Guest Post - from Lisa at "Deeply Flawed But Trying"

So I was asked to write a guest post on Nickie's blog. I was very excited about this, and then catastrophe befell me. My internet died. Somewhere between my own slightly crap time management, and my ISP's inability to answer the phone, the opportunity to write this post disappeared.

But finally, only slightly later than I originally thought - here I am.

When I started blogging, I was bored. I was at home with a two year old, and I thought my brain was turning to mush.  I started a blog.

I didn't expect anyone to read it, I didn't expect to continue doing it. I wrote a 100 word post, and 6 months later, I have 4000 readers a month, and I am occasionally (very very occasionally) being paid to write.  I read an article that said mothers, with young children, are on the internet longer than any other demographic, longer than teenagers, longer than students. I identify with this. On the days I am at home by myself, the internet is on all day. I sometimes can't stop for a telephone call, I can't just nip off to sort something, yet I might have been in on my own all day. My laptop is open in the corner, to provide me with a link to the world-all day.

My blog is one of thousands of blogs which are described as 'mummy blogs'. When I went looking for these 'mummy blogs'- I expected to find dull blogs. Blogs dealing with toilet training, or weaning. What I actually found, were thousands of very individual blogs. Blogs which were about parenting and working, blogs about being single, blogs about immunisations, blogs about politics. Blogs which may be written by 'mummies' but which are actually the perspectives of thousands of women, who happen to be mothers. With thousands of areas of interest, and far from being dull, trite, and banal. They are voices which I wouldn't hear without blogging.

My blog is not just about parenting. You will find posts about parenting on there, there are posts about my days, posts about the things I am struggling with. You are as likely to find on there, a post about the new Tory economic policy, religion, as a post about cbeebies.

So today, I have done a guest post on Nickies blog, and she on mine - so that the people who read them have a link to going finding another voice, which is now heard, through this marvellous medium! And now that my internet is finally switched back on, I might go and read some more too. After I have spent an hour on hold to my ISP, trying to get them to sort my internet, so that I can.'

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You can find Lisa's blog here and I suggest you take a look.  She has a very interesting take on current affairs and the way in which everyday life affects her family (see the blog post entitled "Nuts" - an eye opener)


Lisa, thanks for taking part in the Guest Post Day.  It's been a pleasure to have you posting on my blog.  The Guest Post Day was the brainchild of Erica at LittleMummy.com and was to encourage the blogging community to reach new audiences, read other blogs and write more!!!


I am guest posting on Lisa's blog - you can view the post by clicking THIS LINK!!  Go on... do it now... WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE??

You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

I'm not a good cook by any stretch of the imagination but I haven't killed anyone.  Yet.  However, there are a couple of dishes that I am brilliant at *polishes halo* and I cooked one of them tonight.  I don't measure anything as that is boring and it means that you can adjust it to your own taste and size.

THE BIGGEST OMELETTE IN THE WORLD

(slight exaggeration, maybe)

Ingredients:

Eggs (approximately 3 per person)

Sausages (2 or 3 per person)

Bacon (2 or 3 slices per person)

Onion (I used 1 today)

Tomatos (I used 2 today)

Grated Cheese (I used a small block today)
A splash of milk

add any other ingredients that you think might enhance the dish.

(see - all very vague)

Oven should be heated to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6

(Please don't take these temperatures as accurate conversions - it may be best to look it up.  I do not want to be hauled up in a court for poisoning someone by proxy)

Put the sausages in the oven for about 20 minutes

chop and fry the onion and the bacon

roughly chop the tomato, remove the sausages from the oven and cut into bite size pieces

put the sausage and tomato into the frying pan and make everything go brown

whisk the eggs 

grate the cheese

pour the eggs, a bit of milk and the cheese into the roasting tin that you cooked the sausage in

the natural fat juices from the sausages will ensure that nothing sticks

put the roasting tin over a low flame on the hob and whisk lightly until it warms through

throw in the ingredients from the frying pan and spread out evenly

put into the oven and bake until fluffy and golden brown

times will vary according to size but this took about 15 minutes

Et Voila

serve and eat

There was enough here for three LARGE adult portions but you could make more/less depending on how many people are eating and add chips or jacket potato or salad with it and it would be just as nice.


So there you have it.  I'm thinking of writing a "Cook Book For People Who Can't Be Arsed". Would you buy it?

The End Of One Chapter... The Start Of Another...

I must have been very interested in books from an early age because it I was reading properly at the age of three.  Since then, I have devoured any type of reading material that has come my way; I'll give anything a go. Being a 1970's chick, I was brought up on the Enid Blyton diet... starting with the Faraway Tree trilogy, The Naughtiest Girl series and Mr Meddle's Mischief and then moving on to the Famous Five and Secret Seven mystery books and finishing with the Malory Towers and The Twins at St Clare's series'


My grandmother worked for a library book suppliers and bought all the "damged" stock, or so it seemed.  Her spare bedroom was an Aladdin's cave of reading material, with piles of books, ceiling high.  Whenever we visited we were allowed to choose a book to take home as a treat for being well behaved.


Because it is World Book Day it seems appropriate that I write about three books that I enjoyed during my childhood and that I actually remember almost verbatim now.


The first is Maggie and the Roundabout (by Jane Hollowood).  This is the story of a little girl who goes to a fairground with a few pennies.  She wants to win a goldfish and buy a candy floss but is mesmerised by the roundabout.  The operator of the roundabout asks her if she'll turn the handle for a while whilst he goes off for a break.  She does do, but turns it too quickly, making all the riders very ill, which, in turn, upsets her.  It has a happy ending though.


Secondly, I have to mention The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler (by Gene Kemp).  This was read to us, as a class of ten year olds, by the teacher I have mentioned in recent blog post, Mr Halstead, a.k.a. "Sir".  Tyke and best friend, Danny, cause havoc both at school and at home and have adventures that involve a sheep's skeleton, delivering election leaflets, the theft of £10, and a precarious climb onto the school roof.  And a final twist in the tale that made a whole class of 10 year-olds gasp and say, "ooohhhh, I thought...." (don't worry, I won't spoil it for you)


Finally is Children of the Dust (by Louise Lawrence).  Hidden away amongst the Shakespeare and Hardy compulsory reading list in Literature classes at high school was this book.  The story of a nuclear holocaust and the way in which it affects three children who are all (unbeknownst) linked to each other.  It's very graphic and harrowing and is brilliantly written.

* * *

And, of course, it wouldn't be World Book Day without my usual competitive parent streak bursting onto the scene.  Up until last night, son #2 wanted to make a Tin Man costume for the WBD dress-up-day at school because his friend was going as the Scarecrow from The Wizard Of Oz.  That was until someone (no names mentioned *cough*Kev*cough*) forgot to buy silver/grey spray paint from town yesterday.  So, in the usual tradition of last minute attempts we made this at 8 o'clock last night...

Related posts:
http://typecast2000.blogspot.com/2010/02/aarrgghh-world-book-day-alert.html




Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/1651870/
Dawn Endico on Flickr

The Gallery : Beauty

This blog post is for the Weekly Gallery that Tara over at "Sticky Fingers" is running.   Use a picture you already have or a picture that you've taken especially for the theme that best fits the prompt.  Post it on your blog and write about it.








This is the picture I have chosen:

Sunset in the Algarve

March 2009

I love sunset/sunrise pictures - I think they show the world at it's most beautiful.


I'm immensely proud of this one because I took it with the smallest, crappiest camera imaginable and I haven't adjusted it at all other than straighten it slightly using Picasa.

Changing Rooms

Rebecca from Celestial Motherhood has got her own back on me included me in a new meme that is photo-based.

Here are the rules:

1. open your first photo folder in your computer library.
2. scroll to the 10th photo
3. post the photo and the story behind it
4. tag 5 or more people to continue the thread

This is my 10th photo:

THE KITCHEN

When we first bought this house four years ago we knew that it needed some work doing to it (old house, hadn't had any major refurbishment since the owners moved in 14 years previously, everything was dated and nicotine stained) and it was always the plan to fit a new kitchen as priority.  Approximately six months before finding/offering money for/buying the house, we bought a range cooker in the post-Christmas sales and had to buy a house that it would fit into and design/build our kitchen around it.  Yes, I know... you can stop rolling your eyes now.  It seemed like a good idea at the time and the cooker was a BARGAIN!


A well-known D.I.Y. superstore representative came to our house, helped us design the layout and we went and ordered all the components that we needed.  We were given a delivery date and, through desperation of using a crappy kitchen and the desire to get the new one in as soon as possible, we set about demolishing the original layout.


You know what's coming next don't you?  On the day that the delivery was expected the order was incomplete.  Some cupboards were missing, some duplicated, the taps for the sink were damaged and there was a couple of drawers missing.  It took a full week for everything to be delivered (in dribs and drabs) and we ended up with four duplicate cupboards, one of which we used and the other three we returned to our local store and received a refund...


Anyway, I love our kitchen now and we are very proud of the fact that we have done EVERYTHING ourselves - the fitting, the electrics, the lights, the tiling; the whole kit and caboodle.

I now tag:

Manda, at Flying Start Magazine 

Vix at Vegimitevix

Cosmic Girlie at Journey of the Mocha Bean(s) and Mummy

Magic Mummy at The Diary of a Frugal Family

Sandy at Baby Baby

Footnote:  no Carole Smilie's or Handy Andy's were harmed in the making of this kitchen