La Vie en Crepe

[motherinferior]

And a new door opens...

I found Aldi enough of a challenge and have retired to bed again, not least because when I emerge I must de-pit the kitchen.

There is a whiff of a new job in the air for Mr Inferior. I think we should invest any pay rise in a cleaner...

Yep, mine is Beige Lumiere. Am in fact wearing some today in hope of not looking exhumed.

The stuff a couple of top dermatologists have recommended to me for later in the year is La Roche Posay's tinted Anthelios fluid - you have to get this in posh pharmacies but it is pretty good.

QQ, cycling 35 miles on the flat is better than going for a jog IMHO!
DH and DS have the road bikes... one is currently in the sitting room awaiting mending

Rudy, DD can't raid my wardrobe as she is 2+ sizes smaller than me and her feet are at least a size smaller However, my make-up, etc is dramatically disappearing!

Good plan, MI! That is my best bit about working full-time - coming home to a clean house that I have not had to clean/nag others to help!

About to go on first week 2 stagger. Slightly daunted by idea of running for a whole 90 seconds at a time. Then take DS for an airing and tear him from the phone. Then rearrange sitting room to receive a piano on long-term loan from a pal. Said pal lives right near you, QQ. Gibson square!

DD1 has bigger feet than me. Which is not unusual for an OMG 13 year old (tomorrow).

I also have Beige Lumiere.

M & S frequently have 20% off their Beauty stuff, so maybe worth waiting?

I am nursing a cup of Lem Sip and a slight temperature. Sending DH to Morrisons, which will be a new and challenging experience for him.

I am sitting anxiously looking out of the window for another parking space so the garden waste men can come back and finish the job. One of the problems of living in London.

I too am space-watching, bum, for piano delivery van. Tempted to rush out with my wheelie bins should one appear.

Back from 'run'. I almost, not quite, but almost enjoyed it. Tough dismayed by the difference even the slightest hill makes. I'll never make a fell runner.

Bum? I mean BTM!

Have a look at this all ladyjoggers... inspiration?

Herbs, I promise it will improve. Trust me.

I don't want to run marathons but I really, really like being able to run round the park in the morning; and I have to admit that it's lost me a few pounds - probably a lot more than that in fat, too, as I have a bit more muscle.

Time to tackle the kitchen. Having oops downloaded a couple of new books to my e-reader - the new Elly Griffiths is out!

I'm looking for advice, Crepeys. We're visiting DD's German exchange family in a couple of weeks. She'll stay with them, we'll stay at nearby hotel. What would be a good present? We haven't met them, by the way, only their DD.

In the past we've given them hand-made chocolates from local shop; they've sent industrial amounts of luxury chocolate (live near Lindt factory); books and a DVD about their home town (which, I confess, we haven't watched).

Now got 2 spaces, but the men can't come back till after 3... When he gets back from picking DD up, DH will have to park in one of the spaces or the newcomers to the road will go mad!
And then he's taking me out for lunch. Nothing too flash - just one of my fav cafes!

Auriga, we take copious amounts of liquorice allsorts, Christmas cake and British cheeses each year when we visit our French friends (she was my exchange when I was 12 - 37+ years ago, but I appreciate that they do have specific tastes

Don't believe that living in the sticks means parking is easy! It's an absolute 'mare here (double yellows everywhere) we have a carport so okay for one car. And when it snows.....

MrsS you need to update us on the morrisons trip!

All this talk of exercise is making me feel guilty.

I have just de-crumbed our kitchen

Auriga, how about some kind of posh trad English sausage, as cross-cultural yet acceptable?

at sausage!

I always take Denbies wine as my "local" gift; it is just the other side of the hill. DS/DD1's school is opposite, so their cross-country runs are straight through the vineyard.

I can't cope with running on hills either. I should really have been for a run this morning, as it was lovely and sunny first thing, but I abandoned the idea in favour of a lie-in and a long bath. I plan to do sod-all this weekend, although we have a few household chores: DH is tasked with removing the half-tree that is lying across the lawn (chopping things up - even he can't get that wrong), and I have to clean the house, which is a pit.

DS is off to a party this evening - he bought himself a new pair of socks yesterday, with a cannabis leaf design all over them. I'm expecting the great smell of Lynx to be filling the air mid-afternoon.

CV, like that even your DH can't get chopping a tree up wrong! And that your DS bought himself a pair of socks!

Garden waste is now gone, but I broke our brush trying to clear the mud left underneath and had to rush round to get a new one! Now need rain to aid the clean-up

Going straight to the heart of things here.....gel saddles. BTM, I love my gel saddle but have heard tell (possibly by experts of the male persuasion) that they make chafing worse not better...I have never wanted to try a bony one for a long ride so have no way of comparing....

I can cycle 30 miles too, slowly, and love it (running, no). It is one of the few activities that we all still enjoy as a family and we have had a couple of lovely trips involving biking and a night in a hotel.

No chafing here We used to do family bike rides but more recently they have involved such a lot of moaning from DD who says it's boring and DS who races ahead and gets annoyed with stragglers...

Yes, I think my gel saddle is for what they call a "lady's bottom" too. And I've got a pad that goes on top.

And we had the moaning too, but it seems to have receded, funny how hard it is to tell what will stick isn't it?

with envy at those of you living near vineyards (or wineries as I learnt to call them after our visit to Sonoma last year). I did hear our local MP on Radio 5 this morning talking about our nine local breweries, but as I don't drink beer I would sooner have the vineyards.

Miserable day; the Toon lost badly. On a more positive note, we do have lights now.

I think my longest cycle ride was about 25 miles - my bike is very heavy and I would love a light weight one but have difficulty justifying spending several hundred pounds on s new one.

We will still try to force them into it when the weather gets better! DD may be happier to use DS's old road bike rather than her own shiny lovely bike And going with friends/at least one of her friends helps, but that means we can only do a local ride really as we can't get 5 bikes on the car. Unless we get another roof carrier...!