Category Archives: General

Happy Girl With Lots Of Presents!

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I just got my package from the Christmas exchange. My gifter is Elara! Thank you very much, Elara, all the things are beautiful. First, a general pic of all the presents, still wrapped:

wrapped

Then, all the things unwrapped!

Unwrapped

You can see a little pouch that came with the candy inside, a pair of socks(!), a pretty pendant or brooch in the shape of a butterfly, soap confetty in a glass packaging, an orange shaped candle, a pink elephant! magnet (I love pink elephants, they remind me of a beer called “Delirium Tremens” *grin*), a freebie to try out the parfum Black U, by Adolpho Dominguez, a shower gel with the fragance of 212 by Carolina Herrera, some vaseline, lilac eye-shadow, a mug with the alphabet scribbled all over it, and the most beautiful hand made scarf! (I think it is the Knitty pattern called Wavy, am I right, Elara? Edit: I am wrong, Elara just told me it’s Lia‘s Rainy Day Scarf *blush* Sorry, Lia!!)

For some detail pics, you can see: the pouch, the butterfly, the pink elephant, the socks and soaps.

It was wonderful opening the package, really! Everything was beautiful :-)

Gracias, Elara! (can’t say it enough!)

Sade

Package Sent!

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So, I did it in time – damn, I thought I wouldn’t with classes, work, exams, traveling and all that! My package for the exchange has just been sent off to its (lucky?) recipient. I hope it will arrive soon, as it doesn’t really have to make a big trip around the world *hint-hint*. I would have wanted to send it yesterday, but the post office was too full and I had/have a flu that didn’t make it nice to wait more than half an hour. Anyway, I hope «enter nick here» enjoys her pressies a lot.

Edit: Since the package has already reached its new owner, Pat, and until she can post pictures of it, I’ll put one I took before sending it (forgot to add the belgian chocolates when I took the pic…) so you get the idea.

Package for Pat

Sade

And Back Again

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I am back from Belgium. I spent all last week there, and had lots of fun. For a whole (short) tale on the trip, visit the post I wrote on the blog Jan and I share. For pics, visit our gallery.

Sade

P.S.: No knitting was done during this time, but I managed to get a grasp at ‘tight spinning’ as I’ll call it (spinning yarn between your tight and your palm).

I’ve got news!

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I’ve got very good news! I’ve got a job! I will be web-designing for a department, and doing a bilingual site for them (helping them getting into the 21st Century). That means I’ll be slightly more busy – in the mornings work and class, evening study at home and trying to knit after dinner.

Mum finished another two pair of socks, one in green for herself (no pic) and another clown-colourful pair for me, with shorter calf. So with 100gr she’ll be able to make a short calf pair and an ankle pair for me, that I really don’t like high socks unless I’m wearing boots.

socks

And a pic of the lovely roses we have at home this week:

roses

My baby blanket is coming along nicely, tho slowly due to the amount of stitches, so the pic is about the same as last time.

Sade

It’s My Birthday!

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Yes, I am a year older, who would say, eh? I’m still as silly and childish and playful as a kid!

Anyway:

“Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeee
Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeee
Happy Birthday dear meeeeeeee
Happy Birthday oh Yes!”

(a little egocentrism on *my* day doesn’t hurt, does it? :p)

You can pass by and get a piece of cake and a pot of hot chocolate to celebrate!

Sade

Back In Town

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Jan is already back home :( I miss him! But we had a great time together. We were slightly lazy, but we went to see the Portabandieri dil Calcio Storico Fiorentino (pics coming up soon) that was fun to see how they handle the flags, turning them and throwing them.

We cooked pumpking cake (I’ll post the recipe some other time), and had some quiet time alone. Of course I had to go to uni, and poor him came with me to become totally bored there. We did a little shopping here and there, visited a nice soap shop ( Bubbly ).

We enjoyed a nice japanese dinner at Mikado (Calle Pintor Juan Gris, 4 – Madrid), to celebrate my mother’s birthday (late) and mine (early) and it was great (as always – a very good japanese in my opinion).

Saturday eve we went to see Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (in english, of course). It’s a really good movie, loved it. After it, we had dinner at a nearby Ginos – it was pouring, so the closer the better.

We had lots of fun these days, but it was too short – as always.

I also got my birthday presents (a bit early): Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse, and the cutest tiniest digital camera on earth: the Olympus [mju:]-mini Digital S in sexy black (and a spare battery, and a 512MB xD card). I feel totally spoiled! It means, I’ll be able to post more and better pictures from now on (most of the previous pictures were taken with my phone’s camera).

No knitting (as I said) was done during these days. I checked the blogs and tried to keep up to date, and so I discovered some people were curious about a certain reader (see: this post on affiknitty).

Ta-dah!

More updates soon!

Sade

Lithium Sunset

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Sunset

Such a beautiful sunset on tuesday 1st, November. Sometimes Madrid gives out good pics too. It deserved some lyrics to go along.

Lithium Sunset – Sting

Fill my eyes
O Lithium sunset
And take this lonesome burden
Of worry from my mind
Take this heartache
Of obsidian darkness
And fold my darkness
Into your yellow light

I’ve been scattered I’ve been shattered
I’ve been knocked out of the race
But I’ll get better
I feel your light upon my face

Heal my soul
O Lithium sunset
And I’ll ride the turning world
Into another night
Into another night
Into another night
See mercury falling…

On other news, the Hoover Blanket is already at 18% and going up. It’s a small blanket, about 65 x 50 cm – enough to cover the baby in her stroller. You can see the actual progress and how it looks like the double knitting in the next pic:

Blankie 02

Also, and action picture of the clown socks!

Socks In Action!

Now, back to knitting!

Sade

It’s Halloween! It’s Samhain!

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Halloween‘s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter, the end of the light and the beginning of darkness. It’s historical origin is the Celtic Feast of the Dead and the beginning of the new year. It is the day when the gates between the worlds open, and souls are allowed to walk amongst the living and visit their relatives.

For this day, I’ll share a couple of recipes.

Soothing Tea

Ingredients:

  • green tea leaves
  • dry mint leaves
  • dry orange peeling
  • honey

Instructions:

  1. Bring water to boil (a bit more than a cup per cup of tea). Once it’s boiling let cool a bit so the temperature gets down to about 85-95°C.
  2. Prepare a mix of green tea and dry mint leaves. Warm the teapot with hot water and discard this water. Add one teaspoon of leaves and a (1 x 1.5 cm.) piece of orange peel per cup of tea to the teapor, and cover with the hot water.
  3. Let the tea brew for 3 to 5 minutes for a nice relaxing tea.
  4. Serve hot, with honey for sweetening to taste.

Note: You can dry the orange peel yourself. Peel an orange trying to avoid the white skin as much as possible. Place the orange skin in a bowl, and the bowl in a cupboard, so it doesn’t have direct sunlight, the temperature is cool, and there is a certain air circulation (any kitchen cabinet is fine). Let the peel dry for at least a couple of weeks, or until it’s totally dry. And it’s ready to use!

Edited to add, as Lia says on her comment, that the orange peel can aslo be dried inside a jar with sugar. This way also, the sugar won’t form lumps because of humidity, and it’ll get a slight orange smell and taste.

And a tea isn’t a tea with something to eat. Be brit and serve cool cucumber bite-size sandwiches. Or go along with the Halloween pumpkin crazyness and bake these cookies:

Pumpking Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 150gr sugar
  • 150gr flour
  • baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • butter
  • 1/2kg pumpkin
  • raisins
  • liquor

Instructions:

  1. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and boil for 20 minutes. Drain very well, and mash the pulp. Mix well together with eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder.
  2. Meanwhile, soak the raisins with the liquor. Drain them and mix with the dough. Butter a cookie sheet, and put scoops of the dough. Bake until golden at 180C.

Have all a happy day. And all hallow’s eve. Don’t forget to put a candle on the windowsill so your ancestors don’t get lost!

Sade