Louisa Parry » life

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-07-25)

louisa — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:59:00 +0000

Has ordered her birthday fun-pack: a book on smoking & curing food, a cold smoke generator & various wood dusts. Bring on the wild times! #
Just cleaned grease splatters off my glasses with my tshirt, now my top smells of bacon. #
Last night I dreamt that I was quantum-leaping, trying to put right what once went wrong etc, but instead of Scott Bakula, it was Nick Cave. #
Breakfast curry in bed courtesy of @johnleach and the sweet centre. A*W*E*S*O*M*E #
@IdleSi don't know about the Depot but The Wall on Gelderd Road in Wortley has a good combination of walls and bouldering in reply to IdleSi #
Finally got the results of the asbestos tests on our old house – it's clear so we can sell it without having to pay out £6k+ first! Hurrah! #
Made pizza for lunch. Ate too much pizza for lunch. #
Made paneer today, first time in ages. 2ltrs milk made 400g cheese. Going to make bread from the whey if animals don't drink it all first. #
New 3BT post: 31 Beautiful Things http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/31-beautiful-things/ #
Lovely walk with @johnleach, Lily & Benny from next-door-but-one around Golden Acre park/nature reserve. Doggies had much fun! #
@davidsmalley oh no, poor little boy :( in reply to davidsmalley #
@davidsmalley that's the excuse I use for my errant behaviour too. All my crap knees' fault. in reply to davidsmalley #
Fan suddenly got really loud when I opened Firefox. Started panic-closing all my apps to stave off a crash. Turned out it was the cooker fan #
Procrastinating over writing something. Now have the sharpest pencils in all the land. If I don't crack it soon, I might even tidy my desk. #
Thought "I'll do that fun 15min design task to finish the week". Spent 2.5hrs on it & now want to redesign the whole website. B-bye weekend. #
Hurrah! the sun's gone away – that means I can start cold smoking cheese without it all melting. Let the postponed birthday fun commence! #
RT @really_good Coldsmoked cheese first time going well! 3 types of cheese,will leave a block of each in for 3/6/10hrs to see the difference #
New 3BT post: Bagels, impromptu walk, cheesetastic http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/bagels-impromptu-walk-cheesetastic/ #
New 3BT post: Crack, a pretty coincidence, accomplishment http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/crack-a-pretty-coincidence-accomplishment/ #
Laptop is on lap therefore lapcat has to sit on boobs. Is now boobcat. #

Goal #1 “make a meal using only ingredients I’ve grown myself” – DONE!

louisa — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:00:09 +0000

This was my dinner this evening – courgette frittata with side salad – and it was made entirely using things from our garden (with the exception of the wild garlic pods – some were from our garden, others from further into the woods).

Ingredients:
- courgette (although I only used one in the end – could have used a bit more for flavour though)
- new potatoes
- pickled wild garlic pods (not in picture)
- eggs (from yesterday, needed beating better hence the egg white bits)
- basil (grown from seed this year) & oregano (had for a few years)
- salad leaves (lollo rosso)
- chives
- and, ok ok, a little oil for frying the courgettes – a small cheat ;)

It could have used a bit of salt & pepper for flavour but other than that, was pretty damn good!

And that’s another goal ticked off my list.

31 Beautiful Things

louisa — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:00:29 +0000

In honour of my 31st birthday, here are 31 beautiful things from today. (Cross posted to my Three Beautiful Things blog.)

1. I’d gone to bed before John and it’s after midnight when he comes to bed. I stir as he climbs in next to me and we have a sleepy exchange, the content of which I can’t remember now. He finishes with a whisper of “happy birthday by the way” and I remember that.

2. The next time I wake up (well, it’s not the next time I wake up because I had to get up for a wee just after dawn and Carla woke me up again an hour after that, but for poetic licence, let’s say the next time I woke up), John’s stood in front of me holding something in his hands. I move the pillow from on top of my head and grab my glasses to see what it is – two carrier bags, containing chole & puree, and barfi & other sweet treats. Yum!

3. I notice that without its dust cover, my book matches the bedsheets.

4. Lily woofs and helicopter-tails around the room when George arrives. She brings him shoes and circles his legs. Lily loves George.

5. I sit on the stately patio chair – which I call “my birthday throne” – while John and George (unsuccessfully) attempt to split the giant logs. We laugh a lot at their efforts.

6. The poultry spice – a “mineral supplement and general tonic” – smells like an old fashioned sweet shop.

7. After introducing himself, the voice on the phone says simply “I’ve got good news”. His news should save us anywhere between £6,000 and £10,000, and months of coordinating building work. Very good news!

8. Despite being washed many times, my fingers still smell of the breakfast curry.

9. One of the scaredy cats from next door half-raises his tail when he sees me. When I’m feeding him & his brothers, he likes me a lot and we have big hugs but outside of those times, he’s a shy boy. The half tail raise is progress.

10. My mum breaks a 31 year tradition by buying me a birthday card without a cat on the front of it (it had a Lily-esque springer on it instead.)

11. Not-very-garlicky mushroom, olive and fresh basil.

12. Parma ham and more not-garlicky mushrooms.

13. Tuna, chilli and capers.

14. I add a new simple living blog and a new comic to my feed reader. It’s inspiring and invigorating to find new fellow travellers – but a bit of silliness is always welcome too.

15. The cats stand at right angles to each other as they drink the leftover tuna water. From directly above, the white rims of the bowls look like halos.

16. Splashes dribbling down the side of the pan produce a burning smell but every now and then, the sweet comforting warm milk smell breaks through.

17. Lily’s brown spots are strangely soft and silky today. (#notaeuphemism)

18. I squeeze the butter muslin and the curds form into a pleasingly round sphere. When I unwrap it, the cheese will be imprinted by the fine check of the fabric.

19. It’s dark – overcast and under many layers of tree cover – but still the grass and ferns glow an unearthly green.

20. The rain is heavy and sonorous but not unpleasant.

21. “Listen,” I tell John after directing him into the bedroom. A wet roar drowns out everything else but it’s not rain on trees like we both first thought: it’s the beck, flowing more heavily than it’s done in months. Just a few minutes earlier, we’d step through it on the stepping stones left by the last flood. Next time we cross it, we’ll have to navigate it anew.

22. Amongst the lines of light and shadow, the black cat sleeps in a ball.

23. The other black cat is asleep in the dog’s bed. I find him there when I get out of the bath. He looks dramatic against the neutral cushion and pastel blanket. He blinks at me as I dance around the room.

24. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of playing hide and seek with the dog. I can see why cats do it now – hide when they know they’ve not been seen then jump out. I don’t bat with the victim with my paws though, I give her a hug instead.

25. It’s at this point – after I’ve inserted an earlier beautiful thing and had to renumber the rest about five times – that I realise it would have been easier to use an ordered list () instead of doing it manually. I don’t know if the pay off is worth it now though. Oh, and I realise this isn’t really a beautiful thing but do you know how hard it is to come up with 31 of them? Even on a rather jolly pleasant day? It’s hard! ;)

26. Now we’re flanking her on the sofa, there isn’t quite so much room to stretch out length ways so she stretches across it instead. Her head dangles over the edge, her tongue lolling, her lips flapping.

27. I savour the parma ham. It feels like it’s melting on my tongue but it isn’t. I think if I could only eat one type of meat again for the rest of my life, it would be parma ham.

28. I point John at the most recent Hyperbole and a Half comic about her dog. He laughs loudly as the dog twists its head further in an attempt at understanding.

29. We watch “The Counterfeiters” – the next in my short, impromptu German language film festival. The subtitles aren’t quite right for some reason and the mistakes remind me of child language acquisition.

30. Carla sits on my knee throughout the film. I stroke her, she purrs.

31. We look at the dark window – not at the world outside but at the rooms behind us. It makes the living room seem new again and through the doorway, the dining room looks so lovely that I can’t believe it’s ours.

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-07-18)

louisa — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:59:00 +0000

is sat directly above @strowger78 who is sat next to @johnleach, who is sat next to wriggling grunting dog still a bit damp with rain etc. #
Day off to recover after last week's hecticness. This morning, I have mostly been sitting. The afternoon may involve similar. #
"There's some mince pasta sauce in the freezer. No, wait, it's …curry? Is it curry? What type of curry? Let's have that" #whylabelsaregood #
New 3BT post: A scene I reference way too much, treat time for them, treat time for me http://bit.ly/bQG6MK #
Looking at photos of the house when we first got the keys/moved in (last September). Sometimes forgot how much we've changed! #
New 3BT post: Mmm cheese, likes it there, cat love http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/mmm-cheese-likes-it-there-cat-love/ #
Ace lunch courtesy of @johnleach, the garden & the chickens – marrow flower fritters made with our homegrown flowers, courgettes & eggs :) #
Is there an emoticon for when you do the licking-between-your-fingers thing to mimic cunnilingus? \~/ maybe? #
Weather warning for West Yorks: I'm just about to take the dog for a walk. Expect it to start raining really heavily in three, two, one… #
A sales person rings the doorbell, I stop work, I go up stairs, I calm the dog, I'm polite, I say no thanks. Yes, I deserve the stink eye. #
.@johnleach wanted fish for tea – made spicy plaice goujons, with new potatoes sauted with chilli & green beans. was yum! #
New 3BT post: Hard copy, a different cat, hidden colour http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/hard-copy-a-different-cat-hidden-colour/ #
I've got yellow fingers from eating Dutchpot curry and a purple tongue from the accompanying grape soda. Yum! #
Took Lily to Leeds. She was less 'fraidy than we feared – likes the Sat. afternoon experience about as much as we do (ie, not much). #
New 3BT post: Reflections, shiny, brilliant http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/reflections-shiny-brilliant/ #
Cleaned poop from the coop, now back in pyjamas. Might get dressed again later to do some gardening things, also might not. #
Bookmarks this page of poo pictures for future reference: http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 Mmm chicken faeces. #
Think we need to get rid of the chickens – they're causing @johnleach to pun terribly. http://is.gd/dwR8l & http://is.gd/dwR3Y #
New 3BT post: Splattered everywhere, happy to see him, surprise success http://bit.ly/93zCdm #
@manupatree ooh, look forward to reading that! I'm using up a marrow glut too: cake, a cheesy baked dish & chutney. Tempted to try rum too. in reply to manupatree #

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-07-11)

louisa — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:59:00 +0000

@sarahjarvis habit. I was taught to type that way and have to consciously make an effort not to do it. Hurrah for Find&Replace. in reply to sarahjarvis #
Taking the day off work to strip the balcony ahead of painting. Really-really hope the rain stays off. #
And I thought preparing woodwork/walls for painting was a ballache – grinding metal is ten times worse. I have dust everywhere. EVERYWHERE. #
You know you're hungry when you're looking at mechanically recovered meat items in the freezer section of the shop and think 'yum'. #
New 3BT post: Dirt boobs, quick glances, looking up http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/dirt-boobs-quick-glances-looking-up/ #
It turns out those gloves I was just wearing *don't* protect your hands from nettle stings. Ow-ee. #
New 3BT post: Spotted, nearly kisses, hen friends, up there with laughter http://bit.ly/d0eWTS #
Tried and failed to make a rat handpuppet ahead of tonight's dress rehearsal. Bah. #
New 3BT post: She's a funny one, damn good kids, strangely romantic moment, sleep hug http://bit.ly/coW5Xd #
Just got to use a phrase I never thought I'd say: "would you please stop pecking at my bum crack?" #overfriendlychickens #
Anyone know what this is? Found in woods. Wild plant book suggests creeping bellflower but doesn't seem bell-y… http://twitpic.com/23h839 #
@EnglishFolkfan thanks for the wildflower help! The leaves here look different to that, I'll look at the whole plant again later though :) in reply to EnglishFolkfan #
New 3BT post: Living art, relocation, no question http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/living-art-relocation-no-question/ #
Spent the last 2 hours making a rat mask & ears-on-a-headband. If I can get them to Bingley in one piece, it'll be some sort of miracle. #
New 3BT post: Mystery marinade, good show, cooling down http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/mystery-marinade-good-show-cooling-down/ #
Hurrah, my rat mask/ears looked great on stage! Yay me and my craft skillz! Oh, and all the kids did a good job too. ;) #
Um, where did the last hour go? I thought it was 4:30ish, not 5:15! #
The bus is almost empty but i'm still stuck between 2 old guys narrating every inch of the journey & a woman shouting into her phone. Joy. #
Take two bottles into the shower? No, swarfega and a scrubbing brush. Balcony near painted, my skin nearly stripped raw. #
@strowger78 mmm firewood. we need to get some chopped too really – might wait until it's a little cooler than today though. in reply to strowger78 #
Glad this week is over – lots of long, hot nights saying "ssh!" a lot. Kids did good. #

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-07-11)

louisa — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:59:00 +0000

@sarahjarvis habit. I was taught to type that way and have to consciously make an effort not to do it. Hurrah for Find&Replace. in reply to sarahjarvis #
Taking the day off work to strip the balcony ahead of painting. Really-really hope the rain stays off. #
And I thought preparing woodwork/walls for painting was a ballache – grinding metal is ten times worse. I have dust everywhere. EVERYWHERE. #
You know you're hungry when you're looking at mechanically recovered meat items in the freezer section of the shop and think 'yum'. #
New 3BT post: Dirt boobs, quick glances, looking up http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/dirt-boobs-quick-glances-looking-up/ #
It turns out those gloves I was just wearing *don't* protect your hands from nettle stings. Ow-ee. #
New 3BT post: Spotted, nearly kisses, hen friends, up there with laughter http://bit.ly/d0eWTS #
Tried and failed to make a rat handpuppet ahead of tonight's dress rehearsal. Bah. #
New 3BT post: She's a funny one, damn good kids, strangely romantic moment, sleep hug http://bit.ly/coW5Xd #
Just got to use a phrase I never thought I'd say: "would you please stop pecking at my bum crack?" #overfriendlychickens #
Anyone know what this is? Found in woods. Wild plant book suggests creeping bellflower but doesn't seem bell-y… http://twitpic.com/23h839 #
@EnglishFolkfan thanks for the wildflower help! The leaves here look different to that, I'll look at the whole plant again later though :) in reply to EnglishFolkfan #
New 3BT post: Living art, relocation, no question http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/living-art-relocation-no-question/ #
Spent the last 2 hours making a rat mask & ears-on-a-headband. If I can get them to Bingley in one piece, it'll be some sort of miracle. #
New 3BT post: Mystery marinade, good show, cooling down http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/07/mystery-marinade-good-show-cooling-down/ #
Hurrah, my rat mask/ears looked great on stage! Yay me and my craft skillz! Oh, and all the kids did a good job too. ;) #
Um, where did the last hour go? I thought it was 4:30ish, not 5:15! #
The bus is almost empty but i'm still stuck between 2 old guys narrating every inch of the journey & a woman shouting into her phone. Joy. #
Take two bottles into the shower? No, swarfega and a scrubbing brush. Balcony near painted, my skin nearly stripped raw. #
@strowger78 mmm firewood. we need to get some chopped too really – might wait until it's a little cooler than today though. in reply to strowger78 #
Glad this week is over – lots of long, hot nights saying "ssh!" a lot. Kids did good. #

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-07-04)

louisa — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:59:00 +0000

Feel like I'm making finally progress in the Great Blog Reorganisation & Redesign of 2010, despite WordPress's "features". #
@swirlyarts tell yourself reading blogs is "market research" then it's not only productive, it's vital to your business ;) in reply to swirlyarts #
We've got frickin' chickens! At long, long last! :) #
We have our first egg! It's a little small but we'll give them another chance to get it right before they go in the pot ;) #
This is why I don't like upgrades: try to fix one thing, end up breaking networking & fonts in Firefox. Also fail to fix the original thing. #
@really_good New post:: Chickens! http://www.thereallygoodlife.com/67/chickens/ [pics of our new chickens on my new blog! :) ] #
The kids at class are so funny. Sick but very funny. #
New 3BT post: Chickens, titters & giggles, wrong just wrong http://3bt.louisaparry.co.uk/2010/06/chickens-titters-giggles-wrong-just-wrong/ #
You know what, Twitter? I think it's time for some music and some orange squash. #livingontheedge #
Note to self: it's fine distracting the dog during the plugging-in-amp crackle but she'll jump anyway if the music starts w/ a guitar shriek #
Also, she'll run and bark when the next guitar shriek sounds like a doorbell. Worst album choice ever. #
Squirrels keep running across the railing even though they know the dog will chase them. Reminds me of the bunny suicides http://is.gd/dbcYX #
I think my brain has crashed: I just forgot how to use an oven glove. FYI randomly wafting it at the oven shelf doesn't make thing happen. #
New 3BT post: It wasn't even that cold, busy buzzing, perfectly put http://bit.ly/bGStqW #
@EMERGERecycling aww, I wish you guys were in West Yorks (or me in Manchester I guess) – you always seem to post really interesting job ads! #
New 3BT post: Refreshing, uplifting, productive, coincidence, helping hand http://bit.ly/cVvumK #
Stayed up too late doing pointless geeky things. #
Like having friends who are consistently later than me. Gives me time to bake scones even if I only start when they're due to arrive. #
A jolly relaxing day: lunch & charity-shopping in Saltaire, a visit from @thattommyhall & Petra, afternoon tea with scones & a woodland walk #
Really hope @johnleach goes back to drinking cider soon. I grew out of the Jovi, he seems to be growing into it. Worried for the years ahead #
New 3BT post: Early morning, perfect results, good dog good dog http://bit.ly/dCv0Um #
.@johnleach is still playing Livin on a Prayer on his uke. At 13, such behaviour would have made him my dream boyfriend. At 30, not so much. #
And now we're analysing the lyrics to find "meaning". Shoot me now. #
Spent the last 20mins chasing a mouseish thing around the dining room with a kids' fishing net & a plant pot, plus 2 cats & a dog in pursuit #
@emmakirton oh! blast from the past! hope all is well with her & Liverpool :) It's strange to think it's 10 years since we graduated! in reply to emmakirton #
Lovely evening walk around Thackley Woods with the houndy – worth waiting for @johnleach to join us :) #
New 3BT post: Stroke, good dogs, crunch-crunch-crunch, stroke http://bit.ly/dzGnXA #

10 goals for 2010 – June progress update

louisa — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:00:30 +0000

Half way through the year – so where was I with these things…?

1. To make a meal using only ingredients I’ve grown, raised, caught or killed myself.
I’m getting closer with this. Ok, I don’t grow my own wheat but I’ve made slow-rise bread about every other day for the month, and handchurned butter too. We’ve had homegrown salad & herbs nearly every day for lunch and for most dinners too.

We’ve got about half a dozen courgettes & lots of their flowers begging to be picked, more salad (two different types of mixed leaves) will be ready for picking early next week and some broad beans might be ready this weekend too. Aside from slug damage to a lot of the beans & peas, everything else is growing well – it’s all kinda exploded over the last few days. Going to spend a lot of time potting stuff on/out tomorrow and over the weekend.

But you know what though? Sod that veg stuff – at long long last, we got chickens! We only got them on Tuesday night but we’ve had four small-but-perfect eggs (and two not quite there but almost eggs) from them, so if I was being pedantic, I could right now have a herby courgette frittata with side salad to complete my goal – but I’d rather keep striving for it ;)

2. To travel to a place on my “top ten places to go before I die” list.
Nope, still nothing on this one. I think my first step would be to re-write my list because I think I’ve plum forgotten about half of them.

3. Finish writing my second novel.
I’ve been thinking more about another idea but really. really. should. refocus.

~~4. Learn how to make sausages – wet English style ones and cured ones too.~~
Completed in April. We’ve not made any of our own at home yet though. Maybe this goal should change to that…

4. Make some sausages at home – wet English style ones and cured ones too.
As I’m thinking of making/getting a smokehouse for my birthday, I’d be able to make some interesting dried ones!

5. Spend at least a day fishing out on the North Sea.
Another idea of something I thought of doing for my birthday. Also been looking at changing the sea focus and doing a “learn to fish” thing in the Lakes or North Yorkshire instead…

6. Finally finish learning how to drive.
Still done nothing on this and, well, tbh, I’ll losing the will to do so. I know I should just do it because sometimes it would be useful to go exciting places like Morrisons without John but I think I’d drive so rarely that it wouldn’t be worth it. I will expect a kicking from certain people for saying that ;)

7. Make a full outfit’s worth of clothing for myself – including spinning any wool used.
Oh, I had lots of fun spinning during my two days off work at the start of the month! I started on a little DIY CD-and-pencil type spindle but bought a better one mid month, as well as some more roving – and I got a bruised palm pad from spinning so much one night. Extreme yarn crafts! I still haven’t spun enough yarn to make much though.

To update on what I spoke about in my last progress report, dyeing was lots of fun. I dyed two lots of wool yarn – from cream to duck egg blue and heathery lilac – and with more of the original cream, imagine it’ll make a nice chunky blanket. I had purple dye left over from the purple-ish yarn so dunked some of my slightly-greyed white knickers in and they went a lovely plum, then I told John about it and he demanded I tie-dye some of his impractically white underpants & made a vest stripey – I had to comply ;) I definitely want to try natural dyeing some time soon.

8. Learn how to program and make a mini-game/application using Ruby.
The weather has been too nice to be sat inside on my computer. And the people who claim I’ve spent many, many hours playing Theme Hospital this month are LYING.

9. Climb a mountain or at least a jolly big hill.
Lots of walking with Lily but nothing more than the Chevin in Otley – and that looks a lot bigger than it really is.

10. Participate more in the real world – plan/run a real life green event or scheme.
I’ve taken the first baby steps with two of them – but haven’t heard anything yet from my contacts. Will poke.

We got chickens!

louisa — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:30:53 +0000

We got chickens!

Read the full story on my new blog about growing, making, cooking and frugal living: The Really Good Life

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-06-27)

louisa — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:59:00 +0000

Awful night's sleep combined with the most blatant state-of-my-mind dreams ever. On the plus side, I got to see dawn on midsummer's day. #
Hurrah, after a slow start, my doorstep plant giveaway was a success! All gone to loving new homes. #greengates #bd10 #
Frustrated at clueless so-called experts. Especially since we're paying them a lot of money for their "expertise". #
Designing a new blog. As fun as it is frustrating. #
Trying to decide what "quonch" is better used for – a euphemism or an insult: "I sneezed & stuff leaked out of my quonch"/"you dumb quonch" #
mmm, rain smell. #
Have spent the last hour pushing nettles into old pop bottles to make liquid fertiliser. *Several* stings. Comfrey would be less painful. #