Soundgarden in Birmingham (with a side helping of gay bars, gin and dodgy hotels)

I haven't had much to write about this week- work has taken my life over again- I did manage to make a mountain of roasted vegetables on wednesday for dinner, so my cooking success was repeatable! yay! 

We went to the vietnamese restaurant on wednesday- Which was as amazing as ever! and I had fried pineapple for afters- and then we had to go for a massive epic walk to try and fight the food baby feeling.

On Friday I went for frozen yoghurt with Traff, Karl Ayesha and Salma I had oreos and strawberries on mine- Karl just had sweets and the girls had fruit- I'd deffo go again as it was lush! It made a good change from going to the pub on a friday anyway!

Traff made a vegetable curry with all the veggies left over from wednesday and Karly came and had dinner, followed by an evening of pirate biscuits and mooching.

So, it's quite good to be able to write about something that isn't food

On saturday Traff and I drove to Birmingham- we booked to stay at the royal george hotel- it looked snazzy on it's website.

It said it was a 4* hotel.

then when we went on to check the post code we realised its "self certified" 4*. So we were a bit worried.. sketchy and some odd reviews on trip advisor- but we just decided everything is an adventure.

:)

When we arrived the hotel was lush.

really really lush.

The whole place was brand new, the carpets were thick enough to break your ankles, the bed was massive, massive shower- even heated towel rails!

I went from worried to delighted.

it does back onto the blues ground though, so for home games I image it would be insanely busy! Thankfully they played away this weekend.

And had a nap for an hour whilst Traff watched the footy.

Just to test the bed like!

We walked into town, which was about 3 miles- to find somewhere to eat dinner- I dunno what happened because we started with loads of time and ended up with bugger all!

We had meant to eat n the bullring but it was jam packed, so we walked to the o2 academy and found a pub serving food opposite.

in honesty, from the outside it looked a bit run down and dodgy, but we were hungry and out of time.

Inside it was rather fabulous!

pub food- does what it says on the tin- and decent drinks prices! we had 2 rounds and got into the venue in time to see the second support act.

Soundgarden were awesome! they played a brilliant set!

my only gripe with going to see 90s bands is that there is a serious lack of gig etiquette. they bloke next to me was dancing like a teapot with his elbows out and now my side is all bruised, and all I could see all evening was the back of the bloke in front of me!

bah!

And my brand new boots got squished by so much being stamped on they've got chunks gouged out of them! bah!

After the gig we bought some knock off t-shirts from the bloke outside the venue. mine looks very small for a medium. 

Then we headed back to the gay bar for "one last pint" at 11pm.

First round, all went pretty normal.

I headed back to the bar to get the next round in and the barman was like "Do you want to see my c***?" and before I'd said anything he whipped a rubber ladies downstairs department out from under the bar.

I honestly didn't know what to do!

he was so busy playing with it he poured a thatchers gold instead of a McEwans.

 the gin took the edge off my surprise!

after those we'd run out of cash, so I went to the loo and Traff went to take the glasses back- when I came back the bar man was yelling at me and Traff was sat at the bar with another round in.

We ended up sat there chatting with the bar men an the regulars until 2am!

We drank quite a lot of alcohol.

we bought rounds, they bought rounds, someone gave me peanut brittle, it was very civilised actually.I have a recollection of eating many bags of crisps to try and sober up. clearly that is a drunk act. I doubt eating crisps would make a dammed jot of difference!

we were chatting with them and they asked where we were staying- so we told them- the looked horrified that we'd planned to walk back.

They were telling us the the pub under the hotel was where they filmed local gang members for some program on organised crime- some ross kemp type thing! eerk! 

We shared a taxi back with a bloke names Vince, who was lovely. he told us he'd been to prison, just casually, like it's something you tell people during the course of normal polite conversation.

I'm so curious what for!

He was so kind and polite!

We got back to the hotel not long before 3am, we had to let ourselves in through the side door- and we were so pissed we really struggled to be quiet.

As we'd just got into our room the stag party came in- they did not sound anything like as drunk as we were.

Infact, in the morning I was still drunk with a hangover and they all looked fresh as daisies! they'd upped and gone before I'd even managed to dray my sorry green self to breakfast.

We had a cooked breakfast at the hotel- normally I'm not into fried breakfast but today nothing else would have done!

Traff had to drive us back. I was too hideously hungover.

We stopped after about 20 minutes for emergency hangover curing mini cheddars and sprite. by the time we'd got into warwickshire my headache had subsided.

When we got back into bedford and nipped to morrisons to get pizzas made up for dinner. too poorly feeling to do real cooking.

Duvet. Sofa. TV.

That is all I am good for today!

Windmills and Gin

I started today really disappointed, because Traff promised we would go to the beach.
And then got called into work very early this morning and didn't come home until gone midday.

Beach = out.

I spent the morning doing bits and bobs for work and Ray said she's going to bring me some more bacardi so I have picked more blackberries for the jar!
:)
Traff came home and we had the apple and blackberry pie for lunch. it's pretty good- the vitalite pastry came out OK in the end.
it was tricky to work with though- very fragile- it was a bugger to roll out and ended up looking rubbish because I had to patch it back together where it broke- and it hasn't coloured like pastry made with margarine does- I'll just have to invest in a pastry brush to paint milk or egg onto the top to make it brown if we're going to keep up this vegetarian silliness much longer.

So, we ate our pie sat on the bed, and I bemoaned that it was too late to go to the beach, or to london. or anywhere good really.
So we racked our brains for places to go- and Traff hit upon going back to Stevington to see the windmill.
So, we did.

Via the Swan for a "road" drink- Then we started walking...
Last time we went to the windmill we drove, and it didn't take very long. So we didn't remember it being very far.
In fainess it's just over 2 and a half miles there and the same back again- so about 5 and a half in total, but the road is a slight incline, and its twisty! it felt like we walked forever!
And the sky was so grey! it really looked like it was going to bucket down at any second- luckily it held off until we got back to the car!



Traff and his "are we nearly there yet?" face.



It's much colder today than it has been in months- I've been able to crack out some of my excessive jumper collection today!
it feels like Autumn is here, Although until we got 2 miles into our walk (too far to turn back) it was actually quite bright and sunny- you can see some blue sky in the photos!

you can get the keys for the windmill from the pub in the village- I'm torn between being a bit gutted we didn't go in and have a snoop- and being relived that we didn't as we missed the rain by seconds! We'll just go back another day. but maybe not walk from Bromham.

How to cut and sew a 50s style cape, a la Audrey Hepburn.

I should preface this- 
I love 50s clothing- I enjoy 40s and 60s clothes- but the 50s have such lovely shapes!
All of them using a million miles of fabric.
50s seems to be fashionable still- which has made vintage shopping pretty much out. I love my £5 bargain dresses from 3 or 4 years ago- now the same dress will set you back £20! inflation!
I will jsut have to learn to sew.

I have a 50s style coat with a full circle "skirt" and (faux) furry collar but a cape would look really cool on my (early) 60s raleigh caprice. And I could make it out of a fabric which can go in the washing machine!
Bonus. somehow my bike has mudguards all over it and I still end up covered in more mud than I thought I'd ridden though.
I don't even think I have to ride my bike to get covered in mud. I just go near it and somehow I'm filthy.

I  this would be awesome right now, it's not cold enough for a real coat with sleeves yet, but in the evenings you need something to keep you toasty.

This pattern is taken from this incredible website:
http://www.projectrunplay.com/2011/09/audrey-cape-tutorial.html 

If you're wanting for sewing projects this is the place to be looking! I'm always so impressed with their projects- I can barely master sock puppets and these people are making blazers out of old curtains for themselves and 3 children! how?!

These instructions are for a child sized cape- the basic pattern for this is a circle skirt- cut as much fabric as you would need for a full circle skirt and you should have a cape that fits, unless you have either a massive bottom and no bazingas or all the bazingas and a flat bum. if either of those describes you, sorry, you'll just have to guess what size your cape should be!

A cape can be anything from elbow skimming to waist length- so however this turns out it'll still be chic- you just might have cold elbows.
reassured?
good.
lets get started.

One word of advice: This was a thrifting challenge, so I ended up making the linings of these capes from regular cotton fabric. In real life, I WOULD NOT. Take the time to get real lining fabric....it will look much more like a professional coat, and you will be much happier with it.

Also, I made two capes. I will give you the measurements for the Big Girl cape in the tutorial....and will give the Little Girl cape at the bottom. (It was too confusing to put them both in...) If you are looking for sizing, the Big Girl cape was put on a six year old but I am guessing would fit anyone up to about a size 8 or a small 10. The Little Girl cape could go anywhere from about a size 2 to a size 4 or 5.

(If you are worried you could always cut a muslin and then try it on your little one...)

Big Girl Cape Tutorial

*You should work on the folded edges....and not the selveges.

*One thing I forgot to tell you....you need to make to slit on one of the folds to make the circle open.

Now move on to the collar pieces for a minute.

HERE is a pattern for a peter pan collar if you need one.

Inside Severalls Asylum, Essex

Empty corridors, rotten walls, wind hissing between the jagged glass of broken window panes - Severalls Hospital seems to whisper with its own chilling history.

The 300-acre site, built in May 1913 to house some 2,000 patients at any one time, was more than a psychiatric ward - it was a complete community, designed so that no one would ever need to leave.

Inside the now deserted, decaying shell, psychiatrists were once free to test their new treatments without any restrictions on patients at the mental hospital in Colchester, Essex.

Derelict: Wind whistles down the corridors of Severalls Hospital in Colchester, Essex

Empty: The 300-acre site was designed in 1910 by architect Frank Whitmore, with most buildings in characteristic Edwardian Queen Anne Style and opened in May 1913

Treatment: Psychiatrists in Edwardian times had free rein to test cures on patients, including methods such as electro-convulsive therapy and frontal lobotomy, that would be considered inhuman today

Chilling: The hospital was fully equipped with its own mortuary and - at the time - state-of-the-art body fridges

Maze: The wards, offices and other services were easily accessible via a system of interconnecting corridors that meant staff could get quickly from patient to patient

Abandoned: The hospital was closed in 1997, although a small section stayed open for the treatment of patients suffering the side effects of serious strokes

Broken: The hospital site was sold in 2008 and has since been allowed to crumble into disrepair

Community: The hospital site included its own farms supplying food, a purpose-built bakery, laundry and even produced its own electricity

Room on the ward: Some 2,000 patients could be cared for at Severalls Hospital at one time while it was fully operational

Still living: Pigeons now nest in the deserted hospital, which has become of increasing interest to 'urban explorers' who come into the hospital to take photographs

Equipped: Although many objects that were used in the hospital have been looted, some, such as a bathtub and rusted water pipes, still remain

Scorched: A fire alarm button, warped by heat after it was burned inside the abandoned hospital

Blackberry vodka recipe- Although, I'll be using bacardi. Same difference.

I've committed to this now. it's happening. The berries from yesterday are all soaked and washed and in the fridge- I'm going to make a blackberry and apple pie for the wife to enjoy on his 2 weeks off, but I'll still have loads of blackberries left over!

I know I could make cupcakes or a fruit loaf or something, but we'll already have a massive pie to eat, so I've settled on making blackberry and vanilla Bacardi. Only because Tesco was out of value vodka and value gin. it was all pot luck really!

And Tesco are already selling christmas themed cupcakes! it's too early, let us enjoy autumn, and halloween and bonfire night. THEN we can think about christmas.

Kirstie pointed out I could have made blackberry brandy and actually, that sounds awesome so depending on my success with this, I may return to the woods next week and have another go at this alcohol infusing malarky.

I'm also thinking some cinnamon might be nice, and wishing I'd been arsed to collect some elderflowers, which might have been nicer than vanilla and cinnamon. next year.

Anyways, this is what you have to do, and it looks pretty straight forward.

Blackberry and vanilla vodka:

• 500g washed fresh blackberries
• 500ml vodka
• 3 vanilla pods, split in half lengthways to expose the seeds
• 100g caster sugar

Simply combine everything in a large, airtight bottle, seal and tip upside down a few times to agitate everything.

Place in a cool, dark place and tip the jar upside down every day a few times for the first week then every couple of weeks or so to help the sugar dissolve and mix everything together.

You can now leave this to infuse for at least three months (perfect for Christmas gifts) before straining the alcohol through some muslin to remove the berries, these will now be highly boozy so I often make a trifle or pie with them – definitely not for the kids though!

Taste your infusion, it is at this stage that you can choose to add more sugar if you want it a bit sweeter then pop it back in the cupboard, agitating every now and then until the sugar has all dissolved.

"It converts metric into italian"

I've spent the last few days visiting people, as from tomorrow I have to go back to work.

Which will limit my visiting people potential.

I went to stay with my parents on Thursday evening- we had wine and put the word to rights. my Dad accidentally bought a case of dessert wine in carrefour as his french is legendary (sec. not demi sec. not brut.)

I am slowly drinking my way through it.

I'm seeing it as one less thing for my parents to move to Chippenham.

So this is helpful. right?

On Friday I went to Ray and John's new house (bungalow) in Steventon- Last time I went to steventon was for Truck festival so it must have been ages ago!

Ray has wasps in her porch.

It's not a improvement on bees in the garage of the last house they rented.

We had intended to go swimming in Abingdon outdoor pool but it looked rainy- so we went shopping in Swindon instead!

I've started my xmas shopping! 10/21 items obtained.

I am never this organised. I normally end up running round in a massive flap in november so that we have all our stuff together to go to Cardiff in December. 

Not this year!

:D

After our shopping exploits we went to the farm shop - Which I recognise but do not remember visiting before.

Then we watched despicable me 2.

I wish I'd seen it at the cinema. It was amazing.

And we went for dinner in the Fox- which is more or less opposite Ray's new house.

Short stumble home.

I highly recommend the Lasagne and the Parfait.

Although, I'm still no clearer on what a parfait is, it was a bit like tangy ice cream... or is that the point of it?

On Saturday my dad presented me with my very own tool kit made from items he had bought from the power station when it closed down.

all the tools are filthy.

He also gave me a massive torch for camping.

And some digital callipers for work- Which apparently, are excellent at Italian. (I would assume this was intended to be 'Imperial'). It's not just my mind which is slowly unravelling.

I headed home on Saturday to do some planning and prep- and Charlene popped over as she was on her way to a wedding in Bedford. 

We had cookies.

And Ice cream.

It was good.

Today we went to visit Garry and Sharon and their son Thomas who Traff shamelessly beat at Fifa (he clearly didn't get the memo about letting children win at games- especially their own games!)

And now we're back from Wisbech, and we have a take away pizza being delivered- it's the only thing that'll take the edge off going to work tomorrow!

this seems to have happened rather fast.. surely theres some summer holidays left?

Pottery painting, Priory marina and Sizzling wok

Ray came to see us today- she's got bored of unpacking all her earthly belongings after moving house at the start of august- and then immediately working 3 weeks of night shifts so she's been living out of boxes for ages.

Last time Ray come to stay she was desperate to go pottery painting but we didn't have time- so this time we went DIRECTLY to the kiln.

Ray made a chest or draws for her jewellery which she decorated from a design she'd found on the internet.
I went for a more organic approach to decorating my cereal bowl.
Or a less artistic approach.

I never was the arty one!

After our artistic endeavours we went to Arcadia to buy some scottish tablet (theirs is AMAZING) and then to Limes for Roasted vegetable and mozzarella paninis.
It is my seasonal favourite.

We went for a mooch round priory marina as the weather was so lush.

We got home at the same time Traff got home from work- He passed his manager course today! woop!
So we went for dinner at the sizzling Wok with Karl and Emma to celebrate!
I am now so full of noodles I might turn into one.