Not sure if this really works...

I really like the spiky edging on the roof of the Tube station I use to get to work, but I'm not sure if I like this photo!

Pilates...

This is what I do on Wednesday evenings. I've been going to a weekly Pilates class since February and I really enjoy it - my balance is better and my arms are stronger, too! Haven't seen any difference in the old abdominal area, mind you, but I think I'm beyond help!

Finally, some rain!

It's been really oppressive and humid, but finally the heavens opened!

Winnings!

By some miracle, given the fact that I didn't even have a goalkeeper in the Panini stickers I chose, I managed to come second in the Panini sticker fantasy football league I took part in for the World Cup. Everyone chose six packs of stickers and had to make their starting 11 out of those - transfers were allowed, but I still ended up with a motley old collection of players (most of whom were from Honduras). Here I am collecting my prize money!

Sundae...

Ah, the Ben & Jerry's Sundae - one of my favourite days of the summer! Great bands, excellent weather (this was our sixth Sundae and it's never rained) and unlimited free ice-cream. What more could you want?



And I just had to take a photo of my feet when I got home - those aren't just tan lines, they're dirt lines! Sandals plus the dustbowl that was Clapham Common made for very filthy feet!

You are my Solskjaer, my Ole Solskjaer...

Dad and I went to see Yeovil Town play Manchester United reserves, who just happen to be managed by my favourite United player of all time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer! We had fantastic seats and it was great fun even though United lost 3-2 (but it was a testimonial and I think it's bad form for the away team to win a testimonial!)

Prawns!

I'm trying to eat more protein, which can be difficult when you don't eat meat and don't like the fact that cooking fish makes your flat smell! But Tesco had raw king prawns for £3 a pack, which I thought was pretty good, so I bought some - I'm also trying to be more adventurous with my fish/seafood eating! There was a slight issue with the fact that I'd assumed the veiny bit that you have to remove would be along the back of the prawn, but actually it was underneath, so I had to perform some fiddly surgery before I could cook them! But then I stir-fried them with courgette, mushrooms, red onion, wholewheat noodles, cashews and a sauce made from soy sauce, chilli and peanut butter. They were very nice and not at all flabby and fishy-tasting as ready-cooked prawns can sometimes be. Protein-tastic!

Vanilla and lavender...

Mum and I were talking about cooking with lavender, and naturally we then decided to make some lavender biscuits! They were gorgeous - and just look at the colour of that rich batter with the lovely purple lavender flowers!

Summer flowers...

Vroom vroom!

My dad and my sister's boyfriend went on a Porsche and Ferrari driving day, and us girls went along to watch. Unfortunately we got rather wet while spectating, but the boys had a brilliant time!

Sleepy Basil!

New herbs!

The herbs in my windowbox sadly died (they were in pots and I don't think they were getting enough water) so when Mum came up to visit she brought some new herbs and some compost to plant them all up properly.

A Sunday treat!

There's a fantastic ice-cream shop down the road from my flat. If I went in there as often as I'd like to, I'd be the size of a house! But a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon seemed the perfect opportunity to indulge in an ice-cream. I went for a scoop of coconut and a scoop of honeycomb, but next time I think I'll have to try some of their pomegranate sorbet!

Boating on a sunny afternoon...

Another gorgeous day out on Leonie's boat! We went from Uxbridge to Rickmansworth in glorious weather.

Parched...

This is the grass in my local park...amazingly for a British summer we haven't had any proper rain for quite a while!

That's an interesting hairdo!

My friend Dave sporting a very fetching wig at the pub...

Asparagus...

I have a lot of asparagus - the market near work had lovely big bunches of the stuff for 80p each! So I made a sort of creamy pesto-type sauce with steamed asparagus stalks, spinach, toasted pine nuts and low-fat créme fraiche. I had it with wholemeal spaghetti and the steamed asparagus tips.

Another day out and about in London!

Aldwych tube station, an urban orchard, messing around on the South Bank and...



...flying robot penguins and jellyfish!

Barbecue Man...

This is my dad barbecuing sardines. Except he didn't really do much of the barbecuing beyond turning them over a couple of times!

Cranes on a crane...

...and a couple of other photos from Silves.

On the beach...