Tag: food

Things and Stuff

Today has been a day of variety, which has been nice!  I started out by going up to the Christmas fair for Mum’s church – I got there quite late on, so I helped clear up and carry the remaining stuff back up to the church.  I got a few nice cards and nick knacks for gifts, so that was a worthwhile trip.  Then I walked with Mum back to her house for a drink and then a lift home.

On the way up to Mum’s place, I stopped off and did a geocache that was en route.  It took me a bit longer than I’d planned due to me being disorganised with my stuff, but it was still a speedy one.  Not a micro one this time, but a still small one.  So not big enough to put the travelling monkey into, yet.  Poor monkey!  I’ll move him on soon, by hook or by crook!

After visiting at Mum’s for a while, we came back here and had dinner – stir fry followed by cupcakes!  Then Mum went home and I’ve been knitting and watching Strictly Come Dancing.  I’m still working on the Travelling Woman, but hopefully I’ll be done soon.  Maybe tonight?  Maybe tomorrow.

And then I’ve been playing with Blip.fm – I’ve put a widget linking to my account there in the sidebar, and I think it’s possible to play some tracks directly from here?  I’m not sure, I’m still figuring it out.  That’s not what I’m using it for, anyway.  Mostly I’m listening to the songs my friends have playlisted.  Is that even a word?  Probably not, but I know what I mean, and I’m sure you do too.  Anyway, I thought I’d put the widget up here because in the first place I can, and also because I’m trying to get all my web stuff better linked together.  Integrate my web presence.  Oh how pretentious. ;-)

And I’m Done

Woohoo, I’ve completed NaBloPoMo for June.  I shall give myself a pat on the back… and maybe check if there’s a “winner” badge or something.  No big deal if not.

I’ve also been seeing how I can do on the Monthly Scavenger Hunt on Flickr.  This is my first month, and I didn’t get something for all twenty items, but I managed to do sixteen, so that’s not a bad start!


Mosaic of June Scavenger Hunt photos
Mosaic of June Scavenger Hunt photos


1. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, 2. Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking, 3. Call the fashion police!, 4. Veteran, 5. Bubbly, 6. Reflecting, 7. Mad, bad and dangerous to know, 8. Nightlights, 9. Prized Possession, 10. Belly up, 11. Desolate, 12. Walkabout, 13. The north wind doth blow, 14. Microcosm, 15. An elephant in the room, 16. Born to be wild?

So, what next on the blogging front?  Now that I’ve managed to maintain blogging through June, I don’t want to just stop again.  The Tour de Fleece is coming up, so I think I’ll plan to post an update on how I’m doing each day of that… which will mean it’ll be very spinning-centric around here for a couple of weeks.  I dare say I’ll ramble about other things though.  I can only say “today I span such and such a thing, here’s a photo” so many times!

I is for Identification

Not ID: that which establishes the identity of a person; but: to identify with.  I finished the first book of Rachel Caine’s Outcast Season series yesterday and started the second one, and I find myself surprised to find that I am identifying more with the ex-Djinn (this is urban fantasy, roll with it) protagonist Cassiel than I do with Joanne, the human protagonist of the original Weather Warden series that Outcast Season has spun off from.  Is that weird?  I think that may be a little weird.  But the thing is, while I like Joanne – and liked the glimpse of her we got in Undone (OS#1) through Cassiel’s eyes – she’s just too girly for me, I think.  Joanne refers to shoe brands and car models that mean about as much to me as they probably would to Cassiel.  Perhaps because more things have to be explained about Cassiel’s perspective on the world (whereas the reader is already assumed to have a common starting point with Jo?) as having been an “Old Djinn” who’d never even bothered before to take on a human shaped body, it’s easier to get inside her head.  At any rate, I like her logic, and I like her developing relationships with the Rocha family.  I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of this series.

H (I knew I’d think of something later on) is also for HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! My brother is celebrating his 30th today.  Yaaaaay!  That’s 30 whole years I’ve managed to go without “accidentally” shoving him off a cliff.  Our parents raised us right.  Seriously, I love my little bro and think he’s all kinds of awesome (it probably helps that we have more in common than apparently looking rather alike).  We’ve celebrated once this evening, and are doing so again at the weekend.  I hope the weather is going to comply, since it’s supposed to be a barbeque…

F is for Friends, Family, and Food

Which three things sum up my day fairly well, really.  My whole weekend, in fact.  Like I said, we went to see Ally and family yesterday and out into the park where I saw several people I’d been at school with and their kids.  I think I must be the only one who has no offspring!  It was a lovely sunny day for it, and today was lovely as well although there was lots of rain and thunder last night.

Charlotte has gone now, but we went over to my brother and sister-in-law’s place for Sunday dinner today.  Mmm, Sunday roast!  I’m feeling pretty wiped out (but full!) so I can’t think of much else to blog about, so I’ll go and check out the prompts for some inspiration:

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think of your father?

His smile; a feeling of safety; and woolly bobble hats!  Dad liked to keep his head warm, and embarrassed me horribly (as parents will!) when I was in my mid-teens by taking my into town still wearing his slippers (moccasins, so I’m sure no-one knew but me) and a woolly hat.  Later on, of course, it became a lovable eccentricity, and when I learned to knit, one of the very first things I made was a hat for Dad:

Mum & Dad Christmas 03

44: Going for food, brb for real this time

Well, since I’m suddenly really hungry, I think I’ll celebrate having caught up with myself (I have, right?) by going and getting that toast and some orange juice.  I might also reboot the computer.  I think it really needs it.

When I come back, I’m going to answer my comments, and see if I can also make a post or two answering questions I’ve been asked.  Back soon!  Really, this time!!

43: The Elevenses Post

Which means that I’m not only one post behind.  Hooray!  Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything to say for this one.  How’s everyone else getting on?  I was really sorry to see that Renee had needed to get some sleep, but I completely understand why – I was beginning to worry if I might have to do the same thing because I didn’t want to risk making myself ill, pushing myself into a manic or depressed, or mixed-cycling phase through lack of sleep.  Or really, because my sleep routine was messed up.  I’m pretty sure now that I will in fact be OK, and I’m likely going straight to bed at 2pm and I dare say I’ll sleep til morning.

And wow, talking of Elevenses, I’m suddenly hungry again.   Toast, anyone?

30: Time Out

Food is helping, but I think I have to take a brief time out, or I’m going to fall asleep on my keyboard.  Even though my back is killing me!  Good lord, this getting older thing is obviously catching up with me!  I don’t remember having this much trouble by this time last ‘thon.  And I know I didn’t the first year I did it back in 2003… because I was manic and the time and not sleeping anyway.  Whoops.

I’ve tried getting up and moving around, doing some stuff around the flat, splashing cold water on my face, but as soon as I sit back down I’m half asleep and really uncomfortable again!  So I’m going to go and sit on the sofa and knit for a little while.  Listen to a podcast, maybe.  I’ll come and check back in, but there probably won’t be much of interest here for at least an hour (not that there has been recently anyway!).  See you later!

Friday 5 for April 17: The Great Outdoors

This week’s Friday 5 answers:

  1. When did you last sleep in a tent?
    Last July, when I went camping with a group from C House.
  2. What comes to mind when you think about relieving yourself in the great outdoors?
    Er.  That’s a bit TMI, isn’t it?  But I spose… trees!
  3. Where’s the best place you ever went camping?
    I don’t know… I can’t choose.  I’ve camped in a lot of places.  Ross-on-Wye was always good.  But actually, Pevensey Bay last summer was nice – good location (right on the beach), good company, good facilities.
  4. What’s your favourite camp food?
    Marshmallows cooked on the camp fire. Nom!
  5. What’s your sleeping bag like?
    I have two actually: one is a “moonbag” that compresses down to be small & light and is the one I got for hiking, and the other one is a more normal sleeping bag – its blue with dashes of different colours (red, yellow, possibly green) on it.

Now I really want to go camping again!  I have the opportunity to go with the group from C House again in September and I’d really love to because it’s for a week, and I think to the New Forest.  But it’s right before M & E’s wedding, and I’m not sure that I’ll be able to afford it. *sigh*

Project 365, 22nd March – 4th April

I meant to post these weekly, but I’ve gone and slipped up already.  So here are another two week’s worth of Project 365 photos.  They’re also up at Flickr in my Project 365 ’09-10 set and in the Project 365 album for this year in the photo album here (you can see the great-big full size versions there).  This time I’m going to put the medium-size pics up here rather than the thumbnails and put some comments in as well.  Ideally I want the medium pics to link to pop-ups of the full size versions, but the plugin I’m using to integrate the blog with the photo album is being a bit temperamental about that.  But with a bit of luck that’s what I’ll get.  Here we go:
Continue reading “Project 365, 22nd March – 4th April”

Friday 5 for April 10: 5 Ws, Part 2

On the right day for a change, my answers for this week’s Friday 5:

  1. What’s something you know how to draw?
    Hahahaha, not much!  This is about the extent of my “talent”:

    Baa-naby!
    Baa-naby!
  2. Who’s someone you could get away with impersonating?
    Wow, um… I can’t think of anyone.  Maybe my Mum on the phone?
  3. Where’s the stapler?
    Oh lord, I don’t know.  It should be in the stationery drawer, but I think I have a stapler gremlin or something – I never seem to have a stapler with staples that fit in it.  I should have a two staplers, one mini one and one full size one (I used to have two mini ones, but I’m not sure what happened to the second one… probably the stapler gremlin at work again!) and staples for both, but can I ever find the right combination at any one time?  No, I cannot.  I end up using paperclips, or just folding the corners of the paper together!!
  4. Why will this be a great weekend?
    Because there will be Chinese takeaway, NOM (or at least, I hope there will) and new Dr Who OMG can’t wait!  And also Easter presents of some kind which will be nice too.  It’s E’s birthday as well.  Yay :-)  Now if only the weather was going to be nicer!
  5. When are you going to make that phone call you’ve been putting off?
    I don’t actually think there are any phone calls that I’ve been putting off.  Must remember to give Ally a call though.