A list of activities that could potentially earn Grown-Up Girlies a badge – so far.
- Craft activities – knitting, sewing, crocheting, embroidery badges, BUT you have to make something useful and grown-up for each badge – knitting an iPod, quilting a laptop bag, for example.
- Nature activities – finding leaves from 5 British trees, drawing the footprints of three different animals, following the Hockley Woods trail.
- Cooking – coming up with a meal based on three main ingredients, designing a dinner party menu for six people where one is vegetarian, one is wheat-intolerant and one is on a diet (see, grown-up issues).
- Exercise – we’d have to be able to manage a minimum level in five different activities – running, swimming, lifting weights, skipping etc.
- Literature – reading a book, and then giving a three minute review back to the group. Maybe have a creative writing slot, where we have to write a 500 word short story in a certain genre.
- Work – all I can think of this is creating a 2-page CV that has no spelling mistakes or lies.
- Music – be able to identify 5 No. 1 hits from each decade since you were born. Go to an opera. Learn to play one tune on a musical instrument (and the recorder DOES count).
- Gardening – grow one thing in a pot from seed to ‘fruit’ (or flower). Pick up a worm. Cook a meal using something you’ve picked form a garden/allotment (if you don’t have any food/herbs growing, you can ask a fellow GUGAS member if you can pick something from their garden).
- Fashion – I want to have this, because I’d like to learn something, but I’m not sure what to do. Maybe it could involve the personal shoppers at Debenhams.
- Housework – how to clean things with green/eco products and very little effort. How to declutter without throwing away everything you won. How to persuade the other people in your house to do their fair share. Sorry, this one’s a bit dull, but I like the idea of a badge for this.
- School subject-orientated things – history, geography, maths and religion ?
- DIY
- Drawing, painting
- Fencing, indoor wall climbing, ice-skating
There, my list so far. N (work) and I were discussing whether drinking 1.5 litres of water a day should count as a badge-worthy activity – and as GUGAS is yet to be a proper organisation, and the rules are open to change, we decided drinking water should definitely be on the list.
Today for lunch, I’m trying bacon and Gruyere scones. While it sounds like a nice idea, I’m not really sure what you eat with it to make it a proper lunch. The greedy person in me says “LOTS of scones” but I’m wondering if baked beans or a salad will be good.
I blame the new brand of coffee. I had two cups of it one morning this week, and then on the train I came up with a world-shattering idea : a grown-up Brownies ! Obviously I can’t actually call it that, as I’m pretty sure the Girl Scout Association, or whatever it calls itself, might object, but it’s really the best way of explaining it to people (to a book publisher, my local council’s community project funding board, potential members…).
It’ll be a group scheme, where members do certain tasks in order to gain a proficiency badge. The tasks range all over (I’ll have to find the updated list for my next post) from arts and crafts, through exercise and sports, DIY and school-type subjects. Each badge has a certain number of tasks you have to complete at a certain level in order to gain the award. However, you don’t have to do all the different subjects, just the ones you’re interested in.
Someone mentioned it sounds a little like the WI, which is also an inspiration. However, my local WI is really a tad too old for me (actually, my REALLY local one meets in the middle of the day, it’s the next-but-one-local-one I mean) and I know that I could start up a new group, especially if it’s for a younger demographic. But would they let me do badges ?! The badges are REALLY important.
Will ponder more about this. Have people at work, home and ex-work giving me ideas, and I already have ideas for the patron of our organisation (torn between Cath Kidston, Jane Asher and Jane Brockett, with also yearnings for Ray Mears and Carol Klein for the outdoor stuff). More to come…
Can I blame work again, for how tired I’ve been ? Or just the fact that not going to the allotment has made me feel really guilty and I haven’t been in the mood to blog ? Anyway…
Had to stop with the compost making as we were invaded by fruit flies, drawn by the kitchen caddy. So, I haven’t been to the allotment for over a month now. It’s raining this week, so there’s not much point going to dig up beds, but that’s my next thing to do.
Have been very active on the knitting front. I am almost finished Notting Hill Vest (just the sides to sew up); finished the armband on my Veste Everest (now completed); darned my favourite work top (but not very well); darned my Lord of the Rings socks (again, not very well, it’s more of a patch rather than a darn); started and finished the Thuja socks from Knitty; and the WIP box looks better as a result. I still have four more days of leave, so I’m hoping to finish the NH Vest, finish a scarf I started today (moss-stitch in the last of the Rowan Polar I have) and maybe start a pair of socks in some Lorna’s Laces stuff I bought last week. I was also hoping to start a long-line cardigan but Angel Yarns have been a bit naughty, by advertising sale yarn that they don’t have in stock. Which is a pain, and not particularly trust-inspiring. So I’m unlikely to get the yarn while I’m on leave, which was the whole point of ordering it last week.
I got Nigella Express and have been making a few of the meals from it. We’ve had the mini meatballs (lovely) and the pollo cac-something-or-another. The green eggs and ham pancakes were delish but very filling. Today we’re having the naan pizza and for dinner, the mustardy pork chops, as seen in the first programme. Oh, I also made the sauerkraut dish but it was pretty heavy and I didn’t put in the juniper berries.
The job is better. I met my first befuddled scientist (his hair was disappointingly neat though) and I think I scared another one by telling her how I’d been known to burn books I hated – she’d been asking my advice on what to do with 30 year old textbooks, thinking they had a value of some sort. Rather than snort ‘Pshaw!’ in her face, I gently recommended the recycling service offered in the building, but even then, she didn’t want to know (because developing countries want out-of-date textbooks, and antique collectors quiver at the thought of getting their mitts on university textbooks ?). So, I told her what I’D done with unwanted books in the past… To be fair though, it was just the two, and I’ve never regretted it. I would never have read them again, and I didn’t want to inflict them on others.
And speaking of books, I seem to have started a book club at work. There have been 40 responses to my post about joining or starting one up, but luckily, someone else seems to have taken the helm with me. We just need to find somewhere that can cope with 40 people. The first meeting is in two weeks’ time and we’ll just be discussing books we like. I’ve just read “The Girls” which was a lot more fun than I expected. It didn’t make me cry though, so I was a teensy bit disappointed.
Oh, it’s all a blur. I’ve started my new job, and I’m so tired. I can’t even think about what I want to do. Even reading seems an effort.
I’ve potted on the chilli plants and picked just the best three. I’m hoping the pots are big enough. Goodness knows what’s been happening on the allotment – I haven’t had the time or energy to go round this week. I’ll need to go on the weekend, probably both days.
Terrible driving lesson yesterday. I forgot to indicate, I kept my foot on the brake, I gripped the wheel so tight that I crossed my arms, I stopped very unexpectedly, and in the end, I was glad we didn’t do any right-hand turns, which I’d started last week, but was obviously not capable of yesterday.
Made what I thought was a lovely pasta sauce but the Young Chap hated it. Plum tomatoes, garlic, celery, sun-dried tomatoes and a generous dollop of red wine, all simmered down into a gooey sauce. Delish.
Planted the last of my tomatoes on the allotment today so I’m all ready to start preparing that third bed. The second bed has root veg growing in it : swede, turnip, carrots, Florence fennel and parsnip. I’d like to add my celery and possibly the leeks, but there has been some advice regarding the leeks in this bed, so I might not do them just yet, while I ponder.There was a small snail on one of my tomato plants, as I removed the tray of seedlings from the mini glasshouse. I didn’t see it at first and then {insert title of post}. I then checked VERY carefully before I removed anything else, but it looks like there was just the one beastie. Something took a nibble at my cucumber seedlings, as there’s a leaf half-chewed in one of the pots, but one out of 12 isn’t bad, and the seedling itself still looks healthy. The chilli seeds MAY be sprouting (the second wave of celery seeds certainly are) but it’s a little early to tell. I hope I get at least one plant out of the six I’ve planted – it would be so cool to grow my own chilli peppers ! I’d have to hope for a pretty warm summer though.
Bought the yarn for the Fairly Easy Fair Isle cardigan and am about halfway through. Had to start the first sleeve almost from scratch again, as I’d forgotten to do the increases. I still managed to mess it up the second time, but I’ve seen how, and it’s not that big a deal, so I’ve written myself a set of directions, so that I can ‘mess up’ the second sleeve in the same way.
I read “Gods in Alabama” at the weekend, while ill in bed, and have also started “Sleeping Arrangements”. Both good, but unfortunately, I didn’t like “Fat Girl : A True Story”. It’s a pity, as I thought it would be absorbing, but it wasn’t. Maybe being on a diet that’s proving fairly successful has skewed my mindset a bit, but I didn’t like the main character/author and she seems really keen to show all the disgusting things about being fat, things that I find aren’t necessarily true, just those things you think when you’re in a really bad mood.
Toad in the hole for dinner again. It makes me so happy to know that that’s what I’m having, even on a day which is muggy, and even when the Young Chap is going to be home late. Mmm, toad in the hole with slightly undercooked batter, gravy and sweetcorn and broccoli. And a Fruit Pastille lolly (on special offer at the mo, even without Antoine de Caunes advertising it) for afters.
Driving lesson update – managed to confuse the accelerator and the brake pedals twice. But no-one died and my instructor says I’m doing very well. I even had a pedestrian wave thanks at me for slowing down at the zebra crossing – my first wave !
That’s the name of the first recipe from my juices book. It’s a mix of grapefruit, orange and lime. Very nice, though quite sharp. I can imagine it would be good for a morning drink as it did open my eyes ! The book recommends keeping a bit of the pith from the citrus fruit, but the drink came out a little bitter, so I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I have another one all ready to try tomorrow, but for now, I’d better go and clean out the juicer. I’d use the dishwasher except I think it’s easier to clean the juicer straight away rather than wait until the dishwasher is ready to go.
And in case anyone was wondering, my driving lessons are going well. I got to drive up and down the seafront this week, doing left and right hand turns, pulling out of junctions, slowing and stopping at traffic lights AND beeping the horn at a slow motorist who’d failed to notice the green light. Except I wasn’t allowed to do the last thing – my instructor did it. I’d have probably turned on the radio or something…
The local library is coming up trumps, I have three more books to collect from my reservations. As I’m going out, I may as well buy the yarn I need for the Fairly Easy Fair Isle cardigan. Well, now I’ve found a cheap enough wool, I’d be crazy not to, wouldn’t I ?
Lightning visit to the allotment yesterday, just to dump some more rotting veg and lawn clippings for the compost bin. The first bin is finally starting to break down, so I’ve started the second bin. The tomatoes are ALL doing well, though it’s time to tie them up to supports. No sign yet of my second batch of celery seeds, nor the chillis, but it hasn’t been very warm or sunny yet. If it doesn’t rain today or tomorrow, I’ll go over and transplant the rest of the tomato plants.
Have decided that I DO want to try the Fairly Easy Fair Isle cardi from SnB Nation. I was in my LYS today and noticed that Sirdar Click has the same gauge as the recommended yarn for the cardi. As it’s less than half price for the project, even allowing for Sirdar having less meterage, I think I’ll have to go the Sirdar route. I also heard bad things about the original yarn shedding and pilling, so no thanks. The only problem is, Click only has about 8 colours, plus 3 or 4 variegated choices, so I’m going to have to pick the colours carefully. After having my epiphany about colour a few weeks ago (that, basically, I don’t have a good eye for colour) it’s a bit worrying to have to choose four colours that will go together. But luckily, as the LYS seems to stock all the shades, I can play around and see how they look together.
I’ve started on the tie for the Lucky wrap. Although it needs to be 62 inches long, it does come along at an amazing clip – I have done 11 inches without even thinking about it. Maybe I’ll finish it by the weekend and can start sewing things together.
Made the butternut squash and tofu soup, from the Fresh Chinese book. It does taste quite healthy, but I think that about anything made with squashes, courgettes, aubergines etc. It’s OK, but I probably won’t make it again. Next, I’d like to try making some sort of dim sum, or spring rolls.
Allotment news – with all the rain, I haven’t been able to go again, but am happy to report that the basil survived its move. I left one spindly seeding that looked as if it was going to die and was amazed to see it standing tall this morning. However, I don’t really have space for it in the bigger pot, so I’m going to love it where it is and maybe plant it in the allotment as an experiment. Does the smell of basil put off other pests or mites ? Like onions with carrot, for example.
Am still knitting away at Lucky, but hoping to get it finished by the end of the week. I’m halfway through the second sleeve, so then all I need to do is knit the ties to go with it and sew it together. Then it’s back to Gigi. I really would like to make the Fair Isle cardigan from the SnB Nation book, but it’ll cost me around £50 to get the wool, and possibly another tenner for the circular needles. And even though it’s raining today, I’m fairly sure there won’t be much opportunity to wear a thick cardigan this side of October.
Tried another dish from my Fresh Chinese book, the Kung Po Chicken. Nicer, we both felt, and we lamented the lack of peanuts (I was too lazy to go and buy unsalted peanuts from Sainsburys), as that would have made a lot of difference. I now have lots of water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts left over, so am thinking of making a Chinese style soup.
Planted chilli seeds today, and put my basil seedlings into a bigger pot. However, my herb book advised against this, so I may have to start all over again with fresh seeds if this batch die. It’s raining today so I hope my tomato plants in the plot are doing well.
I had a binge on my local library’s catalogue and reserved about 20 books from the list I’ve been keeping, cut out from magazines. The library no longer charges for reservations from their own stock (this includes the two neighbouring authorities too) so hurray for that ! Two were all ready to pick up yesterday : The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life, which wasn’t very good. The author was my height and weighs about five pounds either side of my current weight (which is changing, as the diet works its wonders) but that’s about the only interest I had in this book. The other book was about Mrs Beeton, which I have yet to start. I did polish off Blue Shoes and Happiness today, the latest (I assume)* in the First Ladies’ Detective Agency series. As I’m feeling a bit under the weather, the simple prose was just what I needed. Well, that and a small pot of tea (the ordinary kind – I do have some roobois (?) in the cupboard but I don’t like it much). I also bought some Toffeepops biscuits, as a comfort food, but was dreadfully disappointed to find they tasted of cardboard. Has the recipe changed ? I loved them as a student, I used to buy them every week from the Co-op, and now… The Young Chap also had a food nostalgia moment, but his turned out OK. It seem that Super Noodles taste as good as they ever did. Humph.
ETA : * No, there is an eighth one in hardback now.
Went to check on the transplanted tomatoes and while one has keeled over, and another couple look a bit tired, they seem to have transplanted quite well on the whole. My cucumber seeds have sprouted already, which is lovely, and there are spots of green in the oregano tray.
Cooked the first recipe from my Fresh Chinese book, chicken chow mein. I substituted spring onion bulbs for the shallot, and ordinary soy sauce for the tamari sauce, so maybe it affected the final flavour. It was a little bland, but definitely ‘fresh’ tasting. Even doubling up on the portions (it’s considered a side dish) made it a fairly small meal, so next time I’d definitely do another dish to accompany it.
After the whole kerfuffle with Waterstones last week, back to Amazon. I ordered two books yesterday in the afternoon, and when I came back to the house at 11.15 a.m. today, the parcel was waiting for me. I paid for 1st class, not the rush service, so I’m pretty impressed. Obviously I need to stop buying books, but at least they’re all slightly discounted… Oh, and the titles were : I Like You, by Amy Sedaris, who I only know because she was in a couple of episodes of “Sex and the City” and is quite a bit older than I thought, and House Proud. It’s written by someone quite attractive (so says the Young Chap) so I guess that’s why the author is on practically every single page. However, compared to something like Sew Easy, which is also quite personal, but does not feature the author in every other photograph, it grates a little. Danielle Proud has got gorgeous coloured hair though…
would have to go to ‘mochi’ which is served at Yo Sushi. It’s a sweet, a ‘glutinous rice cake with a variety of fillings’. Not the rice cakes I’ve had in the past, those dry crisp things. No, these are soft, and pastel coloured, with a dusting of icing sugar. Quite frankly, the best way of describing them is like biting into a freshly powdered baby’s bottom. But sweet, which I’m going to assume a baby’s bottom isn’t, having never actually done that.
We also had california rolls, miso soup with mushrooms (including those lovely enoki mushrooms, which look too fragile to be food – maybe I could grow them ?), vegetable and prawn tempura, a prawn salad with a sweet chilli sauce, and the Young Chap had some very fishy-looking dish – literally and figuratively. I think there were three different sorts of fish but it looked a bit of a mess. We then strolled home, going past Chocology, where I bought a box of six chocolates for £6.75 (not bars of chocolate, please note) for the Young Chap, who ate them in less than five minutes.
Next knitting project : Gigi. I got the wool today, dark green acrylic. Will start soon, now that the baby’s cardigan is with its rightful owner – well, the baby’s dad, anyway.
