69. Oo err.

30 day:

Disrespecting your parents.

I have DEFINATELY disrespected my parents, I was one hell of a grumpy teenager...
Though I do feel that parents are a rather essential part of my life now, even if I rarely ever see them, most communication is done by MSN (and that is sporadic, and more with mum than dad since, well, he doesn't talk much).
No more disrespect any more, I'm no longer a grumpy teenager. They sometimes help me when I'm tearing my hair out over a "grown up" issue (such as tax return). Every so often a little money trickles through (always useful), and I guess their sense of dress isn't so bad after all... it's weird how I used to complain about my mum wearing sludgy green & some brown, where as here I am, sitting in bed (yes, bed... I'm warming it up before I sleep!) wearing sludgy green thick army socks, some odd sludgyish brownish (saggy) leggings, and a rusty red top dress thing. GONE are the days of being a slave to black, THANK GOD! Black is so... yes. BLACK. Of course, it looks good on some. I just prefer to avoid it.
I used to think men with beards (like my dad - mum hasn't ever seen him without a beard. They met at uni...), were weird. Why the HELL would you want a beard?! But now - BEARDS! YES! THEY'RE GREAT! They make a chap look more like a BLOKE than a boy. So long as it's nice and neat, nothing bushy & overgrown etc (see here).
Hmm... so the subject of disrespecting parents has moved onto preferences in colour and mens facial hair... must mean that I've come to an end of this challenge section.

NON 30 DAY:

I have just polished off a couple of home made oatcakes that my cousin Dan(ielle) made when she was down in Falmouth visiting me for a week.
It was great to have her here, she was a tad off the rails due to LIFE problems, but I haven't seen her in years & it's graaaand to eat a different sort of diet for a while. I've never really eaten tofu before, but I had it TWICE - nice & marinated. And nut cutlets! Safe to say, I went out & bought some today. Well chopped salad for lunch, mixed in with feta and crushed in hand walnuts (that bit was my idea). Mmm. Even though all the veggie food was delicious, I can safely say that I still love meat (this was proven this evening when Silje & I ate a Norwegian sausage, it tastes of stick meat - the only food so far which has almost / quite possibly HAS made me cry with happiness!!!).
I took her for a walk to Pendennis head, where we saw a whole tribe / gang / heard / bundle / collection of dolphins playing in the wake of a couple of boats, and leaping RIGHT out of the water. It was pretty amazing (yes, I DO insist on using capitilised words today).
Went to the pub (a few times, various pubs) sang some shanties with the Falmouth Shout at 5 Degrees West. And Elk came down for a couple of days too, so we drove off to Perranporth on a gloriously sunny day & went on a short coastal walk with me constantly making noises of awe & affection for the Cornish coast (of course I've seen it all / most before, however it never fails to make me want to squeal and jump up & down & then touch it. And smell it. Walk it, lick it, stroke it, roll on it... etc. ALL OF IT. I'm hoping Dan enjoyed it just as much as I did, even if the noises & actions coming out of her were a little less OTT.

This weekend Silje & I were meant to be going on a free holiday BTCV weekend to near Plymouth to do things like plant trees, some little outdoorsy mini-courses (green woodworking / fence making etc), music making, watching a band... etc... however a few days before Silje had a yurghy cold, and I was feeling a little pushed over with everything, wanted a free weekend... and so we sadly had to drop out at the last minute. I hope they found 2 alternative people.
So today the Norweg's & I took a little trip to Truro, to pick up my precious cargo of 18 pints of Heligan Honey from Skinners Brewery. Mmm. I hope free ale tastes EVEN BETTER. Also briefly skipped round the city (ha!) centre, I found a lovely RUSTY coloured top / dress thing (previously mentioned) and nothing else. Back home past Lidl & Sainsburys (isn't this interesting...) to buy copious amounts of bogroll, and more avacados. Yum yum yum yum yum.
This evening I have just been snoozing on Silje's bed, eating, and painting.
And now I can smell the popcorn Faye just made. WAAAANT.

Eek, I can't believe how fast these past few weeks have gone, and how fast I suspect the next few weeks will go!!
This coming week MAX is coming down, which'll be groooovy, and then theres my 1965-1975 themes birthday party (held a week before my birthday). I hope a decent amount of people turn up, and it's all fun... I've invited a few folks I've never invited before, I HOPEEE it all turns out fine. It'd be nice to have a good bunch.
Then of course it's my actual birthday on the 25th, I'll keep that to my 18 pints of Skinners & some likers/lovers of the liquid. Found out that I have to START work at Golant on the 27th, so I guess I'll travel there in a slightly hungover state on the 26th. Oh bugger. I was kinda hoping to be allowed to travel there on the 27th but beggars can't be choosers, and I don't fancy asking incase they decide they don't want me?!.
At the end of April we're off to Brittany, it'll be larvelyyy to see some folks again...
We're meant to be organising a pre-Brittany gig or 2... however I don't know the first thing about it, and I'm away for most of the time before then, and... ARGH! What the hell do I dooo? Don't really want to go to Lisa to ask for help as she gave the job to us. But really...

Mmm... and now I've had a lovely sunny Sunday. Woke up 10am-ish (bit of a lie in) and then after a VERY fruit filled breakfast, wandered off to Gyll beach with Silje for an icecream (Roskillys Hokey Pokey with a flake) and a sit on the sand in the sun by the sea, watching the likes of a dog thoroughly enjoying the sand & other dogs, and some girls in bikinis who must have been FREEZING. Young teenagers are strange people... that sounds weird, that we were watching young teenage girls (and one boy). It's not meant to be. It was just because they were right near to us. NOT WEIRD.
After that we strolled back home, popping into various hotels / guest houses / B&B's to find a place for when Silje's parents & brother come down (exciting!!!).
Lunch happened, without heating my leftovers up in the microwave - I quite enjoy having a non-functioning microwave, really... seems that Faye can't cope however.
Sorted out part of my study, I've slowly started digging into the stuff.
For supper we polished off Silje's chicken goujons, with some oven baked sweet potato, potato, and courgette chunks sprinkled with spices. Ate all that with a salad & some chive & garlic mayo which we threw together (hom nom. Definately have to take the beloved Clive the chive to Golant & beyond). And you know, Chinese 1 clove garlic is AMAZING. Of course it's not sourced so locally as other garlic, however it comes in big bulbs (from Lidl in a basket). I very very very much love garlic, so big single clove bulbs of it are godly. I wonder what they're like, baked... on their own... with some good butter.


Anyhoo, shoosh Bex. Everything will be fiiiine.
Have a few photos from the past little while...Silje & I went on a 2 night visit to Lands End YHA to do some voluntary gardening work, the weather was mostly lovely. On the first day we went on a brief stroll to the cove down the bottom of the valley (it's actually nearer Cape Cornwall, as I mentioned).On the second day we had the bonfire. There's Silje & Chris the manager (warden, for those old school YHA folk out there).On the third day, we went home via various points on the coast. MAGNIFICENT.From my cousin Dan's visit. We brought out the Max suit when Elk was down. Left to right (of wild things, etc): Vera, me, Silje, Dan, Elk.Perranporth - you can see the YHA there, perched on the cliff. Look at that beach... the sea... the cliffs... the sky...THE COLOUR OF THE JKSHFJKSEHGRJKSEHG SEA!!!

I made this little doodle yesturday:Gouache, & then the photo got thrown in in Photoshop (it's one I took in Norway, last x-mas).

Now, heres a few bits of imagery I've got lying around recently:Joe Waldron. Nice blocks of colour, nice angles, and for this one, nice theme!Lou et Tom - Polish paper cuts. I'd really like to try something like these, perhaps I'll start with something a little more simple, though (apparently in the olden Polish days, some people used to make these things using sheep shearing shears!!).Found via Studio MHL - mmmm paper cut bunting stuff. I think this would take a VERY sharp scalpel, and a lot of patience, or a tiny saw.Although they look a LITTLE tacky, these Moroccan styled recycled lanterns from Design Sponge are interesting... hmmm...
"Whitby" by Mini Moderns. This wallpaper comes in a small variety of different colours, and I think it's LOVELY. I'd rather like it as a feature wall in this house, please.
After the damp issue is sorted, however.A mid 18th century dress which is currently in the Metropolitan Museum. Isn't it so very laaavly? I'd love to wear it. I'm guessing it doesn't come in my size...And finally, a stereographi projection found in the National Geographic, by Luc Perrot. Isn't it just so... ahhhh.

When looking for a quote, I stumbled across this poem... and MY GOD it is long. I still haven't got to the end.

So... thats that.

P.S. My quote for the uni illustrated quotes & sayings book is: "I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze." - William Wordsworth.

68. Life is GREAT.

Today:

Your beliefs.

I am not religious, full stop. <- a full stop. <-another one

I do however believe in some things like the right to an imagination, freedom of speech & every other freedom possible (for those worthy of it, anyway). Free free free, free free, free, free. I believe that all parts of an animal should be eaten (if edible - don't want to eat bits which make me SICK). I recently found out that Haggis is illegal in America, as it contains too much / any sheeps lung. They're willing to eat junk food, but not certain bits of an animal... sometimes I REALLY wonder whats going wrong over there. I indeed believe that no food at all should go to waste! Buy something? Then use it up. Keep an eye on what you have in the house before eating something which doesn't need eating so much. Waste not want not, yes yes, eyes bigger than your head? Waste in general gets me annoyed. I believe in a lot of things.
End of 30 day challenge for today.

Today Silje & I went on a BTCV day trip to an Iron age Carn next to Carn Euny past Penzance. The weather was lovely (if a little blustery) and we had a good view out across to St Michaels Mount. We mostly chatted to Claire & kept control of the fire (controlled gorse burning before nesting season) and then whilst waiting for the fire to burn down we toasted marshmallows (I got a sugar headache, but toasted mine by setting them alight and then removing the outer crust & eating it, before repeating it again). Got home this eve and fell asleep on the foot of Silje's bed, like a trusty doggalump (3 lovely friendly dogs out earlier).

On Frrrrrrrriday NINA and her chappy Dimmi (Dimitri, but Dimmi is easier to write) appeared in Cornwall. After a little confusion as to which palm tree my house was near, they FOUND me! It was all highly exciting, as Ninoid has never seen my humble home before. I gave a brief tour of the house, and then we consumed cake & slurped at hot / warm liquids whilst sitting in my study, which Nina seems to be rather in love with. It was super good to see them, hopefully I'm gonna crash at N's in May when visiting London (it's certainly closer than Reigate).
Ahhhh the lads...
Come on Nino, you know you want to come visit me again!

On Thursday I had my assessment presentation, I thought I screwed it up as I got nervous about talking about my work in front of people however I was told I was fine (though had to assure someone else that they DIDN'T seem like an utter nutter whilst talking). That evening I had just put a chocolate gingerbread cake into the oven, and was just eating a simple meal of a microwaved potato with butter and some tinned fish (I'm racking my brain trying to remember which sort) in tomato sauce... when LISA rang! A few days ago her van decided to blow up (cam-belt was a tad old...) and we have since found out that there is no point in repairing it due to it costing too much money, so Lisa has been going round in a silly little hire car thing. But then that died at the forge, at about 8pm. So I went out on a rescue mission with my faithful handy man (Silje) and a thrown together wing mirror; why, you might possibly ask if I haven't already blogged about this before? Because some utter knobend went along the road deciding to kick off some folks wing mirrors, mine being one of them. The mirror itself was no where to be seen & the casing is a bit damaged (have aquired some black gaffa tape...) and so I had to spend out on buying a new mirror. ANYWAY, on with the story. I made a part time mirror (drivers side, sadly) out of Vera's hand mirror strapped on with gaffa - it didn't work amazingly, but since it was night time I just needed to be able to see any lights coming up behind me. Yes, I am aware that it's slightly naughty to drive without a drivers side mirror, however it was a RESCUE mission!! So I drive along, with Silje keeping me sane as I hadn't ever driven in night THAT DARK, nor THAT FOGGY!!! Finally got to the end of the forge track, and decided against taking the van along it as it's dark and full of pot holes & mud. Left Silje guarding the van with it's lights on, and I walked the 0.8 miles down the PITCH BLACK track to the forge with no torch. I swore at a horse, as I thought it was on the wrong side of the fence, and almost punched a few bushes for looking mysteriously like skulking evils. Found Lisa in the dark (her torch battery had died), then we walked back (she seemed pretty amazed that I'd walked the whole way on my own). Got back home, finished eating, cake was GOOOOD (Rarr took it out the oven) and then went to the pub for a few mission complete pints. And then to a bar. And then the next morning I was hungover, yuck.
That has pretty much been the whole of my most recent happenings. Tomorrow eve off to Gyll Beach Cafe to watch Peoples String Foundation, and then Monday - Wednesday am at Lands End.

Mmmm. Images: Nice cut out vs simple style... I'm itching to try it.There was a short series of these, this being my favourite.
Wasn't Ozzy pretty when he was younger before he waded in deeper than he could snort?

I made some patterns! They can all be repeated quite nicely...I got a little addicted to bunnies for a while.Bunny bunny bunny.See? Repeat!

Some links:
THE BUNNIES. A great saviour to those who are stressed.
Might try designing me some socks...
This chap is one of our external assessors. I rather like his work, yes indeed.
Young to old - made me grin a little bit (just a little).
Have I already posted this? I want WANT a trunk (or 10) and satchels, and EVERYTHING.
Or this... similar, but theres no trunks there.

And now... time to wait for a bus. Was going to cycle to Penryn to retrieve my new wing mirror, but I had forgotten that my bike is chained to Faye's bike TWICE - one of the locks being Faye's, so I don't have the key. And she's asleep. Bugger. Agh well! Bus it is!

67. Elk lives in Devon.

*drumroll* today's 30 day thing-a-ma-jigger-wotsit IS...

Your highs and lows of this past year.

Ta da!

This time a year ago, it was the 16th February 2010. Amazing, that.
I'd only just starting "being with" Mr O'Shea, and we'd actually been on a Valentines (ok, the day before) picnic! But then I went off to Paris with Squidget & Rarr (and many other people on my course). Paris was pretty shit, in my opinion. Except for buying cheese, meat, French sticks, and GIANT GARLIC. 3rd time in 4 years? Uh uh.
But yeah, so Paris wasn't so great but I was def-nutly happy with Mr O'Shea... even though that caused a bit of friction in the house, it seemed, because I was spending so much time with him. That wasn't so great (the friction).
The year was full of illustration - which got far better AFTER Paris, singing sea shanties, being given gifts of carrot cake, urdurt, Green & Blacks chocolate, and Toblerones.
And other such delights.
Sadly it got to the summer and I had my normal twitch of "getting bored". I just wasn't happy with it anymore, and you're not meant to stay with things (places, people, objects) which you aren't totally happy with. So, come, ehhh... September / Octoberish, it all ended with Mr O'Shea, and it was a long and nasty process, but it happened. That WOULD be the low. Nastily energy draining, it is a sad thing to do.

The high would still be Glastonbury, which I mentioned in a post not far behind this one. So many colours, smells, sounds, feelings... the whole shabang. The people, the weather, the dust dirt I could scrape off myself (probably with a spatula!). One day I hope to have something similarly fabulous.
Recent highs would be getting the job at Golant YHA, finding out that driving Hector round isn't QUITE so as terrifying as I imagined (still getting used to the blind spots though! Need some of those funny round mirrors), going to the forge, etc etc etc.
Yep! I'm happy :)

Here's 3 bits of arty fart I've finished this week already. 2 pieces I did in an evening each sort of thing (more like engorged doodles) and the other is the Anne of Green Gables project I've just finished (started before dissertation, but that blasted essay got in the way). Well, the FRONT of the AoGG book cover, anyway.

66. A big pile o' sticks.

Onwards with the 30 day challenge, after a break of... a bit over a week!

YOUR VIEW ON MAINSTREAM MUSIC

I've never been crazily IN to mainstream music. No, not at all. Always on the rock side of things, and now thats all in-bred with folk stuff too...
Theres some music I hear and go "urgh" - most of that stuff is in the majority of clubs today. Admittedly some of the stuff out there is catchy, or has a good beat, but it's really not for me.
I also have to admit, that today I listened to an album of music which I'd never even THINK to listen to, I was attracted by the name of it & the album artwork...
Elephant Man - Dance & Sweep. It's really not my sort of thing, but I listened to MOST of the album before getting sick of it, and it's got a good fun beat indeed! If the clubs round here played THAT, they perhaps I'd be seen out more (though there are still far better things for clubs to be playing, however we have to stick mainstream, right?).

Sometimes I look at people blasting such crap music into their ears - of course, it's what they're spoon fed off of the charts - and wonder why they don't ever think about listening to music which is a bit more beautiful. Something which isn't just pure noise, of sounds made by a machine.
And something Silje & I mentioned the other day... the SU bar up at Tremough holds big themed parties. Sometimes the theme will touch on the music too (like the 80's party has 80's music) but they always throw in all the modern stuff, too. I reckon it's be more FUNNERER to keep the theme.
I'd like to have a Woodstock & such party for my 22nd ("& such" being funk, I'd like to throw some delicious 70's funk into my mix of folky 60's). However, I'm guessing that people will let a few songs play but then insist on changing it to something shoddy. Yes ok, shoddy only really in MY opinion... perhaps I just need to find more people to have parties with, who don't mind FOLKY ROCKY GOOD stuff :P

On the mention of music, here are 2 other CORR BLIMEY albums I found out today:
Blowzabella
Bellowhead (apparently they're playing Green Man festival this year - I want to go...)

Good night!

65. Staying alive, staying alive.

Well ahoy-hoy-HOY!

There is a girl running down my road in heels (in the rain) shouting drunkedly, "where are YOU?, where are YOU?" down her phone. She doesn't seem too upset about it, just drunkedly confused. A bit like a time Imy called me when drunk & such and then suddenly when "SHIT, Bex, I've lost my phone, OH GOD, WHERE IS MY PHONE". OHHHHHHH Imy.

I have not updated this thing properly. For the last few days I've missed my 30 day challenge things because my sister Elk came down to visit on Friday, and then we went and had the weekend away doing voluntary DIY SOS work at Treyarnon Bay YHA (north coast Cornwall). It was my van Hector's first biggish outing, and he was even fine on a hairpin bend! What a GOOD little van! And soon I shall kit him out.
Got back Monday midday, after taking a de-tour on the way back to Falmouth by taking the long scenic way to the forge to see Lisa, only to find she wasn't there, but then she appeared.
Tuesday Silje & I got our dissertations bound, & bought a couple of WHOLE pheasants from the market. Spent a long time after that plucking them (kept the feathers - still need to remove a bit of gack from some of the longer ones, but the rest are WELL GOOOOD). I then chopped them up and gutted them & skinned them & such, and we made a tasty pheasant & veg stew which Lisa joined us for (Vera & Faye were less than impressed by the dead pheasants due to their refusal to eat dead animals, though Faye did get a good look at the guts - it was like an interesting science lesson).
Went to the forge on Wednesday, too, to help Lisa make her caravan. It's coming along very nicely, we put a couple of windows in & all! It's speeding up, can't wait to see it finished.
Thursday Silje & I handed in our dissertations, then Friday... Friday? Eep! I can't remember! I feel a bit lost without the dissertation but it's great to be free, I'll get back into the swing of uni work come monday. Did we tie dye my bedsheets Thursday or Friday? (which ever day, they look terrific! I have the mighty finest colourfullest sheets around...).
Today Silje & I did BTCV work in some woods someplace past Redruth / Camborne. We hacked down Laurel all day as it is not a native species, and over takes EVERYTHING else. KILL IT OFF! We worked bulldozer style, and then did sniper moves, sneaking up & attacking. Very fun. It was nice & sunny, & we (tried to) sing some shanties, though found we've forgotted a lot of stuff. Bugger. BTCV Claire gave Silje & I a £125 gift voucher for The Hall of Cornwall theatre (for helping with BTCV so much, though the thing itself was a leftover prize from something else. But still!); we think we'll go see Swan Lake on Ice, Mozart the Opera, and some strange other musical for which the name fails me - I will feel very civilised, and just MUST dress up! This eve we had a few drinks & went out to Jacobs Ladder with Tora & Rarr, but due to being woken up last night by some NOISY BLIGHTERS (ha!) I was too tired & so came home early. S&V are still out. It was nice to walk home in the rain on my own, even though my lovely orangey Indian patterned trousers split AGAIN, what is wrong with my crotch & trousers! Met a man who had lost his black labrador doggalump. I hope he finds it.

I HAVE A JOB.
Or, at least, I have a job 27th March - 17th April, and then start of July onwards.
Golant YHA. Yaaaay! Thank you, Golant. I was so very happy when I found out, even though there was a mad fumble to find my phone charger & plug it in to all the appropriate holes (mercy buckets, Squidget, for being my phone fumbler). Having a job for when I finish uni is a great relief, especially as it is YHA as that means I'll have decent amounts of spare time in which to draw / paint / walk / contemplate the stranger corners of life.
It also means I can stay in Cornwall, which was one of my biggest wishes.
Even if it means that I still won't be able to see all my folks back home so much. I'll still see them every so often, I hope. I'll go visit them (though I won't get Summer/Winter/Easter holidays any more, due to not being in education any more!). I hope they'll come visit me, too.

I'm thinking of having a Woodstock themed birthday party (before my birthday). I wonder if I can get away with only playing music which was played by bands at the festival, without folks changing the music to something shit. That'd be great. But what would I wear! So much choice...! Would anyone be naked? That'd be superb! Shame the weather won't be warm enough to have it partly outside.

Right now, I'd like a bowl full of hard boiled eggs to eat. With a couple of not so hard boiled ones in there, so I can have a gooey centre for toasted & buttered Irish soda bread soliders. Mmm.

RIGHTY, heres some work by other folks:

Image from National Geographic, in Alaska.

Material, from "ernieblog" fabric blog / Flickr. Mmm!!

I'm not sure who this is by, I found it whilst roaming about Tumblr. Isn't it pretty!

Very simple card, but it caught my eye at Dude & Chick.

Splattery goodness. Fredrick Akum.

Laura Bell did a moon, too.

I'm liking the moons. Finally, an scanned image of my hands after tie dying my bedding...

A list of links to ponder upon:

For my page in the quotes book, I want to use a section from this poem.

I've been told to observe Indian Miniature painting.

Oh to have plenty of Moroccan furniture.

Fun fun fun sewn owls on this Flickr (AnnWood).

Can I have this set of socks, please?

I wish to see all of these AMAZING geographical wonders.

Some lovely simple designs on here, like an angular version of Sanna Annuka's work.

Folky art style. YES. Look and learn, Bex.

I looked at this girls work and thought "thats what I want to do! It's already slightly similar...?"

THE OWLY MOTHS. EEE. That is all I can say.

Now some photos of what I've been up to, plus CAKE RECIPES! Yum.

Helping Lisa with her caravan...

Taking Hector on his first LITTLE road trip to Porthleven, where I locked his keys inside him. And then my camera battery quickly ran out, so I used Silje's camera for the rest.

Elk scrubbing the outdoors bog & shower at Treyarnon...

The pheasants! Decided to show a less gory one...

My bed of very colourful dreams...

And finally, some RECIPES. Both for cakes, both based on simple cake recipes.

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Chocolate Banoffee cupcakes with peanut butter filling

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Ingredients:

-100g SR flour

-100g margerine

-50g dark sugar

-50g normal white sugar

-1 egg

-cocoa powder

-1 frozen banana

-1 big bar of Galaxy caramel chocolate

-Crunchy (smooth will do, I guess) peanut butter.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to:

-Preheat oven to 190deg celcius.

-Mix together the sugar and marg, then add flour & egg.

-Defrost banana in microwave (before removing skin). It'll get very squidgy, but that is good.

-Add banana & cocoa powder (enough to taste chocolatey taste) to the mix.

-Chop up the chocolate into medium sized chunks, alternatively just put 1 whole square in the middle of each cupcake.

-Dollop half the mix into the bottom of 6 cupcake cases, put a teaspoon full of peanut butter on top of that, and then use the rest of the mixture to fill them up.

-Bake for 25-30 mins, until fork isn't gacky when it's prodded in & out of a cake.

Nom nom nom nom nom. I suppose you could ice them or something too, but we left them like this.

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Fruit & poppy seed cream cheese filled cupcakes (THE BEST ONES!!!)

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Ingredients:

-100g SR flour

-100g light muscavado sugar

-a bit more muscavado sugar

-100g margerine

-1 egg

-poppy seeds

-vanilla essence (the posher the better)

-ground almonds

-squidgy but dried cranberries & apricots

-full fat (low fat could work too?) plain cream cheese

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Preheat oven to 190deg cel

-Mix together the marg & 100g sugar, then add flour & egg.

-Drop in a few drops of vanilla essence, and enough poppy seeds to make it look like it's full of spiders eggs (some people prefer less poppy seeds, but I like the texture when baked).

-Seperate the mix into 2 bowls, in 1 bowl add a good amount of dried cranberries, in the other add chopped apricots (slicing 1 dried apricot into 4 is about the right size pieces).

-Mix up cream cheese filling, I used about 2/3 of a pack of it. To cream cheese add a small slosh of vanilla, a small handful of ground almonds, and enough sugar to make it taste sweetened. WARNING: BEFORE BEING BAKED, THIS MIXTURE MAY TASTE A LITTLE ODD. Do not let that deter you!!. The mixture will become a bit runny when mixing, but thats fine.

-Put half the cranberry mixture into 3 cupcake cases, and half the apricot mixture into the other 3 (of course, you can double, triple, quadruple, etc etc etc this mix. Which is a VERY good idea, as these are GOOD).

-Divvy out the cream cheese mixture into the 6 cases.

-Remembering which cases had which fruit, put the correct leftover mixture into them, trying to cover all the cream cheese. You should be able to tell which is which, but if not then add something like whole almonds into the top of some of them.

-Cook for 25ish minutes, this will be FINE.

-Cool and leave out over night. The temptation to eat them straight away may be big, but try not to as they're so much better when a little aged.

-EAT. The result is like a hybrid of cake & cheesecake...

MY GODDDD.

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Enjoy! Yum yum yum.

64. A rap o the door.

Today's 30 day thing.

Your favourite Tumblr's.

Y'know, I think I'll just stick to "your favourite websites in general".
Every day when I turn on my poota (when I have internet) I look at these websites, in this order, but only if they're likely to have updated (I remember the update days off by heart).


Misfile - I'm really not a great fan of this one (hence why I read it first). But I just want to see what happens. I got myself dragged into it by accident. (Webcomic).

Red String - Kinda too girly... but sometimes we all need a bit of girliness. (Webcomic).

Gunnerkrigg Court - this is getting better & better in my opinion, especially the artwork. It started off being a bit iffy, but... yeeeeah. (Webcomic).

Scary Go Round - This is great! Sometimes a bit "hum hum" but the characters are amusing, and YEAH. (Webcomic).

Questionable Content - It started with awful drawings, now it's pretty good. It's great to follow their lives, they're sooooo gooooood. Miss Megan got me attached to these. (Webcomic).

Hotmail - All my e-mails go to one of my 2 accounts here. Joys!

Facebook - Ahem. Yes, well...

THEN, if I'm not forcing myself to work, I'll go check on my "art" websites.

Society6 - It slowly seems to be being intruded by crap art sorts (sorry, but they really are). I just hope it doesn't get to Deviantart level. Blegh.

Flickr - I enjoy watching my image views go up. Mmmm.

Tumblr - This is a recent addiction. I hope I don't become TOO attached, it's just a nice place to store images, so I don't save them ALL onto my poor computer!

Theeen I'l go look through some blogs...

A Cup of Jo - Started looking through this when she showed more graphic designy pretty arty fun stuff, but she's gone rather wedding / baby / romance based now. Pah.

BOOOOOOOM - It goes through phases of showcasing good work, then bad work. I 'spose it depends whats in fashion in the arty farty world.

Color Me Katie - Fun little blog full of colour.

Design for mankind - Artsy fashiony designy stuff. Can tend to get a bit repetative, but it's normal to find interesting works.

Swiss Miss - Got shown this by our tutor Amanda when at Art College. She shows many good bits of design & tidy Swiss style (minimalism, I suppose)

Where the lovely things are - Similar to Design for mankind, but a bit less graphic looking in style, more illustration.

Pikaland - Got put off this a bit at first due to the Gemma Correll illustration border at the top, but she isn't really THAT bad. I suppose. Like Silje said - some of her more doodly bits are growing on me, it's just when she tries to do proper illustration.... nuh uh.

The Hermitage - Rima's work is AMAZING, AND she lives only in Dartmoor! Although not my style of work, the effort & style put into it... mmmmmm!

We Three, Ginger cats tales - Lovely lovely lovely cats. Cats who go for WALKS!

Smitten Kitchen - Rarr passed this onto me. I'll make some of those recipes, some day.

Search for life - Good eye for imagery, however the photo of herself on the side always bugs me.

What Katie Ate - HOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

That'll do for now!

63. I have a green pea.

Today I shall write about

Your earliest memory (mine, actually).

I remember a few things... I'm not sure in which order they should come, but I remember them.

I remember being in the kitchen & desperately trying to wrinkle my brow - I loved how my mum & dad looked like they had lots of worms wriggling across their forehead sometimes.

I remember running / going up some outdoors steps - they felt like fire exit steps - with my mums mum. I have a feeling they might have been at a hospital, quite possibly my mum was in there having Elk. I guess I was being amused in some way? I have a vague thought that I went in through a door at the top, but I can't quite remember. I'd be 2 or 3 for this, if that WAS the time it was.

I remember being at the caravan site in Ulwell (Dorset) and putting on my dads brown socks (they were like thigh highs on me!) and his brown shoes (HUGE!). I also seem to remember wearing my mums jumper - the navy blue one with a green frog on the front of it, but these could be slightly affected by the fact I've seen photos of them. But I THINK I remember them properly, anyway.

I remember being at playgroup (so this won't be the oldest memory) and I'd drawn a picture of a girl. It was meant to be me, but it had brown longish hair, and a big round red face. I demanded a sticker for it, because it was GOOD. I got a sticker. Yeeeeah.

I also remember making salt dough Christmas tree decorations at playgroup, I was impressed that the dough came in a few different colours. We hung those on the tree for a few years, but then they DISAPPEARED. I don't think my mum keeps much old stuff like that.

I ALSO remember at playgroup, being chosen to be Mary for the nativity play. I was pretty happy that I got to be a main part, but remember sitting there in the church in front of everyone, with a plastic baby in a cot and thinking "what am I meant to do with this baby??".

I remember being at child minders (before I ever went to school) and having lunch sitting at a short plastic table - it was baked beans with peas or sweetcorn mixed in. Maybe something else too, but I just remember that. I also recall that there was blackcurrant squash to drink and it was GROSS. Apparently I used to like Ribena, but I can't much remember liking it except for knowing that I saw the bottle about the house. After lunch I remember it was nap time. I had the little sofa, and I couldn't sleep. One of the childminders children (maybe called Mary?), bullied me a little because I wasn't sleeping. She threatened to "tell". At some point after nap time I remember we were sort of made to watch TV (I think I just wanted to play with blocks, or something. Once Elk & I made a castle for a couple of toy squirrels out of the blocks. Someone knocked it down). I didn't want to watch Peter Pan, I thought it was a bit scary. Captain Pugwash was much better.

I also remember being on the top deck of a bus with my childminder, I got to eat a Fruit Pastille sweet - this is the first sweet I ever remember eating. I THINK it was a red one. The best ones.

I remember quite a few things, but can't decide which is the oldest...

62. Cock-a-doodle-do

Aaand today

Somewhere you'd like to move or visit

Where would I like to move...

I wouldn't mind living in Iceland for a while, I'd have to make sure I lived in a good & friendly little community though, and of course I guess it'd help if I spoke Icelandic! Near the sea, of course, though not many people actually live inland in Iceland. And preferably not TOO far away from Reykjavik (don't want to be entirely cut off) (I say not too far, as long as I could get there within a few hours). It's such a beautiful place, even me as a grumpy teenager could tell that. I wish I hadn't been so grumpy, and wish I hadn't taken so many photos of the ponies with my camera and instead had used the film for AMAZEENG stuff. I wonder how bitter it is there in Winter, since I've only been in summer (midnight sun! ^^). I find it kinda amusing that all of a sudden EVERYONE wants to go to Iceland. I wonder if it's due to all it's local media-ness? First the volcano, then all the "Visit Iceland" advertising... hmmm... LYKE, SOOOOO FASHNUBBLE.

I could probably live in Scotland, too. Either in the islands or on the coast or by a big loch. I'll visit Culdees again, some day. Yes I will. Preferably in the summer. Scottish accents, too... mmm. And HAGGIS! I'd need to acquire a tolerance to midges though... midges LUUUURVE Bex flesh.

CORNWALL. But isn't that obvious? I'm already living here! If I didn't have any other choice, I could happily live here for the rest of my life. Falmouth is a good place to live at my current stage, but I'm hopefully moving to other Cornish places, for YHA / other work... Cornish people aren't half nutters, but they're GREAT. How often can you go into a Boots chemist in a small town / big village, and ask if they know any locksmiths to be answered by
"Hmm, not sure about locksmiths, I might do? I do however know a few people who could BREAK INTO your van for you, however...". He was a nice oldish old chap, and his co-worker was a friendly oldish woman too. He had his (rather very thin up to date iPod on an iPod dock, which he turned off when a tune he wasn't so fond of came on!!!). He looked things up on the internet, and the phone book, and from his memory......... ahhh Cornwall.

Switzerland. But I'm not sure for how long, since there is no sea to be had. It' such a lovely neat, tidy, & clean place... with public transport which runs perfectly on time, and gawwwjus scenery, and the people are friendly, AND... CHOCOLATE. Again - it'd be useful to speak the language.

Ohh, theres so many places I'd like to move to, even if just a short while. Infact, most of the places I've visited. Like Norway.... Denmark too... Italy! Menorca? Maybe... could be better just for a holiday get away. I'm never too sure about the culture down there. France? Maybe. Canary Islands? Probably not.
OH! CANADA! YES! I'd live there! Preferably in the Rockies or the Vancouver side of them (sea!). Vancouver Island? Never visited, but seems good.


Where I'd like to visit which I haven't done so already...

Scottish Islands. I haven't visited them yet (even though they're on my "I'd like to live here" list).
Sicily. Southern Italy? Sounds good to me!
ANYWHERE in the Med. The sea there is lushity lush. Like swimming in a clear, warmish bath, with colourful little fish. Fish fish fish!
DEFINATELY Greece & the Greek Islands, yes, they're in the Med too.
Morocco! Food, architecture, styling... I can't see better, for such a place.
AUSTRALIA. Preferably with no run-ins with scary deathly animals.
NEW ZEALAND. YESSSS. For a while I wanted to go work on a farm there, it still appeals. I really do like getting far away from where I grew up (though currently over seas still seems a tad extreme).
The Caribbean.
Y'know, I might as well say EVERYWHERE. But those places are biggun's.