Pruning Extravaganza

Having not had an ounce of sun until this weekend, our back garden has been sorely overlooked. However, as temperatures soared to 26°C (79°F) on Saturday, it was time to get to work. Now all we need are some chairs and a table and summer is officially under way.

David & Rose's Wedding

In yet another trip to the north, Jim and I were honoured to attend David and Rose's wedding in Sheffield.

Wrapped up in the festivities was an overnight stay with Vicky and Sharon which introduced me to fish finger sandwiches and homemade Sloe Gin, as well as many random facts about the glories of Wigan.

The following afternoon we were treated to a fantastic BBQ at Tom and Margaret's complete with gorgeous guacamole and plenty of oohs and aahs over new lady Lily.

The Long Awaited Arrival Of Hannah

This weekend Jim and I made the voyage north to Leeds to meet our lovely new niece, Hannah.

Operation Garlic

It seems this latest surge of visitors is not random at all but part of a larger operation, Operation Garlic. Though many of you may already know this, it appears that young Jim has been working in secret to gather all of my friends into one spot to surprise me. As it is nowhere near my birthday, I was expecting nothing more than cheesecake on the night of March 8th. Thank you to everyone who came, called or sent an email. It has really meant the world to me.

And a very special thanks goes out to Rob & Ryn who made a special weekend trip all the way from Boston to attend.

And of course, thank you to my better half for spending months putting this all together and throwing me a fantastic surprise party. (Also for eventually buying me the afore-mentioned cheesecake.)

Mong & Aaron!

Even more surprise visitors! Our good friends, Mong and Aaron, made the long trip from L.A. to visit us this week. Though it was a wonderful surprise to see them on our doorstep (yet another trick played by my sneaky little hubby), I wish I would have taken Jim's suggestion of showering before he left to "watch football". Stink or no, it was wonderful to have them here!

We managed to make it to Cambridge, around London and of course, to a football match.

Lizard!

The ever charismatic Liz was in town this week and hasn't changed one bit since our roomie days in Madison. Unfortunately I spent the majority of the time she was here in bed recovering from a wicked cold. None the less, we were able to fit in some of the "Must sees" of London and a night at the symphony.

JAMIE!

I've just spent 11 days showing my little sis around London. We did the usual sights and managed to throw in the Rambo premiere in Leicester Square.

We made a 4 day trip to Porto in Portugal. The weather was lovely and the Port tasting even lovelier. Though a relatively small city despite being the second largest in Portugal, it's excellent for just aimlessly wandering around and lounging.

Finally, we managed a quick 24 hour jaunt to Amsterdam in The Netherlands where the weather was less than lovely but the city still beautiful. We braved the rainy mid-morning weather to make it inside the famed Anne Frank house which was surprisingly large inside and not an attic. It's none the less a moving experience which I highly recommend.

Preparations Are Well Under Way...

In a move that may prove Jim is the greatest husband who ever lived, he has secretly arranged for my sister to come to visit! Thanks to the sneakiness of Jim, my sister and mother, I was left completely unaware. However, now that I know she's arriving tomorrow, the work schedule on the guest bedroom has been drastically pushed up.

Could It Be?

While taking out the overflowing trash I noticed that the bulbs Jim's lovely mother gave me last fall are coming up! The first bulb planting in my own soil and success is mine!

Skillz to Pay the Bills

I don't normally post messages about my friends but I'm about to break the rule for an old Neversoft colleague. My old mate Aaron has concocted this wonderfully unique controller for Guitar Hero that lets you play the game as if you were scratching a turn table. Why didn't Activision think of this?



Top stuff Aaron.