hurly_burly | Recent Entries

So, we spent the weekend in Melbourne for Coronation (ostensibly), although we managed to whittle our SCA aprticipation down to just Saturday afternoon and early evening. The event was lovely and relaxed and low-key (although I was off my trolley on cold and flu medication). On Friday night we checked in to our hotel them walked to Chinatown for dinner. We ended up at Sawasdee, and ate much yummy Thai (including an utterly divine duck salad entree), but the highlight of the evening was the piano-player. God, he was cool. He played many MJ tunes (expected but still annoying), but oh! I forgive him because not only did he segue from 'Mad World' to 'Heal the World', but he managed to get the Cranberries' 'Zombi' into the same playlist as 'Under the Sea' (yep, from the soundtrack to 'The Little Mermaid')! Blondie even requested 'Hey Jude' for me *dies*.
Saturday comprised hitting the Vic Market (sparkly mermaid outfit for the small girl's birthday, and then I had to buy her the ladybug skirt, too, obviously), swinging by L'Occitane (where I had to buy stuff based on how nice they smelled last time I was there, because my headcold prevents me from smelling anything at the moment), then heading out to Darn Cheap (purple wool for small girl garb, plus some pretty purple, pink and gold trim for same), before finally making it to the event three hours late. On Sunday we ditched the tourney (and kidnapped Bart and Katherine) in favour of tapas at a restaurant on Glenferrie Rd, which was ever so civilised.
I bought books as well and too much stuff for the small girl's birthday! To whit:

Ten Sorry Tales - Mick Jackson
Charlemagne's Tablecloth, a piquant history of feasting - Nichola Fletcher
Kitchen Confidential/A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
A pile of Agatha Christie novels for the oldies at work, who've been complaining about the inadequacies of the bookself.

Oh, and when I was in Hobart on Monday:
The City and the City - China Mieville (*head asplodes*)
And something by Jack Ketchum, but I forget the title. Damn Richard!

New copies of 'Grace' - Jeff Buckley & the soundtrack to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' were also purchased at JB. Old fashioned, I know, but I am stubbornly refusing the make the leap to mp3. Grumble grumble, new technology, grumble grumble.

Yay!

I have three whole days off work! I also have decking that needs nailing down, ants to get rid of, smocking to stitch, laundry to fold, a small girl to cuddle, and fic to write :)
In a rather surprising turn of events, I have found that I actually quite like my job, and that I really do look forward to going to work in the mornings. Our DON is made of awesome, my colleagues are generally easy to work with (although I'm back to listening to bowel chart discusssions around the staffroom table at morning tea), and for the most part our residents are a pretty cool bunch. I am glad to be spending a few days at home, though, because I've been missing the small girl dreadfully. I'm going to finish posting this, and them she and I have a date, cuddling on the couch under a blanket and watching ABC kids until it winds up at 10! Hurrah!
Also, I changed the CD in my car's stereo. All this acheived was that, in the middle of the supermarket, the small girl turnd to me and shouted 'Dammit, Janet! I love you!' and then launched into a rollicking rendtition of 'Hot Patootie'! It was quite, quite hilarious.
*goes away to claim her cuddles*

I was driving home from work the other night listening to the Animals when I noticed that the small girl was singing along. This is probably a sign that I should change the CD, but the sight and sound of my daughter in her fluffy purple jacket, head thown back, howling along with Eric Burdon's rendition of 'The House of The Rising Sun' is an image I will carry with me always. The cuteness! It BURNS!
I have done nothing but go to work for the last week (well, I wrote some fic scribbles on my breaks in the staff room, and I signed up to help out with

hp_palooza ), but next time I have a day off (so, Wednesday) I'm going to start smocking the small girl's chemise. In the mean time, I shall be cooking food for old people, making more of an effort to stay on top of the housework, and continuing my 'Outrageous Fortune' and 'The Mighty Boosh' marathons on alterating nights.

Also, because it made me laugh while I wrote it (my deepest apologies to the memory of Edward Gorey), and it's not the least bit smutty:

The Hogswartlycrumb Tinies!

A is for Aberforth, who slipped in the shower
B is for Bellatrix, walled up in a tower
C is for Colin, whose camera blew up
D is fo Dennis who was mauled by a crup
E isfor Elphias, who played the wrong games
F is for Fawkes, who burst into flames
G is for Grubbly-Plank, carried off by a rook
H is for Hermione, crushed 'neath a book
I is for Igor, struck down at croquet
J is for Jordan, a grindylow's prey
K is for Kreacher, who was baked in a pie
L is for Luna, whose plans went awry
M is for Myrtle, who was killed in the loo
N is for Neville, sucked into the Floo
O is for Ollivander, lured into a bog
P is for Poppy, who was lost in the fog
Q is for Quirrel, who was too slow to parry
R is for Riddle, defeated by Harry
S is for Snape, who drank the wrong potion
T is for Trelawny, driven mad by a notion
U is for Umbridge, done in with a brick
V is for Viktor, who fell off his broomstick
W is for Wormtail, who got caught in a trap
X is for Xenophilius, who at last met a redcap
Y is for Yaxley, who was shut in a box
Z is for Zabini, who succumbed to the pox

How is this possible? How can chocolate cake be blokey? Guinness, that's how! And oh, my god, this cake the last word in chocolate cakey goodness. It is gloriously dark and damp, positively fudgy in the centre; velvety black-brown sunk slightly in the middle under the weight of its own gooey density, topped with whipped cream-cheese icing...mmm...

We had a lovely weekend at Great Northern War! The small girl had a fabulous time, made some new friends, and got filthy, bruised, bitten, burned, and bloody. Oh, and covered in paint. Her handsewn white linen underdresses (tell me, please, why they always seem like a good idea) are now being aggressively soaked. I took brief umbrage at the number of hyperactive, overtired children left playing unattended with the fire, but apart from that I have nothing negative to say. I may have spent too long in reading and writing slash fic now, though, because there's just something about a pair of sweaty fighters facing each other in the list field, weapons clenched in their sweaty fists, gently rubbing their thrusting tips together...well, you get the idea.

I am tired, and my feet are sore, but I have been at work all day and it feels GOOD.

...yesterday I watched a training DVD on how to correctly put on and remove gloves. And an inordinantly long one about handwashing. We also filled out lots of exciting paperwork, got fitted for ugly polyester uniforms, and signed contracts (ok, that bit was quite good). I discovered, not entirely to my surprise, that the other Catering Supervisor is somewhere in the region of fifteen years older than me (which is not too weird) and that all the kitchen staff that I'll be supervising are also significantly older than me (this bit will take some getting used to). Our DON (a woman so fantastic to work for that when she jumped the Uniting Aged Care ship to come and work for OneCare, sixteen ECA/EN/RN rats followed her) is very much pro-child, and is quite pleased with the idea of the small girl hanging out at work with me for the last half hour of my shift for the first few weeks, and is also perfectly happy with me bringing the small girl in for our computer system training session on Wednesday.
The great advantage of already having worked for OneCare is that I have seen all the boring, condescending DVDs and listened to the presentations about CLS, salary packaging, and OH&S, and therefore have no compunction about writing fanfic instead.

I start work on Monday, but the first two days are orientation, paperwork, training, and the procuration of the ugly ugly polyester uniforms. I have one day of actual work on Thursday and then on Friday we're hopping on a plane to Brissy for Great Northern War. Huzzah! I'm looking forward to the small girl's first plane ride, but she remains unconvinced. Apparently 'airy-planes are too scary for girls.' Then again, she also claims that 'Toy Story' is too scary, but will happily watch 'Labyrinth' on repeat. She is a strange little person.
Anyway, most of my work paperwork is sorted out, but I still need to get certified copies of 100 points of ID to support my police check form, and find a piece of paper with my TFN on it (not an easy task after moving so often lately). Other than that, childcare is sorted (there's a childcare centre next door to the facility), and on payday I will need to buy a new pair of shoes.
I have accomplished nothing on the sewing front, but I have written another 1000 words of the not-very-clandestine writing project (which means it is now slightly longer than most of my uni essays!). Erm...hooray?

I've been offered a job, and this afternoon I'm going out to the facility to discuss the roster. I'll be working 9 - 5 for the first time in my life (very exciting!), which means childcare will not be a problem (also for the first time).
Before I go out, I really ought to finish tidying the kitchen, fold some laundry, write another paragraph of fic, and finish clipping the wire onto the new fence. Oh, and get dressed. That should probably come first.

Current Mood: excited

not_an_elf confessed over the phone last night that he often deliberately picks on me because he finds my particular brand of inventive, articulate ranting quite charming. I'd say 'A pox on him!' but he'd probably be delighted. Grr.
I am still quite sick and cranky. Does it show?

Current Mood: sick

I have finally succumbed to the particularly nasty cold the small girl has been nursing for the last week. There is a merciful lack of snot, but my throat is dry and scratchy, my eyes are watery, my head hurts and most of my body feels achy and stiff, my lungs are rattley, and I can't concentrate on anything. Blurg. I want to go back to bed, but that wouldn't be responsible parenting (although probably neither is lying on the couch, snuffling and feeling sorry for myself, while the small girl watches dvds and trashes the living room). I'd really like to cut out and start sewing the small girl's chemise, but I don't think I can be trusted not to stuff something vital up.
*is frustrated*

EDIT: I have stopped moping around, dosed myself up on coffee and Lemsip, and the small girl's chemise is cut out and pinned. I think I'll pick up a bit of purple velveteen at the devil's craftshop next week and make her a simple waist-seamed kirtle to wear over the top (must be pink/purple or she'll just take it off after half an hour, witness the early removel of the green silk surcoat at Invest!)

I spent half an hour curled up in front of the fire last night planning garb for Brass Monkey War, and the items I've decided to make will mean learning several new skills (hurrah!) like actually making a proper body block, sleeves with a back (instead of underarm) seam, cloth ball buttons, and proper lining (I know it's shameful that I can't already do these things, but I'm mending my ways, I promise!). So. For me, a dark green woolen cotehardie (with full linen lining), with long buttoned sleeves and a buttoned front closure, a gold (probably) damask or silk sideless surcoat trimmed with fur, pointy poulains (made by

not_an_elf ), and a reticulated headdress with a linen veil. For the man making the shoes, a dark green woolen cote with oak leaf dagging and same sort of tippet involvement, woolen hose, and a matching hood (green wool, dagged, lined with damask or silk). Yay! Out of the offcuts, the small girl will be getting a little cotehardie of her own.
It has occurred to me that I could just finish my blue and red houppelande, but I'm afraid that doing so may cause the sky to fall, so it can stay in its box for the time being.
There will be an expensive trip to Darn Cheap when we're in Melb for Midwinter, yes there will.

The Walrus said,
To talk of many things...

Like the fact that Invest is over and I have thus run out of excuses for not starting Dorothea's chemise. So, today I will wash lots of white linen, and tomorrow I will cut out a teeny tiny practise chemise for the small girl. This way I can teach myself how to smock, and if I make mistakes no one will notice because of the unbearable cuteness of the small girl in a chemise. I finished my secret project; a dark blue linen Viking tunic for

not_an_elf , hand sewn with cotton thread and finished with raspberry-coloured raw silk stitched on with silk thread. Is pretty, and one day I wil embellish the collr and arm bands with surface couched goldwork. Next on the list of things to make is a white linen long sleeved tunic with gold silk embroidery at the cuffs, to replace the machine sewn (and overlocked, fraying, and warped from not being washed before sewing) article he has been wearing for years. I also need to decide on garb to make for Brass Monkey War, for which we are encouraging a late 14th century theme (I'm planning on running a few collegia for people who want help with ideas/construction/motivation in the lead up to this event in August), said garb probably being made from the green wool I bought from Brammers last time I visited.
I've also been thinking (in a haphazzard kind of way) about sharpening my new A&S Officer stick and motivating people to help with various Baronial projects, like refilling the Baroness's largesse box, creating a toy/game box for children (we must make people see that the SCA can be child-friendly!), and a few other things that I wrote down last night in a haze of fatigue and promptly forgot, including (I think) running a weekend workshop for casting our wayfarers' tokens in pewter and making lots of cords for the danglies.
Invest was lovely! I fear we may have lowered the tone towards the end of the night (but really, her Excellency gave us the wine, it was her fault!), by making fun of the Baronial Guard's new hats (Blue berets! Like the Green Berets but more pornographic!), and by giggling helplessly behind the thrones during closing court (also not entirely my fault, I have discovered Miss E shares my love of slash fic and we were discussing Hornblower/Sharpe crossover fic when the Herald shouted 'All Rise!")
That's enough for now, because my hands are hurting from the cold and it's time for a shower.

And the sewing continues! I have added (yes, I am that masochistic) a few projects, to whit, finishing a dark blue linen tunic trimmed with raspberry coloured raw silk for

not_an_elf , and making a sideless surcoat for the small girl out of a scap piece of lime green dupion silk I've had lying around for ages. The tunic is completed (I really only had the hem to finish and the strips of silk to cut and stitch on), and the surcoat, after some fiddling about with the cutting out made necessary by the small size and odd shape of the piece of fabric, has been sewn and felled down one side (including a gore). Therefore, today will see the painting of the last few ornamental shields (and afixing the silver card centre bosses), finishing the surcoat, getting as much as I can done on Mr A's new woolen trews, as well as baking a batch of my justly famous Malteser cupcakes for V (payment for a pair of copper turtle brooches) and the usual household chores like the fortnightly shopping expedition, fetching wood for the fire, feeding the feathers, folding laundry, and cooking something for an early dinner before we head south. Oh, and packing our bags. This being said, I've wasted enough time online for today, and I'm going to make a cup of coffee and tidy the house up before the cleaning lady arrives.

Au reservoir!

NB: all my sewing is done by hand, naturally.

Yes, yes, I have reached the point where sitting in the hall labelling jars seems both productive and diverting. I can now (with only a little bit of self-satisfaction) report that I have made pickled quinces, pickled plums, pickled onions, tomato sauce, spicey plum sauce, preserved lemons, lemon/lime cordial, brown sugar cumquat marmalade, quince jelly, crabapple and rosehip jelly, and quince paste (and

not_an_elf has contributed a batch of feijoa jelly, which is spectacularly yummy).

Current Mood: accomplished

It has been a day for getting little things done. I turned a pile of lemons and limes into six bottles of cordial (very yummy!), and finished my present for our incoming Baroness. It's a white linen napkin, hand-hemmed with silk thread, with her device in one corner (appliqueed, split stitch in coloured silk on a linen ground, with a surface couched goldwork border to neaten the edge up). His Imminence is getting the same (well, with his device, obviously). I also did various boring household chores, and am now going to spend the remainder of the evening in front of the fire, stitching.

Current Mood: content

Today I am doing nothing, but for saving Miss K's sanity. She is spending the day looking after four children under 5, and I am driving to her place in half an hour to provide adult conversation, cups of tea, and dishwashing services. I hope it will distract me from fretting about the results of that job interview...

So, I had a job interview this morning. It was for the catering positions available at a new Aged Cared facility that is only 10 minutes down the road from where I live. There is a childcare centre right next door, and there is a 9 - 5 shift available (I've never had a 9 - 5 job before! Novelty value!) which also happens to be the shift that carries the most responsibility (it involves being in charge of the food safety documentation, ordering, staff training, limited menu planning, and overseeing the roster) and I put a very enthusiastic hand up for it (the other shift is 7 - 3, which is tricky for childcare). I really, really want this job, and if I don't get it I will have a bit of a cry (and I get prickly when I'm disappointed, so people offering sympathy will probably get smacked, sorry). Anyway, fingers crossed.

After all that excitment I swung by the Post Office to check our letterbox and post a letter to one of the residents I used to work with, and found three Jane Austen novels in the 'specials' box by the counter ($15 for 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Persuasion', and 'Northanger Abbey'!), which is the oddest impulse purchase I've ever indulged in (I narrowly dissuaded

not_an_elf from impulsively purchasing a $300 sausage machine once, his argument in favour of the purchase being 'But it's on the counter! And it's on special!).

I now have a quiet day ahead of me, as the small girl is at pre-school until 3 (when I will be picking her up and taking her to a kids' bellydance class to see how she likes it). It is bloody cold, so I'm going get slippers and a snuggly jacket sorted out, then curl up in front of the fire with my book for a moment before I get back to to all the painting and sewing that needs to be finished by Invest.

Current Mood: cheerful

Hurrah! I have made a start on my crabapple and rosehip jelly; the fruit is all on the stove bubbling away and will be ready for straining overnight. Tomorrow, we boil! To this end I pootled out to the local cash'n'carry to purchase another (!) 15kg bag of sugar, since the first one has disappeared into quince jelly, quince paste, and feijoa jelly. I've still got a few quinces, but I'm keeping them in the fridge until I can get my hands on some Seville oranges, and then I shall have a go at Stephanie Alexander's quince and orange jelly. I have also got a small heap of limes (I might just halve them, and dry them in the dehydrator), and two jars of preserved lemons that need to soften for a few more days before being drowned in lemon juice and left to mature.
This morning we made the journey into Launceston, in search of a needlework shop where I could purchase proper silk thread. Success! I bought the colours I need to start my gifts for the incoming B&B, and nice bright blue and yellow to twist into cord with which to finish the gifts I've made for the outgoing B&B (being a bit secretive because at least one of them reads this!). I have cut out centre bosses for the ornamental sheilds I'm painting for Invest, and tonight (after the small girl and her grabby hands are in bed!) I will start painting them. The request was for 12 round shields with Viking-style decoration in the clours of our current B&B, so I've drawn up 6 fairly plain geometrical designs and 6 more elaborate ones. So tonight I will be setting the jelly up to strain, then busting out the paints. Or, alternatively, taking the various sewing and embroidery projects THAT MUST BE FINISHED BY INVEST over the Miss K's house for one of our shamefully sporadic sewing nights.
Right! Must stop wasting time on LJ, because I need to pack the dishwasher, hang out the washing, feed the animals, bring wood up for the fire, sort dinner out, then start the evening's worthwhile activities!

Cheerio!

I spent the weekend in old Hobart Town visiting with various friends and relations, and am now tired and cranky and unbelievably glad to be back home. It was nice seeing people (although, inevitably, I couldn't get around everyone), and I have acquired Things; several kilos of crabapples, 8 limes, a handful of kaffir lime leaves, and a few fresh figs from mum's garden; a small bag of quinces (enough to poach and preserve but not enough to make me weep), 3kg golden delicious apples, and another small bag of lemons (destined for salting) from dad's, and a friend gave me a respectably sized rainbow trout in exchange for a bag of quinces.
Tonight, bangers and mash is the extent of my culinary ability, and tomorrow I will get started on that crabapple and rosehip jelly, and the salting of the lemons...

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hurly_burly

October 2010

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Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Recent Entries

Weekend in Melbourne, including a Book Orgy!

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One Foot On The Platform

Blokey Chocolate Cake FTW!

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Oh, Dear God...

A Barely Coherant Ramble about Work.

Gainful Employment gained!

Yep, still sick.

Plague, and a Complete Lack of Sewing

Plotting and Planning

The Time Has Come

Stitching, stitching, stitching...

Fun with Sticky Labels

Stitchery and Citrus Fruit

Save us from the Children!

Job Interview and an Unusual Impulse Purchase

Crabapples and silk thread

Grateful to be Home!

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October 2010

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