How to Make the Most out of a Hideous Garden

This is the view of my garden from my living room window. It's not that pretty. Actually, it's awful, and could really do with a cut lawn and someone to take away that horrendous washing machine that has been left there (how, I have no idea).

It pains me that they garden is that bad, but I share it with the other 9 flats in this house and I've only been here for 2 months - not long enough to establish some stability and justify spending any amount of money to make my view pleasant.

However - in the garden are two very brightly coloured trees. Beautiful trees, lost in all that ugliness. And my living room needed brightening up a little so I took a wander downstairs with a pair of scissors. I got a beautiful result!

Free flowers! Lovely free flowers in a used coffee jar. All in all, a completely free decoration that is beautiful and brings the colours of spring into my home. I have a few more vases that are definitely going to get the same treatment!

This one is now sitting happily on my cookery bookshelf, next to the sewing machine and reflecting it's spring quality through the mirror. Doesn't it look as though it's meant to be there?

Shopping for the Week

It's a Monday morning and the sun is shining. I have my recipe books and magazines out and I have planned my meals for the week.

Spring and summer are quite difficult to plan food for. Matthew, despite being the world's thinnest man, eats huge portions and I'm afraid that light meals of any kind keep him hungry and make him grumpy. But I hate eating stodgy food in the warmer months. It's a bit of a pickle and I have to work hard to find meals to suit us well, without being the same thing we ate last week.

I have a freezer which is packed full of things that have been left unused, as well as cheap cuts of meat that were put in the day of purchase. I try not to buy desert or snacks of any kind, and lunches are generally sandwiches, baked potatoes and as I will have 4 pitta breads left over from the burgers this week, pitta breads with salad and hummous. Breakfast is cereal - any cereal which is on offer.

So! The following meals have been planned!

Creamy Courgette Carbonara
Falafel Burgers with Sweet Potato Chips
Beef and Noodle Stir Fry
Lemon and Garlic Turkey with Sauteed Potatoes
Pork Chops with Mash and Peas
Chilli with Rice or Salad

There are only 6, as chances are one of us will be out one evening and miss dinner. If not, we have a lot of potatoes and some mince in the freezer so we can just make a Shepherd's Pie.

All of this comes in at under £40 for the week. A safe budget, I feel, and one that allows me to eat decent food instead of rubbish. There is also quite a lot of meat in this week's menu but that's because I have a glut of beef and pork in the freezer which I bought weeks ago when it was on offer - always very handy to do if you have a few extra pennies as it saves you lots in the weeks to come.

If anyone would like the recipes for any of these dishes, please ask!

My Student Digs

When I moved into my student flat it was pretty basic. Cream walls, wooden floor, and basic furniture. The curtains were the most vile colour of yellow that I had ever seen and were quickly ripped down and replaced with bargain pale green ones that I'd found at a clearance material shop. A cheap green rug was bought to match and I added some purple cushions for a bit of variety and a print to give the walls something.

I was happy with this set up for a while, but the room just felt a bit too clinical and empty. The amount of work I was doing meant I had to spend a lot of time at my desk and it was in my tiny bedroom, so I thought I'd have a bit of a change.

Putting the desk in the living room meant that I could enjoy it a bit more instead of being crammed in my bedroom. I purposefully left my computer at the desk to encourage me to NOT stay in bed whilst writing my essays and I added a small notice board and some ornaments to keep it looking interesting.

It felt cosy and that's what I wanted. Sometimes too much space isn't comfortable. And the best thing was - I didn't have to buy anything! I just moved stuff around to see where it fit best. I even got more space in my room to prance around in whilst checking out my clothes in the newly positioned full length mirror. Win all around.

Writing Letters

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Facebook. I like it, sure, but mostly because it's gossip and I like knowing what people are up to. But on the downside, people assume that I know what they're up to. I don't it to be assumed. I want to ask *so what are you up to these days?* and get an interesting response! But you can't do that these days. If they're not a friend - you 'obviously' hate them and they obviously hate you so you might as well not bother.

I only have 74 friends. Each and every person on my facebook list is someone I know and like. Not someone I sat next to in Maths, not a friend of a friend who I met once, and not people I worked with 4 years ago and haven't spoken to since. But it doesn't mean I wouldn't want to say hi if I bumped into them off the street.

Of course, I don't have 74 close friends. I have less than 10 close friends. And not one of them lives near me. The closest is maybe 200 miles away. The furthest, proabably 500-600 miles away. I love these people dearly but I cannot go and visit them often, and sometimes I'm just too busy to call or send a facebook messgae - but it doesn't mean I don't want to speak to them. So I want to communicate with them in a way that says *hey lady, I was thinking about you!* and the best way to do that is to write a letter.

Months ago I bought a stack of beautiful cards. I prefer cards to writing paper as they're more hardwaring and you get a pretty image on the front. I do like sending cards to friends that I have seen and immediately thought of them, but for when I just want to write one there and then, or don't have a few pounds to spare, I dip into my stash.

It makes such a good impression. And getting a card in the post shows thoughfulness, and time well spent - not a quick phone call when you've got a few minutes to spare.

And when you're low on free minutes - the price of a stamp is a much cheaper method of staying in touch.

A New Fabric Shop?

There are a lot of fabric shops in Brighton. A lot. But I have searched through them and I can never find anything that I want. So much fabric and nothing that calls out to me. I couldn't make my table cloth because I couldn't find the right material. The same thing happened with some gifts I was going to make for a friend. And it annoys me a bit, because I know exactly what kind of fabric I want and I cannot for the life of me find it anywhere.

I had been flicking through websites trying to find free events that will be going on in the city for free and I came across an Quilt Making event. As something that interested me, I skipped on over to the website and have found their online shop (an online shop is a must for me - I do not like not knowing the general cost of something when I go into a shop as I hate the feeling of walking out because I cannot justify paying the amount shown). That is exactly the type of fabric I'm after. Good old patterned fabric. Sturdy fabric. Brightly coloured fabric.

So next weekend when I have a Saturday free, I shall take a wander down there and have a look at what they've got. I'm feeling all creative having recieved Katie's present yesterday and I really have to start channeling my energy into something other than watching Glee or Junior Apprentice.

I shall let you know how I get on and whether or not I will encourage you to order some pieces for yourself. If anyone has any sugestions for good quality cheap fabric in the UK then please let me know - I would be eternally grateful!