I realise Valentine’s Day has been and gone, but technically it’s still February so this counts!

I’m not one for splashing out on Valentine’s Day, but I do think that it’s a good excuse to do something with someone (or some people) you care about. And yes, I know, I can hear those of you saying “I do something for someone I love everyday” and “It’s all commercialised and made by the card companies”. Well, I say to the first lot – then why is Valentine’s Day any different for you – you’ll be celebrating it anyway! And to the second lot – have a read up about engagement rings and eternity rings if you want to fully top-up your cynicism. In the end, it’s just nice to have/do. The end.

Of course I didn’t do anything traditional – that wouldn’t be very me, now would it? I hid a reese’s heart in the tea caddy for the other half to find while I was away during the day and I made biscuits and flapjacks. I made a pretty darn good xbox controller shaped biscuit, but it broke during the process so I’m not sharing the final results. I will however share the mess and some of the zombie biscuits I made for my team at the office (coz I loves them! Aaaaw!)

And then I’ll tell you just how much I enjoyed the Shape of Water. I’ve been waiting for this movie for MONTHS and did it ever live up to expectations. Keeping it spoiler free for those that are unaware, this is the latest offering from Guillermo Del Toro. We watch a mute cleaner’s perspective of a government organisation that deals with unusual things. By chance, she catches a glimpse of a creature that she comes to form a bond with, in secret, which blossoms into something extraordinary. The cinematic style is quite European (which I love – it’s reminiscent of Amelie) and the female characters dominate the screen with their humour and strength. It’s an absolute joy to watch, with a mixture of the fantastical and occasionally gruesome. Also, serious kudos to Doug Jones for doing everything he does in all that prosthetic – what an amazing dude!