Keris Stainton's Blog, page 97

Movie Monday: Ninotchka

Now this film right here is why I like to do this kind of thing*. I would never ordinarily have watched Ninotchka, last week's movie. I've never seen a Greta Garbo film, despite having known her name (and her "I vant to be alone" catchphrase) for as long as I can remember. I watched the trailer and expected it to be terrible, but I actually really enjoyed it.

It's not a romantic comedy though. It's not particularly romantic, nor is it particularly funny. In fact, it doesn't seem to know what

Tiny serving trees

How cute? I would almost certainly eat more fruit (or, er, marshmallows) if I had these little trees to eat it from!

[via Swiss Miss]

The one where Keris cooks…

One of my favourite writers is Catherine Newman. I read her parenting memoir Waiting for Birdy a couple of years ago and then I read it again. And then again. And then I read all of her Ben & Birdy columns online and now I read her food column, Dalai Mama Dishes, on Family Fun. I love her.

Yesterday I read this recipe for Smoky Shrimp with Garlic and Olive Oil and I thought it sounded rather delish. So after I picked Harry up from school, I went to Tesco's and bought prawns and spinach...

The Gallery: Motherhood

This week's prompt from Tara at Sticky Fingers was Motherhood.

It's a funny one for me because being a mother is the most important thing in my life, but I don't really think of myself as a mother. I don't feel like a mother – I don't feel grown-up enough. Me and David still sometimes talk about how mad it is that we're allowed to bring up two little people. Us!

Anyway. The first photograph that popped into my mind was this one of me and Joe:

Harry's birth was so incredibly traumatic and I...

My nephew, Jake

My nephew Jake told me that he'd shown my website to his schoolfriends and they didn't believe I was his aunty. So here's a photo to prove it.

Movie Monday: Bringing Up Baby

Each Monday I'm going to be blogging about a romantic comedy chosen by The Popcorn Dialogues. Read more – and my opinion on the first film – here. (And I'd love you to watch along, if you'd like to.)

I've tried to watch Bringing Up Baby twice before and failed both times. I wanted to like it because – duh – Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, but I found it just so very irritating. But I vowed to watch it again, along with The Popcorn Dialogues. So I did. And I found it very irritating.

Why...

"Hot dog, jumping frog, Alma Cogan…"

I usually post cute pictures and pretty packaging on my other blog, Smitten, but this is just SO VERY CUTE that I had to post it here. Isn't it fabulous? [via Lovely Package]

And before you comment and tell me it's "Alberquerque" not "Alma Cogan", the title is a quote from my fave British sitcom, Spaced.

Happy Hump Day

Today I got a lovely (and very funny) review from publishing big mouth bigwig Scott Pack.

I was also tweeted by – *faints* – David Mitchell (you can watch the Personal Debt podcast here):

And then there's this, which made me do an actual *squee*

You're all invited. Would be amazeballs* to see you there!

* I have no idea, but the cool kids are using it and, as you will clearly see above, I am nothing if not cool.

Wanderlust

This was my dream in my late teens and early twenties. It still sounds pretty cool now, don't you think?

Around the same time period, I went through a Danielle Steel obsession and read every book of hers I could get my hands on*. One, Wanderlust, has stuck in my mind for this exact reason – a woman alone with a camera, travelling the world. (I'd love to reread it, but I'm not sure I'd love it quite so much these days.)

* Not sure if it's still the case, but every single one I read featured the...

Movie Monday: It Happened One Night

Two of my favourite authors – Jennifer Crusie and Lani Diane Rich (as Lucy March) – have started something called The Popcorn Dialogues. You can read all about it here, but basically they drew up a list of the best American romantic comedies of all time and they're watching one each week and then blogging about it and recording a podcast. I'm going to attempt to watch along and then blog about the movies here each Monday.

CONTAINS SPOILERS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS MOVIE ENDS...