tutu!

One night in 2004 a group of us girls from work got together at Liz’s house, we had a habit of doing that for certain TV show finale nights, so we could natter about things rather than go text crazy. (At least, that’s the excuse we use for a good girls night in!) This time was finale night for Sex and the City.

As usual we all tucked into nibbles and loads of alcohol! In fact by the time the program started I wasn’t really following it properly at all. I did however notice Carrie strolling along the street yet again dressed in one of her tutus. This immediately caused me to exclaim “what normal adult woman would even contemplate wearing a tutu!” I pretty soon followed this with a comment to my friend Charlie, another determinedly single person despite being in a long term relationship, that if she ever got married again (I didn’t think it was very likely) I would be her bridesmaid (what a cheek thinking that she would want me) and would wear a tutu (and let me pick my own outfit as well)!!

Time went on, and the conversation was long forgotten – I think the amount of alcohol consumed that night may have had some part in that for me. The next year Charlie and her man went on holiday to New York. Whilst they were away my parents visited the area and stayed at Charlie and her man’s house (it’s absolutely impossible for us all to fit in my tiny flat for any amount of time so this was an ideal opportunity for their visit). By the time Charlie and her man came home I had picked up my parents and taken them back to my place so we could spend some time together before I dropped them off at the station for their journey home. I was therefore a bit bemused when Charlie phoned and asked if we could pop back and visit them before going to the station.

When we got to the house we all sat ourselves down in their living room and had a bit of a chat about the holiday etc. I was then presented with a very pretty pale pink carrier bag that hardly weighed a thing. Very confused I looked at the bag, I hadn’t been expecting a present, Charlie and her man letting my parents stay at their house had been great. Eventually I tugged the drawstring top open and peered inside. I was even more bewildered, all I could see was a jumble of baby pink and a slightly deeper shade of pink netting. I tugged this out of the bag to reveal a minute tutu! You’ve probably drawn the conclusion far more quickly than I did! Charlie’s man had proposed to her whilst in New York, and she had said yes! Oh no!! I was going to look like a baby elephant in a pale pink tutu as a bridesmaid!!!

Well, the only reason I’ve been telling this story is as an excuse to post some pictures. I did wear the tutu, tight as it was, but only for the engagement party (over a long skirt and with a pair of matching pink cowboy boots). So that you can see how small the tutu was here is a picture of it on my teddy bear Bob (he was a bit embarrassed modelling it) who is about 21 inches / 54 cm tall. The reason that I took photos was I because I had decided the tutu was wasted stuck in a carrier bag at home and really ought to get some use. I therefore gave it to another of my work colleagues for his young daughter, who is very girly, after promising Charlie’s man (who had been dragged all around New York to hunt it down) that I would take loads of pictures of it first so we could remember it.

I didn’t have to wear a tutu as a bridesmaid; I didn’t even have to wear pretty pink. Charlie very kindly let me have a lot of choice in the bridesmaids’ outfits which were custom made for us in a lovely deep red. During the groom’s speech however I got a huge shock! Along with my gorgeous Tiffany bracelet I was presented with a tailor made, almost full length, tutu that perfectly matched and could be substituted for the skirt of the proper bridesmaids outfit. So I did end up wearing a tutu on Charlie’s wedding day (as did quite a few other people as it was passed from person to person including a lot of the guys)! In fact here's a picture of it on the best man - the real bridesmaid's skirt is next to it.

Warm chicken, Jerusalem artichoke and caper salad

A recipe from Mum, not sure which paper she got it from... serves 4-6 (so far too much for me - but will get round to trying a cut down version soon!)

500g Jerusalem artichokes
4 bulbs chicory, halved cored and sliced
3 heaped tablesp capers
400g cold cooked smoked chicken, or cooked streaky bacon, diced
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 tablesp olive oil

Dressing
1 teasp Dijon mustard
½ teasp. runny honey
25 ml white wine vinegar
75 ml extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

First make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a jam jar and shaking vigorously to combine. Parboil the Jerusalem artichokes in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender. Be careful, as they can go mushy quickly when they are cooked. Cut the J-chokes into slices (½cm to 1 cm thick) and toss them in the olive oil. Char-grill them in a griddle pan over a high heat until they are tender and nicely marked by the pan ridges. Toss them in the salad dressing along with all the other ingredients and serve.

Note:
Char-grilled J-chokes are great with a steak instead of chips.

Wales

Mum and Dad moved to North Wales in October 2000, to a place called Deganwy. I don't visit as much as I should, although probably more than I did when they lived the other side of London!

Here is a photo I took when I did visit in June 2002. It's up in Conwy Castle, which is just across the bay from where Mum and Dad are. I had a few moments of panic trying to wander round at this height, it was even worse at the top of one of the towers!

If I were to move to Wales, which Mum keeps trying to persuade me to do, I would love to have a little place within Conwy's town walls. It's a small town with character and lots of little shops filled with wonderful stuff. These shops include my favourite butchers shop, Edwards of Conwy, which also includes a delicious deli. Mum takes me there to stock up on tasty food every time I visit.

Another place to visit in Conwy, just down on the waterfront, is the littlest house in Britain. It's tiny, as you can see from the picture (the lady standing outside wasn't very tall) but if I remember correctly two people used to live in there! It is actually two floors with the "bedroom" upstairs.

Nearby, just outside the town centre, is Conwy Butterfly Jungle, which is an enclosed jungle type garden full of beautiful tropical butterflies. I took loads of photos there but seem to have lost most of them. They were really stunning.

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