Black and green

I've been wearing black and green (clothes not chocolate!) for the past three days. It's been too warm for jeans (not that I'm complaining) and it feels like the height of luxury and decadence to smooth body so fine on to make my legs look a little bit sparkly as they peek from my skirt.

I'm assuming that my move back to wearing green and black (my favourite colours) means that I'm feeling like me again! I've even painted my toenails green and have been wearing green bracelets.

I was interested to see this take on wearing green clothes. I've also been adding more green items to the collage on my study wall. All the different shades of green look so good together. Alas it's going to have to come down as Dear Heart and I are working on transforming my study into the perfect room for me to do my stuff in (that'll be sewing, writing, reading, yoga and feeling creative then). We took the carpet up last week. Chipped the plaster off the chimney breast to expose the brick underneath. Stripped the paint off the door to reveal the wood. Dear Heart is going to sort out the plaster on the walls, sand the floor boards and paint it all in a nice neutral shade. Except for one wall which is going to be covered in cork tiles so that I can use it as an inspiration wall.

I'm rather excited by this prospect. I've been taking a break from eBay but I have several boxes taking up floor space in my study that I just want to sell so that there is no clutter! Photographs will hopefully follow at some not to distant point!

Do dead people watch you shower?

I must say it's not something that has ever worried me, but it clearly bothers enough people out there (and isn't there quite enough to worry about as it is?) for Harper Collins Australia to publish a book on it. And the author has a myspace page on the subject.

So let's talk about nicer shower related things like the new Lush emotibombs which are essentially bath bombs for the shower. I'm always sad that I can't make use of bath bombs because a) I only have a shower, b) baths are too time consuming, c) the water in a bath is never hot enough and d) baths are not very good for the environment. Hence I imagine that I will be making a trip to Lush this week to examine the goods in person.

Enjoy the sunshine today and remember not to grumble about being too hot!

You only find it when you stop looking

I ache all over today. Yesterday I did half an hour of rowing. It's much better exercise (and harder work) than I'd ever imagined. Despite the indecisive weather we had a fabulous time. A picnic on the river bank (supplied with style and Pimms by the divine Miss Mimi) followed up with half an hour actually on the river. Dear Heart and I took an oar each and attempted to make our way up and down the river without tipping our passenger overboard or hitting any other vessel. Lots of laughter.

Today I discovered this lovely link to an office where they have a had a decorated cubicle contest. It's so creative and fun. I guess it must be a good place to work. Isn't it totally marvellous what you find on the Internet when you are looking for other things altogether?

Last week as part of my ongoing quest to expand my boundaries/horizons I selected a couple of CDs pretty much at random from the 'A' section of the library. My choices(?) were Talkie-Walkie by Air and Move Along by The All-American Rejects. They were OK. I listened to both several times and did occasionally find myself singing along. I always though Air looked painfully cool and hence scary so I was pleased to find the album quite accessible and not too hip for me! I won't be adding either to my iPod just yet though. Off now to select something from B or Z.

A change of clothing

At reported at the start of the week, I just don't want to wear any of my usual summer stuff. I'm bored of my uniform of linen skirts and tshirts. My DM sandals need repairing. I just don't feel inspired in what I've been wearing. I also feel very middle aged (although I'm sure this is just my perception).

I used (until about 7 years ago) to wear lots of black. I think this was a reaction to the colour clashing 1980s. However I also realised that I wore black when I wanted to feel invisible. So I made a real effort not to wear black all the time and to let some colour into my life. Which has been great. But I'm wondering if I can now trust myself to wear dark colours again. A sign of maturity and reflection that life has it's ups and downs maybe? Or just accepting that recession is on it's way in and the future could be dark...

Anyway I allowed myself not to make too much of an effort yesterday and wear whatever I felt like to work and I ended up in something pretty much like the image below.



The only major differences are that my tshirt said Alice Cooper, my shoes are sparkly and my bag is my fabulous (yet ancient) Wonderbag. I felt very comfortable and oddly energised and me. In fact I think that I might be wearing skirts a bit less for a while and giving my jeans more of an airing.

I have an on/off relationship with jeans. I wore them as a teen, but preferred jogging trousers as I did a lot of sport. Then I went off to university with two pairs of Wranger body glove (they did exactly what they said on the tin). Then I decided that jeans were not for me and started wearing a uniform of black leggings (matt or shiny), tshirt and green DMs. I didn't get back into wearing jeans until about 5 years later I visited the Easy store at an outlet village somewhere, tried on one of the sample pairs and begged to be allowed to keep them. I have worn jeans since then but it's always been a real labour to try and find a pair that fit. I'm seeing this latest development as another 'jeans are good' phase.

I'm also betting that I'll fall madly in love again with my skirts and dresses at some point in the next few years.

Yeah I made it myself!

A week or so back I wrote in this post about buying my bulk vinegar and making my own surface spray.

I am very happy to report my experiment a success. Despite my procrastination over making it up, it actually took no time at all (2 minutes max). I was a bit concerned about the cloudy white colour and strong vinegar smell on inital use. however the following day the mix seemed to have settled down and was clear.

It's very good at what it does. My stainless steel kitchen surfaces came up looking lovely and shiny after using it.

So no need to purchase anymore trigger bottles when I can simply refill the one I have. I might try it in the bathroom next.

Stretch the boundaries

I'm feeling a little bored with myself at present. Probably the result of some long working days/weeks. I have lost inspiration for lunch preparation. I thoroughly dislike every single item of clothing I own. In fact all I want to wear are old jeans and lots of black.

So it's time to stretch the boundaries, leave my comfort zone and find some inspiration. I'm going to borrow a random music CD from the library every week. Maybe I'll go in alphabetical order. Maybe I'll pick letters at random. Anyway, however I choose I think this will introduce me to new artists. I might discover something amazing and it will certainly give me some different viewpoints.

And, Dear Readers, feel free to suggest things I should try. I rather like the thought of all the undiscovered sounds lurking on the shelf, just waiting for me to give them a try.

When London is feeling lovely

I had to go into London on Friday for a meeting. I wouldn't say I dislike London, but I often find it hard work. It's noisy, polluted and full of people! However, on Friday, London was at her most charming.

The trains were all running well. I kept getting a book out to read on the tube and discovering that I had already reached my stop. The shops were vibrant and full of exciting things to look at (if not actually buy). I ventured into Zavvi on Oxford Street and wanted to stay all day to listen to the amazing music they were playing. I finally made it to the Japanese Centre on Piccadilly.

I was sensible and wore flat shoes all day, but I had a pair of heels tucked in my handbag for my evening excursion - a visit to the Japanese Embassy. My grandfather was a Japanese Prisoner of War during WW2 and became involved in a reconciliation programme. This also provided opportunities for grandchildren to work towards reconciliation and friendship. A reception is held every summer to promote friendship between our two countries. As ever I had a marvellous evening. I spoke to a number of interesting people, got to admire the decor and drink champagne.

Everything ran smoothly on the way home and by 10 p.m. I was eating chips on the sofa with Dear Heart.

However I'm very glad that I don't have to travel into London everyday. It is so easy when working in the big city to think that everyone else is having a more fabulous, cooler time than you are. So instead of enjoying what you have you are always searching for the elusive 'cool' people and the centre of the action.

I'm glad that I rediscovered London in small way. Maybe I'll do some museum (and pub) visits over the summer with Dear Heart.

5 of seven

Today is my fifth working day in a week of seven. So roll on Sunday. It's proving to be a particularly busy week even outside work. It's my week to make lunch for our shared thursday lunches (and hopefully we'll put somethign about them on our blog soon). So last night I shot out of a meeting, ran across twon in the rain with my shoes rubbing the back of my feet raw to make the bus so that I could get home and make dinner and lunch. I made the bus but it then broke down so I was home just as late as if I hadn't run. I'm certain that there is a lesson in there somewhere.

I did manage to get all the food prep done (and the girls where sweet enough to say it was very nice) but by the time I'd finished clearing up the kitchen at 9.30p.m. I was really ready for bed. So no drum practice last night. In all honestly it probably isn't the best week to want to do anything at home. I was hoping to get away early today but once agian I'm busy, busy, busy.

Tomorrow is another manic day, but it does feel good to be alive and occupied!

Learning to play drums

Dear Heart plays guitar and has done so for many years. He's also very into home recording, writing songs and so on. He sounds good when he plays, like the spirit of the music is into him.

I did not do well with recorder at school. I took up a violin for a few months until the school suggested that my 'talents' might be better occupied elsewhere. And really this has been fine. I've accepted the 'not a musical bone in her body' label quite well. Yes, it would be nice to do karaoke that sounded ok, but singing in the shower is fine for me.

Dear Heart purchased a drum kit a few months ago and is already pretty good. Years of playing various bands has clearly paid off. The thing is I've always fancied learning to play the drums. So I've got a book on learning drums from the library and had a go last night. It was good fun and I wasn't even doing anything fancy.

I'm thinking 10 minutes a day. I don't have to be amazing but it would be really nice to be able to knock out a beat and play along with Dear Heart. I'm a little scared that I won't be able to do it but that's what life's for. Being scared and then trying and if you fall picking yourself up and keeping trying until either it works or you really cannot justify going any further. I commit to trying and learning something new no matter how small my learning my turn out to be.

Oodles of noodles

I had lunch today with two friends. We popped to the noodle bar, started chatting and almost forgot to order! I like to try something different everytime until I've worked my way aroudn the menu and have decided which dishes are my absolute favourites. This probably works best because of my vegetarian/vegan diet. Few places have a long list of things for me to try although my local chinese does such a long list of tofu dihes I'm hard pushed to say which ones I've tried and which ones I haven't.

So I ordered noodles, tofu and vegetables in a broth. I was expecting a little bowl, not something that you could bath a baby in. To think that I was woried about making my 5 a day today. I wasn't quite sure how to eat it (it came with a ladle), but did manage to finish it. It's also a very good dish for anyone who wants to work on their listening skills - you can't talk and use a ladle/chopsticks/fork/spoon.

I think a very light dinner will be in order tonight.

I'm too old...

To stay up drinking until 4 a.m.

Not to eat a proper well-balanced diet

To be terrified of dogs

Not to clean my shoes or make sure my clothes are ironed and stain free before leaving the house

To run out of essential cooking ingredients

But I'm sure there are a million more things I'm too young for.

What is the universe trying to tell me?

I'v got one of those weird things going on.Bascially it's where something that I normally would devote minimal attention to turns up and I keep coming across references to it.

So last year I was reading this frankly bizzare book called Faghag by Robert Rodi. The book goes on about The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Not being familiar with The Fountainhead, I looked it up on wikipedia, thought 'hmm' and moved onto my next read. But then it kept turning up in everything I read. Finally When there was a reference to it in a Meg Cabot novel (one of the Heather Wells series) I gave in and read it. I don't think it was life changing, although it was very interesting and I gave it to a couple of other people to read. I had to read it thought because I kept thinking it might be the universe trying to tell me something!

The other week I picked up Simon Doonan's book Beautiful People from the library shelves pretty much at random. I thought it was very funny indeed. It put me in the mind of Andrew Collins (Where did it all go right? and Heaven knows I'm miserable now, but not his third volume, That's me in the corner). Then I pick up the Sunday Times style magazine whch I read every week and he's got an article in there. And now Gala Darling has picked upon him in Carousel! So what is the universe trying to tell me this time?? Answers please.

Petticoats

I've never been able to see the point in slips and petticoats (unless it's some kind of underwear as outerwear look). However today I am wearing dress with a quite full knee length skirt. It's made of a light cotton. Add in strong breeze and I find that I having to walk down the street with bunches of skirt in each hand to avoid revealing my underwear to. This is not a good look. Presumably this is part of the reason (other than making the skirt look really full) that women in the past wore petticoats.

Sadly this interpretation is not mentioned in the wikipedia entry about petticoats. I do actually own 2 knee length petticoats. My sister and I used them for dressing up when we we younger. I recently redid the elastic in them with thoughts of wearing them to a rock club or something. However, I thinking that perhaps the time has come to dig them out and put them to their proper use of protecting my modesty (while making my waist look teeny). It seems pointless having garments tucked away in tin trunk if I never take them out and wear them.

I'm feeling a bit uncertain about my usual summer uniform of linen skirt and tshirt. I want a change. And the only person who can make a change in my life is me. If I can't change my clothing a little with the resources I already have then how can I change anything else? Remember your life is the life you chose (and I mean that in the most positive way possible). Stop wriggling and start living.

Summer Naturals

I like to use vinegar and bicarbonate of soda for cleaning. However, despite the supposed trend towards natural products it's been getting increasingly difficult to find white vinegar. BoS is widely available but in tiny tubs.

Happy last year someone wrote to the Guardian Weekend magazine with this query and someone suggested a site called Summer Naturals. I ripped the page out, stuck to the front of fridge and promptly forgot all about it until recently.

I purchased 5 litres of vinegar and 2 kilos of BoS. It's been great to be able to fill up both a glass bottle and a spray with vinegar. I'm planning on filling up a pretty jar with BoS and I'll need to find a suitable container to store the rest in.

I'm also going to give making my own table spray a go using the recipe here. I'll report back her and let you know.

And remember life is not a rock video but it's not a dress rehearsal either.

Less than fabulous

Today I am feeling somewhat less fabulous than I think I should be. My life is amazing and I should be totally aware of this. Instead I fear that I'm going to have a hissy fit and complain that I feel like I took a wrong turn somewhere and I'm really just ordinary. I'm not sure what has bought on this need for more romance in my life. I think part of the problem with life is that every time you figure out the solution, the question changes (I believe Disraeli said something similar about the Irish question). So I make myself feel uncomfortable by trying to find the right balance of spontaneous and planned. Planning makes me feel powerful, but spontaneous is fun.

I'm going to resurrect a trick I learnt form a book called Family Baggage by Monica McInerney. you write a list (I used to have mine in the back of my notebook) of things you can do. Start simple (peel potatoes, sew a button on, pitch a tent) and add to it everything you think of something. Then at moments of doubt, have a read through and realise how amazing you are and what a wealth of experience and knowledge you represent.

Although I had do a bit of search to remember the title and author of Family Baggage I just discovered that the book I 'm reading at the moment (Those Faraday Girls) is by the same author.

A super weekend

I can't believe it's Monday already. The weekend just flew by. Saturday I got up early so that I could visit my allotment before the heat of the day got too much. Everything is growing really well. I bought home some baby spinach and more strawberries.

Dear Heart and I headed into London early afternoon togged out in our best rock gear. We were booed into a charming hotel in Richmond. We weren't there for long enough to do more than drop off our bags and head out again. We were both a bit peckish by this point so we had lunch at The Orange Tree before boarding the bus to Twickenham.

I couldn't believe the crowds of people or the queues for the ladies toilets! We totally lucked out with our seats as we were at the very top of some stairs and didn't need to squeeze past anyone. then it was several hours of dancing, singing along and getting totally caught up in the atmosphere. As Bon Jovi only decide on their set list shortly before the gig we just didn't know what we were going to get. What we got was totally amazing with a few surprises.

The is was back to the hotel for a few hours sleep before getting the train home. Sunday was spent in best 'rock star' style pottering around the house, sipping wine and topping up my hair colour with more henna.

I've got really busy ten days coming up so I'll have to make sure that I'm super organised so that I eat well, exercise, stay calm and don't collapse at the end.

Living on a prayer

Such excitement. Tomorrow I'm going to see Bon Jovi in concert. I've been listening to their Cd's recently and discovering albums that I missed (How did Bounce manage to pass me by completely?) and rediscovering old favourites (slippery when wet, anyone?).

Dear Heart and I have been speculating what might be on the set list (bonjovionline lists previous set lists should anyone be interested) and how often Jon will forget the lyrics.

I find myself rather amused by what I consider to be appropriate wear and rather freaked out by my need to dress appropriately to see a band, by which I mean that I should dress like some version of them. For example, to see Alice Cooper I wore my goth princess dress with fishnet tights and long lace-up boots. But I'd consider that totally wrong for BJ. So I'll be dressing like the girl next door with a slight rock accent (jeans, Harley-Davidson vest and khaki shirt dress).

I'm looking forward to this evening where Deart Heart and I will get ourselves in the mood (just incase we weren't already) by watching BJ on You tube while supping beer or wine (although I do think Bon jovi wine would be going a step too far).

The five a day diet

Back in 2005 the Guardian did a focus on healthy living (although I have no doubt that they've looked at the subject since). One piece challenged 3 volunteers to eat nine a day and see how they got on. Amit's comment really sums it up for me

"To fit in nine portions, you have to have breakfast, otherwise you end up with too much to eat later in the day. You have to drop the junk snacks, which I am fond of. You can't even think about a nice bag of crisps when you've still got an apple or a banana to eat on top of your lunchtime sandwich. "

Fitting in five a day has been on my mind recently. I was really very keen on a few years back when I looked at my (then vegetarian) diet and realised that I wasn't consuming much in the way of fruit and veg. After a few months I had gotten into the habit and stopped worrying abut it. However, I recently purchased Glamour (just for the Benefit lip gloss - this was before the days of The make up diet) and it had an article about five a day.

I realised to my horror that I had slipped. This was mainly due to eating more than five on some days and rather less on others. I got to work on making a few alterations to my diet and discovered that if you are eating your quota you don't have room for much else.

The problems of what a portion was has continued to plague me. I have a handy portion guide on the side of my fridge. However what do you do when you have a bunch of 18 radishes and (according to the chart) a portion in 10? Do you eat 9 on each occasion? Or 10 in one go and 8 later? Eat all 18? Buy more radishes? What exactly does a bowl of salad look like and how does a bowl translate into the square, deep container that I am putting my lunch in?

After faffing around with bowls and the like a simple solution presented itself. I would just weigh the stuff. My 8 radishes that I prepared as a snack for today turned out to be well over the required 80g. I rather suspect that yesterday's carrots were a great deal more than 80g.

So I'll carry on using the scales, work at that 5 a day and maybe (very unsure about this) try 6 a day at some point in the future. I do agree with Helen in the article though - eating this takes some planning! But do Iahve anything that much better to do???

Chinese food

For some reason I have a real craving for Chinese food. I can almost taste the noodles and bean sprouts. I'm wondering if this has been bought on by reading not one, but two books set in Hong Kong. Although now i come to think of it a recent post on veganlunchbox featuring noodles and portabello mushrooms seems to have been featuring in my food daydreams as well.

Maybe I can work some noodles into my dinner experiment tonight.

Our lunchbox share starts tomorrow otherwise I might gives serious thought to visiting a Chinese buffet for lunch!

Twas a cough that carried her off

I really do have the most frightful sounding cough. I'm really uncertain as to what the best remedy is. A hot toddy? Enchinacea? One of the homeopathic remedies that have seemed to do the trick in the past? Some kind of mustard poultice (one of my ancient household management type books must cover how to whip one up)?

I must say I'm feeling rather wobbly although less feverish than last week. My colleagues are suggesting that an afternoon nap would do me the world of good so I suppose I should go home before my barking gets me mistaken for a seal or a large dog and I get sent to the zoo/Battersea/Outer Hebrides.