Vamp

I'm currently giving myself the heebies reading Different Seasons by Stephen King. Mentioned I'd read Shawshank Redemption the other day. Now getting towards the end of Apt Pupil. Wow. That is wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. Full evaluation later, but I've managed to make it even creepier with this cute little night light, £6.99 from WHSmith.

Allows me to read late into the night, up here in the attic. Problem is, this little monster:

Every morning and most of the day. Cock-a-bloody-doodle-doo to you too, you fowl beast. I sense Coq au Vin for tea.

Moving swiftly on. Had a fab night out last night with my new friend Morgen. Went to Fanny's Summer Cabaret at The Picturedrome (how strange) in Northampton. Awesome acts including Rosie Lugosi the Lesbian Vampire Queen, Tina C (who totally rules! - we are all valid.) and the Haraam Dance Troupe.

I took the opportunity to indulge in Pixywoo.  I love that site, but I've never been artistically gifted. Had a bit of a go, all the same. Tried an Urban Decay one, using cheaper shadow and different colours. I hate wasting the good stuff on trial and error. Think it worked quite well though.

Then I went freestyle and plied the glitter. Didn't quite work so well, but I thought the blue eyebrows were a stroke of genius.

In the end I went for something a little more demure. A dash of Urban Decay and a slathering of green glitter. £4, Claire's, bargain.

The other thing I learned to do was - finally - tie a Windsor Knot. This is something I've wanted to learn for yonks, but every YouTube video I found sent me totally cross-eyed. I'm not very co-ordinated, so instructions tend to lose me fairly quickly. Then I found this guy! He's totally brilliant. And look - I did it!

It just looks so much better than a regular knot because it's symmetrical. Très smart.

So, that was all good fun. Topped it off with my favourite trilby and an ironed (gods forbid!) shirt. Didn't shape up too shabby.

It was a fun night, though a distinct lack of feather boas. Quite a swanky place in fact. I stayed over, despite being sober. I really must do something about that. Two months today without alcohol. That can't be good for you!

Perhaps I shall celebrate by sobriety with a Pimm's later...

Other news: it's my mum's birthday next week. So I stopped off at the garden centre on the way home and bought her two new friends. They're called Butterfly Koi, and she's named them Admiral and Skipper (types of butterfly). I've documented their moment of freedom.

They disappeared rather quickly beneath the surface due to a slight pump issue we're having, but we think we've fixed it so hopefully we'll see them all again soon.

Now the fun is over, I have some serious work to get on with. Just over a week to go before I don my professional hat (not a pinstriped trilby) and go talk strategy. Then up to see my dear friend in Scotland - undisclosed location, I'm afraid, due to some psycho hose beast who's after his nuts on a plate. I'm looking forward to the juicy gossip. I fear little has changed in the years since I last saw him.

Did manage to start writing again the other day, too. 3.6k! Most I've written fiction-wise in months. Fingers crossed I'll get a lot more done oop norf.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend.