What I wore 23rd – 29th January 2009

Friday

• Grey trousers, white t shirt, green velvet jacket, brown boots, black and green necklace.
• Black leggings, black hooded long sleeved dress

Saturday

• Exercise clothes.

• Brown boots, mens jeans, Refashioned ‘crowning your beautiful life’ t-shirt, green jewel and ribbon necklace, black velvet jacket, sequin beret .

Sunday

• Allotment clothes
• Old jeans, ancient red jumper, sleeveless red top.

Monday

• Skinny jeans, turquoise vest, grey wrap dress, brown boots.

Tuesday

• Skinny jeans, grey pillow case top, grey shrug, ‘shark tooth’ necklace, brown boots

Wednesday

• Mens jeans, white long sleeved v neck t shirt, fuzzy green cardigan, brown boots.

Thursday

• Grey wrap cardigan, turquoise vest, mens jeans, brown boots, green and black necklace, multi coloured knitted scarf.

Things I Love Thursday

A new single from MCR – Ok so when my boyfriend first told me he’d heard it on Zane Lowe’s show we got majorly excited and thought it was a whole new album and then found out it wasn't. But after checking it out and discovering it’s from the Watchmen film my excitement has returned because I love graphic novels.

Sleep – I have been sleeping so well and having the most amazing dreams

Going to the O2 with my sister – the band was NKOTB, but I was happy to be there because it made my sister happy. We also met up with some old friends and Dear Heart’s sister dropped by with a chum for a drink.

Corey Feldman – I watched The Lost Boys: the tribe the other night. It was pretty dreadful but the saving grace was Corey Feldman as Edgar Frog.

Other stuff- finding stories in music, reading loads of amazing crime fiction, planning what to eat for lunch using store cupboard and freezer ingredients, Pears, not wanting to buy stuff.

Remember delight in the small stuff!

What’s for breakfast?

I love having a routine. I also love reading about other people’s routines, menu, bag contents and so on. So last week I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gala Darling’s post on how to have a fabulous routine.

My morning routine has actually become even easier with my laptop lunchbox. Mornings for me go something like this:

Alarm rings, get up, stumble down stairs while belting dressing gown, feed cat, put kettle to boil, brush teeth, make pot of tea, open front door for cat, shower, dress, collect handbag from study, throw food into laptop lunchbox while slurping tea, put contact lenses in, bid farewell to Dear Heart, put on shoes, exit house to get bus.

I then do a sudoku puzzle and apply my make up on the bus.

The snag I have hit is over what to eat for Breakfast. I don’t want to stop and eat before leaving the house unless it’s something that I can eat while throwing food into boxes. And quite frankly if it’s that easy to eat I’d rather eat it in a more leisurely fashion when I get to work!

I’ve tried various things over the years: Home made muffins, porridge, home made muesli, a concoction of carrots, lemon juice, honey and oats, watercress/cucumber sandwiches.

I don’t eat very much bread and I’m not very excited about the though of making toast at work every day. It would mean either taking bread to work or keeping a separate loaf at work, plus I’d need the stuff to go on it. I don’t really like cereal very much and find that I never finish a carton of Soya milk on cereal before it goes off. Fruit is fine but there’s not much in season at this time of year plus I think that some carbs or proteins to go with it would be helpful.

Today I had some dried apricots and nuts because I was stuck for ideas.

Maybe I could make up a batch of scrambled tofu and freeze in breakfast sized chunks? Or make up some kind of vegan breakfast muffin? Or make and freeze pancakes? I did find some breakfast idea over at fatfreevegan and like the tofu quiches

What I need are a couple of ideas that I can fall back on even when I’m pushed for time and if that means that I need to make stuff up in advance so be it – it’s all part of having an effective routine. Any suggestions?

What I wore 16th – 23rd January 2009

Either I’m getting the hang of dressing for winter or the weather is slightly warmer! Tomorrow night I’m going to see NKOTB with my sister. I must emphasis that I’m only there to stop here storming the stage with excitement or carry her home if she faints from excitement! I’m still trying to decide what to wear and this has got me thinking back to when I saw them in 1990. What did I wear then? I remember taking huge banner that said ‘don’t leave your bodies to science – give them to us’. I also recall that the power went out in the area just as the concert started so we had to go home and come back another day. Maybe my mum has some photographs from the time to jog my memory.

Friday
Skinny jeans, white vest under green patterned wrap dress, brown boots. Also wore my jumper capelet at work as I was cold!

Saturday
Exercise clothes.
Brown boots, old jeans, ancient red jumper, sleeveless red top.

Sunday
Allotment clothes
Old jeans, cream jumper, grey ribbed jumper.

Monday
Mens jeans, emerald green cardigan, black mini dress top, brown boots, green and black necklace, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Tuesday
Black skirt suit, black and cream striped blouse, long stretchy black boots, small silver brooch, black scarf, long charcoal coat (funeral wear)
Black leggings, black hooded, long sleeved dress, black buckle boots.

Wednesday
Skinny jeans, grey pillow case top, grey shrug, brown boots, shark tooth necklace, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Thursday
Skinny jeans, turquoise vest, grey wrap dress, brown boots, green jumper capelet fastened with purple brooch.

Things I Love Thursday

Yea another cool tilt badge from Icing! Here's today's love list:

© Exercise – I got a bit out of the routine of exercising in the lead up to Christmas. It was mix of meetings, weekend commitments, illness and social commitments that lead to it. I’ve been trying very hard to get back into the swing of it again. Not least because my shoulders are aching and that tends to happen when I sit down for too long at a desk each day and don’t do any yoga. So I’m back on form with walks on Saturday and Tuesday, Pilates on Monday and Yoga on Wednesday. I’ve also been doing stretching and small weights in the kitchen while waiting for water to boil. I feel much better for it all.

© Using up stuff – In addition to tendancy to freeze food (particularly soup) that I have no immediate use for I also occasionally have food shopping binges. These tend to revolve around me either having time off work or visiting a health food shop/Chinese supermarket. Naturally I always buy more stuff than really required. So I’m making a point of making my lunches from what I have in the house. This week I’m enjoying pastry spirals that use a think vegetable soup as a filling. Next week I’m going to put the tofu skin (yuba) to use in a BBQ ‘ribs’ recipe. I love seeing cupboards get down to an elegant level of supplies and know that I’ve made good use of the excess.

© New bass strings – after my initial misgivings they sound great and I’m so proud of myself for getting the stringing and tuning sorted.

© The godfather – I finally got around to seeing this film and I can now totally understand why it’s considered to be such a classic film. I’m going to watch parts 2 and 3 over the next few weeks. I’m seeing mafia references in everything at present!

© Cups of tea – I love tea and am rarely know to turn down a cup but for some reason this week tea tastes even better than normal. I just can’t get enough of it.

Have divine week ahead and remember it's the small things that make life bearable.

What I wore 9th – 15th January 2009

I feel that I am breaking away from hibernation over Christmas (where my what to wear dilemma was solved by putting a dressing gown over my PJs). The weather is still cold though and I’ve been wearing scarves inside for warmth as well as ‘style’. The nacklace that I wore on Wednesday my Dad wore in the 70s. I stole it from him the 90s and dug it out again to wearin 2009. It's some kind of metal on a long silver chain. I always thought it was a replica sharks tooth but an Internet search makes it look a bit more like a tiger tooth. Anyway it's long and pointy!

Friday
Black buckle boots, black leggings (worn as tights), knitted emerald green dress, black vest (worn under dress), black and green necklace, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Saturday
Exercise clothes.
Brown boots, old jeans, ancient red jumper, sleeveless red top.

Sunday
Allotment clothes
Black leggings, black hooded, long sleeved dress, slippers from spa day.

Monday
Grey wrap cardigan top, white vest, green cord skirt, black tights, brown boots, green bracelet.

Tuesday
Mens jeans, emerald green cardigan, black mini dress top, brown boots, green and black necklace, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Wednesday
Skinny jeans, grey pillow case top, grey shrug, brown boots, 'shark' tooth necklace, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Thursday
Emerald green vest under grey long sleeved knitted dress, black leggings, black buckle boots, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Things I Love Thursday

There seems to be a bit of a food theme this week

Dress forms – I absolutely adore the dress form Dear Heart bought me for Christmas. Saturday I decided to alter my ‘Crowning your beautiful life’ t-shirt. Normally this would take me several hours as I tried to pin the pin the fabric around my self, sewed it and then had to take the dart out and redo. Instead I did it in just over an hour and it looks great. It shows my figure off beautifully. Inspired I’ve started work on a shirt I usually save for funerals. It’s black and white strips with a raised flower pattern between the stripes. I bought it second hand years ago and realised the day after purchase that although it fit fine around the neck and shoulders, the waist had a really funny cut and it just looked awful on me. I’ve worn it hidden under a jacket at formal events ever since. Then I occurred to me that I could take out the current darts (which are in totally the wrong place) and redo them. I pinned the new darts last night while listening to some music. I am still astounded that I take stuff of the dress form and it fits right away. Still trying to decide what to call the form though…


Being sober – for the fourth year in a row I’m on the wagon for January. I’ve had different experiences in different years. Some years I’ve been full of beans. Others I’ve just wanted to sleep for the entire month. This year Sober January is proving to be an energy filled one. I’m enjoying everything so much, even sleeping. If fact I’m getting into activities so much that I don’t want to stop doing them to go onto the next thing.

Laptop lunches – I’ve filled my laptop lunchbox for eight days out of the last nine (I went out for lunch with friends on the ninth day). I am having such fun filling it up. It’s also helping me to ensure that my diet is balanced. I tend to get hung up on one or two food groups and neglect the other. I’m a buzz with ideas about what to fill it with over the next few weeks. Maybe I should post some pictures of my lunches…


Cooking – We cook dinner from scratch most nights. I have a selection of dishes that I cook time and again (although the recipes tend to evolve over time). Generally I find cooking enjoyable, but this week I’ve been really enjoying the process of food preparation. For example, I’ve been taking more care over cutting onions into small pieces (rather than into large chunks). The food has been turning out really well. I don’t know if it’s the break from routine over Christmas or what but I’m getting real kick. And I’ve got a mini exercise/yoga routine I work through in-between task or while water is boiling.

Satsumas – My local deli has 10 Satsumas for 79p and I found myself powerless to resist their bright orange colour. They are deliciously juicy, fit into my laptop lunchbox (cut into quarters) and taste amazing. Sunshine on the tongue. I consider these a one off treat which has made them even more special. I’m planning on buying English apples or pears to enjoy next week.

As ever thank to www.galadarling.com for the inspiration!

How to string a bass guitar

On friday night Dear Heart suggested that he teach me how to restring a bass guitar. Given that (a) January is sobriety month so no trip to the pub in the offing, (b) Dear Heart has owned the bass for about five years and has never restrung it and (c) it was something I wanted to learn, I agreed with enthusiasm.

Things went well to start with. Dear Heart demonstrated how to remove the strings. My performance in this area was excellent and I was able to remove three without any damage to the body of the guitar. We cleaned up the fret boards with no problems.

Then we moved onto the tricky bit. Putting new strings on. Dear Heart started with the E string and demonstrated how to thread it into place and wrap it around the machinehead. Then he revealed that the strings would need stretching. A quick demo later and he left me to do the other three while he did some drum practice.

All went well on the A string, but made over confident by my success I broke the D string. After a moment of panic I calmly put the G string into place and then returned to the dilemma of the D string.

It was while trying to discover if I could manage to stretch this string enough to get it to work that it bit me. Yes, the sharp end of the string embedded itself in my thumb and drew blood. I only realised how much it was bleeding when I started wondering what the red stuff on the machine heads and the tuner was.

Obviously if this was a Stephen King novel the guitar would now have a taste for blood (following a curse) and be reading to shred to pieces the fingers of the next unfortunate to play it (sort of like The Red Shoes). Happily this is not a Stephen King novel.

Dear Heart advised putting the old D string back in place and purchasing new strings ASAP. I know understand why he always wants people to buy them for Christmas or birthdays.

So that’s one bass guitar restrung. It really is amazing how different new strings sound.

There’s just one thing that I still want to know. Are there are any crafting activities that reuse guitar strings?

What I wore 2nd – 8th January 2009

This week has been a bit of challenge. Not only have I had to stop wandering around the house in really old jeans and jumper and face the working world, but the temperature has dropped significantly. I also have a strong urge to dress very rock chick. However I’m convinced that all those who dress in such a manner either (a) live somewhere hot, (b) exist in a world where they never actually go outside or (c) are young enough that they think looking good is more important than being warm – hence they don’t notice their skin getting blue tinge. Maybe I’m too old to be a rock chick…

Friday
Mens Jeans, Brown boots, new black ‘crowning your beautiful life’ t-shirt, grey shrug.

Saturday
Exercise clothes with new vegan walking boots and new boot socks.
Brown boots, old jeans, ancient red jumper.

Sunday
Allotment clothes
Brown boots, old jeans, ancient red jumper, green sequin beret.

Monday
Long black dress, chunky sage green cardigan, brown boots.

Tuesday
Mens jeans, emerald green vest, grey wrap cardigan, brown boots.

Wednesday
Grey trousers, short sleeved black t-shirt with dragon design, black jumper with zip neck, brown boots, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Thursday
White Icing cupcake eater T-shirt, fuzzy green cardigan, black tights, grey blue corduroy skirt, brown boots.

Things I Love Thursday

© The Sawdust Secret – This was a book I loved a kid. Something about a boy who lives with this aunt and uncle or visits their lumber yard a lot. He calls the aunt’s friends ‘The Gingerbread Ladies’ because they are always giving him delicious home cooked cakes, biscuits and gingerbread. Things start to go missing and it turns out that enterprising thief is hiding the stuff in the sawdust bins. I’ve thought about it a lot of the years but just couldn’t recall what it was called. Google searches were no help until now. I’m so pleased that I have found the details of this again. It’s also reminded me that (a) just because it isn’t on the Internet yet doesn’t mean it will never be and (b) keep looking and trying for what you want. One day you might get it.

© Gifts where the thought really does count - I had so many really thoughtful gifts over the festive period. Ones where it is clear that the giver really knows you and has taken the time to organise something very appropriate. A very dear friend arrived at my house with a cute green bag. When I admired it she said it was a present for me. Looking inside I found a laptop lunchbox. She knew that I had wanted on for ages but would not buy one for myself. And she got the green bag for it made just for me! My sister bought me a load of sewing odds and ends including green trimmings(I love anything green) and cupcake shaped pincushion. My parents bought me two Icing t-shirts for my birthday and then made it a theme with a cupcake badge (handmade), charm and card. And big mention to Dear Heart who bought me an adjustable dress form so that I don’t have to keep trying to pin stuff around myself when sewing. I want to alter then necklines on the Icing t-shirts so they will probably be my first project with my new aid. I need to give the form a name and I’m thinking ‘Miss something’. The question is Miss what?

© Getting back into a routine - I didn’t party as much in the approach to Christmas as usual because (a) I am older and more sensible and (b) I was ill with horrible cold that robbed me of my appetite and the urge to anything except hide under a fleece on the sofa. However that’s not to say I didn’t do any celebrating at all over the festive period. When I wasn’t partying I seemed to fall into a state of hibernation. Hence I am thrilled to be feeling much more awake and getting on top of the organised chaos that is my house, my routine and my life. It also means that I’m back to blogging.

© Sequinned green berets – Dear Heart’s family bought me this fabulous knitted beret with sequins. I’m quite taken with wearing it around the house to (a) ward off the arctic temperatures we have been suffering and (b) because it makes doing anything much more fab.

© Lilies – Another present related one. Dear Heart’s mother sent me flowers for my birthday. They have been opening and look gorgeous. There was a stem of closed white lilies which have been slowly opening. They smell amazing – just the thing for January.

In the year to come

I’ve tried various approached to new year resolutions over the years, but I’ve never really found one that I was happy with. India knight provided me with the reason in this marvellous piece from The Sunday times .
Basically we change when we are ready and not just because it is the first day of the year. I also think that we need to practice making changes. We try to make a change and fail and then maybe try a dozen times or more before we are ready to actually make the change because by then we’ve found a way to work with it.

So I am not making resolutions this year. Instead I have put below a list of things that I may or may not do this year. Ideas, dreams and maybes. The important thing is that I have written them down so that when I am ready to do something or make a change I already have thoughts about what it could be.

Do the 2009 Moonwalk; Learn how to listen; dress like a rock chick; Grow vegetables; Plant raspberries; Get a tattoo; Learn 10 songs on the bass; Take singing lessons; Refashion rather than buy; Restock my etsy store; Clear out everything from cookbooks to coat pockets to cupboards; Finally get rid of the last boxes that came from my parent’s house; think positive; Do NaNoWriMo; Make a crazy quilt; Adopt an older person; Learn to raise one eyebrow; Comment on more blogs; Book a foraging course; Decide what to do with prettylittleparcels.co.uk; Write more letters; Organise photographs; Buy an album every month; Research my family tree; Take moments to just breathe.

My 2008 review

Food
Continued with my allotment and got a great crop of beans, courgettes, potatoes, spinach, peas and celery. Continued to work at eating vegan diet. Did lunch swaps with a couple of girls at work and blogged about it. Got a vegan lunchbox as a Christmas gift from a wonderful friend. Tried lots of vegetables. Tried new recipes – some were better than others.

Music
Saw Bon Jovi and Dragonforce live. Started my A-z music project that involves working my way through the alphabet listening to groups that have passed me by. Tried drumming. Played around with a bass guitar. Discovered the truth about virtual inlays.

Exercise
Took up Pilates. Continued with walks a couple of times a week. Bought my first pair of walking boots (and they were animal friendly).

Clothes
Purchased 10 items
1.Grey and black dress (new)
2.Green shirt (army surplus)
3.Green top (army surplus)
4.Buckle black boots (new and vegan)
5.Lace up black boots (new and vegan)
6.Walking boots (new and vegan)
7. Green mock croc heels (new)
8. Green heels (new)
9 &10. shiny tights (new and they only came in a two pack)

Dear Heart gave me a dressmaker’s model for Christmas.

Blogging
Started adding more photographs to my blog and discovered the joys of mobile blogging. Started using Twitter. Reading loads of fabulous blogs on a very regular basis. Inspired by Icing started tilt posts.

Other stuff
Took part in NaNoWriMo and completed 50000 word novel. Served mulled wine at town fireworks. Went on spa day. Stayed sober in January. Went to the theatre twice. Hennaed my hair with success. Did a great broadcast on local radio. Set up an Etsy store.