Esiotrot

Tonight I made Multi grain bread which has turned out ok - bit dense for my liking but then realised I used the white setting instead of the Wholewheat/grain setting. You live and learn! Then I made a Fat Free Yogurt Cake - the recipe had orange zest in it but I substituted cinnamon and added a couple of handfuls of raisins - its just baked and its is amazing! Am on a hunt for the best deal on a Bread maker and writing a list of the ingredients I need to get tomorrow!

Yum! fresh bread smell in the morning - might even put me in a better mood - I am NOT a morning person LOL! I just love that I will know exactly what goes into my bread and can add different things to create my own flavours. Good quality bread (I love seeded bread) is so expensive now I grudge paying up to £2 for a loaf every few days. I did it the easy way this time instead of buying all the ingredients I bought a packet of Multigrain bread mix from Lidls for 90p which will make 2 loaves. Cant wait for it to be ready. Unfortunately hand making it isnt an option due to dodgy wrists.

I have been after a breadmaker for ages but as I am a kitchen gadget freak (many gadgets gathering dust in cupboards) OH has banned me from getting one as he doesn't think I will use it. Today I borrowed his Mums one for a try out and due to the mouthwatering smell currently filling the house I reckon I could talk him round LOL! Anyone have a Breadmaker? Would you recommend your model? Any hints or tips as always appreciated KxXx

Glad they went. Jenny - was a snake who turned every word said in the boardroom to her advantage and blaming others for her own mistakes. Jen - hmmm still not sure about her but she did no preparation at all, didn't pay attention to the details and that was her down fall. To go next ~ Claire has so far tried to undermine every Project manager she has worked for not nice to watch, dont think she will last much longer. Michael is a arrogant, ignorant, idiot IMO - good Jewish boy? ridiculous! Being a Scottish lass I didnt appreciate Margaret's comments about Edinburgh University, I have 2 cousins and various friends who have just completed Degrees there. What factual evidence did she have to found her views? I think Helene is a strong contender but they show very little of her - whats the reason? perhaps we will see more of her now J&J have gone. Prediction for final 3 is still ~ Lee, Alex and Helene.

2 people going tonight!

Hmmm that sounds good too - think the meatballs might win as I cant be bothered to peel tatties LOL!

Yummm that sounds good! searching on the Good Food Website but not coming up with much

I have lamb mince - usually use it for moussaka but am trying to come up with something different. Any ideas?

I have both but they are quite far down mount TBR. Will toss a coin which to read first and report back. KX

Hi Janet - You probably read my review in my reading list thread. I started a bookring for the book so created a seperate thread with the review incase folks wanted to discuss after they have read it. KxXx

Oooh loads! My favourite books this year so far are ~ The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell But the beauty of this forum is that there are so many recommendations and reviews, have a look round

Hi Kate, I have 'Nineteen Minutes' waiting on my Mount TBR, really looking forward to starting it. If you enjoy Jodi Picoults work I would highly recommend you try ' My Sisters Keeper' (my favourite) 'The Pact' and 'Plain Truth'. KxXx

Sounds like it could be for me - I really enjoyed Memory Keepers Daughter and loving Maggie O'Farrells work so far. Thanks Michelle

Hi Mags, I have picked up Notes From An Exhibition a couple of times but havent as yet acquired it. I would be interested to hear what you thought of it? KxXx

I agree LR06 - didnt think much of him at all, the look on Sir Alans face when he shouted out was priceless. From Michaels comments at the end I take it he was a friend of Kevins. BTW I am loving the deeper involvement of Margaret and Nick - especially when they contradict a contestant and land them in it!

Kevin deserved to go - he was rubbish, what a stupid idea! They tried hard to make Sara a scapegoat which was unfair - she did offer a few ideas but was shouted down by Jenny who was hell bent on ensuring her idea was chosen. Kevin was clutching at straws bringing Sara back into the boardroom, Jenny should have been there. I still like Alex he keeps his mouth shut and doesnt get involved in the bitching but the look on his face says it all - not sure if he is proving his worth though. 2 uncomfortable points - Jenny and Helene's treatment of Lucinda, she was reduced to a tea girl by the looks of it, she isnt a strong enough character to make it. Lee shouting at Sara when she returned to the house - uncalled for and has slightly changed my opinion of him. Favs are still Alex, Helene and Lee.

Synopsis At fifty, Pippa Lee seems just fine. The devoted wife of a brilliant publisher thirty years her senior, the proud mother of successful twins, and a lovely and adored friend and neighbour, she seems to glow with feminine serenity. But when her husband spontaneously decides they should cast off Gramercy Park for Marigold Village retirement home, as a "preemptive strike against his decrepitude," Pippa finds her beatific persona unravelling in alarming ways.The truth is, the gracious woman of the present day has seen more than her fair share of the wild side. By seventeen, Pippa has lived with a Dexedrine addicted mother, felt the first stirrings of sexuality with a school girlfriend, had an affair with a teacher, and run away from home, set adrift on a course littered with broken hearts - until she found love and security in a family of her own.And now that seemingly established world, too, is in danger.In Pippa Lee we have an unforgettable heroine, and a quirky and acutely intelligent portrait of the many lives behind a single name. Even after we've read it, "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" is a story that is still unfurling. At the start of this novel you are lulled into reading a story about a 50 year old wife and her 80 year old husband. On his suggestion they have sold everything and moved to 'wrinkle village' a retirement complex. Pippa plays the perfect housewife, adores her husband and panders to his needs but she is not entirely happy with her lot. When a neighbours troubled son arrives on the scene I felt the book was going down a predictable route, but it then take an unexpected twist. The middle section of the book is Pippa relaying her life from birth until she married her husband. It explores her relationships in particular with her mother. There are parts of this section which made me raise my eyebrows as she leaves home and disappears into a spiral of drugs. I felt she was easily led and was constantly seeking the unconditional love of a parent figure. She lacks ambition and responsibility, she allows others into her life at the deepest level and then drops them and runs. The book ends back in the present with a few more discoveries about Pippa and those surrounding her. Pippa is a strange character - not what she appears on the surface, I would like to know what becomes of her. The book is articulately written, the author creates believable characters and relationships. Womans fiction with a dark undertones, I enjoyed it and will certainly look out for her next book. 7/10 Interesting info on the author - she is married to Daniel Day Lewis and is the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller. I am offering this book as a Bookring, please sign up here if your interested.

Join in Michelles Book ring - http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5244&highlight=geology KxXx

How do you post your books? I have always used Jiffy bags or equivalent but have noticed a few arriving to me of late in strong envelopes which would be cheaper. Thanks in advance for any replies/ advice

22. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan ~ 6 Synopsis It is June, 1962. In a hotel on the Dorset coast, overlooking Chesil Beach, Edward and Florence, who got married that morning, are sitting down to dinner in their room. Neither is entirely able to suppress their anxieties about the wedding night to come ..."On Chesil Beach" is another masterwork from Ian McEwan - a story about how the entire course of a life can be changed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken. At only 166 pages this short book delves deep into the lives of Edward and Florence for few hours on their wedding night. The insight into each of their fears and expectations conveyed the period very well. McEwans style of writing is very descriptive, almost to the point of irritation for me. The majority of the book moves very slowly and in comparison the ending felt very rushed. I actually think it would have been better to leave the story open ended or to continue it into a longer novel.

I really wanted Claire to go - asides the exclusivity thing Lucinda's team definitely performed better. IMHO Claire was rubbish and her team were not much better - it was sheer luck of getting that last deal that saved them, they deserved to loose. I think it was Alex who said if you 'fail to prepare and be prepared to fail' and that said it all about Claire's organisational skills. My favs this week are Alex, Helene and Lee.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Nice to read you Kelly KxXx

21. Nobody Loves a Ginger Baby by Laura Marney ~ 8 Synopsis Everybody's on anti-depressants. Not being happy all the time makes them stressed out of their tights. Carol practises uninhibited sex which ends with her panty liner stuck to the bottom of someone's shoe. Donnie, after a mystery bite in a third world country, thinks he's incubating a nest of spiders up his bum. Daphne gets fat. She makes soup all the time and wonders if Woolworth's sell a hose pipe to fit a Vauxhall Vectra. Pierce is a poet; a fat balding womaniser who's only steady relationship is with a cup at the sperm bank. He's the only one not on anti-depressants, and he's the hero. Both my OH and my daughter have red hair so I felt compelled to read this book - expecting a rant against redheads I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this book it was believable, dry, funny and sad. I dont remember the last time I actually laughed out loud while reading a book but just thinking about Donnie on the cruise still starts me off laughing! There is some adult content in this book - one incident in particular goes into a bit too much detail. This didnt bother me but has made me a wee bit concerned about lending it to my M-I-L who wants to read it as she has had 3 ginger baby's - think I will have to give her a warning. The author is Scottish and quite a bit of the dialogue might need a second glance if your not Scottish but nothing that isnt easily understood. Having previously read 'No Wonder I Take a Drink' by Ms Marney, which was ok but nothing outstanding, I was apprehensive about Ginger Baby. But all in all a great book, I would heartily recommend it to anyone wanting a laugh.

That sounds like the kind of book I need to read just now - to give me a boot up the bum! Off to have a look for it... Have you read any of her other books? Kx