anyresemblance

Lost and found

1. 
   Reading I finished the latest Sara Paretsky.  I've been reading her since the 80s, used to share them with my father and am content to grow older along with VI Warshawski.
2. Watching I finished Normal People and loved every moment of it.  Finished High Fidelity and also loved it.  Watched 3 episodes of Run and am liking the twists in that but frankly would watch Merrit Weaver read the phone book. I am also half watching Carnival Row and the Great.
3. Eating beef bourgignon and beef rendang which I have made to stock the freezer while this cold weather sets in.  Also, cake.
4. Listening to jazz.  I find it helps the back drop of working more than other stuff but usually I despise jazz so not sure what is going on.
5. Loving walks in the woods with the dog.  I don't know how I would be coping if I did not have a walk to get me stretching and out of the house.
6. Dreaming about when I will get on a plane again. I am feeling the distance from my homeland.  I've always been ok to be living here knowing I could always get on a plane if I needed to but now things are different and I miss my sisters.
7. Worrying about my kids and their lives.  I guess they have to work out the tough bits themselves.
8. Grateful for pets being such good companions.  My dog just wants to lie within a metre of me at all times which is a great comfort even if the house is always full of floof.
9. Thankful that I have a decent vacuum cleaner to keep on top of the floof.
10. Obsessed with closing the rings on my Apple Watch.  It's not the steps but making sure I do the 30 minutes of excercise that raises my heart rate that is most tricky.  Thank god for Joe Wicks, I say.
11. Considering applying for a job I am only 75% qualified for.  I've got a week to get my arse in gear.
12. Baking Samin Nosrat's midnight chocolate cake.  It was ridiculously easy but I realise I don't actually like chocolate cake that much so I only ate a slice and the kid ate the rest.
13. Pondering something my daughter said to me.  She told me I constantly self deprecate about my age.  It bothers me and I need to unpick that.
14. Buying shoes in case I have to go back to the office soon.  Also, a new shirt and trousers.
15. Discarding clothes that I have not worn in three years.  Thankfully the salvos is back to accepting drop offs.
16. Luxuriating in a four day week.  With a requirement to take 5 days leave this quarter and a few public holidays I have 3 weeks worth of upcoming short weeks.
17. Losing my door keys.  They have been missing since the beginning of lock down which is irritating but worse is that they have my much loved Michelin man key ring attached to them which I have made since the late 80s.  Also missing are the kitchen scissors which my daughter has misplaced somewhere.  We need a few prayers to St Anthony.
18. Discovering that you can put just about anything in a tortilla and call it a taco.  My latest delight, discovered by my stepson, is pork belly with gochujang mayo
19. Wondering if politics will ever be ok again? The venality and lack of empathy globally is distressing.
20. Delighted to see so many humans beings behaving with courage and happiness on twitter.  It's garbage sometimes but other times so uplifting.

Red velvet

I got this book last week so decided on a small project to get going.  She is very militant on measurements, even to weighing the eggs, but I got off to a bad start when my cake tins were the wrong size.  The sponge also stuck to the cooling tray which was a bit of a disaster but at least the icing covered a multitude of sins.  I present the red velvet cake. It is not the neatest but the cake is nice.  I thought the icing was not as cream cheesy as I like but it was an interesting technique (you make a white chocolate custard and whip the cream cheese into that).  Will definitely try more from this one.

Messages in the sky

There was a small plane sky writing late yesterday afternoon.  The first words had disappeared by the time I noticed them but this one was definitely clear.  I wonder what that was about.  This morning I saw the first hot air balloon since mid March so things are happening in the firmament.

I am obsessed with the exercise rings on my Apple Watch.  I feel absurdly proud of closing them.  Yesterday, I did 18,000 steps which is mostly up and down the stairs doing housework.  My neighbour kindly cut my grass and swept up leaves and my garden looks passable.  I did hundreds of loads of laundry and changed sheets and vacuumed and swept.

Last night I rewarded my labour with Normal People.  I have eked it out over a week and watched the last episode last night.  I loved it.  When I heard they were making a series, I thought, how can they possible make book last 12 episodes but everyone of them was perfectly observed.  There is a look of young Irish men which reminds of a former boyfriend.

Our cat got into a fight and had a very swollen paw.  I called the vet and got an appointment for 3pm.  On arrival you park in number bays, call to say you are there and the vet comes out to consult with you.  She carried him off (he's heavy, isn't he?) and brought him back with antibiotics and pain killers and instructions to keep him in for a couple of days.  He is not happy about that restriction as he is much better form today and yowling to be released.  It cost $160 which seemed a bargain for a weekend consultation and drugs.

Today I am attempting a red velvet cake.

A small accounting

Looking at the photos I have taken in the last week it is quite clear that nothing much as happened as all I have are various snaps of the cat making himself cosy.

1. I've read a few books and am back on track for my target. Despite the fact that I love Vera and Shetland, I read my first Ann Cleeves which was neither of these.  I enjoyed it a lot and am now excited at having a back catalogue to explore.
2. I watched Amal Clooney give a speech at our digital work conference. 
3. I finished the first season of Zoeys Extraordinary Playlist.  I found its depiction of the minutae of death quite touching. I am taking Normal People very slowly but so far so good.
4. I listened to yet another of the Rivers of London series and thought I might not enjoy it half of much if I were not hearing it with the narrator's voice.
5. I made a sad chicken stir fry, some rather tasteless soup and a cake that did not cook properly in the middle.  I need to get my mojo back.