the working mum - half on holiday

Guess which half of me is on holiday for the next 2 weeks? the mum or the worker??? well here we go. SuperGrandParentsFromFrance are looking after the girls for the next 2 weeks. So that we can relax and have a week end in Rome. So the Mum-side of me is on holiday. Well - should be.

So the 2 weeks from Heaven started on Saturday morning, when at the Eurostar terminal, the French Police said to Fille Ainee- be nice to your mum (she always is - and so is Tinker Bell too!). By the way, isn't it nice to travel with your older sister?! (yes - you are right - that was me. daaaaaaaaaaaaaarling). Although after checking - I realised that I had actually 2 massive humongous suitcases under baggy eyes living on last night's lack of make up remover...

And a few hours later, as I set up to travel back from Lille after dropping the girls, the guy checking the tickets at the Eurostar terminal goes - Here we go Miss, have a lovely journeyAnd then he saw my rings as I am handing the passports over - sorry Madam, he goes, did not realise, but you look so young! (daaaaaaaaaaaaaarling #2). So decided it was all a copmliment, nothing to do with the fact that I probably looked like a Goth zombie. I love the French, they know how to lie (or are they blind?!).

Then, spent the weekend gardening - just like a true Brit! So after a week end like this, I probably quialify for fast track British citizenship. Fixing the net over the vegetable patch (which only produces uneadible vegetables, which we have to pretend are great), spraying the lawn (so that it looks a bit more like an English lawn, rather than its French counterpart - but it clearly does not respond to a French Not So Green Hand...), varnishing kitchen work surfaces (great -it b*** stinks in the whole house...) so basically, by end of the week end, Cheezy Lovely Hubby (that's his new name - cheezy by nature, guess about the rest) and I feel that we live in a chemicals plant - lovely Home Sweet Home as been transformed in Fumes From Chernobyl. But at least, we did our bit to help Air Products sales, as hopefully the chemicals used are the ones we sell (except the ones we sell are not meant to make you feel sick. So obviously I have been subsidising our competitors. Damned).

Anyway - I decided this blog is not just going to be about me. If you are going to have the patience to read this blurb, you might as well get something back - that's my little present to you- I'll share with you some of my recipes - and promise, they won't include snails (yuk) or frogs (double yuk) - and I'll translate some French ones. Lucky you!!

And you'll soon understand why the French were glad I did not cross the Channel back - not worthy of living there!! don't drink wine, don't like coffee, hate snails and frogs - clearly that was enough to convince them to give me a one way ticket!!). Actually - I like champagne (daaaaaaaaaaaarling #3).

So - a brilliant recipe I'll share with you today - the Lemon Drizzle Cake. Dead Easy. The perfect one for that time when it gets to 11.00pm, and you suddenly remember that tomorrow is cake sale at school, that a colleague at work said - i have been a good girl today, can I have cakes tomorrow (now, she will know who she is!!!), and you promised to bake for a friend. So you need a quick fast brilliant "can't get it wrong" recipe. 3 solutions:
1- Hire Nigella Lawson - good luck at that time of the night.
2- Prove yourself You can be Domestic Goddess (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe19.shtml
3- go to your nearest 24hour a day Tesco / Sainsbury....

and before you switch off - I'll share with you my favourite Blog. Sorry, it's in French and I can't garantee what you'll read on the day - but that girl is simply brilliant. She was even interviewed recently by British papers (and the quality ones). Try it- maybe while the cake is cooking... http://www.penelope-jolicoeur.com/

Have a lovely day / evening! I'll be back soon. Clearly, being on half holiday, I have no excuses for not blogging!