Another post while the monster rainbow afghan grows and grows. And grows. :-) There's a bit of a problem in my study. A bit of mission creep. The study is supposed to be home for all my work stuff (psychology books, journals, etc), and all my writing stuff, plus a spot of tedious admin. And all the sombre, brooding pictures that the Stoic Spouse dislikes. And my geology books and some of my fossils and rock specimens, the ones that would be small enough for the twinnage to use as food or Continue Reading
Chocolate cake recipe… and colour inspiration
OK, I've had a couple of requests for the chocolate cake recipe from my last post. I'll type it up in a minute. First, a moment of inspiration..... I love colour. It's fascinating. I particularly love colour in the natural world, because as I've repeated ad nauseum, Mother Nature is surely the very best designer. But sometimes, the juxtaposition of ordinary objects can be inspiring. The other day, I was emptying the dishwasher. (I know, I know: could my life possibly be any more Continue Reading
Knitted Christmas decoration
I had to share this with you. Look! Look at the cables! Look at the stockinette! It's about eight inches wide, and I found it in an unprepossessing-looking card shop in a town near here. T'was far too expensive for what it is, and one tumble on to our hard floors will undoubtedly shatter it, but I couldn't resist. Continue Reading
Christmas decorations
Oh all right, I admit it, but only grudgingly. Christmas is almost upon us. 'Tis the season of curmudgeonly old grumps like me cheering up. I need to stop knitting housey stuff and apply my mind to gifts, and guests, and grub. Actually, the grub's covered because the stoic spouse is already engaged in his annual mission to source the best turkey in Western Europe. But I do need to think about the rest of it. We have a tree! I've put it up in the slobbing-around-room next to the kitchen, Continue Reading