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vital functions
Sep. 8th, 2019 09:11 pmReading. ( a lot of Naomi Novik )
Watching. Orphan Black 5x02. I thought we had got further than this but APPARENTLY NOT. We... said "HI FERDINAND" a lot.
Cooking. Oh thank goodness I am feeling at all inclined toward this again. Notable this week: a good loaf of sourdough, subsequent to Oven Repair that mostly involved someone sticking a thermocouple in it & telling me I just needed to rearrange the shelves (though I might also look into the grill guard); a plum cobbler, with plums from the allotment and buttermilk from the fridge (this batch has gone particularly well) and ground almonds and the last of the cardamom sugar from the latest batch of Kardemummebullar. A great big vat of tagine, which I got into the fridge successfully (and freezer!).
Exploring. Does IKEA count? ( Read more... )
The other Actual Adventure of the week was going to an event for members at the Natural History Museum. I think in future I will plan to eat separately from the food available at the event, and for this specific event I think I was not really the target audience (the theme was Exploring Space; they had a bunch of stands with various scientific curators willing to Explain Science To You; this is probably a great draw for most people but certainly the terrestrial geology stand I... knew more about what was going on than the person behind the table, whoops), but I got to see Museum of the Moon less its soundtrack, and various animals at a Zoolab stall, and that was pretty great. Things learned: apparently we can now synthesise the protein that makes up spider silk, but spinning it is a work in progress; leopard geckos have POINTY LITTLE CLAWS (I was allowed to touch its feet!); scorpions glow under UV light (well, at least some of them), and Nobody Knows Why; part of the reason for snails having stalky eyes is so that they can see over their shells; and APPARENTLY (as far as we can tell) snakes have forked tongues so that they can do directional scenting, i.e. 3d scent maps, in much the same way that Humans Have Two Ears.
Growing. We ate a fig off the patio tree for breakfast! It's the only one we'll be getting this year, but STILL.
I have been Having Ongoing Difficulty with... Life, but: the first of the bird-feeder errant sunflowers has fully opened up its face and several more are working on it, my string-of-pearls is cautiously putting out exploratory further growth, the burro's tail grew enough roots that I've potted it up, my bay tree wants to be t o l, and my second attempt at holy basil (I... let the first dessicate) is hatching enthusiastically.
And I did make it down to the allotment, the once, where A picked a lot of plums and I fed the bin and got the waterbutt on its stand and dropped off the sun-lounger. I really do need to sort myself out with A Cordless Drill at least for long enough to finish the infrastructure that's currently stalling me, and then maybe I can settle back in to enjoying it instead of finding everything a source of mild dread.
Observing. The coal tits have rediscovered the bird feeders on the patio! A... should top them up, but that might be easier and more pleasant now we have a PATIO CABINET (which I spent some of this afternoon putting together).
We met animals at the NHM! It was pretty great.
Nesting. Other bits of DIY done: shelf up in the hallway. Cork board up in the even hallier hallway. Brackets for blind #1 up... and then we gave up in disgust having slightly squooshed a blind, so the rest of the Power Toolsing can happen in The Future. Lots of various tidy; there is more to go but UGH it is impoved.
Poking. Wild-caught: shiny Cyndaquil. Raided: SHINY RAIKOU. Traded: two lucky 98% Chansey (!!!), one of which is now a Blissey.
Watching. Orphan Black 5x02. I thought we had got further than this but APPARENTLY NOT. We... said "HI FERDINAND" a lot.
Cooking. Oh thank goodness I am feeling at all inclined toward this again. Notable this week: a good loaf of sourdough, subsequent to Oven Repair that mostly involved someone sticking a thermocouple in it & telling me I just needed to rearrange the shelves (though I might also look into the grill guard); a plum cobbler, with plums from the allotment and buttermilk from the fridge (this batch has gone particularly well) and ground almonds and the last of the cardamom sugar from the latest batch of Kardemummebullar. A great big vat of tagine, which I got into the fridge successfully (and freezer!).
Exploring. Does IKEA count? ( Read more... )
The other Actual Adventure of the week was going to an event for members at the Natural History Museum. I think in future I will plan to eat separately from the food available at the event, and for this specific event I think I was not really the target audience (the theme was Exploring Space; they had a bunch of stands with various scientific curators willing to Explain Science To You; this is probably a great draw for most people but certainly the terrestrial geology stand I... knew more about what was going on than the person behind the table, whoops), but I got to see Museum of the Moon less its soundtrack, and various animals at a Zoolab stall, and that was pretty great. Things learned: apparently we can now synthesise the protein that makes up spider silk, but spinning it is a work in progress; leopard geckos have POINTY LITTLE CLAWS (I was allowed to touch its feet!); scorpions glow under UV light (well, at least some of them), and Nobody Knows Why; part of the reason for snails having stalky eyes is so that they can see over their shells; and APPARENTLY (as far as we can tell) snakes have forked tongues so that they can do directional scenting, i.e. 3d scent maps, in much the same way that Humans Have Two Ears.
Growing. We ate a fig off the patio tree for breakfast! It's the only one we'll be getting this year, but STILL.
I have been Having Ongoing Difficulty with... Life, but: the first of the bird-feeder errant sunflowers has fully opened up its face and several more are working on it, my string-of-pearls is cautiously putting out exploratory further growth, the burro's tail grew enough roots that I've potted it up, my bay tree wants to be t o l, and my second attempt at holy basil (I... let the first dessicate) is hatching enthusiastically.
And I did make it down to the allotment, the once, where A picked a lot of plums and I fed the bin and got the waterbutt on its stand and dropped off the sun-lounger. I really do need to sort myself out with A Cordless Drill at least for long enough to finish the infrastructure that's currently stalling me, and then maybe I can settle back in to enjoying it instead of finding everything a source of mild dread.
Observing. The coal tits have rediscovered the bird feeders on the patio! A... should top them up, but that might be easier and more pleasant now we have a PATIO CABINET (which I spent some of this afternoon putting together).
We met animals at the NHM! It was pretty great.
Nesting. Other bits of DIY done: shelf up in the hallway. Cork board up in the even hallier hallway. Brackets for blind #1 up... and then we gave up in disgust having slightly squooshed a blind, so the rest of the Power Toolsing can happen in The Future. Lots of various tidy; there is more to go but UGH it is impoved.
Poking. Wild-caught: shiny Cyndaquil. Raided: SHINY RAIKOU. Traded: two lucky 98% Chansey (!!!), one of which is now a Blissey.