*

Horrible Hiccups

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Today should be interesting, certainly more successful than last year at least! I didn't leave it down to my Ex to contact peoples back home, as I am now (or rather, Kyle is) on FaceBook! It'll be nice to see everyone again, as well as Elbow, whom is coming for lunch or dinner or somesuch here also. As ever, I'm not entirely sure what it happening. But it's more fun like that.

****Some Time Later****

Last night was superb! Everyone turned up, even Doodles. The highlight of the evening was His Lordship's ferocious hiccups, followed by strangely stuffing-scented wind. we almost coloured Foz's tattoo in with a Sharpie Marker, insults were traded all round the table and everybody has got hairier since last year. I wonder if he's noticed it's permanent ink yet....?

Some of you may know about Etsy, a bizarre American site, a lot like eBay but without the bidding, targeted at people selling homemade things. Regretsy.com is all the things that only deeply drunk people would find good to purchase. Shown here is a classic example: "I can haz blunt force trauma." Needless to say, there's also an entire section dedicated entirely to penises. Definitely NSFW for a large part and not suitable for minors.

Alas, it is still raining, but we really ought to go out and visit the Sockish side of the family and mooch round the village for a while.

Weirdest quote of the day: "Why is there a dead pakistani on my couch - after typing "why is" into google search..."

Angelic Animals and Clean Coats...

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Tsammy got in the Christmas spirit with us this week. A packet of glittery pipecleaners transformed my little demon into a little angel - and the daft dragon loved it! He hoicked down the halo and licked it a few times, decided he liked it and hurtled off to show Kyle.

He stopped at her tank, stomped his foot and bobbitied, "Look at me! I'm GORGEOUS!" Unfortunately, the bobbiting made his halo counterbobbity and smacked him in the head.

They've been impressively good when we've been going round town. Tsam's only paux fas was in Quirly's, where he took a shine to a box of sparkly things and decided it was his hoard. Kyle sat there being beautiful.

Talking of things beautiful, I have found the coat I want at last. His Lordship accidently shrunk my Italian wool coat by putting it in the tumble drier. No problem, these things happen, poor lad was just trying to be helpful. Plus it gave me a great excuse to buy a new one, as my old one was getting a little bit rough round the edges. The coat I have my eye on in Wallis fits like it was made for me, in super soft chenille wool and satin lining, in luxurious black with a liquid silver inner and REAL POCKETS. The trouble I have finding a coat I like is ridiculous. I don't like too many buttons and so many coats have oversized ones or dodgy pockets - or worse, fake pockets. Pockets that aren't. Why would anyone DO that?!

Quote of the day: "I watch every calorie I eat. I miss my mouth if I don't." - Mum.

Disguuuusting Drinks...

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Finally, after an arduous train journey with two very well behaved lizards, we are back up North. The kind girl in Sheffield's "Pumpkin" cafe refilled the dragon-hottie. Besides one incident where Kyle politely pooped behind my Nan's TV, they've been as good as gold.

Blurgggh. I just drank the world's most disgusting drink. My mother has excelled herself once more, and surprised me once again. I didn't think last year's Electric Blue Margarita (AKA rocket fuel) could be beaten - but this one's definitely done it. It's called "Zombies Brains". This is made with either tequila or vodka, a spot of lime juice, a spot of grenadine (in last) and Baileys which is carefully applied using a straw. As the Baileys contacts the lime in the bottom, it curdles into a nasty brainshaped pile. Finished with a spot of grenadine, it truly is a bloody awful drink.

The texture is indescribable - it's properly revolting as you slug it back. Don't be tempted to sip, I'm guessing that won't make it any more bearable - just whack it back and prepare to be grossed.

Blurgggggggggh! I just burped, and it was lumpy! I'm now too scared to burp.

It's so lovely to be back home.

Today's Quote: "Success is a journey, not a destination - so stop running and enjoy the scenery."

Red-Head & Bed-Head

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:09:00 +0000

It's been a very successful week after all that gardening I got done! (Although I have noticed the back lawn consists more of daisies than actual grass now...)

My hair is done ready for going up to see the folks for an early Christmas next Saturday -I've gone an even darker chocolatey brown with big red splashes hidden in my hair, flashing like cinnabar in the soil. His Lordship's eccentric hair has finally settled and is looking sensible for a change!

Answers.com is rubbish. I wanted to know why pepperoni is red, and the answer I got was "thats like asking why is the sky blue" [SIC]. Yeah, real helpful, and good punctuation there boyos. For those interested, the normal red shade is due to lots of paprika, or in a lot of cases, artificial colourants. No thanks to Answers. Screw you, you sarcastic help-me-nots.

The dragons basket is almost ready to go, as well as our suitcases. I picked up some special "Solar Drops" for them to try - concentrated vitamin D3 oil, because they won't have access to proper UV lighting to make their own vitamin D. The D3 "Solar Drops" should do the job as a temporary substitute, s they can have a great time watching the world from the train with their hottie bottles, with their systems tricked into believing they're sat in glorious sunshine!

Probably a good job really, as the real world outside has been raining for almost 50 consecutive days...

I can't believe how much washing I have got done, despite the shocking weather: the whites are sparkling, the darks are done, the reds are vibrant and the bulky stuff is still taking up a ton of room. All clean and dry, waiting to be sorted and ironed.

Quote of the week: "Hikik - kikik - ik - ik? Wait. No. I meant who calls their kid King?"

Just Forking About...

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Today I have been doing an extraordinary amount of serious gardening. Old raspberry canes trimmed and inspected, infected leaves promptly removed and the new buds checked for early frost damage. The old rhubarb crown has now been split - Barbara turned in her position and Barnie, her "other half", planted out in the front. She's going to sulk something furious as I accidently snapped her main tuber, but she's got plenty to be going on with - I'll leave the first crop until later in the year to give her a chance to rebuild.

The ancient lavender bush in the front has heavily pruned and re-bound to stop it collapsing again - quite frankly I'm amazed it's still going. The hydrangea has had it's many heads lopped off, but much like the Hydra of Greek mythology, it will come back with twice as many next year. I also took out the weaker, less conveniently positioned sycamore saplings, old fuchsia branches and stripped chunks of grass from the borders.

The herb garden has been thoroughly manicured, old chive stems removed, the thymes cut right back and the first-year rosemary stems taken out. The miracle passionflower is twined back into place up the fence rather than across the baby gooseberry bush. I'm deeply impressed with this little plant and it's phoenix-like regrowth since the rootshock of moving it nearly killed it off - even the frosts haven't stopped it, anyone would think it was summer already.

I also planted a line of daffodils and crocuses, double-headed and singles, all planted along the front edge of the fence for splashes of vibrant yellow come spring, and will be thinking about doing some seed trays for smaller early summer flowers in a month or so.

I'm looking forwards to seeing the garden next year. It'll be fun to get some more vegetables rolling this time too - shame my packet of leftover lettuce, onion and radish seeds and my unopened carrot seeds blew away when my greenhouse got totalled in the storm. I'll have to find some green PVC tape to repair it.

Country Life and Christmas Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:39:00 +0000

The housefolks and I were having a lengthy debate about consumerism, materialism and how everybody seems to have overspent and the entire country has ended up in debt. As all four of us have consistently positive balances and pay off any credit card usage, we can't work out how the rest of the world has managed to cock it up so severely. My comment fairly summed it up - "Our country pride - people today seem to think it's margarine."

On a lighter point of extreme materialism, Christmas is on it's way! I love the gaudy festivity and especially my Christmas Tree. glittering green glass, pretty purple plastic and beautiful blue birds, brilliant butterflies and baubles with superb sparkly sequins! We were deeply

It's been an interesting week at work. On our closed training morning at a bigger branch, I was startled when one of our girls suddenly screamed. The manageress snatched up the bin and laughed - in the very bottom of the empty metal bin was a tiny terrified grey mouse! We let him out in the gardens, and wish the little rascal success.

The next day, my poor colleague was getting so upset at the risk of missing an important doctor's appointment, she shut the branch and turfed me out into the cold without a chance to get my coat. It was only once she had locked the front door that I realised she hadn't pegged the inner door - and it had locked me out.

I was frozen through, much to the cover staff's amusement, once she'd arrived. By this time I was in a black temper, and in my annoyance, I forgot to take the alarm remote out of my pocket - and got wedged tight in the coin chute. I have to laugh though, I ended up breaking the chute in the long run - it's had a dodgy lock that needed repairing for a couple of weeks, and I couldn't get the damn thing open on the other side and ended up knocking the handle off the inner lock.

Needless to say, as the whole operation is so difficult and time consuming, it would be completely impractical for someone to try it in an effort to rob the place, and no good to them without keys! But the spellchecker summed us up nicely in my letter to the repairs team. It didn't recognise the company name, and came up with this great description of the staff: "Newest Nattiest Neatest Nitwits".

I have just completed a major overhaul on Spyyk's page - http://www.spyyk.blogspot.com if anyone would care to have a look. I've updated the colours and layout, and also loaded up the last two years of questions from Axie keepers. I'd be interested in any feedback and improvement suggestions.

Question of the day: In the opening credits of "The Simpsons", what is Marge beeping her horn at?

MMMMMMREs

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

I am somewhat thankful that my big box of American MRE samples arrived today. MRE stands for Meal Ready to Eat - carefully packed, nutritionally balanced foodstuffs for on duty military personnel.

Thankful because our stupid fridge freezer is being extra retarded. The fridge freezes better than the freezer. His Lordship took an egg out, cracked it over a pan, and promptly nearly messed himself laughing as a "whole" egg fell out. Frozen solid. The salad vegetables were ruined, soggy piles of pale green goop and the yogurts are more like icecream. *sigh*

The MREs have all kinds of yummy things in, the meals themselves are chili and macaroni, and a minestrone dish. We have lots of extras, including peanut butter, cappuchino, vegetable crackers, spiced apples, grape juice, jalapeno cheese spread... all kinds of niceness! The chocolate brownie we shared - and it was AWESOME. Not only is it boosted with extra iron, it also contains over 18% of your daily dietary fibre and tastes like awesomeness! (Alright, so it doesn't beat Mum's brownies, but it had a damn good try of it.)

Lovely Lidl

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Ugh. I am SO sick of the RAIN. It has done NOTHING but rain every evening and now all my weekend too. When I'm AT WORK, the weather has been glorious, sunny and bright. As soon as I'm out and I want to go to town, do some gardening, go to the shop, put some clothes out to dry... It's soddin' raining.

I can't finish my giftwrapping as we're out of ribbons, and I don't fancy trying to fight my way down the Queensway to get there with this dark, wind and rain... Even the lack of toilet roll hasn't persuaded me to go shopping, not even the appalling cheap paper the lads consider suitable.

I did however manage to get to Lidl, having forgot how cool it is, but reminded by the startling price of Stollen in Tesco. £9 for a kilo loaf. Lidl do the same size for £1.99. Result: £7 savings and a whole lot of yummy.

I daren't buy too many Christmas foodie bits that I need to chill - the freezer is getting slowly more dodgy again... I do have a few not-necessary-to-freeze bits, like Cadbury chocolate fingers, a tin of sweeties, some mince pies, chocolate coated apricot filled gingerbreads and, of course, my Stollen. It's too early to get the Christmas Tree down, but I'm very tempted.

Dragons are too busy being snoozy. They know the weather outside is bad, and are quietly ignoring it. Tsam has been exploring the travel basket, jumping on, in and nosing around it - which will make it easier when we need to use it, as he'll know what it is and what it's for. I did find a cool little bag to go with it for carrying heat equipment, empty hot water bottle, food boxes etc.

Christmas: Magical, just like the Monocerous constellation. (Courtesy of NASA's Hubble Heritage Team)

Fence Panels and Fuchsia Pots...

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Ugh, why do people choose such obvious names for their pets? Somewhere in the world, a dozen times over in this same minute, yet another poor kitten is being saddled with the moniker "Tigger". Don't get me wrong, I love A.A.Milne - but I don't believe you should curse some poor little cat with such a common name. Call your pets something that actually suits them, and he'd be a lot easier to find, rather than half a dozen local "Fluffies" or "Tiggers" turning up at your door when you shout him in for dinner time. Think about it, could you live with being called "Fluffy" all your life?

Terry Tackety-Toes has now hit 9.9g and growing fast. Kyle is fed up with the cooling weather, Tsam has turned into a teenager and is refusing to get out of bed. Seems sensible to me. Mind you, we've had an engineer in to fix the heating at last! Just in time really... Weather down here absolutely shocking - my lavender tree in it's pot blew over, my greenhouse shredded in the wind, several glazed pots blew away across the lawn, one fence panel has come loose, my fuchsia uprooted (I replanted and pegged it) and my ripening fig blew off and the woodlice have eaten it!

I think the bad weather has got to Him also. His Lordship was wondering what to have for lunch and I reminded him we didn't have any bread left when he suggested soup. He went "Oh. Ok, I could do a sandwich instead then?" How would you do that. "Oh. Oh, yeah. Duhhh."

Ah well, thank goodness for Tesco's website - you don't get the full force of the gale winds when you go shopping online!

Stores, Sandwiches, Sweetener and Super-Sugary!

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I was looking for a book for a Christmas present and I couldn't find it anywhere in the store. I was sure I had seen it in the window, so I went back outside to check again - and realised the problem. (Read the shop sign!)

We have just partaken in the most odd dessert - it's supposed to be "Tesco Incredibly Smooth Toffee Low Fat Yogurt". It had a light, burnt sugar flavour with thinnish patches and then thick creamy globs just when you're not expecting them. However, I was pleased to find a grand total of one bit of actual chewy fudge in this bizarrely textured foodstuff. The rest of the pieces were... truly strange. It was... it was how you'd imagine eating bubble wrap would be like. They were these almost firm bibbles of substance which, upon applying pressure with your tongue, would sort of deflate, leaving plasticy feeling shards - just like running your finger (or tongue) over popped bubble wrap. Closer examination revealed them to have some form of syrup inside, but I had to fish one out and pop it on the spoon before I noticed.

And here's the winner for me. This "Low Fat Yogurt" turned out to contain around 31% of your daily sugar intake!

Sticking with the lunch theme, we have found the safest word on the internets! It came back with 47 pages worth of google images with SafeSearch switched off - and not one pornographic image! "Sandwiches" - Tasty AND safe for all ages! Better yet, Google even recommended Healthy Sandwiches! (Point of interest - quite a lot of meringue appears on this search.) It only took 22 pages to find a picture-nasty for just "Sandwich" though. (Pic: Southernliving.com)

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:03:00 +0000

The Halloween party was great fun! Everybody recognised His Lordship, complete with retro phone and a handful of Ugandan dollars. He pulled off some impressive impersonations, from Terry Tibbs to Mouse: "Can I has a cheeseburger? But without the burger? Or the bun?" Interestingly, His dinner works out about 86,000 Ugandan shillings - roughly £26!

Bless him, He's been so helpful - he spent two hours wearing my wig whilst I shaped and bound it, and then helped me through another four hours of makeup - foundation, powders and colours. Some of it is actually modelling paints, finished off round the edges with miniature black rhinestones! (Although I'm still catching myself trying not to touch my face - even though I took all the makeup off last night...)

It was a great night out and a good laugh with friends - Jana literally didn't know what to make of us all! One of the gang looked just like the girl from the latest Sweeny Todd movie, with her fishnets and her wee top hat - she made the full outfit herself! Drinking beer through a balaclava has an art to it apparently; it makes you look somewhat like a butterfly sipping from a flower. Or a deranged fish...

Himself and I had a lovely meal (as per usual - this is Mulberries after all) with starters of smoked salmon with new potatoes and cream sauce, and a chicken and bacon salad with balsamic reduction. He went for a 10oz rump steak with peppercorn sauce, whilst I took the coq au vin with mushrooms. Garthy's coc au vin red sauce tastes fanTAStic with onion rings.

Bex: "Rumour has it that in 2 years time Youtube, Twitter & Facebook will all join 2 make 1 huge social networking site... it will be called Youtwitface"

Dragon Soap!

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Soap trial, test day one, assistant: Kyle.

Phase one - introduction.

Enter soap. Green with yellow highlights. Smells extraordinary, a delicate combination of plasticine and licorice at first sniff. Picture taken shortly after her first lick, considering the flavour. My personal initial lick is that it's quite salty. Himself and I had a nibble off a corner each (as promised) and have deduced it's quite like a salty margarine. He's never tried soap before, and has classed it as definitely quite salty. Not a surprise there, as soap is technically a salt. You've got the olive oil, a fatty acid, and lye, a powerful alkalide. Chemistry says combine the two, you get a salt.

Phase two - trial.

Scrub down.

One wet dragon plus soap equals one very foamy dragon! A nice, fine lather, no extravagant bubbles, but a very pleasing cleansing effect. My secondary lick decides that it would probably be alright on toast with a savoury topping, not that I recommend anyone try it. The slightly bitter yucca flavour is quite dominant. Interestingly, yucca extract is often added to dragon food as it helps reduce the smell of the waste! Not the most flattering angle for Kyle there, but you can see a fine layer of foam across her scales.

Kyle enjoying her scrub, not a trace of grey in her usually grumpy features - in fact, a happy orange glow is just deducable in her soapy beard. She has a lick of the foam at this point and declares it bubbly on the tongue. Another lick confirms. A fine lather, but doing a grand job of cleaning the muck off her - the stains on her tail lifted admirably due to the lemon and yucca combination. Antibacterial properties and not only smelling nice, but also reduces smells!

Phase three - rinseoff.

Cleaning away the foam.

Looking much cleaner as we start to rinse her off. I noticed at this point that it'd been about 15 minutes and I still hadn't got prune fingers. Her scales are also surprisingly shiny - this soap's got some pretty good moisturising leet skills! I've never seen her ACTUALLY glitter! That's really added some extra sparkle to her glossy surface and she feels lovely and conditioned.

Phase four - cleandown.
Shiny and polished!

One very clean, surprisingly happy dragon. Kyle's not known for her smiles unless she's either eating or shoved in a jumper. The blend of fruits and herbs I've used has produced a good cleaning effect, and a rather good dragonstank neutraliser, rendering her normally yicky wet dragon smell (akin to wet dog with coffee thrown on it) to dragony but sweet smelling.

Some hours later, she's still smelling pretty decent, her scales are still very smooth and I'm rather impressed!

A Comment On Consumerism

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Regarding the last blog - I bought the bag. Materialism is a rife disease, and I proved not to be as resilient as I had hoped. Talking of which, I've noticed the game "Brutal Legend" looks just like World of Warcraft crossed with Guitar Hero. Hmm. Appealing to a wide range of pasty men. I suppose £40 is fairly cheap for protecting your son's virginity for the next few months.

On the subject of games, I have long been a fan of Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, AKA "Zero Punctuation" for his rather funny, sometimes a bit rude and certainly unique reviewing style. Snip from escapistmagazine.com : "Yahtzee is a British-born, currently Australian-based writer and gamer with a sweet hat and a chip on his shoulder. When he isn't talking very fast into a headset mic he also designs freeware adventure games and writes the back page column for PC Gamer, who are too important to mention us. His personal site is www.fullyramblomatic.com." NSFW, due to occasional outbursts of fully justifed expletives. However - this particular one "Wolvenstein", is most extraordinary...

It turns out driving through a puddle to splash bystanders is an offence of "careless, and inconsiderate, driving" under the Road Traffic Act section 3 and carries a fine of up to £2,500. Thankfully, nothing to do with me, but a driver who admitted soaking a workman by driving through a puddle was fined £150 and given three penalty points by magistrates in Yeovil. - from Skynews

Bumends, Bagels, and Burritos.

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Some very strange things happen around me - some plain odd, some gross, and some just... WHY?

On my way out of Tesco this afternoon, I noticed a bloke picking fagends. Not just off the street either, which is bad enough, but out of an overflowing dustbin. Normally I'd feel sorry for him, but this bloke just did a pile of shopping, two tills down from me. If you've got enough money for crisps and crap, why not avoid getting contagious diseases to go with your cancer? Ugh.

Discussing dinners with Shroom earlier, he had this to say to the readers: "Well, like a man once told me: Hot dog. Bagel. Put em together and now they have a purpose. It's rather weird, seeing a man put a hot dog slowly in a bagel, then just set it on the table and tap it. Don't think I'll ever do that in front of a mirror again. Tastes delicious though." - gives me a wonderful vision somewhat akin to a punchbag session, but with a hotdog... (Pic: Oddee.com)

A friend of mine has discovered he has a rather bizarre condition, meaning he can't read anything in yellow... "It turns out I'm not stupid, I just have screwy eyes!" He describes the effect of yellow writing as - it makes his brain somewhat like a dodgy PC, it forces too much into his head at once and his processor can't handle it.

I was shocked when I heard one of the girls at work had recently been given a bag worth over £900 by her boyfriend. I don't think I could ever buy a bag that costs almost a grand - I could never justify it when there are too many other practical things I could be buying. Being as I'm still pondering buying a bag, and have been trying to justify it for some time - at the grand price of £3.99.

Mum sent me a quick email that made me laugh: "I was walking down the village with Deif, when this girl walks up to me and says: 'That's one of them 'Chimichanga' dogs, isn't it?' Me - 'No, he's a chihuahua.' Her - 'You're WRONG!' Me -'Ooooookaaaay......excuse me, I have to go home and feed my burrito.' ... " (Pic: I-am-bored.com

Bearing in mind I don't smoke, very rarely drink, and have yet to have my long awaited hash brownie (still haven't got round to going to Amsterdam) and don't condone the use of illegal substances - I have learned some rather practical tips over the last few years, from how to prepare your herbs for better cookies (use best butter and lightly fry) to producing a proper green brick (bread tins work best). Also, here's a handy bit of advice for anyone that does it - soaking your mushrooms in honey for a week and consuming the honey instead allows for less risk of a bad trip I'm told. Plus it would preserve the mushrooms I guess.

Still, I prefer being in full control of my systems - that's why I don't like getting drunk. I don't see the fun in spending so much money, just to wake up with my head in a toilet and have no idea of where all my money went. I just believe in learning - it's fascinating what you can find out!

Here's a thought for you: Why don't lizards yawn when you yawn at them? I noticed they like a good yawn - heck, Kyle's set ME off a few times, and it works with dogs if you yawn at them...

Failed Florentines and Better Bathrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

I have got much more done in the last couple of days. Having left the downstairs bathroom for a considerable number of weeks, I realised yesterday men are not disturbed by thick layers of filth in their living areas. Confronted by the considerable mess, I pondered what to do about it.

In the end, I removed all items not fixed down - pulled the door almost to, and sprayed most of the contents of a large can of cleaning foam into the room. Walk away for ten minutes, laugh at the male that wandered in and subsequently fled choking. I spent a considerable time then cleaning it - but now it's white, as opposed to brown and grey.

I had a go at making Florentines L'Orange today. Lots of almonds, a drop or two of citrus oils and vanilla, some dried citrus peels, dark orange Bournville and some possibly-not-going-to-set sugar mix . Yes, I got my sugar mix slightly wrong, and now I have a brilliant liquidy caramel! I wanted a more Rolo texture, but I got "Big Purple One" instead by accident. Still tastes good though. My florentines did NOT look anything like the picture, but the recipe on freerecipes.org is probably more practical than mine.

We've picked up the train tickets for going up North in December, and I'm fully stuck in to proper Christmas shopping. I'm only buying for close family, because I only have limited space in the suitcase, and we do have to carry everything after all!

There was a nice little plant going for 75p in Tesco - one of those pretty orange/red bromeliads. It's now tucked happily in the back of Terry's tank, adding a splash of much needed, vibrant colour.

Apples and Pears (and Bananas?)

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:33:00 +0000

What a truly pleasant week off. I've had my grandparents visit, we've been out some nice places, had some great meals and done absolutely nothing I intended to do this week! (Literal pic of the week: www.I-am-bored.com)

We went Mulberry's for dinner and had a row with Grumps about who'd pay. He's really firm when he puts his foot down - he was NOT going to let me pay! I rave about Mulberry's a lot, but Garth does some wicked-good foods. Grumps, being an avid ginger muncher and warned about it, was still quite surprised at the ferocity of the ginger icecream! Good stuff!

We watched two seperate carnivals in one day, I bought a wonderful bit of Kyanite and shared a toasty bag of chips with His Lordship late at night on the way home - perfection.

My favourite day had to be that "Apple Day" in Sturminster Newton. After promptly ignoring the SatNav, it took us nearly an additional 25 minutes to get to where we were going, and then discovered that this highly acclaimed apple day was little more than 10 trees, an apple press and a couple of stalls. And the apple cake had already sold out! But nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it. That's what these days out are all about - and I picked up some delicious pear cider.

High point of the day? Nan: "Ooh, what have they got on that table over there?" Me, blinking: "A dirty nappy Nan. That man's changing his baby. Ask nicely and he'll probably give you a good deal on it though."

Baskets for Beardies and Peaches for Geckos...

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:37:00 +0000

I have bought a nice wicker basket with a butterfly-style lid on eBay. I figured Tsam was getting a bit big to wrap in his towel and drop in my canvas bag, so this new basket will be far roomier for the pair of them, and better protection from being squished. I can still store my stuff with them, as well as a hot water bottle and a heatmat! Must remember to collect it though - it's in a little village! Progresser75 sells some really funk-tional willow and wicker stuff.

Terry is 8.4g and growing fast. It seems the little lizard has taken to sleeping on the floor wrapped in a favourite leaf - but after some browsing this is actually quite normal for a small percentage of crested geckos.

I've had a fabulous weekend for orange chocolate. Bendicks are doing their bittersweet orange tablets in tubes again, I found a bottle of orange essence to add to my normal (but free!) hot chocolate, Bournville had an offer on their version with real orange pieces AND Terry's have brought out yet another flavour: chocolate orange with popping candy!

(Try singing the title to "Raindrops on roses"... I'm still trying to think of some ideas for the next line, so do submit your entries!)

Mmmmmmould

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:30:00 +0000

We were trying to find out exactly what kind of mould was growing in our kitchen. George had left another of his unique rice pans lying in an undiscovered spot, and it had gone almost.... pretty. George has a talent for creating a thick, gluelike layer of starch in his rice pans and, as you can see, the different moulds love it. We've got pink jelly beans, fluffy green hillocks and a delicate yellow slime. We figured out that the pink is most likely Serratia marcescens, and I think we've got some Fusarium families (green) and quite possibly a rather pleasant case of Aspergillus Flavus (yellow). A.Flavus comes with a nasty toxin that can cause hepatitis, brain necrosis and cancers! Hurray! On the other hand, had we kept it and avoided all the nasty toxins, a nice side effect of mouldy rice is... Sake! Sadly though, you need koji mould, which doesn't appear to be present in this case.

I happened to stumble across a rather amusing website when trying to find out what sort of moulds they were that George had left growing in his rice pan. Here's some extracts for you, and the full link:

http://www.ucc.asn.au/~alastair/biohazard/

"6-Apr-2000: Isn't it funny how milk doesn't smell much different when it first goes off, but when you try to pour it onto your cereal it's more like cheese with salad dressing?.... 9-Jun-2000: I have discovered that stale & mouldy rye bread bounces well. 11-Jun-2000: The rye bread doesn't bounce too good any more. So I threw it out."

"Confidence Boosters" - the in-depth review.

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Milling around on the internets, which I occasionally do, I found this on MSN from Match.com - Confidence Boosters by Nina Malkin. So here's the full article, complete with our interview-style "His'N'Hers" input.

What’s the secret to a truly successful date?
The assurance that you’re an amazing person who knows how to have a great time. Adopt that attitude and you will have fun. OK, while science has yet to develop confidence in tablet form, there are plenty of things you can do to pump yourself up, trounce pre-date anxiety and be the attractive, witty, wonderful woman you are. We’ve got the tips—from makeup tricks to mantras—that’ll get you there. (pic: nutfactory.com)

The true secret to a successful date is to find someone you actually LIKE and start a conversation - remembering to let THEM join in too. Straight talking is a good thing - I don't think I can cope with a giggle and twee girly girl, or stuck up. Just be normal. Humility is good, in terms of being able to realise your own flaws, so that if someone else sees them, you're not bothered by it - make it a part of your plus points - nobody is perfect!

Create a lovability inventory.

“Make a list of what makes you instantly attractive—things like your great smile, sexy legs, fabulous hair, etc.,” says dating coach Ronnie Ann Ryan, author of MANifesting Mr. Right: It’s Never Too Late to Find the Love You Want. “Then list why you’re a great catch—qualities like sunny disposition, good listener, quick-witted.” Read these reminders daily and give ‘them a scan before your meet your date. Most of all, remember that they’re so true!

It's always nice to remember what you like about yourself, yes - but if your high point is your elbow, you're just a little bit stuck. I'm sorry girls, all blokes notice of is boobs, bums and legs - and that's if you're lucky. By all means go for an ego boost, but don't get carried away and list them all to HIM. There's nothing wrong with a bit of self-flattery, but don't be a stuck-up b*tch. Those that think they're "all-that" with the snotty, snide attitude, I don't have the time of day for. Anyone whom is going to be like that in any social setting isn't likely to pay me any attention - or worse, be very NEEDY. "Sharon sez I should get my hair done for anuvver freehunnerd powns..."

Get fresh.

It may seem obvious, but cleanliness is key to success. “I bathe, brush my teeth, spray on perfume and I’m good to go,” says Adriana Williams, 36. So don’t dash straight from the office to a special date. Schedule it a little later in the day so you can go home and hit the showers. That little bit of primp time in your own zone will get you primed to feel glamorous and have a great time. (pic - BBC - gilbert from "Get Fresh")

Basic common sense - don't turned up smelly and creased from a long day at work. Also, if you're eating out, or having food before you go out, remember to avoid the usual culprits - garlic, fish and cigarettes. There's NOTHING worse than cigarette stank to a non-smoker. Would you like him to turn up smelling like old feet? Cleanliness is next to godliness, fair enough. If she turned up mingin' with her hair matted like she's been in a gorilla sh*t fight, I'd be quick to get out of there. I've um, got a plane to catch to get to Guatamala - I should have told you before, but I only just remembered!

Gain the home-court advantage.
Is there a place where everybody knows your name? Where the lighting, the seating, the menu makes you feel at home? Go there on your next date! “Nothing is nicer than having the support and approval of people who know and acknowledge you,” says Donna Spangler, author of How to Marry a Rich Man: The Princess Formula. A friendly hello from your

favourite host, waitperson or barista can boost your confidence, big-time.

Practical - but then you get the judgemental side of the people you know seeing you turn up for different dates. Also, what about the guy?! He'll be thinking: "Jeez, how many times has she brought blokes here?!" But on the other hand, if he wants to take you somewhere flash, roll with it honey! He clearly thinks you're worth spending the money on! Always check if he wants to go Dutch, but don't push it. Be wary of those that try to wiggle out of paying altogether - but if they have a tab for the Ritz... Oh nonono. No, find somewhere neutral. He's going to be thinking"Crap, who are all these people, I'm a spare wheel here!" If a friend passed by in a pub, fair enough. Otherwise it's daunting, you know everyone, and I don't - I'd be completely out of place. It's a kick in the nuts for the other guy.

Give yourself a pep talk.
“The greatest confidence booster for women in their forties is the conversation they have with themselves,” says relationship counsellor Joyce Morley-Ball, author of Seeds for the Harvest of a Lifetime. “Embrace statements like ‘There is no one like me’ and ‘I am the best thing he will ever meet’ before your next date.” Say it, believe it, and kick your self-esteem up a notch.

Whilst this tends to be good advice, you might also want to see an actual counsellor to help with your esteem issues too - if something in your past is "blocking" you, it needs to be dealt with, not avoided and placebo'ed. Plus the name of the book sounds a bit rapey - don't let him see it for god's sake! Yeaaaah, that's a bit bunny-boiler. Eekeeekeeekeek, knife in hand.

Check in with your biggest fan.
“Surround yourself with positive people who make you feel really good inside,” says dating coach Liz Kelly, author of Smart Man Hunting. “Call your best ally on the way to a date for a confidence boost.” You needn’t say you want a pre-date pick-me-up—you’ll get good vibes just hearing this person’s voice. (pic: on10.com - for the nerds!)

Why would you be friends with someone who doesn't like you? Don't get neurotic, but do make sure you've got proper friends. Could you rely on any of them if, say, you needed help sitting a nephew? Find real friends, and don't be afraid to stand up to two-faced people. Bitching doesn't make a real connection. Pre-game warm-up for blokes, if anything, it's like a blokey chat in the pub, a very informal chat. "Go you mate, get some." A very lowbrow thing, but you know, it works. I know it happens in the bathrooms, so try it properly with your friends - you lot like your details. The after game party for women is a lot bigger, for blokes it's just "Whoar mate, yes." or "Cor yeah, right on" or "Nah, don't think so." That's about it. The other guys think "You lucky b*stard." After that it's always polite to ask how your mates are doing on their current game or preferred sporting activity, 'cause by that time we've probably forgotten what we were talking about.

Treat yourself right.
Schedule that spa appointment the night or afternoon before a big date. “If you consciously include extra me-time into your schedule, you’ll feel more powerful and in control of your life,” says makeup artist Suzie Galvez, author of The Thrifty Girls Guide To Glamour: Living the Beautiful Life on Little to No Money. The only caveat? Those who tend to break out after a facial might want to opt for the massage or pedicure instead.

Oh how glamour girlie. How Sex in the City. How... expensive. I agree to treating yourself, by all means, but you can have a nice "Spa Day" at home if you set aside a few minutes and some of your favourite things. As a not-girly-girl, my pick-me-up is a nice apple hair conditioner. Men DO notice soft hair and a delicate perfume , but don't overdo it. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you'd been to the spa or been running errands for Jimmy Saville all day! It sort of goes back to the cleanliness thing - if you've turned up smelling nice, looking clean and sparkly, that's great. But you don't need to go spending a fortune having a mud massage up your arse or whatever.

Keep it real.
You want to sizzle, but don’t try something totally new and different, fashion- and beauty-wise. To really feel on top of your game, you’re best off looking like you. “If downtown diva is your thing, don’t show up in Laura Ashley,” says Raya Premji, co-owner of Rodeo Drive Resale in Los Angeles. One easy way to reveal your personality through fashion, she adds, is to simply wear your favourite colour.

On the other hand, don't go wearing joggy bottoms and a disintegrating old jumper. That may be what you look like most of the time, but it's not attractive. Would you want to go home with a bloke that turned up looking like that? Dress to the standard you would require of your partner. Fair comment. On a first date, I'd notice a particularly striking haircut, (thinking time) I'd notice what she was wearing in terms of dress or top, because at some point I'm going to be thinking about her boobs. If I can see cleavage, it's "Nice top." If not, it's "Nice hair." I'm not saying hooker cleavage, but enough to be interesting.

Break out the sexy underwear.
Go for silk or lace, black or red, skimpy or demure—whatever makes you feel special. “It’s not for anyone else to see– just for you!” says Ryan. “You can’t help but feel your allure amplified with nice lingerie on.” (pic: believe it or not, that's underwear - the C string. ttnet.net)

The only reason you think about sex more when you're wearing sexy underwear is because it's so damn uncomfortable that every time you move, you remember you're wearing the goddawful things. If only YOU are going to see them, that seems a bit of a waste of time. Quite frankly, if only YOU are going to see them, you might as well have the big old comfy pants on. But sure, if you've got that inkling that you might get action later that night, then go ahead and wear that skimpy number in black lace - take down your evening dress and be revealed in lovely neglige - mmmmmm.

Carry yourself—in your purse.
That snapshot from your last holiday, with you looking so happy and healthy? The picture from the awards dinner in your honour, when you heard all that applause? Keep it handy. Glancing at it will remind you of how amazing you are. And you might want to share it, if the opportunity presents itself. Giving your date a gander can spark discussion of how amazing you are. “Fun photos paint a picture of confidence that’s irresistible,” says Kelly. “Imagine you're back on that beach when describing your last vacation photo with a big smile.”

And just how're you going to explain THAT when he spots it in your purse? "Oh, that's my twin sister?" Yeah. By all means, keep a great pic on the fridge or in a frame by the door, somewhere you'll see it on the way out, but not in your purse. Put a pic of something you enjoy in your purse - I keep one of my lizards, because they make me feel good, plus I have conversation material ready if it gets noticed and don't sound completely self-centred. I'd be a bit confused. Purses are for your puppy, boyfriend, your baby sister or something, something that makes sense.

Be comfortable, be confident.
“No need to hold your breath in tight jeans; opt for something with a bit of stretch,” says Premji. Same strategy for shoes. “Your dogs will be barking in minutes if you go with too-high heels. Try leg-lengthening wedges instead or a sandal that laces at the ankle.” Finally, unless you’re totally at ease dressing like Lil’ Kim, be sexy while leaving something to the imagination. “Try peek-a-boo styles: sheer tops over a tank, slit skirts,” Premji says. And remember the rule to only wear one revealing item – for instance, if you’re wearing a short skirt, keep your top demure. Want to show off your shoulders in a pretty camisole? Then keep the skirt longer for more leg-coverage. Leaving something to the imagination is always more alluring than full disclosure on date number one.

If your trousers don't fit, you're going to feel fat. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bigger woman and I'm comfortable with it. Hell, I KNOW I look good when I make a go of it. But if you feel your waistband pinching, it's going to annoy you and make you snappy. Be PRACTICAL. Or if not practical, buy something that fits, looks and feels nice. Take a real friend shopping for feedback and advice - or if you're alone and like something, ask a complete stranger how it looks! Strangers are more likely to be polite too! I'd feel VEEERY awkward if I had too small pants on for a date. I have the luxury of boxers. If I have a belt that suddenly pulls in the evening, I can politely excuse myself from the table and go and release a few notches!

Get your story straight.
“Everyone has at least one great story from her real-life experience,” says relationship expert Wendy Allen, Ph.D., author of How to Survive the Crisis of an Affair. “Telling it—and telling it well—lets you express yourself in a poised, self-assured way.” Figure out what your story is, and practice telling it in the privacy of your own home. Self-deprecating stories can work well; just steer clear of anything too heavy. Lead in by saying, “Want to hear a great story?” and when you have his attention, begin. Make sure your tale has a beginning, middle and end, and don’t ramble. Bonus tip: If you know a funny (not dirty—at least not yet!) joke and can deliver it like Leno, go for it.

Be prepared to listen to him. Men like talking about themselves, so ask them stuff about themselves. Try doing some basic background work before you meet up - ask some people what kind of things he likes, hobbies etc. No. I wouldn't want to sit through story-time. Unless it's like the most godlike of stories, really, quite frankly no. Interactivity is what a date should be about, not "is everyone siting comfortably?" Anecdotes are fine, short and concise, but not the "Sharon and I went to the zoo, got an icecream, she did but I didn't, saw some monkeys and..." I'd be switched off and all like... empty dial tone ooooooooooo.

Wear a conversation piece.
You’ll feel special sporting something you love, says Premji. Plus, even a fashion-challenged man will notice a unique treasure—like a family heirloom or that exotic necklace you found during your travels.

Yes, because he's going to notice, let alone mention, your pretty necklace. Excuse the raised eyebrow, but I have yet to meet a bloke that comments on jewellery unless I've asked him first. We really don't know. We're just not tuned that way. Intricate things we don't tend to notice, unless you've got, I don't know, two PSPs as earrings. Then I'd notice.

Clinch eye contact.
Want your date to gaze into the windows of your soul? Place a dot of a gold or light-reflecting eye shadow on the centre of your eyelid, then blend softly. “Humans beings are

naturally attracted to light,” says Galvez. “When you blink, your date will notice and be drawn to the light area but won’t know why.” (pic: Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) - Nasa)

What, are men moths now? Why didn't anyone tell me? Why isn't your man paying attention to you in the first place? Heck, you could just get some nice false eyelashes with the rhinestones on - that'll work. Or carry a lazer light. That'd do the trick and provide some "light entertainment"!

Lip it good.
The right lip colour is an instant lift. Red is a classic choice for women forty-plus, says Galvez. It makes teeth look whiter, which helps encourage you to smile, which exudes confidence. Another option? “Slightly frosty, non-Eighties pink works for me!” says Jenny Sucov, 38. “It flatters every complexion and makes you look tanned.”

Bright red also shows off your facial hair like a beacon, so you look like somebodies granddad with a 'tasche like that. "Lip it good" by going to a tester counter and getting one of the girls to do your colours properly - that way you'll know what really suits you, rather than some generic advice. The whole lipstick thing - some shades can help form a face, but some can make her look a lot like a rubber doll. Find the right lipstick.

See your success.
“Visualise success on your date—this process forces your mind to create a plan of action,” says life coach Eric J. Aronson, founder of DASH Systems, LLC. “Imagine yourself enjoying yourself on the date; picture yourself as beautiful, sexy, fun and outgoing in the perfect atmosphere.”

Wow, did you remember your plan of action and your battle fatigues? Chill OUT. You're here for a nice time, not to trap your male, fertilise your eggs and eat him. Quite! Haha... It's about having a good time and seeing if you get on, not a military operation.

Wear blinders.
Nothing blows confidence like thinking every other woman in the joint is a supermodel. “Stand tall, and don't compare your physical appearance to others,” says Aronson. Stay focused on your date and learning about him.

Darling, he's going out with you, not that silly bint in the corner. Go out to enjoy yourself, not to be Kate Moss. Kate Moss looks like a matchstick figure anyway. As to standing tall, I'm tall and that doesn't make the blindest bit of difference. However, holding your shoulders back and walking straight DOES help. Practise your posture, try the books on your head trick. You don't want to look all slumped and office-y in the evening. Who cares about them? Stop worrying about the people. If he's so sh*t that he'll wander off and chat up the barmaid on your date... Clearly he's not worth it. What ARE you women thinking?!

Get physical.
Try to fit in a pre-date workout—you know how great kicking butt in tae-bo makes you feel! “A bit of physical exercise before a date increases blood flow and hormone levels to psych you up,” says Aronson.

Just don't forget to, you know, have a shower. This is one of the few points I'll actually agree with. It has been proven that exercise is beneficial when you're feeling low - I don't mean sign up to a gym straight away, even something as simple as a brisk walk will make a big difference to your day. Obsessing over your weight and what you eat is a huge turnoff. Exercise is good. Keeps you healthy and reasonably trim - the whole "I haven't moved in ten years look" doesn't do it for everyone. Toned is nice, but bear in mind not all blokes like scary muscular - be healthy and don't worry about the rest. Malnutrition is not a big turnon either, a healthy appetite by all means, but know your limits.

Keep things in perspective.
Unless you’re going to the Oscars or a coronation, a date is still just a date. “I have a calming ritual to clear my head of expectations,” says Robin Glenn, 48. “I tell myself, ‘This is not a big deal’ and ‘Don’t try t0o hard.’ I always have a better time when I don’t expect it to be mind-

blowing.”

About time. Obviously, stick to some standards, and try not to drink too much. I know people think it's a confidence booster, but it also lowers your inhibitions and makes you liable to do something completely stupid. There are a few stages of drunk - sober/drunk: you laugh at not so funny stuff, but that's not a bad thing, blokes tend to have crap jokes. There's giggly drunk: where everything's funny. Stop here, this is the best bit. Don't knock em back like there's no tomorrow. Because there IS a tomorrow and you're going to have a baaaad head when it arrives. If you don't stop, you progress to the paranoia drunk: not good. The slurring, hiccupping drunk: not good at all. Which is followed by the staggering possibly vomiting drunk and the last stage of drunk which is falling unconscious in a puddle of your own vomit. Mm, what a great night out THAT was.

Revel in your sensuality.
“Walk into a date with a big grin because you are a hot commodity in your sexual prime,” says Kelly suggests. “At this age, you know who you are and what you want, which is a huge turn-on.” So work it to your advantage!

This last tip works with guys that have massive egos. Pandering to these humongous egos later on is no fun. Be prepared to seperate dream and reality. Quite honestly, we blokes are a bit crap. Be realistic - if he's chisel jawed, craploads of money and perfect job and house, he's probably going to want the most bimbotic girl going, and he'll most likely love himself more than you.

Hey You, Fancy Plants!

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:24:00 +0000

Most people know I enjoy growing plants, although I seem to have little skill for it. However, I have found another plant I would dearly love to attempt growing - and should be fairly me-proof. All it needs is a pot to grow in, sunshine on a windowsill and watering when the soil is dry.

Introducing: Codariocalyx motorius. The Semaphore Plant.

"This plant is famous for its movement of small lateral leaflets at speeds rapid enough to be perceivable with the naked eye. This is a strategy to maximise sunlight by tracking the sun. Each leaf is equipped with a hinge that permits it to be moved in order to receive more sunlight, but the weight of these leaves means the plant must expend a lot of energy in moving it. To optimise movement of large leaves, each large leaf has two small leaflets at its base. These move constantly along an elliptical path, sampling the intensity of sunlight, and directing the large leaf to the area of most intensity." From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codariocalyx_motorius

Butternut and Bobotie

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Terry update: 8.2 today and getting MUCH springier. If that little hopper bounces any higher, I'll be peeling those toes off my nose!

We had our second African Night at Mulberrys, another delight of unusual foods. For starters, we enjoyed a carrot and pineapple jelly, and butternut and sweet potato soup.

Now, I've had butternut soup before, just once, and I vividly remember although the cook was supposed to be the box deluxe - I will have to be honest and say that it was like lumpy warm sick in not just texture, but in colour and flavour too. Garth's butternut though - that's the reason I try things twice. Oh what a rapture of sunshine yellow! I went back this evening to buy some cold - we've enjoyed it for tea with some fresh bread.

Bobotie is another delicious dish served to us, although many choices were on the menu, we found the name captivating and far less embarrassing sounding than "Chakalaka". That made me cringe, the Eddie Muphy-esque sound, although I know it to be a vegetable stirfry. Anyway. Bobotie is a spiced meat dish - fruity with curry essences, a layer of egg on the top and served with spiced rice.

Pudding was an interesting infusion for both of us, His Lordship taking on ginger icecream with pumpkin pie and mine a "Peppermint Crisp". He says "I've never had an icecream so hot!" and I will agree with him, a bold, clean flavour. The peppermint crisp was surprisingly delicate in flavour, pleasingly so, although I still can't quite define the textures. I had been expecting something akin to a cheesecake, but this was entirely different. It wasn't quite a cream and not as stiff as, say, Angel Delight, but it had yummy crunchy biscuits in and sponge chunks. Not sure about the sponge (but I am not a sponge lover) but the cream and biscuit combination was a sure thing for me!

Ryvita and Roaches

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:39:00 +0000

I have decided to get back in touch with my "Bad Girl". It's no fun being stressed and working too hard. Time to put your foot down ladies - especially if it's wearing a nice slinky stiletto! After weeks of prodding people, I got annoyed and sent an email to one of our in house dragons. She's got a ferocious reputation, but my god, does she get the job done! I aspire to put the fear into people the same way she's done. There's a shakeup starting AND my extra hours are being paid - not just excess hours pay (normal rate) but overtime pay (double rate) - so I can't exactly complain!

I have also decided to lose weight. I tried houmous and Ryvita - and it's actually quite tasty as a lunch thing. Nuthin' compared to my kickass curry. Sweet and light highs, fruity melodies, with a Scotch Bonnet synthkick and caramelised onion and pepper bassline.

Kyle's happy because she pigged so hard on roaches she hocked up a live one again. She's got good at it now, she catches and eats it before it gets away from her, thank goodness. Tsam is sulking because I've taken out his ratty old leaves and haven't replaced them. Terry is growing fast, 7.4g at last feeding. I'm attempting to get him to fend for himself, but it's going slowly...

Beetles and Butterworms

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Cleaned all the aquatics tanks and noticed to my dismay that the miniature strawberry plants didn't survive the transition from cold outside to warm inside. Never mind.

The beetles have been transferred to their winter habitation as the temperature is dropping rapidly in the shed, and a nice big box of butterworms arrived today. These bizarre insects have a very distinct smell - almost pleasantly sweet, with an odd fruity smell. If anyone's stuck as to what to get me for Christmas, I would love some more! www.butterworms.co.uk The dragons absolutely LOVE these juicy fat worms.

Chicken in pepper sauce with mushrooms, baked mushrooms, veg and spicy wedges for dinner - yummy!

Solved an argument about how to become a great carving craftsperson. "Remove any parts that do not look like the object you are looking for. For instance, if it does not look like a tiger and you want to make a tiger, simply remove all the bits that do not look like the tiger."

I had to laugh at "Most Shocking Fights & Wild Riots 4" - one of their starting features was a "riot" in New Zealand. A man's hat was knocked off.

Appropriate Anagrams

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:01:00 +0000

I've been playing with an Anagramater and found some lovely perfect 'grams.

Kuleana Graeme Squishee (Her middle name is a promise to a friend of mine, that one of my animals would have the name!): "As I am keen, huge squealer..."

Tsam Wilhelm Eatdaleaf (Tsam's middle name is a reference to his breeding - he is of course, a German Giant): "Ahem, well-made fatalist!"

Eden Cali Kingsnake - "Dance, like sneaking." Particularly appropriate for such a large snake; she hides very well and moves like water.

Those that know me - check this out for downright creepy. Go to http://www.deanjackson.dj/nameanagram, type my FULL name in and search. His Lordship was most amused.

Dragonflies and Disguises

noreply@blogger.com (Indigobluefish) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I stunned His Lordship today; we went for a walk in the lovely sunshine with the dragons and I spotted a red dragonfly flitting around. As he watched, I spoke to the insect and called for it to land on my outstretched palm. It lit gently down, turned a circle and contentedly spread its wings in the sun. "Cor blimey," says he, "well, would you look at that!" You only have to ask them nicely if you want to summon dragonflies.

I would like people to make me a promise - I was thinking about it on the way home from work on my little motorbike. I saw a flatbed truck with some weebly portaloos, green ones this time, I see a lot of blue ones too, and I thought to myself: "If I ever get killed by something embarrassing, like being crushed by a portaloo, then please would someone twist the truth a little? Make it, make it a truck full of money or gold bars, or something cool at the very least." I don't want to be remembered like poor Luther Burbank - his last words were "I don't feel good." (Worldofquotes.com)

I'm also planning this year's Halloween costume - we're looking a bit Final Fantasy, photographed in Black and White... Could be tricky, but I have a gorgeous wig being shipped over from China already. I'm thinking to wraptie the a few inches at the back, about halfway down, loosely with a wide black silk bow. Should go nicely with my black PVC ballgown.

Derren Brown next week - attempting to literally glue you to your seat. Friday 9pm, Channel 4.