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No don’t get too excited-I won’t be attending this year *weeps. You see being up the duff is not ideal for party going Cannes plus I have writing commitments to get on with (must stop procrastinating and writing this blog instead) but Cannes is AMAZING.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend three times, having fabulous meetings, partying all night at venues that make Made In Chelsea look shabby and watching some of the best films in the world.  Truly. When people ask me if my job as a writer/director is glamorous I’d say for the majority of the time, no, it’s hard work, long hours but then I remember Cannes, Berlin, LA,  the Baftas and I suppose in between those 12 hour day shoots and the rollercoaster that is trying to get my own projects off the ground while sometimes selling my soul directing shizzle I rather wouldn’t, yes it is glamourous. Heck sharing the red carpet with Scarlett Johannsen can be tough going but someone’s got to do it right…Check out my pic of Marty Scorcese. Kinda made my year standing near him!

Anyway I thought I’d share with you a funny story of when I attended Cannes in 2009 unaware I was pregnant (I was literally a few weeks) although did think it strange I didn’t touch a drop of champs the entire time. Not a slurp.  I also ate three steaks for breakfast on the last day after our charcuterie delicacies went untouched and we had to eat up before our flight home (totes glamorous I know)-and yet still the penny didn’t drop. The biggest indicator (but yet went unnoticed) was on one of our last days my film friends and I eloped to the beach (we’d had enough of networking-our jaws were literally burning from all the jabbering and a break was in order)-fun frolicks were then followed by a swanky invite to a party held by Barclays on a yacht but I’d lost my voice. I was simply too tired to speak.  For anyone who knows me, that’s a big deal. I put it down to a day of unadulterated sun.  I ended up fleeing the party and falling fast asleep on the villa sofa before 10pm forgetting I was at the best film festival in the world. Returning back to the UK, I needed answers-where had my Cannes mojo gone? A pregnancy test revealed where. So off we went, my husband and I,brimming with excitement to our first midwife’s appointment and she revealed my due date…much to the husband’s horror.

“But you were in Cannes when you conceived”.

“Well sweetie, there was that one night with Brad”.

We looked at the dates again, she’d made a mistake.

Phew. Cannes was good but it wasn’t that good.

Funnily enough, my Mum does think Oliver looks a little like Brad Pitt…

To check out my filmmaking website click here.

P.S Having a little blogging break as going away for a few days to London for culture and shopping! Well if I can’t go to Cannes…catch you all next week!

The lovely people at Polaroid Sunglasses not only sent me a pair of shades (check out my post) but also my husband Peter, below. These are the pair he’s rocking, titled ‘Ambition’.

Check him out working it for the camera (he’s an amazing photographer and actually took these pics of himself).  Hello? Wow! Some men can multitask then! If only he was so good at reuniting socks with washing basket! Pete was actually once stopped in the street once and asked if he wanted to join a modelling agency a few years back but never fancied it.  I.T. (and photography) were his calling. I think he would have been fab though, don’t you! Enjoy!

Photographs by Peter Broadbent (c) 2012.

P.S As a photographer Peter loved the fact being Polaroid glasses, they photograph so well!

So I’m 5 months (20 weeks) pregnant now and the lovely folks at swanky label Vertbaudet sent me my first maternity dress. Squeal! The bump is still quite small but normal clothes are feeling a little stretched over the tums so I was excited to unwrap my  first maternity item! Here is the link to the dress I chose. Comfy, cool, it’s perfect for the sun I know is just around the corner…

Photographs (c) Peter Broadbent.

P.S.  I got to keep this lovely dress in return for the review.

I wrote a funny post titled One Pot of Hummus and a Guilty Mother about discovering my kid’s love of hummus a while back and boy does he love that golden Greek dip. Here Papa G shares his recipe with you. Aren’t you lucky! Enjoy!

Serves 6 people.

Ingredients:

• 225g dried chickpeas (expand when soaked)  or 400g tinned chickpeas (washed and drained)
• salt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• some chickpea cooking liquid 6 tablespoons

To garnish:

• a generous amount of cayenne pepper
• a small handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water. Drain them and put into a large pan, covering them with plenty of fresh water and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until soft. Add the salt towards the end of the cooking.

Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Cool for a few minutes, then tip into a food processor. Liquidise them with the remaining ingredients,  with half of the olive oil. Add enough of the cooking liquid to produce a fairly grainy puree, the consistency of thick mayonnaise. You may have to process the hummus in two or even three batches. Test the seasonsing and add more salt if neccessary, Now pour in the mixture and remaining olive oil and mix well with a spoon.

Put the mixture into a serving bowl and flatten the top. Pour on the olive oil, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and chopped parsley. Accompany with hot pitta bread or crudites such as sticks of celery and long sticks of carrots and cucumber.

You can of course eat these at all three of Papa G’s award winning Greek Restaurants The Olive Tree Greek Restaurant in Leeds.

Photo (c) Peter Broadbent.

So today was my 20 week scan and if you haven’t guessed already…it’s a boy! Am totally thrilled as I always imagined myself with two boys (although I apprecaite I will be utterly outnumbered in the house and Arsenal might never get turned off the box)! I am however looking forward to being spoilt by my boys and I  love how affectionate O is-we would of course have been delighted with a girl too, we just wanted a healthy little babba. Anyway,  so relieved Baby No. 2 seems fine and dandy and the scan went smoothly!  It was actually quite funny as when it came to gender detection time, the sonographer stated loudly, “Oh there’s his penis and his two big testes”.  Hehe! Husband was beaming with pride, naturally.

Funnily enough, all the pregnancy myths turned out right for me- from the Chinese calendar thingy which works out your age and month of conception, to being all bump (so far) and gorging on sour foods, primarily family jars of gherkins. Funny isn’t it!

…And as you can see below, this little man is very excited for a brother although he’s already stated he won’t be sharing his, “tractors, motobikes and cars OK Mama”. Nice. Brotherly love begins now then…

P.S.  Something lovely a friend once said that stuck with me, was that boys need brothers as girls find sisters in each other. I truly hope my two boys become the best of friends…

P.P. S Disclaimer-I loved having a little brother myself and I think he’s finally forgiven me for dressing him as a girl when he was small (what he was sooo pretty). I think whatever you get, girls, boys- is just a perfect blessing.