THIS WEEK! I don't even know. I've had the kind of week where it feels like I've been really busy, only I haven't really, but I haven't been at home very much either? Which is fine, but it just makes me feel like I've been really busy, and now it's Saturday and I am the sleepiest. I've done some running, I've done some shopping, I had a lunch with my mum, I had a dinner with my parents, I did extra work... Let's just say, I've done some stuff.
But let's go on and I'll tell you about my Friday because it's basically the busiest day I've had all year and in spite of myself, I totally enjoyed it. So in the morning, I got up early-for-me and went to Richmond for the ultra important meeting up with the lovely Bex. As well as, her lovely husband Rhys, lovely child Benji, and her lovely bump that I hopefully didn't violate too much with all the touching (IT IS A BABY BUMP HOW AM I GOING TO NOT TOUCH IT?!) As is the way of my life, I didn't get any pictures of actual people, BUT I did get a great cake picture and isn't that just as good?
Mmmmm, rainbow cake...
Bex and I shared that piece because their slices are huge and VERY expensive, and we are thrifty mofos. Also neither of us seemed to want the green bit, so Ben got most of that. NOT that it made him hyper for the rest of the morning or anything...
We were. All of us. So much sugar...
And so, flying high on sugar and feeling fancy free, we proceeded to the bookshops of Richmond where of course none of us bought any books for we are restrained and sensible and did I mention we were thrifty earlier? Because that's a thing that's definitely true...
OK, so you want to see what I bought? FINE. It's all Bex's fault anyway. Probably.
So the top two books I got in this independent bookshop (I KNOW) called The Open Book, my excuse for which is that I've been in there a few times but have never bought anything, so I feel bad about that. Or, I should say felt, because look! I obviously needed a new JCO book to read (and there's a Stephen King recommendation of the cover so everything was just colliding there) and I just finished The Keep and only have Look At Me to go before I've read all the Egan, which is obviously something I need to do. The other three I got in Oxfam (Richmond's Oxfam is reaaaaally good) and I don't really have reasons for them... Other than that Margaret Atwood is an autobuy author for me, so yeah.
All too soon though, I had to say bye to Bex and the husband and the baby (and the bump) and go to work, where I tried valiantly to fight off the biggest sugar low since, I don't know, ice cream. I'm not sure I succeeded, but it was ok since after work I had to rush home, eat something really quickly so I could go out again for drinks with the work people. Which I wasn't massively into because my basic opinion of going out is 'I have to leave the house? At night? To see people?!' but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun and I'm glad I went *files this away as useful information to remember*.
So yeah, that was Friday! And now it's Sunday (WINK) but if it was Saturday, I'd tell you that I'm trying to read King Lear because it's the Ides of March (I've already read Julius Caesar, shut up) which I should have posted about ON Saturday only I didn't because I'm a fool and hadn't read it. But let's ignore that and just go yay! Shakespeare! Or something. HOW IS EVERYONE IS IT SUNNY WHERE YOU ARE YET?
All too soon though, I had to say bye to Bex and the husband and the baby (and the bump) and go to work, where I tried valiantly to fight off the biggest sugar low since, I don't know, ice cream. I'm not sure I succeeded, but it was ok since after work I had to rush home, eat something really quickly so I could go out again for drinks with the work people. Which I wasn't massively into because my basic opinion of going out is 'I have to leave the house? At night? To see people?!' but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun and I'm glad I went *files this away as useful information to remember*.
So yeah, that was Friday! And now it's Sunday (WINK) but if it was Saturday, I'd tell you that I'm trying to read King Lear because it's the Ides of March (I've already read Julius Caesar, shut up) which I should have posted about ON Saturday only I didn't because I'm a fool and hadn't read it. But let's ignore that and just go yay! Shakespeare! Or something. HOW IS EVERYONE IS IT SUNNY WHERE YOU ARE YET?
Oh that cake looks so good! I would eat it all, even the green bit, because ever since getting pregnant all I want is delicious sweet, sugary food. I blame the husband, because I didn't even really like sweet food until now.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin is having the same issues! Or, you know, not even issues, just urges for sugar haha. I completely encourage your going to a Hummingbird Bakery and getting some rainbow cake, man!
DeleteAwww, cake and babies... WHAT A FRICKIN' AMAZING CAKE. My stepdad's made chocolate-topped choc vanilla marble cake this week but that only has TWO colours in it. It's been lovely and sunny here, especially today, so I've been sitting outside reading and pretending to be a normal human bean for a bit. Give Mum a break from the crazies and all. I wasn't reading Shakespeare, but I WAS reading a book about libraries, which is quite intellectual I reckon. So... good for me. With chocolate topping and pizza and other nice things. Yes. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it so good?! One day I will get you down here and we will go and have cake and it will be magnificent. We might even get a slice EACH! (Note: I don't recommend this course of action. MASSIVE slices, Ellie. Like woah.)
DeleteI'm happy you've been outside reading cause THAT is the only sensible thing to do on a day like this and also vitamin D- I hear that that's useful! I had to stop after act one of King Lear because I only have a GIANT complete works of Shakespeare and that was completely incompatible with leaving the house and doing stuff, so. GOOD FOR YOU INDEED though, I LOVE YOU!!!
WHAT AN AMAZING CAKE! Where did you find that? I haven't been to Richmond for a couple of years but it's not far from where I went to uni, and I still have friends and family in the area. I must search out this cakery and buy colourful cake!
ReplyDeleteIt has been beautiful on the Isle of Wight today, and I went to the beach with my friend. We spent most of the time completely ignoring each other with our noses in books. Isn't that how one is supposed to have a beach day with friends?
Yay Shakespeare! I haven't read King Lear since my first year at uni and don't remember all that much about it. Must reread. I love Shakespeare. Read Coriolanus recently. (Nothing to do with all the stuff on my twitter feed about Tom Hiddleston acting in the play this year. Nope.)
There's a Hummingbird Bakery in Richmond now! (wait... I have to back up because I think I just assume everyone knows what the Hummingbird Bakery is! They have like 5 branches in Central London and and now there's one about 8 minutes away from me on the train and eeeee!) Where did you go to uni? Because, awesome!!
DeleteI believe that is how you're supposed to have a beach day with friends (ahhh, beach days...) but my friends never let me read when I'm with them! I might need new friends... lol.
I have never read King Lear before which is always surprising to me, and it's basically the last REALLY famous one I haven't read (I think... Also Much Ado About Nothing, but that's got to be less famous) so I'm going for it. I'm mostly annoyed that I forgot to read it BEFORE the Ides of March so I could post about it ON Saturday. But never mind.
Much Ado is more famous than King Lear because HELLO BENEDICK AND BEATRICE. It was also a Kenneth Branagh movie AND a David Tennant/Catherine Tate play, and it's funny and a bit like a very early Nora Ephron effort. Ergo: more famous than Lear, which I don't even know anything about except presumably it's about a king. :)
DeleteTHERE'S A HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY IN RICHMOND?! Oh, I know very well what the Hummingbird bakery is; I have one of their cookbooks and go into the Wardour Street shop every time I'm in central London with a couple of pounds to spare. I was at Kingston uni, and my sister now lives in the Worcester Park area, so not very far on the bus or train.
DeleteI went to see the Tennant and Tate "Much Ado" when it was on in London - brilliant and hilarious. Also Joss Whedon directed a black-and-white film of it last year or the year before, with Amy Acker and Alexis Denisoff and most of the actors who just keep popping up in all his work. Usually I prefer the tragedies, but I love Much Ado, mainly because of the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice. I love those characters.
That cake is so pretty
ReplyDeleteI am still confused though. You're reading King Lear because of the Ides of March? Whatnow? I mean, I don't want to discourage any Shakespeare reading (even if Lear makes me eye roll because COME ON, CORDELIA, just tell the man what he wants and you can save everyone a lot of death). But YAY SHAKESPEARE
Such a beautiful cake. And BUBBLEGUM ICING, Alley!!
DeleteOk, so I know the Ides of March is technically a Caesar thing, but I associate it with Shakespeare so it's like my personal Shakespeare day I try to read a play on/blog about a play on... Not that either has actually worked this year, but NEVER MIND, I started one! ALSO I haven't read King Lear before which annoys me, so yeah. Want to finish.
I really like that Atwood cover, like reaaallly A LOT.
ReplyDeleteAlso, CAKE. I made a tiramisu cake this weekend (well, a coffee cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate flakes, CLOSE ENOUGH) and it was the first one I'd made in ages and ughhhhhhh so good. You know when I come to England we're just going to visit book and cake shops right?
Do you? I kind of don't like the covers or the green spines or much about the (I think) Persephone editions, which makes me feel bad but whatever.
DeleteCAKKKKKKKKKE! I haven't baked for so long. Except brownies which I don't count cause they take about 3 seconds to make. Of COURSE all we're going to do is visit book and cake shops. I think I'm pretty much getting to know more cake than book shops at this point, so it'll be awesome. Just make sure you come in (our) winter so you feel fine about putting on extra padding in the belly area ;) Hehehe
My mum had a bunch of books with those covers, so aside from quite enjoying the illustrations (I really like futurism and cubism which this sort of hints at) I think it's also a nostalgia thing.
DeleteWe can do two cake shops to the one book shop, which is probably for the best since the money we spend on books will far outweigh the money we'll spend on cakes. Probably.
Rainbow cake UH JEALOUS. I love that you guys hang out and hope that one day I'll be able to go on cake and book sprees too!
ReplyDeleteCOME AND SEEEEEEE US! We will buy you cake and hypnotise you into buying books somehow (still don't really know how that happened, honestly!)
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