Feeling vile

With a week to go until Christmas I'm feeling horribly under the weather. I'm all shivery and snuffly and poorly. One of my glands has managed to enlarge itself enough to distort the bottom of my face and make it look like some creature is going to burst out at any second.

So I'm trying to divert my mind to think of nice cheerful things like open fires and hot toddys. Like the divinely wrapped Christmas present I received from one of my best friends with baubles decorating it. I keep wondering what's inside the wrapping (I'll know in 7 days!).

I picked up load of stuff my my grandad's house yesterday (alas the house is having to be sold to pay for the care he needs). I got 2 huge tin trunks with lots of goodies. Included in my haul was a load of fabric, my first pair of baby shoes and an old Noddy book.

I also rescued a jar of these busy blocks http://www.tupperdiva.com/toys/pages/busyblocks.html
They are so cool; each block has a letter on it and inside has a figure for the letter (e.g. a unicorn for U). I also found a Ladybird book about Elizabeth the first. I loved this book as a small child and pestered my Grandma to take me to Westminster Abbey so that I could see where she is buried.

Ah, there's nothing like a good bout of nostalgia to make me feel better.

A possible solution?

Naturally I still haven't found time to have a good look through my wardrobe and find something for Saturday night. However I have spent a lot of time finishing my fabric bags to wrap Christmas presents in.

These are made from whatever I happen to have in my fabric cupboard (suppliemented with a few metres of specially purchased fabric). I was sewing a piece of jersey (a rather streaky wine red with dark grey flowers) when I realised that I had made a dress fom the fabric a few years ago with the intention of wearig it to a wedding. The weather then turned out better than I expected so I wore something else.

Hence I have never worn this dress. It's too formal to dress down, looks awful over jeans and really would only be suitable for a party! I'm not certain that the quality of construction is brilliant (it being one of my earlier efforts), but as long as it holds together all should be well. At the very least I know that no one else will be wearing it and I can claim that I made it myself!

What shall I wear to the ball?

Oh I’m in a bit of dilemma. There I am trotting along enjoying wearing over and over the small number of lovely items that is my winter wardrobe. And then, KERPOW!, party season hits and I find myself in a regular old pickle.

I’m Ok for the drinks party at the home of some pals this weekend. I can do restaurant casual for dinner to celebrate my mother’s birthday next week. However I’m bit stuck as far as a knees- up at in the ballroom of pub/hotel. I fear that I have spent fat too much time making my summer wardrobe lovely and rather neglected winter wear. I suppose I’m far less likely to go out in the winter when I could be snuggled by the fire.

Usually I’d dash to Primark or somewhere similar. However I read another article this morning about poor conditions for the workers who make ‘value’ clothing and so feel a bit uncomfortable doing so. I guess I’ll have to have a really good rummage through my wardrobe (there might be something I’ve forgotten!) and if not visit a charity shop.

I could run something up but due to manufacture of Christmas bags I’m a bit short on time. Even if I went with something a la Yeah I made it myself I’d probably have to buy some fabric (more ethical dilemmas, what type of fabric to choose, what would I wear with it, would it stay together?).

Watch this space for an update and do tell me what you’re wearing to party at present to inspire me.

Dita - How dare you!

Oh Dita – how could you let us down? There we were relying on you to guide us in the ways of glamour. To act an inspiration to our sometimes grey lives. But there is nothing glamorous about wearing FUR! Slaughtering something just so that you can wear its skin is just unnecessary.
Have a look at this piece and fur ceases to have any glitz.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2016136.ece

I was interested to note that Mrs Beckham, usually grumbled about relentlessly for a whole list of fashion sins, is currently being praised for wearing a fake fur coat. Who would have imagined that Mrs B would lead the anti-fur brigade? Still seems to wear quite a bit of leather though….

One of my favourite fur and leather free sites is www.bboheme.co.uk (hint! hint! Dear Heart if you’re reading this). Do check it out if you are still doing your Christmas shopping, and if anyone has any splendid ideas for a quite groovy grandad I'm all ears.

Experiementing with grey

I must confess that my hair has been going grey for many, many years. Normally because it is dyed some vibrant colour no one would ever guess that I am dying it just to cover the grey. I mean let's face it no one has hair the colour mine normally is naturally!

However I've become concerned about the environmental effects of both the dye itself and the containers it come in. Hence I am experimenting with more natural alternatives. Henna is great and I intend to use Caca from Lush to get gorgeous coloured tints. However I've also read good things about sage.

So over the weekend I made a very strong infusion of sage and popped it in a little spray bottle. I tend to spray my grey with it every night and see if it works as those on line claim it does. Watch this space....

A rod for my own back

Last year I attempted to start my own Christmas tradition. I've become concerned by the amount of waste that Christmas generated. So I decided to make drawstring bags (with cute little designs on them) for presents to go in. I used old curtains and all kinds of bits and pieces from my sewing cupboard. They looked absolutely gorgeous. I really wish I had taken a picture. I'd even done fabric gift tags with initials on them so they could be used as a glass charm after.

My big , forward thinking idea was that these would be used year after year for presents instead of paper. I put my initials, the date and 'please reuse me' on the back. I imagined looking back in years to come and remembering who had made various present bags and when they had first been introduced. I rather hope that some other family members might have come up with their own versions for this year (or re-use the ones I made last year).

However this means that I have got to produce around 20 bags for this year's gifts to go in. I'm going to make bags that fold over at the top this year with little ties rather than drawstrings. I suppose I'd better get to work on them tonight or I shall be burning the midnight oil and sewing when I should be enjoying mulled wine by the fire!

Pants!

I was alarmed to read recently that apparently the average life of a pair of knickers is 3 months! As I have some that are celebrating a decade of so (albeit in a rather greying tatty state) I began to wonder what this 3 month life span is based upon. I suppose if you only had say 8 pairs and were endlessly washing them they might well wear out after 3 months. Isuppose it also depends on your definition of worn out!

Is this a call them for the capsule underwear wardrobe? Just enough pairs, in neutral shades with a few brights for nights out?

The snag is you need different colours and type of underwear to go under different outfits and for different situations. Although I have (during my 'wear only black' decade) gotten away with one colour and minimal bras things have changed. Dear Heart's Mother bought me some adorable green lace knickers for Christmas and since then I been buying and wearing all kinds of colours!

Just in case anyone is wondering I did finally get a trouser suit from New Look. It was in the sale so I was able to justify buying 2 pairs of trousers to go with the jacket. I'm not sure why it was so reduced as it also seemd to be on sale at full price elsewhere in the store. And Ok it wasn't grey, it was black with a sort of stripe pattern thing. But it just shows that the wardrobe fairy is watching. Mimi - take heart - you will find your perfect bridesmaids dresses, just maybe not in the form you expect.

I did buy a blouse but had been thinking about the glamour of Dita Von Teese when I was browsing so it turned out to be less suitable then I imagined at the time. I'm sure it will be good with a coloured vest underneath to cover my pride.

I find shirts under a suit jacket are a real pain. They are just so fussy. Happily when I tried on my green galaxy top it looked fabulous and much sleeker. I can't believe that I've always bought skirts suits before (not even sure why). A trouser suit is so comfortable and easy to wear. I think I may need a to acquire a few more at the January sales...

A new suit

Somehow I've managed to pick completely the wrong day to buy a new suit. I though that the shops were always full of suits. Well today they seem to be full of Christmas party wear. I used to wear black for a preference but now it seems a little harsh. Given the shops are supposed to be full of grey I didn't think it would be a problem. Alas there is very little grey indeed and anything that is non-black suddenly turns out, on closer inspection, to have glitter strips or something else making it unsuitable for the workplace.

There also seem to be a tendency for shops to lure you in when you spot some nice looking trousers and there discover that there are no matching jackets. Am I doomed to a life in separates?

It must be the time of year

It seems so long since my last post and although there's been a bit of upheaval in my life jobwise in the last week that doesn't really excuse the week before that. What have I been doing with myself? How did it get to be November? Mimi at Little sips of tea is back so I guess it's time I was too.

Well I enjoyed a few divine days at Henlow Grange. I'd like to say relaxing but I was rather taken with the variety of classes on offer. During my short stay I managed to fit in Aqua mitt (good fun), Sinatra Swing (hard to hear ol' blue eyes for the pounding of feet), Aqua body conditioning (circuit training in the water and I was the only person mad enough to show up for the class), Aqua fit (almost as much fun as Aqua mitt) and Wake up work out (guess who was always out of step?). I just loved being able to wear my dressing gown for most the day. The food was absolutely marvellous.

On the subject of food I've become rather taken with home made soup. I only have the tiniest of blenders so all the soups I've made recently have been chunky. I was kicked started by my approximation of Cauliflower and red lentil from Dolce Vegan. It was so good that at the supermarket I purchased the missing ingredients that should have been in it (such as fresh ginger) and the following week made a broccoli and green lentil version. This week it's tomato and cabbage. It's so good, the soup cooks while I sort out the recycling and before I go to yoga on a Thursday night. I have a portion after yoga and take the rest for lunch the next day. There was quite a bit of the broccoli and green lentil (added rather a lot of lentils and Quinoa) so I took some to work for a Monday morning breakfast. Total yum! It doesn't even need bread.

I've also been enjoyed a renewed burst of energy and enthusiasm in my allotment. Determined to clear all the patched that are over grown and keep the edges neat.

Guess the next thing I need to start thinking about is Yule. What can I buy everyone? I probably shouldn't speculate to much here. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

There is someone out there

How exciting - I found an email in my inbox today telling me I was one of 100 bloggers invited to take part in a blogger survey. This is part of some research being carried out at Robert Gordon University.

The academic undertaking the research is Dr Sarah Pedersen and she blogs about her research (but, of course) here http://Sarah-validation.blogspot.com/

How exciting to be able to contribute such research.

Also today I've been trying to work out exactly what I need to take to Henlow Grange with me. Apparently most people forget to take gym kit and a swimsuit and pack far too much stuff that they don't need. I've always thought that I was an efficient packer so I do hope that I can live up to that. One of the most useful sites I found was www.spaaah.com - check it out. I particularly liked the spa virgin section. Spas are quite terrifyingly smart places after all.

Summer's over

Last night I packed up my summer clothes and got out my winter ones. As a result I am snuggled in pair of gray flannel type trousers today. It's rather pleasing to find that I already have so much grey in my wardrobe. I never imagined that I'd come anywhere close to having my finger on a style pulse.

Yet it seems like only yesterday I was telling you all how last night I packed up my winter clothes and got out my summer clothes. If I recall correctly the weather than wasn't all that different to today. However, at least I am properly dressed for rain today.

One the subject of clothes I found the most darling site the other day www.myvirtualcloset.com
I had a peek at sample wardrobes and was so impressed. I just can't imagine finding the time to take pictures of all my clothes, but I do like the thought of being able to view what I have online. Imagine if you were stuck for what to wear (as I often am and have to ask my style guru sister to tell me what on earth I should wear). Rather than people making suggestions in a vague sort of way, they could say wear this item and this item.

Sometimes I think the Internet is a work of breathtaking genius.

The biggest blog in history?

Blogging will provide for future historians a fantastic record of what 'ordinary' life is really like. Their only problem may be too much material. I've always enjoyed finding out about so-called ordinary life in the past. I suspect much of the time it was hard and we don't really know how lucky we are. But nonetheless the small details remain fascinating.

Inspired by the rather wonderful Mass Observation studies October 17th has been nominated as the day for the biggest blog in history! Log on to www.historymatters.org.uk and upload a blog entry for the day. Apparently the day has been chosen because it is totally insignificant and 'normal' day.

I'll be uploading an entry but as I'm going to Henlow Grange for a few days (I've never been to a spa before) it won't be anything like a normal Tuesday (e.g up really early, struggle with buses, lunch leaks over bag, frustrating day at work, buses late on way home due to volume of people who prefer to drive and roadworks that have been going on forever, finally catch up on Sunday's washing-up, go to bed far too early/late).

Isn't it funny that the spellchecker doesn't recognise the word 'blog'?

Eve - feel the Benefit of Happy, Easy Living, New Woman

I seem to have bought a number of glossy magazines recently. I normally try to resist if I just want to buy it for the free gift (I haven't worn a bikini in years so I didn't really need to buy Elle this summer). Another guilt inducing factor is that the magazine and gift are usually wrapped in a plastic bag and this type cannot be recycled in my area.

I was quite delighted with my purchase of Eve. I only really bought it because I needed some change and wasn't that bothered about the free clutch bag. I then realised that it was the perfect size to fit all the bits that usually hang around at the bottom of my bag (datasticks, work keys, mini first aid kit, spare phone battery, name badge, Enchinacea tea bags). Some are indeed already in cute little pouches but it feels so smart to have them in a bag of their own.

In fact the bag the bag I was using (free with Happy) looked rather smart with the Eve clutch and Easy Living make-up bag (Kath Kidson from sometime earlier in the year). I won't even start on the free scarf, umbrella and flip flops that also make up part of my kit.

I then bought New Woman (soon to be just NW) simply because I wanted the 2 Benefit make-up bags. I was thrilled to find a lovely brochure for their products inside (which I'll be passing in Dear Heart's direction as Yule approaches) but rather disappointed with the magazine itself. There was rather a lack of recipes. Then I realised that the diet plan was actually considered to fill the space a recipe might have taken. I think that I am probably not the market the NW is aimed at.

On the subject of Benefit I was travelling to an area to a different area for work when I spotted a Benefit shop! I was just so excited. I resisted the urge to venture inside as I am saving my pennies and Benefit purchases for a girly shopping trip at the weekend but I may have to return in the future.

From one Sunday to the next

Dear Heart and I were lying in bed yesterday morning thinking about getting up (well he was, I was nursing a headache as a result of not drinking enough water during the day and drinking too much red wine) and we ended up talking about the wedding. The strange thing was that it was really one of those conversations that we should have been having the Sunday before. We were talking about people that weren't there that we usually run into at family events. Rather sensibly the bride and groom only invited people they really liked and their partners so the atmosphere was fantastic (just like being back at university really). I started asking Dear Heart if he liked my hair and make-up. I had my hair curled at the hairdressers . I was a bit alarmed when it was first done as I had these really tight curls (flashback to 80's perm), but when the curls dropped a bit was so glamourous. I had my make-up to be done by Jenny Sherman from Perfect Creations www.perfect-creation.com and it was so fabulous. I felt like a movie star! It also stayed on all day even after I had my weep during my lovely sister's speech. I just can't wait to see the photos.

We also found ourselves discussing the flowers (done by the very nice Katie at The Flower Bar http://the-flower-bar.co.uk - her husband assures me he will put some content on her site soon). We all had these wrist corsages which looked great and meant you didn't have to hold flowers or find somewhere to put them. Additionally you simply couldn't wear a watch with it so no keeping an eye on the time (a curse of modern life I fear), instead one just went with the organic flow of things. We decided that the mysterious yellow substance that I managed to cover myself in was probably pollen (I kept my wrist corsage on the whole thing and alas it looked rather battered with wine stained ribbons by the end).

And the flowers decorating the mantlepieces had lots of picture of the bride and groom and their friends and family at various points in their life. It was great fun trying to identify who was in the photo.

And the dancing was such fun. The DJ played lots of really good cheesy dancing. I couldn't believe it when the lights came on.

Despite the headache and frequent rain showers the rest of Sunday turned out to be rather nice. I attacked the brambles on my allotment a little more and then came home and enjoyed a glass of red wine with Dear Heart. I went to bed unusually relaxed for a Sunday.

Let's hope the rest of the week is as stress free.

The party is over...

Well it's taken me about 4 days to get around to posting after the wedding. I sometimes find it really hard to talk about big events. As if by committing the memories to words, the memories themselves are somehow lost.

Despite the slight hitch with the flower girl dresses, things went relatively smoothly before the wedding. The Canadians didn't starve as a result of my hospitality. I managed to make some small alterations to my sister's second wedding dress without a hitch. I cooked her a nice simple dinner on Friday night (and was even organised enough to make the salad and herb butter in advance!).

My sister looked beautiful. Just totally lovely. She just kept grinning and snogging her new hubby. He seemed pretty chuffed with the whole thing too. Her speech was lovely (particularly the bit where she said that I was her best friend as well as her sister).

The thing is I really miss her now. She's away on honeymoon having a lovely time with her very nice husband and I selfishly want her back to talk about make up and clothes. I was amazed when they started out handing out thank you presents at the reception and I got 3! She'd already given a very pretty bracelet of green flowers to wear with my bridesmaid dress. There was a bridesmaid mug, a pair of rather fab knickers (from http://www.damato-bridal.co.uk/home.htm - there isn't pic on the site but let me say that they don't have much of a back but have a big ribbon tie instead, and a elegant gold bracelet from CK. But the cards that went with them made me cry and they continue to do so everytime I dare peek at them.

I was thrilled when she sent me a text just before leaving for her honeymoon (I didn't want to send her one in case I intruded on the time her and her hubby deserve to enjoy together)

Who would imagine that my sister would find a husband and I'd find a new friend?

Enjoy your honeymoon, Sis, and come and drink wine and do non-wedding shopping with me soon.

Just when you think you're ahead...

Yesterday evening I dived in and cleaned out the pantry. It looks so good now. Everything is in place. I can see what I have so I won't be purchasing duplicates (not for a few weeks anyway when everything will be in chaos again).

Rather annoyingly I'm having a few problems with my pretty little parcels website. The paypal link is just refusing to work and take people's money and details. I spent ages working on it, did the buttons again and still no joy. I've put a post on the community board and I hope that someone can help me.

Today is my last day at work before the wedding. I'm tyeing up loose ends and have a small job list to work through this evening.

And now - disaster! Apparently the flower girl dresses that I've spend most of my recent days off working on don't fit! The bride to be seems calm so we just need to put a solution in place. I'm mystified - if anything I though they'd be too big!

And just to keep you busy while I'm away check out www.realsimple.com I picked up the magazine in Smiths (I'm a sucker for anything featuring capsule wardrobes) and there's lots of nice content. Enjoy!

Just like Prince Charming...

Yesterday I decided to tackle a rather over grown area on my allotment. The grass had grown long and worse, there was an enormous blackberry bush with lots of branches coming off it (and hiding in the grass). Feeling rather like I was off to rescue Sleeping Beauty, I took some shears to the allotment. With my shears I began to snip and was thrilled to discover the dug boundary of the plot.

I was doing really well as I approached the bush itself. I noticed that there were a lot of bees around. However, I reasoned that this is quite normal. Bees buzz around flowers, don't they? Well they do if there are actually any flowers to buzz around... I then realised that the low humming that I thought was a strimmer was actually the sounds of bees - lots of them!

I retreated back to hack my way through another area (and boy do I ache today). When I got home, I looked up bees in a wildlife book. They do indeed make nests in long grass. I guess that the prickly brambles are good at keeping predators at bay.

Hmm, I suppose my plan to cut the bush right back will have to be changed, at least for the present. Probably just as well as all my muscles are stiffening up today as a result of all that hard manual labour yesterday.

Regular readers will be aware that I enjoy the wit and glamour of Jilly Cooper novels. Last week I needed something fun and a little bit trashy so I decided to read Octavia. I was amazed by the similarities with Louise Bagshawe's Venus Envy (still one of my favourites). Then I read Louise Bagshawe's Sparkles over the weekend. One of the characters actually talks about reading Octavia! What's going on? Will Louise turn out to be Jilly's great-niece or something?

More when my fingers stop aching too much to type...

Traffic, lists and vegan firefighters

Yesterday I wrote a job list to carry out when I got home. I love writing lists and them doing the things on them. It always makes me feel energised. As I've been trying to get to work for 8 a.m. (I get so much more done first thing), I decided that I would leave at 4 p.m. so that I could get home for 6 p.m. and do the tasks on my list.

However traffic was horrible and it took two hours for a part of the journey that normally takes an hour or so. Consequently I still arrived home at my usual time. This seems to be a bit of theme this week. Monday was the birthday of Dearly beloved. I wanted to make him a birthday cake so I got home for 5 p.m. to do so. Alas I didn't have my keys, so I had to sit in the garden and wait. I've been complaining that I wanted some time to sit in the garden and do nothing. It just goes to show - be careful what you wish for....

I did manage to make a bit of a dent in my job list but just didn't have time to do all of it. I got lots of reading done on the bus, but I so wanted to make a start on tidying the pantry. It's great to find an ingredient that needs using up and then think of a creative way of doing this.

On this note do have a look at this marvellous site featuring vegan firefighters! I found the link through another blog (but I didn't note which one it was - I'll try and find it again). The recipes are quite good. Hopefully they'll prove inspiration when I go to the supermarket tonight to shop for next week and the arrival of my relatives.

A whirl of activity

I can't believe nearly a month has gone by since my last post. The wedding is now less then 10 days away and it seems as if I am coming to the end of some of the tasks I needed to undertake for it.

So, the hen night is out of the way (it was a lovely day/evening - I'll try and remember to post about it soon). The flower girls dresses (and darling little capes) are complete (I just hope they fit OK).

However, I still need to:
Buy a wedding present
Make the tiniest of alterations to one flower girls dress
Dye my hair
Finish writing my chief bridesmaid speech

Additionally I have some of my favourite relatives from Canada staying with me for the three days prior to the wedding. I haven't seen them for some years and am a little nervous about my hostess abilities. Food is proving to be the thing that worries me most. I live in a small charming town so there's lots of historic atmosphere and rolling countryside for them to enjoy.

But what to feed them? Dearly beloved and I are eating an increasingly health diet. I make a lot of food from scratch and the closest we come to eating a ready meal is using pre-made pasta sauce. I had a look around my pantry and it's got lots of dry ingredients, seasoning and a few cans but not very much else.

I'm not even sure what to buy. I refuse to rush out and buy meat and cheese. Perhaps some tubs of dip in the fridge and lots of toast will fill the gap?

I'm also in a bit of quandary about where to take them for a lunch. We had planned on a dinner the Thursday before the wedding with me, dearly beloved, my sister and her intended and my parents.

But the intended needs one last night drinking with his mates (and is pleasingly sensible enough not to want to do it the night before the wedding). So the Thursday lunch time has been selected as I am taking them shopping in the nearest large town. But where to take them? Would they be happy to visit a Wetherspoons or Edwards (the sort of place that I normally have lunch with friends and family, even thought the Wetherspoons certainly isn't the most salubrious of joints)? Or to a genuine old pub? Friends have suggested 2 and I visited one on Tuesday. The food was excellent (as was the company).

I've even emailed my Dad who is still on his diet and asked which would fit in best with his diet (thankfully most place have an online menu these days). No reply as of yet...

So dear readers, forgive my absence and give me your suggestions regarding the important issue of food.

No rest for the wicked

I have been so busy the past few weeks that I simply haven't found myself next to a computer with the time to think about blogging.

My job is really busy at present and I'm finding it quite hard to switch off at the end of the day. My sister's hen night is only a few weeks away so I'm busy finalising arrangements and chasing up money. Had a horrible cold moment earlier where I thought that I'd missed someone off the hotel list. The wedding (of the century!) is just over a month away and I'm still making dresses although those will be sorted soon (and some adorable shoulder capes based on the pattern in Yeah I made it myself). Reading Yeah I made it myself was quite distracting as it made me think about all the bits of fabric I have awaiting something to do with them. I was so inspired I had to clear out and re organise my fabric cupboard.

I've been busy making up and sending out my dear little parcels and really need some time to source products for later in the year.

And the potatoes on my allotment all need harvesting.

Being busy certainly beats being bored!

Happy shopper

So yesterday lunch time I trotted off to Primark to buy a linen skirt. Sadly everything was either really wide, a strange colour or ruined with bizarre decorations. While wandering around I spotted a grey pencil skirt and remembered seeing a grey fitted dress in the window of another branch. Yet another circuit of the store failed to reveal where the dresses were.

I then spotted a woman carrying one and had to resist an overwhelming urge to grab her and ask her where she got the dress from. I finally located one at the 'waiting to go back on the shelf' area of the changing rooms. Alas both the skirt and the dress were way too big around my waist.
I then tried New Look (also spurred on by rumours of a £5 shoe sale). Alas nothing caught my eye. I headed on to M&S. Making a purchase on the grounds that they were green and reduced, I bought a vest and a galaxy top. I then crawled back to work and began to panic about what on earth I was going to wear for the rest of the summer and wondered what had possessed me to buy two tops. Channeling Honey Blennerhesket (or should that be Melissa Romney-Jones) I tried to think of three positive outcomes.

1. Better that there weren't lots of lovely things in Primark (or elsewhere) as avoided spending lots of money.
2. If Primark had had what I wanted wouldn't have found green tops in M&S.

I got a bit stuck on 3 until I went home and discovered that the galaxy top goes with so much of my wardrobe I am at a loss to know what to wear it with first!

Currently working on wardrobe alternatives to long linen skirts. Cropped trousers have been suggested and I feel that my A line skirts could play a fuller role than they already do.

Any suggestions, dear reader?

Losing my appetite?

A big part of my summer wardrobe are my linen skirts. They are long, slim and are elegant yet comfortable. I have them in black, pale beige and khaki. They are ideal for work and play. I've recently purchased a sand coloured jacket to go with them on chillier or more formal summer days.

However, I've had them for years. the beige and the black came from Racing Green when they still had shops and a website (possibly c. 2000?). The khaki was s lightly more recent purchase (i.e. 2003).

However the black and the beige are both wearing thin from repeated wear and really were due for repalcement sometime soon. As a result I've been wearing the khaki a lot (the colour was my fav anyway). Yesterday I arrived home to discover it has a rip in the back. The fabric seems to have just worn away. Leaving aside the embarrassment of walking around with my knickers on show I am now faced with having to replace all three.

My pink linen skirt is still doing OK, but it's only knee length.

I'd like to just make new versions of all the skirts but with dresses to make for my sweet sister's wedding, and some other sewing queuing for the autum, that's not really an option. Maybe I could do one (if I can find the fabric) but I need the skirts now!

I should be thrilled at the prospect of having to buy new clothes. How often do we have to buy clothes for the genuine reason that they have actually been worn until they feel apart? However I don't seem to have an appetite to do so. I suppose I'll go to Primark, look on the boden website and browse in the sales but I'm not really excited about doing so.

Has my appetite for consumer goods been altered? Perhaps I should put off buying the skirts for a while and see if any other part of my wardrobe fills the gap in the interim?

Before I go

Very soon I'll have to get on to a hot bus and hope my litre of water lasts me all the way home.

I feel much to hot to want to do anything. I finished a mock up of the flower girl dresses for my sister's wedding yesterday. It took so much longer than it should because I couldn't concentrate in the heat. After I'd finished I longed to do something utterly frivolous, but didn't know what. I wasn't hungry. With dinner to prepare and work the folllowing day a G&T probably wasn't my top option.

Happily today Mimi has sent me her copy of Little Lady Big Apple by Hester Browne. I'm so looking forward to losing myself in it on the journey home.

Tonight I'm going to make some courgette kofta. I managed to get a mix of yellow and green from the market on Friday.

And on the subject of food, a couple more things. Firstly does anyone ele crave salty foods like utterly yummy Marmite in hot weather?

Secondly I'd like to say well done to my Dad for managed to lose some weight and being so restrained when we had lunch at Wetherspoons on Friday. You are looking really good Dad! One of the things I like about Wetherspoons is that you can go to their website, follow the nutritional information link, select the type of diet you are following and it will tell you which menu items are Ok for you. Isn't that cool? It will also calculate the nutritional value of a meal.

And an update, I emailed Kenny at veganlunchcast and said I hoped he'd be posting again soon. No reply yet. Gorgeous vegan is back and sent a lovely reply to my email. Also remembered another 'lost' site - that of Chic Simple. One of the best bits was the questionnaire where their staff would tellyou which 10 items of clothng they would buy if an airline lost their luggage. I've planned many wardrobes over the years based on this. What would you buy?

I think I might be breaking my own little and often rule.

Come back soon - we miss you!

Isn't it awful when you find something you like only for it to disappear? I have been a perfume widow on occasion (Anyone remember Evermore by Avon). Magazines cease publication (Princess comic c.1981?). Favourite shops vanish (Racing Green is on the return I believe). Tesco ceases to sell greaseproof paper bags and greengrocers almost everywhere (the ones that haven't already vanished) no longer use brown paper bags.

And then there are blogs and websites. I am really starting to appreciate how hard it is keep a blog or a website up to date. I've recently found a couple I've really enjoyed reading, only for activity to cease in some cases (such as www.gorgeousvegan.co.uk) there is an explanation (nasty, difficult examinations) but the lovely Kenny at www.veganlunchcast.blogspot.com seems to have stopped posting and hasn't told us why.

Is it polite to send an email to bloggers and ask them if there is a hope that they might resume their activities?

The luck of the devil

Amazingly my white linen trousers are still white! Dearly beloved despite washing them with a whole variety of colours has managed to bring them out sparkling and clear!

I feel I should explain the white linen trousers a little further. I wouldn't want to give the impression the tI ma some kind of Elizabeth Hurley type who wear white all the time. In fact I rarely wear white (and certainly not on my lower half).

However a few months a go I saw a woman in New Look who was wearing white linen trousers with a red and white dress over the top. It looked fabulous and got round the underwear problems (nude underwear looks like you haven't got any on and any other colour is too obviously on display).

So I purchased a pair at Primark a a kind of experiment and I now have a number of dresses I wear over them or jeans. I feel (and hopefully look) fab.

The suspense is killing me

Dearly beloved put a load of washing the machine before he left for work this morning. I then noticed that the load included colours and my white linen trousers! I couldn't get the machine to stop so I'll have to wait and see what kind of colour they are when I get home tonight. Feeling extremely stressed today in any case.

I'm just hoping the items he put them with are more colour fast than previously imagined. Otherwise I'll have to get the dye out and go back to Primark.

Just how far can (and should) one go?

Blog writing is very much like diary writing in that one wants to document day-to-day life. How else can one remember the small successes and failures of life? I keep a paper diary where I record my daily doings, my thoughts and am currently using to set myself monthly targets. It's also an excellent place to store things like programmes and menus. Then when I look back in times still to come I can experience once again the atmosphere, colours and tastes. Some times it's a good place to let rip if I'm angry or upset about something. It's a good way of sharing without having to confide my petty jealousies to another person.

Maybe they'll be read when I'm not longer here. I like to imagine that they'll provide a wonderful resource for historian's of the future.

However the blog writing differs in that it is designed to be read now. Not at some distant point in the future. Hence how much should be shared?

Would it be OK to saythat I was anxious at the weekend as a result of a family situation? This might cause family members who read this to think that I was referring to them. And complaints about my work could be problematic. You are never as anonymous as you think you are.

So dear readers, I will save my anguish for my paper diary (some things are best kept private) and remember that what I post here is for anyone to read. In any case I'm certain that other people's misery is boring - you've much rather hear good, uplifting things about my small triumphs.

And so I'll leave you there for the time being. I'm off to pack my latest round of parcels.

Has it been so long?

This week has just flown past. I was still feeling a bit tired at the start but I think my energy levels may be returning.

Last weekend was good. Saturday I got to visit my favourite health food shop The Natural Way. I just love having a look at all the different products. I really wanted some Tempah as I'd cooked some following a Cooking with PETA recipe. It was so fabulous that I was determined to buy 2 packs so I could eat it all week!

Alas they didn't have any but they did have Better than sour cream, which I keep reading about on American blogs. It did indeed live up to it's name on some nachos later. They also had vegan cola bottles and pineapple chews.

I was even more thrilled when I went to pick up some more shopping at Waitrose and they had vegan sour gummi bears. In a NORMAL supermarket!

Sunday we watched the England game in a local bar. We sat just on the edge of the terrace and could see inside for the game but still enjoy our red wine in the sun.

I hope this weekend is nice. I'm already thinking about food to make. I'm going to have another go at Seitan.

Looks like another busy week ahead. My sister's wedding gets a little closer. Lots to do on my allotment. I'm so pleased that I feeling more zingy!

Tired

I'm currently feeling very tired and dearly beloved says he thinks I've been stressed at work of late. I have nasty aches in my shoulders (must get back to daily yoga practice) and an overwhelming urge to go to bed pretty much as soon as I get home from work.

However dearly beloved and I were discussing this over dinner the other night and have agreed in a concept we refer to as energy cycles. Essentially we have noted that sometimes we have boundless energy, rush around doing housework and other activities after our money earning work is over and don't want to go to bed. On other occasions heating a can of soup is a bother and slumping on the sofa with a book is too much effort.

Basically we agreed that like every thing else in life energy must come in cycles and that one should go with the rhythm of life rather than fight against it. Hence we shall be tucked up early in bed with a mug of tea and book every single night this week.

Oh I need to think pretty thoughts and count my blessings. Next thing you know I'll be feeling sorry for myself....

A change in the weather

Well if you want to blame anyone for today being a bit overcast you can probably blame me! Last night I could take the heat no longer so I closed the copy of Jilly Cooper's Wicked! which the lovely Mimi loaned me. I didn't even have to ask Mimi if I could borrow it - she just turned up with it because she knows that I adore the wit and glamour of Jilly.

Anyway I headed up to my bedroom where my wardrobe was bursting open with a surplus of both summer and winter clothes. Not trusting the weather to stay I have been slipping out bits of summer clothing from the suitcase on top of my wardrobe! HoweverI took the plunge and tucked all of my winter clothing away. I feel that I should write a list of items so I can judge if my wardrobe is expanding each season. There were a few pieces I dug out that this is the 'make or break' season for. If I haven't worn them by September they will have to go. Some of them are in excellent condition so maybe they can go on ebay!

What I'd really like to find is a blog where someone lists what they are wearing that day, where it came from and what it cost. Just like they used to in Just Seventeen. Can anyone out there direct me to one? If not I'll have to start my own!

Oh, and in case anyone wondering I went with fruit sherbets as this month's 'something delicious'. Their colours looked so pretty and who can resist sherbet on a hot day!

Cheese!

A huge breakthrough on my vegan quest. Dearly beloved has agreed that we don't have to buy cheese anymore. I pointed out I that I had pretty much stopped eating it. However, he hasn't been eating it with meals that we used to eat it with like pasta and hasn't really missed it. He said the turning point was my vegan sloppy Joe. Apparently it was so rich in taste (must have been the tomatoes) that it didn't require cheese.

What I think has also helped has been that I been using a lot less salt in cooking over the last year and preparing more things from scratch. Hence tastes have changed we no longer require such a salty taste!

I still haven't changed my wardrobe over althoug the weather today is stunning.

Feeling hot, hot, hot....

The hot weather has taken me somewhat by surprise. I don't really trust and feel certain that at any moment the sky will cloud over and we will be returned to a state of grey chilliness. This has made me extremely reluctant to life the heavy suitacase down from the top of the wordrobe which contains my summer clothes. I am sure that if I pack up my heavy trousers, skirts and boots I will regret it.

As a compromise I've lifted the suitcase onto the floor and rumage in it every morning. However piles of clothes are starting to build up! It's quite nice to rediscover old friends among the summer clothes and even nicer to find that it all still fits (in some cases better than last year). All that walking must be paying off.

The change in weather has also caught my business planning unaware. I've been happily plannning chocolates to go in my summer parcels, but am now worried that they will melt. Such a dilemma over the alternative though. Sometimes its easy and somehting delicious and non melting will suggest iteslf because it fits in with the theme of the parcel or the colours work. I rather like wrapped Roses or Quality Street because they sprinkle themselves among the tissue and the other goodies in their pretty colours.

So what shall it be? Fudge? Coconut ice? shortbread biscuits? I'll have tothink quickly I've orders to fill!

And I'm back

Clearly the Moonwalk was more taxing then I imagined to distract me from blogging just as I was getting into the swing of things. And there has been so much else going on in various spheres of my world. Additionally Dearly beloved has been enjoying a week off work and he's so lovely that's he's very distracting!

I has a very busy but delightful weekend. Saturday I took my sister shopping to buy her wedding underwear as a birthday present. The girl is so sweet. I offered designer bras and she said no. I fact I ended up spending far, far less than I expected. We also went to buy fabric for the flower girl dresses which I am making. We only needed four metres of fabric but alas there were only two left on the roll. I'll have to try again at the end of the week.

We then met my parents for drinks and dinner. I was very pleased to see that the menu offered a vegan option.

Sunday saw the latest round of brunch club with a delicious meal. The friend who was hosting was rather worried he might give us all food poisoning but in the event the food was all delicious and everyone is good health.

Also noteable this weekend - I got to wear my white linen trousers from Primark. And unusually for me managed to wear them for two days without spilling things all over them. It can't last!

What surprises will this week hold, dear reader? I will make my best efforts to keep you posted.

Moving on from cabbage

Well after three entries pretty much focusing on cabbage, I then ground to a halt.

However to tell the truth all my thoughts are currently focused on Saturday's Moonwalk. I hope to make it round in under 6 hours but who knows what will happen on the night.

With that out of the way I can get back to developing Pretty Little Parcels and organising bits and pieces for my sister's wedding (especially the hen night).

I intend to keep up my walking routine by getting off the bus early and walking the last three miles to work at least 3 times a week.

The vegan thing is going pretty well. I'm about to do my second day in a row!

More on cabbage

Cabbage with peanut butter? As a sort of alternative cheesey sauce?

My search lead me to this interesting site http://www.geocities.com/davd.geo/dsmenu.html which suggest marmite and cabbage sandwiches. I love marmite so might give those a go.

Currently trying to decide how to decorate my bra for the Moonwalk. I still have the one I made for the 2004 Moonwalk so I might be able to recycle it instead of starting from scratch again.

Cabbage results

I made a pasta and cabbage bake. I cooked an onion and some sliced cabbage and when it was soft (and brown - hopefully caramelised rather than burnt!) I added some creamy tofutti and nutritional yeast flakes. I then layered this between wholemeal pasta spirals and sliced tomatoes.

It was pretty good and quite filling. I ate the leftover pasta and cabbage mixture for lunch with some more tomatoes and a couple of of slices of chilli pepper.

However I'm worried that a) the fat content was probably quite high and b) it required 3 stages which was rather annoying for a simple pasta bake.

I've always been reluctant to start stuffing cabbage and making parcels things but the time to give it a go might have come!

Seasonal foods and cabbage

Today is going to be one of my vegan days. I've been vegetarian for about 18 years but have been exploring veganism in the last year or so. It's become really clear that we live in a society obssessed with consuming animal products.

I also like to eat seasonally. This is most fun in summer when you can get a variety of vegetables actually grown in the UK. For most of the year though it means getting to like carrots, cauliflower, leeks and cabbage.

Annoyingly often things that are in season in the UK are imported from elsewhere. For example, I had real problems finding Butternut squash this winter. I know I could go to a farm shop but I don't drive (for reasons of environmentalism, economy and because I am incapable of passing a driving test). Dearly beloved could drive me, but vegatables aren't really his can of Stella (although I'm working on that). We are low on veg this week as I got the shoppping at the Co-op and they didn't have much UK stuff (bit surprised at that).

So tonight I need to do something inventive and delicious with cababge that doesn't involve dairy. I sometimes do cabbage boiled with brown rice and that's good but goes best with something salty like braised tofu.

I like the idea of something with soya mince and wholemeal pasta (seems odd to be craving comfort food when it's actually warm outside).

Any suggestions dear readers?

Thank you Dad

Well life has been rushing past as ever.

The last few days have seemed particularly packed.

Thursday night I got home from work and seemed to go straight out again for yoga. Friday I had a dentist appoinment (root canal work which after lots of drilling got changed to something else) and then had to hurry off to book club. We got a surprising large amount of disscussion out of Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. I also got to spend time chatting with a couple of good pals as I waited for the last bus back to rural isolation to turn up.

Saturday also had a last bus theme! I was spending the day with my mother, sister and her future mother-in-law aiding their selection of suitable wedding outfits. The snag is everything this season seems to be unsuitably styled or worse (as far as wedding ettiquette goes) black or white. Time began to move on and and it became clear that I would not be home mid afternoon as anticpated (not that I wasn't having a good time).

Due to living in a delightful small town which is the biggest centre of civilization for 20 miles travel can take a bit of planning. I have to take the (not even hourly) bus to a larger town and make further connections from there. Hence in order to get home I needed to get from one side of the county to the other and make a bus connection.

Dearly beloved was filling in with the Red Hot Radiators whose guitarist has damaged a retina. No way was I going to be home in time to wish him or watch him play (and he wouldn't be around if I missed the bus and needed rescuing).

I finally decided that the best option was to go mad in Primark (and then feel really guilty about buying stuff produced so unethically) and then join assorted friends and family for dinner in the pub before getting a bus to get a train get the last bus home!

However my fabulous father very sweetly offered to drive me all the way home. This was so kind. It saved me lots of time and meant I could rest my feet (which hurt from all that shopping) all the sooner!

So thank you Dad for being so nice. And Mum we'll keep looking. The perfect mother of the bride outfit will present itself.

Peaceful and productive Sunday

It 's been a very pleasant Sunday although the weather hasn't been very good. I've done a training walk for the Playtext MoonWalk (anyone out there want to sponsor me?), added some more buttons to my website and tidied up some Paypal graphics that were refusing to behave.

Gripped by an urge to learn some basic programming I borrowed the Dummies guide to programming from the library only to finally figure out that Windows XP doesn't seem to contain a copy of the program. Fortunately I managed to download a copy from the 'net. However I seem to have run out of time to play. Perhaps after dinner?

Right now I'm off to indulge my domestic godess and prepare some vege chilli while my dearly beloved shoots things with his online buddies.

The secret of successful blogging

Despite my plans to chronicle in detail my Easter weekend including the delights of producing Creme Egg vodka and making fried 'egg' sandwiches the week has run away with me and its Friday already!

I think the secret to successful blogging (as with so many other things!) must be little and often. So bear with me while I find my voice a few sentances at a time.

Welcome one and all

Welcome to prettylittleblog where I will attempt to chronicle my life with an emphasis on the fun and fabulous and rather less on the worries and wobbles. There is already too much doom and gloom in the world.