Run, Astrid, Run
Oh, hello, stranger 
I’d like to pretend that I’ve been so godawfully busy that I haven’t had a chance to get near a computer, hence no blog updates.
The truth? I got lazy. Sorry about that. I’m terrible at this consistent blogging thing.
So what HAVE I been up to?
1. Running
This is THE big thing in my life right now. Next week, in fact, I am running my first ever 5k race (want to sponsor me?) I wouldn’t say I’ve taken to it like a duck to water – it is a serious struggle for me, having spent the majority of my life so far sitting down. But after Christmas, when I weighed in at no less than 13 stone, I knew something had to change.
I started running. OK, I started jogging, got out of breath after about a minute, walked, jogged, walked, then shuffled home. Next time, it was better, and it’s slowly getting better and better. It has been HARD, but RunKeeper is incredibly helpful in tracking my progress (and reminding me that I AM making progress).
Oh, and what else? FITOCRACY. Omfg. I discovered this social network entirely by chance – someone I follow on Twitter made one aside comment about it, I had a look, and the rest is history. Now I’m a premium member* – and I NEVER buy premium membership. For anything.
Fitocracy combines my favourite thing (gaining points for doing something, questing and levelling up) with one of my least favourite things (sweating). You can log everything: it links to RunKeeper, so I can automatically log my runs, walks and cycle rides for points. But arguably even better: it has an exhaustive list of weight-lifts and bodyweight exercises, most of which I have never even heard of (Fire Hydrants? Lizard Push Ups? Pendlay Rows? LOLwut?), meaning you can accurately track your progress in non-cardio exercises (and trust me, my lifts have come along in LEAPS and BOUNDS. I can deadlift half my bodyweight!) Oh, and those weirdly named exercises: trust me, curiosity will get the better of you, and you will rapidly expand your repertoire.
But most importantly: the community is massively supportive. Every time you log a workout, post an update, reach a milestone, complete a quest, there are troops of fellow Fitocrats giving you “props” (like a Facebook “like”) and commenting with “excellent! Keep it up!” and the like. They are SUCH a boost.
So now I run 3 miles about 3 times a week, as well as lifting weights, and, thanks to my new birthday present from Ben, the odd cycle ride (we managed 25 miles to the coast and back last week).
Which leads us nicely into…
2. Getting to know my local area
Particular in and around my town. Running and cycling has forced me to find new routes around town (well, mainly Ben finds the routes, and I follow and admire the scenery). Especially in the summer, with the yellow fields of rapeseed and gorse, deer and bunnies all over the bleedin’ place, and of course, beer festivals in tiny villages -
3. Improving my local area
Yesterday, I did something that I haven’t done since I was about 9. I went on a litter pick. I’ve been meaning to do this for quite some time – I hate it when I go for a walk and I see rubbish lying by the side of the pavement. Yesterday, I finally thought “sod it”, grabbed a handful of carrier bags, my grabber, and went for a walk. I had planned on going out for about an hour, walk maybe a couple of hours around town, but I was cut short – after only 35 minutes of walking, I ran out of bags. Seriously. Such a shame that my sleepy little town in rural Suffolk boasts quite so much discarded waste. But still – improving by small but important degrees.
4. BIRTHDAY
It was my birthday. No, I didn’t really do anything special. I don’t really make a big thing about birthdays any more (sad, I know). I even got up at 7:30 and went for a run. But I had the day off work – Ben and I had a fry up in Lowestoft, bought cake on the way home, relaxed, and went for a cycle ride.
Other cool things: my dad and my uncle both gave me Amazon money for Kindle books (eeee), Beth gave me money for Fitocracy premium membership (see the *), Ben bought me a mountain bike, and my work buddy Claire (who I taught to knit) knitted me a wicked hat, got me a mug with “Asty Pants” made, and made me some “Amaze-balls” (they had to be called this. There was no other option).
Thank you to everyone who wished me well, sent cards, all that stuff
5. Big Bang Theory
Yes, I know I’m late to the party, but it really is a rather enjoyable show. Yes, like the rest of you, I love Sheldon. But you know what? I think I like Leonard more. Even when Sheldon comes out with lines like this:
“My mind is going into it PRE-BLOWN. And once a mind has been blown, it cannot be RE-BLOWN.”
Anyway, that’s it for now. Do prepare yourself for future posts about exercise. Sorry, in advance.
*Thanks to Beth, who sent me a birthday card, with cash, and a note saying “take this and use it to buy Fitocracy premium membership…and some chocolate. Or, like, fruit.” <3 Beth
2012
Hellloooooo, blogosphere! Remember me?
I know, I know. I’ve been a neglectful blog-mother. I’m sorry. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been MIGHTY busy. New county, new home, new job, new life… Same old me. And Ben is still here 
But yes: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ve had some tough “moments” this year, and to be perfectly honest, I’m getting a bit sick of hearing my own whinging. Looking back on last New Year’s 1st Jan post, a lot still applies:
“So, [2011] is gone. Like so many days and years, it is in the past, now merely a memory. Words on a page, photos in the album. Some days, I mourn the days that we’ve lost, but really, we haven’t really lost them. We’ve lived them, and we have many more days ahead to continue living.
So rather than mourn what has passed, perhaps it’s time to look optimistically to the future. I spend an awful lot of my time moping and burying my head (please see my official job description in the blog header), but I have, over the last couple of years, been trying to reassess my life and get some perspective. I’m sure many of you know how difficult it is to break habitual destructive behaviours, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!
So let’s see the New Year as a chance for a fresh start.”
My New Year’s Resolutions from last year… didn’t really work out. Let’s review:
1. I have not lost weight. I’ve gone from last 1st Jan’s 12st1.5lb to a mighty 13st. Please do not adjust your sets.
2. The exercise… Well, no. I jogged for like… two weeks, then realised it doesn’t suit me. AT ALL. However, moving to the countryside has lead to more countryside walks, and in warmer weather will encourage cycling and swimming. Watch this space.
3. Eat healthy? Sort of. Less so these past few weeks due to the seasonal blow out, but over all we have rediscovered vegetables, which can be no bad thing.
4. Budget. Well, I wouldn’t be still standing if I hadn’t managed to squeeze my finances. Go me.
5. Redecorate the flat. I don’t live there any more! Hurrah!
6. Study hard. I could have studied harder, but still managed to come out of my MSc with a 2:i (3% off a first. I have mixed feelings. Not discussable here).
7. Forgive myself? Unfortunately, still an unmastered skill. I’ll keep working on it.
And this New Year? Well, one of my seniors at work today suggested making wishes, or hopes. for the year ahead, rather than resolutions. I thought it was a lovely idea, so with that in mind:
1. I hope to continue furthering my education, with possibly some NVQs or a diploma in counselling or mental health care
2. I hope to do some volunteering – I miss my work with SANE
3. I wish people would have their voices heard, and that people would listen more compassionately
4. I wish an assistant psychology post would open up in Waveney, and take me on board for the role…
5. I wish I could give a doggy a home
6. I wish all my friends and family luck, health and happiness. Cheesey, I know, but now more than I ever, I realise how much you all mean to me.
So there we go. All a bit vague and swirly, yes, but I hope that I can make this year a good one.
AH, OH, BEFORE I FORGET. The books of 2011! You remember the Book List, right? Well, here is the 2011 Book Round-up:
I’ve only read a measly 18 books (12 non-fiction, 6 fiction) this year. I know, I know. But remember how I was studying for finals, doing a dissertation, and then moving house? Poor excuses, maybe. Poo to you, sir.
Well, I got a lump of Amazon vouchers as part of a Christmas present, so I’ve loaded up my Kindle and am raring to read. I’ll see you in a year to prove that 2011 was just a rare howler, reading wise. Here’s the list (favourites are show with an asterisk):
- 01.2011 – *V S Ramachandran – Phantoms in the Brain (nf)
- 02.2011 – Neris Thomas & India Knight – Neris and India’s Idiot-Proof Diet (nf)
- 03.2011 – Carl Rogers – On Encounter Groups (nf)
- 02.2011 – *Terry Pratchett – Unseen Academicals (f)
- 03.2011 – Matt Ridley – The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature (nf)
- 03.2011 – Adam Phillips – Darwin’s Worms (nf)
- 03.2011 – *Ben Goldacre – Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks (nf)
- 04.2011 – Prof. Robin Dunbar – The Trouble with Science (nf)
- 04.2011 – Jeff Potter – Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food (nf)
- 05.2011 – Susan Greenfield – Id (nf)
- 11.05.2011 – Rudyard Kipling – The Man Who Would Be King (f)
- 29.07.2011 – Jack London - White Fang (f)
- 02.08.2011 – Richard Mabey - Food for Free: A Fantastic Feast of Plants and Folklore (nf)
- 07.08.2011 – Steven Johnson – Everything Bad is Good for You (nf)
- 12.08.2011 – Patrick Bateson & Paul Martin – Design for a Life (nf)
- 16.11.2011 – Terry Pratchett – Snuff (f)
- 20.11.2011 – Terry Pratchett – Wintersmith (f)
- 24.12.2011 – *Robin Hobb – Assassin’s Apprentice (f)
How about you? Read any good books lately?
Gone
On Thursday, Bubble stopped eating.
She had been struggling with myco complications for a good few weeks now, and the antibiotics seemed to be having only a limited positive effect.
Rats often have respiratory problems, especially as they get older (my girls are about 2 now). Sometimes they get by on baytril long term, and Bubble put up a good fight, but ultimately, she needed a rest.
I can feel myself welling up now.
Ben phoned me up a few weeks ago, whilst I was up here in Suffolk and he and the rats were still in London, sounding worried – Bubble’s breathing was really bad, he said. Very wheezey, sneezey. She had bad porphyrin build up around her eyes too, a sign that she was seriously stressed out.
The vet gave her jabs, and gave us some baytril to administer at home (via oral syringe – she hated that). Then there was the corvental-D, and the powdered steroids, and I think it was all a bit much, and optimism got the better of us.
Bubble has always been a bit of a sickly rat. She had an abscess in January, and she’s been a bit sniffy since we first got her. But she’s also been very highly spirited, ok quite highly strung, but cheeky and loads of fun. Never a dull moment, even if the chewed wires were a pain (rare, but ultimately inconvenient).
Rats are tricky. They are incredibly affectionate, intelligent, inquisitive, and ultimately very easy to get attached to. But they are also small, and therefore quite short lived. Most rats manage 2-4 years. Short but sweet. I loved having Bubble in my life, which has made the last few days all the more difficult.
With the move to Suffolk and my new job starting, I’ve been up and down to London. Unfortunately, when things turned the bad corner on Thursday, I was up here, not down there. But I didn’t want her to wait, suffering unnecessarily, until I got home. A difficult decision, but we think the right one, Ben took her, alone, to the vet. I’m sorry that I couldn’t say goodbye. It hurts to think about that.
But she can get some rest now. I worry that her sister, Squeak (who moved up to Suffolk with me this morning) will be lonely. She seems mostly ok for now, but rats are sociable creatures, and I think she enjoyed being bullied by Bubble. We’ll have to keep each other company for now.
Goodnight, Whitey.
Northumbria
I have had one busy week. One more to go.
I’m up in Northumberland, getting fresh air and pretending I have not a care in the world. I think it’s working, but I’m not 100% sure yet.
Some things I’ve done:
Been dragged up Humbleton hill nearly every morning. Ben is an avid mountain goat, but charging up a slope before breakfast is not exactly my idea of fun. Nevertheless, the view is marvellous. I am, however, hideously unfit.
Berwick upon Tweed. A bit of a crumbling town if I’m honest, but still good fun. Nice little curio shops, ancient fortifications, and one big gorgeous bridge.
Etal village fete. Etal is a cute little village mainly consisting of a ruined castle, a pub, a tea room and some fields. Their fete was equally adorable, with rare Hebridean sheep (that look like Darth Vader), much homemade jam, Clydesdales and locally made burgers.
Kielder water. Actually a fair old trek from where we’re staying, but worth it to see this marvel of engineering – a huge man made lake (dam!) and the UK’s largest man made forest. We took the Osprey pleasure cruiser to see the lake properly.
Local produce. Ok, getting meat from the town butcher is cool, but getting eggs (still warm) from the lady living next door is AWESOME.
Car acrobatics. Thursday was very rainy. My car’s tyres are pretty worn. I have been hassling Ben to help me get them replaced for some months. I think Thursday made the point. On a wet, and thankfully deserted country road, Ben lost control on a skid, and we did a beautiful 360 into a hedge. Surprisingly, there is only a very small dink in the back of my car, although I thought I was going to throw up after the event. But yes – suitably dramatic, could have been SO much worse, and yay, I wasn’t driving at the time. Needless to say, we are getting those tyres replaced today.
Pot-a-doodle-do. After the car incident, I needed some calm activity to soothe my nerves. So, pottery painting was a suitable rainy day activity. Ben has made me an apology plate, I have done a life-affirming pasta bowl. Pics when we get them.
Edinburgh. Yesterday, we drove across the border to my favourite city. A good 10 hours of wandering ensued, and we even took in a show at the Edinburgh Fringe (EastEnd Cabaret, venue 170, is free, hilarious and well worth a look if you’re at the fringe). Note: parking in Edinburgh has gotten considerably more expensive over the last couple of years, so be warned if you’re driving in.
Anyway, I have tyres to get done, and another week of adventuring to do. Cheerio!
Crafty: Kitty-fox shoes
Another gratuitous crafty post today. You’ll appreciate I’m quite busy at the moment… (WE HAVE A MOVING DATE, EEEEEEE)
Some of you may remember when I painted some plain Converse knock offs -
Sadly, these shoes have long since bit the dust, and I finally cut the cord and threw them out yesterday.
But it’s ok! Don’t cry! I made some new ones. Haha. Same sort of design – if it ain’t broke….
Crafty: Cross stitch fox
Here’s a little fox wot a made. Kit came from my mum’s Cross Stitcher subscription. Enjoy!
Unclean Beings
On Saturday, I was gifted with the opportunity to go and see Dr Brooke Magnanti (aka Belle du Jour – yes, that one) at the Wellcome Collection’s Unclean Beings. My wonderful Twitter pal, @DoktorG, generously left his two tickets at the desk for me – he couldn’t make it for the day, and didn’t want the tickets to go to waste. Ben and I couldn’t stay for the whole day, either, but were determined to at least see Dr Magnanti (and cash in on a free lunch).
It still boggles me, by the way, that Twitter can work like this – I have never met @DoktorG in “the real world”, and yet look at the generosity. Thanks, @DoktorG!
Dr Magnanti was there to speak about, yes you guessed it, prostitution. Her talk was entitled “Why is paid sex dirty?”, and was sadly less than an hour long. I say sadly because Dr Magnanti is such a wonderful speaker.
Dr Magnanti, having actually worked AS a hooker, didn’t bring the stuffiness and drama that usually surrounds a discussion about sex work – there was no “shock” factor and patronisation you would get in, say, a Channel 4 documentary. Dr Magnanti gave a brief history of “the oldest profession”, and offered some opinions as to why it is considered so taboo. She also voiced her own opinion about why this label of “dirty” is so unnecessary – it is, after all, a job. In many societies (different countries, different times), prostitutes earn more money, have more power and more protection, than most other women in “respectable” professions. Someone in the audience gave a statistic of something like 8c a week as a factory worker versus $9 a week as a hooker (somewhere in the Far East I think, but honestly, I have a memory like a sieve).
What followed was an excellent Q&A session, where there were some good questions (What about male prostitutes? Why is the stigma attached to women so much stronger?) and some terrible ones (Why did you choose to reveal your identity as Belle du Jour when you did? Do you regret it, or has it made you a stronger person?).
Long and short: if you get the opportunity to see Dr Magnanti speak, take it. She is not to be missed.
Finally, whilst we were at the Wellcome Collection, I took the opportunity to finally have a look at the temporary Dirt exhibition. Excitingly, I was actually featured in this gallery. Don’t believe me? OK, then I had to break the rules and take a surreptitious photo in this gallery (DO NOT DO THIS – IT’S NAUGHTY AND NOT ALLOWED). See number 12 -
Exciting stuff, right? Find out more about this exhibit (the Laid to Rest project) – I think they’re still taking dust donations, so if you want to see your name in a public gallery (eeee) then go ahead!
Moving on up, moving on out
OK, time for some cautious optimism. We are getting closer and closer to leaving London.
“What?!” I hear you cry. Oh, you didn’t know? Well, I haven’t really made a formal announcement (because it’s been so touch and go) but basically, we’re moving to Suffolk. Various reasons, but a big one being I REALLY want a garden. Some space. Outdoors.
Southwold beach, about 15mins drive from our future house
The details are sketchy (because clearly Ben has a job in London, so won’t be upping sticks entirely. Yet) but we have just received an email from the letting agent in Suffolk saying we can have the house we want. We’ve arranged a day to collect the keys in the middle of August – not as soon as I’d've hoped, but soon enough (“that’s not soon enough!”)
But moving brings with it heartache and change. I’m really bad at change. I think that’s what’s held me back in the past – fear of change. It’s kept me in stagnant relationships, it stopped me wanting to go to grammar school (I know, I know), but slowly, gently, I’m learning to let change into my life. This is a big one (all at once) as I will be moving away from everything I know – volunteering, choir, friends, my mum (ARGH that’s the hardest one). However, I like to think that this year is a bit of a break through for me become a bit more independent – I’ve got my own car, I’ll (hopefully) be getting a job soon, and my own place (it’s in my name, people! Booyah). Scary shit, right? Right. But I repeat: garden.
Also, it’s not all 100% scary – my choir master from the English Arts Chorale lives in Suffolk too (and commutes to Surrey every week for choir – mad I know) – he runs two other choirs there, so at least I have somewhere to sing. Added to that, Ben’s parents and sister live about 15-20mins drive from where we’re going to live, which makes it feel a bit safer.
Yesterday came the first “cut off” – I said goodbye to SANE and to the EAC. I’ve been a member of each organisation for 15months and 3years respectively, but it felt a lot longer (in a good way). But Suffolk is a long way away, so I had to say goodbye. It was hard, but the cake I baked made it a bit easier. I will definitely keep in touch with the folks at the EAC (I can’t get away from them – they do joint concerts with the choirs in Suffolk!!) and I will continue to spread the news of SANE’s good works. But it’s still difficult to accept that I am no longer directly involved – both groups have meant a lot to me in different ways. Both have helped me to grow.
Anyway, I’ve rambled enough (and I’m getting sad, like when I had to leave the Horniman). More news on the move as-and-when.
Oh, and as always – sorry updates have been sparse lately, but given the above (and the dissertation) I hope you’re happy to forgive and be patient.
Games: inFAMOUS
It’s not all doom and gloom, chaps. In between dissertation writing, trying to move house and get a job, I have down time. Sometimes, knitting is too much like hardwork to fill the time, and it’s at these times that I turn to the PlayStation.
Recently, Playstation Network went down for quite a long while, leaving a lot of people a bit miffed. To say sorry, Playstation gave its users two free games. There was a small selection to choose from, but Ben I decided to go with Little Big Planet (because it’s silly, cute and multiplayer) and inFAMOUS because… it looked the less lame of the rest of the bunch.
inFAMOUS has turned out to be more than just “the least lame” – it is in fact pretty addictive. You play Cole, an unwitting tool in a terrorist attack, who ends up with super-powers following a bomb blast (don’t…just don’t ask). He can suck electricity from power cables et al, and fire it out at things. Whee!
I’m not usually one for games where you have to shoot over a distance (I have terrible aim) – I prefer melee characters. But inFAMOUS is strangely intuitive. It’s a bit like a sci-fi version of GTA crossed with a bit of Prince of Persia (oh yes – you can climb amazingly well, and survive a jump off any great height). As you go through the game, you gain greater powers, including some strange electro-gliding thing, and the ability to “bio-leech”, or suck electrical energy from people’s FACES. But be warned: this will make you more evil.
Yes, inFAMOUS does the good/evil thing – you get many “karmic choices” throughout the game – do the evil thing and you become infamous, do the good thing, and you become a hero. It affects how civilians act towards you, and which missions are available to you. To make sure we can observe the entire plot, Ben is running an evil campaign, whilst I get to be miss goody-two-shoes. It’s nice to be liked.
In inFAMOUS, the city is your playground – you can go pretty much anywhere, scaling buildings, grinding along railway lines (induction grind – great fun, AND you can recharge your batteries this way). The missions are challenging, varied, but not impossible – from simple escort tasks, to races against the clock to reset satellite uplinks, to all out wars with criminal gangs. Good fun. A nice mix of real-world griminess mixed with a touch of fantasy. The cool kind.
Reach the Beach 2011
On Saturday, Ben and I had an early start. We were going to Hersham Hounds to pick up a dog for a day at the beach.
Every year, Hersham Hounds (the Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare Trust) organises a mass exodus to East Head Beach, West Wittering (near Chichester in West Sussex) – volunteers, dog owners, supporters of the trust all take greyhounds in the (quite) long journey down to the coast.
We arrived at HH’s sanctuary in Esher at about 8:30am. We were to get a big boy called Rooster.
“Is there any reason you’re only taking one dog..?”
“Um… Not really. We could take two.”
“Only his girlfriend has been crying. We didn’t think she’d want to go, but as soon as we started getting the other dogs ready to go, she was getting really upset.”
So, two dogs. Big Rooster (9 years) and his tiny, timid girlfriend, Nala (10). Rooster was really friendly, really lively, very cheeky. Nala, by contrast, quiet and just wanted to sit in the back of the car.
Rooster and Nala
Greys travel really, really well. They just sit in the back of the car, quite happy and patient. And it’s quite a trek from London to Chichester.
With on brief stop at a petrol station to get snacks, we got to the beach around 11am. There were photographers to take pictures of everyone and their dogs on the beach itself, but no sign of those yet. I’ll let you know when they’re available.
There were some activities, too. I didn’t partake, but it was fun to watch man&dog 100 yard dash (and there was an equivalent event for the ladies, too). Oh, and a Bonio&spoon race.
As greys have a penchant for running very fast (and taking a negative interest in things that move, but are not greys), it was leashes and muzzles all round. These docile lovelies don’t look like they’d hurt a fly, but things can go wrong, so we prepared for the worst: it would be terrible to damage the reputation of greyhounds.
Nala and I were happy to take a very gentle walk along the beach. Rooster wanted to run, so Ben was in charge of that. Luckily, Ben brought a change of clothes – he ended up in the sea. Brrr.
And finally, the obligatory picnic. Nala was not interested – she hopped right back into the car, and sat there for the remainder. Rooster was VERY interested indeed in our sausage rolls. He had his own punnet of cocktail sausages, but still got jealous of our food. Incorrigible.
And then, at around 2pm, it started to get a bit chilly – we’d been lucky, as the weather had held until that point. So back in the car with the dogs, and back to Esher. Nala went straight to bed, unsurprisingly. What lovely doggies.
If you fancy, you can always ask to borrow a grey for a day, to help with dog walking. HH are always grateful for volunteer dog walkers and the like. And they have LOVELY dogs. Go on – give a dog a walk. Get in touch with Hersham Hounds to find out more.
Back In The Driving Seat
Those of you following me on Twitter might have seen me “fess up” yesterday. I bought a car. Hmm.
I’ve been thinking about getting my own car for a while now – with Ben’s Capri being a classic car (and recently polished to perfection), I didn’t feel comfortable driving it (should the worst happen) plus, putting me on the insurance quadrupled the price of the premium.
But now I have my own car. It’s a little baby jeep. Huzzah!
And you’ll be pleased to hear that, even after more than 3 years without being behind the wheel, I still remember how to drive. I drove it all the way home from Basingstoke, no problem. I even ate crisps.
Food: Kennedy’s in London
London – Eating & Drinking – Fastfood & Takeaway – Fish & Chips
Kennedy’s are arguably the best fish and chip shop in Streatham. I would happily argue this until blue in the face.
Last night, I got myself some post-surgery celebration chips – with cod, onion gravy and mushy peas. You know how you have to fast before surgery, even if it’s minor? Well, by the time I got home at 8pm, I was famished. Kennedy’s made it all ok. Kennedy’s are WONDERFUL. Not only is the fish superbly white and fluffy, in a crisp, golden batter, and the chips fat and plentiful, but the service is efficient. Long live properly FAST food.
The mushy peas were nothing to write home about (not bad, but not amazing like the fish and the chips). But the onion gravy? Om nom nom.
I ended up stuffed after just half a plateful – I guess that comes from fasting all day. But leftover chips for breakfast? Thank you very much…
Check out my review of Kennedy’s – I am astridkitti – on Qype
Crafty: Firestarter Jumper
Remember this? No, not my grumpy faced boyfriend. I mean the amazing jumper he’s wearing.
Yeah, it’s finished. Well, almost. I have a ridiculous number of ends to weave in, but at least it’s now apparel rather than just assorted pieces of colourful fabric. Yay!
The Great British Summer Picnic
OK, yesterday was possibly not the loveliest, sunniest day for a picnic, but we went for it. Maybe that’s the joy of the Great British Picnic – braving the potential chills, packing a coat (just in case), having a bracing romp through some fields to work up an appetite, before breaking out the feast.
I know I checked-in at Wimbledon Park yesterday afternoon (Qype), but we changed our minds and headed on to Boxhill in Surrey. A little quieter, a little more rural.
After a stomp around the woods (and even up some gentle inclines – dear god, I need to get fit), we got our brand new picnic basket (only £20 from Dartford market) out of the car and set up next to the river Mole.
I’d made up a veritable feast, composed mainly of fresh produce from Dartford (we were there on Saturday). Ham sandwiches, in seeded rolls from the baker’s stall. We also got a big onion bhaji, a big spring roll and a samosa from said baker. The ham was off the bone at the butchers shop, which also supplied us with mini Cornish pasties and a bag of real pork scratchings.
With a bottle of red and some elderflower cordial, all it took was some hummus and carrot sticks, and we were off.
We picked a relatively quiet spot, but there were still dog walkers about. Some were pretty aloof, and I’m still surprised by the snobbishness of strangers – a smile and a “hello!” doesn’t cost a thing, people. That said, there were some friendly ones that struck up casual small talk. Everyone coveted our picnic.
Oh, and Ben found a pork scratching that looked like a prawn. Yay!
What’s your favourite thing to put in your picnic basket?
Food: Cottons
After being on my to-do list for over a year, I finally tried the Caribbean restaurant, Cottons in Camden on Friday. I went with my boyfriend Ben and our friends Angharad and Paul.
The first thing that struck me was that I could only book a table for either 5 our 9:15 pm. Weird, as neither of those are traditionally times people want to eat dinner. No matter – we would hang out in the famous rum bar until our table was free at 9:15.
Cottons’ rum bar was smaller than I had imagined and very popular, leading to a bit of a cramped cocktail experience. But as the other patrons were cheerful and the cocktails were amazing, this didn’t bother us for long.
Behind the bar is a huge wall of rum (above), and the cocktail menu uses them very creatively. I started on the hard stuff with the Killer Doppo (for types of rum, below) whilst Angharad went for Cool Runnings (cucumber heavy! Very refreshing). Paul stayed on the Red Stripe all night (you can’t win them all) and Ben unimaginatively went for a Long Island Iced Tea (not even looking at the menu!)
Us girls then tried the China Breeze (with coconut rum and lychee juice) and we soon found ourselves at our table.
Our table was a cosy little booth – the ceilings were quite low, and the while set up made us feel like we were on a boat.
Starters comprised Ben and I sharing jerk pork ribs, Angharad with some black eye bean fritters and Paul had shredded sweet chilli chicken (I think). It all disappeared quickly, and then the lads and I sopped up the remaining jerk sauce with complimentary dough bread.
Whilst we were waiting for our mains, we ordered some more drinks – Angharad went back to Cool Runnings (a good film!) while I moved on to El Draque (made with mint and tea leaves). Paul was still on the Red Stripe, and Ben asked for… a whisky. Our waiter couldn’t believe it, and (rightly) refused to serve him whisky in a rum bar! To our surprise, he soon returned with half a dozen different rums for Ben to try, adamant that he would find one akin to whisky that he would like. He did, but I’ll be damned if I can remember what it was. This super-star treatment (and this particular waiter, in fact) made our evening not good but great.
Mains came. Angharad had barely looked at the menu before homing in on curried goat with peas an’ rrrrice. Paul went for a jerk spiced lamb shank (mm, jerk) sitting on a bed of sweet potato mash and wilted spinach, and Ben and I defied convention by sharing a main – the mixed jerk meat grill. We did bulk it up with a side of dumplings and coleslaw, but sharing a main led us to feel satisfied rather than stuffed – watch out, restaurants, we might do this more often in future. Sorry.
The food at Cottons was delicious – good portion sizes, and going beyond the barbecue, into the restaurant. Rather than just a chunk of meat with a handful of rice (my experience at Stratford’s Caribbean Scene), Cottons offered really top quality cuisine, beautifully flavoured. I particularly loved the jerk belly pork. I was also intrigued by some of the more unusual menu options, such as jerk venison. Maybe next time.
Cottons was clean, with a friendly atmosphere. The waiter service was friendly and, as I mentioned above, very helpful in guiding our choices. My only criticism would be the unusual table booking times (which led us to get home at beyond midnight – not ideal, considering we only had a meal out, not a night on the lash). Whilst I had originally considered the premises “cramped”, given the atmosphere, I would now changed that evaluation to “cosy”. Definitely recommended, even if you forego the meal – the cocktails were amazing!
Qype: Latchmere Motor Spares in London
London – Transportation – Cars & Bikes – Parts & Accessories
My partner Ben has been going to Latchmere Motors since before he could drive – as a kid, he’d go along with his dad, to pick up all the bits he needed for his cab.
When Ben got his own car, he stayed loyal to the two brothers that run Latchmere Motor Spares. And why not? Reasonably priced, if they haven’t got it they’ll GET it, they’re a vast wealth of knowledge, very helpful and good fun to chat to. Oh, and they have a shop’s cat – an 18 year old mog called Ratbag. She is lovely, and playful like a kitten.
But no more – Latchmere Motors have been driven off the market by the big boys such as Halfords. There is no room in the modern world for the small independent specialist shop. They’ve had to close down, and we are devastated. I hope the lads from Latchmere have a nice retirement – they deserve it. They will be sorely missed.
Oh, I took them some cake to say bye. That’s how much they meant to us. You don’t get that with Halfords.
Check out my review of Latchmere Motor Spares – I am astridkitti – on Qype
Food: Empress of Sichaun
On Sunday, after the wonderful Damnation of Faust (it was about 3 hours – 3-6pm) we wandered down to London’s vibrant Chinatown (I don’t usually use the word “vibrant”, but Chinatown deserves it).
We did some pre-dinner window-shopping, then looked for a restaurant. We had nothing specific in mind, just that we wanted something good.
We ended up outside the door of the Empress of Sichaun, and quickly decided we wanted in. They had chilli peppercorn squid – that was enough for us (also, they did that hotpot I was talking about, but we weren’t in the mood for that).
I was on menu choosing duty – so, a bottle of red (a Rioja), and some cold starters. I went for “Bang Bang Chicken” (which was like a cold chicken satay – a LOT nicer than it sounds) and thinly sliced pork in garlic and chilli sauce. Both were excellent – I could smell the garlic before it even arrived at the table. My only criticism was that there were some bits of gristle in the chicken, which were a bit gross. Nevermind.
Oh, and I was so ravenous that I forgot to take a photo of those. Oops. On to mains!
Our waitress asked if we wanted a short break before commencing mains, and I chose to take her up on that. We had ordered quite a few dishes.
I went for the chilli peppercorn squid (of course! Always a winner), as well as double cooked pork belly slices in garlic and chilli (garlic much? Oh well – cleans the blood and all that). We also had some broccoli steamed with garlic (seriously) and some steamed rice.
Ben struggles with chopsticks.
All dishes involved were amazing – the squid, as always, stole the show. I want to know how to cook squid like that – it’s so MEATY. The pork belly slices were like the starter, in that they were cut incredibly thin, giving a bacon-like mouthfeel. No bad thing. Tonnes of garlic on the broccoli, and everything was the right level of spicy. Very clean flavours, beautifully presented, generous portion sizes.
We ate everything, except a couple of broccoli florets and a handful of rice (there is always too much rice).
Then, straining, we were presented with some deep-fried pumpkin cakes, arranged in a stack, with a candle on top. After a rousing round of “Happy Birthday” (adorable), we managed one of the scotch-pancake sized treats each, and took the other three home. I think Ben got a photo on his phone, so I’ll upload that later on.
EDIT: here you go!
I popped a hefty tip on the bill. The Empress of Sichaun comes with huge recommendations. Get ye to Chinatown.
The Empress of Sichaun is at 6 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BG, in London’s Chinatown.
tel: 020 7734 8128
Two courses, with wine and followed by Chinese tea (and we certainly didn’t go hungry), about £40 a head
Tell them I sent you.
The Damnation of Faust
Yesterday, I turned 23. I won’t dwell on my troubles accepting the passage on time, but instead dive right in with the festivities.
Last year, Ben and I were thinking about going to the opera. Ben had never been to the opera before, and I wanted to treat him to a really good production. So, a browse around revealed that Terry Gilliam would be directing a production of Berlioz’s fantastic ”The Damnation of Faust” in May 2011. OK, not strictly an opera, but I performed it a few years back (playing bass in an informal music camp production (in a barn. Ask, if you’re curious), with the wonderful (Sussex based!) Neil Jenkins singing Dr Faust) and fell deeply in love with it. Oh, and Terry Gilliam is awesome, so extra bonus.
I booked my tickets as soon as they went on sale. I was on hold a mighty long time on the morning of November the first, but I didn’t care – I was determined to get good tickets for the matinee on my birthday.
B-Day (as opposed to D-Day) came around mighty fast, and yesterday afternoon found us lurking around the London Coliseum in anticipation. Soon, we were sat with a great view from the stalls (row J, which is close enough to actually see facial expressions, but not so close as to strain your neck).
It. Was. Amazing. From the brief spoken opener from Mephisto, through Faust’s heart-wrenching soliloquies (get an idea of how beautiful the music is from the first scene), the comedy songs, Faust’s descent into hell, and Marguerite’s requiem to close.
Like most ENO productions, it was in English (as opposed to the original French) – but there were sur-titles anyway, just in case you couldn’t make out the words. Personally, I had no trouble hearing, as all of the cast had beautiful voices and clear annunciation.
The scenery was out of this world, and I think there was more than a nod to to this famous painting (The Wanderer Above the Mists, Caspar David Friedrich) in terms of the scope of the opening scene, and Faust’s mad hair (although Berlioz himself was known for his flamboyant ginger locks) -
The running Nazi-metaphor was a good choice in my opinion – without it, we could have been left with some slap-stick demon story, but instead, comparisons drawn with WWII gave us something a lot darker, and far more Real.
And a special mention MUST go to Christopher Purves, singing the part of Mephisto. He had such an easy sounding voice, and was the archetypal cool, smooth demon. He was lurking around the stage whilst the human characters got about their business, and had so many costume changes (so smoothly executed) that I couldn’t keep track. The devil is everywhere: keep your eyes peeled.
Photo from The Guardian website
DEFINITELY worth seeing, should you get the chance. There are only 8 performances left, so you’d better get a move on. Tickets are going from £21 each, available via the ENO website.
Incidentally, if you are a student, or under 30 years old, DO apply for Access All Arias. It’s free, and you get top-notch tickets for cut prices. Made my birthday a bit cheaper, and meant that I could treat myself to two restaurant meals in one day. More about that tomorrow. Cheerio!
Games: MotorStorm Apocalypse
Ben would like to say: he whooped my ass at this. It’s true. He did. Painfully.
It probably doesn’t help that I am awful to racing games. Fun though.
MS:A sees a loose plot around petrol-heads making a racetrack out of a collapsing city (suffering earthquakes and the like – I know, poor taste, but unfortunate timing is not their fault, really). There’s the usual storyline game to play through, and then a whole bunch of freeplay stuff (including multiplayer options – yay!)
I enjoyed watching Ben play through MS:A. Like other MS games, it was hugely visually appealing, and the cut scenes were amusing (in a moving-comic books style which was unusual and worked well). Oh, and the character Tyler was hot stuff (you know, until he started talking. That’s him, above. Brum brum!)
As far as gameplay is concerned, it’s much the same as MotorStorm: Pacific Rift – the same sorts of vehicles which handle in the same sort of way (yay for the Mudplugger and Monster Truck – big cars that don’t go terribly fast but are also fairly hard to total). A good selection of different race types – eliminators are a good challenge, because if you fall behind, you explode.
However, I wasn’t too fond of the tracks – there’s a lot of floating debris, a lot of things to fall off (seems to be happening a LOT with the games I’ve played recently) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I much preferred playing in the jungle of MS:PR – less things falling from collapsing buildings. There’s a lot of jumping from roof top to rooftop, and the track can even change between laps due to earthquake related damage (buildings falling over, roads sinking, etc.) – it’s great fun to watch someone who knows how it’s done, but maddening if you suck.
Definitely worth a go if you like your racing games. Not worth a go if you suck at racing games like I do – the extent to which your car explodes will just become frustrating.
I Want Never Gets: Amber Cube Necklace
Since going out with Ben, I’ve developed a love of amber. He has family in Suffolk, and in Suffolk they have a lot of amber.
Amber is like little chunks of solidified sunshine. Well, that’s not entirely true – amber comes in a lot of different colours, including the familiar Jurassic Park orangey yellow, but also green, gold, red…
The Natural History Museum has had this necklace for sale for quite a while now, and every time I visit their museum shop, I covet it. The little cubes are beautiful, and they different colours show off amber to their full effect. Shame about the £100 price tag, but really, it deserves it -
Broadstairs
Ben and I had marvellous designs to escape London before the royal wedding. We’re not big on royalty or crowds or any of that, so we thought we’d run away to the coast. There is a cave at Broadstairs that Ben has wanted to sleep in for years, and now seemed as good a time as any.
We left London at 6:50 yesterday morning. We got to Margate around 9. It was frigging freezing. We stopped at Angela’s Cafe (no customer toilets? Hmm.) by the seafront for some breakfast, then made our way to the supermarket for supplies. We decided to buy some burgers to cook on the little camping stove for dinner, as well as getting a lot of biscuits and so forth.
We then headed on the Joss Bay. It was super cold, so on went the winter coats (cry – I thought I was done with mine until October).
We went for a wander down the beach – aside from us, the only brave souls out and about were dog walkers. There were some insane surfers at about 9pm that night, but little during the day.
A walk up to the intended cave showed us a not so promising start: the chalk roof over the entrance had caved in, leaving a massive pile of rubble and a foreboding sign. Of course, Ben pays signs no heed…
And after a hell of a lot of convincing, I am helped up to the cave, too (good photo opportunity). It was clear we weren’t the only ones that ignore notices – there were signs that someone had recently been up there for a drink and a little campfire.
We weren’t so insane as to hop into the sea at this point – the wind was quite something, and it was overcast. Instead, we thought we’d head back to Margate for a dander. A bit of shopping (including Primark – it just seemed right, in Margate), and then the all-important fish and chips at Beano’s (we were by the sea, afterall). Well, I say fish and chips. I had scampi and chips (with gravy, om nom) whilst Ben had chips and a battered sausage.
Then (because outside London, shops SHUT at unreasonably early times) we wandered down the seafront to look at the old amusement arcades (Ben loves arcades – yay for arcade games!). We shot a few things (House of the Dead 2 is good fun) and had a laugh at the lameness of the prizes available.
After this, we drove back to Joss Bay. And it started raining. And it was still cold. And we wussed out. Fine, there, you win. It was just too bloody miserable for sleeping on the beach, even in a cave (which gets tide-locked). And London (and home) was just too temptingly close. So here we are, in London, on D-day.
I have so far managed to not watch any Royal Wedding stuff on the telly (I really have no interest – I bear the lovely couple no ill will, but they are just people… I don’t know them or anything). In fact, I stayed in bed until about 10 – yay for Bank Holiday Friday.
We’re still thinking about driving out to the country side this afternoon to make those burgers.
Food: Oishiii
Yesterday, I told Ben that I fancied some Japanese nosh. I thought we’d just wander down the road to our local (Oishii) but instead he took me for a mystery motorbike ride around the city.
We swung by Westminster to have a gander (and a laugh) at all the folks that had set up there, then turned north. We ended up in Stoke Newington, where Ben had found another Japanese restaurant called Oishiii (note the extra “i” – madness!) which turned out to be a mighty good find.
Whilst munching complimentary wasabi peas (yay!) we got in our drinks. Ben wanted to try a shot if barley shochu (which is not unpleasant, but doesn’t really taste of anything) and I had one of Japan’s finest mainstream beers, Kirin Ichiban.
Ben is not that hot on Japanese food – he’s a bit of a novice with chopsticks and he hates seafood (except squid). As such, he set me the task of ordering the food.
I chose myself a small selection of sushi as a starter (what is it that’s so nommy about sushi? I can’t get enough…)
And for Ben,i ordered tempura squid.
Both starters were delicious, and of course, we shared a bit I’d each other’s. Don’t worry – a couple of my sushi rolls were fish free, so not an issue for fish phobic Ben.
Next up, mains. I treated Ben to a fish of rice topped with deep fried chicken steak and set in an omelette (chicken katsudon).
I had a prawn and chicken number, also sitting on a bed of rice (ankake donburi).
Both dishes were delicious, in enough sauce whilst not being sloppy. Not too salty either, which I think a lot of Far Eastern food suffers from. The rice was lovely, sticky, fat short-grain sushi rice (and watching Ben try to eat rice with chopsticks is an event that should charge an entry fee. Slowed down his eating though, which can’t be bad).
At under £25 a head for two courses, this place comes highly recommended – the food was delicious, the service polite (if a little slow) and the restaurant unpretentious. I want to go again!
You can find Oishiii on Stoke Newington’s Church Street.
Crafty: Foxy Cross-stitch
Tadaa! Here’s one from the stitch and craft show. Made from a pattern, but I adapted some of the colours. Cute, no?
Day of Rest
Today, as I sit cross stitching in the sun, Ben takes a break from sleeping and eating donuts (I love you Benny!) and sorts out the garage a bit.
I hope you’re enjoying this fine weather see you tomorrow!
