and, um, still being spoiled...

Current work: TCVB (am planning to do some work today)
Listening to: various

Gorgeous day yesterday. Shoehorned the kids out of bed and went into town - picked up Madam’s flower girl shoes and an Alice band; sorted son’s tie; osteopath; lunch in the castle (very nice tomato and basil soup) and a quick look at the PRB exhibition as well as a chat to Elizabeth I. (A curator dressed as Elizabeth I… still a really interesting chat, though. I didn’t realise hip rolls were stuffed with cotton wool. Or that the ‘boning’ in a farthingale was often made of horn. Which reminds me: when the archaeologist book comes out, I need to nip into the museum and give a certain curator a copy, because a cookery exhibition she did was the lightbulb for my heroine’s job.)

And then we went to see The Water Horse. I’d seen mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I looked at my watch I was really surprised that 80 minutes had gone by – the last couple they’ve asked to see, I’ve checked the time every five bored minutes. Anyway. The young lad who played the main character was very good. The CGI was excellent. The scenery was breathtaking. And Ben Chaplin… it’s just great to see him back on the big screen. (He was fabulous in ‘The Truth About Cats and Dogs’.) Good performance by Emily Watson, too. (She was excellent in an adaptation of my favourite novel – The Mill on the Floss.) It wasn’t a romance, but there was definitely a love story in there and it’s sparked off a couple of ideas for me (on the basis that if that part of the story isn’t told, then tell it yourself).

Back home to find some nice post – and my mate Sarah Morgan sent me some gorgeous chocs from Hotel Chocolat. They are on my desk; meanwhile, everyone else in the family will be concentrating on the ones I’ve left on the dining room table. And I will smile serenely…

I also have Amazon vouchers to spend (brilliant); and then DH sneaked my birthday present from the children onto the patio and called me to look at something – and watched my reaction. I’ve wanted a bay tree on the patio ever since we had the architect’s drawings of the extension, three years ago, so I’m delighted. (It's staying indoors at the moment, though, to avoid the frost.)

Then we went out for dinner to Frankie & Benny’s - was OK, though not quite up to their usual standard. As it’s the Chinese New Year, the restaurant opposite had a bit of a party - including a Chinese dragon leaping about. (Sadly, son doesn’t like Chinese food or we might’ve gone there for a change.)

Plan for today: post office to return my proofs, tidying up, playing with the kids, and then my cousin-to-be’s parents are coming over this afternoon to sort out flower girly stuff. This evening, my best local friend is popping over. And in between I will sneak in some work.