Mark of Friendship - RIP

I was saddened to read on the Daily(ish) Millbrooker that the 'Mark of Friendship' in Sir's street has shut. Okay, the most recent owners were pretty miserable, and occasionally threw water over well-dressed people, but being four doors up from Sir's gaff, we went there alot.

In fact we've been going there pretty much as long as the family have been in Cornwall. I used to head in there to catch up on all the great gossip that abounds in Millbrook (I can't tell you any, I'd have to kill you), and I have spent many an evening sitting at the bar trying to prevent Sir from singing.

Best of all, the letters of the name started disappearing a few years back. They weren't painted at this stage, just stuck on plastic letters. No-one ever saw who was nicking them, but over time the name changed from the 'Mark of Friendship' to the ' arc of F iendship'.

They changed it to painted letters pretty quickly, but it lasted long enough to give everyone a good chortle. Vandalism with a sense of humour - marvellous.

Arc of Fiendship, you'll be missed.
Lucy

Finger-food-tastic!

I've got to show you this. Drude added it as a comment to the last post about sweet/savoury and it's fab: finger plates for finger food!

As someone who used to fantasise about living on canapes, I've got to ask: where has this perfect party accessory been all my life? Sad thing is that these days I don't go to swanky parties where this must-have might appear.

If anyone out there - or anyone you vaguely know - EVER gets to use one, please please please get a picture. In fact, if anyone is going to a swanky party this season, please post the best canape you come across in the comments.

I adore canapes, and can't really say what was the very best I've eaten, it's too hard. I sway between mini fish and chips and a loaf of crusty bread, hollowed out and filled with wonderful mini free-range sausages along with a caramelised onion dip. They may have appeared at the same party but as you can tell, it was the food I remember not the event.

Hmmm, wonder what's in the fridge?

Lucy

Sweet or savoury?

As my post about turning down page corners raised alot of comment, I'm wondering whether this one will do the same. If you had a choice of two parties, one entirely serving sweet food, the other entirely savoury, which way would you turn?

Having just demolished a pack of Tesco's dim sum for my lunch, I'm pretty clearly a savoury person. Favourite must-have foods include humous and ham. Tuna is always available in my house. If you want to charm me or persuade me to do something, take me out for a good Thai meal.

I won't turn down a box of chocolates as I live with two people with sweet thooths (or is that sweet teeth? I never know). But whether I would actually eat any of them is debateable.

I always head for the crisp section at the newsagents. And being pregnant, I have terrible (wierd) cravings for prawn cocktail and taramasalata. Luckily not in the same meal.

While I know I'm not alone, I'm wondering whether we'd get to party together or whether I would wave you off to the sweets section!
Lucy

Heroes - I'm switching to Fringe

Being an old SF fan who published SF books back in the day, I love a good SF drama.

'Heroes' really got me, I loved it, and still want the super power of copying anything you see, now THAT'S power worth having.

But having faithfully watched every single episode to date, I'm getting confused. And if I'm getting confused, what chance does the casual watcher have? Sorry Heroes, but you're taking it too far and in too many different directions for me to keep loyal. I'm giving up and switching to 'Fringe'.

'Fringe' is great. Very simple, a genuine mad scientist (Walter Bishop) who solves wierd FBI cases with fringe science, a very serious female FBI agent (Olivia) who never smiles, and Pacey from Dawsons Creek, son of said mad scientist.

Like Buffy or the X-Files, you can dip in and out, they solve a crime per episode, Olivia frowns alot and Pacey moans about babysitting his dad.

I'd talk about 'Survivors' but frankly it's giving me the willys. Like '28 Weeks Later' I think it's set around my patch. And I only managed half an hour of that, and then only saw very few zombies, but I still think about it.

'Survivors' is having the same effect. While I know logically that it won't happen, but my imagination isn't convinced.

Yours off to hide behind the sofa,

Lucy