Narrative

Girls are supposed to like the fairytale narrative. Well, that’s the way it comes over in the mainstream river of ‘Norms-ville’. I’m trying to keep an eye out for a novel to read whilst taking a train journey to London’s Euston Station. However, I am having a job finding one which is aimed at a female reader which doesn’t fulfil the ‘I’m a weak female and my world isn’t complete unless I find a ‘male lover’ to make me complete’ role. When you read the prelude, we read things such as ..

'Mary was looking for love. Her sisters left her but Derrick moved into town and soon became important to her. Or, after Mary lost her job in PR, she thought it was all over. But when Johnny started working in the same office, things soon got better’.

This kind of narrative is beyond obvious. Then, when you meet people, they say “Oh, I love this film” or “that book is great, you should read it!”. However, I can’t help but feel rather disappointed. Whilst being a student, I studied crime fiction. It was here where I was made aware that narrative can fulfil a much more powerful function. Even if you just wanted to relax, you could still be presented with something new. For instance, whilst reading a novel by Spanish author, Manuel Montalban, it is not uncommon to find a cooking recipe in the middle of a criminal investigation, all carried out in the back-streets of Barcelona.

It is worrying how Fairytale narrative creates a set of morals for society that are not based on reality. I'm a big fan of raising children in a gender-neutral environment. That means letting the kids decide what toys they wish to play with and not resorting to 'Sit down girl and watch this Cinderella DVD, whilst your brother plays with his Action-Man'.

What is more disturbing is how many adults cling on to this narrow view of normality as a guide in how life should be. However, they are bound to if they are programmed from childhood.

Meat and Veg ... who can say !?

I thought sausages were long things made of meat and not onion shaped and onion coloured? Tescos must have found a way of growing sausages that look like onions.

GET ME ONE NOW!!

Here are some deliciously gorgeous items that I've picked up in late 2010 and early 2011.

A Cool Make-up Tutorial by Rachael Olivia Fox

In need of some new make-up style tips, I found this ace tutorial on Youtube by Rachael Olivia Fox. She does a great job in revealing the make-up secrets that will help you create a 1940/50s, Paloma Faith look. It's super ace, and her other videos are also very useful.

So, get out them brushes and paints and have a go!

Actual Size = 8cm

I thought mini-hotties meant Kylie or Lucy Porter, but this is an ikle hot water bottle to keep those little hands of mine nice and warm. It's so cute I almost don't want to use it. The bird is deliciously pretty. It fits into any handbag so how handy is that?!

Dat dem bling tings, innit!

Ace Christmas present from a dear friend ... It's so pretty, I love it and each time I get a new charm it just gets better. Result!

Srap-top Dreams

For over a month, my Dell Inspiron laptop has suffered from a faulty keyboard. Certain keys on different rows refused to function. After trying all the software solutions known to man, I set about taking my machine apart. I removed the individual keys and cleaned out all the fluff and left over biscuits. Unfortunately, it still refused to work. Therefore, I resorted to using the ‘Ease of Access’ keyboard and an additional one plugged in for good measure. I should have just tapped this external keyboard on top with some gaffer tap. I even took it to job interviews in such a state, explaining, by giving a demonstration, how many of my keys were on strike.

My laptop now looks like a car wreck or a piece of space junk. I decided not to bother screwing it all back together. I even went to two shops for a new laptop, but they didn’t have the right colour so I didn’t spend money. I resorted to just putting up with it and then even became too tight fisted to pay out for another keyboard.

Then it all started to get a bit weird ….

It was a late night watching a DVD. I shut my scrap-top down at midnight. I felt cold in bed but fell into a deep dreamful sleep. I dreamt that my laptop keyboard suddenly started working again. I was perplexed; all the keys that didn’t work were now acting fine. I even dreamt about the parts leftover that I would need to put the whole laptop back together. Think of the money I had saved! Then at 8.30, I woke up, still cold.

I fired up my scrap-top and spent a few minutes checking Facebook and the BBC News site. The later always was a pain as the ‘b’ and ‘n’ keys, plus the Space Bar refused to work.

Bam: My keyboard was working again (apart from some top keys) 75% life back??

Was it Jesus? Was it the power of the mind? What’s going on?

Who can fly furthest in a balloon filled with love?

I think I would take-off, get caught on a tree and tumble to the ground.

It’s The Little Things

Here are some little gifts I received from a good friend at the start of the week during my trip to London. They are so cute. I had seen an owl jumper earlier in the day and was starting to wonder whether I should kit myself out with some bird themed attire. So the little piece on the left is a good start. The little pearl is delicate and should go nice with the right dress. Pearls remind me of the sea.

Paloma is ace. She makes me smile

Paloma is ace. She makes me smile, partly as her smile is so big it is infectious.

In a few more months I will be having another birthday. I can’t remember ever having a party in my life. Not even when I was a little’en. I can remember the ‘cake wrapped in a tissue and a bag of treats’ given by a smiling mother of another child. Nevertheless, I have no memories of enjoying my own shindig. It appears I have managed to avoid, with great effect, having a party of my own. This has been largely due to my fear of social gatherings. Never comfortable, until near the end. Cepandant, I am wanting for some odd reason, to have a Par-Tay in 2010. I am looking forward to inviting people as I feel it is a time to pull together the people who are important in my life.

I have been planning the play list which includes an odd mix of Hip Hop by Run DMC, Paloma Faith, Serge Gainsbourg, The Beach Boys, Wizard Sleeve and even Marina and the Diamonds.

I am loving Marina in this vid ..... she looks stunning. I am so jealous !!!

Do I need to be taking into care?

Two people I like, but for which I’m told I’m seriously wrong for doing so, a; Miranda Hart and b; Peaches Geldolf. Having made my statement, I now realise that I am probably going to have to justify myself in full or at least explain a little further.

First of all, I find Miranda’s sense of humour and accent adorable. I really enjoyed her sitcom, Miranda. This is in spite of the fact that my friend believes it was filled with as many ‘obvious jokes' and stuffed full of bad acting, making it on a par with the BBC’s My Family. However, I am looking forward to the next series which will most likely be on in the cold winter’s evening at this rate.

Secondly, I seem to have this thing for Peaches Geldolf. Every time I see her on TV, I shout “who’s that?” to which there is always the reply, “it’s Peaches”. I have been doing this for the last two years now. I have to confess, there is something about her dress sense that I am liking at present.

So there you go. Do I need to be taken into care, or can I simply be excused?

The Things I love

There are a lot of things in my wardrobe that seem to be black. I have had to make an effort to buy stuff in other colours for a change. It is funny, as I have never been a Goth and I’m too old to be an EMO. However, I just love my Newlook ballet shoes. They are so comfy, but I’m bound to get soaking wet feet in the rain when the monsoon comes. They look ace with jeans as well.

The necklace was a gift from a close friend. It always puts a smile on your face when someone comes back home and says there’s a gift in the bag for you. I love this, it’s so pretty and goes well with the rest of my style.

The last item is powder (does kind of say it on the tin!) I love the design. The other powders for sale came in such dull cases and this product is supposed to be quite good as well, so I decided to try it. We will see if I am still shiny in a few weeks.

Who's who?

I can’t say I am a Harry Potter fan at all. In fact, I heard that Potter sadly gets crushed under a train in the last film. However, despite the fact that it was sometime ago now that Emma Watson had her hair cut short, I can’t help but still think she looks like Jean Seberg from Truffaut’s, A Bout De Souffle (1961).

Here’s a pick, but who’s who? Well, maybe that's a biy easy, but you get the point.

Helping The Bees

In a shopping centre and staving, I’m often tempted to head to Boots in order to buy a sandwich. Their Meal Deal seems to remain a good offer, especially when I spotted an extra large sandwich included in the deal.

This time however, instead of buying a bottle of coke, as I wanted something a bit healthier, my eye was drawn towards an Innocent Smoothie. For a moment, I almost decided on a Blackberry and Blueberry as I was lured in by the colour. However, I went with my first choice.

This limited edition Lemons, Honey and Ginger Smoothie is amazing. It also comes with a free, if not a bit small, packet of seeds in order to grow some flowers in your garden to attract insects.

On one blog, I read that there was also going to be a ‘Bee Cam’ set up by the company. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case, but would have been fun.

So go out and buy a bottle soon before they stop making this stuff.

For more info, visit their website: www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

Unsettling Dreams

Each night I always tend to have dreams where I am being chased, subjected to harsh weather, like tornadoes, or being thrown around in a dark sea. When I scramble to find a safe place, this is usually behind a rock or in a woodland. No wonder that when I wake it takes me a little while to come back down to earth.

Battle of the Baguettes

After spending a year living in France, it wasn’t hard to realise that the French are experts in the art of making the tastiest baguettes known to humanity. In fact, it is impossible to buy one and not eat a single piece before you return home. For example, it was normal for me to reach my apartment with only ½ a baguette left.

Having returned to the UK for sometime, I have tried to recreate that excursion to varying degrees of success. Some supermarkets have produced their own artisan stick. Here is a small review of what’s on offer in the UK.

Artisan Baguette: 4/10

Looks tasty and is an authentic shape at least. However, the baker needs to realise that this stick should be crispy on the outside. However, they are always too under cooked and spongy. Shame !

Tescos: Stone Baked Baguette: 7/10

This is the best on offer from a supermarket. It lacks a little taste but the texture is comparable to a 'baguette de campagne'. It is a bit tough on the mouth, but is nice with soup when thinly sliced.

Somerfield: White Baguette: 1/10

Wow, this is a funny one. The flour must be made from the sweepings gathered from the shop floor, then they are washed to remove any hint of a taste, baked and wrapped. Brought it, binned it !

Be the crow within

Here, we find the inspiration for my tattoo. Be the Crow within !

Pearls in my hand

It has taken me a while, but somehow I have got used to editing the blog layout. To be honest, since I did a degree in web design, I should be super ace at it. However, I have had to master a series of tricks to fool Google Blogger into doing what I want as their way just doesn't work :(





For me drawing has got a little sticky. I mean I always like bad art, but now I am struggling to even make bad art.

Lemon, but in the form of Grass

Lemon Grass. These two little monsters seem to grow about 5mm a day. I am looking forward to using them in cooking or as a tea.

Out with the old, in with the new

I have been rather green fingered at the moment. It always seems to be the case when I am supposed to be revising for exams; I end up gardening for hours. At present, our inherited 1970s dumping ground garden is a mess. This is due to it being neglected for decades. I spent hours trying to clear all the rubbish and weeds and make a little haven. I even uncovered a path lost under 5inchs of soil and a patio lost under 2feet of soil, which has had to stay as there is no way I can shift that amount of soil with a bucket. The lawn is uneven and as bald as a snooker player in one corner. Therefore, I am trying to bring it back to life.

A few weekends ago, I made a little trip to buy 43 plants, which are no growing well, despite the slugs having a nibble at the Geraniums and the rabbit eating the flowers off the Pansies. However, as there is no budget allocated to the project, I need to find plants where I can.

This week I have planted: Potatoes, Garlic, Chives and Parsley. Oh, and some Lemon Grass. I also have Tomatoes, Green Beans, Chillies and Marigolds as little baby seeds sprouting indoors.

As I am planning on getting most veg from the garden I need to up the scale. So that means Courgettes and Pumpkins as well.

This is the mess before I made a bigger mess. It's full of weeds, but there's a kind of cottage garden thing going on. (Taken: August 2009)

Blur ... :/

A Little Butterfly Told Me

This is so cute.

Search Steam Engine

iPad and coffee

I'm not a big Apple fan. I don't get excited by their stuff that much. I don't need a white laptop to look cool. I do however like the playfulness of the apps available for the iPhone. When I heard that Apple was launching a new product I was intrigued like the rest of the population.

So we have it, the iPad. It's interesting. It's a smart and a correct move for technology. However, here's what I really see.

This device has to find a use. It isn't hard to figure out what that is; browse the internet, read stuff online etc. That isn't the difficult part. The problem is, where this device should come into use is whilst you are sitting in a coffee shop and instead of picking up a half mangled grubby newspaper, you should now pick up the iPad. In addition, when you are n the hairdressers they should be giving you an iPad so you can browse a database of style. The point of this is it has to cost as much as the newspaper or the magazine so people aren't tepted to run out the door with it. It needs to be 'an iPad for £1'.

So we still have a long way to go before this device is where it should be, available for all, everywhere and at a tiny cost.

Snow Joke

It seems like ages since we had all that snow here in the UK. I managed to take a couple of photos through the frosted window out onto a wintry landscape.

New Threads

Super Cute ... winter threads

I love this cute but simple black cardi and my black jeans. Plus in order to keep my little toes warm, which are always cold, these boots do the trick.


















Super Cute ... winter threads 2

Cardi: New Look

Dress: New Look

Tights: not from New Look

The Things For When It's Cold

These lovely items are wonderful for the cold of January. I love these knitted slippers (or shoes). However, you have to admit that they would be rubbish in all the snow we have just had.

The other delightful item is some warming and flavorful Creme de Cassis. Made with Blackcurrents, ace over icecream and the bottle looks devine.

This Is Hip

I like the light coming in from the window in this self-portrait, also the fact that in the centre it is almost empty. You have to look around the edges of the picture to construct the image.

Drawing A Crowd

I have been a busy little bee the last few months with all sorts of things, but here are some of my drawings for you to see ...


She Loves Him But All He Could Think About Was Colour

I like the long title for this drawing and the colour shooting out of the mans head. Usually it is the man who is obsessed by his affections, but this time he is more concerned for his love of colour.














Sandpiper and Radio

This little dude came out of my imagination. I love his colour and his ability to listen to the latest hits.

All these drawings are on sale in a shop called Timber. For more info visit the Timber Blog:

TIMBER


















Pants In Tree

This was inspired by the fact that whilst I was living in France, I got on the tram one day and as I was passing a HLM (block of flats) there were people hanging their washing out of the windows. However, much of the washing was blown away by the wind and it fell onto the trees below.