frayed at the edge

Comfort food!

We didn't get the forecast snow overnight - hooray!  And it hasn't snowed today - double hooray!!  BUT, it is bitterly cold, so this morning I gathered together these ingredients

 

and this recipe

 

While the dal was cooking, I also got out these ingredients

In a bowl I put about two tablespoons of the chilli sauce, two table spoons of lime juice and one tablespoon of mint sauce.  I finely sliced the onion, added it to the bowl and mixed everything together well.  I covered it with clingfilm and popped it in the fridge for the rest of the day

 

This evening I made chicken curry and reheated the dal, then assembled it all (don't worry, Malcolm got some too!)

 

It was a wonderful warming dinner, just the thing on a very cold, but very beautiful day

 

I would love a comment from you, because then I could put you in the draw for my first anniversary giveaway!

 

ps - I'm sorry some of the photos are aligned left - yes, you've guessed, Typepad is having one of its regular wobblies and won't let me centre them!
 
 

 

 

Don't mention global warming!!

Yesterday I showed you Malcolm's new car under a blanket of snow ...... today it has a duvet and an eiderdown as well .......

 

 

I've put together a collage of some of the photos I took this morning

 

 

After being out in the snow taking the photos, there was only one thing to have .....

 

a lovely mug of hot chocolate!!

 

I spent some time working on my cross stitch this afternoon, then I started a new knitting project.  Given the continuing bad weather (it snowed all afternoon!), I chose a scarf from this book

 

 

There are so many lovely scarves, it was hard to choose, but I finally decided on this one

 

 

 

And of course I selected yarn from my stash (although I couldn't have gone out to buy some, as there was at least a foot of snow on the road!)

 

 

Remember to leave a comment to go into the draw for the giveaway - especially if you haven't commented before - it would be lovely to hear from you!!

  

 

Good news and bad nerws!

So ..... the good news is that Malcolm was finally able to get his new car yesterday!  But the bad news is that it snowed again overnight, so he didn't want to drive it today, as the roads are still treacherous in places.  So here is the new car, under its blanket of snow

 

Don't know what it is?  Here's a clue

 

I told you that Malcolm had a bit of a mid-life crisis .... instead of buying another 'sensible' car, he decided to treat himself to an Alfa Romeo MiTo ........ a very nice car indeed!!  Still, it could have been worse - he didn't fall into the male menopausal trap of buying a motorbike (I think if that had happened I would have been indulging in a little bit of sabotage, to prevent his riding it!!)

 

I am continuing with my resolutions, and having finished the little rose and leaves picture last night, I looked out two more kits which have been languishing at the very bottom of the to-do pile.  The first one is a counted cross stitch map of Hampshire, which I started when we lived there.  I'm very embarrassed to tell you that we moved from Hampshire in 1989.  

 

My excuse for giving up after only doing a little is that I just couldn't get on with the charts -there are all sorts of bits, some of which I taped together to try to make following them a bit easier

 

I have put it on to a frame, and have even worked a little bit of it this afternoon

 

The other kit is a beautiful counted cross stitch sampler, which I started (briefly) in the early 90s 

 

But then I discovered patchworch and quilting and this kit was put away in a cupboard.  So it too was put on a frame this afternoon

 

Don't worry, I won't be working exclusively on these, as that would make for a rather boring blog, showing the slow progress each day!!  I will have some small projects on the go as well, and I will have to decide what to knit next - if this weather continues, it may have to be more socks!

 

If you didn't see yesterday's post (and if not, why not?) ....... Friday is the first anniversary of the blog, so of course there is a giveaway.  To be included in the draw, simply leave a comment between now and the 15th.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

Resolutions!

It's that time again, when we all make resolutions which we WILL keep this year - despite the fact that we make the same ones year in, year out and we're lucky if we keep them until the end of January!  So I've decided that this year I will break with tradition and make resolutions that I have a reasonable chance of achieving (so I won't resolve to drink less wine, that just isn't going to happen!!)  So, this year's list .....

1.  FINISH things, especially those which have been 'works-in-progress' for more than 5 years

2.  THINK - do I really need this magazine/that book ..... will I really do all those projects when I already have a to-do list a mile long (that's a clever one, it's not an outright ban!)

3.  MAKE all those kits, some of which I have had for years

4.  USE my stash - if I don't have the fabrics/wool for a project, then choose a different project to use what I already have

5.  FIND a new home for things I know I'm unlikely to do - those kits/fabrics/yarns that I bought because they were such a bargain

6.  BE BRAVE and actually post this list, so you will chastise me if I backslide (ok, I've taken my finger off the delete button!)

7.  WORLD PEACE - oops, sorry, wrong list, that's my answer for when I take part in a beauty pageant

 

So, you will be pleased to know that I have made a good start!  Remember I showed you the start of a little bit of knitting some weeks ago - well, it is now finished.  It's something I definitely need in this weather .... a scarf knitted in some of Helen's lovely sock wool

 

(sorry, both of those photos look slightly out of focus!)

 

Malcolm gave me this kit for Christmas

 

I used to do a lot of counted cross stitch, so I really enjoyed stitching this - all I have to do is trim it to size to fit into the coaster

 

And as I enjoyed that so much, I looked out this kit, which I have had for a long (LONG)time

I have almost finished it - I've just a little more of the backstitching round the leaves to do

 

So that's a good start to my resolutions!

I mentioned that I have some plans for the blog in the months to come.  One of them is to do 'Tuesday Tutorials' - just little projects that I hope you will enjoy.  The first one will be next Tuesday, and will show you some ideas for recycling Christmas cards.

I also mentioned that we are rapidly approaching the first anniversary of the blog, which is on Friday ...... so of course that means a giveaway!!  There will actually two giveaways - one for the UK and one for the rest of the world ....... this is because of the cost of postage, so the one for outside the UK will be something lightweight!!  So what will these wonderful things be?  Well, they could be some of those things in my stash that I'm not going to use ........

To be entered in the draw, simply leave a comment between now and Friday the 15th (please say if you live in the UK or abroad) - and for a change, instead of using my Malcolm-number picker, I might have names in a hat!!  Every time you leave a comment you will go in the draw - so please feel free to leave lots of comments (even after a year, I still get very excited when I get comments!!)
 
 
 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

 

Happy New Year everyone - I wish you all a peaceful and prosperous 2010.

Shadows have been few and far between, as we have had snow, snow and more snow!!  However earlier in the week, the sun did come out for a little while, and the neighbours' cat decided to sun itself on the little bit of fence next to our back garden gate.   This was very foolish of the cat, as I don't like cats much, but as it was a good photo opportunity, I didn't shout at it and chase it away!!)

 

This morning the snow went off, so we decided to go out in the back garden and build a snowman (you're never too old to build a snowman!!)  He is a major construction, at least six feet tall.  But just as we finished and I went to fetch the camera, the snow started again, so strictly speaking there are no shadows in the photo ...... but I just wanted to share it with you!!

 

 

For more photos (with shadows!) head over to Hey Harriet.