Chrissy

.....bells could be heard tinkling to the tune of.......

1) My favourite hiking books have a hole in them. 2) I want posh and truly fluffy pillows - my present ones are flat. 3) My favourite times of the day are dawnbreak and twilight - it's when magic happens! 4) I have a giant mosaic picture in my mind that I plan on making this year. 5) I get wobbly and teary when I am tired and hungry.

You have a way of making recommendations Roxi that makes it hard to resist!

....then, on the horizon appeared.....

Jacket potatoes, salad and tinned mackerel!

Oh thank goodness, I thought it was just me! Phew!

Queens Of The Stone Age James Rayne Foo Fighters

I dip in and out of Neighbours and Home & Away. It doesn't take too long to catch up with it all. I think the Bridget thing is a little odd, I'm not comfortable with that one at all, especially as I think soaps can influence how people view their own problems - she should have told her mum and dad by now! Aside from that, I want Toady to finally be happy, I want Libby to stop taking herself so seriously and I want Steph to find an unusual hobby. Howzat?!

Pasta Sauce Fry an onion Throw tsp mixed herbs in with them. Add smoked bacon bits OR pancetta bits. Cook together. Rough chop a tin of tomatoes and add to pan. Pour over pasta of choice Sprinkle with cheese of choice and black pepper. Variations include adding any quick cooking vegetables. This is a great one when you're in a hurry, and works well with tortellini (those filled pasta thingys)

Funky Scrumpy Chicken (named by my son when he was about 7) Chicken thighs Can or cup of cider Tin of chicken soup Teaspoon (heaped) of Curry Powder Any casserole veg you like all chopped up Water to cover (once soup and cider are in) Throw all ingredients into a large lidded oven dish. Give it all a stir together. Cook on a medium temp (200/gas 6) for at least an hour and a half. Take the lid off for the last 1/2 hour. Serve with potatoes or rice. (Can be cooked in a large saucepan, but I take off the chicken skins for that!)

I don't think have a favourite Harry Potter, they each have something special to offer, be it wide eyed Harry in the first ones finding out about himself, to the moody Harry in later ones onward to heroic Harry who (miraculously) brings all the various threads together to defeat Ol' Vordy.

Now that shelf looks like a book shelf, not some random bit of painted wood that a few books landed on! You're broke because of books - what better reason?

The cat one is utterly gorgeous!

Yum! OH is out tonight, so it's a ready meal of sorts....I cooked it and froze it! It's chicken curry with rice tonight.

I think illustrations are incredibly important to a young reader. It helps with one's understanding of the narrative and enhances the reading experience. My son struggled with reading for many years, but got an enormous amount of confidence in his reading from the illustrations in books such as the many Dr. Seuss stories, and another firm favourite of The Monster Bed. In later years he went more for the macho manual and catalogues (lots of pictures again), and now in his twenties he is an avid reader (Hurray!). For myself, the illustrations in the CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia helped to bring the books to life and taught me that we all have an internal picture of what we read. Sometimes the illustrator has captured my visual impression of a story, and at other times I've felt that they saw something completely different from me. My first Chritmas present from my OH was a limited edition collectors' box of The Hobbit, with a hardcover copy, a booklet, a map (by J.Howe) and 8 postcards by Tolkein, plus a cd recording of Tolkein reading Bilbo's meeting with Gollum - How could I NOT have married this man!

I like that he isn't all fluffy and cuddly. Mr P has edge!

Hiya Dan!

We had Funky Scrumpy Chicken and rice! (Chicken thighs with chopped up veg, a can of cider, a cup of water and cooked for ages!)

Thanks for the heads up on this one Raven, perhaps closer to the date we could start a thread for the book and BBC adaptation! And the cast look pretty good - I'm a big Brian Cox fan (Manhunter did it for me!)

Every time I read the title of this thread I visualise a very stern looking woman with a pinched expression, glasses at the end of her nose, a severe hair style, black official looking clothes and a clip board looking disgusted at my book collection! This can't be healthy!

It's probably too easy to do as well, a day's work for a good amount of money - I just wish he'd chosen a classier ad, rather than this naff one!

We should do a giant BCF book meet in different open gardens up and down the country throughout the summer! We could all sit around reading and chatting! BCF Road Trip!

Oh, you had to mention the 'S' word! Cool drink, dappled sunlight, butterflies, bees, rustle of breeze through leaves, good book, and no pressing tasks. ROLL ON SUMMER!

Hawkwind, Lennard Skynard and Led Zeppelin.

*walks away humming* Two little boys had too little toys................................