Unravelled

Moving out!

2010-09-20T15:56:00.002+01:00

Hi guys - sorry to say, but this blog has now moved!
You can now find me at:
http://unravelcat.wordpress.com/

Sorry Blogger, it's been fun, but there were just too many little niggles that annoyed me :(

The art of scientific enquiry

2010-09-18T20:54:00.003+01:00

Another busy day yesterday! My friend from my degree course, Lavinia (referred to from henceforth as Vin) came down to London to have a lovely, cultured day with me at the Natural History Museum. I could not believe that she had never visited this particular museum before - I have been going since before I was born.

She felt a little bit guilty when I told her how often I came to NHM - was I not going to be bored coming again? But no - anyone who has ever been there can confirm, you can never see enough of it. The building itself is a whole day out - it is stunning to look at, the scale of it, the "gargoyles", everything.

One thing was certain: she wanted to see the dinosaurs. Now, I'm not particularly fussed by dinosaurs, but seeing dino skeletons in full size is something else. I particularly like Iguanadon's hands.

After having a really good look around, we made the obligatory stop by the dino gift shop! And played with all the cuddly toys... heh.

But I did bite the bullet, and finally bought... Dino cookie cutters!!

By now, it was about 12:30, and I was starting to get peckish. But Vin is on some mad liquid diet at the moment (she does not need to be - she is gorgeous) so she was steering clear of a big lunch. However, I knew from experience that the NHM's restaurant is wonderful - it is big and clean and well decorated. It is run by Benugo and therefore a bit pricey, but good quality. Vin did decide to take on a small portion of solids in the form of a chicken Caesar salad and a bottle of water, whilst I went for their Cumberland sausages and garlic mash, watered down with St Helier's pear cider.

There were three sausages, but despite this, the meal was not very filling - delicious, but as I have felt before, too small. The mash was very smooth, and the gravy flavoursome, but the sausages were mediocre. There were no greens, so it felt a bit unbalanced.

Vin decided to not even finish her modest meal, so of course I needed to try it - the croutons were gorgeous (large, and "rusticly" cut), the salad itself crisp and a good size, the chicken well cooked and not dry, and the dressing was lovely and salty (made with anchovies). It also had parmesan shavings, which topped it off nicely. A much more satisfying dish: better balanced, and not disappointing, considering what you expect from a chicken salad.

Onwards we went, to see the animals. We decided to stay mostly in the Green and Blue zones of the museum, as both of us are more into animals than minerals. So we perused the birds (we both share an unusual love of vultures!), then I introduced Vin to the famous blue whale. Vin did not agree with me that the polar bear looked cuddly. Pangolin was one of the coolest animals all day, in my opinion.

From here, we had another pit stop, at the museum's cafe. Vin had some more water (tsk) whilst I went for a soft drink and a slab of chocolate fudge cake (I wasn't doing it deliberately, to taunt her, honestly).

Last point of business: The Darwin Centre. It's been there about a year now, and I've only visited it once. It's a fantastic, modern "cocoon" building, which introduces the layman to scientific enquiry, methods of categorisation and basic qualitative research methods. There are masses of interactive technologies to play with, from the Nature Plus system, to "drag and drop" style touch screen projections. There is also an Attenborough Studio (showings through the day of fascinating nature videos and live talks by scientists), the Spirit Collection (hurrah! Things in jars!) and the Centre for UK Biodiversity. There is far to much to see in just one day. I could go back tomorrow and fill an entire visit with completely different things.

We browsed the main gift shop for a bit, and then the museum was set to close, so we sat down on the benches outside for a while, chatted, and people-watched. A day well spent.

If you're thinking about visiting the Natural History Museum yourself, why not go to their Science Uncovered event? This is set to be a huge after hours event, with talks, behind the scenes, tours and bars involved. I won't be there the entire evening, unfortunately, because I intend to go to a talk at the Royal Institution on the same night. But I do intend to go to some of it, so maybe I'll see you there ;)

Painting the town

2010-09-17T21:37:00.000+01:00

Haha! I have the results of Saturday's Smarty Paints madness for your perusal.

Yesterday, I had a busy day. A lot of it consisted of public transport, walking, and confusion (and not just on my part).
My day started with a Capri-related errand. Now, some of you know that we have a Ford Capri - Ben has ALWAYS had Capris. He has been through 13 of them in his lifetime so far. There was a point earlier this year when he owned three at once. Now we just have a black Mk1 and a big red monster with a v8 engine (which has been sat on his parents' drive for YEARS. His mum is getting piiiissed...)

Benny's bitches

Anyway. The black car needed fixing. Something or other was wrong with starter motor thingy, something to do with teeth and...whatever, I don't get cars. Ben took the car to Waddon (Croydon) to have it fixed. He took the train home. And then... He started his new job. When will he pick the car up? He's at work whilst they're open! OK, I can go and pick up the keys, bring them home, then we can go and pick up the car outside of their opening hours.

So, yesterday, I left that house at 10am, got to Waddon around 10:40, walked to A&A Auto-electricals (11am) and said, "hello! I'm here to pay you and collect the Capri keys". Oh, but it's still in the workshop. And besides, the industrial estate is locked at night. Um... Can we leave it parked on a residential road? Fair enough. A bit of faffing (and money) later, I take the keys and leave the shop around midday.

I walk back to Waddon station (and resist Wing Yip - tricky), and hop on a train to Balham (12:30). I get to Balham around 1pm, and walk up to Smarty Paints - I don't get TOO lost, but meander a bit. When I get there, the place is empty, but the lady very very nice :)

She presents me with my WONDROUS creations :) How pleased am I? Very, to say the least.

Kitty piggy bank!

Ben's mug - kitty kisses

Ratty handle

Insane smiley

Yin Yang rats

Needless to say, we're happy as pigs in muck. Ben has taken his mug to his new workplace to use there, and the Cheshire piggy bank is for all our pound coins, and once a month we will use the money to drink ourselves silly (or we'll continuously forgot to take out the money, and we'll end up RICH. A girl can dream)

So there we are. I ended up finally getting back home at around 2:30. And then, at 5, I left to meet Ben at his work, and we hopped on a train to go right back to Waddon...

Anyone want to go paint pottery..?

Loss is nothing else but change...

2010-09-15T22:37:00.001+01:00

...and change is Nature's delight.

Thanks to Marcus Aurelius for putting it so succinctly.

Why so reflective? Well, today was my last official day as a staff member at the Horniman Museum (voluntary or otherwise - my duties have been varied!)
I first started at the museum back in June 2009, totalling my time there at a year and three months. I started out as a frightened volunteer, answering questions and guiding people around the museum. I learnt a lot about bees, and defended the fox in the Nature Base from over-enthusiastic children.

The Horniman's distinctive clocktower

I quickly made myself known to various staff members - mainly the Learning teams and the Visitor Assistants. I soon found my duties expanding, as I volunteered my services around to different departments. I was at a Cafe Scientifique balloon debate, a family Play Day, I received Disabilities & Diversity training...

The Natural History Gallery, with the famous walrus

My eagerness to help "behind the scenes" got me a short stint (2-3 weeks) helping to kick start the audit of the Hands On Base, and the Learning team made further use of my organisational skills by letting me help with school bookings administration.

Frederick Horniman's beautiful conservatory

After chumming-up with a fellow volunteer (who was involved with the marketing team), I was paid to help steward the museum's annual "Fusion Fest", a cultural event in the Horniman's 16 acre gardens. After this, I got to know everyone in the marketing team better, leading to my temporary and ad hoc paid employment doing market research (they have asked me back on more than one occasion to help with projects). Last week, they even asked me to help out at a high profile fund-raising event, which was wonderful.

Just to prove that I was there...

But, nothing is forever. I should really be excited, as my reasons for leaving are concerned with personal growth: I start my Psychology MSc next week (I may have mentioned this before, as I am starting to stress out, rather...) and that will take up the lion's share of my time. But in addition to my studies, I am an enthusiastic volunteer at SANE (a London based mental health charity, who do wonderful work) and a committed member of the English Arts Chorale (who make my life difficult by being based in Reigate, Surrey). And obviously, there are the day to day runnings of things, and the one-off events that come up from time to time (like playing the double bass - it's been a while!). I'm also considering taking up another volunteer position to further my CV, possibly at The Stroke Association or the Royal Hospital For Neurodisability.

And did I mention that I (would like to) have a social life?

So, something had to give, and I made the difficult decision of pulling away from the beautiful Horniman. Whilst I have vowed that I will return as a visitor, and I have told various departments that, free time permitting, I would be happy to help out at events, I can no longer commit to regular volunteering.

It has been a really wonderful experience (with its ups and downs, and a lot to be learned!), and I will miss it, a lot.

Assembling my words into comprehensible sequences

2010-09-14T22:55:00.001+01:00

I am terribly guilty of going through bursts of things. I was reminded of this phenomenon by the wonderful Hyperbole and a Half, brought to my attention by my friend Louise. I immediately forwarded that particular comic to Ben. He needed to see it.
You see, like Allie Brosh, Ben and I both suffer from different forms of this disease: we convince ourselves that Today will be the new day, the new start. We spend a long time building up to The Day, preparing for it. We buy all the necessary supplies. We rearrange the flat to accommodate it. And then, after an initial burst of enthusiasm, everything else gets in the way and we return to our normal, lazy rhythms.

Take for example, Ben starting his new job yesterday - he bought an Oyster travel card and everything, wore his suit, I made him a packed lunch, he commuted, and everything. Then I made the mistake of mentioning to his sister how grown up and "normal" he was being, and how proud I was of him.
"It won't last."
"Well, he's been waiting for a fresh start for a long time..." I defend
"Yes, but he does have a bit of a track record"
And he does. And so do I. But I still think it's a bit unfair to call it before it's over. To be fair, already today he had said the novelty of the commute had worn off... Oops.
We'll see - I have complete faith in him, and whilst I think the initial rush will dip down, I think he's got his sights set on the bigger picture, and the Bright Future. We will just have to wait and see.

As for me, I start my MSc at UEL soon, and whilst Stratford is not exactly the promised land, it does symbolise the start of my career development. Finishing the MSc will just a small part of the battle towards Neuropsychology-dom - a doctorate awaits, if I can get a place on it.

UEL Stratford Campus

As quite a lot hinges on my doing well at this course, I have been reading a lot, preparing a lot, imagining myself as being the model student. I have (mostly) everything prepared, and I plan to buddy up with Ashok Jansari as much as possible in an effort to woo him into being my dissertation supervisor (that is, if I can overcome my utter fear of people, especially intelligent ones. Oh, and if I can decide on a topic).

Anyway, trying to do a lot at once (volunteering, studying, finishing the last module on the London Met certificate course (PY1026C, research methods), choir, etc.) causes me to overheat and die. Being a fairly anxious person, and it getting towards autumn now, I suffer a slightly suppressed immune system in this sort of set-up. And then working at the museum, having to talk to the filthy public... well, it leads to this:

Yes, that is Hello Kitty

That's right folks - flu and fatigue. I'm amazed I didn't pass it on to anyone (that I know of) because, instead of take time for R&R, I dosed myself up on medication and pushed on through it. I know, what a martyr. But you know the saying - live now, sleep when your...well, when it's the weekend. I was crashed out most of Sunday, but here I am again! Ready to give it another go :)

I feel like I've been writing (well, typing) an awful, awful lot lately. I've successfully managed to maintain a Twitter-profile for the past month or so (a personal record), I've been assembling lab reports and other essay paraphernalia for college, writing (albeit short) book reviews, jotting up ideas for guest posts for Edible Glitter and look, I'm even posting on my own blog for the third time in less than a week! So let's hope this time I can sustain the enthusiasm.

Adventures close to home

2010-09-13T15:03:00.002+01:00

I went out on Saturday. I was sociable, and everything.

My afternoon/evening out was a "double date" (for want of a better term) with Ben, my new friend Angharad (of Edible Glitter fame) and her other half, Paul. We took ourselves off to Balham, a trendy part of SW London.

I can state, first and foremost, that we had an absolutely fantastic time. I may or may not have had one too many cocktails, and was spouting absolutely crap in terms of food reviewing by the end of the evening, but I'm fairly sure we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Meeting up just before 4 o'clock, Angharad lead the way up the road to Smarty Paints, a Do-It-Yourself type pottery painting studio. She has been there once before (quite recently!) and enjoyed so much that I think she used us as an excuse to go back there again ;)

Smarty Paints, Wandsworth

Ben and I are ourselves no strangers to the pottery painting game, incidentally. We have been a few times before to a studio in Berwick-upon-Tweed called Pot-A-Doodle-Do, but this was our first venture in London (and without the premise of supervising young relatives!)

The set up of the studio was much what I was expecting - several tables, with paints laid out and paintbrushes abounds. The idea was: you select your "raw" unglazed pot/figure of choice, paint it up with the paints provided, and in a week's time you could collect your finished, glazed piece! I picked out a big fat pussy cat "piggy bank", whilst Ben took a big mug, Angharad a little oil jug and Paul managed to get his mits on the biggest bowl he could find.

We took a good two hours painting our pieces (although I'm sure we would have stayed longer if we could - the lady had to keep reminding us that they had to close the shop soon!) So - how did our pieces turn out? Well, you (and I) will have to wait and see - they will be ready by Thursday, and even then I may well hold fire on sharing photos until Angharad is back from her holiday.

Comments on the shop itself: the table we were sat at was a little limited in space. I sat in the corner (as is my wont) but was firmly wedged in there as the table was very close into the corner. Also, unlike our experience in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Smarty Paints charge a "studio fee" of £6 per person, on top of the price of your piece. This I suppose I can forgive them, as everything is more expensive in London, and they have to make money SOMEhow. Finally, and I find this with all art&craft activities and studios, there was simply not a wide enough range of brushes. Either they were too big, or were small and had been hammered to death by someone's small child. I keep reminding myself I have to bring my own brushes to these sorts of things (because I am a mad perfectionist) but always, always forget.

But on the whole, a hugely enjoyable experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, but didn't pester - they knew we were loopy, and just let us get on with our "thing".

Next, we pottered down back towards Balham station, and chose The Exhibit bar to kill time (and brain cells) drinking cocktails until dinner.

The Exhibit, Balham

As luck would have it, we arrived right in the middle of their happy hour(s) (5-8pm), and so choice cocktails were 2for1. We started off with our favourites though (i.e. full price) - I had my old favourite, a Mojito (made "Extra Old" by using Mount Gay XO), Ben went for a twist on his usual by trying a Long Island Spiced Tea (which got its name simply by using Sailor Jerry), Angharad tried out an Elderflower Margarita and Paul had his old faithful, beer (a Tiger).

Twenty minutes before our dinner reservation, we deliberated over whether or not we had time for another round. It was agreed that we did, but for some reason we thought it would be a good idea to make the best of "Happy Hour" and get two Exhibit Smashes (gin, elderflower, apple & mint) EACH. Personally, I stuck both straws in my mouth at once and hoped I wouldn't embarrass anyone at the restaurant.

To Lamberts, where Mayfair-quality food, without the pretence, awaits!

Lamberts, Balham

I have been to Lamberts once before. I remember it being a fantastic meal. I have been dying to go back there ever since. Taking Angharad (and her restaurant-reviewing blogger self) seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Lamberts is a cosy little place - right next to Balham station, it is ideally located, as it is easily accessible in high-heels (if you are having a super posh dinner date, which we weren't), and you can get as drunk as a skunk and still get home in one piece, with no trouble (which we did).

Slightly unsteady for having two cocktails at once, we were shown to our table. We took an age just deciding on drinks, because we were so overwhelmed by the delicious sounding menu options. Finally, Paul took the bull by the horns and ordered us each a champagne cocktail, and a bottle of their Saint Chinian 2005 (to share!!) The waiter staff were very attentive and spotted every time we finished a bottle of water throughout the evening, promptly replacing it.

Eventually, we managed to decide on what we wanted to order, and vowed to share a taste of each dish.

For starters, I predicted correctly that Ben would home in on the Cornish squid, served with black pudding, confit tomato and dill oatcakes. I chose roasted Jerusalem artichoke soup, topped with rabbit ravioli and thyme oil. Angharad chose the potted ham hock and peas, with grilled spelt bread (which would have been my alternative choice), and Paul went for the partridge Wellington, plum purée and spiced jus. The latter, we were warned, would take an extra ten minutes to prepare, but it was all beautifully timed and all starters arrived within moments of each other.

For our mains, I could do nothing but chose the duck: if duck is on the menu, it is MY duck. Here, it was glazed Telmara farmed duck breast, presse of leg, smoked garlic mash, baby gem, peas and bacon. Ben went for the rare breed beef (which was Galloway) from the chargrill, chips, portobello mushroom and peppercorn sauce, and he had a side of baby gem, peas and bacon as an extra. Angharad went for the game of the day, which was saddle of deer, and came served with a potato rosti, and finally Paul chose the herb crusted saddle of Blackface lamb, garlic & thyme potato terrine with caramelised pearl onions.

We all tried all of the courses (except Angharad wouldn't touch Ben's starter with a bargepole, for fear of tentacles) and agreed it was the best meal we have had in a long time. I know that once Angharad gets back from her travels she intends to review the food on her blog, and so I will post a link to that once it's up.

Finally, what is a fine-dining experience without the gluttony of pudding that none of us really need or have space for? Exactly.

Angharad has the elderflower & creme fraiche tart, strawberry sherbert and Secrett's farm strawberries, and I said "yes!" to the Amedei Toscana chocolate mousse, malt ice cream and shortbread. Ben was content with a piece of shortbread to accompany his whisky (a Benromach Peat Smoke from Speyside) and Paul and I split a decanter of port (although by this point I was thoroughly plastered and ready for sleep - it was a Quinta do Tedo, LBV, 2002). Oh Lamberts, I WILL be back.

We paid our bill. Ben ate three of the four complimentary truffles that came with it. We piled into a taxi and headed home, vowing to explore our local area more in future.

Remember me?

2010-09-10T23:17:00.001+01:00

I'll be honest: I do occasionally remember I have a blog, and think "Oh, I should really post something" but somehow, everything else is far more important. Even sitting on the sofa, vegging at the TV.

But I have had a busy week! Not only have I been grappling with London Met's PY1026C module (Research Methods 1), but I have managed to struggle through the entire thing with some awful cold/tummy bug. Hurrah.

I didn't manage to finish my final lab report today, but as that's only due by Wednesday, I'm not stressing overly.

But it was surprisingly enjoyable - our lecturer (one Giovanni Moneta) was hugely entertaining, and actually made basic statistical analysis a joy to learn. Whilst I am still a bit miffed about the set up at London Met, I am glad I attended the course, if just to hear him use boxing as an analysis for psychological research:
"I'm a good boy - I train every day"
"Who gives a shit? Punch him out!!"

Other things I have been enjoying lately include German pastries (holy crap, that website hits you like an 18-wheeler), watching Ben get scared and helping out at the Horniman Museum's fund-raising event:

The Horniman Conservatory

This involved me lurking around the Gardens of the Horniman, holding a clipboard and chatting to about 100 perfectly fabulous middle-class benefactors. I had a great time, learnt a lot about the Gardens' redevelopment plans, and was even given delicious canapés, prepared by the wonderful Suzanne James and her team.

Finally, I would like to share with you my most recent and most favourite clothing purchase:

That's right: it's a jumper with a "fox stole" design. I adore this. I saw it in Time Out two weeks ago and had to have it.

At £38, it is not something I would usually buy (what with having no money...) but it was too good to be true. It's a silver fox, people! I was so pleased when I finally got hold of it from Debenhams (I went in twice to find they didn't have it in my size until a shop assistant offered to have it delivered free to my flat), that I wore it two days in a row. I even had a compliment from the wonderful Miranda Richardson (a story which I have told to death now - let's just accept that I met her).

However, upon first washing - and I was VERY careful to follow the label's instructions to the letter - PART of it shrank. Not all of it - just part. Now, as it is 1% Angora (the white parts of the fox are slightly fluffy) I would imagine that if anything shrank, it would be these parts. However, only the head end shrank, not the tail. Bizarre.

But yesterday I went back to Debenhams at Clapham Junction, and they replaced it, no quibbles. They even refunded me £7.60 as said jumper is currently on sale :)

I will be washing the fox by hand from now on. It is simply too wonderful to risk!

Testing, testing...

2010-06-28T23:23:00.002+01:00

Is this thing even on?

Yes, I'm still alive :)

Having just finished writing a guest post for my new friend Angharad's fashion and lifestyle blog Edible Glitter (the post has now gone live!), I realised how awful I am at blogging regularly. Or keeping any sort of schedule. I mean, my last post was nearly a month ago, and that was just to announce the death of my nan (I say "just" - it was a very big thing. I am not over it at all).

So here I am again, like an unfaithful partner to the blogosphere, apologising again, hoping you'll take me back, promising I'll stay faithful this time, but we both know that I'll stray again, soon enough. But we love each other so much, you can't stay mad at me, right...?

Well, I finished my exams, hurrah me :) This was followed shortly after by my nan passing away, which, whilst not a shock (she had a stroke 6 years ago and had been dwindling since) was still a shock. I am now entirely grandparentless, which is a bizarre feeling. Going to the funeral (in Cheltenham, where she lived) drilled home how very small my family is - I have one aunt who never married, and one uncle whose wife sadly cannot have children. So that is us. Mum, dad, aunt, uncle, me, two brothers... No cousins. Now no grandparents. Once again I was left contemplating the frailty of human existence.
She was an authoritarian and fiercely independent woman. Now she is dust. Today, my brain is buzzing with a thousand questions, which sometimes is overwhelming - maybe I should be grateful, rather than wishing my mind could be silent. One day, there will be no brain to buzz.

I should be spending my "holiday" taking it easy, pursuing enjoyable activities. Instead, I am melting in the heat and life has just become incredibly stressful and unpredictable. I am not in a particularly good place at the moment.

And just on a night when I thought I might stay up until the wee hours drawing to get it out of my system, I can hear Mr Fox's sister parking up outside, as she is staying here for the next couple of nights.

Oh well; to bed, perchance to fitfully sleep.

FFS, will everything stop dying please?

2010-05-30T00:15:00.000+01:00

Well, I was going to do a long catch up blog post, to celebrate my exam-over-ness.
And then my nan died today.

Can everything please stop dying, so we can get on with things?

Back on the old warhorse!

2010-05-04T14:56:00.000+01:00

Right. We're almost back to 100% functionality.

HELLO! I'm back from holidays :) Sorry it took so long to getting around to writing this up (it's been quite a few weeks since we got back...) but things have been rather busy.
As you can see from previous post, it could have gone a little smoother, but unfortunately, That's Life. I'm not going to go off an a philosophical rant, because I don't think I have the emotional stamina (not today, maybe later), but instead focus on the good that came of the holiday.

Northumberland. It is gorgeous.

I swear, I enjoy it more every time. It's a bit tricky organising Jane's kids, but then they are young, and quite, quite mad.
It sounds cruel, but much as I enjoy hanging out with them, I hope in August when we go again, we do more Kitten+Fox stuff on our own - when we go out and about with the kids, it's fun, but we stay in quite a fixed 20 mile radius around the cottage, and often do the same sort of activities in the week. I'm still waiting to go cycling, kayaking, walk Hadrian's Wall, see Kielder observatory, etc...

Must come up with a more focussed itinerary for summer. Then we should be ok :)

I am fairly certain I want to move up here within the next decade or so. I feel very... well. I feel at ease away from London. Maybe it's being away from people? I do like my creature comforts though (I got myself into a real tizz when I was thwarted TWICE in the week in my efforts to have a decent bath), but I think I could put up with a little lack if it meant I didn't have to deal with twats on the tube every day of the week.

I love London. Really, I do. I know we have our differences, but that's what love boils down to in a way.
In London, I have access to culture and knowledge. Everything is on my doorstep here, and most of it is free. I could do something different every day of the week, and hardly break the bank. Just this Tuesday, Vin (an old uni mate) and I braved the National Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the National Portrait Gallery AND the British Library, all in one afternoon. Granted, we barely scratched the surface of each institution, but it was fantastic.

But in London... There is a lack of privacy. There is a lack of the sweet sense of solitude. In Northumberland, even in their bigger towns, it is quiet, and people smile at you. And nearly every town has it's own ruined castle. Brilliant. Unfortunately, there is next to no industry, so unless you're involved with tourism, run an internet business, or are filthy rich already, it's difficult to forge a living there.

And now, the photos!

Humdidum...

2010-05-01T21:48:00.000+01:00

Hello blogworld. Just to let you know that I HAVEN'T forgotten about you and I DO still care. Blog post about Northumberland is still in draft format, so you shall have to make do with THIS meme in the interim:

I am:
Happy. Sad. A good friend. Adventurous. Shy. Confident. Procrastinating. A male. Bored. Anxious. Clumsy. Sociable. Always punctual. Selfish. Intelligent. Funny. A female. Sarcastic. Insecure. Sick. Beautiful. Articulate. Loud. Kind. Even tempered. Honest. Short. Tall. Medium height. Proud of myself. Loving. Witty. Down to earth. Outspoken. Determined. High-maintenance. Pretty. Assertive. Organized. Selfless.

I have:
Brown hair. Brown Eyes. Blue Eyes. Curly hair. Long fingernails. Braces. Chipped nail polish. Long legs.Straight hair. A fringe. Long eyelashes. Sore feet. Freckles. Dark skin. Medium skin. Green eyes. Blonde hair. Dyed hair. Short legs. Red hair. Big boobs. Rosy cheeks. Wavy hair. Black hair. Small-ish waist. Tattoos. Piercings. Big ears. Short hair.

I love:
Flowers. Kisses. Summer. Coffee. The rain. Candles. Incense. Late night talk shows. Insects. Hugs.Attention. The beach. Chocolate. Music. Beanies. Harry Potter. Twilight. Facebook. Black and white photos. Sleeping in. Driving. Narrating my pet's thoughts. Opening gifts. Buying gifts. Halloween. Cute texts. Apples. Compliments. Country music. Hip hop. Sushi. Sports. Art. Singing. Seeing my loved ones happy. Surprises. Sunsets and sunrises. Skinny dipping. Horror movies. Simon Cowell. Family Guy. Garlic. Hearing somebody talk in their sleep. Being right. KFC. Abstract photography. Concerts and festivals. Tanning. Oversized t-shirts.

I would love to be a:
Police officer. Lawyer. Doctor. Teacher. Fruit picker. Mother. Greenpeace volunteer. Hippie. Groupie. Rock star. Footballer's wife. Therapist. Singer. Actress. Diving instructor. Lottery winner. Company owner. Housewife. Nurse. Builder. Race car driver. Website developer. An inspirational talker. Music teacher. Artist. Chef. Makeup artist. Hairdresser. Restaurant owner. Homeless shelter volunteer. Fitness trainer. Vet. Radio show host. Band manager.

I like to eat:
Fruit. Vegetables. Fast food. Sushi. In bed. Rice. Sandwiches. Subway. Chicken. Cakes. Seafood. A lot. Pasta. Rice crackers. When I'm bored. Cheese. Ice cream. Garlic bread. Peanut butter out of the jar. Eggs. Lots of ethnic foods. Pancakes. Honey. Lunch. Bread crusts. Low calorie foods. Soy products. Gluten free products. Only when I'm hungry. Toast. Breakfast. Pizza.

I dislike:
Cold mornings. Baths. People dissing my taste in music. People in front of me walking really slowly. Having my personal space invaded. Cleaning. Going to bed early. Wine/beer. Religion arguments. Coffee. The beach. Rain. Children. Having my photo taken. Drama. Gossiping. Hip hop.Cooking shows. Drugs (*the illegal kind). Cats. People singing happy birthday to me. Selfish people. Social networking sites.Swimming. Snow. Eminem. Seafood. One word text messages. Awkward silences. Alarm clocks. Hypocrites.

Obituaries

2010-04-13T19:05:00.001+01:00

Laura used to live with Mr Fox, and his other lady greyhound Margot, in London. It was just the three of them, when he was in and out of self-employment and so forth. I don't know the specifics, as this was well before I met him.
However, when he was in full time employment, they could no longer fairly live with him, so they moved up to lovely Suffolk to live with Mr Fox's parents.
Margot sadly passed away several years ago, following an accident (I'm not interested in divulging details here), leaving Laura the lady of the manor in her Suffolk home.

Recently, Laura developed a growth on the bone of one of her front shoulders, which caused a very painful limp. After several exams and biopsies at the vet, Mr Fox and his parents were told that nothing could be done to lessen the growth, save amputate the leg. As Laura already had arthritis in her back legs, this wasn't an option: losing a leg would leave her almost entirely crippled. The vet instead prescribed strong painkillers, and advised a check on her progress in May.

Nothing got better. Laura couldn't limp more than ten yards before getting tired. She was on the highest dosage of pain killers, and often yelped when she moved. And yet she was never "down" - she was always perky, happy to see you. She had spent a lot of time lazing on the sofa before, it's just now she didn't really have the OPTION to do anything else

Mr Fox's parents came to the difficult decision of having her put down this afternoon, 13/04/10. Although she was still eating properly and so forth, she simply did not have the quality of life she deserved. All we can really do to console ourselves is know that she had a wonderful, enjoyable and loving home. She could never want for anything (although being the madam she was, she often did want for more!)

She enjoyed a multitude of sausages in her time. She chased squirrels in Battersea park. She harassed local wildlife (and cats). She took no notice if you wanted to sit on HER sofa.

Laura, you were never mine, but thank you for gracing me with your company. You will be painfully missed.

Until further notice...

2010-04-02T13:53:00.002+01:00

I'm off on holiday!
Don't miss me too much - I'll be back in London around the 11th(ish) but have a busy weekend then, too. So...Back soon, anyway ;)

There will be lots of photos and anecdotes to look forward to! Lucky you :)

I'm the fear addicted, a danger illustrated

2010-04-01T15:33:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, I think I take on over-ambitious projects. Things that I think up and go "Yeah, that'll be AWESOME. I can so do that. Yea..."

So I buy all the necessary materials, get cracking, realise how long it's going to take, and give up.

I think this attitude runs through a lot of the aspects in my life, not just crafting: I'm a starter, not a finisher. I like the novel and the exciting, and I detest boredom or monotony. Big projects require perseverance and an ability to barrel on through the repetitiveness in order to see the bigger picture, and reap the rewards at the "end".

Which is why it's so refreshing to start a big project, and push through those daunting periods, watching the project slowly come together.

The project in question is a Firestarter jumper for Mr Fox, as seen worn by dear Keith from the Prodigy:

Doesn't he look like a charming chappy? I realise this picture is in B&W, but then so is the video. But there are some rare promotional images of the jumper in colour. That's right: red & white stripes, and white stars on a blue background.

So it began. Mr Fox requested a cotton jumper (heavy, but not as sweat-inducing as wool!), so this was by no means a cheap project. I talk about it in the past tense, but I haven't finished it yet - I've one sleeve yet to do, and then assembly. I had hoped it would have been done before the holiday, but we're leaving TOMORROW, and that second sleeve hasn't even been started yet.

Anyway, I went out and bought white & red first (pattern works from the bottom up, as is quite common with jumpers). The white was no problem: white cotton is cheap and readily available. Not, however, in the right thickness, but as it was (as I said) cheap, I knitted two threads as one. £1.50 a ball, and the jumper uses just under 8 balls of white. Next, the red. The red was harder to find. There are LOTS of reds, but none which were "quite right" (you have a Feeling about these things, trust me). So I ended up buying red BAMBOO yarn. Lovely stuff, but less cheap. About £4 a ball. And the jumper used 6 (well, 3 doubled).

Blue, however, was impossible to find in the right shade. Mama suggested I buy more white and dye it. She's always full of bright, problem solving ideas :)
So... six more £1.50 balls, and a £6.50 box of Dylon in ocean blue. Mistake! Colour was too light. Plus, I thought "machine dye will be much easier - I'll put the yarn into a pillow case to stop it getting too tangled". Madness!! All six balls (unwound) escaped the case, and ended up in an enormous, tangley blue mess. Mama and I painstakingly detangled and rewound all six balls, and planned the next step. Ahha! Wind them into SKEINS and hand dye them. Much more wise. Well done mum. Another £6.50 box of Dylon (in Navy this time) and we were THERE. The end result colour is gorgeously rich.

And here we are so far :)

Seeing as I started this project OVER A YEAR AGO and I'm still going, I am so pleased with my newfound ability to persevere. Maybe it's because it will be a well loved gift. Mr Fox actually requested this, and is very, very grateful for anything handmade (madman!)
But at hours and hours and hours of labour (I only came to knitting a couple of years ago, and have made about half a dozen things - it's not my forté!) and about £60 of materials, this is not a thing I will be making for sale.

My big bro has already requested his own one. And he's going to see the Prodigy in concert in July.
Much as I would LOVE to help, bro....Not going to happen ;) Over a year, I tell you!!

Typical

2010-03-26T08:03:00.000Z

Typical! Just about to have out Easter break from uni, and I come down with a horrid cold-thing. Obviously I can only get ill when I have the time. Just hope I'm not too ill to sing this weekend.

You may have noticed I rehauled the layout of my blog. This is more along the lines of how I want to brand my new shop. Still a bit generic at the moment, but I'm still working on it - just got a bit sick of the all-black look; I think I'm getting a bit too old for that! I plan to incorporate some other elements (cutesy ones!) but I'm fond of the London sky line. Still no firm thoughts on a name.

But what have I been working on, in preparation for my new shop? I've decided to focus on my strengths (i.e. easy things, that I believe I make well, and that sell!), being fibre crafts. I love making beaded jewellery, I believe I produce really nice pieces, and have received a LOT of compliments for my jewellery products - however, not a single jewellery piece has sold. So unfortunately, I'll be calling a halt to production of jewellery for retail purposes - it is simply a flooded market. Any jewellery I make in the future will be only for me, or as gifts for friends.

So what does sell? Cute crochet things, like this:

It's a mouse! Yay! I'm also working on other crochet critters, after the success of those 'shrooms.

AND I ordered some new felting needles - my last one broke ages ago, and I never got around to replacing it.

And now, a Current News Rant, behind the cut :)

There is talk of altering Daylight Savings by an extra hour, to match the rest of Europe. The idea behind it is to make summer evenings longer - "If the clocks were put forward by two hours, it would mean summer evenings would be lighter for longer, with the sun setting at about 2200 BST in June."
Now, for me, the issue would be yes, longer evenings, but DARK mornings. Not really a good start to the day.
However, what "farmers" seem to object to is that it would make their days very long. EH!?
One Devon poultry farmer: "I'd have to get up an hour earlier in the morning for my chickens and they wouldn't go to bed any earlier - it would be about 1130 [2330] in the summer."

No. No. Changing the clocks forward would not alter the laws of physics. "Time" is a manmade concept. There will still be as many hours of light in the day, we're just shifting the label. Get up with the chickens, and go to bed with the chickens. If anything, you'd be getting up an hour LATER. Your chickens will get up with the sun, just like they always do. They won't get up any earlier, just because you turned their clocks forward. In fact, if you give your chickens a clock, you're a bit weird.
Chickens will NOT react to daylight savings. They won't suddenly go "Oh, it's still dark out, but the clock says 7am. I should probably get moving..."

It amazes me that people can be this stupid.

Major frustration - overnight sensation

2010-03-25T07:43:00.000Z

Grr. Have been having personal crisis of the small scale variety. This is why I shouldn't read crafty blogs like the beautiful ...is five or the gorgeous Brooklyn Limestone
It makes me mourn my lack of craftiness. Yes, I make the odd thing, and I sometimes draw (though really, really rarely nowadays), but I don't have any regular projects on the go. I realise that I do a LOT of other things - study, volunteering, etc. - which takes centre stage right now, but I guess I'm jealous of those that have the time and the inspiration to make stuff nearly everyday.

Plus, I can't afford supplies. Grah.

jerks awake

2010-03-24T18:57:00.000Z

Hullo, blogland!
I fell asleep again, there. Sorry I keep forgetting about you :)

Well, I got my first commission on Etsy! Fair enough, the buyer just wanted four of one item already listed, but it was nice to make something with a specific goal/buyer in mind. I sent it off this morning, so fingers crossed the postal service doesn't arse it up (it's going all the way to the USA). This makes for the third person who is NOT Sas who has bought something from me :)

I'm in the process of gently re-inventing my Etsy shop. I still haven't thought of the Right name yet, but I have more of a general Feel in mind. I won't discuss it here, as I worry I won't actually bring it all about, but we'll have to wait and see :) In the mean time, I can prepare the graphics. Although, I'm not that great at graphic design... whatever, you get the picture. I'll get to work once I work out HOW ;)

In the meantime, here's a meme to fill the gap
1. What curse word do you use the most?
"Fuck" "PISSFIDGET" "Bollocks"

2. Do you own an iPod?
Nope - everything I need is on my magically phone

3. What person on your flist do you talk to the most?
Flist? I don't HAVE any Fs!

4. What time is your alarm clock set to?
At the moment, 6:01am. Ben usually sets the alarm clock, and seems to have an aversion to setting it to round numbers.... It drives me MAD.

5. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?
Yes >.<

6. Do you remember where you were on 9/11/01?
Coming out of Sackville's main entrance.

7. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
In the picture - I'm a bit lame at photos.

8. What was the last movie you watched?
Alice In Wonderlands (1933 version) at the cinema, Stardust on the TV

9. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes indeed.

10. Has anyone ever called you lazy?
Yes. Bastards.

11. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep?
Occasionally

12. What cd is currently in your cd player?
Not sure - rarely use it

13. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
All milk is good. I do drink a lot of skimmed milk, but it's usually in stuff (like tea or porridge)

14. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
No, but someone gave me some devastating news - not about me, about them :(

15. When was the last time you had Starbucks?
When I was working at Prosyn *shudder*

16. Can you whistle?
Vaguely.

17. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
They don't have boobies (usually)

18. What are you looking forward to?
Holiday!! :)

19. Did you watch cartoons as a child?
Many, many. Still do sometimes now :)

20. Do you own any band t-shirts?
Probably somewhere.

21. What will you be doing in one hour?
Either brainstorming or studying. Should probably study, but creativity beckons SO HARD

22. Is anyone in love with you?
Yes :)

23. What was the last song you heard?
No idea

24. When was the last time you cried?
Last Tuesday

25. Are you on a desktop computer or a laptop?
Laptop, but it's an almost permanent fixture (docking station)

26. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos?
Still fancy another tattoo

27. What’s the weather like?
A bit chilly, clear sky

28. Would you ever date a girl/guy covered in tattoos?
Not COVERED IN, no

29. What did you do before this?
Caught up on blog subscription reading

30. When is the last time you slept on the floor?
Can't remember

31. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
7-8. I do like the rare lie in, but they tend to leave me even groggier

32. Do you eat breakfast daily?
Yes. Breakfast is my favourite

33. Are your days fast-paced?
Yes, very. Never enough hours.

34. What did you do last night?
Moped a bit. A crappy evening really, but I try to draw a line under those nowadays, and move on

35. Do you use sarcasm?
All the time. I'd use a sarcastic answer for this one, but that's too predictable

36. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
22. Lame.

37. Are you picky about spelling and grammar?
Indeedy

38. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
No.

39. Do you get along better with the same sex or the opposite sex?
Opposite, but increasingly the same sex. I blame Mr Fox for making me a girl.

40. Do you like mustard?
Indeedy!

41. Do you sleep on your side?
Yep. On my back, I get bad backache

42. Do you watch the news?
Every morning

43. How did you get one of your scars?
I have lame and tiny scars. That frick for that :)

44. Who was the last person to make you mad?
EVERYONE EVERYWHERE!!!

45. Do you like anybody?
I like a lot of people

46. What is the last thing you purchased?
A train ticket

47. What side of the heart do you draw first?
No idea. Not consistent

48. Can you dive without plugging your nose?
Nope - I get water up my nose, boo :(

49. What colour is your razor?
Green

50. What is your blood-type?
No idea - should I know?

51. Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
No idea.

52. What is a rumour someone has spread about you?
Urgh. Loads, I imagine

53. How do you feel about carrots?
Er... They're ok.

54. How many chairs at the dining room table?
None - no dining table

55. Which is the best Spice Girl?
Er... Ginger?

56. Do you know what time it is?
6:51. CRAP is it that late already?

57. Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince Theme Song?
Yes >.<

58. What would you do if you were stuck in a lift?
Press the alarm button?

59. What’s your favourite kind of gum?
Er... The not-receding kind?

60. T or F: All’s fair in love and war?
Screw that!

61. Do you have a crush on anyone?
Always

62. Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning?
Yes >.<

63. Do you like to sleep?
Absolutely. But I also can't enjoy it fully because I am constantly worrying about all the things that need doing.

64. Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Savings Time?
Screw that. Why would I need to know that?

65. Do you know the song Total Eclipse of the Heart?
Not off by heart...

66. Do you want a bright yellow ‘06 mustang?
No. We have one of the oldest Capris registered. And it's shiny and black.

67. What’s something you’ve always wanted?
To persist.

68. Do you have hairy legs?
Depends on how my week is going

69. Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
Ocean!

70. Do you wear a lot of black?
Yes

71. Describe your hair:
LONG

72. Do you have entomophobia?
No. I want to collect them!

73. Are you an adult?
WHY?! WHY!?!

74. Where is/are your best friend(s)?
Living their lives >.<

75. Do you have a tan?
No - it's barely spring

76. Are you a television addict?
Not really. It's a background thing at best

77. Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
Yep :)

78. Are you a sugar freak?
Meh...

79. Do you like orange juice?
Yes

80. What sign are you?
The two-fingered salute? That's a sign, right?

Desparately seeking chocolate: Why I never get skinny

2010-03-04T12:30:00.000Z

It's no secret - I am a slave to my body chemistry. I realise that we are all slaves to our chemistries to some extent, but some people have better will power to overcome their hormones than others.

I don't want to say that it's the curse of my sex, because that's simply not true - I know many level-headed, stable women. I am not one of them. My hormonal balance dictates my life. If my hormones are out of whack (and I don't just mean pissy-girl-hormones, I also mean melatonin, dopamine, oxytocin...) then I don't function properly. I often think that if I understood hormones better, and could be bothered to implement the schedule to keep them under control, then I could perform so much better in my everyday life.

An example: I suffer from mild seasonal affective disorder. I had long suspected, but things came to a head whilst I was doing my degree. I was literally falling asleep during lectures - I had to snack constantly just to give myself little boosts of energy to get through the day.
The problem with SAD (what a crappy acronym) is the production of melatonin. Melatonin is the sleepy hormone. It regulates our (usually) natural circadian rhythm (that 24-hour cycle of waking, sleeping...) - it's the "hormone of darkness", as it's only produced in darkness (even low light levels inhibit melatonin production to some extent). So in periods where the light levels (lux index is important here) are subdued, melatonin is slowly ticking out throughout the day, producing drowsiness. This drowsiness wrecks the circadian rhythm, meaning I don't sleep properly during the night, or wake fully during the day (during the winter, which can span (in terms of light intensity) from September to April in some cases). Result: zombie. Irritability, dull-wittedness, depression & anxiety follow in a slow motion row of dominoes...

Fixing the problem is fairly easy. I have a light box (it's the sun, in a box. These are not cheap, but it is such an investment, considering the positive effects on my overall well being), and just one hour a day sorts the problem. It tricks my brain into realising it's day time, and inhibits melatonin production. A few days in, and circadian rhythm is restored. I sleep properly at night, I wake up bright & refreshed, I attack they day positively, problems seem solveable...

But you know what? When you're already feeling stressed & depressed, it's a lot easier to eat a 400g bar of chocolate than sit in front of an intensely bright light for an hour.

Tea break

2010-03-02T11:04:00.000Z

OK, I'll freely admit, I'm lame at blogging.
Maybe it's because I'm ultra busy (bull! I spend most of the day in front of my computer, and I could easily take 10 mins out whilst I drink my umpteenth cup of tea to blog occasionally...).
Maybe it's because I'm paranoid of crazy stalkers reading about my life obsessively (unlikely! Does anyone even read this? Ever?)
Maybe I have very little to write about, or I have nothing FUN to write about (I am sick of re-reading whingey blog posts of mine...)

Whatever the reason, I am Bad at Blogging.

But what's been going on lately? Bits of good, bits of bad. Let's start with some good :)

So, we're clearing out a lot of stuff - Mr. Fox is tweaking up his big Capri (i.e. the sporty one which has been sitting on his parents' drive for the last 3 years) in order to 1. take it for a track day with his dad and 2. sell it!
And we're selling our lives on eBay - I've been listing items EVERY DAY for the last two weeks, and plan to keep going for a few weeks more...
We've taken everything out of one garage (which we are now renting out to a lovely man with a 1928 Ford) and somehow managed to cram it all into the other garage (overflowing!)
I "freecycled" a whole load of stuff, mostly from Mr Fox's aunty's (RIP) flat.Gave me an enormous sense of well being, giving appliances etc. a new lease of life, and giving needy people big things for free. I had two chaps that had just gotten a new flat, and they got the old fridge, washer and dryer! They had to make three trips, but hey, they save several hundred pounds there.

Now a bad thing (balance is good) - Mr Fox's doggy (a greyhound that used to live with him in London, and now lives with his parents in Suffolk) has a lump on her shoulder :( She has had biopsies and so forth, and it's NOT cancer, but it is growth on the bone that is apparently not going to go away. The only operation they can do on it would be to amputate the leg, but that would be really difficult for her as she's quite old, and adjusting would be hard. The good news is that the vet said the lump has receded slightly since their last visit, and the pain in manageable. They've booked in another appointment for 3 months time to check on it and... well, we'll just have to wait and see :(

And a final piece of good news (because I'm nice like that :) )
I've worked out that, aside from text books, I get through about 1.2 books a month. Good, eh? OK, maybe this is not "good news" so much as a personal triumph for me (I used to read loads when I was younger, and it was beginning to fall by the wayside), but it's my blog, so there!

Back a step, ready for the run up...

2010-01-19T09:41:00.000Z

We are just about back to normal. After the horrible job experience, the disabling snow (which stopped play for everything), the funeral... my life is starting to resemble its former self (before I left uni and everything went a bit wrong).

I suppose the last few months haven't been a complete waste - if they have taught me anything it's what NOT to do. Doing a "normal" job didn't suit me at all - no room for creativity (or a brain at all, apparently) and it completely crippled me in terms of pursuing all those other things I had just accepted as part of my everyday life. Since I finished my degree in July, I think I've only played my bass two or three times. I haven't drawn anything. I can't remember when I last read a book.

But I've left the vile IT consultancy behind. I won't look back (except maybe to laugh, bitterly, at how badly it was run: evidence for theory of groupthink). Mr Fox and I aren't at home to Mr Badluck this year (but we aren't so naive as to think everything will be easy). I realise going back into higher education will be incredibly tough (london met have already tried to pull a fast one with regards to course fees) but in the long run it will make me sane.

Snow and robbery

2010-01-06T22:02:00.000Z

Wow. I feel like I've robbed an old lady.

The Fox's great aunt Floss died on Boxing Day. This put a major downer on the holiday season, because Floss was a lovely lady. And as Fox was her only relative also living in London (she was a Wandsworth resident, so not far from us), we got quite close to her, helping her out when she needed it, visiting her and taking care of her affairs whilst she was in hospital... And now we're helping to plan her funeral. Yesterday, we went to her old flat to start clearing it out. We now have a new fridge-freezer, tumble dryer, washing machine and microwave, as well as a lot of cleaning products, tinned and frozen food, and some alcohol too. It all sounds great, but I still feel like I've robbed an old lady. It was really strange, going into her old flat, not to visit her, but to empty it of its contents. I think she would have liked it though, to know that her old stuff is going to a good home, rather than being chucked out.

But we will remember her well. I think that's the best thing you can do for a loved one that has passed away. I didn't know her for long, and she wasn't my relative, but she was an awesome lady, who loved cats and was an independent spinster til the end. Wicked sense of humour, and very caring.

Return of the absent kitten

2010-01-04T22:15:00.001Z

That's right! I'm back!

Sorry for the hiatus. Things went a bit wrong. I had a bit of a false start. Thank god it's over.

The long and short of it? Don't work for small, family-run businesses. Nepotism. Serious favouritism. Bullying. I walked out. They gave me hush money.

We'll pen it down to life experience.

And now? New Year. New start. The Fox and I have agreed that in 2010, we are not at home to Mr Bad-luck. New set of regimes. New push towards Bright New Future. Dad says he'd rather fund for me to be in higher education for a few more years than let me make a big mistake and be stuck in a job I hate.

Possibility of an MSc on the horizon? I hope so. I've always dreamed of having a whole stream of letters after my name...

Funk up that Flat: Before

2009-10-01T08:56:00.000+01:00

Right. I've taken some "before" photos - please excuse the mess, but this is just to give you an idea of the space we have available. Also, the mess just emphasises our need for good storage!

Now, onto the design process...

Don't worry - I haven't forgotten about you!

2009-09-28T10:51:00.002+01:00

Sorry things have been quiet - I've been extremely busy. I do think about updating, but I just haven't had the time! It's all kicked off here - so much so that we may be claiming compensation over the bathroom fiasco :)

I'll try to keep you up to date!

Cheery-bye x

Thrifty Friday: Adventures on Etsy

2009-09-18T14:41:00.002+01:00

I recently set-up my own Etsy shop in an effort to sell some of my hand made goodies (they're starting to pile up - eek!)

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
BoobiKitti.etsy.com

I've had a DaWanda shop for quite a while now (just over a year) and have only shifted one item via that - I was drawn to DaWanda because they don't charge listing fees. However, they are also less well known/have a smaller audience. So I finally bit the bullet and set up shop on Etsy, hoping that the money invested would pay off and shift some kit...

Well, a few weeks since set up, and it's been going ok - quite a lot of views when the items go up, but no sales as of yet. Maybe I'm expecting too much too soon - I've seen sellers who have been on for a few months and still not shifted a thing, which is a shame. It's incredibly competitive now, as it has gotten better known and therefore more people are "giving it a go".

However, there must be some tricks to selling - so I posted a request for critique on one of the Etsy forums. I have to say, sellers on Etsy are lovely, and very helpful :) I got several constructive replies, a few even saying I had UNDERpriced my items! The main thing that came out of that exercise is that I need better photos of my items. I always knew that this would be a problem - I'm just no good at taking indoor/item shots. I'm ok at outdoor shots, but even then, I'm not a photographer.

I don't really have an ideal place to set up a shoot in this flat, either. Or any decent backdrops. But I've tried to improvise. I cleaned up a corner in the kitchen (it gets the best light at this time of day) and draped a silvery velvet dress over the tumble dryer (a nice flat surface, and once it's covered, you have no idea it's a tumble dryer!!)

I tried various different things - using ivory tissue paper to lay necklaces on top of, dangling earrings off a wine glass, draping necklaces over a stack of old old books, etc. I got a few half decent shots (definitely better than the original display pics!) but I'm still not on par with Etsy's successful sellers.

To give you an example of the improvements, here's what I had before:

And here's what I have now:

It's still the same item, but I think it looks a lot more like a Real Item now :)

Any tips or ideas for successful selling?

Project: Funk up that Flat

2009-09-17T13:29:00.021+01:00

Right, that's it. Enough complaining - I'm showing my pessimistic roots a bit too strongly lately, and I realise it's a real drag. No one wants to read a blog where I just whinge constantly! So, I resolve to TRY and make the majority of my posts positive: about stuff wot I made, or stuff wot I found, and pretty things, and fun things. How does that sound?

So let's get it off to a flying start, and talk about how I would like this flat to look...

I would give you an idea of how it looks at the moment but:
1) I have to go out soon
2) I can't be bothered to fight with the camera
3) It's in a bit of a state at the moment, and I'd be ashamed to show it... What, I've been busy!! ;)

So I'll describe it vaguely for you! Well, all the walls are white. Or should that be off white...? It hasn't been painted in many years (not since Mr Fox has been living here, I think!) so everything has gone a horrid dirty white... Years of wear, and some smoking (no, not going to start this rant again...) have taken their toll. To be honest, I think a simple lick of paint and nothing else would immediately lift this flat out of the dumps. Well, the window frames need treating too, as those years of mould left their mark :(

The kitchen... White units, Basic Council Standard (i.e. shit), very badly arranged, beige lino floor tiles, gas meter in a stupid and awkward place - needs tearing out and redoing completely really! No way am I doing that through the council though :) I've learned my lesson.

The living room... Has a big desk (well, two adjacent desks, really) along one short wall, where our laptops etc. are - this office space is very important. A leather sofa and a leather armchair, a big telly and... Shelves made from wooden floor boards! Very thrifty, but not so pretty. Functional, not fanciful.

The bedroom... Has a wall taken up by those ugly built in wardrobes I mentioned yesterday, an ad hoc dressing table made up of the cheapest possible Ikea side tables - again, very thrifty but not pretty. A king size bed. A massive old...speaker system thing. Actually, I have no idea what it is exactly. All I can say is that's it's an enormous wooden box, that is apparently "really really loud". God only knows. Oh, another thing I know is that Mr Fox NEVER USES IT and it takes up a LOT of room. Also, more floor-board-shelves.

The bathroom... Well, let's leave that for the time being, shall we?

The hallway... Has some coat hooks, a high shelf upon which Mr Fox keeps bike helmets and other bike related goodies, some more Ikea Rast Side tables (oh, I forgot to mention the living room also has those... They're everywhere!!), and two cupboards - a shallow broom cupboard with the fuse board etc. in it (which would make a brilliant shoe closet) and a new bigger cupboard, where the cold water tank used to be! :)

Right, must dash now - I'll tell you more later! Cheeribye!

EDIT: Well, it's the quiet hour at work (i.e. after 9pm so I'm not allowed to make any outbound calls. Yippee!) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to flesh out this post a bit.

Now, one thing I would like to point out is: the flat (or should that be den? Foxes live in dens right? But cats live in house - well, this one does. So... It's the flat, to compromise. Bah).

Where was I? Oh yes, the flat is not a cold, industrial, unhomely, disshevelled...pile of crap. Well, it is, but it's not like Mr Fox hasn't tried to put his own mark on the place. Lately, and more obviously, I've laid down my trinkets too. It's like scattering diamonds on poo, I tell ya.

But let's get an idea of our taste: Foxy has various bits of artwork up, including two huge vintage maps of the British Isles (one of England and one of Scotland), framed, as well as a picture of the oracle at Delphi, and then various limited edition Simpsons posters (framed, not just blu-tacked on like a teenager) for giggles. He also has some pickled scorpions, and a few odd ornaments (I rather like the stone lion, but not so much the generic fat Buddha).
As for me, my embellishments are handmade treats. To add to the art work, I've done a portrait of Foxy as Kaneda from anime hit film Akira, various offensive tea towels, less offensive bath towels, and some scatter cushions (hurrah!) Oh look, a further cushion

The collection of Hand Mades grows a little bit every week, but I really need to do some bigger projects... Cushions just aint cutting it any more!!

So... We like the slightly quirky (kitschy embroidered towels with a twist), we like the vintage Rule Brittania thing (but not EVERYWHERE - there is such thing as Too Much), we like curios (I would kiiiiill for a Victorian curio cabinet)...We like the olde worlde, vintage, The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire thing, mixed with... I don't know, a bit quirky? Eccentric Victorian? Colour scheme wise, I like darker shades, reds blues and blacks, but I realise you can't do up a tiny flat in dark colours as it will look microscopic. We need a lot of storage, because we have a lot of books and Stuff, and we need to keep that big office workspace. Oh, and Mr Fox likes anglepoise lamps.

With all this in mind, we are on a budget. I'd like to save as much as possible, but maybe give things a lick of paint, reupholster, put new doors on old carcasses, that sort of thing... Completely replacing certain things is unavoidable, but if we can save money, we should do.

Like I said in an earlier post, the flat is quite small and would therefore benefit from being light and airy: this would make it seem bigger but good ventilation would also help to overcome stale air. I'm thinking neutral colours for the paint (but NOT bright white and NOT magnolia - maybe slate or something?), laminate flooring (I can proudly say that the entire ground floor of my mum's house is all Tundra flooring from Ikea, and has lasted 15 years and counting. And it has been a very high traffic area!) and plenty of neat storage options. Neutral shades sounds dull, but that's just the paint (resale value!) - the furnishings will be funky and fun!!

Anyhow, I intend to address each room in turn, so stay tuned :)

Ikea: The light at the end of the tunnel

2009-09-16T21:10:00.006+01:00

Oh Lambeth Council, Lambeth Council, how I loathe thee so.

I woke up to a flooded bathroom again this morning. This time the leak was coming from the waste pipes - charming. Once again mop and bucket time.

So the day was spent emailing, phoning, arguing face to face - even Mr Fox mucked in and "had a right go" at Lambeth Council's Nick O'Flaherty, who refused to take the blame for anything. He's one of those delegatory project manager types, who gets in a whole pickle of people to do the work and then passes the buck whenever things go wrong. In the case of the leak (hah!), yes, it was the contractors fault, but in the case of the taps: I have said, since day one, that we either wanted to keep our old, high quality fittings, or have them replaced LIKE FOR LIKE. Just because Lambeth Council are incredibly tight and penny pinching, they thought they'd get away with cutting a corner here, by saying "but these are new, your old ones are covered in limescale".

Oh Lambeth. Lambeth darling... Limescale can be removed and the taps cleaned. Crappy, cheap, nasty taps cannot be magically polished into better models.

However, on demanding that our old taps be refitted, we found that they had been chucked in the bins and broken in the process. Still, I'm not settling for cheap taps - to use the shower on the mixer, you need to have the water flowing at high pressure (our old ones would function as a shower regardless of water pressure). Also, our old ones had high quality ceramic washers which last and last and last. The new taps have cheap washers which will wear quickly and the taps will leak before too long, I'm sure.

I bluntly told Nick that he WILL have to compensate us for the damages to our property (i.e. chucking perfectly good, expensive fittings) - either replace the taps with top quality ones like we used to have, or we'll replace them independently and he can fit the bill. Otherwise it's small claims court, chaps :)

(AN UPDATE: Chris Plummer from Morrison brought round a catalogue of taps to choose from. He's ordered us a new mixer tap, for £225, bwaha. Not quite the same as our old one, but it'll have to do)

Let's leave bathroom fiascos aside now. I am sick of talking about my fucking bathroom and trying to sort it etc. etc. etc.

To distract myself from Rogue Traders and Arsehole Council Employees, I had a browse of the Ikea catalogue, dreaming about what I can do to with the rest of the flat to make it... well, not beautiful, but at least homely and less industrial (I say "dreaming about what I can do.." rather than "thinking about my dream flat..." because my dram flat is MASSIVE). At the moment for example, the fitted wardrobe in the bedroom has horrible off white, chunky gloss doors, with vents crudely shoved on them (to provide airation to help "prevent damp" apparently - these were installed by the council a few years back and did no good, as we still happened to get a lot of damp, funnily enough...)

The shelves inside the wardrobe are chunky, unfinished wooden slats. Think repurposed railway sleepers and you won't be far off.

So... I'm trying to think of ways to make that look pretty, but still maintain the airflow through it - I think the whole flat would benefit from being light and airy, as it will make it seem bigger, prettier and feel fresher. Talking of fresher - when we get works under way, I'm going to have to ban Mr Fox's sister from smoking in the flat when she comes to visit. Urgh. Seriously, even my brother and his Mrs go outside to smoke in their own home (or should that be OUT their own home?) I'm not going to preach to her about giving up smoking (it doesn't work (the preaching), and it's her life), but she could at least not do it all over my face. I'm just too shy to ask her, because I don't want to seem rude, and she is lovely.

So, I'm thinking: strip down the door frames to the wardrobe (right down to the wood, people!) and staining and treating them, then replacing the horrible municipal doors with nice slatted wooden ones (stained again) - I've just done a search, they are called LOUVER doors. Super :) Some of those would be lovely.

But the interior? God knows. The problem with interior fittings seems to be that if you want to buy interior fittings, they need to...well, fit the interior. Home interiors suppliers always expect you to refit the entire shebang, not keep the carasses and doll them up a bit. Hrm.

Does anyone know any good online DIY guides to fitting new doors to old built in wardrobes? I've found doors APPROXIMATELY the right size, but they'll need trimming a bit. And the site they're on recommends you only trim a certain amount off, so I think I may need to trim off some of the old wardrobe frame too. But as I'm stripping the paint, that'll take off a few mm anyway. And how do I choose and fit hinges? And catches? Eep!

The kitchen is an entirely different issue. Bah.

Thrifty Friday

2009-09-11T08:44:00.006+01:00

Hmm, I think I should set up a "weekly tradition" to encourage me to blog regularly (I realise your thinking "but you posted THREE TIMES yesterday!!" trust me - it's new so it gets a lot of attention. But I need it to have staying power).

So... Welcome to Thrifty Friday! I've seen other blogs have things like Wordless Wednesday etc., so I had to (sort of) follow suit.

Every Friday, I intend to post a thrifty project (whether small or large) - this could be repurposing an old item to prolong its life and usefulness, or it might be me making a massive meal for very little money (for example, last week I made enough curry to feed Mr Fox for the whole working week, and it cost about £2 in ingredients).

It doesn't matter about the medium, it just matters that I've saved some money and still gotten something out of it; and if you read yesterday's work related rant, I think it's clear I need to keep an eye on the pennies, without losing the will to live...

So, what's today's (the first!) project for Thrifty Friday?

Jewellery!! Hurray, I love jewellery. But I'm still an absolute novice at making jewellery. What better way to get better than to practice? And practice I did - making links, in particular.

I was given a broken necklace by my aunt (she knows I like to salvage materials from broken things), to make into something new for her. This was a long necklace, just a piece of tiger tail threaded with loads of different colours glass beads.
She told me which of the beads she liked, and said I could keep anything I didn't use - Hurrah! Of course, I wasn't just going to thread beads plain onto a piece of tiger tail or beading thread - I'd have to do something a little more inventive I'm still quite new to making jewellery, but I'm really quite pleased with how this turned out.

First I threaded each bead onto its own individual piece of wire, to make them into links:

This took absolutely ages, but I've definitely gotten a lot better at it now

Then, time to attach them artfully on a piece of silver chain!

And here's the finished necklace:

With oh so many beads to spare - I could probably make 2 - 3 more necklaces out of the remaining beads, all in different colours. So - 4 necklaces out of one? Bargain.

EDIT: I also made this bracelet, which is now available on my Etsy shop for a small fee!

I look forward to seeing what next Friday's Thrift will be :)

What..? I need to think of it..? Oh, crap...

My joyous work life

2009-09-10T20:55:00.003+01:00

Work life and home life should never, ever meet. But I rant to Mr Fox about work all the time.

And now you guys get to suffer too!

I understand we're all at this point at the moment - times are difficult, everyone's losing their job, those of us coming out of university can't find jobs no matter what we apply for.

It would just so happen that we go into a recession as I leave university. It's just my luck. It's typical. I swear I'm cursed. (Not only am I a serial pessimist, but I am also a shameless narcissist! Hah!)

Seriously though - my year at university were the first to suffer Top Up fees, giving us massive debts, and when we left university: CREDIT CRUNCH. So, massive debt, and no way to pay it off. Brill.

It's quite obvious that it's not Just Me - I'm not unemployable. I've got a very good CV for someone my age. When I applied for holiday jobs during my time at uni (temping, mainly) jobs just fell into my lap. I'd go on Reed.co.uk and apply for jobs that'd have, say, 10 applicants. Now I look at suitable jobs, and the applicants are in their hundreds. It's ridiculous.

But this seems to have bypassed certain industries. For example: I would be ideal in finance or administration. I'm incredibly bookish and organised (super organised. Like... CDO organised), and have a good track record in admin roles. And yet it's my one job as a telesales rep (which I HATED) that has got me further jobs.

I currently work part time for a language learning company (it's big and yellow - manzanas rojas!), as a telesales "executive" (puke - where do they dredge up this gumph from? There is nothing executive about it) and it's only been two months but I'm already considering handing in my notice despite not having anything to move on to. Why do I hate telesales so much? The reason I hate sales in general: too much focus on targets, not enough on customer care. I would be OK in customer services (or HR! HR needs to employ me now please) as I like to make sure people are looked after and happy. Sales and marketing doesn't care - as long as people are spending money on their product, their happiness is unimportant. But I am of the opinion that if you look after your customers, they'll look after you: if people are happy with your service, they will recommend you to other people, and your pool of customers will increase naturally. Good customer care is an invaluable marketing tool, and it costs nothing.

Our wages are supplemented by commission, a percentage of the sales we make, and this percentage varies depending on whether we meet target or not. No one ever reaches target: they put it impossibly high, to encourage you to work really hard to get more money, but make it unreachable so that they don't ever have to pay out at that higher percentage.

We have a cheesey leaderboard, too, showing who's made the most sales so far this month, etc. to keep it nice and competitive. And every month, they listen to 1 inbound call per week (i.e. 4 calls a month) for ever person and SCORE THEM based on set criteria. I got quite a miserable score last month, mostly because I didn't "attempt a sale". Now, these inbound calls are usually people who have seen the TV advert, and want to get a free demo CD, mostly because everyone likes a Free Thing, regardless of whether they're actually interested in the full product or not. People don't realise that the full product is actually quite expensive. Now, if you were calling up to order a free CD, and the person you were talking too said "why not buy the full package today, it's several hundred pounds" wouldn't you just tell them where to stick it? No one makes a several hundred pound impulse buy (and if they do, they wouldn't ask for a free CD first). No one wants to buy something that expensive before they've seen how it works. This kind of hard selling goes against my morals. It's sick and pathetic. Let people have a try for themselves, see that the product is good, and they will come back. Pressure them into buying, and they will most likely run a mile.

Anyway, terrible corporate ethics aside: I also keep getting called up by agencies - "I saw your CV on Reed.co.uk...", we talk about my experience etc. and then they ask me what kind of roles I'd be interested in "well, anything in administration, as that's where most of my experience and expertise lies, but I'd also be interested in a trainee HR role or something in finance..."

"Oh... Well I had this telesales role that would be perfect for you!!"
"I already work in telesales. ~~I hate it~~ I don't find it satisfying/mentally stimulating/challenging/suited to my skills"
"Oh. Well we'll call you if anything else comes up"

They never do.

In all seriousness, why does this have to be so hard? I do have a fabulous CV, padded out with an excellent academic background, good work experience in a variety of sectors (showing versatility and an ability to learn new skills quickly) and my references are excellent, because for all those jobs, I worked bloody hard, and bloody well.

The problem is, I need money. But I can't just take a job only because it's the only one going. I only took this job for those reasons, and I can't stand it. It makes me miserable, and that invariably affects EVERYTHING ELSE. And Mr Fox can only be understanding up to a certain point.

I <3 ... Katy Brand

2009-09-10T11:48:00.002+01:00

I just saw Katy Brand on This Morning (shut up! I'm house bound whilst the building works are happening!)

She is nothing like Russell Brand. She is actually funny. Hurrah!!

Bathroom refurb, (in)courtesy of Lambeth Council

2009-09-10T09:13:00.007+01:00

I thought I'd make my first proper post a severely complainy one, so we can get past "me at my most angry" and move swiftly into happier, more fun topics. Brace yourselves, people...

Let's start with some back story (a very good place to staaart...) - I only moved into this flat last October, but my boyfriend has been living here for half a dozen years or so (since he left intensive care - that's a whole different story, and not really appropriate here). It's a rented council flat, and therefore Lambeth Council are our landlords (well, Lambeth Living, because that makes it sound so much nicer, doesn't it? Euch.)

As a result, we have to deal with a big institution as far as the upkeep of the property goes. Hurrah! you might say. They are organised and have a big budget, etc.! I hear you cry.
Haha.

In the year (almost) of living here, I have dealt with no end of problems with the council and this flat. So I can only imagine what it has been like for Mr Fox (names have been altered to preserve anonymity...LAWL), living here for years, without the aid of Hyper-Organised, Go-Getter Miss Boobaliscious Kitty (that's me). I pride myself on being able to get things done. I write brilliant nuisance letters, and I hound people over the phone. I make things happen.

But I have met a new adversary. A powerful adversary. Lambeth Council's super power, it would seem, is preventing things for getting done. It's quite remarkable.

Rather than list the myriad of failings here, I will go into my one current issue in great detail.

Our flat suffers from a lot of damp. Before I moved in, there were no extractor fans, a massive cold water tank (superfluous, and causes a lot of condensation) and bad ventilation. So, we reported it to the council (way overdue! The damp has been here a Long Time), and they said they'd send someone around to deal with the problem. They sent one man with a tin of anti-mould paint.

Brilliant. Strike one.

We phoned up again, and grumbled a lot. They said they'd send someone else.

OK, they sent someone to inspect the damp and do a real assessment. We were told we have bad damp (DUH) but at least this was some step forward (this was back in MARCH).

Next up, they sent a man to install an extractor fan in the kitchen. A step forward, but there's no damp in the kitchen... Having the extractor fan in the kitchen did make a notable difference, but it doesn't solve the problem of our mouldy bathroom.

How abouts I show you some pictures? That will give you a better idea of the extent of the problem...

Here is our lovely cold water tank cupboard. The huge galvanised cold water tank (ugly and smelly and pointless, and left us with pathetic water pressure) sits above that bottom section - I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of that, as it truly was hideous!

Horrible, no? Now, there is no reason for this tank to be here - it takes up a lot of room, it smells terrible, it causes damp, and it is compeltely superfluous: our KITCHEN is hooked up to the mains, giving the kitchen taps high water pressure, but the bathroom is not and as a result the cold water pressure is pathetic.

The rest of the bathroom:

Right, I'll stop there, as I have more images to show later on, and I don't want to over do it here

So - horrid, isn't it? Imagine trying to have a relaxing, romantic bath in that room. No amount of scented candles or glasses of wine will overcome the smell, and staring up at that mouldy ceiling could kill any positive mood.

So, following our initial (March) inspection, we were sent some further inspectors (the council's builder contractors, Morrison) to assess what work needed doing. They were very positive! We'll do this and that, you can choose the colours you want, etc. etc. Haha, control! Well, control within well defined boundaries - but it's something. They'd treat the mould, refurbish the entire bathroom, put in an extractor fan, take out the tank and refurb that cupboard to make it suitable for storage, and even replace warped doors.

Well, between then and now, we had to delay works due to other commitments and activities, so fair enough - that was our own fault. But I expected getting the work to progress when we were ready to be straight forward. Are you surprised that it wasn't? For starters, the man in charge of the entire job (Nick O'flaherty from Lambeth Council, if you're interested) was impossible to get hold of. I was told multiple times that he would call me back but he didn't. When I asked about what would be included in the job, I was told that the cold water tank was not part of it... So I had to chase someone else about that.

So, whilst waiting for Nick to get back to me, I started a conversation with Michael Axtell from Lambeth Council, who at first told me that our flat block HAS no cold water tanks. Er...

I told him to come over to see for himself. And he did. And then he sent a contractor. And the contractor did an inspection, telling us he'd put us on the mains but taking the tank out was not part of the job, as Lambeth's budget didn't stretch to that. So I complained a lot. And a week later, another chap came around, took the tank out, put us on the mains, and hey presto! This is probably the only straight forward job I have experienced connected with this bathroom refurb (well, the kitchen extractor fan was straight forward, but that's not really part of the bathroom, is it?) - the cupboard still needed treating for mould and repainting to make it suitable for storage, but that's someone else's job...

So, now back to the bathroom itself. Nick did eventually get back to me, saying that the job had now been actioned, and a Morrison's builder should be getting in touch with me. Weeks passed...

Now, I work part time shifts, so by chance I happened to be in when one day a man from Morrison COLD CALLED me. He just turned up on my doorstep, unannounced. This I find incredibly unprofessional. I told Nick as much. So what would be happening next? The inspector wasn't really sure WHAT was going on. His boss would be in touch. Can I have his number? No. Oh, brilliant, I'm completely in the dark. And very angry. Like an angry bear, in the dark.

I call Nick (via Lambeth Living's repairs department. All the usual security questions, me getting more impatient. He's not available. So I call again every ten minutes, until they give up and put me through to him. Funny, that...) and complain a LOT. He apologises profusely - they're contractors, not Lambeth representatives. Fair enough. Chris Plummer from Morrison will call me.

And he does. Shall we start works on the 1st of September? HANG ON - THAT'S NEXT WEEK. Thanks for the warning! I beg my boss for late shifts, so that I can be in to let builders in etc. She is very nice and agrees.

Fast forward - 1st of September. I get up obscenely early to make sure everything is ready for the builders' "early start". MIDDAY and still no one. Highly pissed off. Phone around and complain an awful lot. Turns out the main builder didn't show as he thought works started 2/09. Briiiilliant. So, the gas man comes, takes off radiator, and goes again. A wasted day.

2nd September - main builder bothers to turn up. Rips off tiles, strips wallpaper and... that's it for the day.

3rd September - electricians over. Extractor fan, new light, new fuse board... Brilliant, a lot done for half a day's work. No more actual work on bathroom (i.e. refurbishing)

4th September - builder again. Plasters a bit and... that's it. WHAT

7th September - builder turns up at 10 (what happened to builders who rose early?) and has forgotten that I told him MANY TIMES that I said I'd only be in for half a day today. So, so angry. Manage to get a day off work. I feel intensely guilty, but obviously my boss is the most understanding woman in the world

8th September - Some filler, a lick of paint but no more

9th September - I wake up to a flooded bathroom. Builder didn't close off the cold water supply to the sink (removed) properly, and it dribbled all night. YAY. Mop and bucket time.
Glazier puts some glass above the door (which has been absent since before I moved in)
Builder does a lick of paint, and anti mould in the cold water tank cupboard... And that's it.

So, now I'm waiting for them to turn up and do some work. Some actual work. I mean, I can paint walls!! Can they not do the difficult jobs first, like replace the porcelains, replace the door, replace the floor, tile the walls...? Yes, all of this still has to be done, and it has been MORE THAN A WEEK TO PAINT THE WALLS

Here, this is what my bathroom looks like after OVER A WEEK of work

Now, granted, the white paint is very very white, but seriously... why did this take over a week? Why am I getting up at 7am, staying in all day for the builders to faff about, then going to work from 6 - 10pm, every day

Wow, that was a long post. I hope you haven't all lost the will to live. I almost have!!

Ooh, lookit, a blog!

2009-09-09T21:11:00.002+01:00

Wow. A blog. A proper blog and such like.

I've always been awful at keeping a diary, or a blog, or anything day-to-day or regular (I'm terrible at eating at set times of the day, for example!), so this might be a bit touch and go. But let's have a stab at it, and see where it takes us :)

So, I guess you'll be wanting a bit of a blurb (what a silly word).
I'm Astrid. I'm an Londoner (diddly-dee-dee). I'm fresh (hah!) out of university (I did a philosophy degree, for those of you interested! I got a 2:1, huzzah). I sing. I play the double bass. I cross stitch. I crochet. I even knit occasionally. I love cooking. I'm awful at recycling but I do reuse and repurpose a lot of things.

I am savage with my morals, and frequently upset myself with my high expectations of the world (London is not an ideal place to live if you want to witness the peak of human existence!)
I can be sarcastic and a bit cold sometimes, but really I'm just a bit lost and confused and have trouble figuring out the world around me (my partner likes to call me his Little Aspergic Kitten, although I do not have aspergus syndrome).

To top it all off, I suffer from general anxiety and seasonal affective disorder.

So what's the point of my blog, you ask? I'll be giving you my point of view, opinions and experience of a post-uni girl living in London, and the trials and tribulations I'm presented with. Some of it will be my DIY adventures in my flat in Lambeth (a lot of it will be having a good old moan about Lambeth Council and their non-existent services), some of it will be my adventures in crafting/art/music and some of it will be my day to day moaning about how difficult it is to get around, get a job, like your job, fit your job around your home life (or vice versa).

Why "unravelled"? I took this name from a culmination of my ineptness with some crafting techniques (I'm looking at you, knitting!!) and my inability to cope with all the tasks that I set myself.

I like to be busy, but I can get overwhelmed, and come a bit unstuck, or unravelled :)

I have high standards, high expectations, I am nicely educated (in a stiff upper lip, middle class sort of way) - I should be doing something terribly important, and living in a lovely big flat somewhere, or a country house in Sussex (where I grew up) with horses or something terribly quaint. Instead, I live in Lambeth, in said pokey flat, with the mould, and the kebab shop owners who recognise me and smile and wave when I pass, and every other person I pass has dreadlocks. I'm juxtaposed hideously with my surroundings. Not that there's anything wrong with Lambeth (actually, I've grown quite attached), but I really am out of place here, and it shows.

I can be maudlin a lot of the time, but I can also be witty and entertaining (honest!), so stick around for the larfs :)

Now, I need to remember to post occasionally...