while you're ahead...

– 87 – two great books

Monica Dunkley

June 12, 2017

If you’re looking for good reads… I have two great recommendations for you.

The first one:

I have no idea why I picked up this book … it’s not my sort of read… and I can only think it was because of the title. ‘The Bookshop’, let’s face it, is there a reader/book lover out there that hasn’t at some point dreamt of opening a bookstore?

Anyway, I knew nothing of the author and I set up reading totally in the dark… not literally of course, that would have been silly. (Tangent…). Also, second tangent, I ‘ve just discovered that Penelope Fitzgerald published her first book at 58.

Bonkers. And strangely comforting. There’s plenty of life ahead, right?

Loved this little novel. It’s perfectly ‘English’; the characters, the descriptions of the places and the weather… and the dialogue. Eccentric and mundane and a ghost (it’s not a ghost story, don’t let that put you off)… classes and politics and … just so perfectly measured and not a word out of place.

The other book was a total impulse buy because it had the author’s signature in it… and I’m a sucker for an autograph. (Pathetic…)

Have your read Olive Kettering? or My name is Lucy Barton?

Sigh…

Also, let’s face it… is there a most amazing writer? Who else can say so much, can evoke so much in such a way that makes you feel you know the characters, the places, their stories. That you are them. Even if you don’t live in small town America and instead are an Italian turned English, housewife with three boys and a happy life.

Just perfect. Seriously.

And I love when writers loosely link two books… you don’t have to have read My name is Lucy Barton to enjoy these short stories… but because it talks about characters from the place she grew up… it kind of adds to the that novel. Makes it even bigger.

I’m waffling.

I’m hungry, bacon is cooking for a Carbonara and the kitchen smells so wonderfully. Mr M is playing tennis with some neighbours, No 1 should be revising, No 2 is lying on his bed snap chatting (I have no proof, but this is what he normally does at this time of day) and No 3 is playing hockey.

And I can’t remember whose turn it is to set the table… things could get ugly if I make the wrong call…

Have a good evening!

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– 86 – sashiko jeans

Monica Dunkley

5 comments

June 6, 2017

I think I can genuinely blame Ali for this one.

She’s the one who texted me a picture of a pair of denim from Anthropologie covered in sashiko embroidery. She sowed the seed.

And then that seed grew and grew and when I saw a pair of jeans in my size down to the most reduced price (think about three cappuccinos worth) I knew it was a case of now or never.

I did a quick internet search to find out the basic principles of ‘visible mending’… first I basted a patch of denim fabric to the inside of the ‘hole’:

and then I snipped all the white threads off. I was thinking of keeping it and simply doing lots of straight stitches everywhere to reinforce the patch… but then my ambition got the better of me and opted for a sashiko style work.

Silly me, why taking it easy, right?

It’s not perfect.

By any means.

I was going to pencil mark the stitches but I realised I didn’t have a white fabric pencil so had to wangle it… (jack of all trade and master of none, me…)

… the imperfections of the handmade and all that jazz…

(As you can see the other knee is in need of something too… )

I am really loving how they came out!

And I will actually be wearing them … once it stops raining and blowing a gale – who would have thought!

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– 85 – ‘crazy feeling’ sweater

Monica Dunkley

4 comments

June 5, 2017

Such a fast knit!

… and as it turned out well times as the weather after teasing us with sun and high temperatures for a couple of week has gone back to ‘bleh’ again.

This was a ‘kit’ from ‘Wool and the gang’ – which you can purchase ‘here‘, if you’re interested. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried them… they’re all very easy projects and come beautiful packaged with full instructions and even a yarn needle to absolutely complete the thing… no excuses!

The yarn for this sweater, jumper, pullover… call it what you wish is wonderful, it’s made using up-cycled, pre-consumer denim waste using no chemicals and no dyes. What’s not to like? It drapes, it’s soft, and it’s eco-friendly. Pretty cool I say. (Although, saying cool is not cool I realise that. Apologies)

5mm and 6.5mm needles, and a good tv series and bob’s your uncle you have a sweater.

(and a slightly out of focus photograph… I love the loose sleeves though…)

Mr M and I are late to the ‘House of Cards’ party but we’re catching up. Highly addictive. And I need Robin Wright’s wardrobe (and her flat stomach).

I’ve also started watching ‘Call the midwife’… oh boy, am I the only one who cries at every episode? Geesh…

And if you’re wondering if I’ve been living in a jungle without access to modern ways of entertainment for the past few years… I don’t know what to say… I guess I haven’t been watching much of anything…

Now I need a cup of tea and need to decide what to knit next….

mmmhhhh

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– 84 – ‘polpette’

Monica Dunkley

1 comment

June 4, 2017

‘Meatballs’.

I’ve been in a real ‘food funk’ lately. Bored of cooking the same old stuff, bored of children with unadventurous taste buds, bored of juggling different mealtimes due to various commitments.. (seriously why scheduling a cricket match for 12.00pm???? It stays light till gone nine o’clock, surely the power that be could give family the chance of eating Sunday lunch together??? End of rant)

Bored.

Yesterday I forced myself to open one of the many cookery books and dug out a recipe for a Thai prawn salad for me and Mr M… (prawn and salad for the boys?? ha. No. It’s their loss… if they’re that stubborn they can carry on eating re-heated pizza for what I care. Anyway it was delicious. Coconutty… spicy… fresh… green and full of strange herbs…

THAT little effort inspired me to make my own meatball this morning and I went for a super easy recipe from this book:

(Side note: if you want to cook ‘true’ Italian food, no frills, no peas or mushroom in the Carbonara, you have to check this book out. Beautifully written and the recipes do taste like ‘mamma’s food’)

I know that on a Sunday you’re supposed to have a big roast dinner… but no… I decided that meatballs are just as comforting and homey, in light of the horrible events of last night in London that a big roast chicken in the oven. That the important thing is sitting around the table together and stare at the hate in the face and say “there’s no place for you here, go away”. With a mouth full of homemade food.

So there. I’m so angry about what happened that I had to physically do something… taking it out on a couple of pounds of minced meat seemed like a good way as any.

I don’t enjoy the feeling of squishy meat between my finger so I made a double batch and now I have lunch/dinner in the freezer for one of those days when inspiration runs low.

I baked these babies and then finished cooking them in a rich tomatoey/garlicky sauce as per the book suggestion.

Mmmmh, need I say more?

Can you smell them from there?

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– 83 – local history

Monica Dunkley

no comments

June 2, 2017

Grace Billings was the first woman GP to set up a practice here in Cheltenham in 1899. One hundred and 118 years ago. And we’re still fighting for equality… geesh…

“When she first came to the town there were already forty doctors there; she was the forty-first, and the first woman. She has related how she called on them all, as was the excellent custom of those days, and how she was received quite kindly, but, in some cases, obviously not seriously.” (Obituary in BMJ 13 July, 1957, p. 108)

‘The Saturday review’ wrote at at the time that “lady aspirants to medicine and surgery desire to rid themselves speedily and effectually of that modesty which nature planted in them”.

It didn’t stop her getting married and having children and an active career spanning many many years.

“For some time she was the only woman present at B.M.A. meetings. It needed some courage to go to the dinners after the meetings, when women were in the extreme minority, but this never seemed to worry Dr. Grace. It was amusing to watch her light her after-dinner cigar in complete unconcern at the surprised glances of newly arrived doctors to the area.” (Obituary in BMJ 13 July, 1957, p. 108)

Quite an example.

And now if you’ll excuse me I have laundry to attend to…

Sigh.

– 82 – short stories

Monica Dunkley

1 comment

May 31, 2017

I caved in.

Because I’m weak.

I had to pop into Waterstone’s to get a new book for No 3… and that was it, my resolve of reading books in alphabetical order by author (and from my pile!!) vanished as soon as the smell of printed paper touched my nostrils.

(horrible word ‘nostrils)

Anyway, I’ve had in mind to check Carver since I wrote down his poem as part of my poetry Monday series, and I’m glad I did.

How and why haven’t I ready anything of his before?

My bad. My big bad.

Stunning.

Such clear, sharp, understated prose. Like Steinbeck meets Hemingway meets Strout.

I hadn’t read short stories in a long time and this book also reminded what a splendid form they are. Like a whole world in a few pages.

Do you like short stories?

I’ve always enjoyed Carol Shields‘ ones… or, slightly more vintage, the ones written by Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress) and I’m open to more suggestions!

Pretty Please.

I am still reading ‘alphabetically’… I always have more than one book on the go at the same time… but at the present time I can’t find the “H” one. It just vanished. Which is really annoying because let’s face it… where on else could it have gone?

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– 81 – summer sewing, part 2

Monica Dunkley

1 comment

May 29, 2017

I’ve been eyeing peplum tops for a while and then the lovely Fiona (you can find her here) suggest the Marthe top (or Blouse Marthe) and I was sold.

I wasn’t sure which fabric to use, well aware that something not drapey enough would look stiff and sticky-outy (… you find me a better word if you can), then I scored this gorgeous tana lawn, Liberty style fabric at the Malvern quilt festival and I just knew…

(It was £12/m and you can buy it online from Stitchfabrics).

The pattern is pdf download and it doesn’t take to long to stick all the pages together.

I did size 36″ chest and if fits perfectly. Maybe if I used a more stretchy fabric I could have made a 34″ but I like to be able to move my arm freely. The construction is very simply and clever, I loved the raglan style sleeves! (no fiddly inset sleeves… ahem…)

The instructions are in English too but the only thing I would say is … there aren’t many of them… it’s not hard, but if this is your first top you might want to check out a few more detailed instructions.

Or you can wing it. Like I did when the directions simply said ‘add bias binding to the neckline’.

Let’s not look too closely.

So there you have it, a perfect English summer top.

Tea, anyone?

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– 80 – summer sewing

Monica Dunkley

1 comment

May 26, 2017

My sewing mojo is back.

My sewing mojo is back helped enormously by my gorgeous serger that had been hibernating since the move, ahem, almost two years ago.

Whilst I won’t tell you how long it took me to re-thread it or the choice language that was used at various times (for a while I thought I had a needle without hole… I just couldn’t see the damn thing)… OMG how easy it is to use it.

I might have done a happy dance when I finally sew together this Nani Iro top… in 20 minutes…!!!

So, details: the pattern comes from this book:

and was meant to look like this:

but when I tried the pocket they made the top stick out funny and wide at the hips and let’s face it, who needs ‘width’? Gravity is bad enough… let’s not add width too.

I’m a UK size ten and not speaking Japanese I added a 1/2 inch of seam allowance. But then I cut it all off again because it was way too large.

Now I love it.

(Bingo flaps covered, bonus)

Loose and soft. So soft. Can’t beat Nani Iro double gauze for softness.

And it doesn’t have the ‘third trimester’ look that a lot of loose tops tend to have.

Result.

(I might need to buy more double gauze, this stuff is addictive)

– 79 – summer walk

Monica Dunkley

no comments

May 25, 2017

It would be criminal not to take advantage of this glorious weather, right?

(you can tell I’ve been living in England for many years… the weather is always on my mind! In fact I’m sure that one of the requirement of becoming a British citizen is to make an oath of talking about the weather at every opportunity, especially with strangers!)

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed every minute of this week, I’ve ignored any scrooge that complained it was ‘too hot’… (Seriously people, get a grip!), I’ve worn skirts and linen dresses and sandals… sandals, for crying out loud, sandals! (I can’t go on walks up the hill in sandals… I have my dad’s voice in my ear… “what if you slips?” “what about snakes and insects” “what if you trip?” “blah blah blah”… he makes Baden Powell look like an amateur, although I did see a mother in high heel ankle boots walking with daughters in flip flops… whatevs..)

Sigh.

I love this weather.

I want more.

– 78 – summer snood

Monica Dunkley

1 comment

May 23, 2017

… I realise it sounds a little bit “oxymoronish”… but if you do live in England you understand… right?

“Summer” is often an “idea” more than reality… which is ok, there are other benefits… like you never wear out your sandals for example (they last for years….), and sometimes you do need a light snood to shelter your neck from the Arctic winds that seem to blow everytime you’re at a cricket match (which in my case is 3 or 4 days of the week. Yes, you can pity me, feel free) so you should be glad you made one up in a moment of total boredom.

I’m glad we cleared that one.

Half a metre of fine jersey joined together.

Bam.

Bob’s your uncle.

It’s that difficult.

Mine goes twice around my neck (which is not particularly long or swan like – that would be weird anyway) and it’s soft and cute.

I like stripes.