Ginger & Hot Syrup Pudding

Bleeargh!!! Today's dessert is a complete waste of cakey cravings. I can't bear ginger. Unless it's with spring onions and chicken.

However, a cheeky dessert surprise did catch me off guard earlier today. Chocolate chip Snack-a-jacks!! I couldn't believe that puffed rice could be so tastey. Honestly! Normally they're the domain of savoury snacks, I know , I know, but give it a try. I think it's the chocolate chips that do it for me.

Other dessert news....

On Sunday whilst in Brighton I went to Bills for a soya latte (ooh! get me!) and, obviously, a small wedge of cake - it had been an exhausting walk after all. I was shopping for furniture and that can wear a person down.

Anyway, back to the cake. I ordered fig, berry and franzipan cake. When it arrived I felt like I'd just stepped into dessert Narnia! I couldn't believe it! The cake looked like a huge slice of glossy, fairytale garden. It was a towering fruit pile with tons of sprigs of heather and flowers poking from every sugary nook and cranny! That lasted for about 4.7 seconds - until I got my eating irons into it! Then it just collapsed into a dessert heap. 6.7 seconds later it was just a creamy, jammy smear left on my plate. Fortunately my latte was quite hot so it took a while to polish that off, otherwise I'd have been sat idly gawping at my chums who daintily pecked and nibbled at their cake. Actually, the other half had boiled eggs with soldiers. I was really envious of that too - I love boiled eggs.

Hmm. What else...? The flat in Hove is taking shape - if a little devoid of furniture, but as I spent most of my time gadding about looking for furniture to buy or looking for new coffee & cake pit-stops, I was hardly there.

Okey dokey. Ever onward and time to turn my attentions to some work. How inconvenient!

Apple & Walnut Sponge

Sponge. Sponge. Just say it over a few times to yourselves.... It's a fab word isn't it? I love the word 'sponge'. Dunno why. Just do. Probably 'cos I love eating it too.

Anyhoo... Things have happened since last blogging. I've taken possession of my new flat in Hove which is abso-bloomin-lutely marvellous. It's close to the sea and the day after moving in we sat on the beach with cups of coffee and, of course, cake. I love the seaside in autumn/wintertime. The sea is so much more interesting when it's being thrashed up to the beach by stiff force 9 to be dumped, frothing noisily on the sand, or pebbles in Hove's case.
A downside of the Brighton/Hove coastline is the monstrous, mutating seagulls that strut swaggeringly up and down the seafront. They have bags of attitude and are gigantic. Really! Some are the size of a small family hatchback! What with those sneaky, beady eyes and those awful yellow beaks (which often have a cruel and cunning smile - I swear), they're a real threat to seaside enjoyment - not to mention the chaos they cause to car cleanliness! I am now resolutely dedicated to disliking them. A friend is often terrorised by pushy gulls and often has to find new routes to favoured places as local gull-gangs hang out frightening tourists into handing over burgers, candyfloss and keys to their hotel rooms for ransacking. I have pledged my time in Hove (apart from drinking, eating and making merry) to facing up to this nasty element of coastal life and making sure that they don't own the beach. Perhaps if they were smaller and cuter it would be ok....

Treacle Tart

Treacle tart. Let's think. Dunno. I'm in a confused food mood today. Nothing took my fancy and, as we all know, I really hate that. I had noodles and salad stuff again. Is that healthy? Not sure about the noodle bit. I'm sure Atkins devotees would swoon at the very thought of a carb laden noodle adding at least an ounce of fat to my fleshier parts. On the other hand... noodles don't have any fat in them. Do they?
Anyway. Treacle tart is a a veritable coronary-fest so it's probably a good job I haven't bothered.

Speaking of not bothering... I haven't bothered with any exercise for ages. Must be about a month now. I'm noticing a little tightening in my trousers - and not in a good/pleasing way if you catch my drift. I'm going to have to give in and start exercising again. Eek! I wish I could enjoy it like all of those grinning, bicep-bulging fitness fiends. Alas. I fear I shall never enjoy it. I just get sweaty and go red - no healthy glow of perspiration for me, just soaking, dripping unattractiveness. All I want is a flat stomach and upper arms that a movie star/male model would weep/kill/give their first-born for. I don't think that's too much to ask. If there are any super efficient, highly benevolent fitness trainers dropping by who'd love to take up my case (for free of course - I'll write your fitness blog in return...?), then I'd be willing to comit to fitness. It would also be great if said 'fitness instructor' were to be well turned out and... well.... attractive. Is that un- PC? Well, it's only a wish list!

I'm impressed I've blogged 2 days in a row. My blog is a bit dull today so apologies all. I'm feeling uninspired by gloomy weather and boring lunch. Perhaps I could look forward to dinner (ever the optimist!)

Chocolate and Orange Sponge with White Chocolate Sauce

Right. Not sure if I'm loving the idea of today's dessert. It makes me feel a bit nause. Mind you, that may be because I've eaten like I've been locked in a cupboard for the last 2 weeks! Since lunch (which was substantial in a salady/noodley kind of way), I've eaten 2 minty chocolate digestives, which were a revelation I have to say, a variety of other biscuits including chewy choc chip ones, a whole doughnut and a massive handful of jellybeans. Yowsers! The only pus in all of this - apart from the sheer delight of cramming a range of sugar based snacks down my throat - is that they were all free! Minty digestives couteousy of my colleague - thanks Adele - and the rest was delivered by a temping agency that we use in our office - thank you to them too.

I need a nice long nap now. Maybe a cup of tea.

I have a meeting in a bit but I'm quite sleep and lethargic. I think I shall take a note pad and look attentive but have lovely daydreams instead. I hope I'm not expected to answer questions.......

Oh, since you asked and all.... New York was fantastic! I drank far too many Tartinis and ate far too much of whatever was put in front of my continually open mouth. Great!

Other news this week is that my flat purchase in Hove is now moving on apace. It's all come as a bit of a surprise really as it was quiet on that score for a while. It looks like we can collect the keys on Friday - Yay! I shall then be able to live a more relaxed lifestyle splitting my time between the giddy headrush of London and the salty-aired calm of Hove. Aaahhh!