o frabjous day! books, recipes & other things

Spikes

I’m not sure what these weeds are that are filling our garden, but those little v-shaped spikes lodge themselves in firmly at the slightest brush of fabric, pulling their tiny spine free of the seed. I then crossly pull them out of my pants or shirt and scatter them wherever I happen to be, helpfully…
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26 June, 2015
Pink berries

I was watching Edward busily gathering up pink berries scattered over our friend’s garden, as he muttered about them being “tiny ‘matoes”, and asked our host if they were safe to eat. “Oh yeah, the lilly pilly berries. I think they’re actually deadly poisonous,” he told me laconically, watching his own children play with them.…
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7 April, 2015
Pumpkin Pancakes

I found this recipe somewhere in the depths of the internet, and now can’t remember where. Google is no help because there are billions of almost identical pumpkin pancake recipes floating around out there. Anyway, these are lovely, and as you dig into them for breakfast you can think virtuously, “I’m eating vegetables!” and it…
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17 January, 2015
2 and a half years

Things I’m enjoying at 2 and a half years: 1. MY CHILD SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT. 2. This honestly feels so momentous that it should take up two points. It was probably around two years and three months when he started sleeping through the night more often than not, and suddenly he was only waking…
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13 January, 2015
Reading Round-Up For 2014

I finally reversed my downhill reading trend! I read 85 books in 2011, 61 books in 2012 and a mere 24 books in 2013. What the hell happened in 2013 – I think I watched a lot of TV. Anyway, these numbers are finally on the rise again as I read 66 books this year.…
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30 December, 2014
24 December – Star of Wonder

Some say a star will rise again In the hearts of humankind Some say we have been in exile What we need is solar fire Tori Amos sung this version of We Three Kings on her Christmas album, Midwinter Graces. It’s a little Tori-ish, and heavy handed with the production, and I like it.
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24 December, 2014
23 December – Christmas Kiss

Snowflakes fall, cold winds blow Outside it’s winter white And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight Diana Panton has a stunningly beautiful voice, and this is an original song of hers from her Christmas Kiss album.
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23 December, 2014
22 December – Summertime in Australia

Winter’s fine, a little bit of cold and ice And we’re stuck inside, with the drapes shut tight Said The Whale are an indie rock band from Vancouver, and Summertime in Australia is a short little track from their West Coast Christmas EP collection. It’s upbeat and sweet, and sometimes I like having songs on…
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22 December, 2014
21 December – Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

The church bells in town, all ringing in song Full of happy sounds, baby, please come home Melissa Etheridge’s version of Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) is a great rocking number, complete with guitar solo. (And a very clunky title, why not just call it “Baby, Please Come Home”?) It’s a 1963 pop song originally…
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21 December, 2014
20 December – Winter Wonderland

Gone away, is the bluebird Here to stay, is a new bird He sings a love song, While we go along Walking in a winter wonderland I haven’t actually included Emilie-Claire Barlow’s version of Winter Wonderland on a Christmas mix, but the Christmas songs of hers I have included don’t have YouTube videos. Barlow has…
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20 December, 2014