Chatiryworld

Choons

I'm going to attempt to blog a bit more this year (than I did last year anyway, advent calendar excepted), although currently our iBook is a little temperamental at the moment.  We do have an iMac but it's in the work room and I like the sitting room more.  I thought that maybe I could start sharing more music (I'm saying maybe in case I don't keep up with this!), starting here:

This is Twin Sister.  BBC 6 Music kept playing this track one weekend in December when I wasn't feeling great and therefore snoozing a lot with the radio on.  I love this song, it's gorgeous.  I've bought it and at some point will investigate their music more with a view to maybe getting their album.

On Friday BBC 4 showed a repeat of Hugh Masekela's birthday concert.  I had never heard of him before (although I can't believe I haven't heard his music until now, just didn't know who he was) but I loved what I saw.  If I had watched it when it was originally on I would have heard of him before he played in Edinburgh last year around the time of my birthday, but nevermind.  This is one of his classics, Stimela.  I'm not sharing it for the video (which I believe is just scenes of Vienna, I don't know, I was doing other stuff whilst blasting the music out), but for the version of the song.  You can also catch the concert I watched on iPlayer for the next seven days.

Do you wear your jeans halfway down your arse?

You need to see this:

If you live in Scotland you can see Limmy's Show on BBC2 on Mondays at 10, it can be a bit hit and miss but generally makes me giggle.  It's also available on the iPlayer for viewers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What we've been eating

This is black-eyed peas, spinach and lemon from our old favourite the Leon cookbook.  The roti was made using a recipe from Bread: River Cottage Handbook No. 3.  The vegetables were nice, but I think I like the spicier Leon recipes so probably won't bother making it again.  We tried watching Economy Gastronomy the other week, co-presented by Leon co-founder Allegra McEvedy.  It was more of a 'journey' programme than a cooking one, which was disappointing and we haven't watched any more, even if we do get to see inside Allegra's lovely overcrowded kitchen.  It's basically about a different family each week who want to cut down on their food bills and eat better.  It doesn't need to be an hour long and the few bits of cooking you do see are shot and edited in really strange ways.  And they say 'economy gastronomy' every other sentence.  I've got the book on my library list as I really like Allegra's recipes, but haven't watched the programme since the first episode.

Next up, roasted patty pan squash and herbed chickpeas from the great Chocolate and Zucchini blog.  We bought some patty pan squash the other week at the farmer's market.  Turns out we should have read up on it more before buying it as most foodies agree that smaller is better when it comes to this kind of squash.  Although you can see the skins on the squash in the photo, we didn't eat them, maybe smaller squash have nicer skins.  This is the vegetarian version using capers instead of anchovies and very tasty it was too.  The herb and caper mixture gave a definite French feel to the dish.

In the 80s, women had to take two bottles into the shower

I was amused to read that BBC4 are making a series in a similar vein to Channel 4's The 1900 House and The 1940s House.  This one will be a 1970/80/90s house, at the moment called Electric Dreams.  However, if you are a fan of the great Adam and Joe you will know that the 1980s house has already been covered:

Children's TV

Oliver Postgate died yesterday.  I must admit that the only one of his programmes that I truly adored was Bagpuss, big saggy old cloth cat Bagpuss.  Ivor the Engine bored me and I don't recall seeing any of his other programmes.  But Bagpuss was enchanting, a nice gentle programme ideal for a nervy child like me.

Postgate's website is quite interesting, information about his programmes along with political essays and articles, including one on why children's TV matters.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours with some friends and their little girls.  Ella and Phoebe both turned one in the summer (and are both going to have new siblings over the next six months) and are also both fans of In the Night Garden.  I know Emily really likes it too so it's obviously the programme for toddlers.  I don't know much about the programme but it seems like another nice and gentle programme, populated by pastel creatures with strange names like Makka Pakka.  Hey, I'm 31 not 1 so not really in the target audience.  Looks better than the Teletubbies video I once spent a day watching with some not-very-well little brothers.  Anyway, Ella had a couple of In the Night Garden board books and hearing Phoebe's mum read one made me realise that there is something quite Moomin-esque about it.  A character that collects and cleans stones?  Pure Moomin. 

This isn't to say that Night Garden is copied from Moomins, there are plenty of differences.  This is more of a suggestion to parents that if you're getting a bit fed up of Night Garden, why not try Moomins?  There's plenty to enjoy on an adult level, and sometimes it gets a bit dark but looks like it could be a good 'next step'.  Jon and I have been enjoying the DVDs of the 70s series, as well as some of the reprints of Tove Jansson's Moomin strips for the Evening Standard.  Go on, help us revive the Moomins even more

Always there...

Do you remember Howard's Way?  It was on BBC1 on Sunday evenings in the mid 80s.  I loved it but I'm pretty sure it was absolute crap, a programme about people with yachts and money in Southampton, I think there was some kind of fashion designer storyline, which was probably what made me like it.  Hugh still talks about it, and if he's not careful I'll buy him the DVDs for his birthday, even though it isn't until October (I was browsing the BBC sale, honest, not looking up Howard's Way).

Cosy days

Ah, I do like this being off for two weeks business, candles lit, fire on, music/film/podcast/book/knitting of your choice.  I've done bits of sale shopping but I've had enough.  I need new trousers but I think I might risk ordering them from People Tree when their sale starts, as they have generous sizing so I should be ok.

I've finished knitting some socks, and am in the middle of knitting Bella Bun from Lucinda Guy's And So to Bed.  When I finish on the net I'm going to delve into my latest library book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket (of yarnstorm, and according to Amazon I should be buying Soulemama's book with it, coincidence that they match bloggers books?).  I've read the introduction and love it already, although it's not a book without controversy, which Gemma wrote about a while back.

Anyone else see the Extras special last night and wished that the Carphone Warehouse gang would get their own series?

Letters page

Dear BBC

Whilst I understand the importance of regional broadcasting and believe that BBC Scotland should be able to control some output, I would really appreciate being able to watch the repeat of Coast (Orkney and Shetland) that was on everywhere else.  Instead you subjected me to the shite that was Phil Cunningham going around Scotland finding spirituality in music and landscape.  Not only that, but you lulled me into a false sense of security by beginning the programme in Shetland and Orkney and it taking me a few minutes (I didn't see the very beginning) to realise that I didn't recognise that particular Coast presenter and why where they doing a piece about selkie songs?  I am sure most people in Scotland would have rather have watched Coast.  I was particularly interested as I had only seen the last 15 minutes of it when it was originally broadcast and I enjoy seeing my birthplace, particularly on a programme as good as Coast. 

If you could perhaps check with me in the future (yes, you should run channels round me personally) if you are going to be changing schedules in Scotland, I've missed out on quite a few programmes I wanted to watch because of the Scotland-only output.  I wouldn't mind my licence fee going on a separate Scottish channel if it meant that I could watch Kath and Kim at a decent hour.

Yours, Katherine

Dear Guardian

Regarding your Guide supplement.  If you are able to produce copies with regional events variations could you perhaps produce copies with regional television variations please?  I don't mean the smallprint option you currently take, I mean putting BBC Scotland and STV listings in properly for copies sold in Scotland.  Then I wouldn't read about television programmes I want to watch, put the television on to watch said programmes, only to discover that BBC Scotland has decided to show something else and put the programme I want to watch on late at night, if at all.  And no I can't buy another tv guide.

Regarding your Guide to Baking supplement of the 24th November.  You might like to inform your researchers that the Cooks Bookshop in Edinburgh has been closed for several years.  Other than that, nice recipes.

Yours,
Katherine

All in the game...

Oh dear me, I'm not very happy today as I have hurt my neck and shoulder, in the usual way, just by sleeping and not doing anything odd.  I was supposed to go on a hen day today, and a nice hen day at that, pottery painting at Doodles, afternoon tea at the Sheraton, pizza and chick flicks, that's my kind of hen celebration.  However I'm best off being propped up by lots of pillows and some ibuprofen.  I did haul myself out to the nearby Waterstones to get Harry Potter though.

Since last autumn, Jon and I have been enjoying an HBO series called The Wire.  Enjoying is perhaps an understatement, it's one of the best things on TV.  Or not, if you are in the UK and don't have the channel FX.  Why have C4 or BBC2 not bought this series, it really does deserve an outing on 'normal' telly.  We first borrowed series one DVDs from a friend, and got so hooked that we looked out for the next two on special offer and bought them for ourselves.  We recommend to everyone.

The Guardian has been championing the series for a while as well, and this week, if you are in the UK, you can watch the very first episode for free on their site.  One the same page are links to articles from the Guardian about it.  It's a cop show, but don't expect it to be the usual one where it's a story per episode and things get wrapped up every time, it's a slow burner and looks at one big drug baron in Baltimore and everything that revolves around him.  Each series has taken a different angle, the first introduced it and focussed on the drugs world, the second showed how the hard-up dockers got involved and the third has concentrated on the political aspects.  There are goodies and baddies, but all the characters have flaws and it's never entirely black and white.  I recommend you give it a try, but you may find yourselves signing up for cable or wanting to rent the rest of the series.  We're more than happy to lend out our DVDs to friends in Edinburgh (we also have the first series). 

Sticking with the Guardian, if you haven't heard about Mike Read not running for London Mayor, go and read his blog on the paper's website, particularly the comments.

Hang on a minute

Just been watching Chaz/Nagl favourite Coast.  It was all about Orkney and Shetland, and lo and behold, someone I was in primary 5 was on it, the guy behind the tidal energy system.  Not that he'd remember me.

Back to some knitting now...

Secret Pal!

I got my first Secret Pal package this week, and mailed out my first to my spoilee.  It was full of lovely treats, from yarn to pens to pegs with sheep on them to chocolate and to this little chicken:

There was also a copy of Interweave Knits, a magazine I've sometimes seen in Borders and HK Handknit, and had a little browse, dithered about whether to buy it or not, and always decided on the latter.  It's a great read though, and the patterns are much more interesting than Simply Knitting.  It also seems much less patronising.

Anyway, thank you so much Secret Pal, it's was a brilliant package, I loved the little petals scattered in it as well and now I once again have a needle threader.  Now I just need to decide what to knit with the lovely yarn.

I've also been experimenting a bit with MySpace.  So far?  Not impressed, it's hard to use and full or crap graphics.  I suppose I am used to the clean lines of Typepad.  It is a good way of hearing music though, which is why I'll stick with it for now, but I'm not using the blogging facility there.

It’s not easy being green…

...but it is made considerably easier when you have a good pension, consultancy work, time and live in Cornwall. I'm really enjoying the BBC2 programme It's Not Easy Being Green but you can't help but think 'well, it's easier when you've got the money'.

Which it is. The other week I got a People Tree vest top from One World Shop here in Edinburgh. For the same price I could have got three t-shirts in the Gap sale or at least three plain H&M ones. It's sad that it comes down to money. I don't need to buy Liz Earle, Aveda and Lush toiletries, I could go to Poundstretcher and save money but the planet and my skin prefer that I spend more money. I can afford it, but many can't. Of course the prices aren't on an Eve Lom, but they're also no Tesco Value either.

We try and do our bit for being green, I've probably got better since Mr Nagl and I moved in together, he takes lots of things off to Sainsburys to be recycled and will go for the organic options more often than not. We use Ecover products. I try and buy natural wax candles. We'd still like to have organic box deliveries, shop more at the farmer's market, buy more ethical and fair trade clothing, have organic bedding, but these things cost money.

It may not be easy being green, and although we aren't doing as much as we would like to, we are nevertheless doing some things, and that can only be a good thing. I just wish it wasn't all down to money.

it's not easy being green, dick strawbridge, green, environment, money, toiletries, ethical, organic, fair trade

Orkney on tv watch

Orkney will be on TV again, on Tuesday night on BBC4 at 8.30, in a programme all about Stromness Museum (wonder if they'll have lots of the scary stuffed birds, or at least they seemed scary at the age of 5). I'm not sure how often I went to the museum, but with it being a stone's throw from MM and DD's house I certainly used to play on the beach there a lot.

In the meantime, here's a slideshow of my Stromness photos:

Destructions on how to do this are here, sorry I couldn't crop it properly...

orkney, bbc4, television, stromness museum, flickr, photos

Current noticings

• Our rubbish collection has been privatised, the company responsible are called Noblet. This amuses me.
• New Town houses have boot scrapers/removers on the steps outside the door. I like them.
• Ben & Jerry's Half Baked is very good. I continue to notice this.
• George Galloway is on Celebrity Big Brother. I noticed this last night and called Mr Nagl over. Unfortunately he confirmed it, I really wanted him to tell me it wasn't George Galloway...
• New series of ER! Sadly no more opportunities to notice Dr Carter, unless I tape the old series on More 4 during the day.

Technorati Tags: noblet, refuse, bootscrapers, Ben&Jerry's, icecream, CelebrityBigBrother, GeorgeGalloway, ER, NoahWyle

Sniff sniff

Just watched the last ever episode of Six Feet Under. Wow. Sad it's finished but it couldn't really have gone on much longer. Brilliant, brilliant finale.

In other news a mouse has been hanging out in the kitchen. Ah well, moving soon enough. Thanks for all your kind wishes and congratulations on this, and belated thanks for all your tips on beating the flu. I've been feeling almost normal for nearly a week now so let's hope that's it for now, particularly since I'm coming down to Yorkshire for a few days on Saturday and we move three weeks on Friday. Yikes.