Sunday 24 February 2013

Santa Sundays: Yarn Bowl

So all year long I suggest things for my husband to buy me for Christmas  birthdays  anniversary.
And he usual makes a note then looses it.  So I've decided I'm going to blog the things I'd like for Christmas or to give someone for Christmas once a week.  Of course at the moment I don't think my husband has bothered to read my blog- he might get a surprise when he does.

This week I've chosen these beautiful bowls from Little Wren Pottery on folksy.
Image reproduced from Little Wren Pottery.  All rights theirs.

I have a real thing for hand made ceramics, ever since I did two terms of pottery as an activity during my IB. My own pots were nothing to write home about but it left me with a strong appreciation of work that goes into them.
I like my object d'art to conform to the principles of the arts and craft movement, if not its aesthetic   This bowl certainly complies!
I can just imagine sitting listening to the radio, crocheting with that bowl holding my yarn, bliss!


Thursday 21 February 2013

Weekly web comic 1: OOTS

I've spent the last three days feverishly refreshing my browser desperate for an update.  Not about anything vitally important, you understand.  I'm not glued to the Pistorius bail hearing.
No my attention is caught by a web comic.

I've been reading Order of Stick since.... 2007?  Which sounds along time ago until you realise that the comic has existed in its current on-line form since 2003- it will be 10 years old this year!
You might have heard about the comic because of it's record-setting kickstarter fundraiser in 2012, which raised over a million dollars to fund reprints of the print editions of the comic book.  Despite it's wide spread fame and popularity I'm always amazed by how many people haven't heard of it.

The comic focuses on a role playing adventure party.  It's very funny.  More than that it's well written.  This week the writer and creator, Rich Burlew shocked his audience by revealing something he had been foreshadowing for years without most people having an inkling of what was going to happen.
And now I'm even more invested in it than usual- instead of checking it out for an update twice a week or so I'm doing it a couple of times an hour.   Sadly OOTS (as Order of the Stick is known to its fans) isn't updated on a regularly basis at the moment as Rich, known as "The Giant" to fans was in a serious accident last year and still recovering.  So there's nothing I can do but keep hitting the refresh until the next installment appears.

OOTS  isn't the only web comic I read devotedly- I've decided to run a series for a couple of months called weekly web comic to talk about my favourites!

Friday 8 February 2013

Get down and tidy

So I'm really really rubbish at housework- not in a "I'm too incompetent to physically manage these tasks," sort of way, although the fact that I burnt myself cooking no less than FIVE times last week would attest otherwise.

No, I'm rubbish at it in a "really there are a thousand and one things I would like to do and the washing up isn't one of them."

This means my house is fairly messy.  It also means that I have a panic whenever anyone is coming to visit.  So I've been in a mad rush of procrastination and housework avoidance all day to get out of having to tidy before my outlaws arrive tonight.

One of the only ways I'm able to muster any kind of enthusiasm for cleaning is with musical accompaniment.  I have playlist on my ipod shuffle and I stand at the sink belting out songs, boogying my way through mopping up.
Here are my top two cleaning  songs:

This is The Ark with Hey Kwangoma! from their 2006 Album, State Of The Ark



They are an amazing swedish glam rock band that I have loved for a decade.  They sum up happy lovely dancing fun for me.  And my single days!  And Scandinavia.  The only downside about meeting my husband was leaving Scandinavia and staying in Blighty- I don't think I've stopped morning for Oslo yet.

Then it goes to Patrick Wolf



This song just makes me feel so powerful.  In fact the whole Lupercalia album is so incredible that I gave birth to my second child with it playing through my headphones.  The opening chords just give me a feeling of joy in my heart immediately.  I've seen him live more than once, but the best was at the Laugharne Festival with Patti Smith in 2007/8- a rock legend I had adored since a teenager, having an impromptu jam with Partick's violin- it was magical, and, through the magic of teh internets I can share it with you now!



So my advice is, if you can't muster any enthusiasm for chores, find some music that gets you going and use it as your spoonful of sugar to help the monotony of housework go down!

Thursday 7 February 2013

Marriage for all!

When I got married it was because my husband wanted to.

Sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, still do, but I didn't think that I needed to be married to do that.  In fact I had a massive ambivalence to the whole institution, wrapped up as it is in the patriarchy, ownership and assertion of privilege over the week.
I wished. briefly, that there was a heterosexual civil partnership- devoid of the symbolism and the baggage of marriage.

Then we got married and it was, is, magical and wonderful.  The act of choosing to stand in front of all these people you love and care about and saying "this is it," is meaningful, not least because of all the baggage that comes with the idea.  The cultural expectations of marriage give a relationship legitimacy in the eyes of others- my husband and I had known each other less than a year when we got married, but as soon as we said "I do," no-one questioned our sincerity, our love.

So it seemed imminently sensible to want everyone to be able to get married and enjoy the benefits of indulging  a concept that comes with centuries of acceptance and expectations.  Civil partnerships don't have the baggage of the patriarchy its true, but they also didn't have the same social expectations and support.  It wasn't right that we should be relegating part of society to a less socially supported institution   My only criticisms of the new bill are that it doesn't go far enough.

Marriage should be for everyone in a relationship with a consenting adult.  There is no reason that groups shouldn't be able to get married and enjoy the legal and social benefits other than prejudice.  I hope in my lifetime to see marriage recognised for everyone, but I'm not holding my breath.
I also think that the religious exemptions for the CofE and Church in Wales are properly ridiculous.  But then so does the only vicar of my acquaintance...

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Get treasure, try not to drown

That sums up the story behind the lovely little board game my husband brought me for Christmas   Sure I was expecting the Buffy Season 8 trade books, but this was a great surprise- only slightly spoiled by the fact that my dad told me the day before Christmas what it was!

Beloved husband brought me Forbidden Island for Christmas- he knew I enjoy playing co-operative board games like this and we'd played it before at the wonderful Chapter Arts board gaming sundays when we could wrangle a babysitter.  It's a beautiful little game, lovely art work and I love the fact that the box is in fact a beautiful tin, with a place for all the bits!  The fact that this was the first thing I thought when I tore open the wrapping paper told me that I am now starting to be a serious board gamer!

You generate the island randomly with some gorgeous tiles.  There are 8 tiles where you can collect treasure across the island and a heli-pad- then the island starts to flood.  Flooded tiles are flipped and if you draw ta flipped tile's card for a second time that tile is removed- it's sunk.  If the treasure squares flood before you have that bit of treasure you drown, if the heli-pad gets flooded it's game over- and the island sinks fast.

As far as game play goes, it's fast- you can play a full game with 2 people in 20 minutes, less with more players.  It's also very easy to pick up and play, taking only a moment to explain the game mechanic to new players.  The other thing I love about the game is that it's truly co-operative- there's no sabotage mechanic here, you either all get off the island, or all drown!  What's not to love!

The game can be purchased here via my amazon affiliate account Other reviews are available via boardgamegeek.com