Chocolate, cake and curses

. Sounds like an agenda for a cracking weekend, doesn’t it?  Well in addition to that it is also the title of a book out tomorrow from Choccywoccydoodah, one of my all time favourite shops in the world.   Though there are in fact two of them:  the flagship store in Brighton and the Mothership in London.    It goes beyond that though, Choccywoccy is not just a shop, it is

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Dutch Speculaas Recipe

Dutch Speculaas Recipe. This time next week we will be heading home after spending Easter with Canvas Holidays in Dunirell.  We are thrilled to be working with Canvas Holidays this year as they celebrate their 50th birthday, along with Mr B.  It will be the first time I have been away with Canvas Holidays since I was about 12 so it is going to be great to see just how much

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Getting ready for summer

With the weather looking like it might brighten up a bit over the coming weeks and Easter on the horizon, our thoughts have turned to sorting out the house, ready for summer.  Since this is easier, and cheaper, than getting my body ready for summer which is possibly what you thought this post was going to be about. First of all we have sorted out the small spare bedroom which

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The Karcher SC1– A review

. There is no denying that things around here have been neglected recently.   And whilst we have a cleaning lady to do the loos and kitchen and chuck the vacuum cleaner around once a week, the house is looking a bit shabby.    This coupled with more sunlight streaming through filthy windows and there is no denying, I needed to get my finger out and get some cleaning done

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Ranty Friday — Jeremy Clarkson

. Oh my God, have you heard about John and Debbie? No, what on earth’s happened? They are getting a divorce WHAT?!!!  But they have been together for ten years.  I thought they were really happy together Well seems it is all over Why? He slapped her and split her lip OH EM GEE that’s appalling.   Is she okay? Not really.  He screamed at her for ages first and

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The problem with 1D fans

. is that they are their own worst enemies.    I have never seen behaviour like I have seen from fans of One Direction fans this week on Twitter.  Or actually, any week on Twitter.  They are a completely different beast. This week we have heard on the news that Zayn, one of the merry bunch of five lads thrown together by  X Factor five years ago, has left the

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Taking Better Photos

. Whilst I have been trying to save the world in the past few months Mr B has been holding down a stressful job with a four hour daily commute and, in his words, “keeping the home fires burning” whilst I have been away.   No mean feat and so to say thank you I dragged him off to Birmingham last weekend to the Photography Show.   Photography is something

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Premier Inn Birmingham — A review

. Rather than dashing up to Birmingham and back in a day we decided to make a weekend of the Photography Show and our “Press tickets”.   Well as much as you can at the NEC in Birmingham and check into the Premier Inn.   As if I haven’t seen enough of Lenny Henry during all our Comic Relief shenanigans we thought we might catch up with him somewhere on the

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Coconut and raspberry waffles

. . So there I was an hour ago, minding my own business when this Tweet appeared: How did I not know it was International Waffle Day?!   Waffles are my favourite thing.  Look I even have a waffle board on Pinterest (I told you yesterday that Pinterest is my new favourite thing, didn’t I) Follow MummyBarrow’s board W has to be for Waffles on Pinterest.  Sadly it would appear

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Ranty Friday Elton vs DolceGabbana

. So it’s been handbags at dawn this week between Elton John and Messrs Dolce and Gabbana over this comment in an interview with the designers in Italy’s Panorama magazine: We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one.  No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed.” Dolce then added that procreation “must be an act of love”,

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Hogwarts Express

. Today is the day if you are a huge Harry Potter fan, and let’s face it, who isn’t it?  The actual real life Hogwarts Express steam train arrives at platform 9 3/4 of the Warner Bros Studio Tour just outside Watford.   Ellie and I were lucky enough to have a sneak peek last week on our umpteenth visit. Every time I come I am still blown away by

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Memories from Germany

. Sometimes things come back to you – fleeting memories that make you smile.  I have a few that crop up every now and then, and they’re quite familiar. Occasionally though, you recall one of those memories from a long time ago that you haven’t thought of in ages, and it *really* makes you smile. And with it come other memories. I had one of those the day I first

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