Living the Temping Dream...

So the job search continues and in the meantime I've found a 6 week temping placement which is at a big car dealership conveniently close to where I live. It's long hours, 8-6 but then I get paid hourly and I'm able to get home for lunch so I figure it beats doing a long commute in busy traffic each morning. The people are really nice, it's a bit of a joke because I literally know nothing about cars, especially very large, modern ones.

I'm still looking for permanant work but it's been pretty hard to find anything and quite demoralising. I've slacked off over the last few weeks as well as I knew that I had myself sorted for a while with this temp job. Wages are basically shit in Southampton and there are hundreds of people all looking for work. A bad combination!

Nick is taking the bull by the horns and is setting up his own business. So far he has registered the Company name, designed a wicked logo, bought a Smart car and is currently getting it sign written, been to see a solicitor for legal advice, oh, and bought a fancy pants video camera with a load of kit to go with it. He's going to be making videos, for weddings, companies, that sort of thing. I won't go into any more detail until it's a bit more fully formed. He's been really busy the last few weeks, plus I've turned him into a house husband as well because I've hardly been around. He's doing most of the cooking and cleaning as I simply don't have the hours in the day to do it and our weekends have been horrendously packed full of stuff. Fun stuff but all the same, leaves you with no time!

The kittens are just completely awesome and lovely. They are super affectionate and love company. They jump around all over the place like utter loons and are strangely fascinated by running water. If you're running a bath they fall in, if you're brushing your teeth they try to get in the sink and if you're on the loo they jump up on your lap which is a bit disconcerting. Max loves climbing the curtains up to ceiling height, but then he can't get back down again so gets ridiculously stuck. They have destroyed most of our house plants and I basically can't wait to get them outside in the garden where they can let off some steam!! We are just waiting for them, especially little Millie, to recover from their neutering operations which they had about a week ago. So about another week. She has a big shaved patch which feels like a shammy leather on her side. They seem completely unfazed by the experience which is a relief.

It's my Dad's birthday today, must give him a ring. And it was my mother in laws 60th yesterday, we went around for dinner and drinks last night. At the weekend, for her birthday, we went to the most amazing hotel - http://www.limewood.co.uk/ which is in the New Forest. We stayed overnight and had the most incredible meal of my life. It was cooked by Alex Aitkin who has 2 Michelin Stars no less! And it was at the 'Chef's Table', literally a big oak table actually in the huge, bustling kitchen of the hotel and you get to watch all the cooks bustling about like something out of Hell's Kitchen (but without the swearing and they all looked quite calm). Anyway there were 9 courses, it was a taster menu, and with each course we had a Sommelier come and match up the wine to go with it, there was so much interesting wine and even vintage pink champagne with the scallops course!

OK now because I want to remember it for all time and this is my blog, this is what we had to eat. I know it's boring! It's more for me.

1) Pre dinner nibbles of chicken liver fois gras and aubergine caviar with little toasts.

2) An amuse bouche of little espresso cup of what tasted like very rich cauliflower cheese topped with fois gras and reduced balsamic vinegar

3) A sealed jam jar that they popped the lid off for you at the table, filled with wild mushroom risotto, a bantam poached egg on top and slivers of truffles. Possibly my favourite course, this one.

4) Scallops in a sort of salady vinegrette with the pink champers to drink. Yum.

5) Monkfish chunks with a sort of olive tapenade on top and a triangle of something like hallumi cheese underneath which was very nice

6) Slowed cooked venison with poached pear and walnuts and a small individual haggis on the side. nice but weird with the haggis!

7) Lump of some British Brie type cheese with a 'deconstructed' waldorf salad next to it! So funny, just all the ingredients laid out prettily rather than all mixed together. Very nice though.

8) Basically a shot glass with a basil froth at the top, sweet coconut mush underneath with lumps of lime jelly. The only course I didn't really like if I'm honest.

9) Passionfruit souffle which they pop the top of with a spoon in front of you and pour into it a rich passionfruit sauce. It also came with a little cornetto thing on the side which was very tasty.

10) Coffees and little homemade chocolate truffles in the bar afterwards.

Oh my God! I was so bloated! I actually couldn't sleep afterwards. The hotel is so posh as well, but feels very relaxed so you don't feel too self conscious which is good. My sister in law works there and got us a very good deal, to say the least.

Anyway I know that was so, so boring to list al the food but I really want to remember what a fantastic evening we had there. We're also taking the mother in law to London for the weekend which will be the weekend after next. We're going to do afternoon tea at Browns then a night a Ronnie Scott's Jazz club, hurrah! That will be amazing too, I'm sure.