Rolling Eyeballs

So I'm making a shirt for Fluffrick

2012-01-18T12:14:00.004Z

Okay this isn't Fluffrick's shirt, After cutting out Fluffrick's shirt, I had about 30cm left, too little to make another garment, too much to just discard. With the addition of 60cm of Denim, the result is this skirt. The pattern is from the September 2000 issue of Burda Magazine. The check bias trim just adds a little fun to a basic skirt. I've not worn it yet, but I think I will be wearing it a lot, I might just wait until it is a little warmer.

Fluffrick will have his new shirt before the end of the week, provided Minnie doesn't fuss too much. She would much rather I gave her a snuggle, than got out the sewing machine.

I don't know if I'm being unreasonable

2012-01-18T11:58:00.002Z

It's been a very long time since I have eaten red meat. I announced to my Mum when I was thirteen that I was becoming a vegetarian and she told me that I wasn't. She was worried that as a teen age girl a vegetarian diet would not provide me with enough iron or protein, it was the 1980's, she probably wasn't wrong. We came to the compromise that I wasn't going to eat red meat, but I would still eat chicken and fish.

This has been the status quo for almost 30 years. However, I find that I am increasingly adding vegetarian meals to the weekly menu and cutting down on the meat and this is not always going down well with my Mum. I made the cover recipe from "Vegetarian Living" for Sunday lunch this week, a Borlotti Bean and Chestnut Stew and Mum's initial reaction was to ask why we weren't having Chicken or Salmon.

The are several reasons that I am switching to more vegetarian meals, it's cheaper, it's healthier, it's also more exciting for me to cook, I love trying new things. Is it unreasonable for me to expect my Mum to eat this food? I don't mean to give the impression that Mum is a whinger, most of the time she happily eats the food I put in front of her. I am just being too sensitive about any negative comments? Maybe I just need to chill a bit and cut back on the Celeriac.

Beetroot and Carrot Soup

2012-01-11T12:37:00.002Z

I made Borscht last autumn for Fluffrick's lunch, but for the life of me I can't find the recipe again, so this is not an authentic Borscht but a slightly spicy very earthy Beetroot soup

Ingredients - for 4 servings
1 Large Onion
250g Carrot
400g Beetroot
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Teaspoon Mild Chilli Powder
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Finely chop the onion and sweat in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the Cumin and Chilli Powder and fry for another couple of minutes. Peel and finely grate the carrot and beetroot. I definitely use the food processor for this, if you only have a box grater it would be a good idea to use rubber gloves to avoid very pink hands.

Add the grated carrot and beetroot to the onion and mix everything together. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer, put a lid on the pan and very gently simmer for one hour. Blend the soup with a stick blender and serve.

A really easy tea

2012-01-04T10:12:00.000Z

This is a very quick and easy meal, and really quite delicious. Pasta with Smoked Salmon, Mushrooms and Cream.

Ingredients - serves 4

120g Smoked Salmon - a use a pack of trimmings as you cut the Salmon up anyway
250ml Double Cream - you replace this with Creme Fraiche for a sharper taste
200g Mushrooms
400g Pasta

Boil the kettle, the sauce doesn't take very long to make. Slice the mushrooms and fry them in a little olive oil. Put the pasta on to cook. Add the smoked salmon pieces to the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the cream and heat through. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, serve and enjoy

No I'm not ready for my close-up.

2012-01-04T09:47:00.001Z

Minnie does not like having her picture taken, the easiest way to get a cute picture of her is to do it when she is asleep.

No I'm not going to stand still so you can take a picture of this silly coat.

Walking out of frame is her usual course of action

Here is a picture of my new coat, with the benefit of Dad's wrist to lick.

Unfortunately Minnie is not going to get to wear her new coat this month. She twisted her knee a couple of weeks ago and the Vet has prescribed four weeks without walks in the hope that it will heel without surgery. Minnie's less than stellar kidney function means that we really doing want to have to put her through a surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. Thank goodness she is small enough to carry up and down stairs.

Costumes

2011-12-20T09:31:00.001Z

The latest production by the "Heeley Hoofers" was last month, a musical comedy called "Crazy Capers, Dodgy Deals". The play was set in 1971, hence the somewhat disturbing costumes.

This group picture has just over half the cast, that's me on the far right, but what is most disturbing is that my costume came entirely from my own wardrobe, and yes I was supposed to be a Hippy.

Maureen is wearing a wonderful Crimplene Vintage blouse that I found in a local charity shop. Liz is wearing a blouse I made using a period pattern "Style 1144",

This is John in his "Burglar" jumper. The stripes really should have been wider, but I had only budgeted for one pot of fabric paint. Never mind "Fluffrick really likes this t-shirt, it may find it's way into his wardrobe.

A fancy dress party was a plot point in the play, so here we have the Wicked Queen, Snow White and a Princess. The Wicked Queen costume was far more dramatic in person, or maybe that was Jeanie's performance. I have to say I did put off making this costume for a long time, but it turned out better that I expected. I did enjoy making the Snow White costume and it wasn't too difficult to make. Fortunately Lola fitted in the the "Princess" dress I made for our last production, can we work a very slim princess into our next show?

Another recycled costume from our "Treasure Island" production, I just had to make the mask

Marcia as a wonderful Bumble Bee, I'm sure she was very glad she was only in the costume for ten minutes as it was made of fur fabric and rather warm and boy was it hot backstage.

Luke, on the right, was so ecstatic with is Batman costume, even more so when I found him some tights that he could get past his knees. Women's tights are not designed for men who are over six feet tall, who knew.

Chris and John in drag, they did make such classy women.

This was a massive production in terms of costumes, I had to procure 46 different costumes for a mere 16 cast members and I'm no good at delegating when it comes to costumes. We are running out of space under the bed for all the costumes from the last three productions, all I can say is thank goodness for vacuum storage bags.

Why do I feel like I'm being taken advantage of?

2011-12-19T14:32:00.000Z

I don't dress my dog up as a fashion accessory, but with the weather being so cold and wet at the moment, the only way to get her out the door is to put a coat on her. Then she will happily scamper about in the park, or maybe she is trying to fling the coat off.

So I bought this pattern last week, it is a Simplicity Sew Simple sewing pattern, containing only one sheet of tissue paper and three pages of instructions and priced $1.49 (or so it said at the bottom of the catalogue page). However this isn't the price I paid here if the UK, where $1.49 translates to £0.96, no I was charged £3.45, a 250% mark up. I really do feel that I am being ripped off.

Sprout Soup Anyone?

2011-12-19T14:16:00.001Z

This is not a recipe of my own invention, it is courtesy of Mary Berry's Family Recipes circa 1979 and she called it Frugal Soup, did she not think Brussel Sprout Soup would be appealing?

Ingredients - serves 4

225g Brussel Sprouts

1 Leek

25g Butter

500ml Stock (from a cube, I use Kallo) Chicken or Vegetable

25g Plain flour

300ml Milk

Salt/Pepper

Nutmeg

Wash and roughly chop the sprouts, you don't need to trim them other than to remove the bottom stalky bit. Wash the leek and cut into rounds.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the leeks and soften gently for 5 minutes, don't allow to brown. Add the hot stock and then the sprouts and bring to the boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sprouts are tender.

Blend or liquidize the cooked sprout mixture, I use a hand blender, but they weren't around back when this recipe was initially written. Whisk the flour into a little of the milk and add to the blended sprouts, followed by the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly. Bring the soup back to the boil, stirring until slightly thickened, season with salt and pepper. Serve with a little grated nutmeg.

You could make it even more festive by adding some cooked chestnuts after the soup has been blended, I keep meaning to try it like this, but have yet to get sound to it.

If you wait until next week to make this soup, you should be able to buy a bag of sprouts that the supermarkets are trying to off-load for mere pence, just don't try to give this to anyone who doesn't like sprouts.

What to Eat This Week

2011-12-18T10:49:00.000Z

Although most of the focus at this time of year seems to be on what to eat next Sunday, we still need to eat this week, so this is what I'm going to inflict on the family.

Sunday:
Mushroom and Stilton Pie with Creamy Potato and Celeriac Bake and Carrots

Monday:
Norwegian Fish Pie - from the wonderful show Economy Gastronomy, why did they never make a second season?

Tuesday:
Vegetable Fahitas

Wednesday:
Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Thursday:
Vegetable Lasagne

Friday:
Smoked Salmon Tartiflette

Saturday:
Courgette Spouffle

Festive Burgers

2011-12-18T10:12:00.001Z

I wasn't going to write up this recipe as it is only 3 ingredients and beyond simple, but then I realised just how festive it is. Green pepper, red onion and turkey mince, you can't really get more in the season.

Ingredients - for 8 burgers

1 450g Pack of Free Range Turkey Mince

Half a Green Pepper

1 Red Onion

Chop the green pepper and red onion finely, it has to be fine as it is cooks with the burger, then add to the turkey mince. By far the best way to combine the ingredients is just to get you (clean) hands in there, squidge everything together so that the pepper and onion is evenly distributed.

Divide into 8 equal (hopefully more equal than mine) portions and form into burgers. Then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Fry in a little olive oil for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Ensure that the burgers are cooked all the way through, before serving. If you are an over achiever like me, serve them with home-made spiced oven chips and home-made baked beans, but you can serve them with whatever you like.

Yummy Aubergine Bake

2011-12-15T17:25:00.000Z

For quite a while I never knew what to do when an Aubergine arrived in the veg box. Of late I have been making Moussaka, with either a turkey or vegetable filling (no cute little baa lambs eaten in this house), but the frequency with which the Aubergine shows up has sent me looking for other recipes. One of these days I will post a recipe that does not include tinned tomatoes, but that day is not today.

Serves 4 - Ingredients:
1 Large Aubergine
2 Eggs
50ml Milk
50g Plain Flour
150g Breadcrumbs
1 Medium Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Tins of Tomatoes
Olive Oil
125g Mozzarella
250g Ricotta
50g Parmigiana

Peel the Aubergine and cut into slices just over 1/2 cm thick. In a shallow bowl mix the milk with 1 of the eggs, put the flour and breadcrumbs into 2 other shallow dishes. Flour the aubergine slices, dip into the egg & milk mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs. Put in the fridge for half an hour to dry a little before frying.

Fry the breaded Aubergine in olive oil (it may take quite a bit of oil)until golden, then drain on some absorbent paper.

Now for the tomato sauce. Finely slice the onion and garlic, gently fry in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes then add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes on a medium heat.

For the cheesy layer. In a bowl combine the half the grated mozzarella, the tub of ricotta, the parmigiana and the other egg.

In a large oven proof dish, put a third of the tomato sauce on the bottom and over with half the Aubergine slices. Top with a further third of the tomato sauce and then all the cheesy mixture.

Top with the other half of the Aubergine slices and then cover with the remainder of the tomato sauce and the remaining grated mozzarella.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 and bake for 30-40 minutes until it is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Disgusted of Sheffield

2011-12-11T21:02:00.004Z

As I've said here before "I don't do Christmas", but I do do Christmas lunch. What can I say, I'm a Contrary Mary. But what I heard today, just disgusted me (and resulted in a few choice swear words).

Can you imagine charging someone to come to Christmas lunch? I'm not talking about a restaurant or hotel or a pub, they earn every penny they charge. No, what I heard today was about an individual's own Mother asking for payment from her own child. I don't meaning asking someone to bring the sprouts, or a bottle of bubbly or a bag of prawns, but asking for £30 hard cash. I know many people are feeling the pinch this year, but even still who among us would demand cash from their own family for the privilege of sharing Christmas Day with them?

Warming Food for Cold Days

2011-12-11T15:15:00.008Z

The weather has been cold, wet and horrible; which just puts me in the mood for warming and hearty food. So let me introduce you to Chicken Casserole and Dumplings. It's also pretty damn easy to make.

Ingredients for 4 Hungry People:

For Casserole

1 Large Leek

2 Parsnips

2 Carrots

Half a Celeriac

5 Mushrooms

1 400g Tin of Tomatoes

8 Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Plain Flour

Salt/Pepper

For Dumplings

200g Self Raising Flour

70g Vegetable Suet

1 Tsp Mixed Herbs

Salt/Pepper

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190 ^oC/375 ^oF. Wash and slice the leek, both white and green parts, the long cooking makes it all tender.

Peel and chop the root vegetables into 1-1.5 cm dice. You don't have to use these vegetables, it's just what I had to hand. Also great would be, swede, turnip, jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, I wouldn't use potato as they tend to turn to mush.

Quarter the mushrooms and remove the skin from the chicken portions.

Heat a large casserole (with a lid) on the hob and add the olive oil, gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes with a little salt and pepper. Add the plain flour and stir it in well. Add the tinned tomatoes and then 1 tin full of hot water. Finally add the chicken portions and try to submerge them in the liquid. Heat on the hob until it is bubbling, then put on the lid and put in the oven for an initial 1 and a half hours. Now go and snuggle up on the sofa and keep warm, or as we did today go to a cold and wet Sharrowvale Market.

Now for the dumplings. Put the self raising flour, suet, herbs and seasoning in a bowl and mix together. Add enough cold water to make a soft slightly sticky dough. Spoon golf ball sized portions on top of the casserole, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, this time with the lid off.

Serve up to hungry people, all that will be left is the bones.

What to eat this week

2011-10-18T09:52:00.004+01:00

Started the weekend by making Quark Pastry (from my Nordic Bakery cookbook) and making Jam Pinwheel Pastries. Very yummy.

SATURDAY:

Spouffle - quick easy and very delicious

SUNDAY:

Mushroom & Stilton Pie with Potato & Celeriac Mash and Broccoli

MONDAY:

Moussaka

TUESDAY:

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chilli & Pine Nuts

WEDNESDAY:

Spaghetti & Meatballs

THURSDAY:

Smoked Salmon Tartiflette

FRIDAY:

Chicken & Mushroom Pie and Veg (lets see what comes in the box)

For Fluffrick's lunch this week I made "Mexican Tomato & Bean Soup" from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's new book.

What to eat this week

2011-10-12T09:18:00.005+01:00

So we are already half way through the week, but I want to keep a record of what we are eating.

SATURDAY:

Cauliflower Cheese

SUNDAY:

Country Chicken Casserole with Dumplings

MONDAY:

Vegetable Fajitas

TUESDAY:

Trout, Potatoes, Broccoli and Dill cream sauce

WEDNESDAY:

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Walnut

THURSDAY:

Turkey Lasagne and vegetable

FRIDAY:

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto - we should have had this last Friday, but I've had a cold, so we had Chinese Take Out instead

For Fluffrick's Lunch this week I made him Five Root Soup a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Special, I was going to make some bread from my new Nordic Bakery book, but I haven't felt up to it, I hate having a cold.

A Day Out in Bradford - or the dangers of letting me loose in a fabric shop

2011-10-12T08:14:00.005+01:00

Last Wednesday (yes, I know a whole week ago) Fluffrick and I had a day out in Bradford. It may not leap to the front of everyone's mind as a day trip destination, but it was a grand day out, which my love wrote a post about over on his blog.

As well as the cultural stuff at Salts Mill and The National Media Museum, I was indulged by going to the lovely fabric shop "The Shuttle". Despite the fact that I really do not need any more fabric, I came away with the following lovely things.

From Top to Bottom:

Sage Green Irish Linen - £1 a meter - 3 meters

Mint Green Baby Cord - £2 a meter - 2 meters

Brown with a blue Stripe Linen Mix - £2 a meter - 3 meters

Golden Irish Linen - £1 a meter - 3 meters

Lilac Baby Cord - £1 a meter - 1.1 meters

Navy Jumbo Cord - £3 a meter - 2.5 meters

They have wonderful shelves in the back with discounted fabric, I could not resist. I already know what I want to do with half the fabric, the Green Baby Cord is going to be another "Boden" inspired dress for me. The brown stripe and Navy Jumbo Cord and both going to be trousers for Fluffrick. When I pull my finger out and actually make theses things I will post pictures here, Fluffrick will be so happy to model again.

In addition to the David Hockney gallery at Salts Mill, there is a great Cafe on the top floor and a wonderful bookshop on the second floor. I do love a good bookshop. I know it is far cheaper to buy books on-line, but there is nothing quite like browsing round a well laid out bookshop and I came away with this little treasure.

There are lots of lovely breads, biscuits and sweet things to try, it should be fun.

What to eat this week

2011-10-02T18:52:00.002+01:00

SUNDAY:

Moussaka

MONDAY:

Pumpkin & Prawn Curry with Naan Bread

TUESDAY:

Roasted Squash Falafel, Cous Cous and Halloumi

WEDNESDAY:

Twice Baked Potatoes

THURSDAY:

Pizza

FRIDAY:

Chicken & Mushroom Risotto

As I am a cooking from scratch sort of girl, this week's menu is dependent on me not be totally shattered. Fluffrick is on holiday this week and we have plans to tile the hall floor. It's about time too, as the tiles have been hanging around for ten months patiently waiting to be put into service. I just can say I'm looking forward to trying to tile a floor that is in constant use. We may just end up having Scrambled Eggs or Cheese on Toast all week.

Dr Who?

2011-10-02T18:15:00.005+01:00

I have no qualms about saying that I am a huge Sci-fi geek, how could I not be when I share my birthday with Gene Roddenberry. I am also a major league Steven Moffat fan, having watched him from the very beginning. Technically I should have been too old for "Press Gang", but that didn't stop me watching and loving it. So to say that I love the Steven Moffat iteration of "Dr Who" would be an understatement.

Last night saw the season finale of "Dr Who", and many questions answered, but oh so many more asked. How am I going to last until next autumn for the next season of Who? At least there is the Christmas Special to look forward to, I am counting the days.

But there is one little thing filling the sci-fi void that Dr Who has left and that is the network premier of JJ Abrams "Star Trek". It doesn't matter that we have the film on DVD, that we wnet to see it three times at the cinema, including once in IMAX.I will still be watching it on Channel 4 tonight.

Who would have thought that two science fiction shows created in the 1960's would still be going strong and entertaining audiences over forty years later. Personally I think that's just brilliant.

Pretty in Pink

2011-09-28T15:38:00.006+01:00

When my lovely Mum in Law was down to visit the other week, we went for Lunch at Endcliffe Park Cafe and I had the Borscht. So when I asked Fluffrick what he would like for lunch this week, he suggested Borscht.

So here is his very pink lunch. I got some lovely beetroot at Whirlow Hall Farm, with which to make the Borscht. The beetroot I bought had beautiful tops, which I chopped up to put in these savoury muffins.

25 September 2011 - 3 Months until Christmas

2011-09-25T15:41:00.005+01:00

Any trip into a Supermarket these days will be a trip into a Christmas Grotto. Tins of Quality Streets, Mince Pies and Panettone already festoon the aisles. Is it just me or is all this just a little bit crazy?

Okay, I am coming at this from a slightly different angle than the norm. This will be the third year in our household where we haven't done Christmas - No tree, no decorations, no cards, no gifts, no stress. I will be cooking a special lunch, but as it will probably be for only 3 or maybe 4 of us, it won't be very stressful either.

This all makes perfect sense to me, I'm an Atheist, so why should I be celebrating Christmas?

It is a course of action I strongly recommend. Imagine not having to battle through stupidly busy shops to buy presents for people because you feel you have to, not because you particularly want to. And possibly most pertinent these days, there is no crippling debt in the new year.

I would much rather give a present to someone "just because".

What to eat this week

2011-09-24T14:53:00.006+01:00

The menu planning seems to be going okay so far, what I planned I actually ended up making last week. So here we go again...

SATURDAY:

A trip to Green Steps Fish & Chips - should this be on the list as technically I'm not cooking?

SUNDAY:

Roast Chicken, Stuffing & Veg followed by Key Lime Pie

MONDAY:

Mushroom Omelette for Mum, Fluffrick & I are off out

TUESDAY:

Arroz con Pollo - Chicken with Rice

WEDNESDAY:

Tuna & Pasta Bake

THURSDAY:

Tartiflette 3 ways - Mum likes the classic with Onion and Bacon, Fluffrick likes his without the Onion, mine is without the Bacon but with Mushrooms instead.

FRIDAY:

De-constructed Toad in the Hole - My sausages in Toad in the Hole always seem to go rubbery, so I'm going to try cooking the batter and sausages separately, wish me luck.

Spouffle

2011-09-24T14:30:00.004+01:00

So we had the Spouffle for tea last night and I've been given to go ahead to cook it again. I went with the courgette version and I think it turned out just like the picture (it's not very oftern that happens). This is a recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new book River Cottage Veg Everyday. I bought this with the birthday money my sister sent me, which I thought was appropriate as she is also a Hugh fan.

That's yet another book to add to my Hugh collection, we may have to reinforce the cook book shelf. Once challenge I should set myself is cooking more than just one or two recipes for all my cook books. It is so easy just to keep going back to the same familiar recipes, rather than trying something different. It may be that neither me, Mum or Fluffrick like the new dish, but it could just as easily turn into a new favourite.

The Inspiration, the Pattern, the Result

2011-09-22T08:32:00.009+01:00

I don't know how but I somehow got on the mailing list for Boden. Lovely clothes, but laughable prices. Anyway I was flicking through and saw the above dress and I was in love, but I was not in love with the £69 price tag.

But of course I can make myself one, so the quest began for a pattern, because of course I didn't already have one I could use (this is a big fat lie). And as Simplicity happened to have a half price sale on...

This is the pattern I chose. I really like the pleat detail at the neckline, and as it had a panelled front I knew I would easily be able to add pockets (I always need pockets).

It has taken me far too long to realise that I need to alter commercial patterns. My back length is 5cm longer than the pattern standard, so if I don't want everything very high waisted, then I need to add in some length. I also took it in a little bit at the waist, because it didn't have enough shape when I tried it on. Another thing I need to remember, is when I add length to the back, I need to take it off the hem, because it is easier to do to the pattern, then the dress. The other addition I made was some little puff sleeves, that I borrowed from another pattern.

So this is the finished result. It is made from fabric from my stash, I think it is a linen cotton mix, but it also has a bit if stretch to it. This stretch meant that I didn't need the zip, which is one advantage of being fairly straight up and down. I really like how it came out and this is definitely a style I will be making again. The original was made of corduroy and I have some bottle green cord in my stash, so that might be my next attempt, now that I've sorted out the pattern niggles.

Tea!

2011-09-21T17:46:00.003+01:00

This is what we had for Tea this evening.

It was as per Monday's menu except for the addition of prawns. Mum did wonder if something alien had landed on her plate, but it was only the potsticker dumplings. I do like these little dumplings, however on this occasion they lived up to their name and did stick to the pot.

I am going to have to improve my photography because this meal was actually far more appetising than it looks. Maybe I can practice on something cold, because I don't think anybody here would be happy to have me to faff around taking pictures, when all they want to eat their tea.

Minnie Mo is obviously feeling back to her usual self because she serenaded us with her best squeaks through this evening's meal. It is amazing just how insistent a little Terrier's squeak can be.

What to eat this week

2011-09-19T09:42:00.007+01:00

My Mum is always asking me "What are we having for Tea?" to which I usually reply "Food." Maybe now I can just point her in the direction of this blog.

MONDAY: Mushroom Dopiaza, Aloo Gobi, Rice maybe some Naan Bread

TUESDAY: Turkey Burgers, Sweetcorn Fritters, Mash Potato

WEDNESDAY: Cashew Fried Rice, Potsticker Dumplings

THURSDAY: Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

FRIDAY: Spinach (or Courgette) Penne Cheese Spouffle

We get a weekly Veg box delivery, which this week contained, Cauliflower, Cavelo Nero, Tomatoes, Large Red Pepper, Courgettes, Leek, Green Beans

Mum may not be delighted that there are more Veggie meals than meat meals, but that seems to be the direction that Fluffrick and I are taking.

Of course the plan may well go out the window, we'll just have to see.

The last of the Brambles?

2011-09-18T14:16:00.004+01:00

The Bramble crop has been early this year, so this may be the last decent picking.

A Bramble & Apple Gallet, that has collapsed a bit unfortunately.

I made some Bramble Jam with the first picking, which should last us for a fair few weeks yet. There have also been a few other pies and some mini Bakewells made with fresh berries rather than Jam, which I think have been my favourite.

On the home grown front, my three tomato plant have been truly pitiful. If we've had 15tomatoes in total I'd been surprised. My four chilli pepper plants have been doing great though. Now I just need to do something with the twenty or so ripe chillies I currently have. I'm thinking a Chilli Jam, but as I've never made one before we will just have to see how it goes.

Long time no type

2011-09-18T13:41:00.006+01:00

So I don't quite know how it got to be over a year since I last posted, I have been doing stuff, honest.

I've been making more costumes for the "Heeley Hoofers". We have another show coming up in November, so it's a 1970's costume bonanza.

I've been over-protective of our little dog Minnie. The over-protectiveness really kicked in when we were told she had kidney problems. Thankfully she is doing much better, she will now eat her Renal dog food without too much protest; even though it does give her the most awful bad breath.

Recently I've been doing quite a bit of reading. All seven "Harry Potter" books in the space of three weeks. Having the luxury of time to do that has been lovely.

I will try to post more often, if I can find something interesting to post about.

The Weekend

2010-09-03T07:57:00.000+01:00

So what does my weekend have in store.

Yet more costumes. Rehearsals started again yesterday, although only for seven out of the fifteen performers. To say that the show is only 7 week away, I am starting to get a little stresses. If people don't show up next week, I am really going to have to get my shouty voice on. If I can get the costumes done, that will be one less (or rather 50+) less things to worry about.

I could also do with spending sometime in the kitchen. Making a load of thing to put in the freezer, does calm me down, maybe I have some squirrel in me? I picked a load of brambles earlier in the week, so I really need to do something with them. I don't know what it is with the bramble crop this year, but it is insane.

Spending sometime with my lovely husband and little puppy, would also be good. As I'm going to be abandoning them two night a week for rehearsals, I need them to know just how much I love them.

Maybe I should throw some relaxing in there, but I really don't think I have the time.

Costumes, costumes, costumes

2010-08-09T08:02:00.001+01:00

The "Heeley Hoofers" are putting on another show this October, and once again I am making the costumes. And just because I must love pressure, I am also directing this show. Now I have never directed before in my life, if you ask anyone really close to me, they will say I can be bossy and forceful and obstinate, to everyone else I am quite shy and try my best to blend into the background. But anyway I agreed to do it (apparently I have an inability to say no to the pleadings of a pregnant woman) and I think it's working out OK.

So anyway, we have put rehearsals on hold for the summer holidays, so I am taking this time to get on with the costumes. I would like to have most of the costumes done before rehearsals start again in September, but I have of course given myself an excessively large amount of work to do. The show we are putting on is called "The Robin Hood Files", which is various different stories about the different incarnation of Robin Hood. And as there are only 15 of us performing this time, it means everyone has to take on multiple roles and therefore several costume changes. Am I just trying to torture myself?

The current list of things to make stands at 51 items, but I'm sure that number will increase. Tunics and Doublets and Dresses and Hats and Cloaks and Robes and a Police Uniform, but definitely no Parrots this time.

A long time ago in a town not so far away

2010-07-07T08:06:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl. He lived in costal North Yorkshire and she lived in urban South Yorkshire, over a hundred miles apart, how would they ever meet? The boy was a romantic but geeky soul and he placed an ad for a pen pal in SFX magazine. The girl was also geeky and romantic and replied to the ad. They wrote to each over for a few months about things like "Buffy" and "Angel" and "Joss Whedon". And then the decided to meet.

That was eight years ago today. They met in York and went to see "Minority Report" and six months later they were married.

I hope you found what you were looking for darling, I know I did.

I may very well be crazy

2010-07-06T08:23:00.003+01:00

I mentioned fairly vehemently before about being made redundant. No one ever wants to be redundant.

Well I now have a plan about what I want to do post current job. I'm going to train as a teacher. I know I don't want to keep on doing what I do at the moment, job satisfaction is a distant memory for me.

I come from a long line of teachers, going back well over 100 years. I grew up in a household with four teachers in it, which is more that a little bit intimidating. And what do I want to Teach? Well Design & Technology of course. There is the little matter of getting on to a course, surviving two years with not a lot of money and then actually finding a teaching job. Yes, I think I am crazy.

Downs and Ups

2010-06-03T08:23:00.001+01:00

The last couple of weeks have been hard. Bonnie died on 22 May. I want to get to a stage where I don't want to cry every time I think about her, and I can be happy remembering all the lovely times we had with her. She is greatly missed.

But both my Darling and I knew we wanted to get another dog, the pleasure does outweigh the pain. So the lovely little terrier above is now part of our family. Her name is Minnie, and despite her appearance we think she is only about six or seven. The fantastic people at Rotherham Dog Rescue introduced her to us. I am sure Minnie will be a feature artist in this blog from now on.

Beautiful

2010-05-19T08:12:00.003+01:00

I've had to give up on "Me Made May" on day 17, as this beautiful little girl above has been diagnosed with kidney failure. So we're just taking it one day at a time, and the way she went after a cat yesterday, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong, but it is.

We have only had the joy of Bonnie for about 20 months, but I can't remember what it was like before she was in our lives. We love her so very much and hope she will stay with us for a little while longer.

I hate having my photo taken

2010-05-06T08:08:00.010+01:00

Possibly almost as big a challenge as wearing something I have made myself, every day of May, is documenting it. I really hate having my picture taken. I always feel self conscious, stupidly posed and with a daft look on my face. So gripe over with, I'll move on to the outfits.

Like the rest of the Me Made Mayers I did a catalogue of the self made clothes to try and work out what I could wear. What I found was a dearth of casual clothes, loads of things (well quite a few) for work, but little for the weekend, lolling about. So I made myself a pair of jeans last week. Really they are denim trousers, I'm not 100% sure about the fit, but they will do for now. The top I made several year ago, it has a hood at the back and is a linen/cotton mix I think.
The jeans again, we were away for the weekend so I packed light, and a floral tunic that I wear alot. I really should have interfaced the neckband, as it does tend to gape a little.
Forgive the re-enactment pictures, the bathroom was the only one with enough natural light. Floral tunic again, this time paired with a refashioned linen skirt. The skirt was orignally a UK size 8, which I might have been able to wear when I was 8, fortunately it was a wrap, so with a bit of faffing, the addition of a zip and a pocket, the result is a really crappy picture.

This is what happen when you have a four day weekend and very few casual clothes. A men's linen shirt bought on Friday, turned into a skirt by Tuesday. The top was once a pillowcase. I have to admit to wearing a non me-made cardigan with this outfit, as it was just chuffing cold on Tuesday.

My first work outfit. Made a couple of week ago, with Ikea fabric and a thrifted black shirt. This is a "Project Runway" Simplicity pattern, that I really like the fit of and I already have made twice. The purple variation is bound to crop up later in the month.

Thinking about Me Made May, I have realised that here is a dress I have made that I need to find an occasion to wear, that being my wedding dress. Don't worry, it is in no way a traditional wedding dress, it is red silk, vintage vogue and still fits seven years later. Where can I get darling Mr P to take me that I can wear it?

Behind on my posting

2010-05-05T08:25:00.002+01:00

We went up to Scarborough this weekend to visit my Mum in Law, so I haven't had the chance to post any pictures of my "Me Made May" outfits yet. Tonight I will re-enact my five outfits, so that pictures can be obtained and posted. Promises, promises...

Me Made May

2010-04-13T08:16:00.000+01:00

I'm joining up to Zoe's challenge to wear only (or at least one a day) me made items. I'm just trying to work out if I currently have enough me made clothes, or if I need to get busy in the next couple of weeks. I don't think wearing a parrot costume would be a good idea.

Fing H

2010-03-12T08:21:00.003Z

I don't usually post about work, there are far better thing in the world to post about, like sewing and puppies. But it look like I will be made redundant before the end of the year, and that is a very large pile of shit.

One for Him, One for Me

2010-03-03T08:07:00.001Z

Now that the insanity of the costumes is over (for the moment anyway). I've been busy with some domestic sewing. Here is my beautiful husband modelling his new Cord Coat (with his best "catalogue" pose) that is wearable if not totally finished. It currently has no pockets, I've given up on the idea of patch pockets on the outside, I think it would spoil the look of the coat, but I do need to give him an inside pocket, he was just too eager to wear it.

Here is a detail of how i finished the seams. I didn't want to line the coat (much to my Mother's disgust - when was the last time she lined a coat?) So I bound all the seam with bias binding, and I'm really happy with how it came out.

This dress is from fabric I have had in my stash for soooo looong. I think it's a linen mix, it was a remnant to begin with. I was going for Joan but really I'm much more of a Peggy. I'm a bit of a Mad Men addict at the moment. I don't know why I have that strange look on my face, it had been a long day, it was just great to come home and there still be enough daylight to actually take a picture. The dress even had little pockets, a must for me.

Panto Pics

2010-02-23T18:19:00.004Z

Treasure Island - The Panto

So I'll start with the most embarrassing picture first (that is one of me), I'm the one on the left. I made my shirt and waistcoat, I also have a green bodice, but sadly no picture. I wish I had a better picture of Long John Silver's frock coat. I also made him a shirt and cropped some old trousers to make Britches.

Captain Smollett in his finery, frock coat, waistcoat, frilly shirt and britches. I even made the buckles for his shoes.

This is a strange action shot from when we sang "In the Navy", but a good shot of the costumes, I pretty much made everything you can see.

All the bodices were reversible, including Molly's on the far left whose whole costume was reversible.

In the green and purple is "Dot". Everything of hers was dotty, the skirt as you can see, the bodice is purple with white dots, even the blouse's sleeves have tiny navy dots, that no one could even see.

Brian was a riot of colour, this wonderful ensemble was a combination of a hospital curtain and a duvet cover.

And last but by no means least "Captain Flint". This was so much work, but for three thrifted sheets it really does look great. The feet were in fact my husband's Toad slippers.

So the final laundry list of costumes made:

8 Blouses

7 Skirts

7 Bodices

5 Shirts

5 Waistcoats

4 Frock coats

4 Trousers cropped

1 Top

1 Apron

1 Pantomime Dame

and 1 Parrot

and proof that I am completely nuts.

UFO

2010-02-22T13:37:00.003Z

I'm making a coat for my Darling, very much like to picture above, but with patch rather than inset pockets. We bought the fabric several months ago, before I go distracted by 17 costumes for "Treasure Island" (pictures of them to follow shortly). It is a light-weight cord in a mustardly brown yellow (nicer than it sounds), I've bound the seams with bias binding as I couldn't face lining it and I am determined to finish it sooner rather than later.

There are many many things I have started for my Darling, that are languishing in my UFO pile. Granted there are far more things I have started for myself that are UFOs, than for my Darling, but that's not really an excuse it it. Should March be "Finish What You Started Month"?

I can't help but like this time of year

2010-01-25T18:03:00.002Z

I can't help but like this time of year, I know it's cold and frequently wet and the snow the other week wasn't at all fun, but none of that dampens my spirits. I couldn't have said the same last year, but that is a whole other story, that I never plan on blogging about.

The best thing about this time of year is my Darling, our wedding anniversary is on the 11th of January. So I get to start every year, by remembering just how much I love him, it's been seven years now and we are still as daft as newly weds.

Then of course I'm off on holiday next week to the lovely Isle of Arran. Scotland in February may seem mad, but we love it. Bonnie running in the waves on Blackwaterfoot beach its just a joy to behold.

I don't even mind the weather, me and the hot weather don't get on. I like being able to wear my boots and my long coat and my leather gloves. And I know I'm going to be sad, when I have to hang up Bonnie's coat for the summer.

Stylish Puppy About Town

2009-12-21T07:45:00.002Z

Bonnie went out in her new coat yesterday and was the most stylist puppy in the park if I do say so myself. The coat isn't quite finished, the strap that goes around her tummy was held on by safety pins; but boy was it cold yesterday, so I really wanted her to have the extra layer.

Instant Gratification

2009-12-03T18:01:00.003Z

I've just bought a downloaded pattern for the first time, talk about instant gratification. The only downside is you can't save the PDF provided, you just have to print it straight off, instant might be a slight overstatement when you are printing off 40 odd pages on a little inkjet printer.

Yes, the picture above is of the pattern I bought. I've been meaning a make a coat for Bonnie for about a year now. I'm not one of those scary people that usually dresses up their dog (the pink aisle at "Pets at Home" truely disturbs me), but Bonnie is camoflage dog. She blends in so well with the leaves at this time of year that it very difficult to see her. So I am going to make her a nice blue coat that is easy to spot and will keep her warm. I am predicting she will try to shake it off within two seconds flat, but what is a Doggy Mummy to do.

Bon Voyage

2009-12-01T17:57:00.002Z

My Brother, his Wife and their little one (not so little at nearly 4) are flying off to Australia today. I wish them a safe journey and look forward to seeing them on their return, when ever that may be.

Bah Humbug

2009-12-01T06:49:00.003Z

This has become my new name at work. Why? Because we're not doing Christmas! Yippee!

I've been trying to get the darling Fluffrick to knock Christmas on the head for about five years now and in August he actually suggested that we not do it this year. Me doing ALL the driving on our two week holiday in Scotland seemed to make his mind malleable to my suggestions. So I've been doing the "we're not doing Christmas" dance ever since. The dance consists of me sitting in my chair and jigging a bit - it is quite disturbing.

I know there will be a great number of people who can't comprehend why I wouldn't want to do Christmas, but you wouldn't believe how relaxing it is. No cards to make and write, no gifts to buy and wrap, no Christmas tree lights to fight with, no trips to "Meadowhell", simply no seasonal madness to endure (there will probably we some food shopping madness to tolerate, but I can handle that). I will be cooking lunch on December 25, but then I cook every other day of the year so it won't make any difference.

So why don't I want to do Christmas? Well the stress reduction is obviously a big plus, but the main reason is that I'm an Atheist. I don't believe in Christ, so why should I have to go through the trauma of Christmas?

I'm not quite sure how my Mum is going to deal with all this, there will be Christmas going on in her part of the house. But if I want to give my Mum a present, or anybody else for that matter, I'll give then a present, I don't need to wait until the end of December to do so.

I'm just a rebel with out a pause! I don't think so.

We love Terry

2009-10-22T18:06:00.000+01:00

My Darling and I have a thing about monkeys, we went to Monkey World twice last year on holiday. I don't know what it is about our Simian friends that we love, we just do. So to add to our ever increasing monkey family my I introduce Terry.

Made by the wonderful Sian of Sianburys. Thanks you Sian for letting Terry come live with us.

Off to the Big Smoke

2009-10-12T18:24:00.000+01:00

My Darling Husband and I are off down to London tomorrow, to see Kevin Smith at the O2 arena. I am expecting to be in pain on Wednesday with laughing so much.

I don't really like visiting London, it's strange but I find it claustrophobic. Anyway I will be dragging the Darling to as many fabric and haberdashery shops as I can manage tomorrow afternoon. I probably won't buy much (I'm think option paralysis will be a big problem) but I will drool a lot.

Introducing Betty & Belinda Bucket Bag

2009-10-12T18:13:00.000+01:00

I've been busy sewing this weekend and seting up a Folksy shop, all so that Betty and Belinda can go off and explore the world. Lets hope they get the chance to have a big baggy adventure.

People say the nicest things

2009-10-09T17:59:00.000+01:00

So my bag in the Bag Swap arrived safely and here are the lovely things Annelies has said about it.

Thanks, now I can't wait for mine to arrive.

The strange things I do in the name of amateur dramatics

2009-10-09T17:31:00.000+01:00

Simone

2009-10-07T08:35:00.003+01:00

This is a bag I made for my darling a few months ago (it, sorry she, got a lot of use this summer). Originally she was a pair for Fluffrick's shorts, but the zip had broken and there were a few paint stains, so they were destined for the bin until I had a brainwave. So Simone was born:

As there are rather a lot of bags residing at our house we tend to give them names, a request of "Darling can you get me my green bag" is likely to result in five different bags being dropped in your lap. However, "The biscuits are in Simone" and everyone is happy.

Handbag Swap

2009-10-06T17:47:00.000+01:00

I am taking part in the Bag a Holic bag swap as hosted by the lovely Made By Petchy.

Here is a sneak peek of the bag I have sent to Annelies in Belguim

Taking back the blog...

2009-10-06T08:18:00.000+01:00

My better half, darling Mr Fluffrick has started up a new blog over at Wordpress ( I think he is sulking with blogger), so I decided to claim back this blog for myself.

Here I can talk about what I’m sewing / refashioning. This now includes making costumes for "The Heeley Hoofers".

I can mull over my embryonic notion of opening an Etsy/Folksy shop. Do I have the time to blog and sew and cook and fuss our terrific terrier and rehearse and oh yes go to work. I could easily give that going to work business a miss, except for the fact they pay me, oh well.

And just because no post is complete without a picture, here is the terrific terrier, the lovely Bonnie.

The "Star Trek" trailer - now 100% less shonky

2008-11-30T20:16:00.003Z

Since we last spoke, the proper "Star Trek" trailer went up in various places - for your convenience, here's a link to the movie web site with streamy goodness and all the HD prettiness you could ever wish for.

Winona's playing moms now. Jesus, I feel old...

December? Already? Dear Lord...

2008-11-30T20:00:00.002Z

You'll have noticed the gap in your regularly-scheduled service, then? Yeah, about that...

We've had a fairly rancid suite of Autumnal colds, viruses and generally craposity to contend with in the UK and I've been very fortunate in experiencing everything that illness has had to offer this year (those of you who are blessed with asthma may very well appreciate what wonderful times you can have when you have an immune system which lays down and surrenders at the first sign of a head sniffle).

In short? Bed rest, sofa rest, many fluids and not much fun to be around - that's been my mid-November. I hope that yours was significantly better.

Suffice is to say that I'm making it my mission to get my behind to the Doctor's and get me one of those free flu jabs that the British National Health Service so generously provide for us skirvy asthmatics...

The Star Trek teaser is here - in glorious shonk-o-vision...

2008-11-15T16:47:00.003Z

And, yes, it's funking epic...

Though many members of the Nerd Hive Mind are bothered by J.J. Abrams and his writers making some radical changes to established Trek canon, what this brief, cam-phoned glimpse at next May's movie suggests is that the reboot has been worth the wait.

Trek being given a budget commensurate with it's iconic status in Western Pop Culture? Check.

Action, but not at the expense of character? Check (When was the last time that you saw a similar blockbuster trailer which waited so long to get to the quick cutting explosions and shiny stuff?)

Simon-goddamned-Pegg pwning bizatches with his one line in the teaser? Chiggedy-Check.

Go look at it before Paramount get on the case...

Burnout Paradise awesomeness update

2008-11-08T17:55:00.004Z

Via our friends at Kotaku, news reaches Rolling Eyeballs that upcoming paid-for DLC for "Burnout Paradise" (our game of the year) will include a car suggested by that most wonderful of movies, "Back To The Future".

Yep - you'll be able to drive a DeLorean.

Needless to say, this DLC package of four cars will be finding it's way onto our 360 or PS3 hard drive sometime early in 2009 - I suppose it would be too much to hope for, say, a sweet and tricked-out VW Karmann Ghia clone to make an appearance in Paradise City? Please, nice Criterion guys?

Just to reiterate...

2008-11-04T18:35:00.003Z

...in the words of Hijinks Ensue, "You like Voltron, Obama is Voltron, vote for Obama".

True 'dat.

Does that make McCain/Palin the unholy (and frankly unwieldy) union of GI Joe and Strawberry Shortcake?

Like, yuckles...

Make a difference

2008-11-04T18:22:00.005Z

Cynicism is understandable - exactly what kind of earth-shattering difference can any politician hope to make after eight years of back-to-back Bush electoral victories and the attendent evil stench which has followed most of Dubya's decisions.

That said - if you're reading this in the States, and there's no reason why you should be, it would be a fine idea if you got out there and used your vote.

Which means, put down that copy of "Resistance 2", step away from "Fallout 3" and spend a few minutes making use of your democratic prerogrative.

Whether you vote for Obama or McCain, please make sure that the people who purport to represent you actually do so (and why not drop the habit of a lifetime and actually hold the swines to account once in a while?).

I'm sure Tina Fey would be happy if she never had to do that impersonation again, wouldn't you agree?

Halloween Flashback

2008-10-31T11:18:00.006Z

This weekend's Friday flashback is inevitably spooky, creepy and ooky - and brings you scary movie trailers, things which go bump in the day (the night is for amateurs) and Unimaginable Horrors From The Beyond...or You Tube, to give the Realm of the Scary its actual name.

Aceness from 1935's "The Bride Of Frankenstein". Loving the warning for those with weak hearts to leave the cinema - such showmanship!

The justly celebrated teaser trailer for Alfred Hitchcock's seminal slice of transgressive terror, "Psycho" - you can't imagine the likes of Brett Ratner pitching up to give you an on-screen tour of their latest major studio bobbins, can you?

The trailer for George A. Romero's 1978 "Dawn of the Dead" - though I'm plenty fond of Zach Snyder's 2004 remake, this is the real deal. Loving the 1970's Synth Terror - is that one of the things which makes the 70's horror flicks still so palatable to me.

Dario Argento's "Suspiria" gets a trailer which is none-more-1970's - and as gloriously incomprehensible as the classic horror film that it's trailing.

And a trailer for one of my favourite movies - "The Hitcher". Talk about completely underselling one of the best B-Movies ever made. Still, at least they've used one of my favourite elements of the film - Mark Isham's amazing ambient score - to underscore the action.

Coming more up to date - the trailer for one of the more controversial and audience-dividing movies of the 90's - "The Blair Witch Project".

The awesome genius of Pegg, Wright and Frost - "Shaun of the Dead".

"Evil Dead 2" - for the win, ne c'est pas?

And, due to the wonderfully all-over-the-spot nature of You Tube, here's the French trailer for seminal Japanese fright-fest, "Ringu".

A little something for everyone there, wouldn't you agree? Enjoy today's spooktivities and see you back here next week - when electoral events may have made all of us slightly more hopeful about the future.

Spooky audio goings-on (It's Halloween, you know?)

2008-10-31T11:03:00.006Z

Via the splendid Whitney Matheson at Pop Candy - Orson Welles' pioneering radio broadcast of HG Wells' "War of the Worlds" is available to listen to online via the miracle of the Inter-Stream.

Friday's Moment of Gaming Zen

2008-10-31T10:26:00.004Z

Why, it's almost worth dropping the rental cash in November just to run about in "Mercenaries 2" and take some names as Sarah Palin who will, merciful Allah/Buddah/Jeebus be praised, be sinking back into the richly-deserved regional obscurity that she deserves.

More of this kind of thing please, big video game publishers. Who wouldn't love to play a level of "Gears of War 2" whilst distinctively skinned as a pissed-off and blood-hungry Gordon Brown? Laying waste to Liberty City whilst attired with a virtual avatar of Anne Widdecombe?

Yes, yes and - thrice - yes.

(Via your friends and mine at Kotaku)

New "Trek" pics up at Empire Online

2008-10-28T15:47:00.005Z

Via the nice people at Empire Online, new pics from J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" reboot - and more on the new issue, with a "Trek" cover which apes Kirk/Spock imagery from the classic TV series.

The Most Interesting Thing I've Read Today...

2008-10-28T09:04:00.002Z

From the New Yorker, and via Joystiq, a fascinating profile on Cliff Bleszinski as Microsoft and Epic Games begin to swing the "Gears of War 2" hype hammer.

Whilst on the subject of Marcus Fenix

2008-10-27T10:25:00.002Z

I should have posted this excellent "Gears 2" trailer when it showed up online at the end of last week - it more than lives up to the "Mad World"-scored ad for the original game and pulls off the same trick of undercutting the absurd machismo and "Guns-R-Great!" BS which are writ large in the actual game.

Xbox 360 games out this week - scary, post-apocalyptic RPG edition

2008-10-27T10:06:00.005Z

We'll be able to enjoy the normal and collector's editions (lunchboxes of joy!) of "Fallout 3", "Guitar Hero World Tour" (shipping as a game disc, a boxed game with the new guitar and the full band game if you're feeling spectacularly flush - and fulsome with living space), a dancemat-enabled "High School Musical 3" game, "MotoGP 08", "Baja 1000" and "Scene It? Box Office Smash" this week on 360 - though my spidey-sense tells me that the "HSM3" game is due to slip in the UK - Game list it as out in November 2008.

Yep, I suspect that officially counts as "Gears of War 2" counter-programming...

PS3 games out this week - LBP edition

2008-10-27T09:33:00.006Z

The lovely folks over at PS3 Fanboy have their weekly list of new releases for your perusal - whilst LBP has made it past the enforced week or so delay to patch the controversial Qu'ran-quoting music track out of the game, and is ready for release in the US and Asia, for a European audience, the ever-present spectre of localisation has raised it's head and we get to see the game next week.

As ever, whilst games are not region-locked on the PS3 and you can import the title, it really isn't the best idea, as any downloadable content is region-locked to the various PSN stores - if you buy the US game, you have to download stuff from the US store.

Good luck with that.

Other stuff out this week in the US - the previously-discussed "MotorStorm - Pacific Rift", "Fallout 3 - Collector's Edition", "MotoGP 08" & "Guitar Hero - World Tour".

"Quantum of Solace", "Fallout 3 - CE", "Siren - "Blood Curse", "Valkyria Chronicles", "To End All Wars", "Buzz! Quiz TV - special edition" and "Hail To The Chimp", meanwhile, are out in the UK - note that we're getting the latest 007 game a good couple of weeks before the US, to coincide with the movie's release here this weekend.

Even though I'm not good at shooters, I guess that I'd be opting for "Quantum of Solace" as my purchase this week...it's that "COD4" engine, don't you know.

Bored yet? Too bad.

2008-10-27T09:26:00.003Z

(Via our friends at The Steampunk Workshop)

Words fail me

2008-10-27T09:00:00.004Z

I'm all for connectivity and tech which makes your life easier, but this kind of stuff is just utterly beyond my ken.

(Via the nice, and entirely loopy people at AVS Forums)

Obama - the mixtape

2008-10-21T11:56:00.003+01:00

Get your Obama on - and grab some quality tunes at the same time...

MotorStorm - Jumping Out Of A Plane Edition

2008-10-21T08:22:00.004+01:00

Via our friends at PS3 Fanboy, a new US ad for the upcoming "Motor Storm - Pacific Rift" game, which does a very good job of disguising the fact that the new sequel is essentially a very slightly tweaked update - we're not talking 'Paradise City' and Criterion here.

Fun, yes - check out the demo on the PS store if you have a PS3 - but not a game which will change the world. The original 'Motor Storm' is now a Platinum title, and the demo doesn't really do much to indicate that you need to drop £50 on it - especially in these financially challenging times that we find ourselves in.

Mashed-Up

2008-10-21T08:05:00.003+01:00

With thanks to the You Tubes, a splendid collision between The US version of The Office (i.e., the one with 100%-less Gervais, which can only be a good thing) and Battlestar.

Sweetness ensues.

And in related Obama news...

2008-10-19T15:36:00.003+01:00

Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bid.

Crivens. I know there's such a thing as unstoppable momentum, and this blog has already pronounced on the matter, but you know in your heart of hearts that the G.O.P. has any number of percieved slurs and would-be scandals ready to drop in the run-up to November 4th.

Fingers crossed, the American electorate can see though such blatant charades as that 'Joe the Plumber' nonsense that McCain/Palin resorted to last week.

Meanwhile, the other side of the campaign attempted to show that they (A) are human (the jury's out) and B) have a sense of humour.

Pfft. Tina Fey's still way hotter...

In case you were wondering...

2008-10-19T14:19:00.004+01:00

...you would be doing the world a rather large favour if you cast your vote for this gentleman.

I Heart John Cusack

2008-10-17T21:43:00.003+01:00

Proof that good stuff comes from all over the map with this interview with John Cusack, taken from The Independent - a paper I generally dislike so much that I'd rather buy the Daily Mail (and I regard the Mail as the kind of thing that Hitler would have read and enjoyed).

Friday Flashback - It's BACK...

2008-10-17T20:52:00.003+01:00

...and it has a Jones for great movie trailers from the 1980's.

To wit -

"The Last Starfighter" - which I need on HD, like, yesterday. The news that people want to remake this makes me sad and/or moderately homicidal (not really - but seriously skeptical that it won't be a charmless rehash with rebooted CG eye-candy).

"Enemy Mine"- Wolfgang Petersen's Ebony and Ivory tale of a stranded Earthman struggling to survive on a hostile planet with an Alien enemy combatant - your man Louis Gossett Jnr managing to act somehow under seventeen bazillion layers of latex.

"Labyrinth"- did anybody see this movie in 1986 and not have a huge crush on Jennifer Connelly? Or David Bowie (love the frightwig, Jared)? Wouldn't it be cool to see more epic, puppety goodness of this ilk in cinemas again? I guess that "The Spiderwick Chronicles" were a move in the right direction, and director Mark Waters admitted his debt to Amblin's 80's catalogue in that flick's publicity tour.

"Back To The Future" rules your ass. That is all.

"Ghostbusters" - "They catch the ghosts that won't stay dead" - oh, 80's trailer voice artists (feel the joy).

And, inevitably enough, my favourite movie trailer of all time - James Cameron's "The Abyss".

15 minutes with one of my heroes

2008-10-16T22:27:00.001+01:00

Or, to cut a long story short - James Cameron talks "Avatar", amongst other things...

What I'm looking forward to watching via the Blu-Rays..

2008-10-12T21:56:00.003+01:00

Best warn the neighbours, then...

Like Napster, you mean?

2008-10-12T21:53:00.001+01:00

From CNN/Money's blog - Lime Wire seeks to shrug off any accusations that they harbour dodgy MP3's and MP4's.

Yep, really.

Lord British blasts off

2008-10-12T21:43:00.004+01:00

I knew that I wasn't hallucinating this when half-viewing it on BBC Breakfast news this morning - Lord British has only gone and buggered off into space (for the bargain price of $30 million).

Richard Garriott, the creator of the "Ultima" series and, more recently, "Tabula Rasa" has stumped up the readies and headed for the Great Beyond.

And, yes, as a card-carrying geek, I'm properly jealous of him.

Best of luck, Lord B - enjoy the ride.

Sam & Herman's Big Adventure

2008-10-12T21:41:00.002+01:00

Instead of flailing on your wireless Gibson guitar controller, why not see how the pros do it?

The Evil League of Evil is watching, so beware...

2008-10-12T21:36:00.002+01:00

Via our friends at Hijinks Ensue - the Recluse strikes...

And on an entirely different note...

2008-10-10T19:32:00.004+01:00

Cinematical has a report on a edible Death Star.

I haven't posted in so long

2008-10-10T09:55:00.006+01:00

My darling Fluffrick keeps telling me I need to post more, I don't know if this is what he had in mind, but I just need to vent.

I'm probably getting my knickers in a twist about something I really shouldn't be stressing over, but I can't help it. My darling has been asked by his brother to be the Godfather to his children. They now have three boys and the oldest (5 years old) goes to a Catholic school, but as yet none of them have been christened. I don't know the motivation for getting the boys christened, but it does strike me as having more to do with wanting to keeps their boys in what they deem to be a "good" school, as apposed to an over-riding faith in the Catholic Church.

My darling and his brother attended a Catholic school, but since the age of about fourteen, my darling stopped attending church and is now atheist. He has agreed to be their Godfather, not in a religious sense, but as an Uncle and hopefully a positive example in their lives. However, I think he has been asked to be Godfather because he is "Catholic" and it is my understanding the other 3 Godparents are not.

Okay, so ego does come into it somewhere. I have not been asked to be one of the 3 other Godparents, my services are most definitely not required. I hope to think, had I been asked I would have respectfully declined, as I couldn't personally reconcile it with my own atheism, I don't know. I am a Godmother to my best friend's child, but in my defence back then I was merely agnostic, not atheist.

I don't know what to do, if I protest and don't go to the christening, am I going to cause a major family rift, that will probably not have a significant impact on me and my darling, but could on my lovely mother in law. Or do I go and support my husband and just play happy families and no one is any the wiser of my contempt for the whole charade.

It is not my intention or desire to hurt anyone I love, but I don't know how to reconcile my beliefs and my actions.

For the terminally lazy and unimaginative...

2008-10-07T20:18:00.003+01:00

...comes a splendid way to sort out those difficult to resolve Christmas present issues.

Paramount are offering pre-gift-wrapped copies of their Chrimble biggies - "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull", "Kung-Fu Panda" and "Iron Man".

(With thanks to the ever-vigilant peeps over at DVD Active)

At last - a politician you can believe in...

2008-10-07T20:13:00.004+01:00

Via Joystiq, a slice of local US politics which made me chuckle - I, too, would gladly hand my vote to a dude who can melee attack n00bs and wield a gravity hammer with aplomb.

An update...

2008-10-07T20:01:00.004+01:00

Things have been quiet on Rolling Eyeballs, of late. A sad state of affairs, to be sure, and one that I attribute entirely to those unexpected Outside Factors.

Outside Factor Part The First?

Bonnie, our new dog. She needs the attention, you know.

Outside Factor Part The Second?

Our new Playstation 3. Which is a fully kick-bottom BD player, has a clutch of games worth looking at and multimedia functionality which makes it a real competitor to the 360 (is it just snide elitism on my part to infer that I don't really regard the Wii as being next gen?).

Outside Factor Part The Third?

That new college course I began last week - thinking about contemporary English novels doesn't leave much time for pottering around the Interwebs and sharing a grab-bag of content for you to behold.

Normal service hopefully resumed?

A Hijinks guest comic

2008-09-29T20:27:00.002+01:00

Joel from Hijinks Ensue - which we love more than is legal - has done a guest comic for Unshelved.

'Tis funny and no mistake - how do you start up a book anyway?

Arctics concert film - directed by THIS man...

2008-09-28T19:16:00.003+01:00

Genius! Out on October 14th, per the IMDB listing...

Paul Newman - Rest In Peace

2008-09-27T22:28:00.005+01:00

Paul Newman died last night at this family home in Connecticut, following a long, dignified battle with cancer. He was 83.

There's not much to say that his career didn't already manage to. In an age where stars routinely barter with the media for any small crumb of exposure and the resulting oxygen of soul-cheapening publicity, he managed to achieve great success without compromising himself into the bargain.

Do you see many of today's stars quietly giving back to the world in the same fashion as Newman did with his philanthropic work? Not without a media scrum in tow to record them doing so.

It's a sad day - remember him by watching one of his lengthy catalogue of films (The Hustler, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, even something as up to date as The Road to Perdition would benefit from a revisit).

Just like old times...

2008-09-27T12:24:00.004+01:00

(Assuming venerable Grandpa demeanour and quavering voice) Remember the early days of DVD? Back in the very late 90's, when you would buy a movie and pray to the deity of your choice that it didn't lock-up your player? When you had to weigh-up the odds of sending your player to a Mod specialist who advertised in the back of "DVD Review" or finding a retailer who offered modded machines which could circumvent the stupidity of region coding?

Despite Blu-Ray having won the HD format battle, it appears that we haven't really advanced that much in the last nine or ten years - Region Locking is still with us and still as dumb as it ever was, and Paramount's first big Autumnal release, Jon Favreau's Marvel hit "Iron Man" is bricking BD players.

The more things change...

(Via AV Forums and Home Cinema Choice)

The Gaming Singularity Is Upon Us! (But where's Master Chief?)

2008-09-27T12:10:00.005+01:00

LittleBigPlanet 'Super Mario Bros. 1-1' clip HD

Posted the link to this over at my Facebook page, but the embedding works better here - so press play to enjoy a story from Game Videos (Via Kotaku) on one of the things that I feel has the potential to make "Little Big Planet" fantastic, namely the ability to custom-create levels and post them up for fellow PS3 owners to play.

I await the "Castlevania" and "Gears..." levels with ill-disguised glee...

Bringing the awesome...

2008-09-25T19:04:00.002+01:00

Via the always splendid Cinematical, behold the joy of Darth and Yoda slippers...

UK Games Release Dates - out this weekend...

2008-09-25T18:39:00.004+01:00

On the shelves in your local games retailer tomorrow...

"Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway" - Xbox 360 (WWII-set FPS action from Gearbox)

"WipeOut HD" - PS3 (The PS' futuristic racer goes next gen for the first time - for download via the Playstation store)

"NHL 09" -PS3 (Another year, another annual EA sports update - this one getting great reviews...)

"Baja - Edge of Control" - 360 (An off-road racer from the dev team who brought you "MX Vs ATV")

"Battle Fantasia" - 360 (Pretty looking, predictably insane 2D fighting game from Japan)

"Vampire Rain - Altered Species" - PS3 (The original stealth-em-up got bad reviews on the 360 last year - this hasn't done any better)

"Pure" - 360/PS3/PC (My pick of the week - insane off-road ATV racing game from Black Rock and Disney Interactive - so much fun, gorgeous visuals, pumping tunes, great controls - you need this game in your life if you've ever had time for "Burnout" or the much-missed "SSX" games)

Now Hiring

2008-09-25T18:20:00.002+01:00

Tell 'em Dr Horrible sent you...

Guitar Hero - World Tour Video Post

2008-09-21T15:13:00.004+01:00

Gasp as mad buggers take on Alex Van Halen's double-bass drum apocalypse twist, "Hot For Teacher" in the new "Guitar Hero" game.

(Via your friends and mine at IGN)

Behold! The Great Back-Pedal of Aught-8...

2008-09-21T13:10:00.005+01:00

Yep, I like to think that I'm generally a man who can admit when he's wrong. That whole "Michael Bay is the next James Cameron" kick that I was on the other year? Yeah, that was wrong. Fun movies but the guy clearly has a micropercentage of Cameron's chops. Short of a blow to the noggin which has the cumulative effect of removing Bay's personality wholesale - see the Lukas Haas plotline in Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You" for how that might play out.

When it comes to the PS3, I'm equally all at sea.

I felt that I had the machine pegged - a metric f-bomb of (potential) power sadly hamstrung by the not-inconsiderable issue of no amazing games to harness it with. The usual Sony battlecry of "It's too early in the life-cycle of the machine! Buy it now and some good games will be along once we've fished 'em out from the back of the sofa - promise!" was beginning to ring truly hollow and wouldn't be enough to bail out the Big S this time.

Having had the chance - props to Evo Jon and Elle Driver - to spend an extended period evaluating the PS3, mine's a big old slice of Humble Pie to go. With extra humble.

Whilst my better half remains unconvinced - Boo Snook is all about the 360 - I have to say that I find this latest iteration of the Playstation brand to be an increasingly convincing option.

The XMB (or 'cross-media bar') interface is slick and intuitive - the video previews of game demos are neat, the information held is conveyed swiftly and it's a damn sight nicer than the endless sub-menus of the current Xbox Live media blades (though this may change when the Autumn 'New Xbox Experience' arrives imminently).

Video is slick and Blu-Ray - on the evidence of the "Casino Royale" transfer I saw - is a worthy HD format, albeit one with needless BS like region coding to make buying a PS3 something of a crap shoot for the enthusiast crowd. Still, there are ways around that particular restriction -we're already seeing multi-region stand-alone Blu-Ray players being sold by third-party modders and I feel certain that the 'homebrew' community will deliver a solution sooner rather than later.

Games are fun - which is key, I guess. I didn't get a chance to play "Metal Gear Solid 4", but the PS3 version of "Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare" is a percussive, eyeball-meltingly intense shooter, which employs every visual and auditory trick in the book to draw you into the game's blisteringly ferocious firefights.

"Motor Storm" is a great looking racer, with a fun physics engine which combines with a very user-friendly control system to deliver a game which rivals "PGR 4" in the high-speed stakes.

"Virtua Tennis 3" is far prettier than the 360 version - why, Maria Sharapova's digital avatar looks almost human in the PS3 iteration of the game. Scarily human-looking, even.

If you like shooters, you're probably better off plumping for a 360, but you knew that. If you want a less hardcore option but can't get around the Wii's critical lack of grunt and seeming disinterest in serving the core Nintendo audience, a PS3 seems like a wholly logical choice for a space in your living room. And then there's the likes of "Little Big Planet" to consider, which just looks ace...

Having said that, the new 360 price cut just made your choice a hell of a lot more difficult...

The Craft/Geek X-Over...

2008-09-16T19:21:00.003+01:00

Via the splendid peeps at Craftzine.

Don't you just want one? Imagine the havoc one could wreak in an unsuspecting post room with one of these little darlings to hand...

From Our Interesting Casting Department...

2008-09-16T18:49:00.003+01:00

An interview with director D.J. Caruso, on the subject of his next project, Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra's wonderful graphic novel series, "Y - The Last Man", via our friends at Cinematical.

As ever these days, they're talking about condensing the ten-volume series into a trilogy of films and as much as it would be fun to see Yorick, 355, Ampersand and Dr Mann on the big screen, it's a tough sell as a project (the story focuses on the last man alive after an initially inexplicable global event which sees every other male entity on the planet, human and animal alike, suddenly drop dead).

This is a particularly adult and strange journey into a wholly different world and it's difficult to imagine any studio wanting to release this story in it's pure and uncut form.

I don't necessarily see Shia LaBeouf as Yorick but he's personable enough, which is key, and I'm sure he could do justice to the extremes of the Last Man's journey.

One to watch...with some large sense of trepidation.

For Anyone Who Asks Me What's On At The Cinema Shortly...

2008-09-16T18:41:00.003+01:00

Empire has the answer.

I'm not entirely sure that 'Sizzle' reels really do the business that their creators would hope them to - 60 seconds of quick-fire clips ,devoid of context, surely only blitz an audience into submission and rarely, if ever, register as anything more than another barrage of blipverts.

And the audience at the cinemas that I go to are usually busier texting these days than watching anything that's up on screen.

In short? Fail...

Rolling Eyeballs

So I'm making a shirt for Fluffrick

I don't know if I'm being unreasonable

Beetroot and Carrot Soup

A really easy tea

No I'm not ready for my close-up.

Costumes

Why do I feel like I'm being taken advantage of?

Sprout Soup Anyone?

What to Eat This Week

Festive Burgers

Yummy Aubergine Bake

Disgusted of Sheffield

Warming Food for Cold Days

What to eat this week

What to eat this week

A Day Out in Bradford - or the dangers of letting me loose in a fabric shop

What to eat this week

Dr Who?

Pretty in Pink

25 September 2011 - 3 Months until Christmas

What to eat this week

Spouffle

The Inspiration, the Pattern, the Result

Tea!

What to eat this week

The last of the Brambles?

Long time no type

The Weekend

Costumes, costumes, costumes

A long time ago in a town not so far away

I may very well be crazy

Downs and Ups

Beautiful

I hate having my photo taken

Behind on my posting

Me Made May

F***ing H***

One for Him, One for Me

Panto Pics

UFO

I can't help but like this time of year

Stylish Puppy About Town

Instant Gratification

Bon Voyage

Bah Humbug

We love Terry

Off to the Big Smoke

Introducing Betty & Belinda Bucket Bag

People say the nicest things

The strange things I do in the name of amateur dramatics

Simone

Handbag Swap

Taking back the blog...

The "Star Trek" trailer - now 100% less shonky

December? Already? Dear Lord...

The Star Trek teaser is here - in glorious shonk-o-vision...

Burnout Paradise awesomeness update

Just to reiterate...

Make a difference

Halloween Flashback

Spooky audio goings-on (It's Halloween, you know?)

Friday's Moment of Gaming Zen

New "Trek" pics up at Empire Online

The Most Interesting Thing I've Read Today...

Whilst on the subject of Marcus Fenix

Xbox 360 games out this week - scary, post-apocalyptic RPG edition

PS3 games out this week - LBP edition

Bored yet? Too bad.

Words fail me

Obama - the mixtape

MotorStorm - Jumping Out Of A Plane Edition

Mashed-Up

And in related Obama news...

In case you were wondering...

I Heart John Cusack

Friday Flashback - It's BACK...

15 minutes with one of my heroes

What I'm looking forward to watching via the Blu-Rays..

Like Napster, you mean?

Fing H