A Life of Crime and Chocolate

Shakesbear said:

Oh my! You are evil, you do know that don't you?

I have always made my own Christmas cakes - just love the bit of the recipe that says "baste with Brandy or Scotch once or twice a week". Get high on the fumes!

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Moi? Okay. Maybe just a little.

Oh. I know about those fumes.

But I'm not half as thunk as you drinkle peep I am.

GailD said:

Moi? Okay. Maybe just a little.

Oh. I know about those fumes.

But I'm not half as thunk as you drinkle peep I am.

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LOL! The fumes are good aren't they? I love the anticipation of slowly unwrapping the foil the cakes are in and waiting for the fumes to hit the nostrils. I've often thought that it would make a good murder method - the murderer having basted the cake with something nasty or that the victim is allergic to. Never got much further than that.

My weekend was OK, particularly yesterday. Had a good morning shopping for new walking boots (so I can go for walks in the big nature reserve outside town), and spent the rest of the day baking and cooking. Chicken soup turned out exactly how I wanted it to despite me just making up the recipe to try and approximate the soup I get at the restaurant in town. Spag bol was good too. Marzipan shapes, a bit shapeless, but tasty and the banana cakes turned out OK. Did a bit of cleaning, sorted the recycling, reveled in my domestic goddess-hood then finally started my painting, which has been sitting as a blank canvas on the easel for days. Got a few thousand words done on the WIP and settled just to watch anything I could find. Came across 'Snow White: A Tale of Terror' on TV, hadn't seen it for about ten years, and spotted my all time favourite actor doing a wee background role, really early on in his career.

Saturday I spent preparing for the tour, which I already mentioned didn't happen, heh.

I made bread and cooked chicken and read. Also did notes about MacBeth for the AmDram group I recently joined. What larks!

Great thread

I really need to get on the boards more. Here's a thread based on chocolate, that I didn't even know existed. Finally someone besides me realizes that chocolate should be at the top of the food chain. We're making progress!

heyjude said:

You paint, too?! How cool. Though I will be honest here. I don't think it's entirely fair that you have more than one creative talent.

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I suppose I do paint now. This is my first attempt with acrylics. I usually just draw in either pencil or pen and ink. (But I was trained as a scenic painter at college and took art at school). I bought myself some paints, brushes and canvases ages ago when I was feeling 'arty' and they've sat for about two years in my house. Last time I went back to Scotland I brought them home to Prague, because for the first time since I bought the things, now that I've moved here, I actually feel like painting. So far it is terrible. But the glorious thing about painting is if it turns out totally crappy I can say it's modern art, and not meant to look like anything.

I wish I had a creative talent. Any would do.

heyjude said:

So how was everyone's weekend? Ours was busy, as always. Sundays are my big day. I'm hoping to start writing again today...

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everyone.

I spent the entire weekend working in my garden. It's full summer here and everything is coming into flower. My favourite time of the year.

Of course, I'm walking like a question mark today, from all the bending, but I got the weeds running scared.

I need to spend a winter in the southern hemisphere...

I've always wanted to go to Australia and/or New Zealand.

I need to spend time in the garden but there is a problem. I have a huge Eucalyptus tree there and it is in flower at the moment and the garden reeks of Eucalyptus - sort of minty up your nose smell. And the flowers are all over everywhere. If I stand still for a minute I'll get covered by them.

I don't have a garden (except the shared bit down the back, only thing that grows there is washing, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas). But then that's a good thing because I have black fingers. Giving me a plant is the plant equivalent of a death sentence.

I was reading Harlan Coban's take on it earlier. Just such horrible stuff to happen.

heyjude said:

That is way cool! I love that smell.

Hubby planted an orange tree and a lemon tree for me a few months ago--instead of waiting the requisite few years, the orange tree is bearing fruit and almost ready! Woo hoo*! I love FL.

*But I would have preferred the lemons, as I use those a lot.

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Sadly I am going to have the tree removed. It has grown far to big for the garden and the flowers are getting everywhere.

Penn State stuff.

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please explain?

So tonight I will try again to do a tour of the castle. See if anyone turns up tonight. I'm kind of hoping, in a way, that they won't, so I can get home early to do some writing. Is that bad?

heyjude said:

Google Penn State Sandusky scandal. Have a barf bag handy. I can't stand to talk about it.

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Thanks.


Moving swiftly on ...

I went and checked out the local hall where a friend and I are going to be holding a Christmas Fair in a couple of weeks. We then went for elevenses in a local bakery. Very nice! Then we went shopping - to a huge barn that sold all sorts of stuff. I was given thirteen free teddy bears. They are brand new but rather sad as they have all lost arms/legs - but I have those so intend to repair them and sell them at the fair. I will of course feed them chocolate to keep their spirits up and to make them strong enough to cope with the leg/arm replacement programme. Those that are unable to bear the strain (go on, groan at the awful pun!) will become Pirate Bears! Yo ho ho! Tomorrow I am going on a pot pourri hunt.

Zelenka I too am waiting for pictures.

My pictures aren't all that great, just taken on my phone in the mirror,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/spaceweavil/ba6d61a40d6e11e1abb01231381b65e3_7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/spaceweavil/6a7cfa420d6e11e19896123138142014_7.jpg

Bit grainy. One of the tourists tonight though actually asked to get a photo with me. Dunno why. Now I need to warm up. It is freeeeeeeezing tonight!

Zelenka I looove the hat! And you look so good in it! I can understand a tourist wanting their photo with you. A large Scotch can help you to warm up.