Hi, I'm back with lots of new pics. I had a dinner party entitled "An Evening of Love........." on the 18th February to mark Valentines Day for the ladies!


We dined on Oriental Firepot, a savoury fondue, which consisted of prawns, scallops, snow peas and noodles. These were dipped and cooked in the fondue, which had a soup base, with lemon grass, ginger, soy sauce etc... I also made an oriental dip with prawn crackers. The main course was baked salmon with olives and pesto mashed potatoes, with a rollo losso salad. The dessert was a red berry roulade, made with egg whites and cream, with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

I produced a booklet for each guest, and the topic for conversation was "how can we as women bring more love into our lives.?"

The booklet contained articles on the chakras, particularly the heart chakra, rose quartz, which is the quartz of love, self love, and rituals! Pampering rituals and alter work.

Each guest had to bring something with them which represented "love" to them. One friend brought a CD, another her photo album, another a book on love by the Dali Lama. I read a story from a book called, "Journey to a blissful life" by Maria D Dowd.

I have typed it out as I love this story:

It is called "Love Affair" by Kimberly T Mathhews

"May I share a secret with you? I'm only telling you because you seem trustworthy enough. I am involved in a very deep and serious love affair. This affair started so subtly, as most of them do. The "relationship", if you will, crept up on me without my even noticing or purposing in my heart to be committed to such a thing. I didn't mean to become so fiercely and passionately entangled, and now that I've turned my head to look back over my shoulder at the path that this relationship has traveled, I'm fascinated that I've been involved for more than eight years! Eight years! My, how one day rolls into the next!

As with any relationship, I've experienced the typical ups and downs, but I've embraced and endured every storm, no matter how upsetting. There have been mornings when I've awakened and asked myself what was going on. Nevertheless, as I pondered the journey, I knew I wouldn't end it. There have been evenings when I just didn't feel like dealing with the drama of this union any longer, yet I pressed on. And what would any union be if there weren't a few nights going to bed angry and teary-eyed, not knowing if the bond would last beyond the wee hours of the morning? Then, of course, there is always a make up period that overpowers any dispute to the point where I can't even remember what the conflict was about in the first place.

As tempted as I have sometimes been to end it all, I just refuse to let it go. Just when I've thought that I couldn't take it anymore, something happens to make me smile, laugh and feel simply wonderful about this love I'm experiencing. Something always draws me back, calming my emotions from the greatest peak of frustration, and settles in the center of my heart. Even when I want to stay upset, I find that I can't. Rather than my saying, "It's over," the words "I love you" tumble across my lips. Rather than packing up and throwing out every single item that brings the slightest notion of this union to my mind, before I build up enough nerve and true sincerity to do so, I find myself coaxing on this intimacy.

A few friends have offered their personal opinions about this whole thing, giving me thoughtless recommendations, suggesting what they would do, and even going as far as to communicate what their individual visions are for me! What a nerve! They say things like, "Chile, you good, because if it was me, then this and that!" I listen sometimes.....just to humor them; sometimes I don't. Some are even silly enough to think that I'm trapped in this thing. "You ain't go to do that," they say. They think that I believe that there are no other options out there for me. Oh, how wrong they are. On the contrary, this is an affair of my choosing! I don't express this to them, but on the inside I stand up defiantly and say, "I'm grown. I can have an affair if I want to." forgive me if I seem defensive, but this is true love, y'all. They don't understand, but that's okay, because this love is all about me. It's who I am, what I want, and what I like. So talk about me all you want; I'm keeping on anyway.

As Usher would say, I got it bad. And I'm lovin' every minute of this affair....with my natural hair!

It was a fabulous evening, lots of discussion and laughs.
Thanks to my friends, Mandy, Nighat, Nadine and Rhianedd.