Chapter V: In which Beck and Christopher Robin find a heffalump in the kitchen

I made these tasty-looking pies last night from a book of old Welsh recipes that Hubby's parents (who live in Wales) gave us years ago. Unfortunately they only look tasty. In reality they're as boring as batshit. The pastry crust went well - a thick globby shortcrust that was so rich and crunchy - yum. Sadly, though, the recipe assumed too much knowledge. Knowledge I clearly don't have. It specifies that you need cooked minced lamb, but doesn't tell you how it should be coooked. And I can't make a decent savoury mince to save myself - it's completely beyond me. This is a real shame as I suspect the pies would have been great when the writers made them. Everything else out of that book has been brilliant.

On the up-side I've been reading this great book, The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a little bit sci fi and a little bit romance. A guy suffers from a bizarre genetic condition where he is shot into the past or future without warning every now and again. On one of his trips into the past he meets his future wife when she was only six. It's totally implausible, but the way she writes it allows you to believe it completely.

List of things that kick arse today.....

...because, yeah, I have mood swings.

Kickarse thing #1:
Recently discovering that you didn't fuck your hearing up in your youth as much as you feared you had and realising that means you can now spend your 30's trying to get your hearing like everyone else's of your age. Turn it up!

Kickarse thing #2:
Walking through the city bustle with New Order up way too loud inside noise cancelling headphones, and singing whatever you can remember of the words. Hey, they're noise-cancelling headphones. You don't have to hear the racket you're making, and if Mr Prada businessman next to you doesn't like it he can fuck himself.

Kickarse thing #3:
Realising that you're old enough to love New Order like the eighties just happened last night but not caring anyway.

Kickarse thing #4:
Coming into work in your own bubble. Smiling inanely without removing headphones or responding in any other way when colleagues greet you in the lift.

Kickarse thing #5:
Denial. As long as I keep these headphones on I am not at work. Nothing can touch me.

List of things that suck today:

Suckful thing #1:
Telstra, the bastards. They've fiddled with my damn contract "to help me save money" so instead I will now be paying nearly 30 bucks MORE per bill. When they told me the prices they must have been talking in US dollars.

Suckful thing #2:
That I always get massively hungry at about 10.30am (oh look, that'd be about NOW) and that when I do I can't find anything to eat in the area except for sweet cakey stuff or greasy crap or tiny little morsels over priced junk that wouldn't feed a sparrow coz the two decent bacon and egg rolls on my street got sold at 9am.

Suckful thing #3:
The only mail I received yesterday when I got home was four bills, all of them big (yes including the Telstra one).

Suckful thing #4:
I hate that you never know what the hell is going on with management changes - nuff said there.

Suckful thing #5:
I've been coughing my lungs up day and night for a week straight now. Like serious window-rattling hacking. Endless. And with intermittent whooping gasps for air.

Suckful thing #6:
Having crazy PMS and not being able to do anything about it but wait and let all that pent-up aggression fester. And anyone who is considering emailing to suggest Starflower Oil can just go to hell right now. That stuff is useless.

Fun fur scarf, by Oroton

Goes with the pursed lips and pink phone too.

New and improved

Sydney Stitch n Bitch has had a total makeover in the last couple of weeks. Not only does it have the old website, and the new blog, but now it's on the Sydney Stitch Yahoo group too.

Edit: I've since learned that it was always on the Yahoo group! I must get that psychic radar tuned up a bit.

They're baaaa-aaaaaaack.....

The Manly chapter of Sydney Stitch n Bitch is now meeting again at the Manly Wharf Hotel in the lounge area. Meetings stopped temporarily due to a lack of interest Northside, but recently there has been a resurgence in knitaholism over that way and it seems only right that the local drinking establishment provides an outlet for people suffering this affliction to get together and confess their dark need.

Meetings are fortnightly on a Tuesday. First meeting is scheduled for 11 July 2006, and second one is 25 July, from 7pm 'til 9ish or whenever people stop themselves from wanting "just one more row".

Here's the website for Sydney Stitch - it's a bit out of date at the moment so ignore the ancient calendar on it. The places and times are all good though, as are the fabulous photos of the Harts gang in the Rocks. Sydney Stitch now also has its own blog which is under construction at the moment but which soon will have an update of the calendar, plus some handy links and info about knitting-related things going on in and around Sydney, to mention some photos and updates on what the Sydney SnB crowd is getting up to. And if you want to get in touch, the email is sydneystitch@hotmail.com.