89/365

89/365, originally uploaded by sally_re.

I had the easiest babysitting job in the world today....my friend Anne lent me her beautiful baby daughter Alice while she was with her husband who was having an operation.

Alice slept the whole 3 hours she was here - waking only when her auntie arrived to take her away. She didn't even wake up when I picked her up to cuddle (and photograph).

She's adorable and it was an utter pleasure to babysit a child who you could just look at and coo - no nappies, no bottles, no puke - just gorgeousness! Thank you Anne....

88/365

88/365, originally uploaded by sally_re.

I haven't taken a picture today and am inspiration free so thought I'd post this - I've bean meaning to since I started the cemetery series. I mean NO disrespect posting this here - please believe me. One of the things I love doing at the cemetery is reading the names, rediscovering old names, realising how many older names like Ada or Emily are still popular today.....

This is my favourite name I've found there. I have an image of a sweet faced lady with a name that in the 1920's was nothing interesting....but now makes me smile! How some old names are still alive and others are not! And Fanny always makes me think of Fanny Brice and that makes me think of Funny Girl and that makes me smile.

So please believe I mean no disrespect in sharing this - I'm not mocking the dead - I'm just smiling.....maybe one day when I'm gone, someone will smile at my name and remember it. Who knows.....

87/365

87/365, originally uploaded by sally_re.

I'm trying to be a bit more inventive with family meals - relying less on ready meals and processed food - and more on home made stuff. Unfortunately this doesn't always make sticking to a Weightwatchers diet easy - whatever they may say to sell their cookbooks, their recipes aren't tasty.....but i'm trying to cook healthily and low fat - if not necessarily low point.....

So I shopped cleverly and bought a giant pack of lean steak mince. Fried half of it with onion, leek, carrot and mushrooms. Added a pinch of cinnamon (it's a Delia Smith suggestion and it really works), put flour in the pan and stirred it in, added beef stock and brought to the boil for a few minutes. I mashed potato and parsnip with low fat creme fraiche and topped the mixture. I put a small sprinkling of low fat cheese on top and baked until brown and bubbling.

Oscar ate every scrap and asked if we could have it every Monday. Toby wouldn't touch it and only ate one mouthful (with much tears and screaming) to get his pudding. I am fed up with Toby's picky eating - he's got to start eating what we are. It's my main reason for making family meals this week - am fed up with making one meal for the kids, one for Rob and one for me......it costs too much and it's too much faff.....

I'm happy with the pie!

86/365

86/365, originally uploaded by sally_re.

Another Sunday I was really looking forward to - meeting my folks for a dim sum lunch at our favourite restaurant, Royal China in Canary Wharf. I took this photo in a tunnel - I was right in the front of the train on the Docklands Light Railway (it's an automatic train for those who don't know it - no driver - so I was right in the front). I love the way you can see the reflection (and me holding the camera) in the top right and the track and tunnel in the bottom.

The restaurant was shut. For refurbishment. For 6 weeks. So we had a coffee instead. Another disappointing Sunday - let's hope next weekend - Mother's Day - isn't the same.....

85/365

85/365, originally uploaded by sally_re.

I meant to post this yesterday - it's a day late but appropriate for today! Do your census UK peeps!