Gardening

Gardening was never a strong point of mine. In fact the only way I would have 'green fingers' would be if I was to purposefully dye them green. Bearing this in mind, and with my previous track record of killing pretty much all vegetation I touch I decided that it was about time I tried to grow something.

Well in fairness the inspiration came from my best friend. She, on her balcony, has started to colonize a vegetable patch. The idea sounded cute and fun as we discussed it over a bottle of wine on Paddy's day so armed with her tips and pointers I stopped off on my way home to pick up pots and seeds.

I decided that to start with 2 items would be enough. I didn't want to get to ahead of myself and with 2 items there would be less 'bodies' to cover up, should it all go horribly wrong. So on Thursday I planted my seeds. Cherry Tomatoes and Sweet Red Chilli...

I check them every morning as I am to take the lids off the tubs once the shoots come up. All I will say is... gardening is akin to watching paint dry :P

[{(Bracketed In)}]

I read a book recently, I'm not going to give a title because I [sorta] know the author and I always think its difficult [and sometimes dangerous] to be critical of people you [sorta] know, particularly writers. [The pen is mightier than the sword and all that.]

Anywho, the book was ok, an easy read.

The story was a little lax but enjoyable all the same.

One thing about book, or maybe more so the style of writing really got to me -the author's overuse of brackets! I felt it totally took from the development of the story.

She used them alot, and not to great advantage.

They were used to offer further explanation, thought or expression. All perfectly acceptable uses I know, but it was so over done that it got to the point where it was like the bracketed points themselves where the story, or at the very least several confusing mini plots.

Despite this I finished the book in a weekend and it will sit on my shelf until I either lend it to someone or donate to charity, or something of the like -am very doubtful I will ever read it again, it just wasn't that type of book.

So the book is finished, a good number of weeks at this point, and what do I notice [to my horror]??? That I too overuse brackets!!! So I am hoping [probably without much luck] that I do it to greater advantage, but how random is it that I should be guilty of something that I detested in a book?!

I was so shocked, [once I realised] that I was sure it must be some perverse result or reaction to my distaste and so I checked back over older work and sure enough, there they where. Grant it, I have progressed on from the traditional curvy ( ) pair onto [what I consider] a more contemporary pair [ ] but there is no getting away from the fact that my work is also [over] bracketed in! [oh the shame!] :)

Good Hair Day!

I am sure I shared with you all at the start of the year that I had done something that I had never [ever] done before, that is subscribe to a magazine. [I know, I know, but that argument is for an entirely different post]. Along with my subscription came a gift, which, in hindsight has taken so long to get here that I almost forgotten about it.

That is of course, until I came home the other day and found a wee docket from the postman to say there was a parcel available for collection. My darling husband, the eternal child that he is, skipped over to the post office to collect it. Dismayed, that it was addressed to me and confused by its 'liquid' sound he tossed it to me.

I ripped open the padded envelope utterly excited. Out fell, not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 BUT 5... yes 5 red bottles.

Closure inspection revealed them to be my missing subscription gift. In the throws of hunger pangs I popped them up on a shelf and forgot about them until the following morning [yesterday]. Fresh from my shower and contemplating straight or curly hair I remembered the 5 bottles sitting on a shelf. Eying them suspiciously with their promises of of heat protection, and de-frizzing and neutralizing I selected 2 to be used for a quick [and easy] blow dry.

I duly squeezed and pumped amounts of both into my fingers [separately of course] and worked them through my dampened hair. Initially I didn't like the texture they both created with my damp hair and the hair dryer but this was soon a baited by the lovely smell. As my hair dried, it was indeed, smooth and manageable [as promised], a first for me without using the GHD as well.
Hair dry, I tied up in a pony [to match my sweats] and enjoyed the smell and ease to which I got ready.

And... the good hair day continues...

Today I wake up, fully expecting my usual birds nest, but low and behold, my silky smooth locks of yesterday have remained. Needless to say Redken's Heat Styling Thermo Actif range is now my BFF [sorry Liv & Aoife] xxx

These 5 products are a MUST for EVERYONE!!
Products from right to left; Hot sets 22, Fabricate 03, Blown Away 09, Satinwear 02, Iron Silk 07, Spray Starch 15. (I have all but Hot sets 22)

They say you should never meet your Idols - Point in case, the cast of Twilight.

First I better say that I do not regard anyone in the cast of Twilight as an Idol, I am however obsessed, with Twilight that is, not the cast. I love each of them, [their characters that is], the actors I could [now] take or leave.

When Twilight was first released, my love for Edward transcended time and space onto Rob Pattinson as well. [Briefly] I became obsessed with the actor as well as his character portrayal of Edward. I openly poo pooed, from the start, any mention or reference to him having any relationship with anyone, let alone his broody co-star. Now? - leave me Edward, do what you like with Rob.

I should clarify, I didn't meet my 'idol' [obsession] but the more I read about him the more I thought... right...! Clearly he is not the person I thought him to be and the lack of personal hygiene totally put a stop to my growing fixation.

The romance that was growing [if a little one sided] between me and the cast of Twilight was quickly diminishing, especially when I started to look at the rest of them; I love Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Bella in the movies but am I the only one to think that this actress might just be a one trick pony? She does dejected, lonely, broody and emotionally explosive really well - but that just seems to be Kristen and not her acting skills. Happy to be proved wrong on this, but me thinks once the Twilight Saga is done, we wont be seeing much more of this one, unless [teenage] angst becomes a big Hollywood seller?

Now I am clearly in Camp Edward but even I can appreciate Jacob... that body would make anyone weep with pleasure [aside from the fact that it might be slightly indecent, him being a mere teen], but really, apart from perfectly coiffered hair, chiseled abs and fast cars is there anything more to Taylor Lautner? Perhaps, unlike his female co-star, he might have more than 'one trick' but it seems to me that he definitely has only 'one look'. And at that, isn't he becoming slightly in/un human. Like seriously - we all know that Clearasil is good but its not that good?Is Taylor Lautner actually human or is he the next generation iRobot? If so, I want one, but just not on my cinema screen ;)

What Bla did next? - a big fat nothing!

I am paralyzed. I've spent the best part of the day staring at a blinking cursor with a clouded head and an empty mind. [For about the twentieth day running. ] Actually maybe empty mind is wrong, my head feels jam packed full of nothingness. Yes thats are more accurate description. I am paralyzed with nothingness.

I feel I am without purpose.

I can't write, I refuse to be 'just' a housewife. [Not there is anything wrong with that career choice, its just not for me.] If I am honest, I don't know what to do next...

Perhaps, like they say [whoever 'they' are] I have written my book, that there was just 'one' book in me. [Ok, two - but you get my point]. I feel lost and confused and I don't know what to do.

Wheat free bread squeaks when you butter it!

In the past 6 weeks I've ballooned and put on a stone. When I eventually dared get on the scales I nearly cried. I am at the absolute heaviest I have ever been in my life. I wasn't surprised I had gained weight, I had noticed in creeping on rather quickly over the past few weeks, but I was surprised at the amount! Well maybe surprised is too light a term. [SHOCKED!!]

Now many of you would be forgiven for thinking that this weight gain was purely glutinous, especially those of you how know me for my sweet tooth, but I can honestly say that is not the case [this time]. It appears the reason for my new extra expansive waist line is from a more naturally based substance - wheat. [evil, evil]

Most likely as a result of some further PCOS [complication/ symptom] I have developed an intolerance to wheat. When it was first suggested to me I thought my life [or at least my feeding life] was over. After careful research and substitution of certain foods I've discovered its not that bad. Perhaps I am being a little hasty though in that assumption, I am, after all, only on Day 2 of my new wheat free regime, but so far so good. My main fear with going on a wheat free diet was the lack of sauces, breads and biscuits that I could have. But I've discovered that most tomato [my favourite] based sauces are ok and I've purchased some wheat free floor and already made some wheat free soda bread [which was delicious!]. And later today I am going to investigate baking some cookies or scones.

Eating out is another concern I have, not that I've been doing a hell of a lot of it of late, but when the time comes its something I will need to prepare myself for, as at home I can regulate and check what comes into the house, but in a restaurant I am going to have to be more careful, prehaps even be one of those annoying diners who asks what is in everything! [now wont that be fun!] I have found one restaurant in Dublin who caters for [amongst others] a wheat free diet, so I will definitely pop in there [Cornucopia, Wicklow Street] and see what the menu is like.

It anyone has any tips or suggestions for me drop me a line or leave a comment!