While I managed to get no knitting done today, far too warm! It was the perfect day for a long cool glass of lemon cordial and a flick through all the Christmas editions of the food magazines.

Armed with Table, Good Taste and Delicious magazines accompanied by the Coles and Woolworths own mini-magazines, I have been a woman on a mission. Only thing left is to acquire Super Food Ideas, Family Circle and the Australian Womens Weekly and my once yearly buy of Donna Hay.

This might imply some weird obsessive passion for the impending silly season. But that's not it at all, I loath Christmas! The Grinch thought he hated it, but he has to fight for second place with old Ebenezer himself.

Don't get me wrong there are some things I really like, I love food and the potential for all the cooking that you can do it really is one of the few true feast days in our calender, I love Christmas carols - I have to have a new CD every year of anybody who's anyone singing the tried and true. Christmas movies! My favourite being with the Muppets, how can you not like the Muppets? At this time of year complete mayhem is such a sanity saver.

But in preparation for the big day on Sunday we made our Christmas pudding, it is a family tradition and something I have helped with for as long as I can remember. We always use my Great-Grandmother's recipe, which much to my amusement directs you to measure out a gill of brandy!

I also made a pavlova Sunday, I do love pavlova. That and cheesecake. I'm not sure how I feel about a pumpkin cheesecake though???

Next on the list however is a fruit cake, I think I might give Nigella's One Pan Christmas Cake as featured in the latest Delicious a go it sounds easy enough. And White Christmas! It will be the Apricot and Almond version again as I much prefer it to the mixed fruit varieties. I am keen to try a Rocky Road version as well.

So much news so little time!

Today was knitting coven day, not only did I take the back-to-front heel back, I restarted it and it is coming along nicely. I have high hopes for this sock.
Now the Curse seems to have been lifted off it I may (shock, gasp, horror!) make the second one upon the impending completion of the first one.

I had a flick through the latest Nigella book, Nigella's Express. I am very excited, so many good things. Which prompted me to revisit my what-I-have-made list from the previous books. While the list is short, it's all things I have made over and over again!

Only thing I haven't ever done is update with what I have made from Feast, I'll do that tomorrow.

But for starters:-
How To Eat
How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Nigella Bites
Forever Summer
Feast
Nigella Express

Granted the Express I have only started on because of the Times Online special to coincide with the start of the TV show in Britain. It's also started in America (and possibly Canada???) so there has been ample opportunity to see what everyone else has thought of the new series and book! And more importantly what they are all cooking!

But on the downside my beloved Matt Hardy has been living in interesting times recently. First he had the most amazing bruise (and less interesting a huge sticky plaster) where he cracked his head open. And I thought I wonder if there'll be a scar? I like scars....

Now he's been and had his appendix removed, after it ruptured and poisoned him - the human body is an amazing thing isn't it? In times of crisis you need something to keep you going, some sort of hope.
Something other than one of Nigella's chocolate recipes, and I'm going with he had to have surgery to remove it, so they had to cut him open, so surely it stands to reason there will be a scar???

It's a good thing knitting is so therapeutic, I won't have to dwell on it all too much. Now about that chocolate my cat? What have you done with it?

Crusty Demons will be here in March 2008!!!!!

What a day!

How awesome is this? Nigella's Feasts started tonight on the ABC! It's good to see her back on the ABC!!!

Today was like Bargain Day, I picked up the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 for $20 this morning! I have been waiting ages to get it, as much as I liked it I wouldn't pay $30 for it.

I also popped round to one of the local music stores I knew had Pink's first cd for $12 and I have been meaning to go back ever since I saw it. Well today I had the time, and I'm glad I did because I also got her 3rd cd for $12.

This afternoon I popped Pink into the cd player and sat down to read through the blogs. There is something very bolstering about Pink, really if were talking girl power, I think at least, Spice Girls eat your hearts out!

I haven't been able yet to find anyone else who saw the Sideshow on Saturday night yet! The girls from La La Parlour were all on and one of them did a solo performance and it was so good!
Anyway I've tracked it down thanks to YouTube, where would we be without it?
Here is La La Parlour's performance from Saturday for anyone who's interested.

Alas the week after next will be the final ever Sideshow, none this week because the Tally Room will be on - ye gods! Somebody save me!

As for my back-to-front heel on my beautiful and nearer to completion sock, I haven't been brave to take it back yet. Why? Why? This sock is cursed! What have I done to anger the knitting gods??? Clearly I have not sacrificed enough yarn to them!!!

While perusing today's paper I made the exciting catalog discovery! I love catalogs and some of the best only come in the paper.

Todays find was the Angus and Robertson one and has brought my attention to two books that have made it to the top of my Christmas List!

Dear Santa....

Ronnie by Ronnie Wood
Slash by Slash (& Anthony Bozza)

Please excuse the Amazon references but Angus and Robertson's site had no description of the books! Which I think is very poor.

Also caught my eye is Nigella Express has been released here at last! Mind you at the current price I will be watching all the catalogs like a hawk. I can remember when Feast came out and I managed to snag it for only $40 thanks to some serious catalog browsing.

and it always seems to happen to me, I have lost the ability to multi-task. While talkng and knitting, I have managed to start and merrily go on my way with the heel the wrong way out on my feather fan sock!

and for anyone who didn't see the Sideshow saturday Night, the Wau Wau Sisters did an amazing trapeze act backed by the Guns n' Roses Welcome to the Jungle! Very cool!