Well, so much for that...

Fellow diner at A Girl Called Jayne last weekend 

(Cafe not named after me)

It's just as well I didn't sign on to do NaBloPoMo officially because I've failed at the second hurdle. How embarrassing.

But I have reasons! I worked until 8.00pm on Thursday and then met some long-time online friends from America for dinner (yay for meeting internet friends in real life! I've been friends with one of them since Myspace was a thing - 10 or 11 years). I didn't get home until almost midnight and went straight to bed. 

Friday (my day off) I went in to work again (despite having a barely functioning brain in my head), came home and went straight to bed. I slept from about 6.00 pm until 5.30 am.

Saturday I went to the osteopath about my back, and poked about in the many op shops on and around Chapel Street*. When I got home I had to lie down to recover.

Sunday I spent most of the day lying down, apart from when I went up the street to get my nails painted all silver and sparkly. Apparently I am known at the salon for liking glitter polish. Everyone else seems to go for far more conservative nudes and pastel pinks. (One time recently though, at a different salon, there was a 60-something woman sitting next to me who was tossing up between two colours, including the silver sparkly one I love, and I enthusiastically urged her to go for that one.)

So basically I failed at posting every day because I was busy lying down or sleeping, and expect the rest of the month (and year) will proceed in this same manner.  

* While I was having my blog slump, I finished my year-long no-shopping challenge (successfully) and started my new challenge: a year of only buying secondhand and handmade clothes (and shoes, though I don't foresee needing to buy any footwear). 

It's harder than not shopping at all because the vast majority of clothes at op shops are at the smaller end of size range. It's also hard trying to find a specific item when you just never know what you'll find, if it will be in your size and in good condition. 

But not knowing what you'll find is also the fun bit. It's like hunting for treasure. 

November: day 20

Nail art of the day

I showed my latest nail picture to Luke and he's completely grossed out that I kept the 'nail', as if it's actually my real nail. He's a strange boy, but I like him.  Then I told him I bought the 'nail' home with me... I have a creative vision, dammit! 

I fell over crossing the road today and several lovely people stopped to ask if I was OK (I was). I've fallen over four times this year and have only suffered a few bruises and scrapes. Lucky...especially as two of the tumbles were at waterfalls. Stupid slippery rocks.  

Hunky Dory, the fish n chip place, is our new Friday night dinner haunt. I'm in love with their lamb skewers. They're so juicy and tender and flavoursome. We're often served by the same young woman and she knows what my 'usual' is now. 

November: day 19

Glitter bug

I'm giving new meaning to the term 'nail art'. The silver glitter SNS polish on my left index finger came off in one piece like a shell and my friend said it looked like a beetle. 

***

I was forced to buy new earphones because the ones I had just randomly stopped working and the Apple ones I had in my desk drawer at home are too big for my ears holes. They just keep falling out, making me cast envious glances at all the people with ear holes big enough to accommodate them securely. You people with big ear holes; you don't know how fortunate you are. 

Anyway, I was too lazy to venture up the other end of town to buy some good quality earphones so I went to Smiggle and  got some cheap ones for $13 AND THEY ARE ACE. So much better than the gigantic Apple ones. So snug! They almost sound like little corks popping when I take them our of my ears. 

***

I ran for eight minutes at the gym tonight (in intervals) and I ate a very tasty protein ball afterwards. 

Shellacking, footy, shiny, tiny, stripey

I had my nails done again today, but this time I got shellac polish in a deep, subtly iridescent purple. Shellac is a new type of nail varnish that dries very quickly and lasts much longer without chipping. It's weird not having to be careful to avoid smudging or chipping it. Weird, but good. (I guess I can no longer describe myself as a not very girly girl.)

Footy

My (Aussie Rules) football team, North Melbourne, had a convincing and unexpected win over Collingwood, one of the top team in the competition, last night. I think this is the first time I've ever blogged about a football game (apart from the Grand Final). I'm not a particularly enthusiastic fan, but I've followed North Melbourne since I was a kid (despite the rest of my family barracking for Essendon) and it's gratifying to see them doing well after many years of mediocrity.  I think there's some Collingwood fans in my team at work. *digs out North Melbourne scarf*

Shiny

As well as watching the game last night, I shined some of my shoes. (Shone my shoes?) I polished a few pairs of work shoes that were scuffed and dull, as well as my biker boots, and then conditioned them with beeswax "leather balsam" (as it's described on the tub). Not the most exciting way to spend one's Saturday night, but also quite gratifying. Shiny, shiny shoes for me. 

Let there be light

Some of the light fittings in my flat are the screw-in kind and others are bayonet cap style. I never remember which ones are which, and I always forget to check first before going to buy a new globe. Today, in defiance of the order of the universe, I managed to buy the right kind for my kitchen light fitting. 

Tiny 

When I was walking home with my light globe and groceries, I spied a teeny weeny little mushroom in the garden that runs the length of the footbridge over the freeway. I reached for my camera, but I'd left it at home. Dang. Luckily it's close to home, so I went back later and took photos of it. 

I should have put something in the shot to show how small it is. It's less than 2cm tall. Eyes like an eagle, me. 

Spring is ready to...spring. 

 Hydrangea bud

Here's one it prepared earlier

Sripey 

I put my new bed linen on the bed this afternoon. It makes me go a bit cross-eyed, but I like it. The heart cushion usually lives on the couch, but I've moved it to the bed. I love black and white with red accents. 

I think Grover likes it too

Sunny Sunday, zebra plant, culinary capers

I emerged from my darkened boudoir* this morning expecting to be greeted by a gloomy Sunday but, to my delight, the sun was pouring into my flat and the sky was blue. A gleeful start to the day. 

I put a chicken in the slow cooker then headed into the city. I went back to Vic Market to buy a little potted succulent that caught my eye when I was there with Luke yesterday, partly because my mum had one when I was a kid (incidentally, that's my mum and dad in the photo behind the plant). 

I asked one of the men at the stall what the succulent was called and he said it's a haworthia attenuata, commonly known as a zebra plant or washboard plant. Then he asked me if I knew what a washboard was - no doubt thinking a *cough* young whippersnapper like me would have no idea - but he was wrong. Ha! It's a musical instrument! Just kidding - these days it's used as a musical instrument by bands with a country flavour, but once it was used to scrub dirty laundry clean. 

I had planned ahead how to get the zebra plant home safely - I took with me the little bag made from newspaper that I got in Clunes in April. It did the job perfectly. 

I got my nails done again, this time a dark slightly iridescent blue. I keep looking at them. It's such a novelty for me to have painted nails.  The manicurist liked my newspaper bag and said my zebra plant was cute. 

I bought some bright pink gerberas and then headed for home. 

I never seem to have a vase that's just right...

When I came in the door of my flat, it smelt like chicken. I'd forgotten all about it! Yum. The chicken, which we had for dinner, was just the beginning of my Sunday culinary capers. I also stewed some rhubarb. I'm allowed to have a small serve of rhubarb every second day on my low-allergy diet and I always look forward to it. I have to wait for tomorrow to sample this lot. 

Then I made meringues in the microwave. Yes, the microwave! I found the recipe on Pinterest a while ago and thought I'd give it a go because it's allergy-diet friendly. It's so simple and easy. You sift 300g of icing sugar over one egg white and mix it until you have a ball of pliant icing mix. Then you put a couple of small balls of the mix (about grape-sized) on a plate lined with baking paper, and nuke them for 1.5 minutes on high. Then just watch as they spread and slowly puff up into clouds of meringues. Fun!  

I'm planning to make a variation of Eton Mess for dessert tomorrow night with the rhubarb and meringue and lactose-free whipped cream. I'm salivating already. 

I also made some bread in my breadmaker, which I haven't used in ages. It's cooling down as I write.  

All in all, quite a productive day! 

*Did you know that boudoir comes from the French 'bouder' meaning to sulk? So a boudoir is a place for sulking. I think I read that in The Etymologicon.   

While I'm being word nerdy, I'm almost finished The Superior Person's Second Book of Words and one of my favourites is 'obambulate', which means to wander aimlessly. 

Awesome coincidence

Remember I wrote yesterday how I enjoy that freshly-clipped nail feeling? Well, last night after publishing that post, I had a hot bath and settled in to read The Book of Awesome.

And what should crop up on page 234? Finally clipping your fingernails after you've been meaning to do it all week!! It's like the author Neil Pasricha read my mind....from the past.

I don't like my nails long but I also don't like cutting them, so they usually end up way too long, and interfere with my typing and texting before I do something about it and then aaaaaah. Short. All good. 

I had some time to kill in the city tonight so I went to Borders and bought some books for my trip - two Penguin classics: The Lucky Country (an Australian classic) and Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is set in New York. Quite fitting, I thought!

Giggling, list writing and manicuring

My friend sent me a video of her seven-month-old, Thomas, (one of my 'nephews') having a fit of giggles yesterday. It's impossible not to laugh along with him. He almost looks like he's putting it on, such is his enthusiasm. So cute and funny.  

I wrote a list of things to pack for my New York trip today. I wasn't feeling mentally ready for the trip, but now I feel a little more prepared. Love a good list.

I dislike having long fingernails, but I really like that fresh (DIY) manicured feeling.