S'been a long time, fellas

Oh lads. 4th October was my last post, and I wouldn't blame you at all for totally losing interest and jogging on to another blog. But lads! I've got many, many news. Here's a good ol' list to get us started, so we all know where I've been for two whole months:


1) I got my dream job. Yes! For years and YEARS I slogged away at a job that I didn't enjoy with my full soul and FINALLY I've got the one I've always wanted. Still a hairy Librar-y BUT! One with purpose. Good times. So, just so we're clear, my job is amazeballs.

2) Mega decorating of Bumbaleerie mansions, INCLUDING a new kitchen floor what I've detailed a billion times on this very blog. But it is down, my friends, down at last and the crib is looking mega-marvy. BUT, lads, this tale is not without sorrow. Husband and I spent a great deal of time (money) on the floor and they did not turn up THRICE times. Furious was I. SO furious that I sent Husband in to shout at the 'men' and he came out all matey with them. 'NON' je thought to je-self. 'This is non happening' unt it was left to me to have a hairy fit until we'd got what wee'd (tee hee) paid for. But it's down now fellas, so all's well.

3) Em. Two months is quite a lot, isn't it? I don't seem to have filled my time very well at all. If I'm honest, I think the lack o' updating is due to a combination of not having made anything new, due to commencing my shiny new job unt my computer being broke.


But anyhoo lads, now is the season of joy and goodwill (wine), so I hope you had a Merry ole One. I forgot to post my Christmas cards, it's probably too late now. Next year I'm totally going to write a round robin, because they are sehr  hilarious. SO, here's a practice one just pour vous (as you can see, this year I've gone VERY international avec mon language)

Dear Friends,

This year began well with January, which is how every year seems to begin! We had a jolly old time at New Year with our friends, who came to the house baring (tee hee) wine and also Articulate (the Best Game in the World). Sadly, the competitive spirit overcame Husband and they left minus two friends. But hey, there's always next year!!! (Lads, I've noticed that the common trait with round robins is to use a plethora of exclamation marks, or 'the mark of the moron'. I rather like them, actually)

Valentine's Day brought Husband and I much joy. I cannot begin to describe how happy I was to unwrap 'David Hasslehoff Sings America' which my ever-frugal Husband had discovered in a bargain-bin in Asda. He was right, it's the presents that you don't think you'll need that have the biggest impact!!

I remember very little of March. Nothing, in fact. I may well have slept through it. April delivered our SECOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, and on it, we though about going out for dinner but had just returned from New York, so were counting pennies to buy milk. But we celebrated in our own little way - I drank heavily and Husband probably hoovered something.

May, June and July - no idea. In August I turned 27, which was GHASTLY but I'm holding it together (wine).

September, I was able to hand my notice in at my horrendous job, which filled me with a sense of freedom and good spirit (gin). And I felt TERRIBLY sad to be leaving (false) but I managed to hold myself together. Until the last day, when I fell over in my haste to leave (true story - I skinned my knees and everything).

October, I started my new place of work and everything was amazeballs again. It is very, very nice to be in a job you enjoy. Husband decided to make October the month that he started several new hobbies, including but not limited to, 'Leaving Socks in the Living Room', 'Not Putting Stuff in the Dishwasher' and 'Generally Being Annoying'. But, we are still very much in love!!!!!!!!

November was mine and Husband's TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BEING IN LOVE.  I explained to Husband that the phrase 'ten year anniversary' just SCREAMS 'diamond, pear-shaped solitaire brackets fist-sized) but he was having NONE of it. Rude.

And Christmas was marv-u-lous, mainly because of the eating. We hope the New Year finds you well, and will sign off with that most traditional of Scottish phrases:

'Lang may yer lum reek!"*

Eilidhbelle and also Husband

xxx


*May you always have coal for your fire, so your lum (chimney) is always smoking.

The One Where I Eat So Much I Get A Food Hangover

Hello Chinas!

Last night I went to Chop Chop in Edinburgh's Haymarket - if you haven't been, stop what you're doing immediately and go. It is the BAWS. I was going to take some pictures but then I didn't, because I really didn't want to be the weirdo who takes pictures in a restaurant. So, you'll just have to use your imagination! It's traditional Chinease food, so none of yer deep fried chicken junk that we are so familiar with. No! It's all hand-prepared noodles and homemade dumplings and crispy shredded potato and fluffy rice AND I ate so much that I had to lean against a pole at the train station to try and pull myself together. Total dumpling overdose, fellas, leading to what can only be described as a 'food hangover' upon waking this morning. I'm not sorry though, I would do it again right now.

I love food.

And because of that. I have been GORGING on the new Nigella series. I'm only just at the stage where I can watch Nigella and not yell I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER every time she appears on screen. I love her because she is SAUCY and I think we'd be really good friends. HOW CAN I MAKE THIS HAPPEN? I love the way she's all 'Ooooooh, just reaching up hear for this NAUGHTY SAFFRON!" - sometime I do this for Husband, until he grows weary and asks me to stop. Also, it's not the same when I lick my fingers, rake around in the cupboard, use saucy innuendo like 'oh, this pan is FILTHY *wink*' and then serve up toast. It's not the same at all.


In making news, Chinas, last week I decided to start on my 40's style dress that I talked about in this one. Total nightmare fellas, and I know exactly why. It's a combintation of 1) not knowing how to do it 2) not being patient enough to learn 3) not reading things properly AND 4) wine. So I (sort of) had the bodice finished and was cracking in to the sleeves when I realised I had sewn the sides inside out and the sleeve on the wrong side. So I gave up on that. Also, it doesn't fit me - it's too big around the bust (tee hee), arms, butt and shoulders, and too tight around the waist. Story of my LIFE chaps! And now I not only have to learn how to make it, but also how to adjust it. I might give up on it as an idea.

And to finish, here's a video of the unfriendly cat doing 'Paw and Other Paw'. I think we can agree that the quality is INCREDIBLE. Sorry that it's sideways, I'm not sure why that is the case or what I can do to fix it.  S'laters!

The One With Some Making

Evenin' fellas.

So, you know how sometimes I'm all 'I will FINISH all the things before starting MOAR of the things!' and other times I'm all 'Start moar! Start moar things! Finish none of the things!' Well, just now I'm in the Starty phase, not good at all.

This is me cutting out the pattern for my Collette Macaron dress. I have all the fabric and notions for this, I'm all set. Have I started it? I have not. Why? I dunno. Oh, wait! I DO know! It's because I haven't made a dress yet, and I heard that this was a hard one. So, I released my grasp on the bull's horns. PS. I hate cutting out patterns. I wish I could employ a pattern cutter-outer called Derek or something. Please leave me a comment along the lines of 'You can do it! Just make it! What's the WORST that could happen?!' and then I'll be all 'YES I CAN DO IT NOW!'. Thanks.

Anyway, after completely abandoning THAT I moved on with THIS:

This is a rubbish picture of the pattern I talked about in this fascinatingly exciting post  - how can I fail when I have so many books on dressmaking? How hard could it be?! Answer: quite hard, because I haven't read any of the books. I should like to take a moment's pause here, while you contemplate the fact that I am actually, a qualified Librarian. A qualified Librarian who can't be bothered to read. But I need to be SHOWN, being SHOWN is the key.  I don't have TIME to learn a new skill (I don't know if you can hear the whine in my voice, but let me tell you - it's there), I'm too BUSY with watching Sherlock all the time and looking at FLOOR TILES.

Also, I couldn't upload it on my last post but here's a picture of the display what I made at wurk. I am ludicrously pleased with it, but it did take me A MILLION YEARS:

Aaaaaaaaaarrrggghhhhhhh! Too scary! Try to be brave though. This took me so long to make, I actually lost interest and covered the whole thing in black paper, and wrote 'COMING SOON' in scary, blood-dripping letters until I could be bothered again. I told my boss it was 'to build suspense', and I think he believed me. Tee hee!

Also fellas, Husband and I braved the shops to price more flooring (you might want to take a break at this point to let your heart settle down after all the manic excitement that reading my blog must bring into your life. Brace yourselves lads, it's about to get EXTREME.) Anyway, we had a massive fight (in Ikea, obviously, because no-one has ever left Ikea without having a fight with SOMEBODY) because Husband was all 'Make a decision about the lights in the kitchen!' and I was all 'THESE LIGHTS!' and Husband was all 'I don't like those ones' in a really huffy voice, and I nearly stabbed him with a Helmsblug Potato Peeler. So, we left Ikea sharpish and found ourselves in Next. And here's what happened:

Me: *wanderin' around, looking at stuff, minding my own business* Husband, I've got an itchy bit on my leg that I think might be A HORRIBLE DISEASE......
Woman Next to Me Who is Not Husband: Em......
*massive embarrassed silence*
*woman looks at my leg*
*I miserably look at my leg too*
*woman looks faintly disgusted*
*I nod sadly and am FURIOUS with Husband for wandering away and getting me into this awkward situation*
*woman shudders and walks off*
*I slope away to find Husband, who is standing, awestruck, in the lighting section*
Me: HUSBAND YOU WEREN'T EVEN THE LADY WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME! SHE WAS SOMEBODY DIFFERENT! YOU MADE ME SPEAK TO A STRANGER! THEY MAKE VIDEOS WARNING CHILDREN ABOUT THAT!
Husband: *in a breathless whisper* ...look....
Me: WHA.......oh..........OH!

 OH YES IT'S A LAMP SHAPED LIKE A TELEPHONE BOX AND IT'S MADE OUR HOME COMPLETE!