House-Sitting

     Good morrow, viewers.

     I spent a very pleasant night last night at my friends' house, which is basically my dream-home.
It's small, and cozy, and rather like a cottage.  Her taste is similar to mine in many ways, and I've always enjoyed visiting her home. 

     She and her husband went on holiday last week, and asked my mum and I to look after their pets, and all that sort of thing, and gave us full permission to spend as much time at the house as we like.

     Last night, I took up the offer, and spent the night.  Inasmuch as my sleep-schedule is still backward, it was quite pleasant to have a house to myself.  I dined on bread and butter, and helped myself to her tea cupboard, while I watched DVDs on my laptop, and walked about the house singing opera (another up-side to having a house to one's self).

     My friend and her husband share my love of literature, and they have a very nice collection of books.  Naturally, I availed myself of their shelves, and selected a book called James Herriot's Yorkshire.  James Herriot is a Scottish bloke who spent much of his youth in Yorkshire, and became very fond of it.  He wrote about it in a way that takes the reader on a guided tour, as it were, of Yorkshire, describing in detail its many beauties.  In the first chapter, he recalls exploring a farm, and stumbling upon two stone effigies of two knights in chain armour.  He was naturally taken aback by this discovery, and inquired of the farmer, who accounted for it by explaining that the farm was built on the site of Coverham Abbey, which was founded by the two knights, Ranulph FitzRobert and his son Ralph FitzRanulph.

     My friends have several cats, and as you readers of my blog know, I'm quite fond of the feline race.  Most of them are rather shy, and kept to themselves for the most part, but one of the cats, a tiny little calico, was remarkably friendly, and decided I was her new best chum, following me about the house, trying to shimmy up my leg, and climbing onto furniture, and leaping off into my arms, evidentally with complete faith that I would catch her, and disregarding entirely the fact that human flesh is soft and penetrable.  She spent most of the night sitting on my lap while I watched movies, attempting to eat my thumbs, and affectionately poking my face with her paw.

 

     Here she is.  Cute, no?  Her name is Claire, but I have dubbed her Squee.

    

Primeval

     Hello, viewers.

     Guess who's sleep schedule is backward again?  I never can keep it straight...  To amuse myself this week, I watched all five seasons of BBC's Primeval (2008-2011) which I found posted on youtube.

     For those that aren't familiar with it, Primeval is a British syfy series, in which a professor, a lab technician, a college student and a zookeeper discover rips in time called anomalies, which temporarily allow the passage to and from whatever time period the particular anomaly leads to.  This phenomenon results in creatures from the distant past and future passing through to the present time, resulting in alot of chaos. 

     Now, generally speaking, I don't like shows or movies about time travel.  I don't particularly know why, but they usually annoy me.  This series, however, didn't.  I actually found it rather gripping.  It helped that the show has an excellent cast of pretty British actors/actresses, including some of my favourites.  Furthermore, British humour makes much more sense to me than American, so there were several scenes that made me laugh. 

     I didn't like all aspects of the series, nor all of the characters, but for the most part, I quite enjoyed it.  Now that it's over, I'm trying to find something new to watch.  I'm thinking about trying BBC's Sherlock.

 

Good Times

     Hello, viewers.

     I spent a pleasant day today.  It wasn't at all eventful, but it was nice.

     I went to sleep at about 5:00 this morning, after spending the night drinking several cups of tea, and watching episodes of a British syfy series called Primeval online.

     I woke up at about 12:30 p.m., and hung about the house for a couple of hours before going to have a Bible study with my friends Marlow and Daisy.  Their names aren't really Marlow and Daisy, but we'll call them that for anonymity's sake.

     After studying for a couple of hours, we mutually decided that an ice cream would be very acceptable.  We went to the local pharmacy, where they have a wide variety of flavours, at very low prices.  Daisy got a double-scoop chocolate chip mint, Marlow got a scoop of cake flavoured ice cream, and a scoop of (toxic) cotton candy flavour (if you saw it, and tasted it, you'd know why I say toxic; it certainly can't be natural), and I got a scoop of butter pecan.  We brought a scoop of pistachio home to my brother (let's call him Ace).

     After that, we dropped Daisy back off at her house, and I kidnapped Marlow for the night.  We relaxed for a bit, talking about random things, and punching my furniture (don't ask), until my neighbor-friend Irene (also not her real name) came over, and we discussed old times in an animated fashion (by old I mean really old; we've known each other for nearly eighteen years).

    While we were chatting, Ace went out into the backyard, and made a fire in our wheelbarrow, and began making s'mores for himself and his neighbor-friend.  Of course, we joined him, and he made us each a s'more.  When Ace left, we remained outside by the fire, chatting over hot beverages, and reading off-beat re-tellings of classic fairy tales.

     Hours later we finally came back inside, smelling strongly of smoke.  Irene stayed for a bit, and then went home, leaving Marlow and I to settle in for the night. 

 I hope you've all had a lovely day as well.  I wonder if I'll sleep tonight... Probably not, I'm guessing.  In any case, good morrow, viewers.

    

More Scarlet Pimpernel Adventures

     Hello again.

     Lately, I've been on a Broadway kick, or, more specifically, a Broadway-based-on-literature kick.
Knowing, as you probably do, how fond I am of the scarlet pimpernel, you may imagine how chuffed I was to discover The Scarlet Pimpernel: The New Musical Adventure.  Mind you, it isn't "new" anymore; it was created in 1997. 

     I bought the soundtrack CD online recently, and have been listening to it incessantly.

 

 

     The story was altered a bit for the stage, but it pretty much captures the essence of Orczy's inimitable hero.

 

     Douglas Sills, who starred in this production, was not only very talented, but also hilarious.  Christine Andreas and Terrence Mann, who played Marguerite and Chauvelin, respectively, were also vastly talented in their roles.

 

     Yesterday while at a department store, a blouse caught my eye.  Its red pattern reminded me greatly of several illustrations I've seen of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and, of course I couldn't resist buying it.  It was on sale, after all.

 

     Pretty, what?  I have just the shoes to wear with it too.

 

     I suppose you're thinking to yourselves what a nerd I must be, buying shirts that, in an abstract sort of way resemble my favourite novels.  Well if you are, you're absolutely right, and I bear the appellation proudly. B^)

     Good morrow, viewers.  I'm off to finish my latte, and read-- well, you know.

Back Again

     Greetings, viewers!

     It's been quite along time, what? 

     Life has been...interesting lately, and it seems that this year will be an eventful one, so I'll have plenty to talk about.  And the good news, is, that the technical difficulty with my blog seems to have sorted itself out, and I can post pictures again.  Huzzah~

    

Peanut Butter Brownies

     Hello, viewers.

     Yesterday, I had a sudden craving for brownies, and, after flipping through a cookbook, found a basic recipe for peanut butter brownies.  I altered the recipe a bit, according to taste and necessity.

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (chunky would be fine as well)
• 1/4 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 - 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I was out of brown sugar, so I used 1/2 cup regular sugar, and 1/4 cup molasses)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt

     Combine peanut butter, nutella, cocoa and butter in a large mixing bowl, blending well.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, beating well.  Stir in almond extract.

     In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to creamed mixture; stir well.  Spread mixture evenly in a greased 9-inch square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F.  for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool completely in pan before cutting.

     I am sorry to say, viewers, that due to some sort of technical difficulty my blog is experiencing, I am unable to post pictures at the moment, so you'll have to use your imaginations, and take my word for it that these look delicious.

     This also unfortunately means that I shall be unable to post any more of my "global adventures" for the time being.  Such a pity...  Hopefully the technical difficulty, whatever it is, will work itself out soon.

     In the meantime, have a lovely day, viewers.

England

     Good morrow, viewers.

     Today (or yesterday, I should say), my personal peregrination took me to England.  I must say, it suited me prodigiously.

     I began my journey at Midnight, with a cup of English breakfast tea, and 2 Hobnobs, which I consumed whilst watching the 1972 BBC mini-series Emma based on Jane Austen's beloved novel.  The story is set in Surrey, but I'm not sure where the filming took place.

    

     After getting about half-way through it, I was obliged to take a nap for a couple of hours, since I needed to spend the morning babysitting for a friend. 

 

     At around 1:30 p.m., I was able to resume my travels, and finished watching Emma whilst a ate a ham sandwhich, and a cup of Earl Grey tea.

 

 

     Incidentally, the sandwich is named after The Right Honourable John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, who was a British statesman.  Earl Grey tea is assumed to be after the 2nd Earl Grey, who was the British prime minister in the 1830's.

 

     I did not put together an elaborate costume this time, but inasmuch as the rose is the flower of England, I wore rose jewelry, and scented myself with rose water.

 

     A little while after lunch, I watched Shakespeare Re-told: Much Ado About Nothing (2005), which is set in modern England, in the Wessex region.  It is a very charming version of my favourite Shakespeare play.

 

     While I watched it, I had some pretzels and crackers dipped in pub cheese, which tasted something akin to nacho cheese, but less artificial.

 

 

 

     Later in the afternoon, I had a traditional Devon cream tea, which consists of English black tea with cream and sugar, and a split scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam.  I cannot tell you how long I have wanted this.  I was able to procure a tiny jar of clotted cream at World Market the other day, which made this experience possible.  And it was lovely.  I'd have it every day, were it possible.

 

     I used some of the fine English china given to me by my grandmother.  Pretty, what?  They're part of a large set; she gave me several place settings for my trousseau.

 

     After tea, I looked at art by my favourite English artist, John William Waterhouse.  He did several paintings of women with dark red hair, which I think is beautiful.

 

 

     Here are a few portraits of English actors that I did a few years ago.  Mind you, these are not examples of "fan-art".  Speaking generally, I find British features aesthetically pleasing, and I enjoy drawing them.

     For dinner, my mum made a pot roast, and for the side dish, we made cauliflower cheese (cauliflower covered in cheese sauce, and broiled).

     After dinner, I watched The Young Victoria (2009), a portrayal of the young monarch's ascention to the throne, and her courtship/married life with Prince Albert.  The Young Victoria was filmed at many locations, and many historical landmarks in England.

      For dessert, I had a tiny steamed pudding in a pool of creme anglaise (English cream).

   

After that, with songs by The Beatles playing in the backround, I settled into my little chair by my bookcase with a pot of "Ernest Hemmingway tea".

     Choosing a book was not at all easy; most of the books I own are English classics, and all of them quite admirable; it didn't seem right to leave any of them out, so I read my favourite bits from all 30 of them.  I do love books...

    And there was the end of my English experience; 24 hours, 30 books, and 6 cups of tea later.