Oh crumbs, I've just received this lovely invitation to Mark Hearld's exhibition Birds and Beasts at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It promises hand painted  wooden animals, ceramic hares, collages in hand painted frames and linocuts...all the things that make life worthwhile in fact! Who wouldn't want to go...now, I just have to find my fairy godmother and see how many wishes I have left!

I am spoilt though because I have just recently got Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries II and it's so lovely- I am dying to get cooking from it. I'm a sucker for books like this- written month-by-month in a dairy format, and especially so in the winter when I need all the inspiration I can get. I'm just having a moment with duck with damson gin and duck-fat potatoes.... and orzo with courgettes and Grana Padano.... and lamb 'osso buco' with parsley pappardelle.... where is that darn fairy godmother, I want her to magic up supper while she's at it.

and