What I wore 20th– 26th February 2009

I seem to have a renewed interest in wearing shorter skirts after years of favouring ankle length. Maybe I’m having a mid-life crisis and this is my equivalent of a bloke wearing skin tights jeans before buying a sports car. Of course, I don’t have beer gut hanging over my skirt so maybe it’s just that the temperature is warning up just a little and spring is in the air.

Lots of black making an appearance this week too. Is my inner goth returning or am I trying to blend in?

The next issue is what to wear to the pub to watch the rugby on Saturday? I’m assuming that Ireland will play in green (based on some kind of broad cultural association of green and Ireland rather than any knowledge of rugby or Ireland’s choice of sporting colours). Avoiding green will be a bit of pain given that it’s a wardrobe staple. Perhaps I can adopt Ireland for the day or wear one of the two red items in my wardrobe?


Friday
Refashioned green army top, black tights, short black skirt, black boots.

Saturday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, t shirt with grey dragon print, emerald green cardigan, brown boots, black velvet jacket, multicoloured knit scarf.

Sunday
Allotment clothes
Old jeans, refashioned green army top, brown boots.

Monday
Black leggings, black and white striped shirt, black knitted dress, black buckle boots.

Tuesday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, white v neck tshirt, fuzzy green cardigan, brown buckle boots, black and green necklace.

Wednesday
Green knitted dress, black vest, black leggings, black buckle boots.

Thursday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, turquoise vest, grey wrap cardigan, brown buckle boots, green and black necklace.

Things I Love Thursday

Marmite – I had been worrying myself about my B12 consumption after reading a couple of articles about it recently. Hence I was thrilled while checking the label of a marmite jar to discover that it has loads of B12. Yea! Another excuse for loads of marmite on toast.

*UKLadybloggers – Vixel at sparkleandglitter had the great idea of getting female bloggers in the UK together for a meet up and things have swiftly developed to become this ning group. I’ve already discovered new blogs as a result and I must leave more comments.

*Having your blog commented on – I love comments and I was really thrilled when Alison from Brocante home (whose blogs I’ve read for several years) not only visited my blog but left a comment.


Also: speculating on the missing bottle mystery, bruschetta, the possibility of a new blog, musing on possible names for a new blog, surplus make up, Jasper Fforde books, enthusiasm, alter egos.

Breakfast inspired by Mimi

I was debating what to make for breakfast this week when I came across this post from Mimi at Little sips of tea. Inspired I turned to Srah Kramer's cookbooks and uncovered not one but two similar recipes; one of which used fozen fruit. So my last tub of frozen raspberries and blackberries from the summer was used to create this breakfast delight. Puttting the frozen fruit between two layers of oaty pastry really brings out the texture and the flavour. I'll be sorry when it's gone...

What's in my lunchbox this week?

This week I have:

(clockwise from top right)

Fried Gluten mock 'chicken'

Kiwi fruit and chili chocolate penguin

Soba Noodles

Brussel sprouts

The gluten came in can. I popped in in the oven, dubious looking juices and all for a bit. After 15 minutes or so I added some BBQ sauce and a big sploge of some ancient pepper and tomato salad dressing that has been in the fridge for ever and shoved it back in until it looked a bit dried out on the top. It's very yummy indeed and I'm afraid that it might not last the week.

Additionally the kiwi will turn into an apple in a couple of days as I've only a few left from those I treated myself to last week.

What I wore 13th– 19th February 2009

I had a number of workshops and meeting this week which although I could dress casually for I didn’t want to. Clothes present an image and can be used as a tool of power. Alas smart clothing is something I shy away from. It’s uncomfortable and needs ironing so out came the wrap dresses. The temperature also seems to be going up slightly which is making layers of clothing really important.

I also have to really plan ahead. I’m doing 4+ mile walks at least two mornings a week so I take the clothes and shoes to work the day before so I don’t have to carry them. It often means wearing a fleece jacket home over something that doesn’t really go with it so I either need to plan better or live with it.

Friday
Mens jeans, white Harley Davidson vest, short sleeved white blouse, chunky sage green cardigan, brown boots, multi coloured knit scarf.

Saturday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, Crowning your beautiful life tshirt, grey shrug, brown boots.

Sunday
Green Alice Cooper tshirt, black zip neck jumper, old jeans and walking boots (for mud splattered walk), mens jeans and brown boots (for less messy activities like Chinese buffet lunch and doing sudoku).

Monday
Leggings, long grey skirt, refashioned blue guild of radical militant librarians t shirt, green velvet jacket, brown boots.

Tuesday
Exercise clothes
Black leggings, black and white flowers skirt, black v neck t shirt, emerald green cardigan, brown buckle boots, spider necklace, black rubber bracelets.

Wednesday
Green wrap dress, white vest, black leggings, brown boots.

Thursday
Exercise clothes
Black leggings, turquoise vest, grey wrap dress, brown buckle boots.

Things I Love Thursday

^An amazing weekend – Two old friends visited Dear Heart and I for the weekend and we had the most fabulous time talking, eating Chinese buffet, enjoying a long walk and laughing. Highlight had to be the four of us attempting to play ‘Love for Sale’ on various instruments late on Saturday night.

^Exercise – I’m training for the Moonwalk so my usual schedule of a couple of walks a week has been stepped up. I feel great as a result of all the exercise though. Hello endorphins!

^My Dear Heart – I’ve been well looked after this week. I had beautiful valentine roses (they smell amazing). Dear Heart hasn’t been at work this week so I’m arriving home every day to find the kettle on, washing up done and dinner on the way.

Also: Deep fried chilli tofu, red wine, cold beer, learning to play bass in 50 songs, green tea, the idea of sleep, connections, the possibility of Spring.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

My lunch plans this week in all honesty have not been flowing as smoothly as usual. We had lovely people visiting at the weekend which distracted slightly because I much preferred hanging out with them to lunch prep. I also knew that I was going out for lunch on Monday so there was no sense of urgency.

Then last night Dear Heart’s sister came over and I got all distracted once again! I cooked up these carrot spirals which stuck to the baking sheet. I couldn’t make up my mind with what to put in the other sections so I think we might see some changes in the fourth box as the week goes on.

Breakfast hasn’t been planned well either. Let’s say that green lentils will be the basis of the first meal of the day this week. This is because I cooked up a load on Sunday to make the lentil burger recipe from How it all vegan. These turned out quite well and the leftovers have served well as breakfast between two pieces of bread with some vegan mayo.

However the lentils I didn’t turn into burger I put in tub. Then for some reason I put the tub into the freezer. So rather then being able to whip up a lentil loaf or more burgers last night I ended up with chunk of frozen lentils in a loaf tin. I did stir some spinach pesto in (having chunks of this in the freezer has provided so many quick meal solutions) and it tasted pretty good. Maybe this is a new way for me to use lentils. A kind of baked lentil salad?

So in the box this week:

Box 1 Apple Box 4 Cashews and green tea pumpkin seeds

Box 2 Carrot spirals Box 4 Kiwi fruit

Oh and lunch on Monday (tofu, noodles, chilli oil) was divine as was the company.

What I wore 6th– 12th February 2009

Having worked through my repair and rework pile over the weekend I didn’t actually get around to trying most of it on to see what outfits the items worked with. So morning have been a bit frantic as I try to work out what goes together and still attempt to make the bus on time. This meant that I ended up wearing three black items on Wednesday none of which were the same shade. Dressing like that always reminds me of when I really did wear just black all the time.

Friday
Black leggings, turquoise vest, grey knitted dress, black buckle boots, multi coloured knit scarf.

Saturday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, black fine net vest, Crowning your beautiful life tshirt, grey shrug.

Sunday
Old jeans, grey v neck jumper.

Monday
Skinny jeans, grey pillowcase top, grey shrug, ‘tooth’ necklace, brown boots.

Tuesday
Grey wrap cardigan top, turquoise vest, Mens jeans, brown boots.

Wednesday
Black trousers, green ‘army’ shirt, sleeveless black knitted dress, black buckle boots.

Thursday
Leggings, long grey skirt, white icing cupcake eater t shirt, green fuzzy cardigan, brown boots.

Things I Love Thursday

^Askingfortrouble on Etsy – I bought the most adorable cards for Valentine’s Day. In fact I actually bought two because I just couldn’t make my mind up which one I loved most.

^New cupcake recipe - I tried a new recipe for cupcakes out last night from La dolce Vegan. It made the most amazing cupcakes which rose really well and it didn’t need the electric whisk or want margarine and sugar creaming together. I’ll ice the beauties tonight. I did put loads of baking powder in. This made things rather amusing when I tried the raw mixture and was initially alarmed that it was a bit fizzy!

^Visits from friends – Two chums are visiting at the weekend which I am very excited about and I’ve got lunch with another couple of pals to look forward to on Monday.

^BBQ seitan – I bought a couple of cans of fried seitan mock chicken/duck stuff during a Chinese supermarket binge just before Christmas. I’ve been trying to work out how it would be best to prepare it. A little Internet research and I popped it in the oven with the aim of crisping it up. Which it didn’t but I did stir in some BBQ sauce and throw it back in for bit. Then serve hot on brown bread spread with vegan mayo for a BBQ seitan sandwich. Just needs a beer to go with it for the perfect dinner!

Also: Kilo tubs of peanut butter, mushroom muffins, making progress on the sewing pile, walking, buckwheat, Seven, aching finger tips, being cryptic, Henna, walking on ice, smiling and knowing that people wonder why, Motley Crue playing Download.

What's in my lunchbox this week

If I'm going to list what I wear why not what I eat!

I I tend to make up a batch of food on Sunday and eat it (or some kind of variation on it) for the rest of the week. I'm still getting to grips with portion sizes in the laptop lunchbox. So although I'm probably eating more reasonable portion sizes (instead of eating the lot in two sitting or making a tiny portion last all week) I'm still getting used to how much food it takes to fill the various tubs. I think I'm definitely eating a more balanced lunch though.
So here we have:
raw carrots
pears (these and apples are about the only UK grown fruit that is in season)
mix of brown rice and Buckwheat – Never tried Buckwheat before but it was reduced so I bought some and I’m finding it very good.
Chickpea and spinach curry – I fried some spring onions, added a very ancient Indian Oxo cube, cooked chickpea and spinach from the freezer. It’s not very spicy but totally yum.

Walking, sewing and muffin making

What an excellent weekend

I got to experience the great outdoors on my usual Saturday walk. I was once again really thankful that I had walking boots as the snow was still quite heavy on some parts of the path. It did put a bit of time on my walk though. I’m training for the Moonwalk and really hope the snow is gone before I get to doing the longer training walks.

Following the great cardboard clear out, I got stuck into my makes, repairs and upfashions pile. I made a present bag for my Dad with a representation of the Tardis on it. He’s a big Doctor Who fan and one of his presents is related to this so it seemed appropriate. I even remembered I had a K9 brooch tucked away so I dug it out to include. Alas I forgot to take a photograph so I can’t display my handiwork here.

I repaired a skirt and a pair of leggings and altered an Icing t-shirt and an army surplus top to fit. I think I might be getting to grips with bust darts. Just doing the work on these garments has cleared part of my study. I now have two paper carrier bags of projects rather than an untidy heap. I’ve decided that I like to have my next project set up on the dress model immediately after I finish the current one. In this case it’s a pair of grey trousers that are destined to become a dress.

My search for an excellent breakfast has continued and I was totally inspired this time. I bought mushrooms for this weekend but for various reasons we didn’t end up using them. I thought about how I might incorporate them into breakfast thinking about some kind of pate and then I had the eureka moment. Savoury muffins! I did a quick google search and found a recipe. I then almost totally ignored it using my usual vegan muffin recipe and adding sun dried tomatoes. The only thing that I took from the recipe was frying the mushrooms first and adding herbs. These are totally delicious and will be making regular appearance on my breakfast menu. I’m now thinking of other vegetable combinations I could use.

Have splendid week and try not to worry too much – it’s only life

What I wore 30th January – 5th February 2009

I have actually been going to work in my walking boots and changing my shoes when I get there. I’ve also been wearing a fleece/waterproof combination and not caring that my handbag looks stupid with it. I’ve obviously reached the age where I want to dress appropriately for snow more than I want to look together. Bag lady as clothing inspiration can’t be far away!

Friday
Wet look legging, turquoise vest, grey knitted dress, black buckle boots

Saturday
Exercise clothes (added hat and scarf for extra warmth).
Old jeans, long sleeved black t shirt, green Alice Cooper tshirt.

Sunday
Allotment clothes (plus a vest and a waterproof and leggings under my jogging trousers)
Old jeans, black vest top, grey v neck jumper.

Monday
Skinny jeans, white vest, green patterned wrap dress, several layers of socks, walking boots.

Tuesday
Grey wrap cardigan top, turquoise vest, Mens jeans, brown boots and walking boots when outside.

Wednesday
Mens jeans, white long sleeved v neck t shirt, fuzzy green cardigan, brown boots, multicoloured knitted scarf.

Thursday
Skinny jeans, green ‘army’ shirt, sleeveless black knitted dress, brown boots.

Things I Love Thursday

• Walking boots – Given the heavy ice and snow I’ve worn these every single day for the last week. My feet feel warm in them. I feel properly dressed for the season and don’t have to suffer wet feet at my desk. I love having the correct stuff for the job.
• Refried beans – In my lunchbox this week. They are so easy to make and taste so good I can’t believe I haven’t made them for so long.
• Clearing out – I hoard cardboard and packaging materials to use during my periodic bursts of activity on eBay. Every so often I look at my study and despair at the clutter. So I cleared out a load of card, reorganised the boxes of stuff and went through the sewing projects I have lined up. One day the stash will be used and the clutter will be gone.
• Choose to reuse Tuesdays- My desk in a pretty big building and on the first Tuesday of the month a swap table runs in one of the public areas. You can take anyway anything there but have to leave something in exchange. This week I took a load of stuff that I had cleared out and got a black zip up hooded top. Just the thing for walking when it’s too warm for a fleece but not warm enough for just a t shirt.
• Buying CDs – Not only did the shop have money off almost everything, the dude at the counter engaged me in a discussion about the musical development of Alice Cooper.
• Doe Deer – I love this blog anyway but I was really taken with 7 steps to a marvellous day and Dressing for your age. The article showing different ages on one model has reminded me to dress young if the urge takes me, and it probably will.
• Fresh sheets on the bed, snow days, cute stuff the cat does, being on top of the washing, peanut butter and marmite, sleep.

Challenges and discoveries

It always worries me when a blog vanishes as anotherlittleblog did this week. And the writer’s former blog Pixie-kisses is gone too. I do hope that all is well and it’s just some kind of computer related glitch. On the other hand I have discovered the vintage kitten who has inspired me to think about introducing a Friday cocktail hour. Do visit this site if you have an interest in things vintage or glittery!

As much as I like the thought of a cocktail to kick off Friday evening I’m not sure planning to increase consumption of alcohol on a regular basis was quite what the icing transformation challenge had in mind.

However, I’m not taking part in the itc this time as such. I’ve decided that I will read what others are doing for the itc as a source of inspiration. I’m also planning on using the itc as a way to deal with my breakfast dilemma. Rather than wallowing in ‘I don’t know what to eat’ misery, I’ve decided to take a practical approach. I’m still keen on using up what I have in the cupboard and really it takes a very small amount of effort for me to prepare something extra when I do my usual lunches preparation on Sunday.

My plans for this week had been to make the Fruit and Nut bars from the Vegan lunchbox book. Alas I discovered that I didn’t have most of the ingredients but I did have the making for muffins including some Blackberries that I picked in the autumn and froze. What is frozen fruit for if not for perking up things at the start of February? I also noticed that I had six different types of flour lurking in the pantry. That’s just too many at one time so the barley flour got to go into the mix too.

So despite the heavy snow I’ve been enjoying Blackberry and Almond barley muffins for breakfast every day. I just need inspiration to strike for next week breakfast dish now.