Menu of the Day and Chat

DINNER
Pizza's X 2. Margharita and Pepperoni with added Capers, Olives and Artichoke Hearts
Salad a la Moi

Beligian Chocolate Ice Cream

Yesterday I made a delicious stew with Braised Beef n fresh veg. The beef is so cheap, £2 gets you a huge slice of it. I cut of the fatty bits (not many) and give to Minnie and Gwen.

Only 1 egg today, down from 3, then 2. Unless they are laying elsewhere as they are out most of the day.

Seeing that those Beanie hats are fashionable and look good, I thought I'd make one. I started knitting and quickly realized that it's quite hard to knit with mohair, there's fluff all over the place. So, change of plan and got out the crotchet hook to start again. Crotchet's much quicker and as I'm making it up as I go along, it's not going too badly. I've started with a circle, then am going around, missing a few stitches to make it tighter. The beauty of mohair is that it hides mistakes with such long strands of fur. I've done a couple of rounds so far, will post a photo at some stage....

Final of Hells Kitchen tonight, so I'm a happy bunny. It's the small things in life etc etc...

Hectic Egg are a duo keeping punk alive and well. This is a live performance filmed at the Royal Albert Hall last month.

More of them on utube.
Enjoy.

I imagine a few of you might have read the book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycling,' which was popular in the 80's, or even earlier. Anyway, it was a good, thoughtful read and I thought of it when I decided to blog about sudoko.

I really enjoy sudoko, it's almost like meditating, though instead of emptying my mind, I focus it on numbers. It's relaxing, as nothing else intrudes when I'm working on a puzzle. You don't have to be good at maths, it's pure logic, and makes the brain work.

I took a book of sudoko with me to Sardinia, and it was great to settle down to work on it, anywhere. I'd be on the veranda with a cup of coffee, waiting for departure at the airport, anywhere I could sit for a bit and do it. I can't really do sudoko when someone else is sitting with me, as it's a bit anti-social, but it was like having portable company for me when I went out on my own. As Mr A was attending a conference, I had plenty of time to wander, settle somewhere, do a puzzle, then get up and wander again.
It might sound like I'm bigging it up, but it's one of lifes pleasures that enhances my life.
I do like a nicely sharpened pencil, with a rubber on the end. This is essential for sudoko. I enjoy writing the numbers in the boxes so they look almost professionally printed.
Obssessive?
Moi?

DINNER
Prob Spag Bog
Salad a la Moi

I missed buying the mini piano, it went for £155, a bargain. Mr A says I should really try a piano out before buying it, and that's true, but when it's for sale at the other side of the country, a bit of a problem. It's still near the top of things I want to get though....

I need to do a lot of moving things around in the house to make more space. This includes unpacking the boxes which are filled with books and stuff from when we took down shelves in the music room to put the wardrobe in. I suspect there's an awful lot of throwing away to do as I keep things for sentimental value and it's not always appropriate and I wouldn't really miss them.
I have 2 chest of drawers and have to arrange to put the clothes in one somewhere else as one of them is going. There's nothing wrong with either of them, and they are quite nice, I just need the space.
If I was a more organized person I'd put one on ebay, it's probably worth about £20 on a good day with the wind in the right direction.
I'm lacking motivation to get started and get sidetracked into doing something else, like blogging....

Gwen got a little freaked out last night when the fireworks started and I had to calm her down and tell her that it was alright. She would bark and want to go out and see what the noise was all about at first. She then settled and napped through the rest of the evening. It wasn't too noisy round here, a small display in the village probably and at various houses in the area.

I caught up on Spooks online as I missed it on monday. What a fantastic programme it is! Very tense and nail biting script. If it's anything at all like real life, then those secret service agents have a hell of a job with a lot of responsibility. I like that it's not glamourous and the plot is mainly the work they do, not sidelining into potential romances and soppy stuff like that. You don't get to see the personal lives of the agents, it's all work, work, work.
I also enjoyed The Restaurant. This is where Raymond Blanc, with a couple of business partners, have to chose the best couples to run one of his restaurants. The couples go through a series of tests. First one was to cook their signature dish. Most of the efforts were shambolic, but only one couple got fired.
This week, 2 couples had to run a well known high street restaurant for lunch and evening service.
Only one couple seem to be on top of it, the rest were getting orders out too slowly, so that customers had to wait for ages for their meal. As only one couple got fired, the rest have been given keys to their own restaurant. It must be quite a worry for Raymond and his partners, as some of the couple don't seem to have a clue about how to run a restaurant properly.
Looking forward to next week, when again, another couple has to go after being assessed as to how they've run their restaurant over a week.

i-spy-something-the-colour-of......... |
poems-left-on-roof-of-car..... |
menu-of-the-day-in-song |
dreams-of-a-nation-riding-on-barak-obama |
johnathon-richmond-and-the-modern-lovers-song-titles |
creative-dance-group-with-fire-hogger |
slagging-off-below-par-female-vocalists |
dream-job-leftover-lamb-for-curry |
instant-poetry-for-brain-and-body |
photo-of-cuddling-puppy-and-cat-and-hunter-with-gun-and-wood-pigeon |
cat-on-a-hot-plastic-roof |
lynda-la-plante-n-tami-hoag-books |
michael-jackson-rip-electrical-storm-of-the-century |
photos-spring-n-summer-09-seed-n-nut-mix |
5-kittens-in-a-big-bass-drum |
grandma-av-and-her-rockin'-chair |
pix-of-a-boat-and-some-geology

Just back from a Scarabella rehearsal, the last one with all 5 of us before Brenda goes on her grand European tour for 3 months.
We went through the set and surprised ourselves at how well we remembered the songs as we haven't sung them for some months.
With one of the Latin songs, Tormenta, some of us changed what we normally do and went into a really funky groove which lifted the song onto another level. Great fun.
I've had these harmonies, a backing to a song similar to 'Run' by Snow Patrol and at last could try it out - it worked.
I can have 5 separate harmonies going on in my head and hear each one and how they fit together, it's something that's come with a lot of practice of singing harmonies. I really need to have equipment to record a few tracks. Brenda says there's a free download called Audacity which is a good and simple recording programme, so I may get that. I can't do complicated....

DINNER - in Swansea
Fresh Plaice and Chips at a newly opened chippie. Very nice.

I took Gwen to rehearsal and she was petted by everyone and took turns sitting on everyones lap.

I went to the library first so had to tie her up outside. I hadn't done that before, so I tied her lead onto a heavy brass knob on the open door.
I was looking at the books when I realised that a bit of a fuss was going on near the entrance, so I went and had a look.
Somehow, Gwen had shut the doors! There were 2 elderly ladies outside complaining that they couldn't get in and gave me a very dirty look, muttering about 'responsibilities.'
I thought it quite clever of her to shut both doors, when she was only tied to one, and they are great big heavy doors too!

So, missed Spooks, which I've just noticed, so will have to catch it online, it's a great series, I enjoyed the last one.

Bed in a minute, I've got meals on wheels again tomorrow.

Wow! I've just been outside, looking at the moon through binoculars and can see the detail of the seas and even craters! Amazing! Lots of exclamation marks......

Do it. Do it. Do it.

It'll make you feel more in touch with nature and that big, wide universe, beyond our world.

Nodding off to Dreamland to the incessant beat of torrential rain hammering on the roof. Blooming Minnie cat again wakes me up at some ungodly hour to go out. Damn cat! When she gets put out for the night she miaows to come in, when she's in she miaows to go out. Some nights she does stay put on the bed though. It means that I sleep in later and later though. Gwen amuses herself till I get up, and doesn't hassle, which is good of her. Her bladder is well controlled now.

I shone the torch over the road on the stream last night as I took Gwen for her nightly wee. (She isn't inclined to go on her own which is a drag.) The stream was in rushing mode, not quite breaking its banks, but nearly. It sounded really loud. The moonlight was fantastic, very atmospheric.

Took a pit stop at Morrisons and succumbed to Ice Cream Madness. Got Baileys Cream and Belgian Chocolate, so am now fully stocked with cholestrolol (?) enhancing dairy produce.

Been on ebay, looking at mini pianos. There's a couple on there for sale. I always get nervous about bidding for an item, and getting a piano is quite a big item. It's a good price, and looks good, but I'll have to shift some furniture around to make room. Mr A knows I'm thinking about getting one, but I really need him here to organize moving it, so I might wait till he's back. The item I want will have stopped bidding by friday though....so do I get it anyway? It's £150, I was expecting to pay more for a mini piano. It has the usual length keyboard but is shorter than an upright.
The other item I want on ebay is a motor scooter. I've been thinking about getting one for a while. They should be cheaper this time of year, so can store it till better weather. I had a moped when I was 16 and loved the feeling of driving around on it, in the open air. The scooter will be cheaper to run than a car, though I'll need a car for longer trips.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that bidding on ebay freaks me out.
I don't know why, as I've bought one item, a piano stand (£9.99) which was excellent. People do it all the time without batting an eyelid, but it still fills me with anticipation, and not in a good way, the thought of pressing on the Bid Now button...

I enjoyed James May's programme about toys. He got a company to make a life sized model of a Spitfire plane. There were quite a few problems that needed to be sorted, but they did it. He enlisted some schoolchildren to put it together, trying to get them enthusiastic about Airfix models, as he stuck them together as a boy. When the life sized model was shown to them all, the parts were all attached to each other as they are on a normal sized model.
This week, tonight in fact, he's getting people to build a flower garden out of plasticine for the Chelsea Flower Show.
I do like James May, he has a likeability factor and seems to be a completely natural presenter.

DINNER
Morrisons Best Fish Pie
Salad a la Moi - Feta Cheese, Olives, Little Gem Lettuce

I've had the Fish Pie before, it's really nice.

I didn't fancy shopping today - so I didn't. Mr A is away for the week, so there's no one but me (and the animals) to feed.
There are oven chips in the freezer, I do have a couple of dozen fresh eggs, and some bacon, so I won't starve.
I have run out of the Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream, so I'll be having withdrawals after dinner.

Life seems to be a series of things that I look forward to, to keep spirits up and depression at bay. It can be the smallest thing, usually is in fact. This is my current looking forward to list.
1. Hells Kitchen on tv at 9pm
2. Emergency stash of inferior Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream. Spar's own brand. Not good, but ok.
3. Good night's sleep to the sound of pelting rain outside, being warm and snug with Minnie cat on the bed
4. Taking Gwen for a walk tomorrow without the rain. I hope.#
5. Working out the chords for the song 'Run' (Leona Lewis, Snow Patrol)

Most of my feel good list involves food....though more a gourmet than a glutton.

We had our waterfall walk today as usual, though I didn't go as far up the hill because it was raining. The waterfall is churning with lots of extra water and the stream running alongside the road is a flowing torrent.

It's time to get those chips into the oven, I like to time it so I can sit down and eat as the programme I want to watch starts.
My body is being good to me, I can't complain about any aches, pains or owt. So thank you body.

First pic shows the waterfall and Guardian Beech tree I've been going on about. This is at the start of the walk, just over the road from our house.
Then you can see Gwen, leading the way back downhill.
Home, with new fencing and gate put up to keep small doggies from running onto the road.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT WITH CLOTHES

I'm posting this after listening to Womens Hour on the radio, in which several women talked about how they felt about some of their clothes. One woman was a twin, and kept one item of clothing that was her sister's after she died. It was a jacket and the woman said that it was like wearing part of her sister and it comforted her when she wore it.
Another woman had a red fleece and said that she wore it when she needed cheering up, like putting on a hug.
There were several stories along the same lines, and it got me thinking about my relationship to my clothes

I've got 2 posh dresses, both worn a few times, but not very often.
Firstly, there's the Jessica Rabbit ruby velvet dress. A bit like the one she wears in the film, Who Killed Roger Rabbit. It's very tight and has a crossed lace up at the back with a heart shaped bodice. It makes me feel very Va Va Voom when I wear it.

The little black number also has a heart shaped bodice with no straps and a swirly skirt, with layers of net to push it out. It has a wide silk belt that does up in a bow. There are some large rhinestones on the bodice. This is the dress on my profile photo.

There are 2 items that were my dads that I occasionally wear. One's an orange t shirt with a picture on the front which is an Aboriginal painting, in yellow and white. It's fairly large and I always feel comfortable when I wear it.
The other thing of my dad's that I sometimes wear is a green suede waistcoat. I don't wear this often, but when I do, I feel protected and safe, which is how my dad made me feel.

One of my favourite items is a charity shop plum coloured dress, with an unobtrusive pattern in cream. It's lined and has thin straps, so I usually wear a long sleeved top over it. It makes me feel as if I've made an effort to look nice when I wear it, but also it looks casual so I could wear it anywhere.

A lot of my clothes are from charity shops, and I don't spend much on new clothes, but occasionally splash out.
I did buy a nice skirt from M&S, for £45, which is a lot for me. It's long, purpley maroon with a plaid pattern in wool. This makes me feel like a posh country woman, comfy as well as smart.

My favourite socks are a pair bought for me by my grandaughters. They are leopard print, white and silver on black and make me feel quite trendy.

My favourite scarf is one my sister, who lives in Australia gave me, it used to be hers. It's bold colours, purple, pink, orange, yellow, with an Aboriginally type of design. It's very striking and makes me feel cool. I also feel the emotional attachment with my sister, which is close, even though we live on different continents.

What are your favourite clothes, and do you ever wear clothes that used to belong to people you knew?

DINNER
Fresh Monkfish in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Spuds
Salad a la Moi

Haagan Daas Ice Cream, scooped out with new plastic scoop

X Factor later. Yeh!

Some thought goes into the title of my posts, and I was tempted to call this one 'Untitled.'
But I didn't.
So, here's why the title.
I went for my usual walk with Gwen, up the lane, opposite our house, past the waterfall and Guardian Beech tree uphill till we reach a large wooden gate. This is turning point. It's a stunning place to turn around as the beeches there are magnificent, and the sound of a rushing stream accompanies the walk.
Well, as I neared the gate, I heard what I thought sounded like a kitten mewing. I stopped to listen and heard it again. It seemed to come from the top of a tree. By now the wind was blowing quite strongly and I realised it was the sound that a branch makes, being blown by the wind. Once I identified the origin of the sound, I began to hear sounds from other trees, and they were all different. Some had a low tone, others high and squeaky.
Then I thought that the wind was like breath to the trees, gives them a voice in a way. Comparing it to humans, it would be like someone making a farting sound by slapping their armpit against a hand.
It was just coming on for dusk, and the light becomes a bit of a drama queen, and there's a spooky feel in the air. I continued to hear different noises from the trees as we went downhill, and it seemed almost dreamlike, with the light fading and the wind gusting....

I took some pix yesterday while we were on our walk, but can't find the thingummy to transfer the photos from my phone, so it'll have to wait till Mr A gets back friday and I either lend his, or he knows where my one is.

Todays Avrilo cock-up is almost a repeat of the other day, when I got the wrong street whilst delivering meals on wheels.
There is a new client and their address was on the list, no. 47. So, after finding the correct road, I get out todays meal. There's the veg and gravy (mash, carrots and cabbage) in one tray, roast beef in another tray and the dessert (trifle) in another, so I've got my hands full with 3 trays.
I knock at no 47, no answer so I goes in, as normal because many of the clients aren't very mobile.
I call out 'Mrs Weston?'
I can see through the glass top half of a door, a young girl on a sofa watching tv. There are 2 ENORMOUS DOGS. No blarney, they are HUGE, like small ponies.
Don't know the breed, but chocolate (mmmm) brown thick fur and hanging down ears. So one of these dogs comes at me.
Me with a tray of roast beef in my hand, whilst the other identical dog is also coming through the open door, pushing a young woman out of the way in its eagerness to get near me and the roast beef.
'Mrs Weston?' I ask again, quickly followed by, 'Can you keep the dogs back?'
She was quite indignant at my walking into her house (fair point) as I explained that I did knock first but got no answer.

I was directed 2 houses along as I shuffled backwards with a wary eye on the dogs, who by now were being held by their owner.
I knocked at 2 houses down, no answer, so walked in again with 'Mrs Weston?' ringing out loud and clear.
'No, not here.' I was directed by the elderly couple who looked like potential clients to a house next door to the huge dogs house.
The correct no of the house was 46, not 47.
This time I found the real Mrs Weston taking her blood sugar in her front room and knew I had struck gold, as she's listed as a diabetic.
After that little farago I was late with my round and had some pretty hungry pensioners to deal with.

I was going to go to the library in Swansea, as my round is halfway there but decided to go home to Gwen who was waiting inside.
She sits on the top of the chair looking out of the window, like one of those sickly velvet paintings that show the taste of a crazed camel.
She was still there on my return, looking at me as I came past to the front door and gave me the usual joyous welcome with tail wag and jumping up.
So, another day, there are enough books in this house to occupy me for now.

So, there's nowt on telly tonight, so I'll go on 4od online. Last night I got involved in 'Bodyshock.' A series of documentaries about people with weird bodies. I didn't fancy the girl with 2 heads, the Elephant Man who had a huge tumour on his face, or the 8 limbed girl born in India.
I watched the 2 ton teen. A 19 yr old mommas boy who was enormous, weighing 60 odd stone and was going in for surgery to cut off the huge overhang on his belly. At that point my dinner was ready, so I didn't watch any more - I'd seen enough. A lot of the half ton heavies are American who eat junk take outs. I don't have any sympathy for them, but find a gruesome fascination watching how they live.

I'll avoid the documentaries tonight and go for a bit of comedy, if nothing else there's always Father Ted.