My dad and I got back to London late last night. We decided to take a father/daughter trip (for the first time!) to see Amsterdam, which neither of us had visited before. It was lovely and relaxing - we saw some sights, walked the canals and generally chilled out.

( Holiday ramblings )

Last night, we went to Upper Street to see Local Girls, London's finest new band*. They're fabulously snotty and elitist and indie, and they were awesome. Nearly as awesome as the band they were supporting, DeSalvo, whose frontman was a big Weegie in a butcher's apron, black rubber gloves, a pig snout and not much else. He looked like a real sweetie, though. (He only spat on the boys.)

I'm on holiday! Wheee! Tonight I've been cooking. It's been a bit experimental, but so far, so good - have so far turned a pig's ear (tasteless squash) into a delicate, silky, spicy soup.

I will try to get you pics of Linnie Four Eyes soon.

*and our very good friends.

I now have glasses. Everything looks very hard around the edges. I realise that's because previously I was looking at the world through Barbara Cartland Soft Focus (TM), but ... well, it's all very *there* now, isn't it.

After work, I strolled to Chinatown and managed to skip all the yummy restaurants' wafting smells of char siu to find some yellowbean sauce. It's getting very elusive. Littlebrother and I had yummy supper, though.

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to startling my colleagues by looking over the top of my spectacles at them. *raises eyebrows, peers* It's a good look. ^_^

'Cause the world needs a feminist take on popular culture.

The sun is making sparkly shapes on the ceiling.

Back in May, I met Sternie-Erin, who is beautiful and delightful and was so very kind in looking after a foreign visitor in verdant Conneticut. ( Proof. )

On Wednesday, I went shopping with pink_weasel and we laughed lots.

In between, nothing much has changed. Ted and I have been away a couple of times, to lovely places like Oxford and Lisbon, we're working too hard but loving it, we're going out too much but loving it, at the weekends I'm editing his book (which is going to be a cracker), and the moustache stuck to the pavement outside the house is still there. ( Proof. )

For the past three weeks, there has been a ginger false moustache stuck to the pavement in our street.

(Gosh, the glue on those things is good.)

I thought it'd be the AP Styleguide... but apparently not.

( Turn my page... )

Spotted in the pretty Sussex town of Burgess Hill.

Ted and I went to the library today, to stock up.

I was browsing the craft section. What do you think was between "Quilting" and "Curtain-making"?

Katie Price aka Jordan's books, obviously.

You know: "Katie Price: My Story", "Katie Price: Dreams come true", "Katie and Peter: What we did in the last five minutes" - that sort of thing.

Well, wouldn't you put them there?

• 10:48 has swapped Yale for Oxford. It's just the same, but older, and the windows don't fit. (And it's home. ^_^) #

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• 01:36 is drinking margaritas with Sternie-Erin! #

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• 12:30 is shopping in duty free with the nice ones from Sex and the City... #

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• 17:01 is in Lincoln. It's very pretty. #

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• 17:06 is five, four, three, two, one, LIVE! Yay! #

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My woe at having to work so late tonight was alleviated by a man juggling fire outside the office (I have little time for regular jugglers, even those throwing knives around, but everyone knows fire is quite exciting - FIRE!!!) and, when I got home, the man driving his boxy 80s BMW down the road with his Jack Russell hanging out the back, ears flying behind. I LOVE it when dogs do that! It always makes me smile. *smiles*

Anyway. Then I got home, and Ted and I had a lovely supper, and then ...

Ted: *proffers wine gums*

Me: "No thanks, I've not finished my glass of wine yet."

Ted: "But they're wine gums! They're made to go with wine! Look, that's why they have different wines written on them, to help you! This one goes with port!"

Me: *rolls eyes, sighs, tries to concentrate on Heroes*

Ted: *mouth crammed with wine gums, evil chuckles*

Me: *giggles, fuzzes*

( Ramblings from the last week )

Anyway, what I'd really like is your opinions on attempt #1 at Grace's dye job:

Before:


After:


( More pics here ... )

It's turned out darker and pinker than I'd envisioned. Specifically, she looks a bit ginger now, which would be fine (I'd dye it carrot red) except that I know there's a Last Kiss B upstairs, tucked away for my birthday, who'll fulfil my hankering for a redhead girl. So I'm wondering: leave her as she is, or try to dye her a darker brown - which is a more risky process. Or another colour? Suggestions?

(Also, I'm a bit gutted, because her hair, style-wise, is lovely now, and I'm thinking that if I'd just washed and straightened it, I'd probably have left it as is. Except I really didn't like her peachy colour, so I know that isn't true.)

Please comment. Even if you don't like it - in fact, especially if you don't. I'm really torn between relief-at-not-having-fucked-it-up and not-quite-what-I-wanted-disappointment, so all comments would be helpful.

I've never truly bonded with Grace Rosebud, my Mlle Rosebud Blythe.



It's partly because of the terrible time I had with the customiser, and partly because her hair, rather than being pinky pink, is a sort of orangey-salmony pink. That meant that it clashed with all the pretty-pink clothes I wanted to dress her in - she's such a girly girl.

So I've decided to give her a makeover.

There was someone on the TIB forum who dyed their MRB's hair and just took off the pink with a bit of light brown. It looks so pretty, and just tones it down a bit, and it's a light colour so my chances of ruining her are reduced.

I've also popped out two sets of her eyechips and ordered some more from Brainworm.

This is all preparation for my birthday present *squeak* who's boxed up, upstairs, and who won't need anything doing to her ... except her face sanding. *eek* Dare I? Dare I? Let's see how Grace gets on first ...

Dear friends,

This is a note on behalf of the Sea Monkeys, a.k.a. Ted, Lauren and me, to say thank you again for sponsoring us to swim the 2008 Swimathon.

We swam it last weekend in record time, finishing within ten minutes of each other. We each swam 68 lengths, which works out as a mile plus an extra 100 metres. It was great fun. We were issued with matching white swim-hats and swam at the same time in lanes next to each other. Ted came first, in half an hour, and was relieved not to be beaten by girls. Lauren flew in next, at 35 minutes, and I came in at 40 minutes. We were tired but happy by the end!

When each of us finished, our length-counters and the crowd cheered, and we were force-fed cookies and orange squash by a small boy when we emerged from the pool, as someone had told him all the swimmers might keel over otherwise. (I think we'd have been ok, but the Oreos were nice.)

The sponsorship money is still coming in, but at the time of writing you have raised over £850 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Thank you all so much - it's way more than we ever hoped to raise. You are all very lovely, generous people.

As a special treat to thank you for your support, here's a photo of us with our Swimathon medals outside Balham Leisure Centre.

Lots of love,

Linnie
xx