It's the thought that counts right?

Caught up with the family yesterday and debriefed on the holly jolly family occasion, of which I wasn't there for, because I was actually having a holly jolly time.
Did I miss having Christmas with them? No not at all, I'm not going to pretend or lie that it was anything other than what it was.

Read Miss Stash's copy of Jamie's America, cover to cover, truly his best book yet. I'd like to try just about everything in it. I have just enough in gift cards to go stores that had him well below the RRP and try to secure a copy for myself if there are any left.

But talking of cookbooks, one branch of family gave gifts that were addressed to me or Miss Stash, apparently if we'd both been there we would have had to flip a coin or fight over them. Since I wasn't there Miss Stash got to open both and pick.

Price you pay for not doing the family thing? You get the Masterchef cookbook.
Can't blame Miss Stash really I would have picked the giant board and pizza cutter as well, the cutter is like the one they use in the pizza shops, the wide half circle so you rock and cut across the whole pizza. We are so going to have make pizza now, especially since I've already been delegated the fun job of using the cutter. Other members of the family think it looks scary, sometimes I wonder how it is we're related.

Have you been naughty or nice?

I spent the hours between midnight and 6am this morning, alternatively shoosing the cat, turning the light on and getting up and looking for him to shoosh or being jumped on by the cat before he ricochet off to charge through the house. Somehow despite only being a cat when he runs through the house you'd think it was an elephant.

Clearly he missed the memo about the night before Christmas and no creatures stirring in houses. Of course now, now, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, he's curled up sound asleep.

My wake up call came at about quarter to eleven when Miss Stash rang me to wish me a Merry Christmas, they'd had the family present opening at 9:30. Too early in my book, I just want to be sitting down to breakfast at that time of day. They were now all doing the waiting to go to lunch at 1pm.
We had live present opening over the phone, or at least it was live opening at my end, Miss Stash just had to listen to me telling her what everything was when I opened it. All I know of what she got was a Terry Pratchett book (although I know I gave her the latest Star Trek movie and made her fave Peanut Butter and M&M Cookies as well as a no-cook caramel slice), I'm guessing the latest one and she was hoping now everyone had drifted off after present opening to be able to start reading it without looking rude.

Then spoke with the rest of the family, and was faced with the complex problem of answering the question, "What are you going to do by yourself?".
Eat green Thai chicken curry washed down with a mocktail called a Mistletoe all while comfortably ensconced on my couch watching back to back Christmas movies? Apparently this is not as exciting to other people as it is to me.

After that I wrestled with Apple/iTunes, it doesn't like my code for iTunes gift card. So no download of Twisted Sister's Twisted Christmas yet. Need to check in with family when they next ring in to get them to double check the code on their receipt.

Which brings me to 12 noon, sat down to watch Jamie Cooks Christmas while eating baked beans on toast, I was starving I needed something substantial and didn't have the patience to prepare and cook the curry. Curry's been moved to tea time, plenty of time to prepare for it.

I had vague memories of a Christmas episode Jamie did years ago and he was in New York, and that's what I thought this would be. But it turned out to be a much more recent episode he'd obviously made, I don't even like ham, but I liked the look of the Jerk Ham he made.
Then watched fascinated at the end while he fried leftover Christmas pudding to put into a sundae he was making. I've often heard of frying Xmas pud, but I've always associated it as being something very British and if I'm honest slightly bewildering.
I like my pudding sliced thick, served cold and slathered with thick whipped cream. Yum! Although I must confess my most favourite bit of the pudding is it's "skin" around the outside edges, really tasty.

Anyway Santa brought me a packet of Baci, oh how I lurrve them! Clearly I'm not on everyone's naughty list. I may have some now with some of the leftover Gingerbread latte from yesterday.

Update:
I remembered why I don't normally buy chicken from the supermarket where I did to make my curry today, I unwrapped the package. And oh my were they fatty, I started to trim them but just lost patience. They've gone into the freezer for the day when I am less of a hurry. While there was some chicken, the curry has mostly been bulked out with the frozen green veg mix I normally add to it.
However, the Mistletoe is delicious and perfect for our climate Christmas time. Very refreshing!

It's begining to feel a lot like something?

It dosen't really feel like Christmas is approaching. It's what now 6 days away? I still have not put my tree up, worn my decorations or made a interestingly named cocktail.
I do appreciate for some people Christmas is very exciting and they thoroughly enjoy it, but this dosen't give them the right to turn into those people who turn up on your doorstep and want to tell you about their religion.

Actually that's not true people who come to your door to tell you about religion give you a pamphlet and go away. It's not like their actually expecting me to turn up and pretend to be personable.

My mother and I have had some doozey's of a Christmases over the years. There was the year she thought I was wearing too much black, I always wear a lot of black. Many mornings "we will all be late" because I am slow to get up/ready and I then have to go with out breakfast or a shower so we can be there on time for present opening because my aunt has demanded we all be there by 9am for it.
We arrive after 9, usually about half past, cousin is never out of bed when we arrive, then she has an hour in the bathroom followed by breakfast so we all sit and wait for her to be ready.
This time is usually spent with me making snarky remarks, I don't do well when I'm hungary.

Last year we were very late arriving for presents, because I was making breakfast which they'd all been told about. But all the family had opened their presents, bar my other aunt who'd kept the present from Mum aside to open when she arrived.
To my mum the fault lies with us for all "being extremly late".

About 9 years I had my first Christmas away from home I did Christmas dinner, I've seen the photos somewhere recently I took at the time of the tree and the table setting. I'm still not sure who that woman was that year but I wish she'd come back, I had lists, I had shopping lists, I had menus, I had recpies picked out. I was totally organised, I had shooping lists made up for each shop as I got closer to Christmas for what I could buy in advance and those lists of things that would have to be bought almost last day.
Then there was the Christmas I was too sick to eat anything let alone cook anything we had to stay home "in case I gave anybody else my germs" my mother informed everyone. The Chrsitmas Miss Stash and I had by ourselves, now that was fun! Alhtough I ate way too many of Nigella's Gingerbred Muffins for breakfast and was to Miss Stash's annoyance far too full to cook anything for lunch.
However I did have Prawns with Tequila Mayonaise for tea, Miss Stash dosen't eat prawns or mayo. She did however polish off the turkey which I don't eat. This was followed by Nigella's Massacre in a Snowstorm only we used fresh raspberries instead of pomegrante seeds.

I decided in July what I was going to do this Christmas, I like to plan early gives me time to decided what exactly I want to eat. I'm old, 31 and keep noticing white hairs while I brush my hair each day, further proof that I am getting old I am sure.
That's who I am, a grumpy old baggage who's had enough with white hairs, I don't want to sit around other people's houses waiting for the appointed time to go and sit at some one else's house and eat what someone else has decided to cook.

While I'm old enough to organise and do a Christmas lunch, I'm not yet old enough to appreciate going to someone ese's house and let them do all the work. Maybe in another 9 years I may feel differently.

In case I don't blog again before that fateful day that's looming ahead, look after yourselves and I want to say don't do anything I wouldn't do, but perhaps I should phrase that as don't do anything my mother wouldn't do. My mother is the height of respectability, she dosen't drink cocktails or eat cake at breakfast, she dosen't think dancing aorund your living room taking your clothes is actually a legit exercise and she certainly wouldn't be leaving Austin Powers style comments on the blog of a certain pro-wrestler who likes to talk about being in his hot tub naked, she wouldn't even be reading it in the first place.

And those my lovelies are just some of my lesser bad habits which I fully plan to not only keep in the new year but add too.

New Knitty...

The new Knitty is up and I am utterly fascinated at the construction and design of Spoke and Four Corners in Tokoyo.

Although I think something like Zora might be better suited for me to actually wear. But it's the accessories or small projects which will most likely be going onto a set of my needles in the near future.
Because I really really really like hats, neck warmers and penguins the very lovely Shroom, Duet, Burning Embers and Mr Popper are my top picks from this issue.

While the socks were lovely, I just don;t like knitting them, I find them quite tedious and boring. This amuses Miss Stash because I love knitting arm/wrist/hand warmers, but as I point out to her these things are exciting to knit!

Truer words have never been spoken...

I have become a fast and firm fan of Maven and her blog A Fabulously Good Life. And what can I say but the latest post is very true, I have so been behind that person on the phone at the checkout.

And given that everyone knows everyone in my home town and just about the whole state, not always a wise move!

Welcome to the Darkside!

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Alright maybe not quite what it's all about, but sometimes I wonder, do those of who you don't dwell on the Darkside wonder what it's all about? Do you harbour secret thoughts that maybe the grass is greener, er, blacker, over here?

I read so many blogs and trawl various forums, as well as talking to people in that thing called real life and I must say I know fellow Darkside residents are out there I even occasionally see them in the streets of my own town.
While I know they exist I don't actually know them.

I've met a lot of people in my life at various times, in many various places, for many various reasons and even those I may have met once and never again they've all left an imprint on my life. The ones I consider myself most priveledged to have met, even if it was only the once, are those who are themselves, they dwell on their side much as I dwell on mine. And like me are probably interested in those who do dwell on the many other sides!
But their quite happy to dwell on their side, they are there being who they are, there's no posturing or pretense with them.

And while I look forward to the day when I meet one of my fellow residents and we can nod sagely at one another, because we know you understand so we don't have to tell each other. I am also very pleased to know (yes actually know, I've met you in real life!) a bunch of very cool people who continue to inspire me everyday, you make life well worth not just living but enjoying.

On that note my closing remarks today are, if you do decide to come visit on the Darkside and check it out for yourself, remember to B.Y.O torch! Oh and if you could, maybe also a spare bulb????

Nom nom nom nom....

Thanks to Martha and her Thanksgiving Hotline recipe booklet I am stoked to have found a recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie. I love Pecan Pie and I love chocolate, this has to be win win here.
I'm also quite taken with the Sweet Potato Bourbon Mash with Praline Topping. Sounds delish.

Now I know following up on my last blog post, that I said I had another 2 magazines that I couldn't immediately put my hands on. Well, it turned out to be 5! Add to that another 2 I acquired on Friday and well that would be another 7 on top of the 13 I already had.
I still need Donna Hay, but then I am officially done.

Also inspirign me forward for Christmas and beyond in the cooking department is the very funny Maven over at A Fabulousy Good Life! and her accompanying blog on cooking The Kitchen Witch, I forget how I stumbled upon her blog someone linked to it somewhere. Mostly I am psyched about her Double Layer Pumpkin Cheescake.

Alright between an unexpected visitor and a demanding feline I am going to have to cut my blogging short for the moment.

You'd better watch out!

It's officially December so I feel it is time to talk about my one of my other obsessions, which one I hear you cry? You have so many!

Which is all too very true so I thought I would take a picture to give you some idea of which one it is.

To be honest this is not all the bounty from this year, I know I have at least another 2 magazines I can not immediately put my hands on for this photo opportunity.
And I think I'd need to organize some sort of paparazzi style grainy distance shot to fit all the previous years collections in to show you how much this madness means to me.

My long time readers, provided they haven't passed away from old age, will know my lack of passion for the festive season. Bah humbug I say!

But in these glossy pages are a small bit of heaven, I am deep down secretly a bit of a Mrs Bucket. Alas real world poses those difficult things called "people".
"People" tend to fiddle with your stylish but not quite as slick as the magazine photo centerpieces, touch things, ask annoying questions like "What is it?" or my other favourite "What's in it?" or their late so your baked veg is cold and your salad warm.

As I flick through the glossy pages looking at the photos so many photos of the food and beautiful table settings, a common theme appears.
A lack of "people" in the photos, and do you know what I think it is?

Out there in magazine buying land are secretly more of you, more of you who are also looking at those peopleless photos all glassy eyed imagining getting your good china out of hibernation from the last ice age. Eyeing off floral centerpieces thinking yes, yes I could do that easy enough....
Come on! Admit it you know you love it.

In closing I will share with you my ultimate 10 steps to prepping for Christmas.
Step 1. Secure time alone with the decorations.
Step 2. Once alone with the decorations, adorn yourself with them, multiple strands of tinsel in varying thickness and colour slung non-chantly around your neck is an absolute must.
Step 3. Pop a CD of one-hit-wonder pop stars doing jaunty covers of carols into the CD player.
Step 4. Retrieve your plastic tree with lights still on from the corner where you popped it after last time. (Hint: Leaving your plastic Christmas tree up with lights still attached will save time next Christmas!)
Step 5. Be thrilled with self as you don't need to untangle lights like other poor fools.
Step 6. Pity the other fools.
Step 7. Artfully and carefully place decorations on tree, evenly spaced around unless one side will face a wall. In which case load everything on the front.
Step 8. Put lights on and cheer!
Step 9. Put a ridiculous Christmas hat on while you are still adorned with tinsel and make a cocktail.
Step 10. Sit down put your feet up, sip your cocktail and flick through your Christmas porn while debating if 18 side dishes is enough for your fantasy lunch or if you should squeeze in just one more....

Here's to a happy something for you all from the Darkside.

I wanted to blog about something, but with one thing and another over the last few days nothing has eventuated.
And now, the heat has left me kind of flat, I can't think. It's far too hot to think.

Something that caught my eye in a recent catalog from a kitchen store was a Christmas apron which bore the phrase, "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...and when all the white is gone I will drink all the red."

Which has completely tickled my fancy, and prompted me to think. I've done a lot of thinking about a lot of things lately. I noticed being a bit mad about these things, that in our Australian magazines these past few Christmases we've been going a bit white mad, everything is very white. Although Chrstmas last year and this year seem to still be very white, but with the added in cranberries and pistachios. So white, red and green.
And every year we get cards with pictures of snow scenes and we sing carols about snow. And for some baffling reason despite our climate some of us still cling to the Hot Traditional Lunch, roast beast and baked vegetable. Followed by a hot pudding.

I look longingly at magazine spreads that picture tables spread with seafood (oysters! prawns!) and salads, the "non-traditional" lunch as they like to refer to them. However I am yet to see what I would define as my ultimate Christmas lunch, green Thai chicken curry with coconut rice washed down with lashings of ginger beer (or perhaps Nigella's Mistletoe? Ginger beer with lime cordial and lime juice???) and to follow? I'm torn between a really good choc mousse made with dark chocolate or a really good ice cream, possibly home made?

Of course for this scene to be fully set, I'd need Matt Hardy fanning me with one of those of really big fans or possibly giving me a foot massage I'm undecided as to the final details yet.

Things I Love

Yep as the title suggests today's post is just going to be about the things I love and maybe what I haven't been doing?

Things I Love! (a la David Letterman and his various Top 10's)
Coffee Chillas
Uninvited by Alanis Morissette
Corsets
Hoods
Hooded Corset? (See Damsel in this Dress)
I Can't Dance by Phil Collins
Thai green curry
Castle (No it doesn't bring anything new to the crime genre but it's funny.)
Purple lipstick
Lolcats (Always a good laugh to be had there.)
QI with Stephen Fry

Alright so it was 11, but how can you not include Stephen Fry? And now for what I have been doing or not, there has been no real cooking, baking or knitting. Mostly I've been psyching myself up for school it's reached that critical point. Blerh! Is all I can say about it.
However I did make a batch of Nigella's Cranberry and Apple Chutney, very very nice. I can not recommend it highly enough.

After next week I hope to return to normal programming!

Grand Designs Revisited

Was intrigued by tonight's episode of Grand Designs on ABC, I guess it made me think due to all the press coverage at the moment about the lack of public housing or just affordable housing generally.

Tonight's episode was about the Hedgehog Co-op, basically a bunch of people looking for secure rentals. And through an agreement with a housing association land was purchased and they built their own very basic houses to live in. They don't own the houses but rent them from the housing association. But at the end of the day they get a secure reasonable rental and somewhat of a slightly improved lifestyle.

But this wasn't an isolated projects there had been other similar projects to create housing for people in this vein. Which is what intrigues me, not everybody would have the capability or the inclination to to build a house to live in, especially at the end of the day if all you get is the right to rent it and not own it outright.

Maybe instead of people jumping up and down and pointing at the government saying you should build more houses their are people without homes who want one. We are to an extent a very lucky country, there is government benefits, their are welfare organizations, in a time of trouble there should be no reason why anybody who wants help can't get it.
It's perhaps time to look outside the box and consider projects like this, there are people who would be willing and able to surely construct a basic home like the ones on tonight's episode of GD, in a way it would still be government funded but the labour could come from those going to live in them.

Reading back there is a word I want to describe what this all sounds like to me, but I can't think of it, I think what I want is certian political schools of thought? Europe keeps popping into my head but I think that has more to do with a vague thought I have on a story I saw of factories in some European countries being turned over to worker ownership and something to do with productivity ratios.

It will no doubt come to me.

Delivered as promised!

Here are the Best Ever Cafe Scones...
This was the Gingerbread Apricot Pudding from Slow Cooker by Sally Wise, which she stipulated be done only in a 4.5L slow cooker. Well I had the choice of a 3.5L or a 5.5L, so I went with the 3.5L after the specified cooking time the batter was still uncooked in the very center of the pudding. I wil try it again as the bits that were cooked where delicious but I will either add cooking time to it in the 3.5L or test it in the 5.5L.

This was the Fruity Bread and Butter Custard which was a raging success! It was absolutely delicious but my mother refused to eat it because it was a "baked custard" but it wasn't, to eat it it was like a really luscious soft spongy fruit pudding. Divine!


Here's some dished up....It may look quite brown on top because right near the end of cooking time you sprinkle a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of it.

I made a list of everything we have tried from Sally Wise's Slow Cooker book and the thoughts on the various things we've made.

Tilly's Indian Sweet Curry Beef - It was sweet, and no one liked it at all.

Goulash with Herb Dumplings - So far this has been the most popular dish we've tried, not surprising it's absolutely delish with a bit of a bite!

Hedgehogs - Lovely, even if most of the rice worked it's way out into the sauce and some of the balls fell apart. Still good to eat.

Meatballs with Spicy Barbecue Sauce - YUM! YUM!

Satay Chicken - Lovely, I do like a good satay sauce and this was wonderful.

Citrus Chicken - Everybody including my mother ate this but Miss Stash said after she hadn't liked it. It was lemon and orange, we are talking of trying it again bit with a lemon-lime combo instead.

Bedevilled Chicken - Once again something everyone ate but Miss Stash apparently dosen't like this either.

Black Forest Self-Saucing Pudding - The first pudding we attempted in the slow cooker, I think of Dylan Moran talking about a cake from a French bakery and how you want to get a room and be alone with your cake because it's that good. That was this pudding! I bought pitted cherries but one of them turned out to have a stone in it, next time I might give them all a prod with a fork just to check them.

Savoury Beef - I didn't like this, it didn't actually taste of anything. I'd certainly add more of something to it. But everyone else seemed to like it.

And of course the above photoed Apricot Gingerbread Pudding and Fruity Bread and Butter Custard!
We also have the Year in a Bottle by Sally Wise, not yet made anything from it, but I am very excited to try a number of things. My preserving these days seems to be limited to a large batch of apricot jam once a year.
When I was much younger and my grandparents were also much younger they had a huge garden and I can reall my fave times being when we went to visit on holidays when everything was ready to be picked and helping to make jams and bottle the fruit.
Although there was also freezing of vegetables, but the best job you could get here was if you were put in charge of sucking the air out of the bags with the vacumn pump, it did seem a bit like magic.

Somewhere over a rainbow..

...there are pictures! I promise, I need to go and get the camera and download them.

I have photos of the Fruity Bread and Butter Custard I made in the slow cooker last night, and photos of the Apricot Gingerbread Pudding I made in it today.

There is also some of the Best-Ever Cafe Scones I baked this afternoon and some less than successful biscuits I tried for the first time, didn't realise quite how much they would spread on baking! Oh well live and learn.

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Slow Cooker to Somewhere

I have a picture of the Meatballs in Barbecue Sauce I took of the leftovers on toast, and will try to post it later.

Slow Cooker by Sally Wise has been pawed through numerous times, drooled over, discussed and pawed through some more.

So far we've made Satay Chicken, delish! Meatballs in Barbecue Sauce (will post the picture later), also yummy. And the last thing made out of the book was Hedgehogs last night, we're eating the leftovers for tea so I will get a photo of those as well. Most of the rice seemed to make it's way into the sauce, but it was still yummy.
And I must say so far everything has been very mild, which means it officially passes the test of being safe to serve to my mother and grandparents, who can only eat very plain things.

On the complete flip side we had Curry in a Hurry for lunch today, we changed the green veg up a bit this time and added spinach and broad beans in with the peas and green beans. The spinach is ayes for next time, the only one who liked the broad beans was my Dad. Which means there out.

Hopefully photos....

Miss Stash and I while out shopping the other week spied the book Slow Cooker by Sally Wise (the woman who wrote A Year In A Bottle and also appears on local radio doing a cooking segment), we'd seen it in the paper so pounced upon it in the shop with glee.

We made the Satay Chicken of which alas I have no photos, should have taken some before it all got eaten. But today were trying the Meatballs in Barbecue Sauce, they smell fantastic so I can't wait for them to be done to try them.
Although so far the sauce is rather limited, I don't know how it'll go in the cooker, as there seemed to be enough to just coat the meatballs.

I will try to get photos of the meatballs when there ready tonight!

First off today pictures from one of my current WIP the Punky Peacock Mini-Handwarmers

This is what Miss Stash cooked for our Dad's day lunch today, it came from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking and is Dry-Fried Szechaun Beef only we made it with chicken and was equally delicious.

This was my contribution to lunch, at the complete opposite side of the cooking spectrum, Apple Crumble.

Yesterday the Adult Education Spring guide came out in the paper. I am always excited to see what they offer as there are always at least a 100 things I'd like to try in it.
This time round I was taken with permaculture, sustainable design, yoga, salsa, hooping(OMG!!!) and just about all the cooking and food related ones (including one on making Camembert and sour cream!).

Alas while in the time stakes I'd so be a millionaire, in the actual liquidity I am bit of a pauper. At over $100 the yoga has been crossed off my list. While I appreciate I'm paying for the benefit of someone's time and expertise I just wish that everything wasn't so expensive! And for those inquiring minds, that $100+ price tag is the concession price!

In the summer the main park in town has free activity's like yoga and Tai Chi funded (at least partially if not all) through the local council. But thanks to the local weekly paper that comes around I discovered that there is some talk of trying to set up these sorts of activity's in the small park that's about 3min walk from my house. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I certainly would be quite excited if they managed to get it off the ground.

Although with how the weather has been it's hard to imagine going to the park for anything! But it has been perfect for Curry in a Hurry, which reminds me while picking up the green curry paste I finally found yellow curry paste! I've always wanted to try Nigella's Yellow Thai Seafood and Pumpkin Curry although she also talks about going vegetarian with it as well leaveing out the seafood and adding chickpeas among other things which also sounds yummy.

What's all the hoopla about?

Look what was delivered by a man in a van earlier today!
What could it be now??? A bird? A plane? A speeding bullet? Superman?
Ahh shiny! My precious!
Mine is the "Disco Tiger" and Miss Stash is the "Ruby", which I looked at and nearly ordered because it looked suitably goth but was torn between gothdom and tigerism, a hard place to be. Miss Stash stepped in and changed her original choice as she thought she'd much like one with red better.
Here's a photo we tried to take to show, as Miss Stash told me when we ordered how the Tiger would go so much better with my hair! Not perhaps the best shot, but you get the idea.
After all that, I am glad I got the Tiger, I did have doubts I mightn't like it as much when it got here and I saw Miss Stash's red Ruby one. But now they are here the Ruby is no where near as gothy as I expected and I must admit red is an excellent colour on Miss Stash, it just makes me look like Death warmed up.

Now for the important points!
1. It is so much fun, even if I am terrible at it.
2. My dad of course upon seeing the hoops had to have a turn himself.
3. Miss Stash's bold claims to being short and not needing to worry about hitting the ceiling/lights were soon dashed.
4. An idea of how much room is in one of these babies, Miss Stash and I can both fit inside one with space left over, granted not much, but it's there!
5. Following on from point 4, our minds then boggled at just how big the Tandem hoops must be!
6. I only hope by the time summer officially happens I'm adept enough to pop down to the park and practice - in public! Eeep!

More thoughts of the day brought to you from the Darkside....

There is some seriously tasty things at school, and I am not talking about simply what the cafteria offers up to eat. (However there fruit slads where delish however the last one put me off as the pineapple was sour and rock hard.) A pity there all so young, I'm not ready to join the Cougar tribe yet. Theres plenty of other misbehaviour I can get up to inbetween now and then.

I am sooooo excited about hooping it's not funny, I can't have a conversation that dosen't eventually come round (tee hee!) to it with anyone at the moment. I haunt You Tube and hooping forums looking to get my fix. One of my faves has to be this one - Klara Lova .
And thnaks to a year of Sheila Kelley and her S Factor my hips move pretty good now so bring on the hoop!

There's a "Doctors & Nurses" night coming up in the school bar, yep, people get to come dressed up as Doctors and Nurses and I do believe there are prizes and best of all $5 cocktails! I may have to pop along if I'm free that night and see the hijinks and imbibe a free drinks.

We hae recently acquiered new TV channels locally and while I can get channel GO!, and very pleased about it I am, I love Seinfield! And a bit of Dog the Bounty Hunter (is his son good looking or what?). I am disappointed the dedicated sports channel One is High Definition only and my poor sad Standerd Definnition tv won't play it. Which is a tad disappointing not that I like sport, and I don't think I'll miss not be able to see Extreme Paintball or 101 motor sports, but I was keen to see UFC Wired. You can't be a fan of wrestling and not know about UFC, sheer nosiness prompts me to want to see what it's all about. Note to self - search You Tube.

I signed up for a "mature age student" acedmic workshop (with free lunch!), while I was mostly keen on the free lunch the prospect of having a workshop on essay writing seemed really helpful. Unfortunatly the majority of people who RSVP'd for this also had a clash with classes. So they've moved the day and time and now it clashes when I have a class. Farewell free lunch, I'm sure given the chance we could have gotten to know each other well.

Just thought I'd write a few points, far too much on my mind to write something cohesive today.

1. School rocks! If Law didn't mean trekking to the opposite end of the state I'd seriously consider majoring in it.
2. Yoga is good. It does offer up some quietness in my head for a little while. Nice to focus on nothing for a short while.
3. Seriously dejunked my home, I'm amazed how much stuff was just rubbish essentially. Next is the wardrobe, although it's been slightly sad in some ways. OMG I remember buying and wearing that about 10 years and 4 sizes ago...yeesh!
4. Princess Farhana one of my fave ladies has a blog! Very exciting. I first struck her in burlesque performances but she's also quite an accomplished belly dancer while I knew she specilised in Egyption she seems to have branched out in other forms most notebly the style that's got me intrgued Tribal Fusion.
5. Miss Stash bought me a Hello Kitty Halloween toy from one of those vending machine like gumball machines. While not overly enthused about Hello Kitty I do love the Halloween aspect of it, I so need the other 4 designs!!!! Tee hee!
6. The Moody Blues yarn I'm knitting up looks not blue at all but is extremly funky and once I finish my mini-hand warmers I am going to knit some lacey wristwarmers with what is left.
7. I found Stephen Fry a bit quick last Sunday night, but loved Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment on Tuesday. Having just done a crash course start in what is law and where it comes from it was doubly interesting because I could relate it to something I already know.
8. I love YouTube, where would I be without it? It offers up many joys that make me squel with delight Steven Tyler and hooping are just two of them.

Alright enough thoughts for today. Now I need to finally decipher how I get my Twitter widget on my page....

Thought 9....
Just finished sitting through Dance Your A$$ Off, there was pole dancing on the ad for it. Pole dancing is next week apparently or the "stripper pole" as they call it. While I can't see it being featured on Dancing With The Stars here, there was a Latin American show called Dancing For a Dream where one week they had pole dance. There were some clips up on YouTube, and talk about hot, hot, hot! While I'm not quite expecting that on next week's Dance Your A$$ Off, I would like to see it crossing-over into more of the main-stream.

Always on my mind

I haven't blogged in awhile I know. I keep meaning to write one, I sit down and stare at the blinking cursor while I try to find something to write about.

The trouble is there are so many things I'd like to write about, literally gazillions, there is always so many things that peak my interest and I want to talk about. Things I like, things I hate, things I lurrrve and things that make me go PHWOARRRRR!!!

But I stop and think will any of it make good reading? Is it all just meaningless dribble? The Internet is a wonderful thing it allows anybody to write about anything.
I also like being a square peg myself the fact it opens up an entire world of available square holes, this rocks and makes me feel better no end.

I never seem to make it to the cinemas to see anything despite my best intentions, but I am hoping to get to Bruno or the new Harry Potter before they close. Also in movie news I am both eagerly awaiting and dreading the World of Warcraft movie. It could be so good or so awful....
Another movie I'd like to see is the Hooping Life when it's finally released. Hooping looks like such fun, besides I've thrown myself at enough other things one more shouldn't hurt.



See uber fun or what?

What the???

Mobiles, crop-tops, perfumes: Would YOU buy these items for your children?

We all knew the world was mad didn't we???

Knitter warm thyself!

Here they are finally done, I finished them on Tuesday, I wore them out for the first time today, not quite warm enough for today's weather unfortunately I don't think. May need to work on something thicker.
(Side note: Still the only project on Rav is mine, I am Googling now, someone else somewhere has to have made these???)

I was out yesterday, and had taken my needles and the yarn to start the matching leg warmers to go with my new arm warmers but discovered I had forgotten my pattern. Always something, but the elderly lady I was visiting lent me some needles and offered me a selection of yarn choices from her stash so I'd have something to do.

I give you what I have dubbed Bubblegum Lolita...

The yarn is something she bought from a discount store while holidaying in Queensland, I'd take a confident guess that it's acrylic by the feel. But anything else about it is a mystery.

I am making a textured scarf with it, a very simple 6 pattern repeat and I absolutely love it. It is so not what I'd normally buy myself, but the colours were so funky I couldn't resist them at all.

I'll try and take a picture of the current view outside, a real pea souper if ever there was one. And having watched the a documentary about the alleged Vampire Princess from Bohemia who may have inspired Bram Stoker, well what can I say? Now I'm all inspired!
Edit - Here it is! Imagine if you will a mad woman hanging out a window to take this, a wild haired woman in slinky arm warmers having vague photo journalist aspirations...

(Another)Edit - Not sure about the swirly smoke, maybe someones fire? I don't think I really got what I was hoping for.

Doh!

I've mislaid my diary which had my piece of paper with all my details of the arm warmer I was working on written in it.
Because I last worked on it, about three weeks ago, I don't even remember where exactly I was up to.

I am most annoyed because I am up to the middle pattern section and it was flying along at great speed and I actually thought I would be getting it done and starting my leg warmers by now. It's just driving me mad.

But aside from that I have been keeping some very unsociable hours watching P!nk and Bill Bailey. Made my stomach sore after attempting to do belly rolls, eventually got it, rolled up from the bottom to the top, then top to bottom and back up again, then down. And then I couldn't get it to do anything, must have been a bit of a fluke.
What prompted this was I got a new DVD, arrived from America in a week which surprised me, I wasn't expecting it for at least two the usual time for anything to get here. I've been quite excited about it as it's with Ariellah who I have read loads of good reviews about both the DVD and of her live workshops people have attended. The DVD also has quite an extensive yoga section for both warm up and cool down, and since yoga is about the only sort of physical activity I am actually quite reasonable at I feel I am getting some use out of my DVD if I decide I don't like belly dance after all.

Until now I have been obsessed with Sharon Kihara (if Angela from Bones and Abby from NCIS had a love child it'd so be Sharon). Attempting to blunder along to her DVD, 10 out 0f 10 times my upper abs will work, 9 out of 10 my lower ones won't and I don't have nice floaty graceful arms either. Personally I think I look like some mad person trying to fly, only in slow motion.

I keep debating about baking, I seriously think a chocolate cake is in order. One with chocolate frosting, yum! Or even just Nigella's Totally Chocolate Choc Chip Cookies again. So good!!!
Although something I haven't eaten in forever and I am madly craving Welsh Rarebit!

Much to my excitement I did actually find frozen raw prawns that Nigella always talks about and I am always despondant I can never find in my supermarket. I brought them home and popped them into the freezer, I've always wanted to try the yellow Thai pumpkin and seafood curry she had in Nigella Bites. Although while I have always seen red and green Thai curry pastes, I have yet to strike yellow? But I saw someone on one of the cooking shows making something the other day with yellow paste so there may be hope yet, but it is possible to sub out red or green according to Nigella so I may have to make a green version. There's always green curry paste knocking about as it's in the Curry in a Hurry which is an absolute gem of a curry.

Something else I am loving at the moment is the new TV series Castle, it is exactly what I have been looking for! It's not just another crime show, which Miss Stash suggested it might be. We watch it every week now, I like that it's actually funny and it's not too serious about the writer they need to have solve their crimes for them. Miss Stash finds it has grown on her and she really likes it now. But tonight we find out if we like the new Miss Marple. The last one truly got my goat, Miss Marple is just the harmless fluffy little old lady sitting knitting, remarking how someone reminds her of the butcher's boy or the so and so's nanny. The last Miss Marple wasn't like that at all, she was a bit too forward and they did have a tendency to fiddle with the stories a bit. Some of them they took the artistic license a bit too far I felt.

I'll be watching tonight with bated breath and a vodka cruiser in hand!

Tweet tweet!

No I have not acquired a little birdy, but signed onto the Twitter madness. You can find me there as DarksideKnitter and mostly hear about how much I loathe Economics and my fears for my impending doom as the exam rolls around. It's the day after tomorrow. Eeeep!

Twitter has also allowed me a bit more of a glimpse into the life of Matt Hardy. Long time readers will be familiar with my lust fueled obsession of Mr Hardy. For new readers unfamiliar he's kind of the non-thinking woman's Mr Darcy.
Since I also have a lustful obsession with food I have been following with great enthusiasm what he's been eating, yep he tweets about it, I know where he went and what he ordered. Which I find most intriguing, but mostly because I love hearing about what people are cooking and eating or ordering and eating as the case may be.

But getting back to what I most want to talk about, is this too much information? Is telling us all this merely pouring petrol on an already lit fire? Someone with far more game than I have actually rang the restaurant Matt Hardy tweeted about while he was there and asked to speak to him. While I like having this kind of all knowing all seeing look into his life, well I like this about everybody's life, I am quite nosy I love knowing how other people live.

Well if anybody gets any phone calls that are heavy breathing followed by "So what are you eating tonight?" you'll know who it is. It is I suppose slightly classier than "What kind of underwear are you wearing?".

School's Out!

Well not exactly summer, maybe winter, and technically there is still exams, but I am taking a couple of days to decompress, which are very very badly needed.
I'm just a teeny tiny bit stressed and crabby, but the final assignment went in today so I can breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.

The second arm warmer is knitting up quicker than the first, I think because I have the pattern still etched in my brain. After this those leg warmers are going to fly by! Yeah! Then I can plot what to make next and buy some suitable yarn for it, double yeah!

Having seen the new issue of Family Circle I am in love with a chunky yarn rug, just the sort of thing I need now the weather is getting cooler and I have more evenings free to watch late TV! Or simply re-watch Bill Bailey DVD's. Miss Stash can't get over how often I can quite happily sit through these even though I've seen them a thousand times.
Well what can I say? It makes me laugh everytime, it's never not funny. Which is I think is a really wonderful thing.
And I am also really inspired by the Owl Song, especially as just before seeing it I spied an Owl-omtery someone had made. Very cool! I love owls they are such beautiful birds.

I anticipate to get most of the second armwarmer done tonight, just make myself at home in a comfy chair and get stuck in.

I find myself with just 2 weeks of classes left at school which includes 3 tests and 1 massive project!
Then the joy of study week, the blasted Economics exam would fall on the very first day of the exam period, fortunately not till the afternoon, if it had been 8am I don't think I would have coped at all.

I caught some of Insiders on ABC, and how scary is this, I actually knew what they where on about when they had a chart on screen talking about deficit and GDP. I can't believe I know that! Or that I can actually relate it to something in Real Life. Weird.

Writing a blog post is just another attempt to put off studying for Economics, I really don't like Economics. I'll be glad when it's all over, however I would have liked the exam to be on the very last day giving me a bit more time to revise.

On the other hand Bus Info Systems is shaping up to be my star subject, Distinction on my first assignment and then a High Distinction on my first test! I've got one test and the big project to go (and no exam another reason I love it!) so I'd like to give it more time to keep my good streak going.
I've unofficially decided (as my mind never seems to stay made up)to stay for an extra year and squeeze in a second degree, probably no surprises here, computing. Alas I fear (or should I say know) for a degree in computing at some point there is programming. Yuck.

My life at the moment is a major explosion of recipes and knitting patterns, possibly as I subconsciously seek to occupy myself with things other than school work. We had Curry in a Hurry the other day, every time I eat it I can't wait to eat it again. So nice, I'd also like to do the Irish Cream Tiramisu again.
Since I am kind of in the mood for something sweet, Instant Chocolate Mousse or the Holiday Hot Cake with Eggnog Cream would also be nice. I love steamed puddings haven't had one in years, and I just so happen to have a bottle of Advocaat lurking about in my cupboard. A lot of obscure liqueurs lurk in my cupboards.
There's just something very retro about them all, and cocktails in general and I love that! It's like cookbook's from the 60's and 70's, it's like looking at another world!
Most excellent!

Onwards and upwards! Or maybe that should be downwards?

***EDIT***Had to add the latest photo!



***End Edit!***

After handing in an assignment yesterday lunchtime I was able to go home and get stuck in to my knitting, I had Happy Days in the DVD player and I just knitted merrily away.

This is where I got up to last night by the end of Midsummer Murders...just two pattern repeats to go and then the final rib and casting off! So working down to the hand is perhaps the description I want? Or working up to it?
Mine is the one and only project for the Slinky Arm warmers pattern on the Rav. Which I am disappointed about as I would have loved to have seen other people's of this design. I may have to Google and see what turns up.
As Miss Stash said to me it is kind of an obscure book, roller derby themed knit book is not going to be as wide spread as say a SNB one. (Of which I am still waiting to hear more about the next one!)

Heres a couple of lovely shots of me actually modeling the arm warmer, the first allows you to admire the fab colour changes and the second will hopefully give you a close up of the "clover" pattern!

And does it ever feel good on! Really lovely, I can not stop raving about this yarn! I'm actually wondering (not in this colour though) how it would do for Intolerable Cruelty?

A hasty photo!

I was so enthused I had to take a photo and post it as soon as possible, I am so in love with this pattern. Although I think my hasty slightly average photo skills perhaps do not really do it justice and Ravelry does it less always cutting off the right of my photo's!
You think I would have learned to not put things in the center of the picture and more to the left.
This is Moda Vera Picchio in "Bark", as you can see it goes from green to light grey to what looked like blue last night but this morning in natural light looks like a darker grey? But having completly changed my mind again this is so the colourway I am seeking out again for Ondine.

A photo or two, and just maybe a blog post!

I have finally taken some photos of my knitting that has had most of my devoted attention, the fact that it's finished or almost finished should be the giveaway!

Anyway to start a mug I bought this afternoon in the supermarket I saw it and couldn't resist, it's called according to it's bar code sticker Merlin Cat.


These are my first pair of socks! Long time readers will be familiar with my many single socks and for once I knitted a pair! These where basic tube socks so no heel, and knitted up in no time in a thickish yarn.


This is my current project on the needles, the Easy Access Legwarmers from Knockdown Knits, almost finished the second one. Now all I need is to shop for suitable buttons!

This is the headband from Knockdown Knits in Moda Vera Picchio in the colourway "Fusion" at the time I got it I could only find one ball in this colour way. Katt told me today at the knitting coven that they have more in again in this colour so I'll have to pop in next week and try and get some more to make Ondine with.

And as for the Moda Vera Picchio in "Bark" I bought originally to make Ondine with after I could find no more in Fusion I have decided to use it instead to make a pair of Slinky Arm Socks and a pair of Slinky Leg Socks from Knockdown Knits. (4 projects so far from the book!)

Still to come I need to invest in some more Moda Vera Picchio in "Fusion" so I can finally knit Ondine and some black 4ply to make the Gothic Temptress socks! But not until after the Slinky Socks are done!
It's my new stash policy, only buy yarn for projects I am intending to start right away! Second step is finishing some of my many WIP's, third step is actually finding what's in my stash and trying to find uses for it.
I have managed so far to knit up straight away the last round of yarn I bought for specific projects and am using up some yarn I unearthed from my stash to make gloves for Miss Stash so I feel I have got off to a good start with my new approach.

This has been hard as I was in my local yarn store to buy a set of double points and was quite tempted by some 20ply they had in. I could think of at least 2 projects I wanted to do in this. Although the Patons Kalidascope was seriously tempting as an alternative for Ondine as well.
Alas my queue on Ravelry just gets longer, mostly with arm warmers. I love arm warmers! And a lot are in about 10ply so I'm shopping round for a 10ply yarn with good colour choices to keep me occupied as well.

Could it be?

I have finally got the result for my Economics assignment, 3 out of 5! Yeah!
And it appears much to our delight Miss Stash and I on our group project for Bus Info Sys, we may have a distinction! I told Miss Stash my best work was done under pressure yet she doubted me.

Fortunately most of my bag contents has dried out, my pattern magazine is slightly wibbly from where it got wet and then dried out but that's really neither here nor there. I'm planning to take the hat out to the knitting coven tomorrow, we're having Mexican! OMG yumtastic!
And while the hat is in that fiddly decrease stage, and I do need to think about where the decreases should be, but aside from that it's safe to knit while talking.

Things are going well at the moment, add to it my excitement on discovering an illusion knit pattern is now available as a free Ravelry download! It used to be in a book I am sure of it, but I'm non too fussed what happened with the book because I know have the pattern!
It's a pair of arm warmers with an illusion of an x-ray. Very uber cool! Or at least I think so. I love Illusion knitting, my only piece to date is the Alien Illusion scarf from the first SNB book but I am very keen to knit up the one from Son of SNB as well, something else I think is uber cool, the video here on the US Pole Federation just sums it up even more. One day I aspire to be half as bendy and strong as that!

Miss Stash whipped up Jamie Oliver's Pot-Roast Meatloaf from his last book Ministry of Food. And it was absolutely delicious! Very yummy! I helped supervise the sauce while it was simmering and spooned it around the meatloaf before replacing it in the oven. Just the minor jobs.

I'd like to report about what I have cooked recently which hasn't really been anything remotely interesting, although stay tuned for I am so my mother informs me having a crock-pot day. Miss Stash will bring her little 3.5L one over to our mothers, I'll bring my 6.5L (my 5.5L is already at my mothers) and we will set them up and have a big cooking day.
No idea what we are making yet for our grand cook-up but I am hoping to make at least one batch of chili.

Because I was out yesterday I found myself having to dash home in the rain, I now have my bag and it's entire contents laid out in an effort to dry it, fortunately overnight it has got rather dryer but it included my Sorbet hat I was working on.

Apparently I am the last person in the world to know that there is a new Anticraft up. I need to go away and think what else I could fashion the patterns into for everyday wear.
Never mind hte merkin what I'd really like is a Murloc!

Click click clickety click!

Well still very much on the needles are a number of things but my time is being divided between a beret made with Moda Vera Sorbet for me, a pair of Beer Gloves from Son of SNB in Cleckheaton Tweed for Miss Stash and a garter stitch wrap out of ye olde Caressa 7ply for my mother.

People keep asking about my Vintage Hues scarf I was knitting, it's almost done, but I just need to go back and undo the last pattern repeat and do it again. Those are the four most "active" projects at the moment.

I'm on the search for a suitably priced sub for SWTC Karoke, and I am wondering if the new Kaleidoscope from Cleckheaton will do the trick? It seems to be a similar ply, and colour number 6 on the website seems to be just the colour I'm after for my project! Quick search online reveals a general price of about $5.50 to $5.95 a ball, much better then the Karoke which I found on one Aussie site for $18 a ball!

Which brings me to my next thought, and a question to all my fellow knitters out there, do you as a knitter like getting knitted gifts???

I ask because I was thinking most of my knitting is 95% for me, there is a odd assortment of things left over in the 5% mainly for charity with the odd requested item for my mother (currently a wrap because I keep hearing about how much she needs one sitting up in the evnings) or in an odd twist of fate something for Miss Stash who actually does knit quite a lot for herself as well.

And I think personally giving another knitter something knitted is like giving a crossword fan a book of crosswords that have already been done. I will admit sometimes I have seen things other knitters have knitted and I have just had to have it!

I finished the square! Yesterday afternoon, and am now in a sea of indecision. I would like to make a new pair of socks, then there are the yoga socks I'd like to try and of course I should take my Peacock scarf back to the last garter stitch row and re-do the pattern bit...

Today is Mock Lasagne day in the crock-pot, the recipe comes from the Crockpot-Lovers group on the Ravelry. And I'm hoping if it doesn't get all cold and rainy again this afternoon it may do so tomorrow as I am keen to make the Gingerbread Latte from the Year of Crockpotting.

Ticket's for Pink's Australian tour went on sale last Friday and apparently they only sold 10 over the counter before they ran out due to all the online and phone sales! People had been queuing since 5:30 in the morning to try and buy tickets. You'd be disappointed after all that time. Unfortunately the nearest Pink is getting to me is Melbourne so I wasn't rushing to get a ticket, a trip interstate moves it from a luxury to a dream!
I have had to content myself with Pink - Live at Wembley on DVD, it's the I'm Not Dead tour. That will be the DWC and my new Friday night viewing I think for the next couple of weeks, sometimes we have Cher on her Farewell tour. Which is also pretty exciting, but I may need to get some Madonna to balance it all out.
But tonight is Dirty Dancing night!

What's that smell???

I tried a new experiment in the slow cooker today, my mother had grand plans as I have just recently bought Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food and have been unable to talk about it till now since I was giving Miss Stash a copy for her birthday.

The plan was we'd make the Chicken and Leek Stroganoff from MoF, well it only feeds two so first we were going to multiply it to go round 6 (my grandparents are up visiting hence the mad desire of my mother's to cook something from the new book, or more to the point to get me to cook something from the new book). This plan gets changed into chicken and leek stroganoff in the slow cooker. Only we don't have a recpie for a chicken stroganoff in the slow cooker, so we adapt a beef one.
It tasted alright. Can't say it looked very appealing. But there is a success story here, I made at long last the Totally Chocolate Choc-Chip Cookies from Nigella Express. I've just finished eating one as I type this. OMG! So, so very good! I will be making another batch to pop in the freezer, perfect in a time of crisis, also some chilli. Chilli is always good.

Some things didn't make the baking rotation today like Date Gingerbread and Raspberry Scones. But there still on the ever growing list of things to make.

But the big question is, is it really okay to get high off doing yoga? I understand endorphins get released while doing exercise, but after a session of yoga I feel like I'm floating on air!
Speaking of fun workout's, how do you fancy busting a move with Mr Burlesque?

Note to self practise wearing high heels! Dammit if Mr Burlesque can, surely I can!

It strikes again!

Now I am having technical issues, technology is defying me now! Blah! I brought my knitting to school and have promptly not done any. I have been chatting, investigating services and browsing through the local bookshop, which excitingly also sells normal books.

They even had some cookbooks I have had my eye on for some time. This could be dangerous! Actually I might have to go back and see if they stock any knitting, probably not but worth an excuse to rebrowse.

Miss Stash and I have been discussing the prospect of chilli in the slow cooker, this is a win-win situation. Everybody loves Chilli!!!
The Cheeseburger Soup is a must! I am adding the ingredients to my shopping list for when I next go. If I'm real keen I may take a picture of it to proudly display here on my blog!

OMG! So many good things, so little time!

I know I was talking about using my slow cooker more often, and after working my way through the Year of Crockpotting blog I have more ideas than I know what to do with.
Things on the top of the list are the Cheeseburger Soup and Chai Lattes, things I either like the sound of or like but can't afford to buy all the time. There also things I think I will find myself attempting to eat my way through alone, I fear Cheeseburger Soup would be seen as an affront on gastronomy by those I usually cook for.

There is a whole pile of others I printed out ready to compile shopping lists and plan when to make them, more than I'll mention here at this time.

My square seems to be stuck at 10 1/2 inches??? How does this happen I measured it, 10 1/2 inches, knit some more measure again, 10 1/2 inches????
I have a sneaking suspicion the world is conspiring against me of late, could my knitting be further proof???

Burn For Me!

Blah! No surprises who got themselves sunburnt, teach me to leave the house without my hat. Thinking of it after as I started to feel a bit warm and off on my merry way, was a fraction too late.

I finally am coming to a close to the organisational red tape for my new adventure, wandering from office to office, and needing to confirm who I am, what I'm doing, setting accounts up and getting my timetable sorted has been tedious but not exactly difficult I must admit.
The hard part's obviously still to come, but of my 4 subjects this semester, only three of them require me to sit a final exam!

Joining so many other knitters, I am also knitting a square, well one under way at the moment. It is quite meditative so I may find myself glad of knitting more as I get going into the treacherous land of economics. Blah!

The search is on for slow cooker recipes, I have some tried and true ones I am going to use. But there are a few new ones I'd like to test. While it doesn't seem quite fully like slow cooker weather I'll admit, I know I associate it with more cold weather cooking, but I quite often have time of a morning but not of an afternoon or early evening to whip stuff up for my dinner. Watch this space for my experiments!

Guess Who?

Guess who is starting at University next week???

9/2/2009 Edit - After much confusion and clarfication, it's not next week, next week will require only one day. One day which I am waiting to be notified about. So it will be the week after next!

I'm it!

Mrs DrWho tagged me, so here we go, six quirky but boring things about me! I can only name 6?

Rules
Link to the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules.
Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that let’s them know they’ve been tagged.

1. Most of my clothing I own is black. I like to think of it as my urban camouflage and wouldn't dream of life without it.

2. I have an unyielding passion for themed food, my house is crammed with cookie cutters, chocolate moulds, fancy cake pans and kitschy ice cube trays (Bailey's bottle shaped ice anyone?)

3. When I grew up I desperately wanted to be an Egyptologist. I blame Agatha Christie entirely for this passion! Alas I fear a wonderful academic career will never be mine and besides I've seen what the helpers on Time Team endure. I'm trying to picture me a) doing that labour and b) doing it happily in a desert under the hot, hot, hot sun. Oh the heat!

4. Two of my fave things to do as a child was dress-up's and "playing ladies", the first involved a box of assorted off cast clothing (my fave piece being a sort of purple embroidered blouse) and the second was my Nana letting me get the fine china out and make afternoon tea to eat off it. These are two things that have carried over into my grown up life that I still love to do.

5. There is no denying it, I am a bag lady. I am always on the look-out for the more slightly unusual looking bags.

6. Matt Hardy lives on my computer desk! Next to a mini beanie pirate, vampire and white tiger.

I'll tag Lady Deathwatch, Spinning Goth, Metal and Knit and Msfortuknit and anyone else who's interested!