I was going to write this last night, but ‘Becoming Jane’ had arrived from Amazon DVD rentals, so I was forced to watch it. Yum.
On the way home last night I encountered, as I often do, a herd of 50 or so stampeding joggers, occupying the whole of the pavement on the Braywick Road. This pavement is a cycle path and pedestrian walkway so we were all entitled to be using it. What amused me greatly was, as I approached, the lead jogger yelled ‘bike’ - a cry which was rapidly taken up by the rest of the herd as they veered out of my way. It put me in mind of a flock of sheep avoiding a predator, with the bleat of terror being propagated back through the herd, and I was forced to giggle crazily as I cycled past, no doubt adding to my reputation as a fearsome beast. Can’t be helped.

We discovered today that our dying kitchen timer makes an interesting noise if you squeeze it.

NaCl,
originally uploaded by synx508.

Last weekend, where weekend begins on a Thursday for purposes of this tale), Phil and I headed out to Bristol to meet up with my brother Andrew, his friends from uni and some beer. We also went to see Pete Atkin in a church in Bristol.
Pete, as usual, was fabulous, if nervous, and a good time was had by all.
Friday, Phil and I wandered blithely around Bristol, making our way to Clifton for an evening of drinking with Andrew and friends. I can totally recommend Bath Ales’ “Gem” if you enjoy a warm toffee-ey ale with plenty of flavour. Much merriment and foolishness ensued, but the very pinnacle of the evening was Chris and Aaron’s chemistry-symbols-with-fingers display. They also do organic molecules, with long-chain molecules dependent on obliging friends to provide extra carbon chains.
It was fun. We should meet up with those guys more often, they are delightfully strange and deliciously intelligent, being Maths and Physics graduates all. Sadly, I’m the dunce of the family.

It amused me, anyway.

Okay, it’s not *all* gone. It just feels like it

I’ve had all my hair cut off. That is all.

Three years ago today, we were in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Getting married. Time sure has flown past..

To celebrate the recurrance of this date, I decided to make philb breakfast in bed. As his breakfast of choice is Weetabix™, this wasn’t too much of an effort..

Breakfast for philb

Also on this day (this year), the Mogret device performed the funniest operation to date. It should be noted that she has climbed in the washing machine before. Today, she climbed in and managed to start the drum revolving, so there was a brief session of hamster-like scrambling in the washing machine before she leaped out in horror and embarrassment. I laughed. Hard. She panic-washed and then exited through the cat flap.

I mentioned, a few ramblings back, an artist Brian Pike, who had painted ‘Things on Sticks’.

He has submitted his artwork to thingsonsticks. I am so honoured. It’s a fantastic painting (sadly already claimed, otherwise it would certainly have found a home in Bragg-land) and I’m all teary-eyed with joy.

Yes, I’m a soppy fool. So?

So.. I’ve been baking cupcakes a lot lately. It was my birthday on Wednesday, and one of the traditions at my workplace is that the birthday person provides cakes for everyone.
I thought I’d be different and actually make them myself. There are 80-odd people in my company, so this was no minor undertaking..
It all turned out quite well, and I managed to get them all to the office, on the train, by means of panniers and my trusty bicycle.
I made Chocolate and Guinness, Orange Chocolate, Lemon, and Carrot and Cream Cheese flavours.
By far the most popular were the carrot cakes and poor philb didn’t get to try an assembled one as I iced everything at work (to maximise the chance that they would all arrive in a reasonable state), but he enjoyed the two separate sections.
So today, I decided to bake some more, just for philb.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 12
For the Cupcakes:
120g caster sugar
95ml vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
110g plain flour
180g grated carrots

For the Icing:
227g Philadelphia cream cheese(room temperature)
85g icing sugar
1/4 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Put oven on 180C

For cupcakes
Combine sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs and orange juice
Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice and salt
Mix in carrots
Spoon into cupcake tray or paper cases
Bake for about 25 minutes

For the icing

Sift the icing sugar over the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add vanilla extract

Owing to my pathetic fear of hairdressers, I have just hacked off chunks of my own hair. It is now possible to actually get a brush through it without spraining something. I consider this all I can ask for from a hair-cut.

As a result of this, I found myself having to explain to Philb what a ‘toffee spreader’ is.

Many moons ago, when I was a small cute infant, my dad used to brush my hair. This was always a struggle, as I had long hair, and had usually been visited by the mysterious Toffee Spreader, who left inexplicable snarls in his victims’ hair when they weren’t looking. No actual toffee was involved, of course, but it was a reasonable (so I believed) explanation for the multitude of tangles my hair always seemed to contain.

Now I come to explain this, it does sound a bit weird. Maybe I dreamed it.