that canadian girl

Latest adventures…

  • Switching off

    This weekend, I’ve switched off my blog pretty much, and it was nice, very nice.

    Went out Friday night for my work’s summer party and had a wonderful time! I really work with a great bunch of people, I feel more “at home” there after 2 1/2 months than I did in my old job after more or less three years. Everyone looked so fantastic in suits and cocktail dresses, and I think we all left having had a very good time!

    On Saturday, we had a friend’s birthday to attend. In true South African style, he had plenty of meat on the BBQ, and in true British style, there was also beer on tap! Oh… and also in true British style, it rained heavily for a good part of the evening! Thankfully, there were two large marquees for us to hide under while it was raining. Andrew and I made a banoffee pie that would give you a heart attack, and it was a total hit! So was my potato salad. I’ll post the two recipes on my food blog at some point this week.

    Today, we had a nice relaxed day… I went for a nice walk to discover a bit more of the neighbourhood and made friends (well, sort of…) with a little hedgehog that lives near our house. Just the perfect Sunday.

  • There is such a thing as a free lunch

    Google’s office’s daily grub menu – I could do with some of that!

  • Je voudrais juste dire…

    Pousse, pousse, pousse
    Les bons gros légumes
    Pousse, pousse, pousse
    De plus en plus gros

    Miam, miam, miam
    Les bons gros légumes
    Miam, miam, miam
    J’ai hâte d’en manger

    Je suis une carotte, rotte, rotte
    Je pousse sous terre
    J’aimerais bien qu’un jou-ou-our, on me déterre

    merci.

  • Continental Culture?

    As if Brits weren’t drinking enough as it is…

    The government has decided to relax drinking laws in England and Wales, allowing pubs to apply for a license to stay open later than 11pm, with 24hr licenses available.


    Earlier, a report by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) suggested liberalising licensing laws would create a holiday-resort drinking culture.

    The report claimed there was “a strong link between the increase in disorder and the explosion of late-night premises. The assertion 11pm closing leads to binge-drinking is simply not supported by the evidence,” the report stated.

    Nine out of 10 pubs are thought to have applied to stay open an hour or two later – rather than all night as expected.

    Somehow, it seems a bit mad the government would make a decision with potentially very dangerous consequences with so little backing. “Continental drinking” sounds like a great idea, I’d love to share a bottle of red with friends while sitting in a social environment, but British people drink like they’re competing to finish their pint first. It seems to be the wrong way around, change the behaviour and the mentality THEN give more lenient drinking laws.

    If this goes through, prepare for mayhem.

    Screw pubs, I’ve got Sainsburys’ endless supply of Belgian beers and lovely wines, and a garden more beautiful than any pub. And I cook better than any pub chef. There, that’s happiness!

  • Bye bye Rachel!

    I’ve never been so pleased to announce I was right. I – was – so – bloody – right!

    Peter Jones and co. have saved Red Letter Days from bankruptcy a few days ago, and on August 3rd, they announced Rachel Elnaugh was being shown the door.

    Oh let me relish this moment. This woman thought she could run a gift voucher business while treating customers, suppliers and employees like crap. You were wrong and it came back to bite you in the ass.

  • Currently craving…

    Lucky Charms. For their sugary rot-your-teeth not-quite-marshmallowy goodness. It reminds me of the cottage, sorting through the cereal to get to the rainbow marshmallows in the morning while looking out onto the lake.

    I would even settle for the little marshmallow ghosts in that other cereal… was it a chocolatey Count Chocula type one?

    mmm sugar

  • Up yours, Atkins!

    Reading that *finally* people may have vaguely come to their senses and dumped the Atkins low-carb damage-your-budy diet on Seth’s blog today has ab-so-lu-te-ly made my day.


    NEW YORK – Atkins Nutrionals, the New York company founded in 1989 by the late Dr. Robert Atkins to cash in on his low-carb diet, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday. The company cited weakening demand for its products. Ironically, the Atkins diet–affectionately known by some as the “cheeseburger-hold-the-bun”? diet–had been blamed in recent years for earnings shortfalls in companies ranging from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to Kraft Foods to Interstate Bakeries (the maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies).

    Although I’m not holding much hope as to what fad diets the world will clutch to while our collective ass gets fatter, but I’ll cross my fingers for the healthy low-fat high-nutrition foods to return in the supermarket rather than the low-carb empty ready meals.

    I’m taking bets on what the next ridiculous fad diet will be. Please let it be “7th level vegan – eat nothing that casts a shadow”, we may be able to get rid of a few more idiots in the process.

    Peace, Love and Twinkies,
    Vero

  • Loin de chez soi

    Une amie de longue date vient tout juste de créer son premier blog (bienvenue dans notre monde!) pour nous permettre de la suivre dans ses études à New York!

    Et oui, la petite Paola n’a pas été satisfaite par ce que Londres lui a lancé comme défis, maintenant c’est New York et l’école de journalisme! Bonne chance ma belle, et continue à écrire, t’auras le dernier mot.

    ***
    My dear friend Paola has just created her first blog, built as a point of contact while she’s in journalism school in New York. The challenges she faced living far from home in London weren’t enough, now it’s New York, runs in Central Park and many complicated readings for classes.

  • Banksy, the guerrilla artist

    Wall ArtThrough the good ol’ Beebs, I’ve found a fascinating article on a graffiti artist who calls himself Banksy.

    Some of his art is done on buildings, the classic canvas of the graffiti artist, while some are truly unusual, like this “hole” in Israel’s West Bank barrier.


    The nine paintings were created on the Palestinian side of the barrier. One depicts a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. Another picture shows the head of a white horse appearing to poke through, while he has also painted a ladder going over the wall.

    Some of his vaguely less politically charged stunts involve planting a hoax cave painting of a man pushing a supermarket trolly at the British Museum, nicknamed “the Peckham rock”, anti-war paintings stuck in New York museums and a painting depicting a rural scene with a police tape blocking the way in the Tate Britain.

    Banksy’s site. The Outside Institute. BBC Pics of Turf War.

  • As the week ends…

    A great weekend starts!

    Tonight, going for dinner with a coworker and his wife to Vaults. First time out in Cambridge properly since we’ve moved, it’s about time!

    Tomorrow, BBQ at one of Andrew’s coworkers’ house. Apparently they’ve bought a truckload of meat so all should be good. Let’s just hope the weather holds up after today’s light drizzle.

    And Sunday, darling cousin Marjo and her boyfriend are coming up to Cambridge for a laze around town and a visit to our new house.

    Should be a great weekend – Hopefully it won’t fly as fast as the week has!