I wonder, if I walk into Evans demanding a dress in a size 10 for £10 I can then get my story in the Daily Mail for them being size-ist and erm money-ist? I have just read yet another article with someone ranting and raving because a wedding dress shop didn't stock size 16 samples or any dresses within her budget. Wouldn't you just go to a different shop that had your size and that you could afford? Why do some people think everything should be catered to them and shops aren't allowed to have a niche?

Would you rather?

 

And would you eat

if it meant doing

? And the 30 day shred is a pretty brutal workout. Knowing you have to do all the killer exercises twice makes it that bit harder mentally than something like Tae-bo where I can never remember the sequence and it keeps changing.

I went shopping for work clothes today. I've tried to do this many times but I either don't find anything and give up or I buy something, change my mind and take it back a week later. I had a faux-wake up call when I tried on a size 10 fitted shirt and it was a bit tight. Then I tried on a 12 and it was tight. 14? Tight. Then I held them all up together and realised they were all exactly the same size but with different size labels. Weird, huh? I should still fit comfortably into a size 10 though, I'm short, young and of reasonably small build so it's safe to say that I need to focus on my body again and lose a few pounds! The other thing I realised is that I don't have trouble shopping because I don't like the clothes, it's because I don't like the way I look/feel in the clothes. I love clothes!

I did it!

I now have a first class degree in mathematics! 
I did the rounds calling/texting the usual people and did get a bit teary eyed when I remembered I couldn't call Nan. She got ill in April and passed away at the beginning of May. She was already chuffed that I'd gone to uni in the first place as I was the first in the whole extended family, but she would be ringing up half of Birmingham right now. I can't quite believe I did so well this semester with all that went on. I attended my Nan's funeral, handed in and presented my dissertation and sat all my exams in the space of a week.
Right, now it's time to get on with my new job and my OU degree.


I just got this message from my sister: Why didn't you dumb yourself down a bit, now dad will expect me to get a first and that's impossible
Ahhhhh!

D'oh!

Since moving to a flat with nowhere to grow (not even a window ledge) and an allotment waiting list longer than a murder sentence, I've start foraging more. I've been scouting out the best local foraging spots and I've noticed that there's so much unused land here and noone seems to enjoy the countryside and woods that surround the town. I started wondering, if next time I take a bag of nettles home would anyone even realise if I planted cuttings of another weed or even kale seedlings in their place? There are also small patches of recently coppiced woodland where light now reaches the ground and nettles are starting to grow. I could easily scatter those patches with seeds and cuttings and they may well grow.
OH actually works in a lab and is going to analyse a few samples on his break and bring home some old soil suitable fot potting. I have no idea why I never thought to ask him to bring home potting soil before, like when i had a garden.

"Yes, that's a tampon in my mouth"

I just read the most amazing thing ever. This isn't just any tampon, it's an M&S ta... no! It's a Tactical Adventure Medical Preparedness Outdoors Necessity.
T.A.M.P.O.N

I have to try some of those!

Loaded Questions

OH just asked me "Do you think middle class people are intrinsically better than lower class people? Because they have more money" almost completely out of the blue. Most definitely a loaded question, and you know when you can tell someone's expecting, if not willing, you to give a certain answer? Well according to OH almost a year ago I thought middle class people were better than lower class people. I would never say that. It's one of those things that I would never, ever say. It's completely the opposite of everything I believe and the way I've been brought up- the opposite of me in general!
My OH often says that I interpret things in the wrong way and I forget what I've said or remember situations wrongly. Generally it's things that happened months ago in passing conversation and I don't remember every little thing so I just accept that he's right, but I'm seriously starting to doubt that. Maybe it's him getting things wrong? It always seemed a bit suspect that I'm the baddy in the "right" story.

Soufflé Omelette

This post on Frugal Queen's blog and my recent obsession with whisking things inspired
me to make one of my favourite low cost, low carb dishes for lunch today.

Soufflé Omelette!

I originally thought this was just another of
my experiments that noone else would touch
with a barge pole, but apparently it's perfectly
normal!


Whisk two egg whites- like hell I'm going to
get an electric whisk out for this, just rub a
hand one between your palms! Fold them
into a handful of chopped spinach and two
egg yolks (or one or zero even!) and fry for
a minute. Top with a few slivers of cheese
then grill for another minute or two.


It's lovely and fluffy, until you fold it and squash
half the air out like I do. It makes a measely
two egg omelette feel much more substantial.

Food For Free

A few people on the MSE forums reccommend Food For Free by Richard Mabey and I really liked the sound of it. Plants, trees and fungi, the perfect book to carry on my walks for impromptu foraging. I went to have a flick through the newest edition today before ordering it online and I was so disappointed. It was more like a coffee table book with a beautiful, but not very helpful, photograph of each plant with a vague description and suggestion of some recipe.
To put it bluntly, I'm a dumbass. I need something which helps me identify a plant not only up close, but also from a distance and with lots of detail, maybe even point out the differences between it and some not so good relative. The book was really thick and heavy too. It's a hardback so duh but I was really hoping for something I could take out with me.
I have an amazing fungi book, I must see if they do one of edible plants too.

My first attempt at elderflower champagne is in plastic milk and water bottles in the bath. Does the job but doesn't look great. I've already tasted it and it's lovely so I'm going to make some more tomorrow. I'd like to use some of it for presents but what can I put it in that looks half decent? I'm not going anywhere near glass bottles!

A very expensive day

I started off today walking an hour in the rain to the Dentist to save the £1.90 bus fare.
I usually keep my phones in my hand/pockets but didn't want to risk them getting rained on. Oh how ironic that is because half way I go to get my phone out to check the time and route (I haven't been in two years... oops!) and my water bottle has cracked and flooded my bag. My old phone is flashing and vibrating madly and my new phone has been taken over by a poltergeist photographer. I poured the water out of my bag, dismantled my phones and trudged on. I was soaking wet, freezing cold and also sweaty by the time I got to the dentist. My dentist has changed and this one is much better, he finally told me why my teeth are so mottled. Fluorosis! I have suspected this for years but my old dentist didn't care, the new one reckons I ate toothpaste as a child (I know I didn't, I reckon it's more to do with drinking 10 litres of fluoridated water a day before moving). I'm going back in two weeks for fissure sealing and as that comes under the £48 price bracket he's also going to cover all the dark dots with white filling. Brilliant! Ish. Fortunately I have a box of crest white strips already to use after that to lighten the rest of my teeth. I'm not all that vain when it comes to teeth but it really bugs me that I look after them really well yet they look naff because of the mottled discolouration.
-£48
But I did walk home without going to the charity shops.
So now I have my old phone in pieces in rice and my new phone has been dismantled and is in our very cool airing cupboard. The old phone is doomed, guess it couldn't handle another bag flood or dip in the toilet/puddle/bath/glass of rum. My new phone is semi-working but it looks like I'll have to claim on the insurance which has a £25 excess.
-£25

Today has been expensive and frustrating.
-£73
Oh and I was just about to buy some shirts and £10 dresses for work in the River island sale when the site went to holding page! Apparently the site will be up again after 2am so I'm trying to stay awake despite wanting to go to sleep desperately. I really didn't want to spend much on clothes for work but I couldn't find any cheap shirts that fitted in the usual places, no small sizes in local charity shops and my smart clothes from when I worked at a jewellers are far too small. I'd have to lose a stone or two to fit in them and I don't think I'll ever be that thin again. I honestly think my bones grew when I put on weight, they seemed to catch up and my hips, knees and ribs actually grew!

Cupcake Factory

There's a production line going on in the house right now. House, not kitchen, because the kitchen is so tiny me, Mum and my sister can't all really fit in it at the same time. Anyway, we're making blueberry & lime, rose water & white chocolate and lavender & honey. Personally I hate honey and rose water and white chocolate and I would never waste something as expensive and delicious as blueberries in cakes, but my Mum and sister don't live by the same budget constraints as I do and they really love baking.
They look nice but they're hardly works of art. Who has time to make 50 little sculptures? And why is everyone making little cakes in the very upright cases lately? Ho hum.