Sunday, 28th September 2014

Another year older, and I am officially a grown up because I passed my driving test on Friday! Third time was lucky for me!

I passed in an automatic, with 7 minors, which I think is pretty good - considering I had three majors on my first test, it is certainly an improvement! Thankfully they did not ask me to parallel park or it may have been a different story...

It is really weird to think I can drive now. I woke up at 5am the next day and then couldn't get back to sleep because I was so excited.

I have been organised - I went straight away and bought a car, with the highly-appreciated supervision of mum and dad! I have to wait a week to pick it up but I am very pleased with my purchase, and even managed a test drive without doing anything embarrassing. So, meet Nelly:

She is not silver!! Dan bought me a range of new driver accessories including P plates and fluffy dice - has to be done, I am told.

Prior to this, my birthday was the day before, and we went to the Donkey Sanctuary for a day out. It was a lovely day and surprisingly accessible on the bus. It was quiet as it was mid-week so we more or less had the donkeys all to ourselves! Dan was in his element - he hasn't been before.

We also have love in the air in our house (apart from Dan and I, of course) - we had previously bought two angel fish -  however Scully met a sticky end quite quickly leaving Mulder all alone. He has been fine but they are meant to be kept in pairs, and I finally put my foot down on the issue yesterday. Cue new angel fish Pumpkin - and it was a successful match! Mulder adores her and follows her everywhere. I am sure he was happy before, but he seems even happier now. And Pumpkin gets to live in our giant tank, which must be nice!

So, the week off is nearly at a close. I am back at work tomorrow and I am actually quite looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back into my usual routine (holiday routine seems to involve a rather erratic sleeping pattern).

I am sure this week will drag by though, waiting for the car to be ready to collect on Saturday. Then watch out - I will be let loose on the roads!!

xx

Sunday, 31st August 2014

Ooooh its been over a month... sorry about that!

Today has been an exciting day though, I need to share. Today I opened my Etsy shop!

I have just put a few of the frames I made on to start with, and I need to work on the search terms so that the items come up through the Etsy search engine, but it is so exciting! Feels really weird to see my stuff for sale on a website. Even though I put it there!

The link to my Etsy shop is:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheWonkyCog

I have been making loads of frames recently to get prepared for the Honiton Craft Fair, which I am doing with mum and dad :D. It has given me a chance to play around with different colour threads and fabrics, and there is LITERALLY nothing more fun than hunting in charity shops for frames. Even if they don't sell, I have had so much fun it will have all been worth it!

Another exciting event today - it was Cheese Hamwich time! I did an order on the Iceland website because I got a PayPal voucher for £10 off, so I wanted to fill up the freezer. I came across these things while I was ordering and they looked so weird I just had to try them:

Well, now I have eaten them, and the results are in. They are kind of what you expect them to be - the centre is basically Spam and remains neon pink throughout the cooking process. The cheese has some supernatural quality which prevents it from melting in a 200 degree oven. The breadcrumbs are definitely not golden and the entire thing leaks grease. However, sometimes you just need to eat some filth. I can honestly say this is one of the filthiest things I have ever eaten and I simply cannot bring myself to look at the nutritional information... 

I have to admit it, it was ok in a sort of 'kebab at 2am/eating cake mixture even though it has raw egg in it/I really know I shouldn't be eating this' kind of way.

Dan is yet to experience this but he is very excited about it so I hope he is in the mood for cheese flavour gristle when he gets home from work...

Anyway, now my curiosity has been sated I can move on. I have set myself a new challenge to improve my cooking - I want to go from 'fairly good' to 'really good'. Over the weekend I made shortcrust pastry and then a quiche, which I was very pleased with. I learnt to make gnocchi from scratch last week so tomorrow I will be improving on that and also making my own pesto. 

Ugh the neighbour has got his guitar out. Why is it just me that finds music cringey and annoying? Especially the 'I am opening my window just as I start playing so that all of the neighbours can think how amazing I am until at least midnight' sort of music!!!!

I think I had better get back to my knitting...

K xxx

Saturday, 19th July 2014

What a week! Work has been challenging... the less said about that the better! But it has been a good week overall. 

Went to Zizzi on Monday for the first time and was very pleased to see they have loads of stuff on their menu marked as 'under 600 calories'. Perfect for my diet! I definitely ruined it with all the wine I drank before, during and after though. 

I didn't have a late night, but there was an interesting development. Apparently, at 27, I have started sleepwalking. A few weeks ago I woke up to find myself sitting on the loo - I am clearly quite practical in my sleep, and I am glad of that fact - any mistakes could have been a bit messy. This time, however, I nearly ended up half naked and locked out of my house. It was a very hot night and I was more than a little tipsy. When in such a state I tend to be quite... minimalistic about what I wear to bed. In other words, I was just in my pants. I woke up standing in a corner with two walls in front of me. Assuming my childhood fear of being kidnapped had been realised (I guess I never quite let go of that one) I panicked, before I discovered one of the walls was the FRONT DOOR! If I had managed to open that... it doesn't bear thinking about. Dan wasn't even home! 

I also had my automatic driving lesson this week. Following this, I think anyone who drives a manual car is just a glutton for punishment. I am kicking myself because when I started my lessons I had wanted to do so in an automatic but was told no,no,no... well I love it. Its like a go-kart. I think I can actually pass my test in this thing. Why oh Why anyone would faff about with a douchebag gearstick if you can get a car that does it for you, enabling you to concentrate on everything else, I will never understand! I don't care how much more expensive it is to get a nice car and insure it, I am completely converted.

The Wonky Cog - The Business looks like it is about to be more than just an idea as well. A colleague and I are going to set up an Etsy business together and work out of her garage - if her idiot housemate gets rid of his punchbag, that is. Either way, it is really exciting. Watch this space :)

xxx

Sunday, 13th July 2014

Uuuugh I am so embarrassed! Sitting here this morning watching Big Brother (the only way to start a Sunday) and we hear a lot of swearing in the garden. It is the neighbour, attempting to take his dog for a walk and being ambushed by the cat. Muddles lies in wait in a shrub for the dog to walk past and then pounces, this is a frequent event. Sounds of growling, scuffling and the cat's bell float through the window. The neighbour seems to be just as annoyed with the dog as he is with the cat and drags the dog out of the fight. Dan and I freeze on the sofa, open mouthed at each other, not sure what to do. We then crack up laughing as the neighbour moves out of earshot.

Part of me is mortified - the exact quote from the neighbour is 'For f$%£#s sake, you two, don't START!', so clearly this is a routine that he is becoming sick and tired of. Part of me is secretly pleased, because this is the same neighbour whose social life frequently wakes us up in the middle of the night and whose friends stand right next to our bedroom window to have lengthy conversations at 2 in the morning about how best to 'bag' a female member of their group. I feel as though Muddles, perhaps also disgusted with these conversations, is getting revenge on behalf of the family. However, I suspect his motivations may not be so selfless - once the dog has left he re-focuses his attention on the blackbirds that he has been winding up all morning, and their incessant warning calls fill the air.

However, I do have good news. I passed my uni exam! That's four years down, two to go. Definitely on the downward slope now. Time for some pink fizz! 

Also, Slim-Fast is AWESOME! Sorry Kayla, you were wrong on this one! I lost 5 pounds in one week. I know that it will probably settle out to a couple of pounds a week now, you often get a bumper weight loss in the first week with this sort of diet. But its a great start and has meant I am down to the lightest I have been in about a year. 

The allotment awaits - the recent weather has been good for the plants, but unfortunately that includes the weeds, and we have more bindweed than anything else at the moment. Not for long - we are launching an offensive today!

xxx

Monday, 7th July 2014

Sooo..., I know, I have been rubbish! No posts for a month! But fear not - I am back :)

I have been busy being a little miss fancy-pants becoming a regular at the Royal Clarence. Three times in a week! We went to the cafe for lunch for my sister's birthday (best chips EVER but the salad was weird and hard to eat!), cocktails with my dad on a whim after a curry (expensive but damn good!) and for afternoon tea, which was my present to my mum and sister for their birthdays.

The afternoon tea was the best. What an amazing experience! There was enough food for at least 6 people (although I had no problem pulling my weight when it came to clearing the plates) and it was all incredible. The sandwiches were superb and the scones were lovely, but the crowning glory had to be the little fruit tarts on the cake platter. I could have eaten about ten of those! 

When it comes to that place, you really do get what you pay for. I probably wont set foot in there for some time, my purse can't handle it, but it has been great! And lovely to spend some time with the family as well.

Another night out tonight - I FINALLY went to Tyepyedong with some friends. I have been meaning to go there since I moved to Exeter nearly 10 years ago! I was not dissapointed - like a more authentic Wagamamas. All tasted really fresh, I had a large bowl of noodle soup and it was filled with little treats and surprises. I was undignified and slurped the noodles and made a mess. Definitely somewhere to visit again - very good value for money at £9 for a main course.

On the driving front, test number two was another FAIL, possibly worse than the first attempt! My feet were shaking and I made stupid mistakes! I didn't know your feet could shake! I have a theory that the nerves are causing me to lose clutch control and any sense of what gear I am in. Time for a fresh set of eyes on this - I am currently waiting for a call back from an instructor who teaches in an automatic. I was worried it was a cop-out until I had a really good chat with my dad who was very supportive and made me feel a lot better about my gut instinct on this one. Watch this space!

In other news, I started a Slim-Fast diet today. I haven't been hungry all day so it definitely keeps you full! A lady I speak to in our warehouse has said it doesn't work (after I had spent £20 on a week's worth of stuff!!) so I am determined to prove her wrong, and to make sure I am not the fatty at the Christmas party this year. It is already July! I need to pull my socks up.

Also, I received my new book today. Time to better myself! 

xxx

Saturday, 7th June 2014

Yesterday was a very exciting day!! Dan and I went to buy some algae killing stuff in the aquatics shop (£7) and ended up spending £600 on a fish tank!

Richard's Aquatics is an awesome shop, and a trip there to buy fish tank equipment always takes at least half an hour because there is so much cool stuff to look at. We only popped in there on a whim because we had run out of anti-chlorine stuff for the tank - so glad we did! They have just bought a whole load of new tanks for the shop (one of them cost them £4k, so god knows how much they will sell that for, but it looks like something out of the future) so they need to get rid of some of the older ones. 

£600 might sound like a lot of money for a fish tank, but it is worth at least double that, and it came with two external filters which would usually have been about £250 on top of the price of the tank, and all the lights, heaters and sand which are expensive too. And it is HUGE!! 4ft x 2ft with a storage cabinet.

So this will be a new home for the tropical fish (Manaus is going to get to about 40cm long so this will be much better for him) and the goldfish are going to be moved into the existing tropical tank, which will become a cold-water tank. It will be like a goldfish mansion! You think they are massive now, Dad...

We will also be able to get a few new family members, there will be plenty of room for more fish. It is being delivered (for free!) on Wednesday, and then we will think about what we want to add. Watch this space!

The jury is still out regarding the little tank the goldfish are currently in - it is pretty ancient so needs some TLC but I am currently campaigning to turn it into an amphibious tank so I can get a turtle! 

We felt very frivolous, but its not like we do things like this very often. We have gone from a little goldfish tank to two massive tropical tanks in the space of 6 months. Looks like we have a new hobby!

Upon returning home, more exciting news! Not only has Big Brother returned (I refuse to apologise for still loving this show!) but so has CSI! I love you Ted Danson!!!

I even had a choc ice. What more can a girl ask for :)

xx

Thursday, 5th June 2014

That is IT!!! I will from now on live an existence of closed windows. I decided to be brave today and left them open and now on going to bed (alone in the house, naturally) have discovered a spider so big i can see its eyes moving around!! Well, practically. There is also a sizeable moth lurking on the ceiling where I cant reach, having evaded my attempts to put it outside earlier...I was trying to help, moth! I am sure you dont want to be stuck behind a wardrobe all night! The cat, great hunter that he is, has been far too busy attacking the laundry basket to be of any help. Ugh! I am trying so hard not to hate the summer this year but all I am thinking now is roll on freezing temperatures!!!! 

xx

Wednesday, 4th June 2014

The exam is OVER!!! It was so nice to wake up this morning with no work, no driving and no uni... cant remember the last time that happened.

I think it went well, I was able to come up with some fairly respectable answers, so I am really happy. I am so relieved - once again I have revised halfheartedly and fortunately have been revising exactly the right thing! Celebrated with  a cheese and salt & vinegar crisp sandwich!

Now just to worry about the driving test next Friday. I have quite a few lessons between now and then but the last test was the most terrifying 45 minutes of my life so I am going to dread it no matter how ready I feel. 

I kind of feel a bit lost now - what do I do with myself? I think this house is going to get a good clean today - predictably Dan has retreated to the library as I am on holiday (God forbid his schedule is disrupted!) so it can be a nice surprise for him when he gets home!

xx

Sunday, 25th May 2014

No allotment for me today - I need to revise my socks off. My exam is in just over a week and I am SO unprepared! I always feel like that, but this year I have really brought it close to the wire. Still, that offers me plenty of opportunity to procrastinate and update the blog :)

We had a fantastic night last night, we had dinner out and then the theatre. That is the third night out we have had this month - I think Dan might be 'dated-out' for a while now!

The dinner was the Curry Leaf in Exeter and it was absolutely stunning. It had been recommended to me, or I would have walked straight past, but the food was incredible - the chef used to work in a Michelin Star kitchen, apparently!

It is South Indian cuisine so although the good old Tikka Masala is on the menu, they specialise in traditional South Indian food. We decided to be adventurous and tried something called a Dosa - I am so glad we did! It is a special pancake made with lentil flour and filled with potato curry - there are different versions so I ordered lamb. It comes with coconut chutney and a vegetable stew (I have now tried okra, box ticked). 

One of the best meals out I can remember and pretty reasonable - £30 for two people including starters,mains and drinks.

The theatre was also good, it was a Grand Guignol production by Exeter Alternative Theatre. They put these on a few times a year and we always try to go, as it is a really unusual evening out! It wasn't as good as some of their efforts but still a great night. Looking forward to their Halloween production - that's always the blockbuster!

Dan is beside himself with joy because the new library has now opened and so his happy Saturday routine can resume. He is also extremely excited because they are open on Sundays! Unfortunately I have about £40 worth of fines sitting on my account so I feel as though if I walk in there I will have a neon flashing sign above my head saying 'DEBT' so it looks like the sofa for me and my revision. Which I need to get back to. Ugh.

xxx

Sunday, May 18th 2014

What a lovely weekend we have had! The sun had his hat on again today and I am looking a little rosy-cheeked - I did remember sun cream this time though!

We went up to the plot and did some weeding and watering, not much else needs doing but both those jobs take up far more time than you would imagine! Dan planted some tomatoes outside - we cant see that anyone else has done this, they are more of a greenhouse crop, but we know it is possible and as we don't have a greenhouse our options are limited! Hopefully they will do well, there is nothing quite like a home-grown tomato.

There are quite a few potatoes coming through and most of the plants which had been slug victims a few weeks ago have got themselves back on track again (with the exception of the poor old turnips). The slug pellets have worked very well but do have a side-effect I hadn't thought of - all the plants are surrounded by creepy slug and snail graveyards! Its a dog-eat-dog world on the allotment, those snails should have picked on someone else's spinach!

Other than that, this is one of the most cheerful times of year at the allotment because lots of things are in flower, so it looks really pretty. Strawberry flowers are everywhere (they seem to have their own rules and just appear spontaneously where you weren't even aware there was a plant) and the chamomile is unstoppable. There are also some gorgeous irises which have popped up out of nowhere and make the whole place look really exotic.

Combined with Dan's marvellous strimming efforts, the whole place looks very smart.

The essay is almost finished as well, so a successful day all round!

In other news, Manaus the catfish is doing neon orange poos... any ideas?

xxx

Saturday, 17th May 2014

We went to see The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe last night and it was really good! It was a production by Exeter College so I was a bit dubious, not really sure what to expect. 

Considering the fact they are still kids really, and they must have quite a small budget, it was amazing!!! A really good night out and it was completely packed so it looks like it was a success for them. We are going to the theatre again next weekend - check us out, we are so fancy!

Got home and my house stank of petrol! The strimmer had leaked, thankfully on some hessian sack in the 'allotment corner', but the smell was horrid! I was quite relived it was petrol though, when we walked in the door we thought we had a gas leak on our hands.

Today I am meant to be writing my assignment but keep procrastinating (which as we all know is totally out of character...) and even ended up having a conversation with the neighbour, an activity usually avoided at all costs (including doing a lap of the road if I see one of them entering the hallway before I do, small talk is the WORST). It was nice to sit in the garden and chat though, and she is really nice. The cat has already bonded with her and spent the whole time I was talking to her rolling around on his back trying to persuade someone to rub his tummy. Any friend of Muddles is a friend of mine, I guess.

I was forced into the garden by an ENORMOUS wasp in the front room. Dan is not in the house and I knew I should have closed the window but it felt ridiculous to do that when it is 20 degrees C outside! But as predicted an evildoer flew in and then went and hid behind the sofa where I couldn't find it. And I have to sit on the sofa to do my assignment! I stood wild eyed in the middle of the room holding a cup in one hand and a shoe in the other for at least five minutes (not sure how this whole situation was going to play out, I couldn't decide on a weapon). Then I decided I would just go and sit in the park for four hours until Dan came home (yes, that is perfectly sensible). Just as I was finding a solution to my hair (straigteners being located exactly where the wasp had last been seen) it flew back onto the curtain so I was able to remove it with the cup (shoe was not needed after all). I was shaking so much afterwards and my pupils were like little dots, I had been so scared!! I had to go and sit in the garden with a cup of tea. 

Needless to say, the window is now FIRMLY closed and will remain that way until the wasps die off in the Autumn. I am still slightly paranoid that the wasp on the curtain was a different wasp to the one that flew behind the sofa, but I am going to have to try and put that out of my mind...

I guess now that has been resolved I really do have to do my assignment!!

xx

Wednesday, May 14th 2014

So, the driving test was a terrifying failure but at least I know what to expect now! I also know how much I still hate roundabouts. Signal, people!!!

I will not be defeated in this, either. More lessons to follow and a new test... on Friday the 13th!!! Eeek!!

In other news, the hotly anticipated before and after photos of the bath are now available for your viewing pleasure. I love this new bath so much, I have spent many hours 'Radox-ing' and reading in the bath. Showers are out of fashion in this house, it's all about the bubble bath! When we had a bath before the bubbles used to confuse the heck out of the cat (is it a surface?... no... ooh, its crackling! attack!... ugh!ugh! WET!!!), so I am looking forward to seeing that again :-)

So here they are... didnt realise how minging the old tiles were until I saw the new ones!

Before... look how short this is!! Blue dot on the bath enamel is the result of 'The Incident'

The culprit... ewww!

After...much better! Much longer, too!

Ahhh... BEAUTIFUL!!

So now it is on to some serious Uni cramming... I am so behind I dont want to think about it too much. I am sure there is room in my brain somewhere for more information...

xx

Saturday, 10th May 2014

I think I am finally getting it! I just need to work on my gear changes but I feel a lot more confident in the car now.

I had a bit of a meltdown last night, which Dan dealt with admirably, because I felt like I was never going to get the hang of this driving malarkey. I am still very skeptical that I will be ready to pass a driving test on Tuesday, but Andy says I am at a 'tipping point' and any moment now I will just drive around perfectly without needing any help. Maybe Monday will be the day!

I now have a day off tomorrow, which is a blessing and a curse - I really need the rest but I also could do with more lesson time! I think I will have to pretend O.U. doesn't exist though, I cant take any more information into my brain!

xx

Wednesday, 7th May 2014

I HATE roundabouts!!! Why does Exeter have to have so many!!!!

I can parallel park though :). Another exhausting day.

I have also found out about residents parking, and nearly fallen out with Dan as a result (he was right, unfortunately, so now I must eat humble pie). What a farce! The County Council website tells me there is nothing available for my address. When I call them I get messages saying 'it will take at least 5 minutes to answer your call' (spousal argument occurred at this point).

When I do get through they tell me the County Council deals with parking on the road, and the City Council deals with parking in car parks (ugh), so I must call the City Council. 

So I call the City Council and the switchboard man puts me through to the Council Tax lady (apparently she 'knows about' parking). When she gets to the phone she is cross with  me because she deals with Council Tax not parking (I am tempted to refer her back to the switchboard man at this point, but bite my tongue). 

Eventually I did get through to the parking lady who was very nice and reassured me that if there isn't space in the minuscule car park down the road, the permit is valid elsewhere. For over £100 a year, mind you!

Why did that have to be so hard!!??!!

However on the up side this means I am not so desperate to move house, as I will not spend half my evening waiting for Stage-By-Stage parents to remove their 4x4's from the car park, I can just park somewhere else. 

Dan is over the moon because it means he doesn't have to attend any viewings or have any more moving-house conversations for the foreseeable future.

How stressful! I have eaten loads of biscuits now!

Time for a Mohito :)

xx

Tuesday, 6th May

I am utterly knackered! The driving course started today and I was driving non-stop for four hours. I feel brain-dead and my knee is killing me!

I am quite pleased with how far I have come - I was driving around some pretty nasty roundabouts and I drove myself home - but it can be so bewildering. 

If I am in a position to pass a driving test in a week's time I will be astonished. We will have to see I guess!

I came home to a new bath though! The 'renovation' in the bathroom has made progress. Poor Dan has had to listen to tiles being chiseled off the wall for the last six hours. He is also cross with the upstairs neighbour - they have had their extractor fan on all day and it is really loud in our house because the plumber took ours out of the wall. I have just gone in there now and my best cushion has been surreptitiously stuffed in the hole! 

Now the plumber has gone and I have sent Dan off on a mission to get pasta and chocolate. I need fuel!!

xxx

Sunday, 4th May, 2014

Today's tale is one of destruction and misery. The Evil Slugs have eaten all our new plants! How depressing! All my spring onions, spinach, turnips and radishes have been mercilessly munched. And my Atomic Red carrots! Dan is very distressed because the same fate has befallen his courgettes, for the second year in a row. Our veggies are too tasty for their own good!

Poor Courgettes :-(

This does sum up allotmenteering, in a way. It has to be a labor of love or everyone would give up! It is not all sunny days and lush vegetation and butterflies and Peter Rabbit. It is cold and wet, it is muddy, it is exhausting and it is EXPENSIVE. And it is very often fruitless. But for some reason, we still love it! 

I am slightly reassured by grumblings from our neighbor Alan, a 40 year veteran gardener, that all his peas have been dug up and eaten by some (surprisingly savvy) mice. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.

But anyway. We will not be deterred! I have now replanted all my spring onions, spinach and radishes. Unfortunately all of the Atomic Red carrot seeds have been used (although there are a couple of shoots left, so we might get one or two!). We have instead planted some super-cute Paris Market carrots:

They are ROUND CARROTS!!

So we are back on track, hopefully. One good thing that has come out of this is that Dan has now agreed to use slug pellets (we had been determined to grow completely organically, but this is now WAR!), so we have taken great pleasure in sprinkling them everywhere we can think of.

Round Two, Evil Slugs!!

There is good news on the plot, as well. Dan has now strimmed most of the grass so we no longer hold the shameful title of 'third most overgrown'. It looks great, actually, much bigger! There was some rhubarb ready to come out so I can make something nice and unhealthy with that :-D. Dan found a frog (we may be adults but that can still make our whole day). There are tons of strawberry flowers.And one of my best allotment moments so far - my first apple blossom!

Check out the photo! Love my new camera!

Equilibrium has been restored!

On Monday my driving course begins.... watch out, Exeter, here I come!!

xx