What do you expect? The guy’s a gigolo, man…

Listening to: Buffalo Stance – Neneh Cherry

Nothing like sharehousing for political clarity. I need firm decisions and centrally administered services! Whose turn is it to buy the fucking toilet paper? I bought the last lot and the hand soap.

I am not an anarchist.

 

Wanna be her daddy (ew)

Listening to: Love Her Madly – The Doors

Firstly, when did this happen? Suddenly it’s autumn! Awesome.

Secondly, this is our oven:

It’s hard to photograph grease.

Thirdly, I found a new way to walk home today. Google was directing me kind of the long way round (and I’ve been lazy since the move and usually catch the bus from Acton to Hammersmith, halving my walk), but I knew there had to be a way through Chiswick so I printed a couple of zoomed out Google Maps to keep me in the right general direction and set off to explore. It was fun not knowing quite where I was going to end up next! And eventually I made it to the Thames Path (my old nemesis), which was probably not the wisest move because it got quite dark by that point (winter is really coming! Yea!) but it worked out okay. I took quite a main roady route to be on the safe side, so there’s still more to explore in the back streets tomorrow!

Finally, Heather has been emailing me some completely awesome Mills & Boon titles. I am ashamed to say how long it’s been since I even set foot inside a library (not only ashamed but completely distraught, really – what am I doing?) – I’ve missed these and I need to start looking for some of my own again, too! Here’s a selection (seriously, these are some of the best ever):

Captive of the desert king
The Spaniard’s defiant virgin
The Sheikh’s defiant bride
One night with the rebel billionaire
The ruthless Italian’s inexperienced wife
The Greek tycoon’s unwilling wife
The Greek tycoon’s convenient wife
The desert king’s pregnant bride
The Sheikh’s rebellious mistress
Up close and dangerously sexy
The secretary and the millionaire

 

I’ll be dancing down the street (wrapped in a shawl)

Listening to: When I Get to the Border - Richard & Linda Thompson

I think the keyboard issue might actually have something to do with the internet – I’ve switched to writing this in Word and it’s fine. We’ll see how WordPress copes when I paste it in, though. It doesn’t generally play well with others.

Primark on Sunday was kind of a bust (I briefly considered a red wool-blend skirt for work and was going to do it up with new buttons and rick-rack, but it was so cheaply-made that the lining felt like an actual plastic bag so I gave up on the dream), but I did finally find a full-length mirror in a cheap shop on King Street in Hammersmith for 12 quid, so I came home happy. It’s currently propped up on my singles box, but I need to think of something taller because it cuts my head off.

I am in love with the fibre arts lately! I’ve had my crochet hooks out to work on the neverending afghan and have recently begun to turn them to smaller, more creative projects – crochet is so full of possibilities! I made a little tiara out of scraps on Sunday night (I had season 4 of Weeds to get through) – it’s hard to make out in the photo because there are a million ends to weave in, but I like it:

And I’ve been trawling the Craftzine crochet archives – there’s nothing there I specifically want to make (I think amigurumi are cute and everything, but what do you do with them once you’ve made them, really?), but they’re really inspiring! If I can find a cheap enough cotton/blend yarn, I’m going to try my hand at a freeform laundry basket (I’m thinking of something like my Year 12 Ceramics assignment [a massive great coil pot that kind of collapsed in an aesthetically pleasing way shortly before I finished it - my mum now stores her umbrellas in it], minus the clay). And my Elizabeth Zimmermann pi shawl continues to grow. Its awesomeness isn’t really down to anything I’m doing because it’s all about the self-striping yarn and genius circular formula (I haven’t made it remotely lacy – maybe when I get to the border), but I’m so looking forward to the finished product. It’s just starting to get cool enough to wear woollens here and yesterday I tried out the simple Gaia shawl I made a couple of months ago – it was like wearing a hug! So cosy.

Finally, this is insane but I would have loved this when I was a kid.

Actually, no, really finally I have a question – is anyone else having trouble with iTunes 9? I upgraded to it without thinking and now it comes up with a fatal intallation error every time I try to use it. Don’t they know I have podcasts to download?

 

May you never lose your temper if you get in a bar room fight / May you never lose your woman overnight

Listening to: May You Never – John Martyn

Hello!

I think I should start blogging again, or I’ll probably missing out on what is potentially the most interesting content this blog will ever see. And having set the bar that high, I find that I don’t actually have time to write about anything today - think of this like a trailer for the main event.

(Making this more appropriately English than you may realise – trailers here suck! They’ve been advertising a couple of films on TV lately – In the Loop and The Boat That Rocked - and they don’t tell you anything! Or rather they tell you but don’t show anything! The In the Loop trailer basically has a couple of shots of Peter Capaldi and Tom Hollander not saying anything and a voiceover going “Critics are calling it the funniest British film in years!” – and that’s it, ad over. Who would go and see anything based on that?)

 

When I first came to London I was only sixteen, with a fiver in my pocket and my old dancing bag

Listening to: The Old Main Drag – The Pogues

I’m at an internet café, so don’t have much time left for anything, but I just wanted to quickly let you know that so far I am so, so pleased with everything. So far, this is not a disaster! Who’d have thought?

Shepherd’s Bush is really – everything that Adelaide is not (for me! I mean, I did actually take a few moments before I left to appreciate that it’s quite a nice city, sort of, and I seek to disparage none of you who choose to stay there). And obviously the grain of salt there is that I’m two days in and everything is still new and exciting, but I do like it so much. The house is not a dump. The area is pretty but interesting. There are things to see and do, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg – out there, beyond Shepherd’s Bush Green, which is far as I’ve yet ventured, is London.

Oh! And today it was properly cold until mid-afternoon – scarf/gloves/beanie cold. So awesome.

 

[tinkly, flutey, Muzak-y sounds]

Listening to: airport music

Hello! I have very little to report, but I am blogging from Changi Airport just because I can (!).

(Changi Airport is awesome, by the way. I can’t believe the time I’ve wasted at KLIA and Denpasar in the past. They have a butterfly garden here! And a free cinema, which will shortly be screening Juno.) And free internet! Being stranded here for 24 hours would probably be fine!*

I immediately burst into tears upon disappearing through the customs gate at Adelaide Airport, but I’m doing okay now. (If any of you would like to drop everything and move to London with me, that would be great, though. Give it some thought.) Singapore is exciting, and I can only imagine actually leaving the airport in London will be better still (right?).

I’m off to explore – thanks, everyone, for all the well wishes, etc. (Eeeeee! I’m actually doing this!)

*Yeah, ask me about that sometime.

 

Nobody will ever let you know, when you ask the reasons why

Listening to: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – The Cardigans

I got all excited about the prospect of donating blood once I get to the UK, because I can’t give any here having lived in the UK before (and I love giving blood – I’d be the best donor ever). So I checked the National Blood Service’s website, and I might still not be able to give any blood, because they restrict people who’ve lived in some (undisclosed) overseas locations. Poo.

 

Your name tattooed on my arm, ooh

Listening to: Never Be Lonely Again – Slow Down Tallahassee

Two blogs I am obsessed with at the moment:

Skatterbrain (found via Cat and Girl) – for all your twee pop needs. I have discovered so much good music here already (my only other sources these days are Mojo and Bitch reviews, so this is important), and I like people who like the Lucksmiths.

The Summer! mix from June last year is particularly awesome.

Baking Bites (found via the Craftzine blog) – what it says on the tin, basically. I like the writing and its vegan-friendliness (fostering good relations between vegans and omnivores the world over), and look at these recipes: lemon torte, peanut butter rice krispie bars (finally, a use for my vegan marshmallows – I’m sick of hot chocolate. Also, I’ve always been curious about American rice krispie treats), vampire cookies and vegan molasses apple tart!

Also, even though I obviously won’t be trying it myself, I am intrigued by this apple pie coffee cake with cheddar cheese recipe.

 

Praise the grammar police / Set me up with your niece

Listening to: Transport is Arranged - Pavement

Does anyone know if there’s an Australian equivalent of Jail Guitar Doors or Books Through Bars?

 

“Stop!” said the puppy when I met him at the zebra cross

Listening to: Golden Retriever – Super Furry Animals

This may be the greatest thing I’ve ever seen for sale on Etsy:

I especially love the idea of wearing it out with jeans, just because (although I imagine it would be hard to sit down in).