tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26021195947613451742023-07-18T05:55:19.797+01:00Jungle NoisesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-56695289543366504862013-10-11T20:31:00.003+01:002013-10-11T20:31:38.375+01:00New Etsy shop (and job)Blimey, I forgot how tiring full-time work is! After 3 years at university, I am unused to having to be awake, alert and upright for long periods at a time. I even wrote most of my essays in a semi-horizontal position on my bed - I hate sitting at desks. But I now have a job in a haberdashery and sewing machine shop, so I am on my feet all day and seem to be spending my evenings curled up on the sofa in my dressing gown (we are being stingy and avoiding putting the heating on) with dreadful TV or the Dickens that I'm wading through ever so slowly.<br />
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My other big(ish) news aside from the job is that I've finally decided to start selling some of my drawings on Etsy, to compensate for the sluggish evenings. There are only a few on there right now, but I will be adding to them as and when I can (I can only photograph them on my days off, as the light is too bad in the evenings). I find them to be really soothing to draw, and satisfying as they don't take too long before they start coming together and getting to a stage where I'm pleased with them. I'm selling them unframed to begin with, but I think I will look into framing them when I get a chance.<br />
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Here's a selection of works that can be found at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/junglenoises">www.etsy.com/shop/junglenoises</a>.<br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlRfZABWgK4" target="_blank">'Neighborhood 2 (Laïka)'</a> - Arcade FireAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-63063697170004098242013-09-18T13:55:00.001+01:002013-09-18T13:55:14.110+01:00Baking and drawing to keep the cold at bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is no doubt that winter is coming. Although today isn't too cold, the last few days have featured a bitter wind which was quite a shock when I ventured out on Monday morning. I was actually a little annoyed, as I always like an excuse to wear a coat, but not realising how much the temperature had dropped, I was forced to shiver in my definitely-at-its-best-in-warmer-weather trench coat. Still, I won't be caught out again: soon I'll be living in coats 24/7, which is a rather exciting prospect. Despite seeming to feel the cold more than the average person, I think I am at heart a winter baby. Give me an open fire, something hot in the oven and a project to keep my hands occupied, and I'm happy.<br />
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Sadly the open fire will have to wait a few years: our flat boasts two fireplaces, but neither of them is functioning and our landlord has expressly told us not to attempt to light a fire in either of them.<br />
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As to hot things in ovens, my latest attempt to get better at baking was this banana and chocolate loaf.<br />
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It's a Nigel Slater recipe (available <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/black_banana_cake_52982" target="_blank">here</a> - I followed it pretty much to the letter, except I omitted the hazelnuts as I didn't have any) and not only did it take care of the past their best bananas in the fruit bowl, it was always pretty good, and just what I wanted at the time. I like cakes with fruit in as it keeps them moist and they seem to last a bit longer than a usual sponge. The chocolate was a good addition too, I used half a bar of dark chocolate and cut it up into little chunks. Best of all though, I made two and the other one is sitting in the freezer ready for another day when I fancy a slice of cake with my tea (not sure how well cake freezes, but I'm sure it'll be fine, right?)</div>
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And for a project, I've done a few more drawings recently, trying to add to my creatures wall which is growing on the chimney breast opposite my bed. I don't know what it is exactly, but I find these simple black biro drawings so satisfying both to draw and to look at. Here's the latest addition:</div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Zz4VTNwzw" target="_blank">'Loose Ends' </a>- Imogen HeapAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-86208832904300359472013-09-12T16:33:00.001+01:002013-09-12T16:34:47.908+01:00Where has the summer gone?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking ranunculus tubers before planting. They are just starting to sprout and if they make it through the winter I'll have beautiful dark purple-puce blooms.<br />
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So there's a chicken tikka puttering away on the stove and I'm drinking redbush tea, sewing, re-watching Downton Abbey and awaiting responses from my latest batch of job applications. It's a funny thing, I officially finished uni at the end of June so I have been unemployed for the best part of three months, but the time has flown by! My summer has been filled with flathunting, moving to a new city, getting settled in our new place and a few other projects I've busied myself with, but mostly it's been a time of lie-ins, bad TV, eBaying and endless trips to Wilkinsons for paint and screws and seeds. I know that real life is going to have to begin again soon in earnest (preferably before our money runs out) but I'm kind of strangely content for a bit longer. Plus I have big plans for some cushion covers, a wallhanging, birthday presents (October is a busy month for birthdays) and, eventually, a little Etsy business.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling nostalgic and making pimped up cornflake cakes - the cashews and chewy raspberry sweets were tasty and suitably childish additions!</td></tr>
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5DVpuI1a6o" target="_blank">The Conference</a>' - Nitin SawhneyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-53705677016492780392013-09-06T19:47:00.001+01:002013-09-06T20:02:42.575+01:00An evening of poetryJust wanted to share this photo first - I took it at Glastonbury Festival this year. The tightrope was stretched across one of the smaller fields, so he was walking, pretty casually, over a field of people, barely even stopping or adjusting his balance.<br />
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Last night, I went to a poetry reading by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and another poet that I had heard of but not read anything by, Ann Gray. It was at the Phoenix in Exeter which is a really good venue and seems to have something going on almost every night (it also hosts the Make, Do and Mend group that I went to earlier this week).<br />
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I wasn't very keen on Ann Gray's poetry, and she had a particular way of reading that made every poem sound the same, but I did like a lot of the themes she wrote about. But a lot of her imagery wasn't pushed far enough for me, I felt it was often a little too easy.<br />
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Duffy's poetry, on the other, was really good, and despite not exactly having the most musical voice, she read really well (not surprising, as she is constantly touring the country giving readings). What struck me most I think was the way she works rhyme into her poems without it being too obvious, but it (especially when read aloud) really works because it provides the ear with something to hang onto and you find yourself waiting for the next similar sound which drives each poem on perfectly. She mostly read from her 1999 collection 'The World's Wife', where she retells famous stories from the point of view of the hero's wife - she read ones about Mrs. Faustus, Mrs. Midas, Mrs. Darwin, Anne Hathaway and Mrs Tiresias. I particularly liked 'Mrs. Darwin', and it's short so I'll share it here (from <a href="http://universification.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/mrs-darwin-carol-ann-duffy/" target="_blank">here</a>):<br />
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Mrs. Darwin<br />
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<i>7 April 1852.</i><br />
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Went to the Zoo.<br />
I said to Him -<br />
Something about that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of you.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And although she didn't read this one, it's one that I really like, so I thought I'd share it too (from <a href="http://bigreaders.myfastforum.org/archive/-and-quotwarming-her-pearls-and-quot-by-carol-ann-duffy__o_t__t_301.html" target="_blank">here</a>):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Warming Her Pearls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>for Judith Radstone</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Next to my own skin, her pearls. My mistress</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">bids me wear them, warm them, until evening</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">when I'll brush her hair. At six, I place them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">round her cool, white throat. All day I'll think of her,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">resting in the Yellow Room, contemplating silk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">or taffeta, which gown tonight? She fans herself</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">whilst I work willingly, my slow heat entering</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">each pearl. Slack on my neck, her rope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She's beautiful. I dream about her</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">in my attic bed; picture her dancing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">with tall men, puzzled by my faint, persistent scent</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">beneath her French perfume, her milky stones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I dust her shoulders with a rabbit's foot,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">watch the soft blush seep through her skin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">like an indolent sigh. In her looking-glass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">my red lips part as though I want to speak.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Full moon. Her carriage brings her home. I see</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">her every movement in my head... Undressing,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">taking off her jewels, her slim hand reaching</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">for the case, slipping naked into bed, the way</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">she always does... And I lie here awake,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">knowing the pearls are cooling even now</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">in the room where my mistress sleeps. All night</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel their absence and I burn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think one of the reasons I like the second one is because it reminds me of the novel <i>Fingersmith</i> by Sarah Waters. In it, a maid and her mistress have a similar relationship to those in the poem (they go even further in fact, and actually have a lesbian affair). I just think the string of pearls is a lovely fleshy metaphor and of course pearls are valuable and a maid caught wearing a string of them would probably be sacked for stealing. Oh, also, for anyone that likes novels with unexpected twists, I definitely recommend <i>Fingersmith</i> - there is a HUGE surprise about halfway through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are a couple of stills from the TV series that was made of <i>Fingersmith</i> a few years ago. Also worth a watch - Sally Hawkins is a great actress and it's pretty faithful to the book.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from <a href="http://therainbowuniverse.blogspot.co.uk/2011_11_01_archive.html">http://therainbowuniverse.blogspot.co.uk/2011_11_01_archive.html</a></td></tr>
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Bit of a rambly post, this one. Oh well, we can't all be concise all of the time. Happy Friday everyone!</div>
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwQuZp7sl4Q" target="_blank">Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl'</a> - Broken Social Scene</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-33123747085028765572013-09-02T18:23:00.000+01:002013-09-02T18:23:34.370+01:00One chicken, four meals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week, in an effort to save a bit of money on our weekly shop, we bought a whole chicken, as it was cheaper than buying four breasts. We also got a lot more meals out of it than we would just buying the breasts and I always think the meat has more flavour when roasted. Sure, chicken gets a little boring meal after meal, but we are on a tight budget at the moment and actually we did pretty well in getting a good variety of dinners out of it.</div>
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Here's the roasted bird. I just kept it simple with some butter, a little oil, lots of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of oregano (we're obsessed with oregano at the moment).</div>
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On the first night I made fajitas. I have to admit straight away that I never really make fajitas authentically, and usually they include anything I need to use up in the fridge. This time I fried onion and garlic, added the chicken, some paprika, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper, then when the spices were cooked, some kidney beans and passata were added to make the bulk of the filling. Then I squeezed some lime and grated the lime zest into a small pot of natural yoghurt as we had no sour cream and topped with diced cucumber and tomato for crunch and lots of fresh coriander. Oh, and cheese, of course, lots of cheese. To go with the wraps themselves, I roasted a sweetcorn for each of us.</div>
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The second day, I made a curry. I will admit that we bought a jar of curry sauce, and it really wasn't great, plus it was the odd brown colour you can see above. But it certainly wasn't terrible, and with lots of vegetables, some chopped coriander and a naan bread on the side, I couldn't exactly complain. I just won't buy that jar again.</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/stirfryx2_zps4a2ceaac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/stirfryx2_zps4a2ceaac.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Day three was stir fry. We buy a pack of stir-fry veg most weeks, as it saves a lot on chopping, which I quite enjoy most of the time, but it's handy to have something in the fridge that's healthy and doesn't take too long, for those nights when we don't feel so much like cooking. Shane actually cooked this meal for me. To the pack of veg he added some shredded chicken, fresh garlic, chilli and coriander and a few cashew nuts and served it with sweet-and-sour sauce and thin egg noodles.</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/pastax2_zps94641b76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/pastax2_zps94641b76.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, and this was really using up the last few scraps of chicken, I made a hearty bowl of pasta in a creamy sauce. I sliced up some mushrooms, onions and runner beans that my dad gave me (odd present, granted) and made the sauce with some leftover cream, a few sage leaves from the garden and a lot of Parmesan cheese. I like conchiglie-style pasta with creamy sauces, as the sauce snuggles inside each pasta shell and coats them evenly. Yum!</div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfvU4_j0Mk0" target="_blank">'Keep the Car Running'</a> - Arcade FireAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-88505010255172057242013-08-31T16:51:00.001+01:002013-08-31T16:51:30.138+01:00A walk in the woodsThese photos were taken in the woods at the end of the village that I grew up in, in Somerset. They're a very special place; I used to walk almost everyday in the wood with my parents and the dog (not the dog in the photo - he's far too young!) For my degree dissertation, I wrote a collection of poetry about the wood, and I just wanted to share some of its secrets on here too.<br />
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This handsome canine is my parents' dog, Gussie. He's a nine-year-old lurcher-collie cross, but he still acts like a puppy, and he's really clumsy. He's also the most good-natured dog I've ever met. And he can't do the same thing with both ears - one sticks up and one falls to the side, all the time.<br />
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This round stone structure covered in moss and ivy through the trees here is called a Buddle House. I believe it used to be used in the production of lime from limestone, but I'm not exactly sure how or when this was. When I was younger it always felt really dangerous walking around the top because it was stony and uneven and it felt like a long way to fall. The doorway was never a problem for us when I was a child, but now I realise how small it is - I have to duck and I'm only 5'3".<br />
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There's something sad about seeing these branches piled on the floor and still green, but actually there's been a lot of felling and clearing in the last year or two and you can see the benefit of it. New plants are starting to grow where the trees would have shaded them too much from the sun, and the trees that are left have space to grow and flourish.<br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PejIAZB1iTE" target="_blank">'It Could Be Sweet'</a> - PortisheadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-50116525194267582262013-08-28T17:07:00.004+01:002013-08-28T21:01:36.259+01:00Instant map artA little while ago, when I was sorting through all my things before moving out of my university house, I came across an Ordnance Survey map of Truro and the surrounding area (I went to uni in Falmouth, about 20 minutes from Truro). I seem to remember my Dad bought it hoping to come and visit me and do a lot of long coastal walks. We never got around to that, but I didn't want to throw the map away, so I kept it. I love maps (although I cannot for the life of me actually use one - it is a big failing of mine, this inability to navigate), and on my degree course we talked a lot about mapping, and how writers attempt to map places with words. Jorge Luis Borges wrote a very short story about a place where the people's desire for exactitude in mapping meant that only a map with the scale 1 mile : 1 mile would suffice. It's kind of a joke (and also, having just Googled it, has some deeper Postmodernist meaning that obviously passed me by) but it does raise questions about what cartographers emphasise and leave out. Old mapmakers used to literally make more important places bigger, and little-explored places became just vague outlines. Plus, I love that another name for the Key of a map is a Legend. I think it's a nice link back to human history and the oral tradition of storytelling.<br />
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Anyway, I decided to cut my map up and frame the area of Falmouth, including the road where I lived for three years, and put it up in my new house as a little reminder of my time there. I had an old frame, so I just cut the map down, positioned it how I wanted it and folded the edges so it fitted snugly in the frame. Then I strengthened it with a piece of cardboard at the back and attached a piece of wire so that it could be hung up.<br />
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And voilà! An easy way of turning a map into a piece of artwork, and making use of it at the same time. I don't like pictures behind glass because the reflections get in the way for me, so I just left this open. I also like the textures from where the map is supposed to be folded.<br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AEoUa0Hlso" target="_blank">'Suddenly I See'</a> - KT TunstallAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-33176371265571608612013-08-25T21:00:00.001+01:002013-08-25T21:00:12.255+01:00Birthday cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After a week of eating heathily, I have well and truly indulged today, after a visit from my parents, an Italian meal out, apple and blackberry crumble and a chocolate fudge cake my mum brought us! Still, I think after all my effort painting the living room and tidying these last few days, a treat was in order. Although that thought isn't really making me feel any less bloated.</div>
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A week or so ago, I made these cookies for Shane's birthday, as he's not a huge fan of cake (but he is a huge fan of chocolate). I'm not much of a baker, and whenever I've made cookies before they haven't worked out very well, but these I was pretty pleased with; they were the right balance between chewy but not undercooked.</div>
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I got the recipe from the BBC GoodFood website <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6052/-chocolate-chip-cookies" target="_blank">here</a>, but I changed it by making up the mixture without the cocoa powder first, baking come chocolate chip ones, then adding the cocoa (halving the amount as it was only half the mixture) and baking the double chocolate chip ones after, so I had two different types of cookie. I also used chocolate chips <i>and</i> chunks, just to make it a bit more interesting and so that some bites were chocolate-ier than others. Also, I would say the recipe definitely makes more than 15, as it says on the website. If I remember rightly, there were at least 25, but they didn't really hang around long enough for me to count them!</div>
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I put the cookies, along with a few other little presents, in a picnic basket we have in the kitchen. Then I wrote out clues which were Radiohead lyrics with words missing and hid them around our flat, so he had to know the word and that would lead him to the next part of the flat and the next clue, like an Easter egg hunt, but with a basket of cookies at the end instead of an egg. I think mostly he was annoyed that I woke him up too early, but he seemed to like it in the end :-)</div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7fd8uQles" target="_blank">'The Rip Tide'</a> - Beirut </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-67341304356328026272013-08-23T13:08:00.004+01:002013-08-23T13:08:51.602+01:00Urban birdwatchingWe've gone crazy and painted everything possible in our living room white. The space looks much better and the windows look incredible now, but I am nursing a gloss-paint-induced headache and an aching arm. I love painting, but I hate the stage about two thirds through when you really want to stop but you can't because all of your belongings are piled up in odd places and the sofa has all your books on it so you can't sit down anyway. And so you tell yourself that if you keep going it won't really take <i>that</i> much longer, just a few more hours...<br />
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Anyway, on an entirely different note, a few days ago I thought it would be interesting to see how many different bird species I could find purely by looking on the rooftops directly behind my back garden, here:<br />
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Sadly, any birds that linger long enough for me to actually take a picture are the most ordinary birds ever: one grumpy crow, some angsty baby seagulls that can't fly and their mother who seems to feel obliged to stay with them but is growing more and more frustrated by their lack of flying ability.</div>
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Maybe the next couple of days will prove more fruitful...<br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk-A-I-T2NU" target="_blank">'One Life Stand'</a> - Hot ChipAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-84057189923220200672013-08-19T22:19:00.002+01:002013-08-19T22:21:56.571+01:00Simple supper: chicken with beans and greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Shane and I are on a health kick. Not for any great reason and (probably) not for very long, but we thought it would be a little challenge to see who can lose the most weight in a week. Yep, very responsible adult behaviour. Although it's unlikely I will lose anything more than a couple of pounds, and despite being pretty ravenous most of the time, it has been nice making a few different meals from usual and not relying quite so much on pasta.</div>
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Here's a quick example of a typical evening meal (two point to note: I am not really much of a recipe-follower, and I am also a big fan of the one-pan-meal):</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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chicken leg or 2 thighs per person</div>
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butter/oil</div>
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1 medium onion, chopped</div>
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2 cloves garlic, crushed</div>
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1 courgette, chopped</div>
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2 carrots, chopped</div>
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225g tin butter beans</div>
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approx 200ml passata</div>
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approx 200ml vegetable stock</div>
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salt and pepper</div>
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generous pinch of oregano</div>
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pinch of thyme</div>
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4 cabbage leaves, shredded</div>
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Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Rub the chicken with a little oil or butter and season well. Place on a baking tray and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through (to be honest I didn't time it exactly). You may need to baste the chicken in its cooking juices every so often to keep it moist. Fry the onions and garlic on a low heat, and add the other vegetables when the onions start to soften. After about 10 minutes, pour in the stock and passata, season and add herbs. Let this simmer for a while, then add the cabbage and, a couple of minutes before serving, the butter beans. Add more stock if the liquid is reducing too quickly.</div>
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Serve into bowls and add the cooked chicken on top.</div>
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The great thing about this meal is that you can substitute pretty much all of the ingredients for whatever you have in the fridge/cupboard. Perfect for using up past-its-best veg or the old tin of beans hiding on the back shelf. Use borlotti or kidney beans instead of butter beans, add kale or chard instead of cabbage, throw in some potatoes to bulk it out, shred some basil in at the end... Endless possibilities. These are the kind of meals I like.</div>
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And for dessert...</div>
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...natural yoghurt with vanilla and a swirl of our homemade blackberry coulis. </div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz3Yu6_Bt-Y" target="_blank">'Human'</a> - Goldfrapp</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-56329697288956029992013-08-17T13:25:00.002+01:002013-08-19T22:22:31.383+01:00Rainy grey weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After a pretty damn good day with my friend <a href="http://teaforbohemia.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jai</a> yesterday, and then a beautiful sunny evening, today is grey and drizzly. Shane is glued to the TV as the new football season starts and I have taken to my bed with a book and a cup of chai tea where I will probably stay for a good couple of hours. </div>
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One of my favourite parts about our new flat is the mantelpiece directly opposite our bed (the house is Victorian so there are fireplaces everywhere). On it, we've put: a string of fairy lights my parents gave me last Christmas; two frames of embroidery threads and buttons that my mum put together a while ago and donated to me as she didn't want them any longer; two traditional Swedish Dala horses that my aunt gave me when I visited her in Sweden; a jar of honeysuckle I picked from a hedge two days ago; an old IKEA clock that I love and have had for years and years and a small stone Buddha head that my old boss gave me as a leaving present.</div>
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Today I've switched the fairy lights on in an attempt to banish the gloom and from my position curled up on the bed I can see all these little things that remind me of various people, trips and events. I don't tend to hang on to possessions too much, but there is something comforting about having a few things that relate to specific times and places, especially when those things feel miles away or ages ago. Plus, of course, honeysuckle smells amazing :-)</div>
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMJkddvJ4L4" target="_blank">Wildest Moments'</a> - Jessie Ware<br />
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P.S. I really like the way the words 'rainy grey' sound together. Similar to a book I read once when I was about ten about a girl with a dog call Moody Blue.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-33183253249550274822013-08-13T14:35:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:22:55.112+01:00Mini adventures in the gardenI've had a busy weekend: we had a housewarming on Saturday, so the house has been full of people for the last few nights. We had a barbecue, ice creams at the quay, drinks in a pub garden, far too much to drink in the evening, football and cricket at the park (I was too hungover to participate), watched a lot of Planet Earth on Sunday and played a very long stocks and shares board game. A pretty good weekend on the whole, but now I am knackered and will probably end up curling up with a cup of tea and some terrible TV very soon.<br />
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Because of all our houseguests, I haven't had a chance to do much in the garden since moving in, but I have planted some herbs: coriander, basil and parsley to begin with. They've been sunning themselves outside for a while and today I noticed the first tiny shoots poking through. Can't wait for a few curries with coriander in a few weeks time, and maybe even some basil pesto! I've planted a bed of cornflowers too, which are also just starting out on their journeys. They won't bloom until the spring, but it'll be lovely to open the back door to a mass of blue and purple flowers when the time comes.<br />
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The courgettes that the previous tenants planted have gone crazy, despite me totally ignoring them. I picked these two enormous ones this morning, so I think it will have to be stuffed courgettes for dinner (or are they marrows by this point?) From the looks of the plants there are a few more to come too, so I will be whipping up my favourite creamy, garlicky, cheesy pasta with courgette ribbons in the next few days too. As this rate I'll have to start being far more imaginative with my courgette recipes!</div>
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Finally, this seems to be the year's last blossoming on our rose bush. I haven't the heart to pick it.</div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agVpq_XXRmU" target="_blank">'Fire'</a> - KasabianAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-39426003313326068212013-08-01T14:29:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:23:12.927+01:00Unofficial moving daySo today we go the keys for our new flat, although out tenancy doesn't start until Saturday. I was really looking forward to seeing it without the previous tenant's things in it, but actually without their furniture covering a lot of the walls and floor, I realised just how tatty the flat really is. It really needs a coat of paint and there's quite a lot of damp/mould in the bathroom and it just generally needs a lot of tidying. But after feeling a bit down about it for an hour or two, Shane has convinced me that we can make it nice and that it won't be forever, and so I'm going off to Wilkinsons in a second to get some white emulsion to make a start on some of the worst walls.<br />
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I snapped a few quick pictures while we were there. It's a very oddly laid out flat (it used to be two apparently, they must each have been tiny!) so we have a pointless sink in the bedroom and the shower is in the utility room next to the (non-existent as yet) washing machine. Luckily the horrible and enormous red leather three piece suite in the living room is being sold, so we will have room for our desks and our own smaller sofa.<br />
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The best thing is the outside area. The previous tenants put in some raised beds, so we can grow some veg (we have their onions and courgettes to harvest first) and there's plenty of space for pots and maybe a barbecue at some point. We took the flat mainly because of this space: the two places I lived before were second storey, and while they were both nice flats, it's so good to think that we've now got our own private patch of outside-ness whenever we want it. Hopefully it'll make up for some of the other annoyances (it seems as though our landlord will be forever popping in - never a good thing) especially if the sunny weather continues for a while longer.<br />
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I should have a few more pictures to show over the next couple of weeks or so, I have plenty of things I want to paint and sew to make it all a bit nicer. Wish me luck with the decorating!<br />
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhV3Ual2HGA" target="_blank">Take Another Little Piece of My Heart'</a> - Dusty Springfield<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-76912057171230007972013-07-28T22:45:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:23:25.618+01:00My weekend: 'Notes on a Scandal' and another sketchAfter a weekend spent doing very little and feeling fairly rubbishy, I'm forcing myself to write blog post with a couple of things I have done recently. I thought I'd do another book review and I'll try to keep it brief and not to give too much away.<br />
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Last week I got an enormous craving to read something new and as all my things - including my books - are packed away in boxes for the time being, I went off to join the library. I came back with a stack of books and proceeded to spend the next eight hours curled on my bed completely engrossed.<br />
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I read 'Notes on a Scandal' by Zoë Heller (yep, all in one evening) and actually I think it's possibly the first time I've preferred a film to a book. If you haven't seen the film, I really recommend it. Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are both fantastic in the lead roles, and it's one of those films that doesn't quite turn out as you'd expect.<br />
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The plot centres around Sheba, a schoolteacher who has an affair with one of her pupils, but told from the point of view of Barbara, Sheba's friend and fellow teacher. After a while though, it becomes clear that the story of Sheba and her boyfriend Steven is really only peripheral and actually it's about Sheba and Barbara's relationship (despite Barbara's frank claim early on, 'This is not a story about me'). Barbara is a bloodsucker; she becomes fixated on certain people, desperate to befriend them, thinking there is a larger connection between them than there really is.<br />
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For me the film captured Barbara's character much better than the book did. She is truly sinister, but also sad (there's heartbreaking monologue that's lifted pretty much word-for-word from the novel that describes the kind of loneliness that stems from not just a few weeks or months, but <i>years</i> of being alone). The ending was completely changed in the film, with Sheba leaving and Barbara finding a new 'friend', and I thought it suited Sheba to be a bit more gutsy than she is in the book.<br />
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The book is very well written though (I feel like I'm being too down on it). There are moments of completely clarity when, within a sentence or two of character description or social interaction, you just 'get' it. I also like that Heller doesn't shy away from exploring the bodily and sexual, but that may well be personal preference and some people might find certain descriptions a bit full on. I think I might look up her other two novels when I'm next in the library and give those a try too. <br />
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Oh yes, and I did get around to drawing a <a href="http://www.thefeaturedcreature.dreamhosters.com/wordpress6/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/r472733_23718472.jpg" target="_blank">bilby</a> this weekend. Bit annoyed that she's too big to fit on my piece of paper and there's no room for her tail, but never mind, she's cute nevertheless. I'm thinking of putting together a 'Creatures Wall' of all my little sketches. I don't really like pictures behind glass, so I might just mount them on card and stick them up somehow.</div>
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Has anyone else read/watched 'Notes on a Scandal'? How have you spent your weekend?</div>
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgwp-iQenn4" target="_blank">Fistfull of Love</a>' - Anthony and the JohnsonsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-45943234847347250132013-07-24T12:57:00.003+01:002013-08-19T22:23:39.232+01:00Rope bowlA few days ago, I saw <a href="http://apairandasparediy.com/2013/07/diy-rope-bowl.html">this</a> post on Geneva Vanderzeil's website <a href="http://apairandasparediy.com/">a pair & a spare</a>. It's a DIY to make a bowl using thin rope (or piping cord as I think upholsterers call it). I thought it was a really nice idea, and pretty simple to do if you know how to use a sewing machine. So the other evening I gave it a go.<br />
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(Sorry about the photo quality, I can't seem to find anywhere in this house with good light. I'm working on it!)<br />
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The method shared on a pair & a spare is really simple, so I just followed it pretty much exactly, sewing in a zig zag stitch around and around, coiling the rope as I went. Starting it off was the hard bit as sewing in circles that small is difficult, but after that it went okay, but as you can see from the next picture, I didn't manage to do it very neatly. The only thing I did differently was to coat the inside with PVA glue once I'd finished to strengthen it. It dries clear so it isn't visible.<br />
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I've since thought of loads of different variations for these bowls. I wanted to make a fruit bowl as I don't have one, but 10 metres of cord (the amount I bought) was only enough to make this quite small bowl. I've since found different colours of the cord on eBay, so I might try that. Or maybe painting the cord different colours first so that the bowl is multicoloured. Endless possibilities... I might even make placemats for my table although usually I hate those kind of unnecessary things.<br />
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I think this bowl might live in my bedroom as a receptacle for hair ties and kirby grips and jewellery, all those little things that accumulate and don't really have a proper home.<br />
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Has anyone else ever tried anything like this? You can make similar things by weaving paper together too (tutorial <a href="http://makezine.com/projects/scrap-paper-woven-basket/">here</a>) which I was thinking of trying soon too.<br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRdqp4N3Jw">'I'll Fly Away</a>' - Alison Krauss and Gillian WelchAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-37680865526386999322013-07-21T23:59:00.002+01:002013-08-19T22:24:03.583+01:00Experiments with old paper and new drawingsSo today I started on a project that I've been meaning to do for ages. Because (as I have mentioned about five times already) I am moving into a new flat soon, I decided a while ago I would buy some new things, recycle some old things, and make a few things for the new house. I've spent the last three years in the same student house and while it was great (and had a balcony with amazing views of a marina) I get bored of looking at the same furniture and same pictures on the walls everyday.<br />
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A few months ago, I found three of these small frames in Sainsburys, reduced to around £3 I think, so I bought them without being quite sure what to do with them.<br />
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Around the same time, I was browsing through Etsy and I came across a few shops selling vintage early 20th century paper, so I bought some thinking that it would come in handy for a project at some point. They don't seem to be selling the exact bundle I bought anymore, but I got mine from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Rillaith?section_id=12234823" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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As you can see from the picture, and more closely in the following one, the pages are from all sorts of things. Some are in Greek (I tried to teach myself Ancient Greek for a bit, so I should be able to decipher at least a tiny bit of it, but nope, all that knowledge has emptied itself out of my head it seems), some are from plays and one is from some kind of textbook with a chapter on 'Inorganic Chemistry.'<br />
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So anyway, it wasn't until recently that the thought occurred to me that I could <i>combine</i> these two purchases and make some new pictures to hang in the next place I lived. I've also wanted to get back into drawing for a while, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to start. Here's what I came up with this afternoon:<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/armadillo1_zpsbdd46ae6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/armadillo1_zpsbdd46ae6.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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It's an armadillo! Kinda pleased with the way he turned out actually. I love drawing in black biro, it's really good for working in texture and shading. I usually sketch an outline in pencil first though. He's the first of three I'm hoping to do, so I'll have a little triptych on my wall. I thought maybe drawing over a page of text might be too much, but actually I like the layers it creates, it feels somehow like an old encyclopaedia drawing, like <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/angeljim46/6845315425/in/photostream/">this.</a><br />
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Here he is again in close-up:<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/armadillo2_zps86e931ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/armadillo2_zps86e931ab.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Song of the day: '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg6BwvDcANg" target="_blank">Tessellate</a>' - Alt-J<br />
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P.S. Has anyone been watching a new drama on BBC2 called Top of the Lake? It's on Saturday nights around 9.15 and it's really good! Basically a twelve-year-old girl is pregnant and the six episodes follow what happens to her and the police that are investigating her case. Everyone seems to have an ulterior motive though, and you're not sure which characters you can trust, which I love.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-37173594207118945192013-07-21T11:52:00.000+01:002013-08-19T22:26:26.345+01:00Joining the blogging community (one step at a time)Just a quick note to say that you can now follow this blog through both <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> and Google Friend Connect if you still use it (and yes, I am following my own blog - got to boost my numbers somehow, right?) Just click on the links on the right-hand-side of this page. I've also just created a Facebook page for Jungle Noises, you can visit it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jungle-Noises/178865105619610" target="_blank">here</a>. I'll be updating it soon.<br />
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I'll be back later with a little drawing I've been working on for my new house.<br />
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Hope everyone is enjoying a nice, lazy Sunday.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-76855536101890386622013-07-19T13:54:00.001+01:002013-08-28T21:04:56.361+01:00Summer lovin': The little things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I'm job-hunting at the moment, and (for me, anyway) it gets pretty disheartening when you put time into writing out an application and covering letter only to hear nothing back. It's particularly hard for me because I'm still not sure exactly what it is I want to do. But the sun is still shining and there are small things to keep me cheerful. Here are four of them:</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/bracelets_zpsc7364da1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/bracelets_zpsc7364da1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've owned the bracelet on the left since I was about 17 and I have literally worn it everyday since. I love simple silver jewellery and these bracelets are beautiful for two reasons. 1. They're handmade and the jeweller makes them to the size of your wrist so each one is different and completely personal (I have small hands and wrists so usual bangle bracelets slip off me really easily so I can't wear them). And 2. wearing them each day and having them rub against your skin and clothes actually polishes them, so they start to get more and more shiny over time. A few weeks ago, as a finishing my degree present, my mum surprised me with two new ones, so now I have 3 jangling away on my arm!<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/yellowpans_zpsc2fc3ed5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/yellowpans_zpsc2fc3ed5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was our bargain of the week. We move into a new flat in a couple of weeks, and my boyfriend Shane happened to come across these amazing yellow pans on eBay. They were a local listing, so no one else was really bidding for them, so we got BOTH for £1.20! Plus we had a nice evening walk going to collect them. There'll be a lot of stews happening in my house this winter...</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/greentop_zpscbedb981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/greentop_zpscbedb981.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was in Primark earlier in the week buying knickers because, to cut a long story short, someone stole mine from the washing line. Yep, I know, very weird and creepy. But while I was there I saw this light green top reduced to £2 so of course it snuck into my hand. I love this colour at the moment - I have a jumper in it too - and the peplum is kinda cute. It is more see-through than I first realised, so I've worn it with a vest underneath. Maybe this will be the beginning of a love affair between me and pastels, who knows?</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/pinkflowers_zps0ce011b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/pinkflowers_zps0ce011b8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lastly, I think it's perfectly legitimate to pick flowers from other people's gardens if they are intruding onto a public footpath, don't you? I found these hanging over a wall a few doors up from the house I'm staying in. Flowers always make me feel better, especially if they're free!</div>
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What are your plans for the weekend?</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" /></a></div>
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z27tdogalGA" target="_blank">'Crazy Love Vol. II'</a> - Paul Simon</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-53679768276134228882013-07-18T13:38:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:24:29.288+01:00A (belated) Easter walkThese photos were taken around Easter time, so not exactly the most recent, but I was browsing through my iPhoto folders and just wanted to share some of them. They were taken on one of those rare (in England anyway) unashamedly sunny days that are still a bit cold and crisp too. While we were at home in Somerset for the holidays, my boyfriend and I drove a few miles to this big pond/small lake and walked through the woods and then around the edge of the water.<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P4030018_zps6c731fc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P4030018_zps6c731fc6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P4030034_zps4b6d4edf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P4030034_zps4b6d4edf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love photos of water for some reason, especially when the reflections aren't perfect, like the photo above with all the branches becoming tangled and confused.<br />
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Are there any places near where you live that are really special? Also, I've recently moved, so if anyone happens to read this and lives in Devon, give me some new places to explore!<br />
<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" /></a><br />
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Song of the day: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQMcA0Q4T6c" target="_blank">'Worried Shoes'</a> - Karen O and the KidsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-16817167729115633832013-07-16T18:42:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:26:20.215+01:00Being productive? I made a felt rat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-2_zps929a9fce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="467" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-2_zps929a9fce.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm thinking of setting up an Etsy shop sometime soon, and I've been thinking about what to make. Some kind of animal toys/collectibles seems like the best option for me as I love sewing and all kinds of creatures!<br />
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So to get some practice in and also because I've never really made a pattern myself before (I'm one of those people who can't visualise things flat - I can't read a map or work out the layout of a building) I decided I would unpick a soft toy rat that I have. I got it from IKEA ages ago - I think they're about £2 - and once when I came back to my student house after the Christmas holiday, my mum, who had been staying in my house for a weekend break, had stitched the rat to a cushion and left it on our sofa, presumably to make us jump before we realised it wasn't a real rat.<br />
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Anyway, I forgot to take a photo of the rat before and now it's all in pieces, so here's what they look like (photo taken from IKEA website):<br />
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So after I'd unpicked all the bits, I ironed them flat and drew around them to create a pattern. I thought once I'd made the rat I could see how long it took and how difficult it was and then adapt the pattern to create other animals - maybe a guinea pig or a hedgehog to begin with.<br />
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Here are my pattern pieces, all cut out and labelled:<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1_zpseee274c6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1_zpseee274c6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then it was just a question of cutting all the pieces on grey felt (I used felt because it's so easy - it doesn't fray, both sides are the same and there's no pile or pattern so it doesn't matter which way round you cut the pieces out) and hand-stitching it back together. Actually, the sewing was a little trickier than I thought, mainly because I'd forgotten exactly how it fitted together, but luckily I did remember to label all the pieces so with a bit of trial and error I got there. And of course I managed to sew one of the legs on the wrong way, but that was remedied in a few minutes.<br />
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The best bit with making something like this is always turning it the right way around (because you're always working with it inside-out when sewing the seams) and seeing it for the first time how it's supposed to be. That's the fun bit, when you get to sew the features on and it seems to get its own personality.<br />
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Here's my rat chilling with our new peace lily:<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-4_zps181704af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-4_zps181704af.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
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I actually recycled the feet and tail from the original rat, because they were fiddly and frankly I couldn't really be bothered to make new ones! The eyes and nose are just embroidered on in black thread, although he's probably look better with buttons for eyes as they catch the light.</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-3_zpsf159e8a5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/feltrat1of1-3_zpsf159e8a5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm not really that impressed with how he turned out. He's kinda cute, but I don't really want to make another one. Still, it was good pattern practice and I'm sure I can find somewhere for him to live or someone to love him.</div>
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Check back in soon for my next bizarre and probably underwhelming project!</div>
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/Signoff_zps0eda964c.jpg" /></a></div>
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It's still boiling so this is my song today. It always makes me think of summer.</div>
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Moby - 'South Side' <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOQDCppovR4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOQDCppovR4</a> (Yeah, I'm not so keen on the version with Gwen Stefani)</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-70203347639348078362013-07-13T21:09:00.000+01:002013-08-19T22:25:44.399+01:00Summer reading: Annie Proulx<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P7130045_zpsd709d57f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/P7130045_zpsd709d57f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunglasses - Primark | Red headscarf - Charity shop | Sandals - ASOS.com</td></tr>
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Phew, it's been hot today! I was thinking about it and this must be the hottest weather I have ever experienced in England. I'm not much of a sunbather, plus I'm very pale and don't really tan, but I have been slathering on the factor-50 and sitting out on the patio for an hour or so every afternoon with my book.<br />
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Because I've been doing an English degree for the last three years, I haven't had a huge amount of freedom with what I could read, usually having a long reading list of specific books to get through at all times. So now that I've finished I don't quite know where to begin again, and my interests have changed too, so I eased myself in with Annie Proulx's collection of short stories <i>Bad Dirt</i>. It had been on my shelf for a long time so I thought it was finally time to read it.<br />
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Proulx is a pretty well-known modern writer - she's published a number of novels and short stories, won the Pulitzer Prize and wrote 'Brokeback Mountain' which of course became a film - and her style is just beautiful. All the stories in <i>Bad Dirt </i>are set in Wyoming, a place that I know almost nothing about, and characters recur in different stories and interact with other characters so you get a sense of the communities in these sparse little towns. Although it's not description-heavy, the landscape really comes across in the language, especially the difficulties of living in such a rugged, bare and lonely environment.<br />
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I found this photo to give you some idea (from here <a href="http://www.jenniferhouzephotography.com/Wyoming.html" target="_blank">http://www.jenniferhouzephotography.com/Wyoming.html</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/bb099db8-4345-4352-b1b5-eb3247135895_zps80e67f7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p644/junglenoises/bb099db8-4345-4352-b1b5-eb3247135895_zps80e67f7b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Most of the characters are men - quirky, dour and often not particularly likeable. A lot of them work with the land in some way, as ranchers or game wardens and I think it's the connection between people and place that really drew me into these stories (I'm always really interested in why people are living where they do and the things that happened to them that meant they have ended up here or there). I also love the names Proulx gives her characters: Creel Zmundzinski, Gilbert Wolfscale, Fiesta Punch... Often, stories incorporate generations of the same family, so almost a hundred years is covered over a few pages. Proulx manages this really deftly though, you never feel lost or swamped and her style is really breathtaking. One of the reviews inside the cover says that Proulx manages to be 'humorous and existentially black at the same time' and I think this sums up her style pretty damn accurately. There are some lovely bizarre, witty moments (a sinkhole in a tarmac car park that kills unsuspecting game poachers, for example) but ultimately the stories are of people struggling, against each other, against their environment, against the stranglehold the government invariably has them in, but at the same time they are not asking for the reader's pity, and would most likely throw it right back if it was offered.<br />
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I will admit it's probably not the most apt book to be reading on a sunny weekend during a British heatwave, but my tastes are probably slightly odd. It is a really beautifully written collection though, and I'd urge anyone interested in short stories or contemporary American fiction to look it up.<br />
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Song of the day: Hot Chip - 'I Feel Better' <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+feel+better+hot+chip&oq=i+feel+better&gs_l=youtube.3.0.0l10.566.2726.0.3505.13.9.0.4.4.0.65.471.9.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.AduFyS4Lw-w" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+feel+better+hot+chip&oq=i+feel+better&gs_l=youtube.3.0.0l10.566.2726.0.3505.13.9.0.4.4.0.65.471.9.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.AduFyS4Lw-w</a><br />
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What are you up to this sunny weekend?<br />
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P.S. On a completely different note, I've just discovered that ASOS now stock Monki! Might have to indulge soon...<br />
<a href="http://www.asos.com/search/monki?hrd=1&q=monki" target="_blank">http://www.asos.com/search/monki?hrd=1&q=monki</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-41923264864853585022013-07-11T21:29:00.000+01:002013-08-19T22:25:18.433+01:00Needle felt animalsA little while ago, mainly as procrastination from writing essays in my final year at uni, I starting doing some needle felting. Not exactly the first occupation that springs to mind when you imagine how an undergraduate might be spending their free time, but hey, each to their own. I bought a starter pack from eBay with twelve different coloured wool rovings, ten needles and a spongy mat so that I don't stab myself (it almost worked, but I still managed a couple of bleeding fingers - those needles are sharp!)<br />
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Here are a couple of my attempts:<br />
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The elephant was for a friend's birthday and the camel was requested my another friend. Camels are such weirdly shaped animals, it was difficult and I had to make it sitting down in the end, the legs would've been too thin for it to stand up, but I persevered because it was around the same time that I found out she was pregnant, and nothing says congratulations quite like a needle-felted camel!<br />
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A word of warning if you want to try needle felting yourself: it takes aaaaagggges to finish something. Much longer than you would expect. But if you're like me and quite enjoy repetitive tasks, it can be pretty rewarding. Especially if you have a good TV series to catch up on... I think I got through quite a lot of Nashville while making my camel.<br />
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Next time I make one, I'll take photos of each stage and explain my process. It's surprisingly easy, just takes time, as I said.</div>
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Any ideas for what type of animal I should attempt next?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602119594761345174.post-42640451359722998412013-07-11T18:12:00.001+01:002013-08-19T22:24:47.207+01:00Introductions...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello! My name is Jess and this is officially my first post on this new blog that I have been fiddling with for ages as I am a complete technophobe. It's a work in progress, so please bear with me (or alternatively, give me tips!).<br />
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I'm 24 and I just finished an English with Creative Writing degree and moved to Exeter to live with my boyfriend and search for a job. Whilst I'm doing that, I thought starting a blog would be a good way of sharing the things I make, draw, eat and read, to keep me motivated to continue doing these things and to interact with other people who share my passion for silly drawings, literature and all things potato-based.<br />
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I'm not sure exactly how posts will pan out yet, but I'm planning on sharing a few of my creations that will be adorning the walls of my new flat when I move in a few weeks, so check back for those soon.<br />
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Pleased to meet you,<br />
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P.S. The above photo is a semi-frozen lake I visited in Sweden a couple of years ago. It was so beautiful.<br />
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Song of the day: 'Love is Rare' - Morcheeba <a href="http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Fragments+Of+Freedom/1130526">http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Fragments+Of+Freedom/1130526</a> (track 3)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03010227606591066786noreply@blogger.com0