Cool

Every time I see one of these it takes me straight back to being a kid. One of these days I'm going to treat myself to one - as a whole meal in itself. The joy of being a grown-up.

Lucky

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Originally uploaded by krikelorac.

Guess what I got for my birthday?

Anyone know a site where people can learn how to use these things properly?

Flowers

This week's challenge was to draw fresh flowers. As we are in a rented property, the garden is not exactly stuffed with flowers. However, I wandered around the parched garden (it is HOT here) with my sketchbook and drew every flower I could find, 'weeds' included.

ATCs

Last week, I had a go at making my first ATCs. I've made them in part-donation towards Beth's Blogathon for the RSPCA. You can see them here

EDM Challenge 75 - Recipe

I love this recipe because (a) it is one of the few I can cope with (Rick does most of the cooking), and (b) I love smoked, peppered mackrel. I think we made this recipe up between us based on memories of kedgeree from childhood. We didn't have a recipe written down. It is a great store-cupboard standby for when we've got onions and garlic but no other fresh vegetables. Having said that, we are going to have it for tea tonight despite having lots of lovely fresh veg from the farm shop. Just drawing the ingredients has made my mouth water for it.

EDM Challenge 74 - Clouds

Clouds are my friend – as long as they are the small, white, fluffy type that scuttles across a blue sky and shades me from the too-hot sun. Or the anvil-shaped storm clouds that darken the sky Prussian-blue and dump gallons of refreshing rain onto the parched earth, releasing its woody smells.

The ones I don’t like are the grey drizzly ones that smother the UK during the winter months. What little light we get during the short days of winter is dimmed by these damp blankets. The landscape turns to an indistinct foggy grey-and-white.

So I’ve painted my favourites - shower clouds that scuttle across a blue sky, providing shade and the occasional refreshing downpour.

EDM Challenge 73 Mailbox

I remember writing letters. Carefully writing the address in the top right-hand corner, and then wondering what to write. It gave me an opportunity to think about what I'd done, and what I was proud of. Then there were the return letters to look forward to. Usually in thick Basildon Bond watermarked envelopes with matching writing paper. I held the letters together with a blue ribbon. Many of these were from my Gran, who I wrote to regularly when I was a child.

The most surprising letter I received was the one that said I had passed my 11 +. This was totally unexpected, and my first indication that I might be more intelligent than I gave myself credit for. It meant that I got to go to the girl's High School, which would surely be like Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers? It wasn't.

My most exciting mail package recently was my OU study materials - a big workbook, CDs and study guides. I was full of anticipation when I opened that box. It hasn't let me down.

Most of my snail mail now comes from Amazon. Oh, and my bank still write to me. But I don't hold their letters together with blue ribbon.