bekswhoknits

Knit one, purl one

Posted on May 18, 2011 by bekswhoknits

A while ago my boyfriend said I should find a hobby, something to occupy my time that was productive, so I started this blog.
Which has definitely done the job. It was (still is) a great way to spent nights alone when I could just write.

However since the loml (love of my life) moved in, nights to myself have diminished somewhat. And writing on my laptop while he’s watching telly always results in “what are you doing?” and love him as I do, he doesn’t quite get the whole blogging thing. So I can either write (as I am now) on my trusty iPhone, which is speedy but nowhere need my laptop typing speed. This doesn’t result in probing questions as it’s not uncommon for us to watch telly together and play on our phones (sometimes against each other so it’s not entirely anti-social .. and words with friends is cheaper than buying a scrabble board).
Or not blog.

So to occupy my time I’ve taken up knitting.

Wow.
I’ve learnt soo much.
I remember my mum teaching me to knit when I was younger, but I only really remember the actual knitting, which wasnt as exciting as the books I wanted to read.
There is so much more to knitting than I ever imagined. And thanks to the Internet its really accessible. I’ve bought a couple of apps, spent a bit of time of YouTube, and even bought some knitting books.

And it’s not all scarves. After only a month or two I’ve made a few beanies, a beret, and started a pair of arm warmers.

This is my first beanie so far.

I’ve also made some to send over to my brother and his family over east.

All those were made using 7mm double pointed needles.

The red and grey one is Inca 7019 & 7004.
The grey ones are Moda Vera Cardellino and the baby blue one is Sooky.

All three were from a pattern book from Cleckheaton.

Fun times and practical.

Now what to make next??

straight out of the taste.com recipe book

Posted on May 18, 2011January 9, 2014 by bekswhoknits

last week loml (love of my life) unexpectedly had to get his wisdom teeth out.

in the many times that he spent sleeping rather than awake (and in pain) i researched what i could make him that would be easy to eat, but with ingrediants that i already had in my cupboard so i wouldn’t have to go to the shops and possibly not be there when he woke up.

after a bit of searching i found cauliflower soup and it’s associated recipe carrot, zucchini, and dill muffins

all had ingrediants that i had in the cupboard/fridge already. i figured that it would be a good, vegie filled meals which would be easy on the teeth.

Now my boy didn’t like the cauliflower soup, although i was rather partial to it. But he devoured the zucchini muffins, which is surprising as he only eats my zucchini slice because it has bacon in it.
Although he did comment that the muffins could have used bacon.

Fast forward 5 days and you have what i grabbed out of my fridge this morning as i was (as always) running late.

And an update on the wisdom teeth? All ok, stiches removed and my little chipmunk is a chipmunk no longer.

the evolution of a garden

Posted on May 17, 2011May 17, 2011 by bekswhoknits

i bought my place about 2 years ago. i can remember my excitement prior to settlement about all my plans now that i had a garden of my own, not just a patch in mum’s, or a rental property.

I somehow thought that because it was ‘my’ garden, things wouldn’t die.
And as it turns out i was wrong.
About a year and a half ago now, my mum and I spent 2 / 3 weekends weeding, mulching, and planting my new garden.
It doesn’t get any sun so my dreams of a vegie patch were dashed. But i was able to put in some nice flowering plants and some new trees to give myself some privacy.

So my garden went from before to after.

and then came the worst storm that my little city has had in a long long time. and my garden was flooded, the gutter above my pretty pink flowers broke and caused a stream of water to destroy them, and all the mulch was redistributed throughout the lawn.

That was pretty much the end of my foray into gardening. It was all too difficult.

But one of the benefits of having a man about the house is that he enjoys gardening.

Now here’s a photo of it before the rain destroys it.

Lemon Chicken

Posted on May 16, 2011June 27, 2011 by bekswhoknits

You know those days when you get home from work, look in the fridge, and inspiration just strikes from nowhere.
Inspiration tonight was Lemon Chicken.

A bit of research online had a few different variations. Some were roasts, some were barbecued, but I really wanted something with a sauce so I could serve it with rice.

So I found a recipe where I had most of the ingredients (bestrecipes.com.au) and set to it.

The chicken thigh was coated in flour which had garlic flakes and lemon pepper mixed into it.
The chicken then went into a hot oiled pan to bubble away.
I put on the rice (1 cup rice to 3 cups water let it boil and then simmer) and some spaghetti for the non-rice eating boyfriend.
After the chicken had been cooking for 10 minutes I added a pint glass of water which had a chicken stock cube, some pepper, some ground ginger, and a pinch of sugar. That boiled away until it reduced and started looking like a sauce.
Whisk together an egg yolk and some lemon juice. I only had bottled lemon juice so about a quarter cup.
That went into the pan with the chicken.

Once that was all cooked I put some bok choy in the microwave.

And done!

Some fresh parsley from the garden and a meal was made.
Definitely a keeper (with rice or spaghetti)

Yum!!!

go to – strawberry, spinach, and feta salad

Posted on May 6, 2011May 6, 2011 by bekswhoknits

And a new sistema container.

It has everything you need for a strawberry, spinach, and feta salad.
A special container for the balsamic and olive oil dressing (equal parts), and room underneath to house some spinach (straight from the packet), some strawberries cut into quarters, and some feta sprinkled over.

Delicious, and super easy just to whack into a container when you’re running late for work.

Also some apologies for not blogging recently. Sometimes life just gets in the way.
It hasn’t boyfriend moving in has definitely taken up a fair chunk of time recently, however things seem to have fallen into place so more writing soon – pinky promise.

The Kills – Blood Pressures

Posted on April 21, 2011 by bekswhoknits

Firstly a disclaimer.

I love The Kills.
I love Alison Mosshart.
I watched The Kills by myself in 08 at V Fest whilst all my mates were watching Madness.
I saw The Dead Weather (almost a year ago to the day) and watched Alison more than Jack White. And defended her when my boyfriend was yelling “eat a sandwich”.
They are one of the bands where I own every album.

I was more than likely always going to like this album.

So with all my bias out in the open, I completely adore this album.

I love how some of the songs are so catchy, if they weren’t sung with Alison’s growling menace they would be immediate pop songs.

It sings of betrayal and lost love without smacking you over the head with ‘woe is me’.
It sounds like it has the grit of No Wow, with the song writing of Midnight Boom.
It typifys the sound of the Kills

And it’s currently in the 15 – 20 play count per track after a week.

Stand out tracks – DNA, Nail In My Coffin, Damned If She Do, Future Starts Slow

Fish and chips

Posted on April 13, 2011 by bekswhoknits

The batter was salt, pepper, beer, mixed dried herbs, and corn flour.
The fish was coated in it and fried.
The chips went in the oven. The potato swirls went in the oven ten minutes later.

Ta-dah!
One very golden meal, straight from the freezer.

go to – chicken fettucine

Posted on April 11, 2011 by bekswhoknits

you know that awkward moment when your boyfriend brings his brother round unexpectantly to pick up something?
And you’re already in your track pants and settled in for the night playing Final Fantasy 7?
And then asks what’s for dinner and you have to improvise with what you have in the cupboard?

So yeah, Friday night my boyfriend’s brother came over for dinner.

Fortunately i had chicken thighs in the freezer which i could defrost.
They (once diced) went into a pan to brown with some onion and garlic.

Fettucine went in another pot to boil away.

Once the chicken was browned, a little white wine went into the pot.
Once that had reduced a tub of long life cream (i can never have fresh cream – it never lasts).

Once that had reduced i remember that i had mushrooms in the fridge, that would have been perfect but really needed to be added with the chicken.

The chicken and the fettucine ended up cooked at the same time (shock horror).
So it was plated up with some grated cheese and some fresh parsley from my garden.

impressive and super easy.
no pics because i was entertaining.
but this is a pic of a similar dish from a little while ago

new music

Posted on April 7, 2011April 7, 2011 by bekswhoknits

There was a recent article which came out linking listening of music to depression.
But my happiness measurement is how many new CDs I have.

Recently Added, which is the last two weeks.

The Kills – Blood Pressures
The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
Volcano Choir – Unmap
Portishead – Portishead
Field Music – Tones of Town
Dinosaur Jr – Farm
Antony & The Johnsons – Thank You For Your Love
The Tallest Man on Earth – The Tallest Man on Earth
Pavement – Brighten the Corners
Juno Soundtrack

A sad day for Perth – One Movement festival cancelled

Posted on April 5, 2011April 5, 2011 by bekswhoknits

It is with great sadness today that I read about the WA Government’s decision to abandon the One Movement festival which has been held the past two years in Perth.

One Movement was run over 5 days, at several venues around the centre of our beautiful city here. It was crammed full of live music, industry showcases, and opportunities for not so well known bands to be heard. It is the closest thing Australia has to a SXSW. And, in my own opinion, had the potential to become the equivalent of SXSW.

I see the cancellation of One Movement as a loss for two reasons.

Firstly personal.
One Movement is a festival entirely driven by curiosity and excitement. It’s not about the headline band, but about who you can discover. Much like SXSW, bragging rights come from ‘i discovered this band 2 years at One Movement’. There are certainly opportunities to discover bands at festivals such as Southbound, but at Big Day Out, Soundwave, On The Bright Side et al. the crowd swells towards the latter part of the day are more apparent. Only the truly dedicated are watching the first band.
One Movement was geared towards this experience and discovery.
This event was quite important not only as a music fan but as a music blogger. Last year i had tickets and couldn’t use them due to sickness. This year was going to make up for that.

Secondly there are the success stories that have come out of One Movement.
Stonefield were a particular success, who after being seen at One Movement were invited to play at glasonbury. One Movement was a perfect springboard to perform in front of so many industry professionals, and also to get advice from industry professionals.
It had an important function within the Australian music industry and deserved its spot in the calendar.

One Movement was always an overly ambitious idea for a city like Perth. And no doubt much of the criticism will focus on the stale and backwards thinking stereotype (perhaps warranted) of Perth.

Yes, apparently they were making a loss at tax payers expense. But this tax payer will happily pay for it.

Maybe that’s why there is a government enquiry. Perhaps changing the business model is the answer.
Instead of canceling why not cut it from 5 days to 3.
Or maybe try hiring less venues.
Look at Perth Festival for inspiration.
Think about the bigger picture. The tourism money that can come only once a reputation has been established. The boost that you’re doing to the music industry as a whole. The exposure that young bands can get, which can only be a good thing for the city.
Imagine if Perth became the next happening place for musicians to come, be inspired, and be heard.

Please just don’t admit failure.
Particularly when you were offering such a unique product which had the potential to become the next SXSW.