No, not like that! Get your minds out of the gutter, you saucy minxes and bad lads.

I’ve been away for a little while, gadding about, and now I’m back being a girl around London town, and around the interwebs. Here are three things that made me smile this week:

1. My Gingerbread Syrup recipe was featured on the Domestic Sluttery blog. Make some, it’s dead easy and you can use it to make fancy lattes at home for pennies. Go on, you know you want to. While you’re at it, have a look at some of the Sluts’ favourite design porn, gift ideas and other recipes.
2. This site was listed in a list of top 100 Personal Finance Bloggers. Cor! And if that’s not an incentive to be less of a slacker and do some more regular updates on here then I don’t know what is.
3. After waking from a fit of doziness (it’s the weather, I tell you) I also noticed that The Lean Times had kindly nominated this site for a Kreativ Blogger Award, which was super-lovely. I suggest you visit her site pronto for some excellent advice about dinner parties, fashion and much more on-a-shoestring fun.

I’ll be back soon with some ideas for brightening up the festive season without burdening your credit cards. First, though, a nice cup of tea and a bit of lounging is in order – while I collect my thoughts and a few boughs of holly.