some things that happy

[kaberett]

• Last year, in the lead-up to my birthday, I spotted a relatively cheap three-tier cake stand in the window of one of the local charity shops. I got it, because I was planning Afternoon Tea for my birthday, and have been enjoying it sat on top of the dresser since; this weekend just gone I got it down again and piled it up with madeleines (baby's first!) and scones, for a Jupiter Ascending watch party hosted with miscellaneous cousins various. It is a tiny extravagant frivolity and it makes me very happy (as does feeding people Afternoon Tea, it turns out, so I should be aiming to do that more often).
  
• And then on the Monday we took the Leftover Afternoon Tea down to Kew, to visit the Chihuly and Interview the recently-acquired Young Man of one of said cousins. We picnicked on the grass just inside the Victoria Gate, in view of Sapphire Star, and it turns out that in addition to Woobly Glass I am, also, very fond of Providing Picnics, so I shall aim to do more of that, as well.
  
• Progress at the allotment, various: yesterday, after sending my work for the week over to my supervisor, I had dinner and headed out and stayed til dusk. I weeded the allium and the Ribes, I fed the bin, I removed a token carpet square. Today, after my supervisor meeting to discuss said etc, I gathered up the bricks from the ex-cat-stairs and took myself down to the plot and sorted out the water butt, which involved (i) building it a wee platform of said bricks and (ii) actually giving it a thorough scrubbing. I did not feed the bin because it was still full, but I did admire the Ribes in slightly more light than I had by the time I left yesterday; and I made more progress on The Carpet (!); and I picked some spinach to put in dinner. (It's mostly going to flower, now, but the more of it I cook with the less guilty I'll feel when I rip the rest of it up to get The Sodding Carpet out.)
  
• This morning I picked up My First Tube Of Tostran. In the process I had a cheering interaction with My Default GP at the current place, and then while waiting for the prescription to be filled I was approached by someone using a walker and Asked For Wheelchair Advice (on behalf of their spouse rather than themself) and got to be Kind And Helpful.
  
• On my (slow and meandering) way home, I found (1) a cast-iron plausibly-suitable-for-injera pan, and did a bunch of research on where and how to buy teff in the UK, and (ii) spotted in a charity shop window a Kenwood mixer bowl, so promptly crossed the road and purchased it immediately, because I Am Become My Grandfather.

Comments

[harpers_child]

Tea and frivolities and picnics oh my!

Yay for garden progress!

[wildeabandon]

Hooray for good things. It sounds like you may have found better options, but I by my teff from Ocado.

[kaberett]

Doves Farm will do you £4.44/kg if you don't mind buying 16kg, which honestly given that everywhere else seems to be charging north of £12/kg I'm Seriously Considering. I mean, I'm sure I could find someone to split a bag with, right... :-p

[wildeabandon]

You're reasonably close to me(N15), aren't you? I'm sure I can find a use for 8kg of teff :)

[kaberett]

I'm in EN2, so perhaps we have a plan...

[azurelunatic]

Yay!

[lilysea]

Oooh, I like injera! ^_^

[booksarelife]

Chihuly's work is amazing!!! They had an exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens last year of his stuff, and my college library has one of his pieces!!

[kaberett]

I work (when I'm on campus instead of on my sofa) just around the corner from the V&A, so I can spend a bunch of time looking at their chandelier. :-)

[judiff]

You can get like tiny bags of Teff at Planet Organic and the like other hippy/hipster shops near Parents (Kings Cross/Bloomsbury/Fitzrovia) if you want to do experimenting before you get like loads

The things sound Shiny!
We want to go and see the Chihuly but we are like waiting for the May/June hay-fever peak to get a bit less...

[kaberett]

Thank you for the tip!

I am prooobably interested in getting Loads because I know what I'm like, but it is nice to know I have non-Ocado options. :-)

(My hayfever is currently pretty well controlled, but yeah, Adam did not particularly enjoy having forgotten to take an antihistamine the day we went. I'm looking forward to going back later in the year and seeing how it all interacts differently with the changing seasons.)

[sporky_rat]

(ii) spotted in a charity shop window a Kenwood mixer bowl, so promptly crossed the road and purchased it immediately, because I Am Become My Grandfather.

Finding bowls/accessories that fit older appliances is hard, snap them up when you find them!
I still can't find a manual for the Braun burr grinder I have (which is amazing and I love it even though I like the soothing meditative action of the manual better) from the '70's.

Your Grandfather was wise. Just don't live somewhere you can build a collection to his heights.