Tuesday, 1 December 2009

#62 Cook a Meal

As I mentioned before, this is a kid's book, and so the bar is set a little low for some of the challenges...

We share the cooking in our house. I'm lucky that James is a really good cook and looks after most of our meals. There are, however a few things that I do quite well (curries, lasagne & chilli mainly) and so I take my turn. One of my absolute favourite foody delights are roast potatoes. I love them. And I knew I'd found the right man when he made me roasties and there were better than my Mum makes (sorry Bubs!). Because he does them so well I just never bothered trying, until tonight. (This is me nervously about to tip wet potatoes into hot fat, oooh-er..)



I thought this challenge should be just that - something I hadn't done before that might test me. Turns out there isn't as much mystery to making crispy golden roasties as I'd thought and, although I've got a way to go before mine are as good as James', I think I did ok.

See for yourself...veggie roast, roast potatoes, green beans, broccoli and creamy courgettes.


Bit of gravy as a finishing touch....


Mmmmmmm.....yummmmmmmmmm.

Thing to do #62 - tick! Pink star for me!

Saturday, 28 November 2009

#3 Make an Origami Crane

The book has a set of instructions for how to make an origami crane, but I couldn't understand them. My frustrated mutterings made the husband laugh but were making me increasingly cross. In the end I resorted to finding footage of a pro doing it on YouTube. Our internet connection is a shade on the slow side but it was worth it. At last, I can unveil to you my Origami Crane. Enjoy 'Thing to do #3'!

Thursday, 26 November 2009

#99 Be Vegetarian for a Week

Will 14 years do?!

People do invariably ask me why I'm veggie when they find out. If I'm perfectly honest it's because, when I was 15 we saw a gruesome video in Home Economics, that was probably made by PETA, or Linda McCartney, that laid bare the way animals are kept and slaughtered for our delectation. Plus, it was what all cool girls in the 4th year were doing.

People always ask me what meaty delight I miss the most and, hand on heart, I can't think of anything. Typical conversation - "Oooh, what about bacon sarnies? You must miss those - I bet the smell gets you!" "Erm, no. The smell of cooking pig flesh actually makes me feel a bit nauesous." "Really? What...really? What about Big Macs then?" "Ok, I'm leaving now. Bye bye."

I genuinely don't understand why people feel the need to cross examine non-meat-eaters about their choice. Is it really so hard to comprehend? The mass consumption of cheap meat is responsible for the clearing of vast swathes of tropical rainforest, probably losing us the opportunities to discover weird and wonderful cures for cancer and the like. Meat is hard for the human body to digest. Advice for avoiding illneses like heart disease and bowel cancer often includes cutting down on red meats. But, I don't want to start sounding as though I'm preaching. I am more than happy to allow those around me to eat what they please. I don't question the motives of meat eaters or try to convert people and do get a little tired of people's curiousity over what I chose to eat. Maybe it makes meaties feel better about their own choices if they can pick holes in mine. I sometimes catch a gleeful look in a critic's eye when they discover that I eat fishy marine type foods (which makes me a pesco vegetarian apparently), like, so what?! Seriously - since when did it have to be all or nothing? (And by the way - I'm not really that bothered if that doesn't make me a 'proper vegetarian'.)

The simple truth is, I never really enjoyed eating meat when I was younger and I don't miss it. Plus, I'm yet to hear a convincing argument for switching back.

I will concede though that the attitudes I've mentioned above are being less common. More and more people tell me that they're eating less meat and enjoy veggie food, which I'm pleased about, when I stop to think about what other people are eating. Which isn't often, except for now.

Ok, I feel happy that I can tick thing #99 off the list, and I'm giving myself a green star!

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

#4 Learn How To Tell When Someone Fancies You (And When They Don't)

I thought I'd start with a relatively straight forward looking one to ease me into the adventure. It was straight forward, but it also left me feeling a bit dismayed...

For this challenge the book explains a little bit about the tell-tale signs an admirer gives off. I confess I didn't even really look at these to begin with and dived straight into the multiple choice quiz. I was smugly confident that, having snaggled myself a live one some 11 years back, I must already know what was what.

Well, it turns out I do, my husband just doesn't display any of them. Hmmmm......

Qu 1 - Do they tease you a lot?
a)Yes, we're always making friendy jibes at each other.
b)Sometimes - if I do or say something stupid.
c)Very often - and sometimes it makes me want to cry.

Correct answer? a)- I'm sure you'll all agree. However, the answer most applicable to my fella is b).

Qu 2 - How often do you catch them gazing at you?
a)A lot, and if I catch their eye, they go red and look away quickly in embarassment.
b)Sometimes our eyes meet but they look lost in thought.
c)Occasionally. They're usually pointing and laughing too.

Correct answer? a). My answer? c) Am starting to fidget at this point.

Qu 3 - Do their pupils get bigger when they talk to you?
a)Yes, and I've noticed they seem to glance at my lips a lot when I'm talking.
b)Sometimes - especially if it's a bit gloomy.
c)They never talk to me so I wouldn't know.

Correct answer? again a). My answer? b) or - d)Who the hell notices something like that?!

Qu 4 - How often do they send you text messages?
a)A lot, and often for no particular reason or just to ask me what I'm up to and who I'm with.
b)Quite often. It depends how much I text them.
c)Never. But that's because they don't have my number.

Correct answer? a) of course (I'm starting to think this isn't a very sophisticated quiz). My answer? c) but that's because we live together, so I don't feel too bad about this one.

Qu 5 - Do they seem to find excuses to sit or stand next to you?
a)Yes, they're always asking to borrow stuff or making out that they need to talk to me about somthing.
b)From time to time - especially if they need help with something.
c)No. They say I smell.

Correct answer? a). My answer? c) :-(

Qu 6 - Does anyone else think this person fancies you?
a)Yes, their best mate told me they do.
b)A mutual friend thought we were really well suited and that we'd definitely get together eventually.
c)Yes, my best mate thinks I'm in with a great chance.

Correct answer? C'mon you don't need me for this bit anymore. My answer? c)! In fact, the same friend who bought me this book was also responsible for prodding me in my future husband's general direction in a night club in Cardiff. My word, she has some explaining to do.

Qu 7 - Have they ever invited you out with them?
a)Yes, they've asked if I want to come round for tea before.
b)They asked me to their birthday party, but there were a lot of other people invited too.
c)Not really - although they did once ask me to 'Go and take a running jump.'

My answer? Well, none of those really, although I do recall a lot of our early dates featuring other people...

Qu 8 - How do they behave when you're alone together?
a)Nervously. They seem to play with their hair or ear quite a lot and laugh at all my stupid jokes.
b)They're fairly relaxed and normal.
c)They ignore me.

My answer? A complete mixture of all three answers. Except for a). I think just plain 'Nervous' would be more appropriate. Apparently I scare him. And only this morning he confessed he couldn't decide if he thought it was cute or worrying when I get 'that mad glint' in my eye.

By now you've probably guessed that:
a)all the correct answers were a).
b)I need marriage counselling.
c)this is a stupid quiz.

Go on - try it at home and see if you do any better!

Still, I've done 'Thing to do #4' and I gave myself a pink star for it.

Good night. I'm off to cry into my pinot grigio and see if anyone notices.

Monday, 23 November 2009

#36 Start Your Own Blog!

Flicking through the book to choose my first thing (task, activity, job, adventure??? I came across '36 - Start Your Own Blog'.

That means I can tick my first thing off the list! Hurrah!

The book even has star stickers that you can use when you complete something - I chose a blue star for this one.

Wow, could it be this easy?.....

The game is afoot!

Ok, so, I will turn 30 next year, on 30th March - hence 30 on the 30th. I know this runs counter to popular belief, but I'm not having a crisis about this. In fact I finally feel that my age and my personality are in alignment.

But....that's not to say that I don't still get the urge to be mischievous from time to time....

My friend Jenna gave me a book some time ago that was meant to help me pass the time while I was on long-term sick leave. The book is called '101 things to do before you're old and boring'. Unfortunately being ill prevented me from making the most of it, but as 30 could be considered 'old & boring' (not by me I hasten to add) I'm going to try and do all 101 things before then.

Those of you who know me will be able to imagine how much the idea of ticking things off a list appeals to me. This is because I'm a 'list person'.To-do lists, Christmas card lists, Christmas gift lists (both for myself and other people), grocery shopping lists, ambitions lists, things-that-bother-me lists, etc etc. As well as lists I like timetables - exercise timetables, job rotas (which I'm sure made me deeply unpopular with my siblings when we were younger) and schedules for the week ahead - that kind of thing. So, having a list of things to do within a certain time frame suits me down to the ground. (And yes, I'm aware that this admission already puts me firmly in the 'old & boring' category)

I'll be able to do some of the things on the list quite easily (e.g. cook a meal - well, the book is aimed at kids!), others may take some time (e.g. learn to juggle - which will make me unpopular with my husband who can't abide any of those circusy skills which are often favoured by 'hemp wearing, dread-lock sporting crusties'), and others have me scratching my head at the prospect of being able to do them at all (e.g. be a genius....), but I'm going to have a go and this blog will document my attempts.

I haven't yet decided how best to start - do I pick a thing at random? Do I start with the one that I can do most easily? Or the thing that will take the longest to achieve (this would be the smart way given I have a time limit)? Or should I start at #1 and hang the consequences?

I might need to recruit friends, family, colleagues and possibly perfect strangers to help me in my mission and I might need to deceive people along the way (apologies in advance) - consider yourself warned....