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Archive
Behind-The-Books Blog
Articles by Louise
Review of The Changeling
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Recently, thanks to the lovely Lesley, I was given two months’ free subscription to Lovefilm.com, and, a month in, I’m loving it! It comes as a surprise each time I find a new DVD waiting for me – like a little present.
The latest to drop through my letterbox was The Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie and [...]
Eric Lampaert steals the show
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Last weekend saw me watching a man screeching and grimacing like an orc from Lord of the Rings.
No, I wasn’t at a Tolkein convention or even an amateur dramatics class - I was at Hertford’s very own comedy club. Cheaper and nearer than Jongleurs - it’s become my comedy venue of choice over the last [...]
High-flying artist causes a buzz online
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Now I’ve seen it all.
For centuries people have mounted hunting and fishing trophies on their walls (which always give me the creeps), then in the 1990s we had Damien Hirst’s macabre series of animals preserved in formaldehyde (it makes me shudder just to think of them), and now we have…dead fly cartoons.
OK, admittedly these aren’t [...]
A story for Valentine’s…
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
My journey home last night didn’t start off too well. It was drizzling with rain. I was cold, hungry and tired; I just wanted to get home. I got to Finsbury Park to find my train was cancelled. Then we were told that, from then on, trains would only be going as far as Gordon [...]
You’ve got to be kidding!
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
My favourite news story of the week so far has to be that of poor old Christine Cuddihy - the 24-year-old woman who was forced to produce ID to prove she was over the age of 21 in order to buy…wait for it…a 51p cheese and onion quiche from Tesco!
For reasons best known to herself, [...]
Is there an app for this?
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
For anyone who loves word searches as much as me, I’ve stumbled across the perfect way to while away a cold, wet lunchtime – although be warned, it could become addictive!
In Bookworm, you have to search for words by moving up, down or diagonally across the letter tiles. When you find a complete word and [...]
Chuckle brother
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
My brother-in-law has recently taken to texting me random jokes in the morning. I love it! It’s a great way of making the train journey pass a little quicker. Here are a couple from this week…
19 Irishmen go to the movies.
The ticket lady asks them, ‘Why so many of you?’
Paddy replied, ‘The film said over [...]
Mission accomplished
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
You’ve got to admit it; over in the sunny U S of A they have a wacky sense of humour. Can you imagine over three thousand people travelling London’s tube network with no trousers on? Definitely not in this weather – I’m wearing at least four layers to work every day at the moment and [...]
Savvy in the sales
Monday, January 11th, 2010
I love shopping. To a shopaholic girl, the temptation to spend, spend, spend in the January sales bonanza can be a devil to resist – and very hard-going on my not-exactly-bulging purse. Some of my recent, perhaps not so clever purchases include a new dress that’s so fancy I’ll probably never wear it, and a [...]
Fantastic Polenastics
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
I am a pole-dance convert – for purely fitness reasons!
A good friend of mine is a polenastic fanatic (’polenastics‘ is pole-dancing as exercise) - so much so she has installed her own pole in the living room so that she can work out on it every day. This seemed a little excessive to me, until [...]
Chocoholics’ Heaven
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
A quick news flash for all my fellow dedicated chocoholics out there…
I heard on the grapevine that London’s Southbank Centre is hosting a winter Chocolate Festival this weekend, from the 11th to the 13th December. It’s free admission and will include chocolate-making demonstrations, edible art, book signings, tastings (ooh, yes please!), sweet talks by the [...]
A winter warmer
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Now that winter’s most definitely arrived, my taste buds have started craving comfort food. This soup is just perfect, and it’s spicy enough to warm you up from the inside!
Curried Apple and Mint Soup (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
30g (1 oz) butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder (mild)
900ml (1.5pt) veg stock
750g (1.5lbs) cooking apples, peeled, cored [...]
WANTED: Ideas for a Big Birthday Surprise!
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Next year my grandad will reach the grand old age of ninety. To celebrate, we want to do something special for him – something really memorable – and we’ve been racking our brains trying to come up with some ideas.
Thing is, my grandad isn’t your average 89-year-old: he recently passed the advanced driving course (the [...]
Wahoo!It’s Jimmy Choo!
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Have you heard the news? Jimmy Choo is coming to H&M!
I may finally be able to afford a pair of top quality, absolutely gorgeous, never-take-them-off designer heels without breaking the bank! Surely every girl’s dream come true.
They’re launching the Jimmy Choo collection this Saturday (November 14th), and it will include not only shoes but clothes [...]
Dinner at eight? If only…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
I feel the need for a little grumble. I had a lovely meal out at Sfizio in Ware the other evening for a friend’s birthday – good food, very drinkable red wine, attentive waiters and even some live music – but as it had gone half ten by the time we were served the main [...]
Wacky author biogs
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
For me, the dafter an author biography is, the better! Showing a good sense of humour makes them far more interesting and memorable (just like a good personal ad in the dating pages – not that I’d know anything about that!).
I’ve just found a new favourite: Matt Rudd, author of William Walker’s First Year of [...]
A Work of Art
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
I’ve stumbled across some brilliant Photoshop geniuses and thought I’d share! They’ve taken the faces of some of the world’s best-loved celebrities and turned them into Renaissance masterpieces – and the results are hilarious!
Check out a very debonair Jude Law looking rather dashing in a doublet (my current favourite), and Daniel Radcliffe as you’ve never [...]
The perfect chocolate mousse
Friday, September 18th, 2009
Here’s something to try over the weekend - a friend’s recipe for the most delicious chocolate mousses ever. Prepare for absolute melt-in-the-mouth heaven! Pure indulgence!
Ingredients (serves 6):
100g (3.5 oz) 70% dark chocolate, broken up (keep some separate to grate on top)
1 tbsp milk
2 eggs, separated
35g (1 oz) caster sugar
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream (plus [...]
Love it or hate it!
Monday, August 10th, 2009
I’ve stumbled across an absolute must for all Marmite-aholics out there. To celebrate the Ashes between England and Australia, Marmite have released a limited edition version of the nation’s favourite (or most hated, depending on where you sit in the Great Marmite Divide) breakfast spread. I didn’t think it was possible to improve on the [...]
The play’s the thing…
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
I can highly, highly recommend going to see Hamlet, showing at Wyndhams Theatre in London’s West End. I was lucky enough to see it recently and it was an incredible night – and not just because I got to see the gorgeous Jude Law a few tantalising metres away. (I can happily to report that, [...]
Currently we are...
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...reading
Not on the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on your Plate, by Felicity Lawrence Chiara: What are we doing to our food?! A hard book for a foodie like me to read, but an important eye-opener.
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