It's the End of the World As We Know IT, But I Feel Fine. And Full of M&Ms.

This Sunday, I went to see a film I've been looking forward to for chuffing ages: The World's End.



This is the last film in the Wright/Pegg/Frost Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, and if you are fans of the Rom Zom Com Shaun of the Dead or the cop bromance Hot Fuzz, then there's plenty of intertextual humour in this film to make you go squee. Whilst it lacks the nuts/icecream/strawberry sauce combo level of humour of the first two films, it's certainly got the lump of chocolate at the end of the cone to wrap the trilogy up nicely. See how I go about using metaphor to avoid spoilers in the first paragraph? Ah, like the cold confection itself, that's not going to last. I'm not revealing any twists, though.  

So, how was this in any way, shape or form frugal? Well, my friends, do you know about Sweet Sundays? Get a free cinema ticket by buying packs of M&Ms, or Milky Way Stars etc. Now, that's great if you were planning on buying the chocolate anyway, which I was - I got 1 ticket by buying 4 snack packs to sneak into watching the last Superman film (which I got to see thanks to a wedding gift card). These snacks were sourced at Home Bargains, which at £1 a bag was pretty much half price to the same in Sainsbury's etc. and way cheaper than the cinema foyer. The second ticket was sourced from buying just 3 bags, which I decanted into little bags and snuck into the cinema for this trip (because I needed the codes at the bottom of the bag).

Why only 3 this time?

Because my street is full of litter. Oh yes... I got one code from picking up a bag I found blowing around just outside my house. Get in!

That's nothing... I've picked up 8 empty bottles of Coke this weekend alone. I am grabbing the points and putting them to recycle. Green karma a-go-go.

Litterbugs of Northampton, you are quite literally throwing your money away. Thank you very much.

Unfortunately, you can ony claim 2 tickets per household for Sweet Sunday, so it had to be this film. I've been looking forward to it for years. And I got ready for it by watching the first two on DVD again in the morning. What a great way to spend a Sunday!

In June 1990, Gary King (Pegg) experienced the best day of his life. He and his mates from school all went on the ultimate pub crawl, the Golden Mile, in their hometown of Newton Haven. Their goal - a pint in each of the 12 pubs, ending up in The World's End. They never made it. Since that time, Gary's life has gone downhill, and he and his friends have grown apart. To Gary, though, the key to resolving all his woes is that pub crawl. He is determined to get the gang back together and finish the job. There's only one snag: they all think he's a cock. And the town is not the same anymore either.

 Pegg's character in Shaun in Shaun of the Dead was being kept back by his irresponsible friend, Ed (Frost), while the rest of his friends were beginning to grow up. In this film, childhood is definitely over for all but Gary King, and his buffoonery is a mask for a tragic life. Hence with this film there is scope for a lot more pathos.

I'm not going to talk about any of the jokes, except to say rather a lot of them are callbacks to the other films and intertextual references to other films that you might expect (Terminator, Mad Max, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, Enter the Dragon, Stepford Wives). There are even a few scenes that recall Spaced... and videos by Fields of the Nephilim. Not quite as funny as the other films, there's still plenty to laugh at in there, and it's a very enjoyable film to watch. I loved it. And being rather distracted at times by the most excellent soundtrack, I daresay if I watch it again, I'd pick up on little things I'd missed here and there, because they always pack little treats in.

There's a bit more social commentary in this film too... Newton Haven is a freakishly white town. Not to give too much away, but the end of the film makes you think about this, and what it says about our attitudes to 'others', now and not so long ago in our history, as well as saying something about 'clone towns', and the bleakness of trying to blend in and grow up.

It's pointed out how shabbily the boys treated girls when they were young, and though there's some karmic revenge, it's still a bit of a 'for the dads' moment. Rosamund Pike is not just a 'love interest', but could be in the film a bit more... but they gave me Paddy Considine, and I'm made up with that.

The Intrepid Fox is not a pub in the film. But it is a rather cool rock pub...

 On the way home, we were reminded of how much better the music was circa '87-92, which was the time period from which all the non-score music in the film was gleaned.







New boy band member hides the only good tattoos in the band.

Shit tattoo boy band mock my shortness. Rude!

... and then en route home, who should we bump into but one of the extras. Aw!

Thanks for reading... that's what you typically get with this blog: passion for geek stuff; genuinely useful tips for enjoying more of what you love for less; pictures of hedgehogs. This blog is a love letter to life, love, friends and the whole world. I've no room for misery or hate, and I'm hopeful that if you follow me or read this it's because you love 'stuff' too. I hope you enjoy, and that you feel included. Even One Direction fans. I'm only saying I know plenty of really good tattooists round here, and they could have helped.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait for Good Things to End Up in the Charity Shops

Sometimes it's worth counting your blessings.

In what seems like a bit of a bad news story, OH and I find ourselves to be a very lucky couple indeed. Our wedding venue has been sold to a local college and anyone who had planned an event there after 30th June has been told they need to find somewhere else. That's 50 disappointed couples. some of them only have a few weeks to find somewhere else.

I feel blessed to live in a town that has so many great amenities. I know a lot of people moan about the number of charity shops and pound shops in the town, but they have been an absolute lifeline for me as I try to source everything from stationery to decorations to items for my jewelled wedding bouquet.

And as OH's parents are unable to make the wedding, we are having the ceremony videoed. We had looked at getting a tripod for the camera, but they were too expensive, even secondhand. But yesterday, OH managed to find the exact right one in a Cancer Research shop for £5!!

I love this shop - it always has great quality clothes in it. Sorry, this is an old pic, the store has had a bit of a spruce and looks very inviting now.

And we have sourced some very cheap packs of photo frames from the 99P Store to decorate the tables with. As we are having characters to denote tables rather than numbers, this will be useful... although some of the fellas do look very similar.


J M Barrie



H G Wells

Arthur Conan Doyle

Can you imagine if that's your game of Guess Who?

"Do they have a moustache?"

"Yes."

"Is it H G Wells?"

"No. My go. Do they have a moustache?"

"No."

"Yay! Is it Lewis Carroll?"


"...I hate you, you know."

Some compromises are having to be made. We are having a friend who is a professional photographer do official photographs at mates' rates, but in addition to that we wanted to have fun cameras on the tables. I've suggested instead that we ask our friends for access to their photos via Facebook, which we could print out ourselves for our album.

But over to you - what brilliant charity shop/pound shop finds have you made recently?

Sunday Night is Bath Night

Daisy Steiner: "I can't just pluck another winter skincare dos and don'ts out of the air!"

Tim Bisley: "Why not?"*

 

Yes, because this blog is nowhere near enough geeky.

 

I promised myself a night of pampering after managing to fit in so much exercise the other week. No need to splash the cash though as I had everything I needed at home already. 

First,  a luxurious hair conditioning treatment.  Argan oil is touted as the wonder treatment de jour. Used in Morocco for centuries,  it's just catching on in the UK big time. 

I got a little 30ml sample from a friend whose family all live in Morrocco. If you went to a salon this treatment could set you back about £15 or possibly more.  Home treatments can be dear too. £5 for 50ml. I've seen Home Bargains online do 66 x 100ml for £17.99 so you could go in shares with a friend or stockpile, but I suggest checking your nearby HB shop out, or, if you have a specialist ethnic supermarket near you try there, as they will be a lot cheaper. These shops are also great for other natural beauty treatments like rose water and coconut oil at cheap prices. 

All you need to do is apply to your dry hair and scalp. 

It's great for multi-tasking this one... you really don't need much to really penetrate your hair so just wear an old tee-shirt, or clip on a towel, it's not going to really drip everywhere once it's on your head. Just don't go leaning back against your sofa or anything.

 

You need to leave the oil on for a minimum of 20mins, but I got on with an hour's worth of editing work.

 

...and yes, you can apply argan oil to your scalp if you have a dry scalp. It's pretty effective at combatting dandruff.

 

If you can't get hold of argan oil though, you can try olive oil, just on the ends, or even apply your usual conditioner, wrap your wet hair in a towel and stick a bag over the top to gently heat your hair and get more of the conditioner into it.

 

With 20 minutes to go, I applied my Home Bargains 25p chocolate mask. You don't need to use shop-bought masks though. Porridge oats in water can make a good exfoliating mask, or mashed banana or avocado for softness. As a teen, I used to use a paste made of caster sugar and water, but you have to be careful not to scrub off while it's still very grainy as it can be too harsh if you're not careful.

 

Mask, applied, pull a duck face. I mean muck face.

 

 

 

Then, you've got to get rid of it. Remove the mask with damp cotton wool or just splash it off with warm water. Then wash the gunk off your hair. Really wash it well. Use a second dollop of shampoo if needed. I chose to run a bath to do this - some purists will argue this is bad and wrong and a bit mucky, but all that argan oil goes in the water to soften your skin after it has been rinsed off your hair. Just remember to use clean water to rinse your hair in, or the oil will just stick back on and it will look like you haven't washed it at all.

 

I finished my pamper-evening with a hand and nail treatment of slightly warmed olive oil (just the cheap stuff), rubbing it into the cuticles. When rinsed off and dried, I used some Home Bargains emery board (79p) to shape and Aldi Lacura clear nail varnish (£1.99) - this is an attempt to save my nails ahead of my wedding, because they are flakier than the cast of TOWIE.

 

Sadly, I haven't earned my stripes too do this kind of thing again for a while... despite a park run of 31.11 on Saturday and a 4 mile walk on Sunday. But I have my gym induction tonight, so let's see how things go.

 

Oh, and there are no 'after' pictures. I am still ugly. But softer.

 

*I love Spaced.

Do You a Favour? Lovely Handmade Chocolates

I really do know the right people,  and if there's ever anything I need to know about food, then Annie Ko is the woman to ask. She is a brilliant cook and food writer, specialising in Chinese treats and baking and not only runs these workshops but also does specialist catering too.

Last night she ran a chocolate workshop,  and I went along to pick up some tips on making chocolate. Bonus - I made a cool Valentine gift for my OH.

Here are the results:

Don't they look pretty in their box?

These yummy lovelies are Baileys dark chocolate and fig and cassis milk chocolate ones. Figs are ideal for Valentine's day, because of course they are an alleged aphrodisiac. And who doesn't love getting chocolates? Just a few unloved, sad individuals...

Recipes and details of where to book workshops are on Annieko.com.

Of course, this is all inspiration for my wedding, and I will be making some favours that guests can take home if they wish, or just chomp on between swigs of bubbly, om nom nom. Who needs to 'buy in', when you can make something much lovelier for much cheapness?

I have to tell you, I sampled a couple, and they are delicious! Did put me a point over my WW for the day, but it was worth it.

Bling's the Thing

My wedding dress arrived yesterday. I'd ordered it not knowing if it was going to be right. Would it look awful? Would it stand a chance of fitting?

As it turns out, it is a shade too small - which is perfect! I need to diet off a couple of bits of poundage to be the best on my big day. The dress zips up from hips to waist, and then laces up across the back, so should also be quite forgiving.

What does it look like? Sneak a peek at a tiny corner of it here:

It wasn't a thousand pound dress, it has sequins on the bodice, not diamante or crystal, but it looks floaty and amazing!

 

Thanks to my friend Sam, I think I have located something fantastic to go on my head, too. I hope you don't mind me keeping it all as a bit of a surprise.

 

But my search for wedding bling is not yet finished...

 

I'm on a bit of a quest.

 

You may have seen jewellery bouquets before. I saw one displayed at Most Marvellous Place in Northampton and fell in love with it. It would be perfect for my Steampunk-style day.

 

 

I saw an example of one over at Vintage Magpie. They can be pretty expensive in some quarters, but I have found a lovely lady called Ann at MMP who will make one up from my own and donated jewellery. Just simple costume jewellery, some beads and a few buttons can make a wonderful bouquet. I would link to one of hers, but she doesn't have one on her site just yet. So, I'm looking for pieces featuring red, purple and ivory. I'm not fussy about the neutrals, base colours and metals, a mix will do. If you spot any that are cheap as chips, or have anything you don't mind donating, please let me know. I'm looking for brooches, beads, earrings, anything - broken is fine - priced at about £1 per piece. I'm looking for around 40 items, and aiming to source most things myself to keep costs low. All help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Tonight I'm breaking my social curfew and heading to the pub. I promise there's a good reason: I'm meeting a friend to help make the buttonholes for OH, his best man and brother. Can't be too boozy because I need to watch pennies, of course, do a good job on the buttonholes, and save my WW points for the rest of the weekend. Also I need to get up for Parkrun in the morning. The last two were snowed off, and I've really missed it.

The Joys of Thrifting and Gifting

As we save up for our big day, I am determined to make sure that we make our celebration as unique to ourselves as possible, while trying out new things.

My other half was very impressed by the card I made my nephew for his birthday (his birthday is today, but it was his party at the weekend). Ash liked it more when I pointed out that Eeyore was Winnie the Pooh's best friend.If I'd tried to make one of Winnie, I'd have had to use yellow-green instead of yellow foam. It would be as though Winnie had eaten too much honey made by the bees around that French M&Ms factory.

He also seemed to like the 'hitting sticks' we got him - a set of children's golf clubs. He is set to be a very sporty little boy indeed! Or a violent one...

The clubs were originally a present for me... dare I say I'm very short, but not that short.

I wore my latest craft project to the children's party - a thrifted jumper, bought back in November, that I jazzed up with an applique tartan stag's head on Friday. Bang on trend for £2.99! Unfortunately it got 'nephewed' before I had chance to take a picture as my 8-year old nephew, my little Genius, deceived me with a hug before using my clothes as handy chocolate-removing napkin.

I do believe this year my OH and I are going to be revisiting crafts with a vengeance. He has borrowed a pattern to make dashing waistcoats for his outfit, and if I have time I may be making dresses myself. I'm also going to be attending a chocolate-making workshop next month, run by my sister-in-law, an extremely talented cook and food-writer. She makes gorgeous chocolates, and if I can aim to reach her standards, I'll be making the favours for the wedding.

Don't these Baileys truffles look yummy?

www.annie-ko.com

 Plus, they will make marvellous Valentine's Day gifts.

Other good things this week - I got a new personal best time at Park Run: 5km in 30 minutes 53 - go me!