Angel Jem's City Cottage

OK. I've lost some of you here. This does not sit well alongside my classic black and white weepies, or my extensive collection of child friendly movies, but, well, there is a weird explanation as to why I have only watched Snakes on a Plane this week and therefore why it has to be my Film on Friday on Saturday. You see Number 1 Son and Number 1 Daughter are both away in separate directions this week end. So Number 2 son is the only child at home, and last night we sat down to fish and chips and to watch a movie altogether on the understanding that we would pick something he had never watched and that wouldn't be watchable by whole family (ie something grown up) Now I had heard of Snakes on a Plane, and even heard the review on Five Live with Mark Kermode but that was years ago... yonks plus ages... and I couldn't remember quite how bad or good it had been marked. And Number 2 son had heard of it as well, or at least the most famous quote from it and he wanted to watc...

What am I reading this week? Everything and nothing. I finished my fiction book and then didn't settle down to a new book because last week was all busy and party and oh my God my head is on the pillow and all I want to do is sleep...... And then on Thursday my nose itched and by Friday my eyes were sore and by Saturday I was sneezing and shivering and I am still in the sneezing and shivering stage and it is not nice. Not*At*All* So from the weekend I have NOT read anything harder than a cereal package. Except perhaps the toilet roll package. I haven't wanted to. But I still need a story, and especially a cuddly marshmallow story, so this is where Audible comes in. I love having a story read to me, and this weekend I went looking for something to make me feel cosy. When the nose runs, the life must be cosy. I went back to teenage years. I'd forgotten quite how much I could enjoy Georgette Heyer, and when I saw Devil's Cub available I fell for it straight away. I r...

Back to school :,( We are all back to school today. Is it raining? Or is it only raining in my heart? A week is not long enough. But there are only 6 weeks until our next holiday so we can survive. Meals this week are easy and quick; I'm getting over a bad cold that laid me low on Friday and Saturday so I'm cutting some slack. Monday; Party leftovers; chilli or ham or whatever is left. Tuesday; Cowboy Casserole Wednesday; Twice cooked pork Thursday; Meatballs, pasta and sauce. Friday; Fish and Chips Saturday; ?Pizza Hut? or Sainsbury's pizza Sunday; Welsh Lamb with potato gratin and leeks We have 2 out of 3 children away this next weekend, so Middle Son finally experiences life as an only child. He will either love it or hate it; for 14 years he has been part of a close family and, as far as I can remember, never been alone. I'm looking forward to it because he really needs some confidence building. We want to take him to a science centre, either E...

Thank you to Jo of Through the Keyhole who has nominated me for a Liebster award!!!  I'm usually useless at doing these, but I'll do my best. I can't think of 11 unrelated facts, but I will answer the questions; 1) If your house was on fire, what one thing, other than family members and pets, would you save? Only one thing? My teddy bear, Tobias. I've had him since I was 4 and he has been my constant companion since. 2) What, other than your children, is your greatest achievement? Oh my, we do have to think. They ARE my greatest achievement; aside from them, I think finding contentment right where I am is my greatest achievement. I am happy with where I am, happy with what I am doing at the moment and happy with what ever life throws at me next. 3) What would be your dream job and is it a job you do or have done? A job that is never boring, that gives me contact with people and computers, that pays well and has good holidays. I've come pretty close...

A ha! When I sat down to do this post on Thursday night I gave the princess the choice of her many girlie films; "Which one did you like best?" I asked. Naturally she chose the film that she watched during the party last night; the film that I never got a chance to see because I was elbow deep in nail varnish. Happy Birthday, Princess. Opening her presents on Thursday!!!! I asked her to pick her second favourite film and she was also confident in her choice of this; 13 going on 30. Very apt, since she is now 13 and very often acts like my mother, so going on 30 then. We watched this film as part of our marathon choosing session last weekend and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I missed it when it was first out in 2004 (busy with children) and have never caught it since. It stars Jennifer Garner as a 13 year old who, on her birthday, makes a wish to be an adult. Of course she wakes up in a new body but, unlike in Tom Hank's wonderful picture Big, in a new lif...

Oh my goodness! Except for my quick pop by on Saturday I have not even had a chance to visit Bloglovin' and clear all my reading. I have several lists of blogs; Friends, Craft blogs, minimalists and Danish amongst them. I like to try and keep up with my blogfriend roll mostly and the others are added extras, but I am running behind so muchas apologias to those blogmates whose past posts will now get commented on two weeks late!! What am I reading this week? I finished a book called " A Perfect Home " by Kate Glanville. It was quite good fun, about a lady married to the wrong man and how she found the perfect home for her and her family. The story runs along in an obvious but still enjoyable way and I really enjoyed a lot the descriptions of the houses and places where she lived. I'm onto a different style of book now; " Her" by Harriet Lane. Two women meet after years have passed; one doesn't remember, while the other cannot forget. I've just ...

I always loved Simple Abundance; I read it often and enjoy using hints and ideas from it. I remember one of the best suggestions in it was for a comfort drawer, a special place that you kept just full of bits and bobs to restore one's mental state when life, or life's inhabitants, made you feel the need. Sarah Ban Breathnach suggested small chocolates, some alcohol, hand cream and little singing treats to make the heart lighter. I loved her advice and, in another life, would have a comfort drawer. However, I try not to just comfort myself at bad times, but to live in comfort and love all the time. My self-care box (which I take to be the things, both virtual and actual that comfort and care for me) is spread over the house and keeps me a happy bunny; So, what do I keep in my self care box? Here are the things that keep me a sensible and happy person most of the time. 1. Handcream I love L'Occitane Lavender, but any decent handcream will do. Presently I am using Sanc...

Best laid plans and all that, eh? I have been too tired/stressed/weary at night/time robbed to keep up my daily schedule of posts. Not even my weekly pattern has survived. Bad author. Bad author. But hope springs eternal. I'm having a restorative weekend with the family. I have my plans; a little lie in, a little light house work, a walk in the park with possibly a coffee and a chance to write my menu plan for Monday. I'll see you then x

OK, you caught me out. Now you know I've scheduled the Fab-ruary prompts to be published every day, and fill them in as and when I'm available. I was going to do the next week's worth on Saturday, and then woke with a headache that lasted through Sunday and left me still woozy this morning (Monday) when I crept quietly into school. My Feel-Good films will be coming shortly; I could just slam some stuff on now, or I can take my time and list them properly. In an effort to make sure that the blog records me,as I am, now I'm going to take my time and add to this page (and others) over the week.

I'm glad this post asked for books. Books I've loved. There are so many books I have read and, yes, so many books I've loved. Books that kept me company when I was a lonely teenager in school, books that fed me romance or horror or all sorts of emotions that I wasn't experiencing at the time. Books that stopped me and made me think about my life. Books that taught me about people and places, about how to live well and fully, to suck the marrow out of life. And my how to books. I love a good how to book. But you have places to go and people to see, so I should get on with it. I decided to choose the books that I loved and re read; not all of them, but the best and dearest. These are probably the ones I would grab in a fire. Jo of The Chalet School . by Elinor M Brent Dyer I read this when I was about 10. How I wished to go to a school like the chalet school! They lived in Austria (and then Anglesey) and they had goo dlessons like French with a French mistress, ...