So if you chop up red chillies, and then you decide to rub your eyes, it is very, very painful. Ow ow ow.

However, lemon juice, lime juice, soy sauce and red chilli make for a very nice marinade. For tofu, since you ask. Although it helps if you don't slop too much of the stuff in when you're trying to stir-fry it up. I slightly wrecked the wok. Go me!

* posted by nat 11:27 PM

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

I am going to stay with El for a few days. No trains will be involved!

* posted by nat 10:57 AM

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

I should have known when I arrived at the Royal Institution to meet Kat for lunch and was promply mown down by about 200 stuck-up teenagers, nearly all with ipods, that it was going to be one of those days. I should possibly have realised before that wehn I tried to catch a bus down the Strand and the Strand turned out to be shut, but never mind.

Kat and I went for coffee and I tried to get out coherent sentences and mostly failed (I should note here, that for the sake of the poor Americans I inflicted myself upon yesterday, I was mostly coherent yesterday, and two days in a row is a bit much), then I went and sat in the National for the rest of the day and watched His Dark Materials Parts 1 and 2 back to back. It was good fun, although as I was shattered after over six hours of watching, I have no idea what the cast must have been feeling like... and the number of scene changes... wow.

I then tried to leave through the dressing rooms (not quite sure which turning I took to make that happen!), wandered over to Waterloo East and promptly got on the wrong train, although I did not realise this until we got to Catford Bridge, so then I had to scuff around on the station getting cold for fifteen minutes until I could get a train back into Lewisham, then having finally got on the right train it sat at the station for a long time because of something random going on further down the track, then while I was walking home I got jumped by a fox.

I think the fox was almost as terrifed as I was. It did realise its mistake quite fast and went zooming off into the distance.

And now I am going to bed.

* posted by nat 11:58 PM

Friday, February 18, 2005

Last night I got bored with throwing things away and went round to watch Stuart, Fran and El throw things away instead. It is much the same round there; playing old cassettes, reading old letters and collecting vast amounts of cardboard boxes. Ella slept through all the racket. El and I went outside and had really quite embarrassing conversations by the side door. Such is what happens when you drink red wine with friends.

Today my brother phones up. I answer the phone. He says, "Hello Mother!"
I said, "It's your sister!"
He said, "Huh?" What are /you/ doing there?!"

* posted by nat 7:18 PM

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

This morning's weather report: ground frost. Watch me not moving.

*consumes vast amounts of cold Rooibosch*

Yesterday went to Painswick to see all the snowdrops. It hailed.

I am watching two grey squirrels chase each other around the hornbeam. I want to hate the nasty little things, but they are too amusing when acting like this. They seem to think they are flying squirrels. They have been watching too much TV!

*remembers forgot to put the chickpeas into soak again.*

I have also decided I need to go and see the Turks exhibition at the RA, if only so I can enjoy all the stuff without Boris Johnson waffling cheerfully about it, a couple of historians who apparently can't pronounce any names correctly, or Orhan Pamuk talking incomprehensibly about - well, about something. No change there, then.

Oooh, a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have just been through the garden! Oooh pretty!

*shall stay here all day*

* posted by nat 10:19 AM

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Oooh, it is snowing.

This being England, it is snowing in the most useless way imaginable.

Come on! Cut out the rain bit!

Yesterday I rearranged my books. This took forever and I am still only halfway through. Ow heavy ow wrists ow.

Now it is not snowing. Wah.

And the computer clock thinks it is only 6:45. Hmm.

* posted by nat 7:47 AM

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Yes, it really is 6:30am; I seem to have failed on my time reorientation by a few hours, and think I'm on Turkish time. Oh well. However, for the first time in three mornings I have woken up and not walked into a stepladder! Hurrah! (This is because finally the stepladder has been moved. Phew.)

The stepladder is around because the room that was my bedroom (despite me not having been in it very much still is my bedroom, on account of my failure to move out and stay out, and coming back every year or so with a load more stuff to shove in cupboards) has been painted - not when I'm around and can help with moving all the stuff out, but in the few weeks I am around but happen to be away. Timing. Yes.

Anyhow, I have decided to have a massive clearout (or rather it has been decreed that I shall have a massive clearout), but this is going very slowly as I am a natural hoarder and hate throwing things away. So I have to be ruthless (as all pirates are), but only ruthless in small batches, otherwise the hoarder instinct takes over and just end up moving things from one drawer to another. Therefore this is taking a long time.

In other news, it's Lent and I've hardly noticed (despite, or alternatively because of) a small pig-out on Belgian chocolates on the Tuesday) apart from when my mother says wonderful things like, "But what do I cook the beans in if you won't eat butter?" to which I said, "A bit of olive oil, and why are you using butter even when it's not Lent?"

Here's what happens when you go looking for tofu - you discover Czech veganství!

This post proves I should not try and write anything before breakfast. I shall go back to bed now.

* posted by nat 6:15 AM

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Dear Lufthansa,

Among other things,
1. a cheese sandwich is not vegan.
2. not having gin and tonic on a flight is extremely wrong.
3. don't think I didn't notice you sneakily bringing round the customer comments sheets while I was in the loo.

Mind you, I suppose you were a hundred quid cheaper than all the other flights for a reason. One day I will learn.
No love,
me.

Today went shopping in Oxford, due to fog and a need for hot chocolate on the way back. Mother and I have also demolished a box of Belgian chocolates and watched Master and Commander finally, huzzah. And naturally there were pancakes.

When I arrived back yesterday evening there was a Very British conversation.
Me: You have remembered it's Pancake Day tomorrow, right?
Mother: Yes, I've got the lemons in.

* posted by nat 11:46 PM

Saturday, February 05, 2005

I have found more noisy places! Stuff seems to get noisy after dark. It's all been a bit much today; I have had enough. Shibuya is a fun place, however. Tomorrow will be Asakusa, very slowly, including more patient attempts to get vegeterian Japanese food. You would think it would be easier in Tokyo, but no, apparently it is more difficult.

And I only have one day left. I was considering doing a 'stay out all night in the bright lights of the city', however I am so shattered I have gone for 'stay another night in the hostel and get up at six in the morning for the plane'. Which means loads of free tea and internet, too. Rah.

* posted by nat 1:28 PM

Friday, February 04, 2005

Have arrived in Tokyo! Better - and quieter - than I expected. Discovered a dicount voucher book and went straight into an arts museum and have folding-screen-from-the-tale-of-Genjified. Very yum.

Also have had fab view of mount Fuji from train - it looks just like in the drawings! - (and a whole conversation in almost-real Japanese with the conductor.) The train was going so fast my camera did not want to focus and sulked and would not take pictures. So I took video instead. Yay digicam!

Anyway off into the centre again (am at hostel now, a few minutes out by train, but cheap - just under 3000Y for a lockable 1-person cupboard with TV and fridge) to see Tokyo in the evening. Woo!

ETA: 6 hours later... well, I found the noisy bit. It is called Akihabara and it is truly atrocious: although the neon lights are dazzlingly pretty, I do not want people yelling at me through megaphones about the fact they sell mobile phones when they are standing just a metre from me. I scuffed on down the road (skirting the groups of men clustered around TVs showing anime) and eventually got closer to Ueno station and poked around in the smaller shops round and under the train tracks which was far more fun, and had a disgracefully expensive bowl of soba in a tiny little restaurant, although it was a lovely restaurant where every time one of the diners said 'onegai shimas' everyone working there jumped to attention with a truly military 'HAI!' - which was fun. Also the bowl came with a huge amount of grated ginger atop it. The little lady came running out a few seconds later with a little dish in case I wished to scrape it off. I said it was oishii and mixed it in quickly. Good good thing.

* posted by nat 7:25 AM

Thursday, February 03, 2005

I am hiding from a blizzard in Kanazawa.?Whee!

I keep knocking the change to Japanese button, life is very slow going and the silly computer will not open gmail so I cant check if my hostel reservation for Tokyo has gone through or not.

Mumble.

Anyway, off to brave the snow. There is a garden out there somewhere!

* posted by nat 3:00 AM