The Time Bubble

On a day like today, there really is no point in cooking. Claire is not here on a Monday evening, and it's pointless me slaving over a hot stove for the children in this weather when they are hot and irritable and would rather have a sandwich. I didn't really feel like a hot meal either - however as tea time approached I felt one of my cheese cravings coming on. Fortunately this was a good thing as I am well stocked up on cheese at present. Not only do I still have some of the famous French "Stink Cheese" that Jo and Alex brought back from France but I took advantage of a very attractive priced jubilee special edition cheese pack in Tesco the other day. Same thing I bought, minus the Union Jack packaging (see footnote #1 below). What's this, I hear you gasp? You are praising a Tesco offer, Bicester Blogger - are you ill? No - I did say you had to sort the wheat from the chaff and this little baby at £3 a throw was too good to miss. I was also fortunate...

So - what's been happening. Let's backtrack over the week. Firstly, the French Market came to town. How I love it, you've probably been able to tell from my status updates. Beware strange smells around this stall. So - yesterday morning myself and the family went for a long leisurely stroll up and down the market. I was absolutely full of the french spirit - I even put on a little "perfume" - which I bought at Lush on Friday which I was assured was suitable for men as well as women (hopefully). So, smelling like the proverbial tart's window box - off we went. It was bright and early but already busy but strangely I did not see any of my friends. I was quite surprised as to why as I had promised any one I saw, male or female a double kiss on the cheek French Style. It was almost as if they didn't want to. Now having recently returned from France I am pretty clued up on what things cost - and a lot of things on the French market are very overpric...

Well here I am safely returned from across, or should I say, under "La Manche". Luckily the old gits did not succeed in their plan! http://www.casttv.com/video/hkrq7f4/harry-enfield-old-gits-channel-tunnel-video Alex picked me up at 6am and we were set fair on the drive to Folkestone. Apart from the usual slowdown around the M25 we made it in good time, in fact we were able to get a train half an hour before the scheduled one. This was my first time for me through the channel tunnel, and how easy was it? Amazingly so. When I think of the aggravation of the past, getting on and off ferries, not to mention the horror of the airport experience these days, this was a piece of the proverbial. If you haven't been, you literally drive your car straight into a train, park up, sit there and crack open the flask of coffee, sit back and relax, off goes the train and about 40 minutes later drive out the other end, hey presto! You're in France! Inside the train ...

Right let's get this out of the way first. As you may have heard, I went shopping in Oxford today. Had a bit of credit on my credit card to use up so decided the treat myself to a few new clothes. As is often the case the vast majority of my expenditure took place in Animal, apart from 2 shirts I bought in Debenhams. Why? Because it's good quality stuff, at good prices (i.e. not rip off Bicester Village prices or cheap tat from Primani). I like the designs, they suit me (most clothes don't sit well on me), they last a long time, and I just like the shop and the people in it. Always helpful to me, and go out of their way. Anyway I bought 2 T-shirts, a laptop bag, a satchel bag, a new fleeces for me and decided to treat Claire as well to a new fleece, plus the above pictured boxers. I am wearing the black pair as I type should you wish to picture it. Now all well and good, unfortunately when I got home I discovered that I'd somehow mislaid the 2 T-shirts. Decied to...