Week 1's prompt was the minimalist photograph and here's my interpretation:



One of my daughter's crayons. This little blue crayon has in the last day created rocket ships, tractors and mysterious alien planets, it's made the sea for a pirate ship to sail across and a beautiful blue dress.

It's amazing how something so simple can create so much.

January 4th
My thoughts on Sherlock - The Empty Hearse (as requested by abby_i

Yes, I was looking forward to Sherlock even more than Doctor Who this Christmas. It's been two years, I'd almost forgotten what they looked like. ;)

( Spoilers!Collapse )

In Conclusion
tl;dr Don't leave us for so long next time.

Really looking forward to Sunday's episode.



If you want to give me a topic for the let's talk meme just leave a comment with your topic and chosen day, there's still plenty to choose from.

January 3rd
Children's TV

Having a small person means I get to watch children's tv and not feel wierd doing it. Ex-Cheddar doesn't watch masses of telly, just a bit in the morning and a bit in the evening before storytime but it has opened my eyes to how it's changed since I was a kid.

In maybe the last fortnight we've moved from Disney Junior and Cbeebies to Cartoon Network and Boomerang. To be honest I'm missing Abney and Teal and Mr Bloom's Nursery.

Ex-Cheddar's favourite programme at the moment is tied between My Little Pony and Adventure Time.

(Full disclosure, I've loved MLP since I was ex-Cheddar's age, although wathcing the original episodes now I can see how awful they were - just twenty minute toy adverts) I have been pleasantly surprised with how good Friendship is Magic actually is. It's actually helped me to explain some of the more nebulous concepts of friendship and sharing (blah blah blah look how do you think fluttershy felt when blah blah blah) and the songs really are quite catchy. I think this is the first programme she's really fangirled over (although her first love will always be Mickey).

Adventure Time is just a bit weird and the fact the dog talks with Bender's voice just adds to the surrealism. She seems to like it though. It's got fart jokes, that's always going to be a winner with her. Plus Finn wears a hat like her polar bear hat, so in her eyes he's nearly as cool as she is.

Personally, I think children's tv is much cooler than it was when I was a kid. I was trying to explain to her today how when I was a kid telly was on from 3.30 to 5.35 then it was "Neighbours". We'd run home from school to watch our favourite programmes, and the greatest thing in the school holidays was our programmes in a morning (like "Why don't you?"). She couldn't get her head around it, especially the fact you tube is only about as old as she is and I couldn't just go and watch MLP whenever I felt like it.

Her mind was blown!

It just goes to show how much telly has changed, not just in the last 20 years but in the last 4 or 5. I wonder what it will be like 20 years or so down the line when she's introducing her kid(s) to the programme she loved as a child. Will they think that Adventure Time is really old-fashioned and twee?

2nd January
A slow cooker recipie (makes 4-5 portions)

Ingredients:
500g stewing steak cubed
4 large carrots chopped
1 large red onion diced finely
100g mushrooms chopped
2 large potatoes chopped
2 large sweet potatoes sliced
1 turnip diced
1 parsnip diced
400ml of vegetable or beef stock
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chinese five spice
1 tsp of mixed herbs
2 tbsp flour
3 bay leaves

method
Cube the meat and put in the slow cooker pot, add the flour and stir to cover the meat

Add the rest of the ingredients

Add the stock and the bay leaves

Give a good stir

Put slow cooker on high for 5 hours

After 5 hours check consistency of the sauce, if it's too runny for your taste mix up some cornflower and add to thicken it up a touch.

Ladle into a bowl

Eat

Yummy, yummy.

Conclusion
As a winter warmer I love this. Sometimes I'll even add a bit of paprika or cayenne pepper for an extra bit of kick.

Happy new year everyone. I hope you had a good one.

1st January - my plans for the upcoming year:

[X] ex-Cheddar will be starting school in September - this is going to cause quite the re-evaluation of my work-life balance. I've already started spreadsheets to cost out childcare, timings as I work 20 miles away from where she will (hopefully) be going to school.

[X] related to this - do more things with ex-Cheddar because once school starts we won't have as much time together as we have at the moment. Have to make the most of each moment. More walking, more messy play, more fun.

[X] carry on with my fledgling business. I've got my jewellery in one shop and I like to get them into another. Will be carrying on with my craft fairs because they're great fun.

[X] get my hallmark and make more silver jewellery.

[X] get my garage sorted, so I can get the kiln out and do some enamelling at home.

[X] read more. I've not read nearly enough last year, I think I managed about 12 books. Just not good enough.

What are your plans for 2014?

If you want to give me a topic just leave a comment and I'll add it to the list!

So, the new year is coming up and I want to get back into blogging on a more regular basis so I'm going to jump on the January "Let's Talk" meme.

Basically you give me a day and a subject and I'll write some words about it. It can be anything you like, personal or fandom. All you have to do is leave a comment and you can ask more than one question...

1st January my plans for the upcoming year
2nd January
3rd January
4th January
thoughts on Sherlock (suggested by abby_i
5th January
focus on life wk1
6th January
7th January
8th January
my thinks on Capaldi (suggested by txvoodoo
9th January
10th January
11th January
12th January the chocolate making course I've been on this weekend
13th January
14th January
15th January
16th January
17th January
18th January
19th January
20th January
21st January That there Bilbo
22nd January
23rd January
24th January
25th January
26th January
27th January
28th January
29th January
30th January
31st January Thoughts on the book I'm reading at the moment

I just don't get the time to sit down and actually type a post, what with a job, a second job and a three year old, plus I'm watching way too much telly.

I've gone and bought a dictation app for my phone so I can start dictating posts when I'm in the car going to work. It's either that or subjecting you to voice posts :D

The snow was lovely for a few days but it made work so cold that I no longer have feet. I have two size five chilblains at the end of my legs. They hurt so much I can't sleep. It makes me woeful.

When ex-Cheddar woke up Sunday morning she cried because the snow had all been washed away by the monsoon that blew through Saturday night. This is why she's only seen The Snowman once because she gets abut hysterical at the end because snow doesn't last in this country. When she grows up she's probably going to move to Canada or Sweden or somewhere. Bless her.

Friday was horrible. took the best part of 3 hours to get home, there were a couple of bits where I couldn't grip the road and so many knobbers who drive too fast and too close. Driving up the street to my street (which is uphill) I was basically knocking off the kerbs on each side of the road. Not fun at all. And out drive slopes downwards so I couldn't park on it without the fear of hitting the house.

Friday afternoon was spent teaching Ex-Cheddar how to make snow angels and throw snowballs. (Her snowball throwing is nearly as bad as mine)

Saturday was spent making a 'better' snowman with Daddy and causing wanton vandalism to mine. (The cheeky gets pushed mine over!)

Sunday I ventured out for the weekly shop which wasn't too terrifying but it's snowed a couple of centimetres here this evening and is showing no sign off letting up so I'm not feeling massively hopeful about getting to work tomorrow. Unless we take the bus. Which I think Ex-Cheddar will love.

Today we made this:

He has been named Snowtoro.

Off to go and find some bus timetables.