Aubergine Parmigiana

Pre-oven

Post-oven

Lidl had 50p aubergines and I finally had the time & botherment to make aubergine parmigiana. It was very, very good - hot and rich and tomato-y and cheesy and comforting.
I used How to cook the perfect... aubergine parmigiana from The Guardian's website but omitted the basil (as I had none) and the breadcrumbs. My scaled down/bodged version used one aubergine (50p), 500g of Lidl sieved-tomato-in-a-box (<40p), a ball of Basics mozzarella (44p), one small red onion, a splosh of red cooking wine, and somewhat arbitrary amounts of the other ingredients from my well-stocked cupboards (yes, I have parmesan and cooking wine on hand).

Beautifully presented?!

This made me dinner two nights in a row, and less greedy persons than I would probably not have had the accompanying toast. I now have two leftover slices of aubergine which are destined for pizza and a small jug of tomato sauce which will probably end up on some pasta sooner or later. Not bad value for money at all for something which feels so indulgent.

S'cuse the bleary phone photos - it's far easier than getting my camera out and the results aren't much worse. Plus using Dropbox on my phone has the advantage that I transfer photos to my laptop without even thinking about it.

I'm Still Here, Honest!

Janome! And eBay safety specs as I don't trust myself not to sew over pins

Hello there! I intended to follow up my 25 Before 23 - The End post with a new list some weeks ago but starting my new job & adjusting to that meant it fell by the wayside. I'm taking some time this weekend to sort things out and get properly rested. The students two doors down ruined the resting part, their loud party wasn't showing any signs of abating when I fell asleep from sheer tiredness at 4.30am. I dissipated some frustration by making a noise complaint at 2am but it didn't have any immediate effect - the council's noise team stop work at 3am. Bed at 8pm today I think.
Anyway, despite not making it onto blogger to write I have been using my forty minute bus commute as blog-reading time (hurrah for smartphones!) and getting some sewing in in the evenings. I'm a software engineer so I really can't escape from looking at a computer screen all day and, as you might expect, using my laptop just doesn't appeal in the evenings.
For my birthday (and in lieu of a couple of previous ones) my parents bought me a sewing machine. It's a Janome DC3050. John Lewis initially delivered me a needlefelting machine (apparently that's a thing - a scarily 5-needled £300 thing) which led to a couple of days of waiting in for couriers to collect the wrong machine and deliver the right one, but it's here now.
I'm slowly getting to grips with my Janome (which needs a name, something 50s sounding perhaps? Definitely female) but finding it frustrating at times. However I've almost finished my first item made with it, which I'll post about soon. I still need to show the internets my Simplicity 2451 (which finally has some seam finishing) but haven't got any decent photos of me actually wearing it yet. Sigh.
I wanted to go to the London sewists meet-up last weekend, which was amazingly co-ordinated by Rachel of House of Pinheiro, but sadly it didn't quite work with trains/buses and my sister's coursework schedule. I did spot from the pictures that Katy of Sleek Silhouette has made a lovely McCall's 6503 which has reignited my wanting to make one. I already have the pattern and 3m of cheap navy polycotton, plus old bedsheet for a toile, so it's just a matter of getting around to it.
I don't actually have any crochet on the go at the moment. I need to decide upon and commit to a project with some of my more special wool which is stagnating in my stash. Once I've decided I can take whatever it is on the bus and make fairly speedy progress :)
I'd also like to learn to knit but that's not going to be something I can do easily on the bus as the best way will probably be via YouTube. Anyone know of any good tutorial videos? I can do basic stitches but I don't think I'm doing them right and my tension is horrible.

Right, I'm off to enjoy the fact that I can afford to use a coffee shop as my sitting room for a bit. I've got a lot of hem to catch stitch and a 24 page paper pattern to assemble on their decent sized tables. (Honig Designs Garden Party Dress in case you're interested - it's recent and free!)

25 Before 23 - The End

This post is somewhat overdue but I won't waste time chastising myself. I went away for two weekends, started a job(!!!), and have been without internet for the last week or so so it's not my usual spiral of self-criticism that's been stopping me. Anyway...

25 Things

1. Finish my final project - Still no result but I'm booked in for graduation
2. Get a job - My third interview was a winner. I started last Tuesday and all is well so far :)
3. Move to Bristol
   
4. Sew a dress - I've at least started! I have the pattern cut out for the Salme Patterns Sonja dress
5. Make 10 of my recipe bookmarks / pins - 3253462365243/10 I like cooking
6. Send parcels to far-away friends - Scarves completed but not yet sent
7. Go to Southwold at least once
8. Get rid of my Flickr backlog - I've made a dent at least Currently: film - October '11, digital - July '12
9. Get a grip on my finances - Still needs doing. Argh.
10. Sell my eBay pile, swap my swap pile - I gave some stuff but there's plenty more
11. Mend & alter my mending & altering piles - Made a dent in the mending pile
12. Read a newspaper regularly - I've been reading The Metro on the bus but that doesn't count!
13. Weekend away by train
14. Buy good shoes - I bought smart work shoes, my job has no dress code *sigh*
15. Crochet 3 items from stashed wool - 6/3 Over and above, made another snood just before Easter
16. Get a new phone
17. Read 3 good/classic books - Over and above again :)
18. Print more photos - Only did a few for Christmas presents
19. Watch 3 good/classic films
    
20. Exercise regularly - I've been consciously trying to walk more
21. Scrapbook - Nope. I've got a scrapbook and a pile of stuff here but haven't started yet
22. Have a picnic - Boy took me for lunch up at Chew Valley Lake on Good Friday and we had a sort-of picnic on Saturday
23. Visit a city farm
24. Visit my sister at university - Still needs doing
25. Cycle from Bristol to Bath -Needs some effort putting in  

I haven't achieved everything on my list but I have done an awful lot, much of which I wouldn't have without this project. It's helped me get on with things, cut excuses, and use my time more efficiently. I've been going through lots of change so having a stated set of goals has been a nice anchor and I think prevented me from feeling so lost and confused as I might have.
I'm definitely going to produce a new list (and carry some items over) for this next year, I just need to turn my scribblings into a proper, balanced list.
Hurrah for projects!

Trials & Tribulations

Me: I know, I'll finish my seams by zig-zagging. It's simple to do & will look neat.
Sewing machine: No.

Much Making

My impromptu craft table

...or rather finishing. Since I've been staying in waiting for parcels today & yesterday I thought I'd get some of my on-the-go projects finished off. Having these things completed and my mending pile being smaller feels good :)

I liked the crochet cats I made for S & Boy so much that I've made another for myself. She's got a purpose-bought button nose and bright green eyes but otherwise is just the same as Lab Cat. I haven't stuffed her body or attached her head because I don't know what to stuff her with yet. The pattern is  Crochet Kitten from Marmalade Rose & I've added her to my Ravelry notebook.

My friend gave me this shritdress several years ago and although I loved the fabric it just didn't fit comfortably over my hips. So, after asking permission, I hacked off the skirt section (at a convenient seam) and hemmed the top part into a blouse. There was a button missing at the top but luckily as the placket extended into the skirt section there was a newly redundant button which I transplanted. I think I've only ever worn this once before (with the skirt part folded up) but now it's a wearable blouse :D

These ripple scarves are made of leftovers from blankets I made last year for my friend and sister. The red, white & blue one came first and was actually a first attempt at the blanket which turned out way too long. I tried to make the second one the same size by counting the ripples, but I must've got the wrong hook or had considerably worse tension as it's come out far, far bigger and I had to buy more pink and brown yarn to finish it!
These have been leapfrogged in my crochet queue by a fair few other projects so it's really nice to have them done. They're also part of my 25 Before 23 as they're going to be sent off to some friends on the other side of the world(ish).

Less excitingly I've also patched up some holes in cardigans. I won't bore anyone with photos of those.

My next projects to finish are: stuffing lady cat, re-hemming my suit trousers, birthday present for Boy's Mum, and finishing the seams in my Simplicity 2451. I've just received something that might come in handy too ;)

Doings & Happenings

Pulled pork & slaw roll from Grillstock at St Nicks Market

• After a small storm of technical tests and interviews I've been offered a job! Yay! I'm waiting somewhat anxiously for the paperwork to come through but, all being well, I should be employed pretty soon. I'm pretty lucky to be in a sector where jobs are relatively plentiful but I still didn't enjoy the process of applying for them. Cover letters are the worst. Apart from presentations, that is. I really hate those. But, fingers crossed, there will be no more of that for quite a while. The job I've been offered is in a fairly relaxed office so I don't need to add to my suit collection (I had to wear one in sixth form). I've stocked up on tights though - there's nothing worse than being in a hurry and having to go through a whole pile only to find that there are none without holes in. (yes I could throw them away when they get holes but I'd happily wear them at weekends so why waste them? I think segregating work and weekend tights is the way forward)

• I've been eating out lots (not entirely intentionally) and trying new places. I've written a post about all of it but I think it might be a bit long and uninteresting to actually publish! The short  & positive version would be: Friska, Flinty Red, Hart's Bakery, Grillstock = GOOD
  This week I'm making my first ever trip to ZaZa Bazaar - apparently the biggest restaurant in Europe(?). It'll be an experience.
  
• I've been working on a few crafty things - mostly presents - and finally went to Stitch 'n' Bitch again. I got lots more of my twin scarves done, started Boy's Mum's birthday present, and got part-way through turning an old shirt dress into a blouse.
   
• I've read The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy and Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, both of which I borrowed from the library. I really appreciate the fact that my Somerset library card works in Bristol. Even though it wouldn't be hard to sign up for a Bristol one I like that they've made it easier for me :)
  I got TMOC out as I hadn't read any Hardy before and I think this was the one Mum recommended I try first. I enjoyed it. I found some of the description of Casterbridge superfluous but perhaps I was missing some meaning? I wonder if if I knew Dorchester I'd appreciate it more? (the fictional town of Casterbridge is based on Dorchester) I was somewhat annoyed by the course the book took (Persuasion-style eternal devotion is more my thing) but it worked out in the end!
  I got Decline and Fall out when I returned TMOC. I'd wanted to re-read Sense & Sensibility but it wasn't there so I browsed a bit. I've read Brideshead Revisited previously but didn't think of that at the time. I found Decline and Fall a bit strange. I think that it was the combination of subject matter and style - had the injustice been presented in a straight or dramatic style it would have had me in tears (like Atonement) but the comic presentation didn't quite sit right with my instinct to be horrified. I liked the clever neatness with which the book finished but found it quite a light read - I read quickly, finishing it in three short stints, and the lack of insight into the main character's thoughts and actions made it not very engaging. Quite the opposite of Villette, for example, which has whole chapters of swirling thoughts and allegories.
  Next I'm going to read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
  
• I've spent a lots of time helping my friend campaign to be elected to a sabbatical position in the students' union. We did lots of walking around the university with a big sign, giving out brownies and trying to persuade people to vote. The turn-out in the election this year was 25% I think, which sadly is pretty good. The result didn't go in our direction but, as we pointed out, this means my friend doesn't have to spend next year fending off angry society presidents who have no space while the union is being refurbished!

I'm glad to have spent plenty of time relaxing at home & with Boy this weekend, and next weekend we're off home to celebrate my birthday. I hope the weather becomes properly Spring-like!

Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can

 I think these words of wisdom will feature in my next cross-stitch creation - somewhat nobler than my last...
Oh 99p Store.

 There was something not quite right about this from the start

Then things got distinctly owl-shaped

 And this is what my poor sister got for her birthday

The kit really did come from the 99p store, the colours were probably the ones for the golden retriever in a garden picture, and the frame is from Wilko. I also bought my sister some cosy pajama trousers from M&S :)

For added wisdom, here's yet another link to Ashley's blog.