New Year Hopes and dreams

I'm not really the sort of person who makes big gestures for what I'm going to do for the New Year as I don't normally keep them :-)
I have hopes and dreams for 2010 I hope they come true for myself and I hope the Hopes and dreams of others do as well.

My plans for the New Year so far is my trip to Monte Carlo in April for the Tennis.
I hope Rafa Nadal does well in this tournament. Hope he has a healthy and happy Year.
I Hope my Mums health keeps stable. I Hope my cat Biffs kidneys don't get any worse.
I hope my best friend remains Cancer free after her battle with Breast Cancer.
I Hope my brother and his wife have all the happiness in the world after they secretly married this morning. I hope my nieces and nephews become everything they want to be.
I Hope my footy team Liverpool fc can turn a bad year around and find some form. I Hope Fernando Torres stays fit.
I Hope my partner Ste gets all his hopes and dreams fulfilled.
Most of all I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Electricwitch.

Brugge

A few ramblings on my recent trip to Brugge. I first fell in love with this city after watching the movie In Brugge starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson i adore medeival cities and Brugge didn't let me down.

It is our annual treat in December to visit somewhere for the christmas markets and just generally get us in the mood to face Christmas and get into the spirit of the thing. I love Christmas and always have done my Mom made Christmas a very special time for us as children and it has remained with me eversince and i don't mean we were bombarded with presents and stuff as we weren't. It was just the fact Mom took time out to make decorations with us, we'd go for woodland walks and gather greenery for our decorations it just all seemed so exciting. We made biscuits for the tree and gingerbread houses, I helped my mum bake if I close my eyes I can still smell our kitchen with the smells of cinammon and vanilla and oranges and cloves, so christmas evokes a lot of very good memories for me.

This beautiful city evoked all those memories for me. The square itself is very beautiful in the evening especially when everything is lit up.



In the centre of the square is a beautiful ice rink which looked very festive when people were skating on it I was almost tempted to have a go myself, but seeing as I haven't been ice skating since I was a child I thought better of it.






This city is a haven for Chocolate and beer lovers, not a huge chocolate fan I must admit but I'm partial to a Beer especially the Cherry ones I fell in love with on this trip. We always love to get loads of walking in when on holiday and this city is great to go walking around as there is loads of good views and cafes when you need light refreshments, this pic shows a fave of ours which served up beautiful Hot Chocolate just right on a cold winters day.



Brugge is also a haven for shopping apart from Beer and Chocolate there was some fabulous clothes shops and I did indulge a little in my passion for shoes :-)
Some really nice Christmas shops as well I would recommend this city to anyone who enjoys History combined with shopping.



I am also a sucker for a Nativity scene and we came across a huge life size one which I just had to take a pic of it was placed right on the canal which also looked beautiful at night. All in all a beautiful city which I would love to revisit again.

Gaudi's Barcelona

Of course no one can go to Barcelona and not be intrigued by the works of the great architect Gaudi, I am no exception I am amazed by the man, his vision, his style and the whole originality of the man always blows me away. So I had to cram as much Gaudi in as possible.

On our second day there we visited the Parc Guell and this place is amazing on first sightings it looks like something out of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel I wouldn't have been more suprised if I had seen a gingerbread house.







This parc was amazing so many great features and tiled mosiacs, best of all it was completely free





We also managed two visits to one of the houses Gaudi designed Cassa Battlo first we visited it during the day and it looked amazing, the curves and windows of the building are awesome.



Heres another pic of the same house at night, it looked even nicer at nightime the lights seem to pick up every little detail

My recent trip to Barcelona

Barcelona has to be one of my most favourite cities, it has just about everything you could want from a city, it reminds me I'm alive it is so vibrant and full of life, just as a city should be.
This trip was originally planned just to see my footy team Liverpool fc play Espanyol in a pre season friendly, we decided to make a long weekend out of it to take in some of the sites, we missed on our trip there last year.

We travelled to Barcelona on the Friday arriving mid afternoon, once we had dumped bags it was off out to do some exploring oh and of course shopping. I must admit I am a real tourist when I'm on holiday I want to see everything.After an exhausting few hours shopping and a considerably lighter looking purse and credit card we decided to head for the Port area of the city, which is very beautiful and busy.


We were still here in the evening as you can tell by this pic we had a few drinkies by then consumed, hence the wobbly pic.






Electricwitch.

The Humble book

One of lifes greatest gifts has to be the Humble book, such a insignificant article can give you so much pleasure.Everyday I thank my blessings for the gift of eyesight which enables me to see the words, the gift of a normal brain function (well some would argue) to understand the words. Through all the troubles of the world books have remained, for thousands of years they have stood the test of time. Many predicted the demise of the humble book once the internet took hold, but no the book is still here. I have all the gadgets from the ereader (which my other half bought me) and yes I do love it, to audio books which I like when I am too tired to read, but for me nothing compares to the look and the feel of a real book. I have many favourite authors Joanne Harris,Martina Cole, Daphne du Maurier,Simon Kernick,Natasha Mostert,Phil Rickman just a few off the top of my head. My choice of reading reflects my mood, I love a good mystery thriller, sometimes I like a ghost story, but I may also like a chick lit novel but whatever my mood there is a book for it. Book stores don't get me on that one, that has to be one of the greatest pleasures as well going in a book store feeling them deciding on a book and coming away with your purchase. Libraries I too adore what a fabulous service this is, I can order anybook i want at my local library, if they haven't got it they will get if for me, that is brilliant we fought tooth and nail to keep our local library open when through government cuts it was threatened with closure I honestly think the library has to be one of the communitys greatest assest. So all in all the Humble book looks like its here to stay and I for one revel in the simple pleasures it brings me and millions of other people.

A friday ramble from Electricwitch.

So hard to keep in touch with friends

I have made many great friends from all around the world since I got my first computer many years ago. Who would have thought I would have friends from the US, Canada,Sweden, Norway,Poland,Belgium and even from my own country England. The age old problem of time though can be a problem I feel so bad at times I am behind in answering emails and letters and such, we live in an age when communication has never been so easy, but still the age old enemy of Time still makes it hard.

This is one of the reasons I have decided to blog maybe I can in between mails keep in contact with friends and let them know whats going on in my little part of the world.

I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of my online friends at conventions and stuff and feel very lucky to have made many great friends. It is so nice to receive letters,postcards and christmas cards from all over the world, my friends always make me smile.

So if you don't hear from me as much as usual please remember I haven't forgot any of you and I treasure your friendship and support over the years.

Electricwitch

Rafas Back

Well the news I've been waiting for has finally come through from RN.COM Rafa is on his way I am so thrilled. For those of you who know me know I am obsessed with Rafa Nadal and Tennis has been so boring without him. Rafa we've missed you.

He will be back training on Monday 20th(day after my Birthday) couldn't think of a nicer Birthday pressie. He is hoping to be ready to defend his Montreal title next month. Can't think of a better sight than Rafa back on the Tennis court.

Electricwitch

What is it about buying a new cookbook?

Now I think I have sussed this blog thing out I try and post some inane ramblings about the joy of a new cookbook. Is it just me or is there something magickal about buying a new cook book, you pick it up in the shop, never like buying these online in case theres no recipes I like or don't cater for me (being Vegetarian) First you glance through it, then you decide you like the layout, the pictures the stories that go with, how the recipes come about etc. Then you make the purchase and can't wait to get it home to conjure up some cullinary delights for you and your loved ones.

Well on Friday I treated myself to the Sophie Dahl book of Voluptuous delights! A model doing a cookery book thats a new one on me, I wondered would a model cook let alone eat? well Sophie has suprised me not only does she cook but she eats! how refreshing for a model who isn't worried about eating more than a mere lettuce leaf. Her journey to this point where she doesn't let food rule her life is quite good too.


Well today I decided to make her French Onion Soup and wow it was actually quite good, can't really go wrong with French Onion soup can you? There is something quite warming and comforting about a bowl of hot steaming soup isn't there ?with crusty bread to accompany it a real feast.

I found the book easy and straight forward to follow, you don't need millions of ingredients either, all in all I would describe the book as rustic and hearty a real and may I say unexpected treat. I have even wrote down a shopping list of ingredients I need to make other stuff, a first for me.

Of course if the purchasing of past cookery books is anything to go by in a few weeks Sophie Dahl will fight for position on my bookshelf along with Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Rachel Allen, Joanne Harris etc as redundant! The day will come again when I am tired after work, hungry and can't be bothered to cook so I will pop a Baked potato into the microwave and top it off with the old cullinary favourite Baked Beans

Still the moment you first pick up the new cookbook and decide it is worth the money as you will make loads of recipes from it is priceless.

Sunday Ramblings from an Electricwitch.

Still haven't sussed this blog thing out

Just rambled a long post and lost it (blood boiling) so I'll try again with a short blog to test. Why am I always a thicko when it comes to techie rambling, maybe I'll resort to the days of a diary when you just wrote stuff down and you never lost it. I wonder am I too old for this stuff oh well heres another attempt.

Sunday evenings inane ramblings.
Electricwitch.