sallysetsforth

Today I spent an awesome afternoon with fellow Twitterers, librarians and crafters Ruth, Kim and Zaana when we met up for a #creativebarter swap session.

I've described #creativebarter in a previous blog entry - basically we swap items that utilise our own special creative skills. Kim creates amazing crochet pieces, Ruth makes gorgeous pottery, and Zaana is a talented artist and print maker. Oh, and I cross stitch amongst other things :)

I'd like to extend my personal thanks to Zaana for being such a great travelling companion (I talked her ear off on the train and tram) and for her delicious mini quiches :) Thank you to Ruth for hosting our little event, and for generously providing us with passionfruit sponge, homemade bread, rum balls and lime ice cream! And thank you *so much* to Kim for exhibiting great patience in teaching us all how to start off crocheting, and for sharing her Kiwi onion dip :)

Here are some photos of the goodies that we swapped today:

Kim's loot -



Zaana's loot -



Ruth's loot -



There are a few related blog posts in the pipeline - tomorrow I'll post about our beginners' crochet attempts. I'll also be posting the pattern for the teapot cross stitch that you can see amongst Kim's loot, as well as the recipe for the coconut macaroons that were my contribution to the feast :)

Again, thank you lovely ladies for a wonderful afternoon of your conversation and company :)

Just a few days ago I was talking about plans on this blog. Well, Tim and I were pretty set on our latest plan, and excitedly looking forward to putting it into action.

And then ... I saw a job advertisement in my inbox. All of a sudden, we're looking at a completely different possible future - also an exciting one.

So instead of all the things that I expected to be doing tonight, we ended up hashing out the pros and cons of our two options, which included doing sums to figure out what we could afford to do (how much I would earn, how much rent we'd be paying, how much rent we'd be earning, cost of living, etc).

I'm being terribly vague about it all, I know, but it feels like whenever we start telling people about our plans, something comes along and upsets the apple cart!

So here are some very sketchy details :)

Choice 1:

• live in a beautiful, scenic, natural environment
• live somewhere hot
• high cost of living
• full-time employment in my profession
• part-time study (1 subject)
• not much free time to explore my creative side
• challenges with moving

Choice 2:

• live in a beautiful, scenic, natural environment
• live somewhere cold
• low cost of living
• no chance of employment in my profession, but other opportunities to earn an income
• part-time study (2 subjects)
• lots of time to explore my creative side
• even more challenges with moving

Anyway, this is what we'll be pondering on over the long weekend ...

P.S. Isn't it funny how you start the day thinking that you're going to write a blog post about one subject, only to change your mind during the day as a result of an interesting conversation with a friend or colleague, only to change your mind again when you get home and check your email, read other people's blogs or chat on Twitter :)

P.P.S. I promise I will write at least one library-related blog post next week! *lol*

This recipe for walnut meringues is one of my favourites! I usually double it because they're so yummy (and more-ish!). Meringues are much easier than you would think - try this out for yourself and see! The walnuts make them extra special :)



Walnut Meringues
Makes approx. 10

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp baking powder

Method:

• Beat egg white until soft peaks form, gradually add sugar, beat until dissolved. Fold in brown sugar, walnuts and sifted baking powder.
• Drop dessertspoonfuls of mixture onto greased and lightly cornfloured tray (or tray covered with baking paper). Bake in slow oven (150°C) for approximately 1 hour.

Credit: The Australian Women's Weekly 100 Delicious Biscuits and Slices (1982), edited by Ellen Sinclair.

P.S. I've also added this recipe to my Recipe Box page.

I've previously written a blog post about Tumblr, but I've decided to revisit it after posting a comment about it on moonflowerdragon's blog tonight.
 
I use Tumblr in addition to my more traditional blogging platform here. I use it differently - it's more for finding, recording and sharing sources of art/craft/visual inspiration that I find on the web.

Here's the link to my Tumblr - http://sallysetsforth.tumblr.com

It's very easy to use. There's a bookmarklet that makes it really simple to send a picture, website, video or audio link to Tumblr. You can submit posts by email too, and there's an iPhone app, etc. There's also an RSS feed so that people can subscribe to your Tumblr blog through a reader, even if they're not on Tumblr themselves.

The Tumblr user interface is a bit like Twitter in that you have your own URL for your published posts, but you also have a dashboard where all the posts of the people that you follow on Tumblr appear.

You don't really comment on posts in the same way that you would on a traditional blog - you can 'like' them and/or you can reblog them and add your own comments. And others can do the same with your posts. Though, having said that, I've just discovered that you can enable 'replies' to your Tumblr posts - excellent! I've also seen others create posts with polls or question boxes attached, so there's a facility for those kind of interactions too. If you're interested in finding people on Tumblr with similar interests to you, there's a directory feature. For example, there's one for books here.

One thing that's definitely changed since my original blog post is that I have grown to love the social aspects of Tumblr. At first I found it a bit clunky in the social networking department, but once I started to find and build a network, things really changed. It's moved far beyond my original use of Tumblr as a visual bookmarking tool - it's now a place where I go to find and share inspiration, not just to record it.

Oh, and every now and then, something that you post will be reblogged by a follower with a wider reach (i.e. influence) and your post will go viral - that's very cool :)

Sometimes I joke that collecting is in my genes - after all, both of my parents were avid collectors. But really, I was *taught* to collect from an early age. I learnt from the example set by my parents, and I was also encouraged to begin my own collections.

As a child, I collected:

• stickers
• anything related to Snoopy
• badges and pins
• Avon perfume bottles
• novelty erasers
• Princess Di memorabilia

At University I got hooked on science fiction and Star Trek, and began collecting based on my new interests. I also hung onto things that had value to me, like favourite books, toys, correspondence, and academic notes/assignments. It's a very fine line between collecting and hoarding, and I have to say that I've stepped over the line more than once.

When I first moved out of my parents' house, a lot of my stuff stayed behind while I lived in a share house interstate. I later moved into a bedsit, and then a one-bedroom apartment. Each time my living space became fuller as I had difficulty deciding what to throw out. When I moved back to Melbourne and into a house with Tim, we had two people's possessions to contend with (Tim's not a collector, but he's a hang-on-to-things-in-case-they're-useful-one-day person). And all of my old stuff in my parents' garage moved in too. At that point, the whole thing became too daunting to deal with. Things went into or stayed in boxes and filled up the spare room until it became suitable for storage only. And the collecting habit continued ...

As an adult, I've started some new collections:

• blue & white dining and kitchen ware
• Georgette Heyer novels
• Gilbert & Sullivan LPs
• cookbooks and food magazines
• Rupert bear books
• teapots and other tea-related paraphernalia
• Serendipity books
• user-created content for the Sims computer game
• crafting books and supplies

I finally started taking some major action over the summer to get rid of stuff and streamline my possessions. But it's not over yet. I've still got a long way to go, and several areas of the house have yet to be purged. But necessity is the mother of invention they say, and the prospect of moving interstate, and possibly into a smaller home, is a great motivator!

I'm in the mood for sharing some photos :)

I've just uploaded to Flickr a collection of photos taken on a trip to Strahan, on Tasmania's west coast, in August 2006.

We flew from Melbourne to Burnie to meet up with a friend who was working there at the time, then drove down to the pretty township of Strahan. We went for a walk along the beach, explored the town and had dinner at the pub. I loved our accommodation at Risby Cove - complimentary port! The next day we went on an amazing Gordon River cruise, which included a visit to Sarah Island, a former convict station. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to go on the recently restored West Coast Wilderness Railway on that trip.

I hope that we can visit Strahan again some day - it was a glorious place to get away from it all and enjoy the stunningly beautiful natural environment.

I've been feeling a bit low today, so I'm going to post a link to a video that never fails to cheer me up :)



This pie fight scene is from The Great Race. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were wonderful on screen together (Some Like It Hot is another of my favourite films). Tony Curtis plays the hero, The Great Leslie, complete with sparkling white teeth. Jack Lemmon is the villainous Professor Fate, dressed all in black (he also plays Crown Prince Hapnick in a mistaken identity subplot). Natalie Wood is also great fun here, playing the suffragette Maggie Dubois. It's strange to think that this movie was my first exposure to the women's rights movement!! The score is by the amazing Henry Mancini.

I've been thinking a bit about the ups and downs of planning for the future. I'm talking about personal plans, the 5-year and 10-year kind.

The problem with making these sorts of plans is that you never know what's around the corner. Career, family circumstances, relationships, health, study, etc. - all of these things can jump up and throw your plans into disorder.

BUT - that's no reason not to plan. We all need something to look forward to, and aim towards. In my own past experience, writing down my future goals and ambitions has really helped me sort out my priorities and start taking action to move towards those goals.

Right now, Tim and I are busily working out our activities for the rest of the year (after we finish our employment contracts at the end of June). Because our plans have gone astray more often than not in recent times, we'll be building in some flexibility! :)

I suspect I'm not the only blogger dusting off old draft posts for the #blogeverydayofjune challenge, so here's one I prepared earlier ... *lol*

Some time ago, there was a discussion on Twitter about the joys of bench mixers. I regret to say that I still haven't used my Kenwood Chef to whip something up as I promised that day. You'll know when I do, though, because proud pictures will be posted!

That discussion got me thinking (and not for the first time, I'll admit) about the number of kitchen appliances that we've amassed over the years. I do love making lists, so here's my appliance inventory for your viewing pleasure(?).

• Bench mixer - not used very often, mostly for making cheesecakes :)
• Mincer - attaches to the bench mixer, Tim uses it to make sausages and mince for bolognese
• Food processor - mostly used for soups and crumbing stuff, rarely use the chopping attachments
• Blender - heavy use on cocktail nights, also for lassis and milkshakes
• Juicer - great for turning smaller-than-normal apples from our trees into juice, Tim makes carrot juice too but I cringe at the small amount of juice that comes from huge piles of fruit or veg
• Jaffle maker - mmm, jaffles!
• Sandwich press - not used as often as the jaffle maker, but enough to keep it around
• Toaster oven - my fave for toasted cheese sandwiches, and any bread that doesn't fit in the regular slice toaster
• Soy milk maker - used for making rice milk, mostly in winter to go with porridge
• Espresso machine - Tim uses it twice a day, every day and has become a total coffee snob
• Bread maker - makes home-made bread so easily, we run it overnight for fresh bread in the morning
• Spice grinder - once you've ground your own spices from the seeds, you'll never go back!
• Hand mixer - used regularly, it's easier to get out of the cupboard than the bench mixer (and easier to clean)
• Dehydrator - used in the summer months when (if) we have a glut of tomatoes, apples, plums, zucchini, beans, etc
• Preserving kit - it's been a few years since I used the Fowlers Vacola kit, but it's not going anywhere! (*precious*)
• Home brew kit - used every summer, I don't know why everyone doesn't brew their own beer
• Kettle - not a glamourous kitchen appliance, but where would we be without it?
• Toaster - same as above, used almost daily
• Microwave - I avoided getting one for years, but now we use it almost every day
• Oven and stove  - am I stretching this list a bit far? maybe, but it feels weird to leave them out
• Fridge - same as above, but it's worth mentioning that I love our upside-down fridge!
• Chest freezer - we actually have two stand-alone freezers, used for storing our garden produce and the results of Tim's fishing efforts

So ... how does this list compare to the appliance collection in your kitchen?

I've just arrived home after a lovely evening of dinner and DVDs with my Mum. The dinner was fish and chips (or in my case, a vege burger and chips) and the DVD we watched was a couple of episodes of early Poirot, starring David Suchet.

But the excitement that my blog post title refers to was in regards to a new local shop that we discovered this evening while waiting for our chips ...

An Indian grocery store!!!!

To put this high level of enthusiasm in context, you need to know two things:


So - a new Indian grocery store is in town, and I think it might be the first *ever* out our way. If my kitchen wasn't already so well-stocked, I would have gone nuts buying dals and spices! As it was, I limited myself to one giant can of gulab jamun (yum!). But I'll definitely be going back there again, and again, and again ... :)