Unemployment benefits.

Not that I'm entitled to any. But I'm talking the benefits to ones self at being unemployed.

At Christmas Liam gave me a muffin bible book and Babs gave us a party recipe book which had yet to be trialled. Although we have had plenty of time in the past 9 moths we have flicked through them and then gone on our merry way with the old favourites.

So this past week I went in to muffin overdrive. Some good. Some not so good. Some recipes certainly need tweaking. But some make for a yummy dinner.

This unemployment malarky is tiresome. And the remainder of my tax rebate is now thin. I have a phone interview this week. And am still waiting on an October date for another interview. The desire to temp has all but gone. But financially and mentally I NEED to get temping again before I catch agoraphobia and am stuck in the house forever and ever. Highly unlikely but you just meet know how contagious lazy-itis is...

Although... It is quite nice with spring now here to sit in the courtyard with a cup of tea typing away at this. But this neither makes me money nor can last all day as by 3pm the sun has moved too far to shine in our humble courtyard. One of my arms even has a shadow on it now... Best shuffle the chair a little...

A side effect of not going to work is the enlargement of my arse. Nt by much. Yet. But it's starting... And with the ability to sleep in every day there is a lack of motivation towards gym attendance. Especially with no decent zumba class in the area!

In the meantime I get to do something yummy while trialling recipes - like lick out the bowl afterwards - yum!! Definitely a benefit. But then that exasperated the arse enlarging side effect... I just can't win.

I have stolen this photo.

Yes I have. I don't have any legal right to share it or use it. But isn't it pretty?!!

PP (Priya) got married on Saturday. And I didn't make it. Sucky. So I am reliant on the many mutual friends posting multiple photos on Facebook of the entire event and all of it's goings ons. This is most frustrating. And it takes Facebook stalking to a constant impatient level.

But finally Kelly posted some
Mobile pics. And I think we can all agree as most of you have met PP at an Ann Summers party or two that she looks bloody stunning! There is a white and gold gown she wore too but I'm only sharing this one.

So everyone raise a glass (or two) for Mr & Mrs Darr. And then have another couple to commiserate my sorrow for not being there.

And then when you wake up tomorrow with a sore head you can tell people you were at. Wedding reception. No one begrudged a wedding hangover on a school night. :o)

Squidlicious after photo

Squidlicious

The first time I can truly remember someone trying to feed me squid was March 1994, while staying with the LaForese family in New Jersey. An adventurous school trip. Taking a dozen teenagers from Germany to America wouldn't be my cup of tea. But then teaching isn't either!

We all got to stay with real American families in New Jersey followed by Springfield (Washington DC not Simpsons). Our head host was a fireman at the 10 ladder house opposite the WTC. Fortunately he had retired by 2001. Anyway I digress.

The point is this Italian American family bought us pizza for dinner one night and with it came calamari. Me, a 14 yr old fussy eater was mortified and stayed clear of the scary looking rings. Why would you eat a slimy jellyfish looking fish. Was it even a fish? Or is it a slimy sea monster?! Yuk yuk yuk. And so continued from then to avoid Calamari.

Now Lime has taught me a lot involving food over the years. Although he hasn't helped my inability to NOT cut myself with big shiny knives when dicing veggies. But he has also convinced me that the quality of one food can alter between every country. As can the taste and cooking abilities of the locals.

So in recent years I have not only grown to like squid (providing it is cooked well). But I can also now cook it myself. Not that it's hard. If you can boil an egg then you can manage it.

It is unfortunately as slimey as it looks before cooking. Depending on how you're cutting it you might also have to score it too. And the tubes can be quite smelly. And over or under cook it by a minute or two and you're screwed. Chewy averageness awaits. But if you get it right - yum.

It's also mega cheap (at least on this side of the world) and a lot easier then descaling or deboning a fish!

So go forth all to your local fish counters and make a squid salad today. Yumminess on a plate in less than ten minutes!

I love disposable clothing (primarni - and mum)

With the summer months approaching I looked to my shoe collection and decided it was bare. Isn't every womans shoe cupboard bare? Even with a thousand pairs there is never enough choice (no, I don't have a thousand pairs).

But with the cost of just the simplest ballet pumps over here being soooo overpriced I dropped in to conversation with my mum that if she was going to primarni anytime soon then a few cheapy pairs of shoes would be fab.

And mum rocks. As here are this summers ballet pumps for my wardrobe. Cheap, cheerful and disposable. Yey!

Thank you mum, I knew you would understand my plight for shoes x x

I want to ride my bicycle... I want to ride my bike...

The last time I had a bike bought for me was while still a resident of Germany. We had gone over to one of the American camps as their shops were better than ours... And my dad bought me a mountain bike. I had that bike for over a decade. And left it's heavy ass back in the UK. Modern technology has lightened bikes these days and mine just wouldn't cut it in a modern market.

So Limey and I agreed that our Christmas presents to each other would be bicycles. And Christmas has come in September woohoo!!

I have a pretty silver and green Girly mountain bike. Have you ever tried to buy a Girly mountain bike? They're not generally stock items. Girly shopping basket retro bikes are everywhere. But the mountain variety appear to be either in short supply, or just never asked for. I tried 3 different shops and nothing. And if I'm getting a new bike I wanted something I would actually find pretty and would want to be seen on.

Cue the internet. Most of Australia's Internet is dire and lacking but the bicycle Internet seems to be the way to go. And there they were - pretty Girly bikes. So I went back to the store I went to in the first place and they ordered me in a pretty Girly bike. Of which they only had two....

But fortunately it was the one I wanted! Although Liam had set many stipulations as to how the bike should be. Disk breaking. Mountain bike (not Girly shopping basket type). Suspensiony thingys. Given those stipulations I had to pass up on a black and purple beauty. But that's all good as my silver and green loveliness will more than suffice. Bloody fussy Liam!

Today will be our first bicycle ride and I am curious as to how it will go. I think a shorter ride would be a safer start for my thighs and arse to handle. But Lime seems to want a 3 hour expedition... I'll keep you updated...

Be still my beating heart....

Spring sprung again today. It was el scorchio. For the second day of spring it's a good start to the summer. I got a little pink this morning but then slathered on some factor 30 and the world was a happier place. Vitamin D topped up and skin cancer averted. In my unemployment I had outstayed the welcome in my humble unit. Daytime Telly and me needed some time apart. So I pootled off down to Westfield.

I didn't really intend to buy anything. As I'm planning on raping the British online end of summer sales. But there it was in a poster in a shop window on some twig like creature with buck teeth and white blonde hair and a tan. Buck teeth are just everywhere at the mo. If a fashion designer can't afford Naomi Campbell - it's ok - as long as they find a model with noticeable teeth. The girl on the Piz Buin secrets has the wonkiest teeth I ever did see.
But I digress... I like a good tangent sometimes too. Charlotte and I were quite good at them mid conversation.

So even though I am NOT twig creaturesque I HAD to try the dress on as I love a good summer dress. So much easier than pairing tops and bottoms. And the dress was fab. I debated holding out. But then the girls told me that there were only 400 of these brought to Oz. So there may be millions elsewhere. But here it's technically unique.

The most fabulous news of all.... I bought it in a size 8!!!! Shocker! Now I want to clarify now - I have not lost a super amount of weight. I have not become a twiglike creature in denial. It's just the screwed up Ausland sizing. But I'm not going to complain. As I haven't squeezed in to a size 8 in FOREVER. And probably won't for a while either. But size 8. Shocker. I couldn't believe it when the girl suggested taking a size 8 to try when I'm so used to taking a 10 and/or 12 to swap between.

Women of weight watchers unite - don't lose those extra pounds! Move to Ausland and you lose a dress size or two! Yippee!