...Foodie Penpal May reveal...

This month I posted a parcel to Laura - a parcel full of sweet temptations that was! It was great fun making it and I hope she liked it. I am not going to mention a list of what I posted to Laura, but there were local and exotic foodie treasures in there... such as a 'Halwa', and some magnum chocolate bars.

Also, this month I received a parcel for another lovely gul, Jen from Glasgow.
It included some amazing goodies:

• a wonderful handwritten card (bless you Jen!)
• a breath deep organic tea, with eucalyptus, basil and thyme... I absolutely adored it!
• some crispy seaweed thins (yummy!)
• a stoats and and cinnamon oat bar (my partner had this - he found it delicious)
• a stoats raspberry and honey bar (it made a great snack on the go).
•  some really nice recipe cards: Mexican taco stew, steak fajitas, spicy seaweed salad. I must try making these. 
• wow, these vanilla pumpkin seeds were ever so tasty! They were'nt overly sweet, and they had a wonderful aroma. I loved them!
• a Mexican spice mix: I am going to make pork with them next weekend. 

Thank you ever so much Jen! Also, thank you ever so much to foodie penpal!

...My relationship with technology...

I am not on facebook and I am not on tweeter. People consider me a bit weird for not having an online persona on my real name (note: this blog does not use my real name). Yet again, I do not have a telly at home, and I do not have a smartphone. I do have a mobile phone but I turn it on once a month. I use my laptop all the time, and people can reach me via email. 

I have deliberately selected this lifestyle. I used to have a telly before, but there was nothing on that I would find interesting. 

I do not think that I need a mobile phone. If I need to contact someone I simply email them, call them from my landline, or from a telephone cabinet. 

I used to have a facebook profile for several years - and loads of facebook friends too. It meant nothing to me after a while and in fact I found it very pretentious. People would always update their status in order to pass the message that they lead great lives. Facebook was full of narcissism. Full of selfies and sexy poses. It doesn't suit my view of the world.

Tweeter had a similar fate. I only kept it 'alive' for a couple of years and I hardly ever used it. 

Am I too old to use this technology? I do not think so. I know several older people who use social media. Remember: social media are certainly not for everyone.  

I have a website on my real name. This includes my work. It is typically professional and therefore, very useful for networking.

Of course I use blogger, but this is because I use this blog as my virtual diary.  As such, it does a splendid job.

I am quiet online, but busy in real life. I network a lot, and yes, I socialise a lot too. My friends simply accept me for who I am. They simply know that in order to contact me they have to call me or email me.

I am not going to change in order to make other people happy. I live in the 21st century, but I am a nostalgic dreamer. I value my quiet afternoons more than a smartphone that whistles every time I have notifications on facebook.

...Forget-me-nots...

Forget-me-nots. The flowers of nostalgia!

Forget-me-nots are such a lovely plant, and its light blue / light pink flower combinations are beautiful. You can buy some cheap seeds on ebay and start growing them. It's really simple.

They make your garden full of colour and texture, and you can grow them in pots and offer them to friends as Easter presents (they bloom just before Easter on year 2 / bear in mind that your plant will not give flowers on year 1). 

To sow, you start your seeds inside, a couple of weeks before the last frost, and when the plants are easy to handle, you transfer them outside. You will notice that your first forget-me-not sprouts will appear in about 10 days time from the day you sowed them. Don't forget to water the seed / sprouts regularly while inside.

You can grow them from seed straight in the garden too, but they usually take a bit longer to sprout (4-6 weeks). But when you sow in the garden, make sure that the last frost has passed. 

Also, a word of advice. Don't sow too many seeds on your starting pots of compost. Forget-me-nots have a very high percentage of success when it comes to sprouting; you don't want to have to throw sprouts or plants away. The final plant does take some space, especially when sown in borders. Yet, it only reaches its final size on year 2, just before blooming. 

 
Forget-me-nots hardly require any care. I have never watered them while in the garden, the lovely British rain does the trick. 

I have not noticed any problems with slugs - they don't seem to like their young tender leafs. 

Mine have shades of light blue, light purple and light pink, all on the same plant. No idea if this is common, but I bet that fairy nature has worked a little miracle. Certainly my favourite flowers ever! 

Have fun growing them!

Forget Me Not

Forgive,
But never forget.
Love,
And never regret.
The one,
Is the one,
you will never forget,
And will make you never,
Want to regret.

(a poem by Nikki)

...homemade clothes conditioner...

A promised post on the 'how to save money' page.  

It is really simple and inexpensive to make your own clothes softener.
You will need:

• bottle of value hair conditioner
• 1/3 cup of cheap white vinegar
• 6 drops of aromatic essential oil 

Go to the local supermarket and buy the cheapest hair conditioner you can get. I go to wilkos and buy their cheap hair conditioner; it costs me 24 pi for a whole bottle. You will also need some very cheap white vinegar - the cheapest the better. 

Buy some aromatic essential oil on ebay. I always go for lavender oil, but there are so many different aromatic essential oils to chose from! They cost no more than £ 1.40, delivery included.

Mix hair conditioner and vinegar together. Add the essential oil of your choice. 6-8 drops will do. The more your homemade clothes conditioner stands, the more intense the aroma will get. Aim to start using your clothes conditioners 3 days after making it. 

Don't add any natural colours in it, they may stain your clothes. 

Now, at first sight, this costs you more than buying a bottle of clothes conditioner from the pound or dollar store. But this is not true. The 10 mg bottle of essential oil will keep you going for years, and so will do the vinegar. I have estimated that every bottle of clothes softener I make costs me about 35 pi. Not bad for the price, don't you think?

NB: I have made this for my friends and they have all fallen in love with it. Perfect present for your mother in law, and even for Xmas. Store in a nice mason jar, add some ribbon and ... voila!

...30s hairstyles...

Long curly hair...

Truly gorgeous!

Why not?

Lovely hair accessories...

Fascinator...

Make it...

or fake it...

 

Futuristic...

Homemade nostalgic décor ideas

Nostalgic decoration you can even make at home. This is how I define it...

Old fashioned, natural, linked with emotions and memories... 

Palette picture frame from here

Pot wrapped with burlap. Centrepiece for your special occasion or your wedding?
from here

Mason jar vases, from here

A fork bracelet, from here - tutorial included.

Twigs to ...mirror? (add a mirror in the middle maybe?) from here

Pebble crafts? from here

Old and new LP records as works of art. From here

Cinnamon is not only for Xmas, from here

Old tiles to mirrors, from here

Old teapot decorated with burlap roses, from here

and wonderful ideas for gift wrapping... from here

Wall decor? Or even postcard... from here

...Top 10: funniest book covers...

10.

9.

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1. 

...Feeling like a man...

Have you ever thought of how one can feel like a man when *she* has the body of a woman, albeit a few more male hormones than normal?

And how about *her* expectations? Society requires women to behave in a certain manner. But a woman with a manly attitude means that she speaks a bit funny, she is effectively like a bloke you have a pint with, in the pub on a Saturday night... 

Well, wrong! 

Forget about all you know about these stereotypes. Un-label people, don't call us lesbians, trans, queers... Even calling myself a 'third gender' raises the chances of misconception.

Everyone's unique, the way we express our gender reflects our personality. It also reflects social taboos around the world, but I am not willing to compromise. I am not a social product. I am a selfish 'activist', someone who crosses the border even if she feels like she is going to get shot. If you feel like you want to punish me, please do. Sooner or later times will change, whether you want it or not.

...mid Summer 'New Year' resolutions...

It happens to everyone. End of the year... we set the targets. Beginning of the new year...we work to reach these targets. But after March, our ambitions have gone flat, together with our willpower. Have we forgotten everything about our objectives and resolutions? What does it take to be constantly productive? 

Whether it is going to the gym, writing a book, or completing a degree, we all need encouragement. Otherwise what's the point of starting at the first place? 

But who is the best person to encourage us in order to meet our objectives? Our own selves. 

Does it mean that we have to be a bit selfish to follow our dreams? Of course it does. Selfishness equals confidence. Have you ever seen a confident person who is not selfish? 

Maybe we should set 'new years resolutions' twice a year after all. Once in the end of the year and once in the beginning of the Summer. Set yourselves some deadlines, but if you don't meet them, it's not the end of the world. Carry on, keep going, don't stop. There will be good and bad days but the most important is to keep going.

If your diet has reached a plateau, plateaus are wonderful places to run up and down. 

If you want to finish writing your book, close your eyes and visualise yourself holding a published copy of this book. Imagine its beautiful cover, your name on the front - and rejoice because IT IS YOU who has written this book. It is YOU who is writing this book now.

Are you trying to complete a degree? Particularly a research project that has consumed your soul in the last years? Keep working and don't stop. Close your eyes. Think of your graduation ceremony. You will really deserve it after all.

Trying to get a job? Set a target. Promise yourself that once a week you will be working to apply for the jobs that appeal to you, to improve and modify your CV. Take a moment and think: IF YOU DON'T ASK, YOU DON'T GET! No job will land on your doorstep if you don't apply for it.

So, what are some of your new year or mid summer resolutions? Best of luck with them!

...Social pressure to procreate...

In a society that revolves around family, childfree people receive immense pressure to procreate - otherwise they should apologise, find an excuse (=infertility) or get lost. 

The majority of people out there expect us to 'do the right thing' and procreate. 


We are seen as criminals, we are ostracised by our peers. Nobody wants to hang out with us because 'he/she is kinda funny, he/she doesn't like kids'. 

We are often called names, from selfish to perverts. 

At the supermarket, we buy family packs and have to get rid of so many leftovers. Supermarket magazines brainwash us about the perfect mother / father role. We cannot wipe our bum with 'Cushelle', because '8 out of 10 Tesco mums recommend it' (from the actual ad on tesco magazine: March 2014). And since we are not a mum (or a dad) we deserve no special toilet paper. We deserve nothing! No place in the market, no place in society.

We don't stand a chance in the media, apart from the few notable cases. If we achieve something, even if we have won a nobel price, the media will hardly mention our name if we have no children. Articles such as 'Linkcoln mom gives birth to twins after x miscarriages' or 'muther-of-two died in tragic accident' are more popular with the masses. 

At work, we have no right to leave the office half an hour earlier, but a colleague, who is a mother, can set off at noon, since 'she has to go to her child's school play'. 

Parenthood - and particularly motherhood - is seen as an achievement - often the achievement of a lifetime. (Ironically, even amoebas procreate...)

We work hard, we pay taxes. We pay loads of taxes for many mothers out there to live on child benefits and never work a single day in their entire life.

We go on holiday in 'traditional countries' and we struggle to find a childfree hotel.

Our mother, mother in law, aunty, etc. call us every now and then with the same silly question: 'When are you going to give me grandchildren / have children?' The 'childfree' term is not in their dictionary. 

We are labelled as immature, party animals, sluts, spinsters, soldiers of fortune, go-go-boys, 'gay', you call it...

And if we are still young, 'you'll change your mind'. What? No? Your husband will leave you and find someone else!

If we are married, 'What is wrong with you?'. 'Then why did you get married at the first place?'. 

'Your biological clock is ticking like mad! Are you deaf?' 

If you are older, 'I am sorry you 've never had children'. 

'You need to have a family, otherwise you are not a man / woman enough!' 

'Why are you giving me advice about my children? You know nothing about children!' (yet, many of your childrens' doctors and teachers are childfree - deal with it!)

'Of course you can afford this! You have no children so you know nothing about real expenses!' (childfree does not mean rich). 

'You complain you are tired? You don't know what tired is, unless you have children'. 

'What? 7 years married and no children?' 'Poor you... I am so sorry!' 

'You were a kid once you know...' 

'Who is going to have a kid first? You? Or your first cousin?' (procreation as a race and competition). 'Are you going to have a baby before the Cambridges' number 2?'

'Who's going to look after you when you are old'? 

'What do your parents say about your decision not to have children?'

'7 billion people on the planet is just bullshit. Go on and procreate! (Some other kid will die for your kid to take its place'). 

'If you cannot have them, adopt. Mind that adopting a child still means that ... the child is not yours'.

And if you are a parent (to-be) and ... 'You only have / want ONE child? You are selfish!'

You can add your story here...

Disclosure: I am not against parents. I know loads of parents who support the childfree and their life decisions, and I really appreciate their effort and understanding. Therefore, I am not targeting specific individuals in this post. Rather, I get to give you a taster of how the childfree are often seen by society.

...My top 10 of weird LP covers...

Going back to nostalgia, check out these pictures of weird and unique LP covers. 


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