Paddington would be proud

Today's dilemma - how to use up that jar of marmalade that's been lurking in the fridge since the beginning of time (allowing me therefore to purchase this lovely product to brighten up the inside of my fridge):

One quick Google search later and the 4 slices of stale white bread sitting on my kitchen worksurface were also saved by this recipe by Matthew Drennan. Delicious!

This is Pretty - why yes it is

Thanks again Domestic Sluttery for directing me to yet another great website; this time This Is Pretty. A website full of gorgeous knick knacks for your house and garden, the kind of things I look at in shops and think "that would look lovely in my bathroom/bedroom/kitchen (delete as appropriate); shame I didn't win the lottery last night". The difference here is that they're actually affordable, for example this beautiful post holder for just £5.80:

And this Beach Hut which will look amazing in my new beach themed bathroom (if we ever actually get it done), just £3.80.

More beauties at the This is Pretty website right now.

Vintage looks at Next this season

I absolutely heart this dress - navy and red looks so good together and Next have produced a dress in a perfect shape, style and colour for the spring wardrobe. And the price tag isn't scary either - just £35. The only downside is my lack of navy or red accessories, which means buying new tights, wearing natural tights which I don't fancy with a scratchy nailed baby, or going bare legged, something I can't contemplate quite yet. Also, new shoes...

Photoscape - Hipstamatic for the skint people

I admit it, I have iPhone envy. I never thought I'd want one but since seeing the Hipstamatic app, I now crave the ability to produce beautiful vintage-looking photos. I have a 1st gen iPod Touch which was great when I first bought it but now seems rubbish as it doesn't have a camera and won't let me use lots of great apps (Cartolina Cards' app being the main one). So, I was thrilled to find a free download of the Photoscape software that allows you to create the Hipstamatic effect on your PC. Now I can have Hipstamatic fun without the iPhone price tag!

World Book Day and World Book night

Next week is both World Book Day (March 3rd) and World Book Night (March 5th) - there are Quick Reads being released for it, some of which look pretty decent. The adult books are priced at £1.99 and include books by Mike Gayle and Sheila O'Flanagan, and the kids ones are £1 and include a Dr Seuss book and a special edition Winnie the Pooh book.

Books are available from lots of bookshops and supermarkets, and the adult books are also available on Amazon right now. Enjoy your read!

http://www.worldbookday.com/index.asp

Celia Birtwell lunch bag at Boots

Really hoping these aren't sold out by the time I make it into town again - this is the problem with living in a market town and being on maternity leave!

They're £1 and proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support and are on sale until 22nd March. Get me one and I'll give you a quid?

The star charms are pretty nice too - but I want the bag.

http://pamperedandpolished.co.uk/2011/02/celia-birtwell-charity-lunch-bag-for-boots-macmillan-cancer-support/

Pears - gorgeous little beasts.

Last week I made the usual mistake of buying pears - as Eddie Izzard says:

Pears can just fuck off too. 'Cause they're gorgeous little beasts, but they're ripe for half an hour, and you're never there. They're like a rock or they're mush. In the supermarket, people banging in nails. "I'll just put these shelves up, mate, then you can have the pear." … So you think, "I'll take them home and they'll ripen up." But you put them in the bowl at home, and they sit there, going, "No! No! Don't ripen yet, don't ripen yet. Wait til he goes out the room! Ripen! Now now now!"

Anyway. I bought a bag of pears which have now ripened just that bit too much. So I've found this wonderful Ottolenghi recipe which I will be trying out this weekend as my lovely husband seems to have bought out Tesco's supply of Craisins as well...

Pear and Cranberry upside-down cake

(NB if you'd like to watch the Eddie Izzard sketch in full, have a look here. It's worth it.)