We saw 'Goodnight and Good Luck' at our local cinema (The Tricycle!) on Friday last week (it was reading week, did I do any study? No, but I saw two movies and watched a load of Alias!!), the movie about the McCarthy communist witch hunt. It was one of the most striking movies I have seen in years, in style and substance. Black and white, smokey, incredible use of light and shadow, and incredibly relevant to the modern cultural and political climate. It's not a light feel good movie, but it's well worth seeing.

Speaking of movies, we've joined an online DVD library. For a monthly fee we can watch however many DVD's we like that get posted to our door, and include a postgae paid return envelope. It is fabulous, you collect your movies with your mail, can return it whenever you like, there are no late fees, there's no rushing to the video store before they close, and we're yet to find a movie they don't have in stock!

We had four friends for lunch last weekend, arrived at 1pm and left at 11pm!! *Good* lunch. Made a scallop and lentil starter with a tomatoe garlic sauce, and then mains were two chickens, one with a mushroom truffle stuffing between skin and meat, and the other a herb butter. We served slow roasted sweet potato and pumpkin chunks as well as asparagus and a cannelini bean tomato concoction with a dash of aged balsamic vinegar, garlic and loadsa herbs - scrumpsh! Dessert was chocolate espresso puddings, and all in all it was a really enjoyable day! Must do it again some time!

This is the rose I bought Stu for Valentines. It's a variety called 'Grand Prix' and the stem of this baby was (I kid you not) 1 metre in lenth! It smelled lovely too. We had a great night, went to a gourmet burger bar then saw Walk the Line. I highly recommend this movie. I thought it just told the life story of Johnny Cash, but it was so much more. The music was a backdrop to the love story that unfolded, and it was incredibly gripping and moving. Go see it!

Roz and Lauren in their pool! Lauren has been having swimming lessons since she was a few months old, and is getting very confident in the water now, just like her Dad!

Little swimmy fish Lauren!

It was Lauren's birthday party a few weekends ago at a kiddies water park type thing. At age two she already knows how to open pressies!

Lauren in the pool at her party...

I had quite a lovely pay rise confirmed on Friday of last week, which ties into my permanency with the university being confirmed, which is wonderful! Job security and a bit extra cash over the next few years while I finish my degree and see some more of the world works for me!

And to celebrate the payrise, we're going to spend 5 nights in Barcelona over my birthday in August! Bring on the summer! It was snowing/sludging/sleeting today, and the thought of warm sun on bare limbs is immensely appealing.

Irish dreaming
We're off to Cork for three nights in early March. Exams are on the horizon, the grey skies over the urban skyline seem endless and depressing, and we just need a change of scenery. We're staying at a B&B 15 minutes walk from the city centre, and are planning on going to Blarney Castle, the Beamish brewery, seeing some live local music, and mayeb doing a day trip into the countryside. Can't wait!

People, led by the media, are too quick to generalise the beliefs and behaviours of a minority across to a majority. I know the recent publishing of cartoons satirising Mohammed caused offence and triggered a range of violent responses across the globe. Some of the protests in London were chilling, with one man dressed as a suicide bomber, and others holding up signs threatening a new 9/11 for Europe. I’d like to think I can step back and recognise these people as a subset of a minority, and not generalise their rage and provocation to Muslims across the globe. It’s like saying all Christians think and act the same way as the fundamentalist ones who shot and killed the abortion doctor at his clinic.

The interactions of religious movements and factions leave many grey areas, and recent world events add layers of emotion to the history, especially fear, complicating and clouding debates on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I keep coming back to the word ‘co-exist’. You practice your religion, I’ll practice mine, and we’ll have a meal together talking about the things we have in common – our humanity, our lives, our families, our struggles, our jobs, all the things everyone does, regardless of which God they talk to. Is tolerance really too much to ask and expect?

Happy 2nd birthday to my darling Lauren for Wednesday 8th. Where did two years go to?? I've just had a surprise call from Roz and Lauren at work, and Lauren brightened my day immensely with a gorgeous 'Hello Jodie' in her little 2-year old voice. Then she sang the entire alphabet for me and did 1-10 - talk about being a bright little spark! She told me about her 'birfday' (there was cake) and about going in a car to her party this weekend. Then she completely melted my heart at the end with a 'wuv you' that made my eyes water with the emotion. Then there were a few phone kisses ('mwah's) and cuddles that made me wish I was back in Perth so I could scoop her into my arms! She is so so so gorgeous. And I have no Aunty-based bias whatsoever!!

Lauren in the fairy outfit I sent over - she has just started to get into dressing up.

It's been quite the foodie weekend for us in between study and housework. Popped out to a butcher recommended by Cath and Bill on Saturday morning and picked up a gorgeous organic pork loin to roast for dinner, which tasted delicious, and was juicily tender. I cooked potato dauphinoise (spelling??), a red cabbage and apple dish and green beans with ginger to have with it, and we cracked open our one and only bottle of Frogmore Creek Pinot, which I found while I was in Perth (thanks to Su!). It's the winery of an ex-work colleague, well, her partner's actually, and the Pinot had been well recommended. It was the most incredible Pinot I have ever had, and I now regret not buying more! I think with cellaring it would become an absolute show-stopper, but as it was, it was still sensational. Trying to work out how I can get my mitts on more of it from over here!!

Sunday's dinner...thanks to Cath and Bill for telling us about the new fishmonger than opened on the Cricklewood Broadway. I've just finished a starter of beer batter squid strips, and this little baby is about to go in the oven!

Aspiring food photographer J Bell with closeup of sea bass stuffed with parsley, lime and dill!

Birthday boy in a photo taken by Thomas. We unleashed our camera on the boys (after ensuring the strap was tightly done up on their wrist!) and after a few basic words of guidance (i.e. what's on the screen is what you get on the picture!) off they went. This is one of Thomas's shots, with Arthur more than happy to be the subject!