FooFoo

As the wife and I have spent the last years of our life travelling thousands of miles up and down the motorway we have developed the art of car games, many of which are unique to us and other which we have "borrowed" from others (Thanks Jo and Ben).

The current car favorite is adding inappropriate wording to the pussy cat dolls song trying to make the other person laugh. First one to laugh looses so it goes as follows -

It's funny how a man only thinks about the bus
You got a real big heart, but I'm looking your socks
You got real big brains, but I'm looking at your mum
Girl, there ain't no pain in me looking at your

You get the picture.... but the highlight of the trip, the winning word and this weeks word of the week is foofoo

"Fufu, also spelled foofoo, foufou, or fu fu, is a staple food of West and Central Africa. It is a thick paste made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a large mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached. It may also be made by boiling flour in water, stirring vigorously with a wooden paddle until thick. In French-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa, fufu is often called cous-cous."

Babies

The first of my grown up friends has had a baby..... and unlike my previous contact with new born babies this one is beautiful.

We went round to visit to drop off food. This is part of a church initiative where you and your family are fed for the first two weeks of your child's life....Which has me thinking..

1) Six months off work
2) Free cooked food for two weeks
3) Flowers and presents
4) an excuse to eat for two!

Almost enough to persuade me to have the 30 hour labour.... ALMOST

Knowing me, knowing you ahharh

Four jobs I've had
Fish fryer for a well known fish and chip shop (worst job ever)
Accountant/Auditor
Sainsbury’s merchandising supervisor (I was the reason the things you wanted kept moving)
Serving wench for royalty (did manage to serve the gentleman’s last meal!)

Four movies I can watch over and over
Sliding Doors (even when you cock up your life rights itself...)
X Men 1,2 and hopefully 3 (total escapism)
House of Flying Daggers (Style, grace and a truly engaging story and made me cry like a girl)Austin Powers (Yeah baby)

Four places I have lived
Mold (Without the U!)
Nottingham (Student days, and back as a professional)
Leytonstone (The delights of commuting on the Tube)
Guildford (Starting on the career path)

Four TV shows I like to watch
CSI (Slick, smart, intelligent drama)
House (grumpy and miserable on a Thursday night)
Grandstand (sport sport sport sport sport)
Soccer AM (cheerful pub humour on a Saturday morning)

Four foods that I like
Sweets
Pudding
Fish
Pork Pies

Four websites I visit daily
BBC (for weather, news, gossip)
Google
Right Move (You never know when the house of your dreams might hit the market)
HSBC (To curb the wife’s spending problem)

Four things I want to do before I die
Have kids
Travel to all continents
Only have matching underwear
Have a car of my own

Four places I would rather be right now
1. In bed with my wife
2. In a hot foreign country
3. In a beer garden in the sun with my mates
4. In my private swimming pool

Four people I'm tagging
Ben
Jo (Again)
Paul
Del

Sadness

Last night I took to the streets (no money isn't that short to come by!)

I was out and about giving out food and hot drinks to the homeless as part of a charity/church project that's on going in the city.

So there I was handing out cheese sandwiches to the stereotypical homeless men with cans of special brew in their hands when I met a Polish family living on the streets with their three year old son.

They're not in a hostel as all those they tried were single sex and they're living under the radar trying to stop having their child taken from them.

What kind of life is it for a small child on the streets and what sort of future lies ahead for him?

It makes you realise just how lucky you are and just how sheltered your own childhood was in comparison.