thai for two and two for thai...

Occasionally I miss babies. The way their little heads fit perfectly under your chin and their warm, sweet smell.
Just before the broody moody hits though, Slap and I get an afternoon off because all our grown up babies are doing their own things; so we kick up our heels and thoroughly enjoy an adult afternoon.
What better finish to the day than a steaming hot bowl of Pad Thai. I've tried various recipes and the best one so far came from the incredibly clever 'chezpim', a favourite recipe blog.
Today, however was all about decadence so we enjoyed a restaurant prepared Thai banquet.

Good times!!

courtesy of flickr

lying poorly in bed gives you loads of time to plan stuff...

I've wanted a decent sized kitchen blackboard for ages. I've scoured the stores and the internet, but they are all rather boring or too small. So, whilst giving in to a virulent little episode, I plotted and pontificated and designed the first 'kitchen blackboard window'.

Materials:


An old picture frame, painted and sanded. Blackboard paint. Old wallpaper.

Method:


Paint a blackboard on the wall, just slightly larger than the inside of the frame.

Tear old wallpaper into decent sized chunks and paste around the board. I used two different patterns as I wanted to give the impression of layered, peeling paper.

Stick the frame onto the wall.

Ta Da! One kitchen blackboard window.

(N.B. Be sure you really like the place you've chosen to create your window before using 'Hard as Nails' to fix your frame. I've just been reliably informed that if I ever decide to move my window I'd better start practising my plastering technique; it's likely to take a large chunk of the wall with it....Whoops!)

no, i don't have the pig!!!

Dolly is a little off colour. She is ensconced on the sofa, swathed in blankets with a cup of tea and her book du jour at hand (The Julie/Julia Project if anyone is interested...you can blame Mme Child for the Frenchie peppering of this post)
Cuddled in next to her is Babbit, a 42 year old pyjama case that has travelled extensively with Dolly. Babbit hasn't held any PJ's for a while now; in Dolly's teenage years he was more likely to have a mini bottle of vodka and 10 Marlboro lights stashed away but today he is the proud bearer of a partly eaten bag of Twiglets and 2 aspirin.
Dolly's vintage kimono and well washed pashmina are de rigour for poorly ladies I'm told.
Although handling her unwellness like the martyr she is, Dolly is a little peeved that the other members of the household have also decided to come down with the lurgi, depriving her of the sympathetic helpers needed to truly appreciate the tinkle of her 'Baby Jane' bell.


The children are all delighted by the recent turn of events as, according to the latest school missive, flu symptoms mean an immediate one week quarantine. However, Dolly's not convinced. Mon Dieu, just because her partners' snores sound like a wounded farmyard animal, that surely doesn't mean he has the swine flu!

i'm floating on a chocolate cloud up in twiglet heaven...

I arrived home today to find 3 parcels waiting on my doorstep.


In a frenzy of excitement I slashed at the sellotape and peeled back paper.
Alf just stared in bemusement as, laughing maniacally, I threw bags of twiglet's, chocolate bars and an owl into the air.

THANK YOU Beautiful Blogstars...Lorraine, Nina and Sumea!

P.S. In the time it took me to write this I have devoured 1 and 3/4 bars of Caramac and most of a bag of Twiglets. There is no one home to stop the madness...

There's a very good chance that the next post may contain the words,

Hello, I'm Jus and I'm a Twigaholic.

no, i won't be handing out flowers at the airport...

I've joined the Ooooby's. Slap misheard me and thought I'd joined the Moonies, which made me laugh long and hard!

Ooooby (Out of our own back yards) is a network of food gardeners and locavores.
Ooooby members are part of the food revolution that is building massive momentum every day. Millions are returning to their own backyards and embracing the once declining skill of food growing.

The bit I'm really looking forward to is the swap and barter part of the network; if I can find a local Oooobyite with a glut of limes I'll be in Mojito heaven. Click on the link above to join the Ooooby's too...I promise, there's not a flowing robe or tambourine in sight!

I've always thoroughly enjoyed having a veggie patch, although I can't say I've ever been so successful that visits to the green grocer were no longer required. At present we are cultivating a very clay bound patch of land. I've planted potatoes in an effort to break the soil down a little and I would post a photo' but, to be honest, it's a little uninspiring at the moment. So, please make do with a few photo's of last summer's garden goodies.

time to sort out the sidebar i think...

Isn't it funny the way someone else's lists bring on the need to write your own?

Watching: Lars and the Real Girl. I do enjoy an American indie' film, especially when it's as good as this one. Awkward man, blow up doll and an inspirational wardrobe mistress...weird knitwear to die for...enormous plastic thumbs up!

Reading: As it is in Heaven, Niall Williams. Poignant... a lovely word and it describes this book beautifully. Another awkward man (is there a theme developing?), violins and a love story.

Listening: Back in the day I was quite the muso, even though these days I seem more likely to be humming a TV jingle than some iconic intro'.
I found my old vinyl copy of the Les Negresses Vertes, Zig Zague whilst cleaning out the garage. Unfortunately, my old record player has long since given up the ghost so I scampered off to a favourite website and ordered a download for the ipod...Genius! French, indie', fusion...if you are prone to late night dancing on the verandah with a bottle of wine and a happy husband then this is the album for you.

Discovered: Wallander on the telly. Kenneth Branagh plays a swedish detective in Sweden...duh! Crikey, if the police stations in the UK were as stylie as Ken's then I reckon there'd be a queue at the recruitment office.
On my personal Top 40, Sweden has charted for the first time at an impressive #3.

Thrifting: Botanical prints for $1 each, old theatre posters, twisted Levi's and a 50's cardi...photo's to follow.

Have an awesome weekend!

44 is the magic number...

Sallyscape writes a really good book review and whilst I was perusing her recent recommendations I fell in love with a list she'd received and posted.
Here it is in all its glory, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did......thanks Sally!

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 44 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step...
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

well, hello dolly!

I've always quite fancied being the willowly, sad, romantic type, a la The French Lieutenant's Woman or Sylvia Plath, however after 3 days of feeling sorry for myself I've come to the conclusion that all that maudlin, introspective gloom is far too much like hard work.

Happy Days are here again!!

I'd like you to meet 'Dolly at the draining board!'

I promised you the prettiest dress in the world and here it is in all it's housecoat glory.
My recent Melbourne adventure left my credit card pleading for sympathy as I discovered some amazing vintage stores; this little number is one of many to be modelled by the delightful Dolly in the upcoming weeks.
What adventures we have planned, I've promised her a couple of trips to the beach too, if she plays her cards right.

Now I'm whispering this so as not to hurt Dolly's feeling...she wasn't actually my first choice as a muse.

I have a beautiful teenage daughter who would look simply lovely in my housecoat, however she seems to have been stapled to her bed this weekend and even offers of croissant (usually a fail safe bribe) have fallen on deaf ears.

Then I tried Alf, as the skinny youngest son I thought as long as I cut off his head in the shot he'd still fill the dress quite nicely, however the suggestion was met with some lip trembling, wild eyed stuttering and that was just his father.

I even attempted some self portraits, but you can't be your own muse...especially when the camera seems to develop a fault when I'm in front of it and will only take shots with it's wide angled lens...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So, it's just me and Dolly, which is actually quite nice. She never complains, is very complimentary about all the photo's and finds me incessantly interesting and excruciatingly funny.

Infact, I would thoroughly recommend a Dolly... top totty!

time to stop and smell the daffs'

I'm sitting quietly at my desk.
The children are playing monopoly and chatting about homework.
The radio is tuned to the classical station and wafts of a hearty beef stew emanate from the kitchen.
I'm handed a glass of room temperature red wine and then, just like Bobby Ewing, I find myself in the shower and realise it's all a dream!!

Reality bites....

A row about car keys brews whilst the boys whip each other with tea towels.
The washing machine has sprung a leak and the dishwasher has collapsed in sympathy.
Apparently, store bought lasagne tastes like pants and the calls for pizza vie with The Simpsons and Lil' Wayne?!? Don't ask.
Redundancy has reared its ugly head, the local beaches are poisoned and that glass of red wine is in danger of becoming a bottle, or two.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

On the upside I picked the first daffodils of the season today and found one of my old watercolours, which has cheered me magnificently!!!

Tune in tomorrow for a photo of the prettiest dress....ever.