tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40915717363588401402024-03-18T03:03:26.507+00:00JustAnnieQPRJustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.comBlogger301125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-69846874021879464282022-11-06T10:41:00.000+00:002022-11-06T10:41:55.733+00:00Slow Cooker Curry Goat<p>It has long been my ambition to make this, and make it as tasty as I've tasted. My husband's boss is Jamaican and hers is absolutely divine. I'm aware that the recipe differs across Caribbean islands, and I'm certainly not trying to compete, just to be able to pull together a version I can throw in the slow cooker, and look forward to coming home to,</p><p>This one has come together beautifully. I did it without the Scotch Bonnet (I had one, I chickened out). It still had a great heat and taste, but will try it with next time and update.</p><p>I also used goat meat from our local butcher, which came some on the bone and some off. I chose to use the meat off the bone. Again, this is personal preference, but will do some on the bone as well to taste test it. In the meantime however, this will be my go to.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>3.5L Slow Cooker.<br />Serves 3-4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">650g goat meat - off the bone (see comments above)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered</div><div style="text-align: left;">1-2 tbs medium curry powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 small onion diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 sprigs thyme</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 tsp garlic paste</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp ginger paste</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 tsp allspice</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tomato diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salt and pepper to taste, can check and adjust later</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 spring onions, sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tbs water</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tbs Caribbean Green Seasoning, if you cannot buy, you can make your own (see below).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Throw it all in, mix it up, then cook for around 5-7hrs low.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Caribbean Green Seasoning:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Blend handful of coriander, stalk of celery, whole head of garlic, 4 spring onions, handful of thyme, 60ml water, 2 shallots, 2 tsp allspice, salt. Once blended, you can freeze in ice cube trays and pop one straight into the slow cooker next time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We served with rice and black beans, but you can mix it up how you like.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Enjoy! </div><div style="text-align: left;">Annie x</div>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-91310017700227658172020-04-21T10:16:00.000+01:002020-04-21T10:16:10.135+01:00Chocolate Cookies, basic recipe, bung it all in! #isolationbaking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7_lglRGG1e4-hN44O-mnZkLH-tYnZc7YGOeG4A98xGF5UhT2pmyLAUlmY05LSKd0SNax1xuFsy4OX_VCVG6ZLgcRSJg-LCS-m2MkV4RqApNK_60wVwmn28WDYra-mafkBHQJ0QVdpwVL/s1600/cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7_lglRGG1e4-hN44O-mnZkLH-tYnZc7YGOeG4A98xGF5UhT2pmyLAUlmY05LSKd0SNax1xuFsy4OX_VCVG6ZLgcRSJg-LCS-m2MkV4RqApNK_60wVwmn28WDYra-mafkBHQJ0QVdpwVL/s320/cookies.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bung it all in recipe that needs minimal ingredients, but tastes great, and perfect for kids to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> do, and enjoy the fruits of their labour. The dough itself can also be frozen, so we baked half and froze the other for a rainy day).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whole lot makes around 12 cookies, dependant on what size you are looking to make.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Ingredients</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">225g butter softened </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I put ours in the microwave for a bit too long, but still worked, despite the initial stage looking runny, it came together with the flour)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">110g caster sugar (I only had golden, which worked great)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">275g plain flour </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around 100g chocolate, we smashed up 2 twirl bars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Method</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 190.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cream together the butter and sugar (as above, don't worry if it looks too runny).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the flour and chocolate, and bring it all together to form a dough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take balls of the dough, then put on a greased baking tray, and flatten with your palm onto your preferred cookie size.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place with enough space between them as they will expand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cool down and eat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Annie x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-60265359375406166582020-04-17T12:21:00.000+01:002020-04-17T12:27:04.045+01:00Lost Wedding Ring found in Defrosted Curry - RingDaLoo :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About to move house, so had to go through fridge and freezer to get rid of stuff, and the long lost wedding ring appeared in a defrosted curry. Still no clue how it got there.<br />
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Funny seeing our old kitchen too.<br />
Annie xJustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-5228535027431175792020-04-13T08:46:00.001+01:002020-11-20T10:53:05.017+00:00St Albans City Youth FC U12 Girls North, isolation training during Covid-19 Lockdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gloomy (but sunny) April, and we are all locked down due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. As I write this on 13th April 2020, deaths in the UK so far have reached over 10,000, with a forecast (or hope) that it won't go above 20,000!<br />
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Since all football has been cancelled, and schools are closed, our wonderful coach Ben Kilner organised and put together this video, made from the girls individual clips, and showcasing the wonderful City of St Albans. One to look back on with a smile.<br />
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Go City, here's to getting back to playing and winning real soon.<br />
Annie xJustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-79029084771257641072020-04-07T08:36:00.001+01:002020-04-21T10:29:59.671+01:00Mint Choc Chip Ice cream - no churn! No ice cream maker, no problem!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ok, so it's April 2020 and we are in self isolation enduring this awful experience that is Covid-19. Normally I'd be getting excited about going to Crete, but flights have been cancelled, and we are just doing our best to stay safe, and save the NHS! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX476l3yA-v-6Sxh7UsJAuYyagxN5bk2dZMfRgVRXciHCzqmwXIRaSTmexHbD5Qsu3hOw6KRlsrGSVJwMA3CChKCD5h66Df4NMF57SBGz9uEFPTTnARGZEqTUOU1yUdy-VWd_NVSPf1xP/s1600/IMG_4024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX476l3yA-v-6Sxh7UsJAuYyagxN5bk2dZMfRgVRXciHCzqmwXIRaSTmexHbD5Qsu3hOw6KRlsrGSVJwMA3CChKCD5h66Df4NMF57SBGz9uEFPTTnARGZEqTUOU1yUdy-VWd_NVSPf1xP/s320/IMG_4024.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With that in mind, the one thing about Crete that I find frustrating, is the lack of mint choc chip ice cream. You can get all sorts of exotic flavours, and delicious as they maybe, I can't remember how many times I thought I'd spotted it, only to be told it's pistachio. So, with time on our hands, we set about trying to make our own, without owning an ice cream maker (it's on the list). AND we nailed it, thumbs up from my sous chef Scarlett.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Ingredients</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">500ml double (whipping) cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">397g can Condensed milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp peppermint extract (dependent on taste, Scarlett wants to put more in next time)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3 drops green food colouring - optional, again Scarlett would have preferred more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100g choc chips (minimum), or bash up your favourite bar</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></b>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Method</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whip up the cream until it forms soft peaks (we used the food mixer)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a separate bowl combine the rest of the ingredients.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take time to fold in the cream to the other ingredients, this will ensure that it remains light and the choc chips won't all fall to the bottom during freezing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Freeze, for at least 6 hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">EAT!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annie x</span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-86947764265909998712020-03-28T16:21:00.000+00:002020-04-21T10:26:04.778+01:00Soda Bread (by hand) - no yeast required! #Isolationbaking<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's March 2020, and we are currently in isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully there'll be a time in the not too distant future that I can look back on this, and appreciate our new normal's, and new connections to the outside world (drama Queen...moi haha)!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianB9aEnxRlfmMXpE7-VPGtMeokIKwRu_FgcdZXsBWrB5lZlEXY_d4AXgEsOGcjNBUFVf7L7hsqK6mDCgPXcJu1RzhYo5U7l6LJj16Vvyc-8PqcuQk5vUK4PhOx43kzrAwq1s168xi83uy/s1600/IMG_3908+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianB9aEnxRlfmMXpE7-VPGtMeokIKwRu_FgcdZXsBWrB5lZlEXY_d4AXgEsOGcjNBUFVf7L7hsqK6mDCgPXcJu1RzhYo5U7l6LJj16Vvyc-8PqcuQk5vUK4PhOx43kzrAwq1s168xi83uy/s200/IMG_3908+%25281%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Served with soup, yummy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the meantime, I thought I'd try my hand at making soda bread. Coming from Irish stock, I grew up with mum making this, so, whilst I have the ingredients to hand, why not. Have to say I was very impressed with myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in the day our family owned Morton Flour Mill, but that's for another day...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Ingredients</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">350g wholemeal flour (I had strong wholemeal flour in the pantry, aka baking cupboard)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1tsp bircarbonate of soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About 280ml buttermilk (if you haven't got buttermilk, you can use same amount and add a tbs of white wine vinegar, stir and rest for around 5 mins, creates the same effect).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Method</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Preheat the oven to 220 electric/200 fan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Tip in enough of the buttermilk to combine, and stir until the ingredients came together as a dough. (You may not need all of the buttermilk, mine was quite wet, but still baked well).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Place the ball of dough on a floured baking tray, and make a big cross on the dough, almost through to the bottom, helps the centre of the bread cook properly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Bake for 30mins.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3qW9jqTCXYN48YQBvHF_P0V12ME53D4ShKR-rODNsT5Mq8C8Z-Yro6UzV__hF1Xg-_jrX3g_LibPTP4aix18uV6e6EJEXlo4TtiyGoGSuygdbmbmIGWRGYn4VlpfJ9TiaokiCxYI-mIY/s1600/IMG_3901+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3qW9jqTCXYN48YQBvHF_P0V12ME53D4ShKR-rODNsT5Mq8C8Z-Yro6UzV__hF1Xg-_jrX3g_LibPTP4aix18uV6e6EJEXlo4TtiyGoGSuygdbmbmIGWRGYn4VlpfJ9TiaokiCxYI-mIY/s200/IMG_3901+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Best served warm, I served it with a lovely soup for lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annie x</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-60571036770605664132019-02-07T12:27:00.000+00:002019-02-07T21:19:15.277+00:00Bogota with Kids (yes Colombia) - family travelsIt was certainly a long haul flying to Colombia, we flew Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul, and arrived early in the morning, tired, hungry and as a consequence a little grumpy.<br />
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I make a point of never judging a country by it's capital, and certainly not after just getting off the plane. The same way you can't judge England on arrival in London, or France by visiting Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkuVQR4nktrbI30mWWNWpMBAIYBtqAjVqBGQnI1idC42BYl1bP3RKjgwGHiPCEIDFBrWaumBeY4aUnQfXHc9oZdoai6rsvZjBpJc6InUN8k6NvHcoL0X803TUOuXt_kOZBS3Do9nDDZUJ/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkuVQR4nktrbI30mWWNWpMBAIYBtqAjVqBGQnI1idC42BYl1bP3RKjgwGHiPCEIDFBrWaumBeY4aUnQfXHc9oZdoai6rsvZjBpJc6InUN8k6NvHcoL0X803TUOuXt_kOZBS3Do9nDDZUJ/s200/IMG_1173.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not quite embracing our<br />
surroundings</td></tr>
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The taxi journey to our accommodation was unremarkable, with no spectacular sights along route, but then why should there be? This is a country living in the shadows of the infamous drug barons, and cartels, and picking up the pieces after being finally clear of the drug lords, who had "allegedly" been pushed over the border into Mexico (or at least that was what we were told)!!!!!!<br />
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Our accommodation wasn't ready for us yet, so we set off looking for some breakfast. We had in mind some eggs and bread etc. so with tomales as the offering - huge, unrecognisable, and a tad greasy, am sure we all looked a bit crestfallen. Queue the the owner trying to cheer us up, making us wear quirky hats to take pictures and "smile", we must have looked like a right family of miseries!<br />
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Thankfully, after settling into our accommodation, and chilling for a bit, we wandered into the centre of Bogota, which was just at the end of the road we were staying in. Immediately we got a sense of the City itself, vibrant, bohemian, edgy and arty, with a mix of normality running through it. There happened to be a festival happening that Saturday too (or so we thought), which was vibrant and noisy, with great street artists, including "snake man" and a Michael Jackson tribute. Turns out this was normal weekend entertainment in Bogota, so the sense of excitement began to grow as we realised what an amazing adventure lay ahead of us.<br />
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Having done our homework before travelling, we already had an idea of what to see whilst here. We had booked the Street Food safari from home. We found out details of the Graffiti tour, bicycle tours, and how to get to the other attractions on offer. There is certainly lots to do in Bogota, and thankfully we were flying back here before flying home, so didn't need to try and cover it all in our first part of the holiday.<br />
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Day 2 - <b><u>Montserrate Bogota Funicular</u></b><br />
A great day out, with a breathtaking funicular, amazing views across Bogota at 3.127 m.a.s.l. Wonderful stations of the cross on the way around, then some more amazing street food, and a market full of colourful souvenirs to buy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.<br />
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The ever present "coca" tea that we came across in Peru, apparently is helpful if you suffer from altitude sickness.<br />
Our first time eating the street food, I had the corn on the cob above, the kernals were so big, and so meaty, quite unlike any corn I'd eaten before.<br />
So much to enjoy on this day out, views, history, food, shopping, and the breathtaking ride itself.<br />
A must see.<br />
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Day 3 - <b><u><a href="https://www.bogotafoodie.com/bogota-food-tours/">The Street Food Safari</a></u></b><br />
One of the top recommended trips in Colombia is a street food tour - or food safari as we booked. It would make sense to do this early on too as when we arrived the first morning from the airport looking for breakfast, we were surprised to be offered such hearty food - akin to a winters Tea - as opposed to the tea and toast we are used to.<br />
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Chris found our host <span id="goog_590207342"></span>Loon<span id="goog_590207343"></span> from the uk (link from the title), and we were booked to meet him on our 3rd morning. We met at 9am beside a mall - we got a cab there, using our Uber account - best way to get around if you don't want to attempt the busses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43mOrYopXhhk-NjUlGu6_ihf4mK9fUJS-4dtu5pP-5YKVmW57iR6Rg4RigIgKpWKNMZzRxKwkNKgTKNVtwr7ZgH02_8lNfi2MoAGLbq_43nbqWHSHhMsq0AM9hHKwZOExFyHgKoE8flyv/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43mOrYopXhhk-NjUlGu6_ihf4mK9fUJS-4dtu5pP-5YKVmW57iR6Rg4RigIgKpWKNMZzRxKwkNKgTKNVtwr7ZgH02_8lNfi2MoAGLbq_43nbqWHSHhMsq0AM9hHKwZOExFyHgKoE8flyv/s200/IMG_1631.JPG" width="200" /></a>We walked around the corner to a buzzing outdoor flower market. Loon explained that after coffee, flowers were Colombia's largest export. Mainly to the USA. The flowers looked awesome (as you can see), but it turns out the trend is to dye or spray them these bright colours, dashing my hopes of some awesome hybrid.<br />
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Anyhow, onto the food. We walked through an indoor market full of little cafes, all full of Colombians eating their breakfast. The smells were incredible, and Loom explained that a lot of these workers start very early in the morning, and their jobs are highly labour intensive, so they are ready for their soups and tomales. The soup idea reminded me of the pho in Vietnam. The age old phrase of "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper" is the principle here, and translates into Spanish too!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg5YBROFcwuW0CRZLgQ-LDfesW9b0O5mpXJK-bg2mB7E_r0MRBd1aYrIeiK4zo2UIVuba6-yTFZsA2CYL39ENKqb4_-ixLKgvAAi4JmaPCQG1JJwHPT22B2woPvsBOi-g-jprGhnPcmfj/s1600/IMG_1638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg5YBROFcwuW0CRZLgQ-LDfesW9b0O5mpXJK-bg2mB7E_r0MRBd1aYrIeiK4zo2UIVuba6-yTFZsA2CYL39ENKqb4_-ixLKgvAAi4JmaPCQG1JJwHPT22B2woPvsBOi-g-jprGhnPcmfj/s200/IMG_1638.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">breakfast!</td></tr>
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So for our breakfast, we were presented with fresh nectarine juice, tomales and catfish soup, with a homemade salsa on the side. The tomales was made with chicken and pork, including a few bones and fat for flavouring, with corn and rice, wrapped in plantain leaves. It tasted good, but even better when we added some salsa - the fresh chilli, lime and coriander coming through beautifully. A much better experience of the dish than when presented to us on the first morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRf7xF9L22bdzTQExczoXTItOsHzuG4QcOL53-1WqRynFQUQIPA7utpaaTV37Nm8Q-HxAhNJATmpN0hwPwLLYKW_1YzpvXiamXwSOufn122tzHhf5oq3UskEMPcWar9vDr8qtZZzYVI3cA/s1600/IMG_1641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRf7xF9L22bdzTQExczoXTItOsHzuG4QcOL53-1WqRynFQUQIPA7utpaaTV37Nm8Q-HxAhNJATmpN0hwPwLLYKW_1YzpvXiamXwSOufn122tzHhf5oq3UskEMPcWar9vDr8qtZZzYVI3cA/s200/IMG_1641.JPG" width="200" /></a>We ate fruits we'd never heard of, and Loon was so knowledgeable, the whole combination of walking through the streets to each experience was fabulous. It was also all so local, so we could come back again off our own backs. I mean who would want to miss trying the "big bottomed ants"!!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGko-Qu8kRVScfFE3kOgbKv0mRyXDJNNtsFlGHs2pQYUiEIjYfIqpvK4q0HBC5BMTrlaD4z-zIh-0ccsXmn66WF4J1N32_l9ykUqDTS9bWsPEpkGPZyiNkzCfwMjNd58jp3qZi2j7OaCcl/s1600/IMG_1764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGko-Qu8kRVScfFE3kOgbKv0mRyXDJNNtsFlGHs2pQYUiEIjYfIqpvK4q0HBC5BMTrlaD4z-zIh-0ccsXmn66WF4J1N32_l9ykUqDTS9bWsPEpkGPZyiNkzCfwMjNd58jp3qZi2j7OaCcl/s320/IMG_1764.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy days</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Br7OirelakGwi8r5mYHqCUgFkK5a8nuquC7OQLFlNhPhzzjbs8SDayytRDdcNWQ2z1hDNjflszW0o-9pquQ4iIO0lU4KHSUOgiNH5T-j00xODRa0gUET4ju_gPO3Dyj7dcu1u6WLItmd/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Br7OirelakGwi8r5mYHqCUgFkK5a8nuquC7OQLFlNhPhzzjbs8SDayytRDdcNWQ2z1hDNjflszW0o-9pquQ4iIO0lU4KHSUOgiNH5T-j00xODRa0gUET4ju_gPO3Dyj7dcu1u6WLItmd/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drinks and cake to finish off a perfect day</td></tr>
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Day 4 - <b><a href="http://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-botero">Botero Museum</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOyXaJcrKyyEi1eq_vLzNxIzY1TTjxLIcpCELTnAmIx3JpJxIAImQB8_PsOriSFalxht-lYsV-bYn-Um4J4fHc9cbDCIS6ftl3KaG_4tmV62hbLlkM0JIy2YsANgYOc-KHDpbTWebJl8J/s1600/IMG_1948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOyXaJcrKyyEi1eq_vLzNxIzY1TTjxLIcpCELTnAmIx3JpJxIAImQB8_PsOriSFalxht-lYsV-bYn-Um4J4fHc9cbDCIS6ftl3KaG_4tmV62hbLlkM0JIy2YsANgYOc-KHDpbTWebJl8J/s200/IMG_1948.JPG" width="150" /></a>What a find this was, I'm not normally one for art, but wow this was amazing, even the kids loved it. Botero is a Colombian national treasure, born in <b>Medellin</b>, and we spent hours here. His style is kinda fat things, that's from a simpleton's point of view, but what's not to love about a fat horse! This museum also houses art by Renoir, Toulouse Leutrec, Leger and Monet - possibly other famous artists, but these were the ones I had heard of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqu6otF2xT_foS5UZRSvjTBlsVuGKb5sNRhH2iOfiITNiNGD1l44CYyf9Gxfhy9sxKuJ5llqg-tZmIDmA3X9MECwzEX4qsmtNNRpF-izX2_X8PfU7oPVQwWt14M6nF7n8aPfZ4Bokjdzz/s1600/IMG_1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqu6otF2xT_foS5UZRSvjTBlsVuGKb5sNRhH2iOfiITNiNGD1l44CYyf9Gxfhy9sxKuJ5llqg-tZmIDmA3X9MECwzEX4qsmtNNRpF-izX2_X8PfU7oPVQwWt14M6nF7n8aPfZ4Bokjdzz/s320/IMG_1936.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Day 5 - <b>Walking Graffiti Tour</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTAmfWtEf1gtM5tvEimbPo2gWvdSga6WFizYx6ov-7Y4lZ7PnD5XrkFxHC5N3oge-hu7bg0IPQGkVNuXbXB_QNfATuSKphZZkwm4NwIERePeVLtKoTlqW0nbSYIfY2_CEiDFuUYK70FaG/s1600/IMG_2064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTAmfWtEf1gtM5tvEimbPo2gWvdSga6WFizYx6ov-7Y4lZ7PnD5XrkFxHC5N3oge-hu7bg0IPQGkVNuXbXB_QNfATuSKphZZkwm4NwIERePeVLtKoTlqW0nbSYIfY2_CEiDFuUYK70FaG/s200/IMG_2064.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a copy of this in<br />
our living room at home.</td></tr>
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We met in the centre of Bogota, having seen stickers all over the City advertising this walking Grafitti tour, and thought it would be perfect for the kids too. The tour is free, with a suggested donation at the end, and it was well worth it. <br />
he guide was chatty and engaging, and told us all about the artists, some of whom travel around the world making their mark. He also told us about the little stickers and "marks" you see, what they mean, and what to look out for as we wander around ourselves, A wonderful day, yet again,<br />
I can't believe we did so much, looking back, but the smile on my face whilst writing this, and looking through pictures, my face is actually starting to ache, and we didn't even know what was yet to look ahead to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3p1VueyaqLSfrDGtHbI4ZNpx8KYF10EE5rAnXRvbiNgIGaw3XJce-E-ZUu_shDCYYnrVY80DS5-gj0QdlZkcZ01bxlhBPt8b3UtLRKvWA-n1dJmpDzRqzYBeicoFRtxmswEeTmJhuTWI/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3p1VueyaqLSfrDGtHbI4ZNpx8KYF10EE5rAnXRvbiNgIGaw3XJce-E-ZUu_shDCYYnrVY80DS5-gj0QdlZkcZ01bxlhBPt8b3UtLRKvWA-n1dJmpDzRqzYBeicoFRtxmswEeTmJhuTWI/s320/IMG_2035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq96nL0H2yCjEkVCCM2u-WkieEdUkkI3ZjoaSRRZwadYMXeoNFeQU71Hmju1d8R3jdYnxo9IrgZZVz3kJgmL74CnwjCEsv8nVdWryBMKZ3kh-RBAzUT4e25lz1_5NFOj9mSgMZN7PyW2-l/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq96nL0H2yCjEkVCCM2u-WkieEdUkkI3ZjoaSRRZwadYMXeoNFeQU71Hmju1d8R3jdYnxo9IrgZZVz3kJgmL74CnwjCEsv8nVdWryBMKZ3kh-RBAzUT4e25lz1_5NFOj9mSgMZN7PyW2-l/s320/IMG_2051.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">never knew what these apparent "random"<br />
stickers meant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRGxLHFKUi2hd23sjmr0duK-_47yAawqDXdJ3TI4gJspmti95qlSq4b0__qPAjPzj-rVZS6XIkgALSbVmbqeOucqP8Y0CmZnteeG8NWrqd4Az0F78rh0FUPg7C28J-ShEhWeUJxpykrZv/s1600/IMG_2084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRGxLHFKUi2hd23sjmr0duK-_47yAawqDXdJ3TI4gJspmti95qlSq4b0__qPAjPzj-rVZS6XIkgALSbVmbqeOucqP8Y0CmZnteeG8NWrqd4Az0F78rh0FUPg7C28J-ShEhWeUJxpykrZv/s320/IMG_2084.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was on the side of a hotel.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIgA0usT9HzoPV3XIwloTrs_gZ5Gb1yFMfoq5ngnxgn7uMfZSb0Nui1HvwFhtb_GLb_URcpKp2HynqOlFRyaswPrFJkrOXsMl-n-S326QR6IMdVKaopC4WmcxU1A4pVgGezPu2aGHNY00/s1600/IMG_2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIgA0usT9HzoPV3XIwloTrs_gZ5Gb1yFMfoq5ngnxgn7uMfZSb0Nui1HvwFhtb_GLb_URcpKp2HynqOlFRyaswPrFJkrOXsMl-n-S326QR6IMdVKaopC4WmcxU1A4pVgGezPu2aGHNY00/s320/IMG_2070.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYycADLP-BAR3jQ71dwABS8ZhPzw-qag2KWQinDkUlzTWV1Y_S7B3yj1BGOP-aJ47SSFpKN8cWfvfd0KxmGXgbRhTEufoh-kbg9NSBPjghtHA7wiE4pY5KkBKmIbb8Q4RML8COFrOUw48/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYycADLP-BAR3jQ71dwABS8ZhPzw-qag2KWQinDkUlzTWV1Y_S7B3yj1BGOP-aJ47SSFpKN8cWfvfd0KxmGXgbRhTEufoh-kbg9NSBPjghtHA7wiE4pY5KkBKmIbb8Q4RML8COFrOUw48/s320/IMG_2107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2jiBLI3-7WLJ0iCXxMNtkpBWUs2I9yDtPEs6JiwFAuejeqb-BGOuzJdS3sRCK4wYWBNGPsjWWYOJ3o2e3jYPkivwTQTQKMICtkH0qKeyKoc0JCtld_EPnS4E0dG3ZuSD_jA9n727Spgd/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2jiBLI3-7WLJ0iCXxMNtkpBWUs2I9yDtPEs6JiwFAuejeqb-BGOuzJdS3sRCK4wYWBNGPsjWWYOJ3o2e3jYPkivwTQTQKMICtkH0qKeyKoc0JCtld_EPnS4E0dG3ZuSD_jA9n727Spgd/s200/IMG_2112.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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There was so much detail given, but I don't want to give too much away either, but I love the fact that artists respect each other, and would not dream of going over another artist's work. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42fitXRo22KMxYQ1j0KGeTYfrBTF4CFFFyB-2tPgwqqw0w0L8wTh4l-8-fyUROKqYjruFIPyzTE3swcyYkYgCdKHiJxwKE0fRhngyBS8bGAPdwO2ehs8gcCA0MCpnDbTDDrOMK62CegAK/s1600/IMG_2041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42fitXRo22KMxYQ1j0KGeTYfrBTF4CFFFyB-2tPgwqqw0w0L8wTh4l-8-fyUROKqYjruFIPyzTE3swcyYkYgCdKHiJxwKE0fRhngyBS8bGAPdwO2ehs8gcCA0MCpnDbTDDrOMK62CegAK/s320/IMG_2041.JPG" width="240" /></a>The lady with the butterfly in her mouth, that was apparently due to this grattifi artists' boyfriend went off with another grafitti artist known for her butterflies. you can work the rest out!<br />
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We were able to get ice creams for the kids during it, just nipping into a shop, and still keeping up. All ages were covered, and you get the bonus (again) of walking round the streets and getting to know more of the City at the same time.<br />
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Suffice to say we saw a lot of Bogota, and got the most out of it. I've only really skimmed the surface, there was also a Gold museum, big bottomed ants to eat, a lot of fried food (not liked so much), tried my first Subway, amazing buildings, colours, and the Pope was due to visit so you could buy various paraphanalia! We came back again towards the end of our trip, So will update again with the cycling tour that Chris and the kids did.<br />
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But from here we said goodbye to Bogota, and looked forward to our next Colombian adventure. Watch this space......<br />
Annie x<br />
<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-80888192276454216122019-02-03T16:01:00.001+00:002019-02-07T20:49:40.880+00:00Travelling COLOMBIA with Kids - Yes South America, NOT Columbia! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmizORDIStejUroPcXiAOHVI3ZJ8fQoLhrlHeF0qPwFRiuZE28w9smljHRUKUFvfgp8zShwYj3CDKT9EymNFU3YcHT9a3DmlPUbVjuS58YQcclBalUcXnU2MZ97DjRK9g20MzpOj7s6dC/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmizORDIStejUroPcXiAOHVI3ZJ8fQoLhrlHeF0qPwFRiuZE28w9smljHRUKUFvfgp8zShwYj3CDKT9EymNFU3YcHT9a3DmlPUbVjuS58YQcclBalUcXnU2MZ97DjRK9g20MzpOj7s6dC/s200/IMG_1222.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still see it being spelt Columbia<br />
on maps</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With news that Colombia was safer to travel to now, we grabbed at the chance to experience tourism here in its infancy, and cannot recommend highly enough.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was 2017, and we were travelling as a well travelled family of 4 - Chris, myself, Jasper (13) and Scarlett (9). We booked the flights in January, with plans to travel for just over 3 weeks in August 2017. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We made up our own itinerary, then booked our accommodation and internal flights etc. from the UK, whilst leaving us some wriggle room if we wanted to change the itinerary en route.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the words of the kids Best.Trip.Ever!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our Itinerary was:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.justannieqpr.com/2019/02/bogota-with-kids-yes-colombia-family.html">Bogota</a></b>, bus to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Chiquiza</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Villa De Leyva</b>, ancient sites and Terracotta House</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pereira</b>, coffee country, how could you not!, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bus to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Medellin</b>, incl. Nutibara Hill, Penol, mountain climb and zip wire! Guatape</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cartagena</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>San Andres</b>, boat to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Providensia</b>, boat to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>San Andres</b>, flight back to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bogota</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll blog about each of the destinations we went to separately, to save you hauling through all of the places we visited, but will start w</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ith some basic, and hopefully, useful information.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BASICS:</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Currency</b>: The local currency is Colombian Pesos, which you won't be able to get before you go. A lot of things may be priced in US$ but we took some and weren't able to spend them (same happened in Peru so should have guessed that, but didn't want to chance it). It is also a tad confusing as the Peso sign is very similar to the Dollar sign!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the time of travel (August 2017) 1US$ was around 3000 Pesos, and we got 1.290 $ to the £! Clear as mud, maybe not but you can do the sums when you go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cash Machines and Debit Cards</b>: We used cash machines - <i><b>cajero automatic</b></i> - without a problem. They generally max the amount you can take out daily, minimum 600,000 most we saw was 780,000. There was sometimes a charge on top of around 4000 pesos, but at around £1 not too bothered, and made sense to take out the most we could each time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We used our debit cards in the Supermarkets (Exito was a major supermarket in a few of the areas), and in some restaurants no problem, but check first at some of the more local restaurants in the more rural areas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Toilets</b>: Toilets - <span style="background-color: white;"><i><b>Baños</b> - </i>there is often a charge to use the toilets, around 1000 pesos, and they will often give you a small supply of toilet paper each time, or you will find them on a roll inside - so make sure you are sorted for supply before you go into the actual toilets. Having said that, they were all very clean, no complaints there.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Altitude Sickness</b> - we didn't look into this before we went, but we did meet 1 man in Bogota who was suffering with it. Though we all had a mild "thick head" for a few days, not uncomfortable, in hindsight might well have experienced a bit, but we all managed to get by.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">There is coca leaf tea available, which was also widely available in Peru, and you can google yourself as to what it may or may not contain?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Getting around</b> - we used a combination of busses, boats and planes, very easy to book, though Chris speaks Spanish which obviously helped, but the local people are so lovely and welcoming, and desperate for tourism.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Accommodation was booked from the UK, using Booking.com, which gives you some flexibiliy of course, I'll detail where we stayed on each post.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ask away if you plan similar and have any questions or concerns.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Otherwise, thanks for reading.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Annie</span></span><br />
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-84276085536485689102018-07-17T16:18:00.000+01:002018-07-17T16:18:48.525+01:00Sausage and Egg Bagel, home style, kids favouriteEver find yourself stuck in a rut when it comes to the kids tea, my own end up with pasta, sausages, fish fingers and chicken on a loop, interspersed with the odd inspiration of a home-made pie or fish pie etc., but as a busy working mum, it's often hard to find inspiration.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKMnlYr48hS0ZG5PKyiWJc7r__w-_l1D0Jcbz_xWoXHJiBwxACZ_NrYyzOET2U2cEqzdijljLDp2H3CMyFuCCoOEezFkBDPMkjSFUIUbIYbZL-ImetgSpetYW3f-OCrLKCrUhDXeYELFW/s1600/IMG_8092+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKMnlYr48hS0ZG5PKyiWJc7r__w-_l1D0Jcbz_xWoXHJiBwxACZ_NrYyzOET2U2cEqzdijljLDp2H3CMyFuCCoOEezFkBDPMkjSFUIUbIYbZL-ImetgSpetYW3f-OCrLKCrUhDXeYELFW/s200/IMG_8092+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tonight I had a rare moment of inspiration, I deconstructed a sausage and egg "mcmuffin., actually, I de-skinned a few sausages and went from there, but I have to say the outcome was "awesome"!<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
pack of 8 sausages<br />
free range eggs<br />
bagels<br />
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
Cut the skin of the sausages and remove the sausage meat, I made the patties out of 2 sausages per pattie.<br />
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Fried in a little oil, and when near, fried the egg too. <br />
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Toasted the bagel, and combine.<br />
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Happy kids, happy mummy!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
Annie x<br />
<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-56962494724265283372018-05-11T20:09:00.000+01:002018-05-11T20:09:37.442+01:00The Rockit - Wow! #gamechangerI've been childminding for 14 years now, and many a day I've been rocking a little one off to sleep and dreaming of inventing "something" to make me my millions. Never occurred to me to invent something to rock the buggy for me, but so glad someone did, and I wish them all the best, because this is sheer genius!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk0bbweyxIOnSb7AMpMgg0VGtOfPu7CXHO1fWT7FKt-K6oKv0NIwPWfk0H0lmh2pIeDlKvgDiQakLFCrJmfMgQ6o45vzzeA9CJ8m9AbL-oBSDvhXYmzhsVHZhPbG6Zd2J0uuPLNKtWCp-/s1600/c53e2ea2-3ba8-466e-a69c-dc73c0760bec.MP4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk0bbweyxIOnSb7AMpMgg0VGtOfPu7CXHO1fWT7FKt-K6oKv0NIwPWfk0H0lmh2pIeDlKvgDiQakLFCrJmfMgQ6o45vzzeA9CJ8m9AbL-oBSDvhXYmzhsVHZhPbG6Zd2J0uuPLNKtWCp-/s320/c53e2ea2-3ba8-466e-a69c-dc73c0760bec.MP4" width="320" /></a></div>
I first saw it on This Morning when they were reviewing baby products, due to the impending new Royal baby due to William and Kate. It caught my eye straight away (forgive the dodgy video), ordered it from Amazon - John Lewis had sold out at that point, and having used it successfully since, am declaring it a game changer!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLDAUGoBhN8ubMWS-fyn-DFrfGMkcLovxUEvCNbZZpvZGvqadD-21UeIC4NSPmBEVGiVJ4kU8LIQXZtAxTKcecqodknWZKytFjDAijzB3Hjf1v0YmvO29sVJkzg5rQuxFZAbhUvyZwwMb/s1600/IMG_7317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLDAUGoBhN8ubMWS-fyn-DFrfGMkcLovxUEvCNbZZpvZGvqadD-21UeIC4NSPmBEVGiVJ4kU8LIQXZtAxTKcecqodknWZKytFjDAijzB3Hjf1v0YmvO29sVJkzg5rQuxFZAbhUvyZwwMb/s320/IMG_7317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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For less than £40 it helps get a little one off to sleep whilst letting you deal with other ones hand free. You are still there next to them, but better equipped to deal with other necessities.<br />
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Meh, I'll go write that award winning book instead ha (another daydream), but well done to The Rockit team, I'll be praising this from the rooftops.<br />
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I would say that I do like kids to settle themselves, which is easier when the kids are older, but when they are younger, in my instance 9 months old, it's absolute genius!<br />
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Just Wow!<br />
Annie x<br />
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-75713559264998140532018-04-17T17:36:00.000+01:002018-04-17T17:48:26.464+01:00National Citizen Service (NCS) Goverment Programme for 16-17 year old's (Year 11's)<div style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've a soon to be 14 year old, my first born and therefore my pioneer. You can't help reflect on your own teenage years, and much has been said about how many worries there are around for children in general these days, and the additional pressures modern life throws at them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RRY8xTyJvJFTjWaHs3dXV0pTYbUUZgUczagHIsGCBstEtbePNI8_NsjDPtUDkECdI2s56nPTZv8xL-ZBOLGbaUBmN92NdBftkw_s3Qx6tui5F5644sKEbyfaBZlS-xtpjMoN5u3gQ0Yw/s1600/high-ropes-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RRY8xTyJvJFTjWaHs3dXV0pTYbUUZgUczagHIsGCBstEtbePNI8_NsjDPtUDkECdI2s56nPTZv8xL-ZBOLGbaUBmN92NdBftkw_s3Qx6tui5F5644sKEbyfaBZlS-xtpjMoN5u3gQ0Yw/s320/high-ropes-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been made aware of the National Citizen Service - </span><b style="color: #26282a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/?utm_source=blogger&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=summer18">NCS</a></b><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Government programme for 16 and 17 year old's, and hopefully this will still be around when Jasper hits that milestone, as it sounds exciting, fulfilling and enabling.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #26282a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Their aim is bring together young people from differing backgrounds, for a 3-4 week programme, in the school holidays. It will include a variety of outdoor team-building exercises, a residential to join in and learn "life skills", a community-based social action project, and an end of programme celebration event. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi4Gp0rcqD75rjBOfKG4HWcQKjSmP9_xNhTX6KbEcK8oQiitlLBos3J0Ci3YgO2gSNaiTcdWb7NLiNijiRWJOYUSDWi8M-n4HK91KdeF9gh1R63ue_gexm0pxMl2n6-NC-g-OuXQXKFij/s1600/watersports-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi4Gp0rcqD75rjBOfKG4HWcQKjSmP9_xNhTX6KbEcK8oQiitlLBos3J0Ci3YgO2gSNaiTcdWb7NLiNijiRWJOYUSDWi8M-n4HK91KdeF9gh1R63ue_gexm0pxMl2n6-NC-g-OuXQXKFij/s320/watersports-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #26282a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NCS</b><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is also amazing value for money. </span><b style="color: #26282a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole experience, including food, accommodation and travel costs is just £50</b><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and bursaries are available on a case by case basis. Support is also provided for young people with additional needs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Currently places are still available for this Summer, for details of how to book or register your interest, click <a href="http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/?utm_source=blogger&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=summer18"><i><span style="color: blue;">here</span></i></a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No matter what other commitments you may have planned for the Summer, registering your interest will ensure they can be offered a spot at a time that suits.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Through the experience </span><b style="color: #26282a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NCS</b><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> help the participants to become better individuals and in turn better citizens.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #26282a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a nutshell, the programme:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Puts young people through a series of challenging activities to take them out of their comfort zones and develop their strength of character</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Provides a progressive journey that hands over more responsibility to young people as the programme progresses and develops leadership skills necessary to succeed in the workplace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Enables young people to connect with their communities through social action. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To date: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Almost 400,000 young people have taken part</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>More than seven million hours of community action have been completed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>For every £1 spent, NCS’ 2016 summer programme delivered between £1.15 and £2.42 of benefits back to society</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Further ways to contact NCS:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">○<span class="yiv0759937927Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Facebook: @NCS<br />○<span class="yiv0759937927Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Twitter: @NCS<br />○<span class="yiv0759937927Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Instagram: @NCSyes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's not to love, I can already here the "I'm bored" ringing out in my ears, on this programme they certainly won't be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks for reading</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annie</span></div>
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JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-32891153249556536732018-03-02T09:34:00.004+00:002018-03-02T09:38:26.001+00:00Scarlett's Debut on TV - London Live - cooking with Grace Foods<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not sure how long this link will last, but here is a look at Scarlett's TV debut, 14 minutes in.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch it <a href="http://www.londonlive.co.uk/programmes/london-social"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you watch closely, you even get to see Chris side on.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Nice work Scally x</b></span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-8938436206278656222017-02-10T08:52:00.000+00:002017-02-10T09:05:38.707+00:00Grenglish - Slow Cooker "Roast" Lamb with Tesco Cypriot New Potatoes, tomatoes, feta and tsatziki............Raki Optional!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGpC8MiwHKeCl1DcbVQAloMl4UbLLTC8Ft7NucooBUiIIyAcN1c6znqdLPH4zJFkpDTDuaA7KEEqSb8Zr1HtDkMjddScYS3_jXtTu6E4b-V4hZ8xKdXPj5Ej84MXf7NTdVxcCe6TzsjUj/s1600/IMG_4628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGpC8MiwHKeCl1DcbVQAloMl4UbLLTC8Ft7NucooBUiIIyAcN1c6znqdLPH4zJFkpDTDuaA7KEEqSb8Zr1HtDkMjddScYS3_jXtTu6E4b-V4hZ8xKdXPj5Ej84MXf7NTdVxcCe6TzsjUj/s320/IMG_4628.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With Spring loitering around the corner, and looking out at the drizzle on a lazy Sunday morning, thoughts turn to Summers spent hopping around Greek islands, and a recipe to capture all that is great about Greece, keeping it simple, but totally tasty......<br />
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Last year we went to Mykonos, Paros, Anti-Paros, Naxos, Tinos and Crete.....and yet so many more islands to explore.<br />
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Chris and I got engaged in Cyprus in 2001, it's a beautiful country, with an amazing though sad history. With two very different sides to the island, we only saw the South, where these Cypriot potatoes are grown, but would love to go back and experience the North Turkish side of the island.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available in Tesco Stores Nationwide</td></tr>
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So, to go with my Cyprus potatoes it had to be lamb, and it had to have oregano. The potatoes had to be roasted with Paprika, and it had to be served with feta, tomatoes and home made tsatziki. In Crete we've seen Lamb on the menu as Lamp regularly - this is because in the Greek alphabet there is no letter "b"!<br />
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I guess roast potatoes aren't particularly Greek, so using Cypriot potatoes roasted, kind of makes it Grenglish! I was also going to use the more Cypriot Haloumi cheese, but it doesn't crumble as Feta does, so that's an experiment for another day.<br />
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<b><u>Perfect Cypriot New Potato Roasties</u></b><br />
1 pack Tesco Cypriot New Potatoes 750g<br />
Paprika<br />
Oregano<br />
Olive Oil<br />
Salt<br />
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Cut potatoes in half and par boil in a large saucepan for around 10 minutes. When draining swirl them around so that they "bash up" a little, as this helps the roasting process. <br />
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Sprinkle with paprika and oregano, and move around to make sure covered (doesn't have to be precise). Add a little salt - this helps to draw the moisture out and gets them to crisp up. <br />
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Pre heat the oil in a roasting pan until hot. Add the potatoes and move the potatoes around to ensure covered in oil. Roast for around 40 mins. <br />
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<b><u>Slow Cooker "Roast Lamb"</u></b><br />
Half leg of lamb -<br />
bring to room temperature before cooking.<br />
Rosemary (I have some in my garden)<br />
Garlic - sliced, as much or as little as you want<br />
Olive Oil<br />
Seasoning: oregano, rosemary, white pepper<br />
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I have used the slow cooker regularly for roasts, and lamb works beautifully. Make little slits in the lamb joint, and fill with sprigs of rosemary and slices of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with seasoning.<br />
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Put into the slow cooker, and cook slow for 8-10 hours.<br />
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Meanwhile, prepare the <b><u>tsatziki</u></b>.<br />
1/2 a cucumber<br />
2 cloves of garlic, crushed<br />
2 tbs of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
500g Greek Yoghurt - I use 0% fat<br />
Snall bunch of fresh dill, chopped<br />
1 tsp dried mint<br />
squeeze of lemon<br />
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Peel and grate the cucumber, drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crete last Summer *sighs*</td></tr>
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Serve the slow cooker lamb with the Cypriot New Potatoes, tomatoes with feta and oregano, together with fresh crusty bread, and maybe a glass of Raki if you like. Memories of that blue sky and ocean.....beautiful!<br />
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Enjoy<br />
Annie<br />
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Disclaimer, Tesco paid for the ingredients for this post.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1e282f; font-family: "average"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-70781197015789871052016-11-06T09:55:00.000+00:002016-11-06T09:55:13.119+00:00Gravity Force St Albans, something for everyone...............<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><b><span lang="EN-US">Gravity Force is the leading provider of trampoline parks in the UK<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">We were lucky enough to experience the St Albans launch back in August. I'd never taken the kids to anything like this before, so needless to say they had an amazing time. Whilst Scarlett basically bounded around the various trampolines, and launched herself into foam bricks, Jasper enjoyed the hoops and bouncing around with a ball in general. I didn't partake myself, but was very tempted, am especially intrigued by the fitness classes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst the kids were jumping, I stayed comfortably upstairs with a cuppa. Very bright and spacious with a well stocked cafe. Am going back today with a good book, what's not to love!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to have a go yourself, they currently have a deal on <span style="color: lime; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/gravity-force-st-albans?keyw=force%20gravity&crea=155585077808&netw=g&adpos=1t1&utm_campaign=UK_DT_SEA_GGL_TXT_TTT_SR_CBP_CH1_NBR_k*force%20gravity_m*b_c*155585077808_d*UK-RTC-KWService-watford_g*RTC-KWService-gravity-force-st-albans-BROAD_s*194_t*kwd-345560146&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&loc_physical_ms=1006786&loc_interest_ms=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwqfvABRC6gJ3T_4mwspoBEiQAyoQPkQDgECbx8rEbOZV6kKjRj1_XgL3fi2PHNrayTbtCsXoaAvdE8P8HAQ">Groupon</a> </span>at £7.50 instead of £10 for an hour session...............</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><br />
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gravity Force is the ultimate UK trampoline park. Whether you’re a freestyle pro looking to showcase an insane routine on the Tumble Tracks or an average Joe looking to get stuck into a game of trampoline dodgeball there really is something for everyone.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">To book and find out more about the sessions available either visit </span><a href="http://www.gravityforce.co.uk/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1469173593089_24235" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">www.gravityforce.co.uk</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> or call 0845 498 9049.</span></div>
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-21992730290134671872016-07-23T20:24:00.000+01:002016-09-03T17:15:55.322+01:00A Small Guide for Starting Year 7 - Thank You Verulam School! Jasper has his last day in Year 7 at Verulam school tomorrow (St Albans). I cannot believe how quickly this academic year has gone, all the anxieties and worries of last September seem lightyears ago! He's made new mates, experienced new sports, pushed his boundaries (and then some) and has come through happy and smiling. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of "big" school!<br /></td></tr>
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<br />
He didn't do so well in his end of term exams (according to him - personally versus his targets he did pretty well), but the fact that he wants to do better has to be a good thing. After all "the goal is excellence"!<br />
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I thought I'd write a few notes to attempt to reassure other parents about to embark on this new adventure with their sons, and hopefully offer a few tips to help you all through.<br />
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Firstly, I can absolutely vouch for the fact that the school knows "boys", knows how to educate them, direct them and push them, but overall make their school days a great experience - yes I know it's early days, and those darn hormones will play a part over the years, but let's focus on the here and now.<br />
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ALSO, if you have any problems or queries or questions along the way, the staff are brilliant at responding, be it the front of house staff or the teachers themselves, I cannot fault their attention to detail and personal touch in response, very reassuring in itself!<br />
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AND find that FB page for your year group, this has been invaluable to us all am sure, and we've also made new friends along with way, a bit like the NCT but for the older ones, a group of parents experiencing the same obstacles and helping each other over them)!<br />
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<b><u>Uniform</u></b><br />
You will be given a detailed list of the uniform and equipment required. Some of the uniform is optional, for instance the jumper. It seems that some years embrace the jumper, but others don't. In my opinion I wouldn't invest in the jumper until your son says he wants one. In September it's not usually too cold anyhow, it may save you some money if he doesn't want one, but you can always get <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Shirt</td></tr>
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at a later date if he does.<br />
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The tie will have coloured stripes to match their house! So make sure you know which house they are in before you get the tie. I'd advise getting a spare just cos (no explanation required)!<br />
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The tracksuit is also optional, Jasper has made use of his, but I know lots who haven't used theirs, so again see how you get on.<br />
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The Summer Shirt is very cool, means they don't have to wear a blazer or tie, but they have to wait until the Summer term to be invited to wear it!<br />
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<b>Blazer Buttons - </b>the blazers are great quality, but we did lose the buttons several times over. It appears however that Stevensons will give you spares, and even offer to sew them back on for you! Great service!<br />
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<b>Uniform Sale</b> - the school PTA runs a uniform sale, a great way to pick up uniform and/or spares!<br />
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<b><u>Pastoral Care</u></b><br />
They have the most amazing Matron at Verulam, so patient and so lovely, if your son feels ill or out of sorts she will look after him no problem, so nurturing, it's very reassuring to know she is there (she rocks)!<br />
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<u><b>Packing the Backpack</b></u><br />
I found using a concertina file invaluable, with his timetable stuck on the front. In the early days I would help pack his bag the night before (you either help them swim or let them sink, I opted for the former). The file contains labels for all his lessons, and he can pack his bag from there accordingly. Saves them lugging every single book around every day - which I believe happens.<br />
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We also put a file for homework at the back, and another for projects, to be moved into the subject file when completed. Can you tell I used to be a PA :)<br />
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<b><u>Book Care</u></b><br />
In our day we used to cover our books in wallpaper, these days you can get plastic covers from Rymans, worth doing to keep the books in good order, Jasper narrowly escaped a C for the state of one of his books.<br />
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<b><u>Lake District Trip</u></b><br />
Have to add a special note with regard to the Lake District trip. It was so professionally executed and the boys had a wonderful time. Many memories made. I am updating this in September and am still hearing anecdotes! There is quite a long list of "stuff needed" but they are able to let you borrow some items, and why not contact a previous year group who've already had to purchase a lot of the items already! I know I'd be happy to share waterproofs etc.!<br />
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If I can think of anything else I'll add it onto her, but that's all I can think of for now!<br />
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Hope you all have a great experience too, take care all, and enjoy the Summer!<br />
Annie x<br />
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-72194836141048275482016-07-22T10:16:00.000+01:002016-07-24T16:53:53.479+01:00Gravity Force Launches in St Albans - Discount Codes AND a chance to WIN Free tickets!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve
teamed up with Gravity Force to give you the chance to win FOUR free jump
sessions at the brand new St Albans trampoline park<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">Gravity Force is the leading provider of trampoline
parks in the UK<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">St Albans park opens 17<sup>th</sup> August (near Dunelm Mill)<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">Pre bookings available now - 50% off if booked before Sunday 24/7 (see </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> details below) 25% discount after Sunday through to 16th August.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> When I showed this to the kids, and told them we will be popping along, I was officially "the" best mummy in the world, course it didn't last long (I ruined their tea apparently), but hey!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">I've teamed up with Gravity Force to offer you the
chance to win four free jump sessions at their St Albans site, which opens 17</span><sup style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">
August. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWyzGwBqnR_WdEYC4dNNtcneI4x5bYLFJvsHb6mdVERqyLQiIOtj6gc4cOg_DVfNWSUSELmR3oRtlrghPNgUK4_mkjdMyiQajGIwgjVwBMYb1l9_AV8YUo4PXkCgg7yYuHdJ6aZThDSQw/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWyzGwBqnR_WdEYC4dNNtcneI4x5bYLFJvsHb6mdVERqyLQiIOtj6gc4cOg_DVfNWSUSELmR3oRtlrghPNgUK4_mkjdMyiQajGIwgjVwBMYb1l9_AV8YUo4PXkCgg7yYuHdJ6aZThDSQw/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is something for everyone at Gravity
Force. “Gravity Jump” is the core session and gives you access to all the
park’s facilities. “Gravity Tots” kids’ class is suitable for toddlers from
walking age up to five-years-old, along with any parents or guardians. “Gravity
Fit” provides a high intensity, low impact structured fitness class that burns
fat whilst building, toning and defining muscle. Children can also host their
birthday parties at the trampoline park. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gravity Force is the ultimate UK trampoline park. Whether
you’re a freestyle pro looking to showcase an insane routine on the Tumble
Tracks or an average Joe looking to get stuck into a game of trampoline
dodgeball there really is something for everyone.</span></span></i><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AVAILABLE FOR PRE-BOOKINGS
NOW</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">There will be 50% off Gravity Jump, Gravity Tots, Gravity Fit, and birthday parties, if booked by Sunday 24th July, by using the respective codes – ‘JUMP1’, ‘TOTS1’, ‘FIT1’, ‘PARTY1’. To book and find out more about the sessions available visit </span><a href="http://www.gravityforce.co.uk/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1469173593089_24235" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: purple; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">www.gravityforce.co.uk</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> or call 0845 498 9049.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One lucky reader will win 4 free Jump sessions, entry is simple.........good luck!</span><br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="a8dcf3d92" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a8dcf3d92/" id="rcwidget_a9cwl16q" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gravity Force has given us some free Jump session in return for this post, I might even give it a go myself, watch this space!</span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-82986210357698886312015-11-29T20:27:00.000+00:002015-12-01T15:42:46.460+00:00Levi Root's Caribbean Smokehouse, Westfield, Stratford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I grew up in West London, which boasts a thriving afro-Caribbean community. Caribbean street food, including curry goat, was always widely available. Travelling regularly to Shepherds Bush, to see my beloved QPR, means access to the same, I love it, and often cook it myself<br />
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Levi Roots burst onto our TV screens on Dragons Den, and his <i>Reggae Reggae sauce</i> was backed by Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. You cannot say <i>Reggae Reggae sauce</i> without a smile on your face. It was clear that Peter and Richard were as enthralled with Levi's enthusiasm and charisma, as well as his sauce, Sainsburys were quick to list the product, which has grown into a great range since - I had the fab crisps recently too<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q6UR-C561monJUnloUhEPdy3mwHfR2mZQllibxUU1gNNVPGs7BEQXWB86rneuoZ6QEqr1027qQyTusLcUvjCCVCtlFnLQp8YKJ4jBb0X8Hf7olmd8zz0DQxkR4Ry9BMOqiaP_iVSak66/s1600/IMG_0992%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q6UR-C561monJUnloUhEPdy3mwHfR2mZQllibxUU1gNNVPGs7BEQXWB86rneuoZ6QEqr1027qQyTusLcUvjCCVCtlFnLQp8YKJ4jBb0X8Hf7olmd8zz0DQxkR4Ry9BMOqiaP_iVSak66/s200/IMG_0992%255B1%255D.JPG" width="200" /></a>Today, we were invited to Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse, his new venture which is due to open on the 30th November in Westfield, Stratford. We were met by very friendly staff, who directed us to our booth - gotta love a booth! The interior is kinda beach-housey, with interesting decor, pictures and quotations on the walls, but the first thing that hits you is the beautiful smell coming from the open smokehouse kitchen, the reggae music playing and the total calmness and warm ambience.<br />
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We initially ordered some "popcaan" for nibbles - just beautiful. Would have had more but the kids inhaled them!!!!!<br />
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Regarding the kids, there is a fab, well thought out kids menu, which has hot dog, fish fingers etc., but also offers curry goat, great to see!<br />
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For starters, "street food", we ordered the jerk mushrooms, bajan fish cakes and jerk chicken wings. It was all fabulous, but I have to say the fish cakes were just outstanding, and nothing like anything I've had before - an absolute winner! The kids ate all the chicken wings, fair praise indeed, and the mushrooms had a subtle flavour, with a slow heat coming through them. Portion size was good, so excellent value for money.<br />
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For mains Chris had the lamb, I had the jerk chicken and the kids both had the short ribs. They all came with 2 sides, so we had roti breads, rice and peas, sweet potato fries, slaw and a green salad. The meat and sweet potatoes all came out together on one tray, which I thought was kinda sweet, with the other sides coming separately. I would have liked to have seen a bigger portion of the chicken and lamb, but I have to say the ribs, breads, rice and sweet potato fries were huge portions! Way too much for us to finish, so again, as a meal, excellent value for money.<br />
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For desserts the kids had brownies with ice cream, Chris had the pecan and ginger brownie with ice cream and I ordered the rum and raisin brownie with ice cream for everyone to try. I have to say, at this point of the meal it went very quiet as everyone tucked into their sweet treats. Again, portion size was pretty large, hardly a complaint, but dare I say that they could afford to offer smaller portions and still have satisfied customers?<br />
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We didn't make the most of the drinks menu, which was pretty extensive, but I noted that the wine started at £15 per bottle, which is very good for a restaurant, or should I say #rastaurant! There is also a good range of cocktails, smoothies, and of course Red Stripe!<br />
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We will certainly be back, as I'd like to try the one pot curries (including goat) and also the wraps which would make a fabulous lunch. They also have burgers etc. to choose from, so something to please everyone's palate.<br />
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Good luck everyone, and thank you!<br />
Annie x<br />
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Disclosure: Our food was complimentary<br />
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-2690573354557718962015-11-13T13:28:00.002+00:002015-11-30T08:11:36.815+00:00Slow Cooker Jamaican Curry Goat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I adapted another recipe to make it suitable for the slow cooker. This is also fab using mutton, but if you can get goat it is so worth it. I've found a supplier locally who does it (Madina General Store, Hatfield Road, St Albans) - what a find! I only went in for some scotch bonnets and curry leaves! (Wasn't able to source scotch bonnets or fresh curry leaves from either Morrisons or Sainsburys locally)??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 large onion, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10 garlic cloves, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100g ginger, peeled and chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a little vegetable oil (I was the spray version)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 scotch bonnet chillies chopped (I used a red and a yellow)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Small handful of curry leaves - more Asian than Caribbean but it works</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3 sprigs of thyme</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 tbsp mild curry powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">750g mutton or goat (I used shoulder)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">400g can chopped tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">150ml lamb stock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">400g can of beans of your choice, drained,I used pinto</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">juice of half a lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Small bunch of coriander, chopped, plus a little more to garnish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Method</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pre-heat the slow cooker to low.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blend the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor to form a paste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion paste, frying for a couple of minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add the chillies, curry leaves, curry powder and meat and stir until browned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pour mixture into the slow cooker, add the tomatoes, stock and beans and stir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cook for 6-8 hours until the meat is moist and tender.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add the lemon juice and coriander and serve with roti breads (if you can source them), or rice or salad of your choice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simply delicious, and Chris said it was my best curry ever! Fine accolade indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enjoy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annie x</span>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-32394696198628611482015-11-10T20:01:00.000+00:002015-11-10T20:01:31.795+00:00Interesting Experiment shifting schooling hours for teenagers!I have a pre-teen, my goodness he's only 11, but my I've noticed a difference already. The silence, or - if I'm lucky - the occasional murmur in the morning, show the signs that this boy is not ready for school first thing in the morning. Having said that he does get himself up and dressed and fed (often force fed) in time, but it's not the tigger bounce in the morning of yesteryear!<br />
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So was very interested to watch on BBC the story of the school who have shifted the school time for teenagers to 1.30-7pm, and apparently making a whole lot of difference. The hormone changes in the hypothalamus means that them getting up at 8am (say) is the equivalent of an adult getting up at 4.30am every morning.<br />
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It's too early to check exam results, but by all accounts making for happier kids all around! I love this kind of stuff, and will be monitoring.<br />
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Having said that, Jasper is doing very well, as he's a conscientious kid (for the teachers), but still one to keep an eye on.<br />
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You can watch for yourself <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34763366">here!</a><br />
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Would welcome feedback from real parents with real teenagers, I am just a fledgling right now ;)<br />
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Annie xJustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-32474274686060413182015-05-24T13:08:00.002+01:002015-05-24T13:08:43.221+01:00Annie's VillaAfter last year's adventures to Vietnam, we are just as excited this year to be going to our own Villa in Crete. It's been a long time since we have been out in the Summer, and we are combining it with a week in Santorini, where we've never been.<div>
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Cannot wait!</div>
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We are always asked if we rent it out, and we do, details <span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/accommodation/p8025640">here!</a> (And yes I ought to do a course on positioning of pictures on blogger *adds to list*</span></div>
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JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-14205299307355360342015-02-26T14:57:00.001+00:002015-02-26T14:57:54.188+00:00Scarlett's Blind Bag Wednesday - Ep 2<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Km4UXoUAjK4" width="459"></iframe>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-86580661779154375942015-02-25T13:50:00.001+00:002015-02-26T14:58:32.693+00:00Scarlett's Blind Bag Wednesday - Ep 1<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zy3qyXZLkbo" width="459"></iframe>JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-60497179379359219692015-02-17T19:36:00.001+00:002015-02-23T19:49:44.359+00:00The Nationwide House Price Premier League! #QPRSo <a href="http://www.nationwide.co.uk/"><b>Nationwide</b></a> did a survey, and we are a tad higher than reality *coughs*, thought it was a little bit of fun yayyyy,<br />
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So where are QPR in the <b><a href="http://www.nationwide.co.uk/guides/news/articles/2015/01/football-price-index">House Price Premier League?</a> </b><br />
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YEAH BABY!!!!!!!<br />
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COYR's!<br />
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Annie xJustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-54084363222263756102015-01-30T10:15:00.001+00:002015-01-30T10:15:16.659+00:00Team Honk Red Nose Day Danceathon #Lastingchange<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My finest Zippy moment</td></tr>
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Last year I felt priviliged to be part of the Team Honk Red Nose Day relay event, which saw bloggers across the country link up to send a batton from Land End to John O'Groats. <br />
It was lots of fun, with silly costumes, and lots of children joined in the fun too, AND we managed to make a huge amount of money along the way.<br />
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This year I am very excited to be part of the Red Nose Day Danceathon, which is taking part across the country, and I am hugely grateful for <a href="http://popdance.co.uk/"><b>Popdance</b></a> sponsoring me to take part in the event at Wembley Stadium - though I am yet to be told what I will be wearing! I am sure it won't be just leggings and some lycra?????<br />
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Pretty, pretty please, please, please sponsor me to dance for 6hrs, or at least send wine and kebabs (maybe not)! My Just Giving Page is <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/justannieqpr">HERE</a></span></b><br />
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The amazing Tanya, Annie and Penny are out in Kenya at the moment, visiting projects that have benefited from all our efforts, as well as seeing some of the ways our fundraising can help further this year. Below are some links outlining some of these.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Lato, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;"><a href="http://teamhonk.org/porridge">Power Porridge</a>: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Lato, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;"><a href="http://teamhonk.org/mothers">Helping Mothers and Babies with HIV in Kenya</a>: </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Lato, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Lato, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;"><a href="http://teamhonk.org/football">Girls playing football and changing their futures</a>: </span><br />
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This is going to be a huge event, and a lot of fun, but at the end of the day it is about raising money. I would be grateful for all sponsorship, as it all goes towards the big pot of money hoping to bring #LastingChange.<br />
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Photos will be added as we go, and YES it will include *that* costume, whatever it may be!<br />
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Thanks for looking!<br />
Annie x<br />
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<br />JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091571736358840140.post-49536832814874145092014-11-25T14:09:00.000+00:002014-11-26T08:26:12.495+00:00That Design Store, St Albans<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #fcfae7; color: #333333;">On Saturday I was having my hair done, and Apollo and I were chewing the fat about the changing High Street, and obviously blaming the loss of a lot of our individual shops down to the influx of discount shops, and the slippery slope from there. After my new "do" I wandered into town, only to discover the opening of a new Shop, where the old Whittards used to be, called </span><a href="http://www.thatdesignstore.co.uk/home/"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">That Design Store</span></b></a><span style="background-color: #fcfae7; color: #333333;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0AjQTNsBHX3miPn1Td6uinBHoCLoQRdeTOjiOQgxg43aGkpFcuOInfflLQlqGWmpLPtq0w9KNSTfhH9witr19gDRD7e3jKoFMi_xjPTkpR7tonJr5oUfp_QvOoEovIHqBfbc4xske3yZ/s1600/ThatDesignStore1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0AjQTNsBHX3miPn1Td6uinBHoCLoQRdeTOjiOQgxg43aGkpFcuOInfflLQlqGWmpLPtq0w9KNSTfhH9witr19gDRD7e3jKoFMi_xjPTkpR7tonJr5oUfp_QvOoEovIHqBfbc4xske3yZ/s1600/ThatDesignStore1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I had to have a look see, and I wasn't disappointed, it was full of lovely designer goods, from gorgeous lighting, champagne buckets, candles (that I NEED in my life), and other kitchen accessories (can never have enough)!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI5KrUJu8e9vvQ-s2-jCpFHMObE6Qchpk7fShRQJqu2d5qOAnTSSHZQdvMnTx63jiG8itS_w9NrsIZ0jd-3wk137G2XrYpdua6ub8Pul-Fjv_aY8AnVhePBRSIYdOl1gXTA1nMeK873CY/s1600/ThatDesignStore5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI5KrUJu8e9vvQ-s2-jCpFHMObE6Qchpk7fShRQJqu2d5qOAnTSSHZQdvMnTx63jiG8itS_w9NrsIZ0jd-3wk137G2XrYpdua6ub8Pul-Fjv_aY8AnVhePBRSIYdOl1gXTA1nMeK873CY/s1600/ThatDesignStore5.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">It reminded me of a scene from my favourite all time show "Absolutely Fabulous".......</span></div>
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<span class="character" style="color: #70579d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0766837/?ref_=tt_trv_qu" style="color: #70579d; text-decoration: none;">Eddie</a></span>: I'm opening a shop, Pats.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0525921/?ref_=tt_trv_qu" style="color: #70579d; text-decoration: none;"><span class="character" style="font-weight: bold;">Patsy</span></a>: Ooh, what are you going to sell?</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0766837/?ref_=tt_trv_qu" style="color: #70579d; text-decoration: none;"><span class="character" style="font-weight: bold;">Eddie</span></a>: Oh, just gorgeous things, you know.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0525921/?ref_=tt_trv_qu" style="color: #70579d; text-decoration: none;"><span class="character" style="font-weight: bold;">Patsy</span></a>: Ooh, lovely.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0766837/?ref_=tt_trv_qu" style="color: #70579d; text-decoration: none;"><span class="character" style="font-weight: bold;">Eddie</span></a>: Gorgeous, tasteful, little stylish little gorgeous things.<br />
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The candles I was particularly drawn to, as they were made out of recycled wine bottles, and they smelled beautiful! I love wine, I recycle everything I can, and I love candles. These will definitely be on my Christmas list!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeADJnSoLNQD46bUnm0LShH8cAyCJGcZzqnW_jYTUrmsYgX0lXy0mJ9LG2z1wqjZEaCCF4uaoxoAxgov1NrWVzUpllwXOAUMsVPJC_Vd5SOfEwzpyDndH4X1AxUS6irdlNNqUaN9PE7R6/s1600/ThatDesignStore2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeADJnSoLNQD46bUnm0LShH8cAyCJGcZzqnW_jYTUrmsYgX0lXy0mJ9LG2z1wqjZEaCCF4uaoxoAxgov1NrWVzUpllwXOAUMsVPJC_Vd5SOfEwzpyDndH4X1AxUS6irdlNNqUaN9PE7R6/s1600/ThatDesignStore2.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn-kq6SFwXoW5bImJl34_mvTR3j1PkmikHkRjWGJ66hQlHP5E2I_z7hsBQDHwuD1u-JdG0L_mJhcBdMDcLnen8GkyI7W2V0t3z9bTO4jwQUnk2TzZeZyvW-u-Wop-iCor_dYUnu62BcD0/s1600/ThatDesignStore3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn-kq6SFwXoW5bImJl34_mvTR3j1PkmikHkRjWGJ66hQlHP5E2I_z7hsBQDHwuD1u-JdG0L_mJhcBdMDcLnen8GkyI7W2V0t3z9bTO4jwQUnk2TzZeZyvW-u-Wop-iCor_dYUnu62BcD0/s1600/ThatDesignStore3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">This is an unsponsored post, but I thought I'd share the love, as definitely some great Christmas present ideas in there, so go have a look!</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Some more of this back in our lives would be fabulous! IMHO, though I wouldn't say no to a Primark - fickle thing that I am!</span><br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
Annie x<br />
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JustAnnieQPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460879952455441580noreply@blogger.com4