New Day

Saturday...my favourite day of the week.  Being my first day off work in 2011, I decided it would also be the first day I will keep this diary.  Days off always bring an enthusiasm for new things, so here we go.

Started off the day as always, walking my dog, Toby, around the Angel of the North.  Sun came out and I made plans in my head for the day.  This diary / blog thingy being the first one.  Toby is my six year old Lakeland/Patterdale terrier, my best little pal.  He's good at: catching balls, understanding English, cocking his head to one side and looking wistful, and barking at postmen.  I got Toby from a farm up the coast when he was a tiny puppy.  I couldn't choose between him and his brother so got someone to choose for me.  We got in the car to take him home, and he was asleep on my lap within two minutes.  Toby hates fuss, can be grumpy at times, but a bit of cheese and he's anybody's.

Anyway, eight days late, I decided on my resolutions for 2011.

1.  Learn a new skill

2.  Stop wasting time watching crap telly and educate myself instead

3.  Be more appreciative of people

4.  Be nine stone something, instead of ten stone something

5.  Go back to New York...yeah!

That'll do for now. 

So with that decided upon, and the dog walked, off I went into town.  First port of call was the Grainger Market to pick up shopping.  Love the Grainger Market.

Next, off to the Tyneside Cinema to see the latest big film, The King's Speech.   I love the Tyneside Cinema, and paid the extra to sit in the circle, where I could buy myself a beer and stand it on the little ledge beside my comfy leather chair, and stretch out my legs in the abundance of space in front of it.  Wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon .
                                               

The film itself was fantastic, the hype was definitely to be believed.  It was basically

 a good comfort film for a cold January afternoon.  Colin Firth was his usual wonderful self and the best actor oscar should be in the bag. 

Back home, I made the first of (hopefully) many recipes from my new Jamie Oliver book, 30 minute meals.  It took an hour and a half.  Spinach and feta pie, with a tomato salad and a cucumber salad.    It looks decidedly dodgy, but I must say, it did taste good, and I will make it again.  In 30 minutes next time.

Spent the rest of the evening having my hair arranged in bunches, chignons and beehives, by my seven-year old niece, Nicole.  She's going to be a hairdresser when she grows up (how did you guess?)
Nicole is good at:  laughing, speaking her mind, doing bunches (needs work on the beehive), all sports, and being happy. 

So there we are.  A rundown of events of my first day.
I don't know how often I'll do this.  Knowing me, I'll be mad keen at first, then tail off after a while.  We'll see.  I'm not doing this for anyone else, just for me.  But hopefully it'll be good to look back on pictures and memories in time to come.
Fact of the day:  New York's Central Park is bigger than the principality of Monaco.