It's a bit of a shock to the system being back in the office after a week away. The first shock being landing in Rome airport to see suitcases lying on the runway - and I don't mean where the bags are unloaded (although there were some bags and prams lying nearish there too). Mr J and I immediately started praying for the safe return of our bags. This is where they sent the luggage after the terminal five fiasco. No wonder hardly anybody got their bags back. Even so I have spent most of this week thinking to myself 'this time last week....' (this time last week we were sunbathing in beautiful Taormina).
I'd done a bit of shopping in Sicily - the ceramics there are fantastic 
and having bought a birthday present for my sister and some presents for my parents and Miss F and having been bought a spectacular and extravagant bowl by Mr J as my holiday treat (as if the holiday itself wasn't enough) my hand luggage felt like a time bomb. I couldn't stand anyone to be within 1 metre of me in case anything broke. I think everything was fine but the bowl seems to have completed my set of kitchen things I've been accumulating over the last couple years and now I just can't wait to have my own kitchen. Chance will be a fine thing at the rate we get paid. I don't think we'll ever be able to find somewhere within our budget and specifications. But it's official the search is on so any suggestions...
and having bought a birthday present for my sister and some presents for my parents and Miss F and having been bought a spectacular and extravagant bowl by Mr J as my holiday treat (as if the holiday itself wasn't enough) my hand luggage felt like a time bomb. I couldn't stand anyone to be within 1 metre of me in case anything broke. I think everything was fine but the bowl seems to have completed my set of kitchen things I've been accumulating over the last couple years and now I just can't wait to have my own kitchen. Chance will be a fine thing at the rate we get paid. I don't think we'll ever be able to find somewhere within our budget and specifications. But it's official the search is on so any suggestions...
What did help ease us back into things was a delicious supper at Chisou just off Hanover Square in central London. This is (probably) the best sushi I have ever tasted. It was my sister's birthday yesterday and it is family tradition to go for a sushi blowout for her birthday supper as it's her favourite. We'd never been to Chisou before but it was tracked down by her boyfriend and we left feeling completely full and very happy but also wanting to just wait another hour until we could have another round (the kitchen had closed so we would have been disappointed). This is not the cheapest of restaurants but it is definitely worth every penny my sister and Mumma B the sushi experts were both seriously impressed so I can but hope that someone sees fit to take me back there xx
by Kate Summerscale. An investigation into the true and shocking Road Hill House Murder - one of the first murder investigations to involve detectives and and seen to invade into the lives and home of an upper class family. Using police notes and accounts of the time this is a genuine insight and assessment of a gruesome story that was never quite solved. I could not put this book down - the only bad thing about it was I struggled to find any book to follow it up with (thank god for John Irving). I really thought that it would be more miss than hit on the fact front and would be pretty inconclusive. But I was completely wrong. I really recommend this book it will appeal to everyone especially fans of non-fiction and crime. Endlessly compelling this book will keep your mind occupied for weeks after you've finished it xx