The Great Flat Hunt 2010 Part 2

So, the particular flat which promised so much, turned out to be wood chipped of wall (why oh why) and smelling of cabbage and old cats. After Cat Lady's flat I went to see Joan Collins' Penthouse Apartment and then, last Friday, a ground floor garden flat that I will now refer to as Crack Den. The only thing missing from Crack Den was the decomposing body in the avocado bath tub. Tomorrow I'm off to see another garden flat (this time basement) and on Saturday morning, a ground floor apartment in a conversion of what my brother tells me is an old asylum. Excellent.

Meanwhile, here is a sneaky peak of the finished painting. More when I manage to take a photo that's not out of focus.

The Great 2010 Flat Hunt

When I moved back home last year I said I would give myself a year to sort myself and my finances out. That year was up last Monday. I actually started looking for a flat about 4 weeks ago and, my God, has this been a depressing business. I'm not sure what I expected, I am rather impatient. Once I have decided on a course of action (in itself quite difficult) I sort of expect things to fall into place but the perfect apartment has remained an elusive beast. My days have been punctuated with feverish assaults on rightmove followed by bouts of "I'll never find anywhere" and "I'm going to end up in some depressing bedsit listening to The Smiths". Last Saturday afternoon was spent loitering in the drizzle outside the most depressing of ugly new builds waiting for an elusive estate agent. He never did show up.

However, this morning brings with it a glimmer of hope. The viewing is on Monday. In the meantime, there are always more cupcakes.

Hi! I'm Back!

So, you know when you haven't spoken to a friend for a really long time and you wonder whether you just might have left it a bit late to give them a ring? Well, that's what this feels like. When I started this blog, it felt like quite an important thing but events have conspired since Christmas to leave me feeling rather exhausted...

The last couple of weeks, though, I have been itching to post. There has been lots of creative stuff going on and I think it's important to try and document what I'm doing, whether it be here or in my journal at home (pray no one will ever read that- I would be sectioned).

The lily painting, again, started life as a class sample and I have carried on doodling on it. It's still not finished, the background doesn't have any depth and I love seeing dark saturated colours in my paintings.




This is a corset that I have made following the Alabama Stitch pattern in that wonderful book. It took about three weeks and was a complete labour of love. However, having completed said garment, it has come to my attention that a woman with the shoulders of an Olympic swimmer should not be wearing a corset. I do take it out of the drawer and admire and stroke it from time to time though. I'm making the bloomer skirt next.

Right, time to pop into town. I'm off to by a muffin tray. By some benign (accidental) or malicious (his mother) intent my ex seems to have ended up with my muffin tray and I have cupcakes to bake courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook.

Sketchbook Pages

Snow fatigue

I know it was only a week ago but the snow feels like it's been here forever. I am an unfortunate individual who lives within walking distance of her place of employment, hence no snow days, not one. I have trudged in and schlepped home and spent 30 minutes everyday trying to get my wellies off. It's just so draining. There's a smidgen of the January blues in there somewhere but, today, I feel them lifting.

I have been having the most fabulous time making class samples on how to build up texture and use different materials for collage, not with the purpose of painting some image on top, but just to play, for itself. I found myself, at 11pm last night, elbow deep in mod roc, plaster, acrylic paint, PVA and bits of lace. It was great. I think (tentatively) that they may become pieces of "proper" work as class samples often do.

I have also started thinking about what this year will bring, particularly in terms of where I will be living in a few months. I have started checking the paper for that roomy period apartment that just happens to be in my price range. It might sound silly, but I am so excited at the prospect of buying my own sofa.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. Hopefully I'll post regularly now, and not just about food, but, y'know, actual art n stuff.

Aunty Jenny! Look at this!

This is Fig and Blue Cheese Tart. Isn't it pretty? I will make it in May when when you come back. The best thing is, it looks just like it does on the front of the magazine. It has a wholemeal walnut pastry which is just lovely.

Right. I'm putting myself back to bed now. I have a streaming cold and can barely talk, so it's under the covers I go.

Whispers of Snow

The promise of snow is always a little bit exciting; the whispers started circulating 'round the building earlier in the week (perpetuated mainly by me).

This morning was tad disappointing as I was expecting drifts galore and another day housebound trying to get over a very poorly throat but all we had was a light dusting. However, by the time I got out of the shower it was throwing it down and has only just stopped. I am staring out of my office window at the peaceful winter scene by the canal and I actually don't mind being in Banbury at the moment. God knows I've whinged all summer about wanting to be elsewhere but, right now, this is OK. I've got a shaft of weak, wintry sunlight hitting my desk as I type and everything feels sort of still.


Yesterday I managed to get all of my Christmas presents wrapped, I'll pop them under the tree tonight. With that little job out of the way I can focus on what is, for me, the main point of Christmas- food.

I plan to make blue cheese and fig tart for tomorrow night's dinner, this comes in at a whopping 81 grams of fat per slice. A convenient way to ingest as many calories as possible in one go. The Sloe Gin has been strained and is settling nicely in the cupboard, it should be drinkable by Monday. I tried a little bit last week and very good it is too, though shockingly sweet.