Girlish days and flumpish cat nights.

This Saturday was rainy and miserable, but I cared not. I was snug and cosy in Hyde Park - my old, student 'hood - listening to Crosby, Stills and Nash with three crafty ladies - we drank tea, talked non-stop, and formed an orderly queue by Lucia's sewing machine.

A few months ago, we all attended a fun but chaotic sewing workshop at Fabrication in Leeds. Although enjoyable, it was only a day long, and way too ambitious in what it hoped to deliver. Well, for amateurs like me anyway. I came away from it with nothing but nice memories and a partly (and badly) hemmed skirt. It is still partly (and badly) hemmed.

My friend Lucia, however, now makes things that I envy and covet: gorgeous vintagey bags and super professional looking cushions. Kindly, she offered to host a sewing workshop at her flat. We would be making cushions - plain and simple, and a perfect beginner's project. And she was amazing! In addition to calmly hand-holding all three of us through much marking and cutting and pinning, she also managed to whip up a pan of carrot and coriander soup, and kept the tea flowing.

We're definitely going to do it again.

I made two cushions, and very proud of them I am too. I felt giddy-happy when Molly gave my 'project' her fat-pawed seal of approval as soon as I plonked it on the bed. I might make her a kitty sized one for Christmas.

Bloody Mary is born!

The idea for The Bloody Mary Diaries surfaced over the course of several nights out.

I’d umm-ed and ahh-ed for ages about starting a blog. I love writing, but wondered whether I’d have the motivation to update frequently enough to make it a worthwhile place to visit.

Then this summer I developed a real taste for Bloody Marys. One weekend, we were lounging idly at my friend Dave’s, when the conversation turned to how awesome Bloody Marys are. Within the hour, we’d taxied into town and were sipping the spicy, red goodness to our hearts’ content. I felt like Bill Compton in True Blood.

Then talk turned to blogs and I decided that yes, I would start one. The original idea was – amongst other things – to document my jaunts through the pubs and bars of Leeds as I undertook a quest to find the perfect Bloody Mary. Each Bloody Mary would get a star rating, and a tale to go with it.

In principle, a good idea. But I’ve since discovered that one Bloody Mary pretty much tastes like another in these here parts, and the reviews could get a tad repetitive. I would hope for bigger things (i.e. a stick of celery) from more cosmopolitan cities, but Leeds at the moment isn’t really knocking my socks off Bloody Mary wise.

Regardless, I love the name, and so I’m sticking with it, and there will still be the odd Bloody Mary review on here.