A great read

During the time we were offline (when the laptop was not working), my friend Eliza lent me "My Take, Gary Barlow".

For those that know me well I loved Take That the first time round and was overjoyed when Take That 2 emerged. Gary was always my favourite member and I was really keen to read his book when Eliza lent it to me.

Believe me I could not put it down, I would grab every opportunity I had to read it.

Gary shows his love for music and the highs and lows of the music industry. He shares his journey from his childhood in Cheshire to life during and after Take That. It is a really honest book, sharing the truth about his relationship with Robbie and his controlling manager Nigel. I also love the personal details he shares about the relationship with his parents, his wife Dawn and the other members of the band, his caring nature really comes to the forefront.

The most shocking part of the book for me was when he was caught up in the July 7th 2005 terrorist attacks (I did shed a tear).

Even if you are not a Take That fan or even a Gary Barlow fan, I would highly recommend this honest book, it's well worth a read.

Thanks to Eliza for lending it to me.

I'm back

Finally, after a couple of weeks of being cut off from the virtual world of the Internet, our laptop has now been fixed and I am back in touch with the rest of the world.

When the laptop first stopped working, I was lost. I could not email my friends, do online shopping, do our online banking and of course write my blog. I felt so frustrated, especially in the evenings when I like to surf (especially when there is nothing on TV) and catch up with the messages and tips on netmums.

However, after a few days I started to think what did we all do before we had the Internet and e-mail? So instead of e-mailing friends I would actually pick up the phone and talk and do you know it was so much nicer. Instead of surfing the web in the evenings I began to read, something I have not done for quite some time. I also found I had so much more time to do things about the house.

The web has become such a big part of everyone's lifestyles that you do forget how you lived your life before it was invented.

Now the laptop is working and we are back online, of course I am pleased as I can keep in touch with my friends easier, but I have found myself not spending quite as much time on it and continuing the activities I had taken up when I did not have it.

It has ended up not being a bad thing that we went without it for a couple of weeks as it has made me rediscover other things I love.

Out of action

Just to let you all know in case you have been wondering as to the cause of my recent inaction on the blogging front - I have been having difficulty accessing the web due to my PC having major problems.

I am currently trying to find a solution for this and hope to be back to it ASAP.

Is bigger best?

Having been into town today to visit my local butcher it got me thinking about using local shops versus the big supermarkets.

I have brought all of our meat at our local butchers for nearly two years and I have never been disappointed by the excellent quality. Many people hold the misconception that the meat is more expensive at a butchers, but believe me it isn't, it's either around the same or on many occasions cheaper.

I also really like the fact that the trip to the butchers each week is more personal than the service you receive at a supermarket. It's great to be able to talk to people who have a genuine interest in you and the local area. They take the time out to ask how you are, something which does not happen when you finally reach the till at one of the big stores.

In an attempt to help the local economy and the environment, we also use a milkman and get a number of products from him including eggs, potatoes, bread and fruit juice. I know for a fact the potatoes are from a farm about one mile away and the eggs come from a farm in Leicestershire.

My next mission is to buy our fruit and vegetables from the local greengrocers, I will try this next week when I go into town.

I know that it takes more time to go into several smaller shops rather than one big supermarket where everything is under one roof but the experience is so much nicer and you get the satisfaction of supporting your local economy and environment too.

Do you shop at the supermarket or local smaller shops? I would love to hear your experiences.

Friends and food

The weekend was one of those occasions when you look back and smile with pleasure as you remember happy times. One of those weekends where you take time out to do the things that weekends were made for.

It was wonderful catching up with old friends, sharing our latest news and simply enjoying each other's company.

Our friends were fab hosts and cooked some delicious meals for us. I am looking forward to receiving the recipes from Beth, in particular the ginger cake she made was just fantastic. Natalie's sweet potato soup was divine, really tasty and again I must get the recipe as it is something I would love to cook at home.

Natalie also shared her latest cookery book with me, there is nothing nicer than having a glass of wine whilst flicking through colourful pages of tempting new recipes.

Friends, food and fun... just brilliant.