Sauce rules

People, people, people.  There are rules, RULES!!  You can’t use any old sauce with any old food! I despair.

For those who need reminding (you in the back!) these are the rules.  They’re simple, there should be no mistakes!

Brown or fruity sauce (fruity is best but brown is acceptable if Daddies or HP):

• Full english breakfast (fry-up) or any components thereof (e.g. bacon or sausage sandwich, fried egg and chips, beans on toast).  NB when eating beans the sauce must be mixed into the beans, not kept separately.  The only exempt components are mushrooms, fried/tinned tomatoes and black pudding when consumed outside of a fry-up;
• In cheese sandwiches.

Barbecue sauce (BBQ):

• Pizza;
• Burgers or other meat products not found in a fry-up, especially when eaten with chips.

Tomato ketchup:

• In white bread sandwiches, especially if the filling is plastic ham;
• On hot dogs (the only exception to the sausage rule) or burgers from a burger van;
• When chips are eaten alone.

Got it?  Good.  Any questions??

Ixus i7

My new toy

Originally uploaded by MissChick

I bought a Canon Ixus i7 in May of this year. I was so pleased with it. It’s compact, has good picture quality, user friendly, some nice features like colour accent and stitch assist…. I recommended it to many people.

Now I feel like throwing the damn thing.

It comes with a little ‘cradle’ in which it sits while it is being charged or your photos are being downloaded from it. A lead connects the cradle to your computer.

I don’t know whether the problem lies with the camera or the cradle but my success rate at downloading pics is somewhere in the region of 33% at the moment.

I’ve tried reformatting the memory card; changing memory card; ensuring camera is fully charged; wiggling the cables (very technical) – evrything I can think of. And still it’s hit and miss whether I manage to download my pictures.

I nearly threw the thing across the room tonight in a fit of pique. Googling has not brought me any answers – i think the thing is doomed.

Oh – and the macro function is shite.

The Queen of product placement

M is a formidable ruler of the salon she manages.  A German mistress of all she surveys – and boy, does she survey.   She’s able to give her client attention whilst still keeping an eye on everyone – and everything – in her salon.  Haircuts are punctuated with her calling over a staff member to give orders, excusing herself to sort out problems at the cash desk and giving advice to other stylists (whether they want it or not).

She seemed to remember me, despite only having cut my hair once about 2 months ago.  I wondered whether she has a photographic memory or a file on each customer.  She cuts my hair with almost military precision, managing to be complimentary whilst also slightly critical (“Great colour, you clearly had it done ages ago [points to visible roots] but it’s still vibrant” – which reminds me, I need to make an appointment with Marcus, my colourist).

And then we have the products.  All the styling products are available to buy in the salon and she really works the product thang.  “I’ll just use this GHD styling spray, spray it on damp hair to protect it from heated appliances… Smells great doesn’t it? Reminds me of holidays, sun lotion I think… It’ll leave your hair soo shiny… Feel how soft your hair is now….” and then she places the product on the  ledge in front of me, taking care to do so in such a way that I can see the front of the bottle clearly.

The most entertaining thing though is that she has clearly learned English from a Welsh person.  So her usual clipped German accent sometimes gives way to a Welsh drawl, and she uses locally idiosyncratic phrases like ‘now after’.  Very amusing.

Oh – and she’s a great stylist.  What more could you ask for?

Toe socks

Toe socks

Originally uploaded by MissChick

So I recently purchased some toe socks. I’ve been hankering afte a pair of these little beauties for a long time and recently stumbled across some so simply had to buy some. Two pairs in fact…

And today was their first airing.

Putting them on is a bit of an experience. Much like gloves, you have to ensure that each digit is in its own pouch. However, unlike my fingers, my toes don’t spead easily so some ‘working down’ is required.

Once on, the socks are very warm and each toe is enveloped in its own comfy warmness. On the down side, it does feel like your toes have plasters around them.

The freakiness factor is surprising. Dexter wants to eat them (socks and toes); ade looks askance; I look down occasionally and think WTF?!

They’re long (to my knees) so great under my wellies and my feet are toasty warm. In terms of cool they don’t register; in terms of ‘I don’t give a damn’ they score high. I’m trying to ignore the slightly claustrophobic feeling in my toes in favour of the quirkiness….

We’ll see.

Anniversary

Jack died one year ago today.

Not a day passes without us thinking of him, and every day that we are in our house we light the candle that is next to his picture.

Jack was more than just a dog.  He taught us both so much about love and life, and was a better , more soulful being than many humans we know.  He was full of life and love and enriched our lives beyond measure.  I was happy to have made his last  few years on the planet full of love and fun.

I love you, Jack boy x

The girl with the turquoise eyes

Have you ever had that thing happen to you when you see someone and you’re so struck by their beauty that you at least want to take their picture, if not something – anything – more?

It happened today.

Walking through a tiny town that just happens to be Britain’s smallest city, labouring up a hill and talking about Harry Potter (of all things), there she was.  Like a sorceress, she bewitched us both.  Strolling obliviously down the hill with her (very lucky) man, looking like a supermodel, her turquoise eyes drew me in and left me breathless.  I wanted to run after her and beg her to let me photograph her; Ade told me he fell instantly in love (I was much of the same opinion).  The most piercing eyes I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure that no coloured contacts could have given that effect (I know; I’ve tried).

Does she know?  Is she aware of the effect she has?  Will I ever see her again and get to take that photograph?

Eyes that pierce your very soul, at the same time disconcerting and enchanting.  She may have been a witch; she certainly weaved her magic on me.

Ouch

Yowch

Originally uploaded by MissChick

This has been a crap week off work, as it hasn’t stopped raining which had scuppered our plans to go camping in Cornwall.

So, in a fit pf pique, I went to a tattoo shop today to see about getting the tattoo I’ve been wittering about for months.

It was obviously meant to be – the only appointment available for the next week was at 1 p.m. today. So I only had to wait 15 minutes. Gulp.

Before I knew it, I was on the couch having the design drawn freehand on me. Another gulp.

A few* moments of unbearable pain later, and i have a new tattoo.

The colours will fade as it heals., but I’m so impressed with the shading and the lines. I love it!

* like, an hour.

Gay icon

So – just come back from a weekend in Brighton.

What I love best about Brighton is that it’s Gaysville.  Which means that I can go out, and while I get some male attention, it’s not your average meat market.  Instead of getting leered at and mentally undressed by unwashed and uncouth oiks, I get compliments on my hair (‘I wish I could get mine that colour!’).  Men (gay) come up and talkto me about my shoes, my clothes, my cleavage – but all in a non-invasive, non-sleazy way.  Sure, they want to talk about themselves, but I have a (semi) gay Aries male as one of my best mates – I’m used to people talking about themselves

And this weekend, a gay guy called me a gay icon.  That’s probably one of the best compliments I’ve ever received; especially when you think of famous gay icons like Kylie, Danni and Madonna

Race for Life 5km

Race for Life 5km

Originally uploaded by MissChick.

Today, I raced 5km to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Shockingly, 1 in 3 people in the UK will be affected by some form of cancer in their lifetime. This horrible disease has affected people that I know and love and to watch someone suffer from cancer is just awful.

My mother had an identical twin sister, Sandra. Auntie Sandra was my second mother; in some ways I preferred her to mum as she was more lenient She was diagnosed breast cancer, which spread to her lungs, and died when I was 15. Mum and I nursed her through her final days.

I also have a friend, Jayne, who is mum to 2 young boys (under 12). She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and her fight continues.

For these two lovely ladies, and everyone else that I know who has had to try to fight this insiduous killer, I raced. I’ve never been a runner, and training was hard going, but I kept thinking to myself that no matter how hard it got, it would never even be a 100th of how hard it would be to have to fight cancer. All the way through the race, I thought about those who have fought the brave fight, and it kept me going even when I was feeling tired.

Everyone who runs has a ‘backplate’ – a piece of paper to attach to your back to say who you are running the race for. Going round the course, reading the backplates, was so moving. My friend raced for her friends 5 year old daughter who died of leukemia last year. Some raced for parents, grandparents, children, siblings, friends; some raced for themselves.

Everyone who did the race was there to raise money for research into how cancer can be controlled or destroyed. I’ve raised over £390 in sponosrship money; others raised thousands, but no matter how big or small the amount raised by each individual it goes to the most worthy cause.

As for me, I’m chuffed with my race – 28.21 seconds running, plus about 6 mins shuffling to get past everyone at the start. I feel great, so pleased that I actually did it and that I got so much support from family and friends. And also thankful that I’m healthy enough to do this, and that I have been able, in some small way, to help fight cancer.

Politics

Some people really love politics and can bang on for hours about all kinds of political shenanigans, whether in their own countries or not.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, and I really do try, I just don’t get it.

It’s weird. I’m fairly intelligent, and I do have an interest in the world and the way it’s being run. But as soon as anything close to a report or debate on politics comes up, my ears shut off, my mind wanders, and my head goes ‘la la la’.

I really have tried. I’ve tried to watch the news, listen to radio reports, read newspapers/online news/blogs but it’s all just words that have no meaning to me.

I really don’t get why I have such a mental block – I really wish I didn’t.