The video for 'Wonderful Life' is also very iconic and worth a look see and is on Youtube. My personal favourite on the album is 'Stay' because I like a nice power ballad. Kylie Minogue has also given them the seal of approval as she has recorded a little duet on the album called 'Devotion' which was very good. They are so good and so very squeaky clean new that I'm going to see them at the Ritz in Manchester, I think you should go too or at least get the album which is very dramatic, lyrically beautiful, and has some good dancing beats which is all I ask for really.
Hurts gets a 9/10 today because I'm ever so generous
Eating?
I think its since I've had my own flat I've been embracing housewifely duties and one of them is baking. I am a huge fan of carrot cake and so found my own Carrot Cake recipe which is very easy and I have made three or four times and now have it down to perfection. I shall post the recipe and only because I'm generous and you need to try it. I regularly look for recipes on the internet and found this one on BBC good food and is by Mary Cadogen.
Ingredients: 175g of light Muscavado Sugar, 175g of oil (I use olive oil but you can use sunflower), 175g of self raising flour, 140g of grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots), 100-120g of raisins, 3 eggs, the zest of one large orange, a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of nutmeg.
1) mix the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl until its liquid and there is no lumps
2) add the carrot, orange zest and raisins
3) then sift the dry ingredients the flour and spices etc
4) then add the mixture to a cake tin that has been lined in greased proof paper
5) put in the oven at 160 for 40-60 mins (check by putting a knife in it and seeing if it comes out dry)
For the frosting I cream butter, icing sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until it becomes the right texture and sweetness.
6)Then remove the cake from the oven leave to cool and then spread the frosting on the top and leave in the 7)serve to everyone with cheers of appreciation and then spend the next week trying not to eat the whole thing.
Using?
This summer I have switched shampoos from my usual brand and am trying John Frieda Luxurious Volume. I've been growing my hair and am desperately trying to keep it thick and not lank. This shampoo and conditioner is quite expensive each time, but it does work my hair does seem to be a lot thicker than it used to and I've had a lot of comments on how shiny and healthy my hair looks and I don't feel like I need to have it dyed as much. My only criticism is the conditioner doesn't seem to be looking after the ends very well and I am a lot more aware of split ends and so I may have to change conditioner back to my favourite soap and glory as I like the shampoo a lot.
John Frieda Luxurious Volume receives 6/10 mainly for the shampoo and the smell because it smells lovely!
Purchasing?
I have moved into a new flat and therefore needed lots of lovely new things and have been a frequent visitor at my local Ikea. I knew that eventually I would have to mention my slight obsession with Ikea but seriously I love it there. My flat which was supposed to be furnished ended up being only slightly furnished and so we had to get everything that you would never think of having to have. We got lots of tables, side table, coffee table, tv table, bedside table etc. It's worth going there as Ikea does have brilliant value stuff and styles that suit everyone and every flat. Also the names are worth having such as our 'Malm' bedside tables, a spice racks called 'Ekkan'. We also got some very pretty things like coloured glass bottles and a silver lantern for our balconey darling. I am also an efficionado at putting the furniture together and thinking logically about which screw goes where and all that important stuff! go to Ikea its fun!
Ikea= 8/10 (only an 8 because their self checkouts are rubbish)
Doing?
This week I went to Alton Towers for someone's birthday and it was brilliant. I went on the new 'Thirteen' ride which I thought would be absolutely scary stuff but it was really clever and really breath taking but not scared for your life which you can have on some rides. My favourite was 'Rita' which goes so fast but is amazing. My other favourite ride was the log flume as we all go so soaked and it was so hilarious in our tub, the rapids were also brilliant, as was 'Nemesis' and 'Air'. However, as usual I hated 'Hex', and before you all yell its not the fact that you don't move its the fact that its in the dark and you feel like you're going to fall the entire time into an overgrown tree's mouth! hate hate hate it!! the downside was the very expensive entrance fee £38.00 if you don't have a voucher for two to get in for the price of one, and the very expensive food £5.50 for hotdogs and chips and £5.50 for ten piddly small doughnuts just not good enough Alton Towers. They also have a serious wasp problem which makes eating practically impossible and my poor boyfriend got stung on his neck and was extremely annoyed about it (hehe though it was very funny!)
But overall was a fantastic day and gets a 9/10
So there you go I aqm back I have been up to a lot and I shall return next week with an update on whats been going on and what I have been marking out of 10.
Thanks for reading
Much Roadie Love
XXX
This week I wne to watch Tamara Drewe, starring Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) and Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia), directed by Stephen Frears and based on the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds. It follows the story of Tamara Drewe who started out as an ugly duckling and returns in the age old fashion as a gorgeous london music journalist and generally is supposed to cause hell. However there isn't much hell caused she basically sleeps around a bit and sleeps with an older and fatter man halfway through. Tamsin Greig puts in a great performance as a hard done to wife who isn't appreciated by her adulterous husband who is with Tamara for part of the film (which is gross and unreal). She also runs an amusing writers retreat on her farm which is worth watching in itself. Dominic Cooper is worth watching as he is gorgeous and plays a rockstar drummer from a band called 'Swipe' and can drum with his toes. The two hopeless teenagers who are fed up and bored in their tiny town cause more trouble than Tamara Drewe. It was said by some radio reporter that this film gave 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' a run for its money, however this is very much untrue Four Weddings remains untouched and this sadly will not enter the romantic-British-comedy-classics that this country is famous for. It's a light hearted film filmed in a beautiful place and starts out well but ends really quickly and without much backup at all, maybe they ran out of money...
This week I have been reading 'Grey Souls' by Philippe Claudel which was published in 2005 and translated into English by Adriana Hunter also in 2005. The story is written as if someone is telling you the story so at times it can be slightly confusing. The story is set in a small French village known as 'V', and it follows a man (who isn't named in the book) who in 1917 is present for when a terrible murder is commited against a small girl who is strangled and found in the river. The murder is blamed on two deserters from the front, and around this murde everyone's lives start to fall apart including the protagonist who's wife sadly dies and he finds himself alone in the village. Anyway, twenty years later the protagonist begins to look back over the crime and tries to piece back together what happened to the little girl, in this snowy and tiny French village. In the process of finding the truth he finds more than one 'miscarriage of justice'. This book is beautifully written and uses vivid descriptions of the characters and this small village which is torn apart by the war and this horrific murder. 
