lost limbs and autumn leaves

Lovely weekend. Very funny.

Most Fridays I go out drinking. Recently I have decided I need to go home and have a hot bath and dinner and red wine with Sophie, Matt and Clyde. Somehow Sophie managed to cut her finger open cooking dinner. I am still unsure whether we had pasta and meatballs in a red sauce or pasta and her blood and stump. She showed me the tea towel she had wrapped her finger in. It wasn't white anymore that is for sure.

On Saturday Matt disappeared very very early to see if he could get a hair appointment and to see his dad. Me and Sophie stayed in bed until at least midday when we decided we needed to get up and have a cup of tea and something to eat. Had a lovely wander down our high street and sat in a cafe called Cookie for a rather tasty tuna baguette.

We take our tea very seriously:
Me: Can we have 2 strong teas too please
Sophie: *whispering* Did you say strong??
Me: 2 strong teas
Man: Yep
Me: Just a tiny bit of milk . . .
Sophie: *whispering to me* ask him to put a milk in a separate container
Me: . . can you actually put our milk in a separate container
Man: How about I just put your teabags in cups with boiling water and you can sort the rest?
Me: PERFECT

After that we raided the chemist for steristrips and plasters for Sophie and said hello to an old friend who works in our local library. Then we picked up some potatoes for dinner and wandered home. I wanted to buy some ice cream but Sophie would not let me.

Matt arrived home shortly after us and we decided to go to our local park and take some photos. Actually, Sophie decided this, me and Matt just tagged along. On the way to the park, Matt bought himself some chips and Sophie bought us an apple pie. It says a lot that SHE is allowed to choose the apple pie and yet I was not allowed to buy ice cream.

It was an absolutely beautiful Autumn day for taking photos. We wandered through the fields to the animal farm. Sophie stopped every 2 seconds to photograph a leaf or a bramble. Or me and Matt. And my God is she a harsh photographer. Screaming at Matt not to move even though he had something in his eye. Which started a conversation on how whipped Matt is. How 'under the thumb' he is. I think it was news to him.

The animal farm bit is really sweet. All the animals are rescued in some way and many have one eye or look a bit odd. Sophie and Matt fitted in pretty well.

Then we walked down a lovely leafy part home. Sophie got all David Bailey on us and was throwing leaves up in the air. Matt got all . . . Matt on us and climbed a tree (and got covered in bird poo) and kept jumping in front of the camera. It was vair vair amusing. Then we walked home. Matt bought a drink. I was again not allowed to buy ice cream. Sophie saw a jewellers. She pretended it was called Valeries so that I would sing the Valerie song as she knew it would wind Matt up. I felt dirty and used.

Here are some photos STOLEN from Sophie.

The walk took 2 hours and we all decided a nap was much in order once we got home. Napping is possibly the best thing ever. Matt woke up a bit grumpy because he hadn't meant to have napped and was instead supposed to do his homework as he has recently started an open university course in creative writing.

Dinner was delicious. Jacket potatoes and chicken. Yum. Had some red wine and watch Flight of the Conchords and then Sophie made me go to the shop and buy ice cream.

On Sunday I stayed at home with the cat whilst Sophie and Matt went shopping for coathangers and a computer mouse. When they came back we did a big clean of the house. Sophie calls this a 'deep clean' because things like the bin get hosed out and the walls wiped down and Matt cleans mould from the ceiling. Looks flipping fantastic when it's all done though. Until you open the cat cupboard, seconds after Matt has finished vacuuming and mopping, and tip approximately 17 billion cat biscuits over the floor.

Dinner was pizza, garlic bread, crisps and squash. It was pretty delicious and the first time that I have cooked a squash. Sophie came in the kitchen at one point whilst I was preparing my squash. She said: 'veering from the recipe a little then?' and she was right. This is because the recipe we had for squash called for about 29 different spices AND for them to be toasted under the grill first to 'release the aromas.' I deemed this Unnecessary. If you would like to know how to cook a squash, all you do is:

Turn the oven on to 180 degrees
Peel and cube your squash. (I found out squashes have seeds in. Just like pumpkins. As soon as I thought that and said it to Sophie, I kinda wished I hadn't.) (Also. It is nigh verily impossible to cube something that is not square.)
Chuck your squash cubes in an oiled roasting tray
Sprinkle over whatever spices are in your cupboard. I used paprika, cumin, tumeric, pepper and salt.
Mix your squash around in it all
Put in the oven for 20/30 minutes, mixing every ten

When they are done they are kinda crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Sophie and Matt said they tasted good. When you cook squash, it is a lot easier to do if you do not also have to coordinate the differing times of pizza and garlic bread.

After dinner Matt went off to do his homework and me and Soph watched Son of Rambow. It was pretty fantastic. I loved it. I also loved when, halfway through, Matt bought in hot chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.

It is now Monday morning and to avoid a 'discussion' with someone in the building about something he is trying to blame on me because he 'didn't understand' I turned up Foo Fighters 'The Pretender.' It nearly blew out my eardrums but was most definitely worth it.

Also, I have a cold. It started on Friday ready for my weekend with a sore throat (which I remedied with alcohol). I came in today and people (men) are off work because of it. I am obviously too slow. Or too womanly because I'm all, but . . . it's just a cold. I just need a cup of tea. Strong. Cheers.