Dreams of a Bicycle

So my bicycle has been getting the beats lately, with all this snow, and no cover to keep her warm.. (make a cover for Sally; on 'to do' list)

But in my fantastical imagination I still have dreams of when I have fixed her all up in a classy fashion and we have adventures together all about town.

Dreams of a Bicycle...

Getting Back to Basics..

"Righto champ, it's time to get your hands dirty and roll around in the mud for a little bit." - word to myself from myself, but for some reason I heard it in my head as a rough, deep male's voice.

I have my first ever film camera, with flash, and despite her being incredibly light in weight, she is proper heavy-duty in ability (not to mention a complete BABE). Geez, this little wonder has tricks coming out of her ears.. a bunny rabbit surely won't be the last thing she pulls out of the ol' hat.

Meet My Mini Diana...

I plan to get her out and about this Sunday, which is my only day off. Working 6 day weeks at the moment, and next week i'll be closing in on 60hrs! eeeep. But then not long after that I'll have a 5 day holiday in Scotland for Christmas and I have bought a black and white film to take some nice portrait type close ups of family banter and Scottish type seasonal fesitivities.

May I just say it has been quite an interesting year for me. A lot of firsts.
First time to Paris, first time on a plane for more than 4 hours (try 22hrs, and by myself!), first time in England,
First time I have lived somewhere with no immediate family within physical reach, first time... a few other firsts, but I would like to keep just a few to myself!

Out for dinner and a gig tonight at a local pub, looking forward to some quality conversation, a few pints (provided this pub has been delivered beer, as the last one i went to only had cider and one brand of lager which they would only sell in half pints due to all the trouble the snow has caused!!).
As Sally Seltmann (once 'New Buffalo') sings; "Time for beer, checkered cheer... we could go check out the show, happiness, it's the sound of how your feeling... it's recovery, looks like it's gonna be okay, it's a new day."


and in the stream of Sally Seltmann, here's one of her tracks after her days as 'New Buffalo,' to create a little warmth (or perhaps jealousy) for anyone on my side of the world. I must admit that every now and again I like a bit of cheesy-happy music..

New Strings and Home type things.

'New Strings'

you need strings,
and I need a tune
i hope these things
will find us soon

the heart wood is solid
its body is good
but the compass is broken
it don't work like it should

if you hold the note
I'll carry the beat
life's music is playing as
we both find our feet

- © Benjamin John Merryweather 4th December 2010

Poem, from my brother to me.

oh so, lover-ly.

and home;

My eyes view;

pretty huh?

Couldn't find any of the things I was trying to find to this evening (bar an umbrella) 

so bought some Carnations instead. 

Job well done.

Got home in the dark. All dance classes cancelled. Sky satellite connection broken, (cable may have been pulled out by the weight of all the snow!?) so a nice quiet evening. Mulled wine, brie, applewood, crackers, home-made grape chutney and Christmas card making, all accompanied by the wonderful sounds of Lucy's 1980's class music. yum.

11.03pm, about to get in to bed and read more of my book, it has just started to snow, again, again again again!

x

  

A Winter's eve

A Winter's eve by kclarion featuring 3/4 tops

Dream night out set.

Snow.

                                            

Lovely snow. Only bad thing is we ran out of gas this morning and I walked to the corner store and not only A) got covered in brown slush as a bus thundered past and sprayed us, but also B) put money on the darn electrical key instead of the gas card, so got back to realise I still had no hot water to shower in! BAH! Good thing the snow is so pretty, so I don't mind.

Love Among Social Animals

 - images of Ryo Honda, Japan.

I have decided to take on the age old cliché and wise piece of advice; 'aim high and you'll succeed.' I don't actually know what the common phrase used is but it's something along the lines of that. So, after my winters' holiday Christmas trip to Scotland and my New Years summer holiday trip back to New Zealand I will sink myself back into the 'no superfluous spending routine' and only spend money on the essentials; training tools and things I need to get started on some projects I have waiting eagerly up my sleeve to be put into action.


I have a tonne of things on my 'to do' in life list when I get back to the cold, cold, northern England in the New Year and I plan to be the most proactive and positively ambitious me I can be for the next wee while.
I am young, I am healthy and I am not required to be in any specific place or to do any particular thing (I DO need to pay off my residual student loan which I WILL, promise Mama!) and so shall therefore plunge myself into the deep world of ambitious ventures and see where I end up. Let us just say I should very much like to be largely self-employed, work from a lovely little office from home, wherever 'home' may be and be a creative busy bee and social butterfly all at once at some point in the future. 

All this talk in animal metaphors leads me to think of a new favourite of sounds for me - Sonny and The Sunsets - 'Love among social animals'


Soak it up people. That sh.. stuff is good. no swearing allowed Miss Merryweather. It is uncouth.

The beautiful illustrations in this post are that of the lovely Ryo, who I met just briefly about 5 minutes ago. Born in Japan and raised in the UK, he studied at the University of Northumbria here in Newcastle (I think that is correct!? Ryo?) and was oh so so lovely just for the few minutes I spoke to him. He said it was hard starting out, but he loves it and is now drawing for magazines and books in Tokyo, just visiting the United Kingdom briefly. He made me very excited about the entrepreneurial world and all things arts related. YAY for all the lovely people in this world. Let us not give too much of our time to too many of the rotten ones.

fresh beginnings.

So it has been a little cold over here, in ways more than one but I am not letting the temperature of my toes dictate my mood constantly as that would be a horrid bore!

A wee set of shots from my room with now both (yes both!) floating shelves up on the walls and pictures mounted. I finished off Lucy's present tonight and am right chuffed with it. A new friend of mine is learning journalist shorthand so he translated a poem I wrote, which I then painted as Lucy's present - do you like it??

              

              

I must climb into bed as I plan to get up bright and early to make Lucy some birthday cupcakes. She say's "I don't care much for birthdays" so I have decided to ignore this and am instead making sure at least she has a present and a cake of sorts waiting for her when she wakes up (hopefully before I leave for work so I can see her reaction.)

I have very nearly finished all of my Christmas shopping. Granted I am only supposed to buy something for my sister as we do a 'draw-a-name-out-of-a-hat' gift type thing, so as to not have to buy for 6 other immediate family members every year. But I wanted to take back something for everyone when I head over to New Zealand for a 3 week holiday and dose of family endorphins. So Anna, alas, you may have to watch everyone else open presents.. or of you're reaaally lucky I'll get you something extra. To be honest you're already going to get a super awesome little parcel for Christmas, of which I am slightly loathe to give up, which means it must be super cool as I want to keep it all for myself, but shall instead humbly gift it to you!

My Last day of the "first year of adulthood.."

... and it went a little something like this;

up early ish.
realise i have no food for breakfast..
steal flatmates bread for toast.
eat toast and a large black cup of coffee as my cream has gone off.
change sheets on my bed.
mount two pictures on the wall above my bed.
Vacuum my room.
eat left over pasta i made the night before for lunch.
watch half of the final of project runway.
make some grape-chilli-cinnamon chutney.
watch the second half of project runway final.
nearly burn my grape chutney.
make some strawberry, basil and plum jam.
Vacuum the lounge.
clean the bathroom.
make some flaky puff pastry.
wrap it in 'cling-film' (as the English call it)
and put it in the fridge for tomorrow.
Eat prawn, mushroom, leek, basil pesto pasta courtesy of Lucy.
Help Lucy put up the giant wardrobe from hell.
Save Lucy's life by catching the falling top of the wardrobe.
bandage Lucy's cut arm.
defeat the wardrobe after three set-backs.
Start to decorate the lounge with paper doilies and wool.
Pull tiny shards of wood out of Lucy's cut in her arm with tweasers.
Finish decorating the lounge whilst Millie (the dog) whines as
Lucy has gone to bed and Lucy is her favourite.
Realise I have actually already been 22 for the most of today
as I was born in the Pacific time-zone not a European one!
Shower.
Bed.

Bob-tough-stuff

My lovely brother wrote this in response to one of my recent posts. I thought it needed to be shared.
Love you my Jamin.


--Bob-tough-stuff--

She's rough and tough and full of stuff
that twinkles in the night.
Won't take no guff when she's had enough,
you know she'll put it right

When the chips are down and she's still in town
with paintpot and brush thats red
If you're still around and see that clown
please tell him what she said:

She said "I'm rough and tough and won't take no stuff
that tries to put out my light,
I've got love enough and from heaven above
my heart will win the fight!"

xxx
I love you you little ruffian


-© Benjamin John Merryweather 5th November 2010

Smoke and Mirror

She won me over right away, I bought her and took her home. She's sung me to sleep many a time and in those moments she has made me feel not so all alone.. what a voice.

break me off a breakfast and haircut.

       

Breakfasts have been a thing of leisure as of late. Either I have not started work til midday or I have been getting up early, either way I generally have a nice slow breakfast... so it's been plenty of good'ns;  french toast, butter-pan fried spinach and olive oil tossed cherry toms with parmesan... (mmmm you can never have enough cheese eh!).. In other news I had another haircut, first one since before Paris (July) and I let Ruby cut off quite a chunk... I have wanted a bob for a long while and I thought, why the heck not now!?

Admittedly I look a little like a boy and I cannot decide whether I look like the 5yr old me, which was when I last had a bob or whether I look like a sophisticated woman who won't put up with any tosh... I think I feel a little like the latter. Lets just say for some reason, looking a little less feminine makes me feel a bit tougher.

And sometimes, I need to be tough. Now might be one of those times.

Love you all and am looking forward to my trip to New Zealand in January but before that it'll be Christmas in Ardrossan, Scotland!!! aweeeeeeeeee.

On a last note, Bob Dylan has been spending a lot of time singing to me in my room.
he said to me this afternoon; "time is a jet plane, it moves too fast. Oh but what a shame that all we've shared can't last. I can change I swear, Ohhh see what you can do. I can make it through, you can make it too...
You're a big girl all the way."
what a good man.

The Bad Weather Woman.

I have had writers block for over 3 weeks now.. but on my walk home from the bus stop late tonight after work I knew that when I walked in the door I ought to head straight for my guitar and shut myself in my room 'til I had written something.

I wrote a song titled 'The Bad Weather Woman,' using some words I had scribbled down a couple days ago whilst at work.
I wish I had sufficient recording equipment at home to post a proper recording, but instead I shall leave you with just the lyrics...

'The Bad Weather Woman'

I seem to have caught a rain-cloud in my eyes

And now they call me the bad weather woman,

the bad weather woman.

So disorganised, I never have an umbrella, a raincoat,

or my weatherproof boots.

"Oh, she's all so aloof," say all the other weathermen and women.

"Oh, she's all so aloof," say all the other weathermen and women.

Like Old Doctor Foster, who went on a trip,

I fell in a puddle of rain, 

fell in never to be found again.

I fell in head first and now my eyes are wet,

never to be dried again.

"Oh, she's all so aloof," say all the other weather men and women.

"Oh, she's all so aloof," say all the other weather men and women.

Photo courtesy of Danny Santos II.
- © Lyrics written 27 Oct 2010, melody 29 Oct 2010 by Katie Joy Merryweather
(the bad weather woman)

Moustaches for my feet

Moustaches for my feet by kclarion featuring a twill skirt
okay.... just one more for this very cold wintery day.

Winter me down

Winter me down by kclarion featuring a stripe sweater

I am semi addicted to the Polyvore  site, it is oh so fun to create outfits that one will probably never have, unless your pockets are bottomless...   which, mine are not. oh well!!

then the day was night.

My favourite. this song pulls on all my damn internal strings. makes me sing. especially as i fear i am finding it harder to love people these days. in a fatigued haze.. i mean not to be misbehaved in my affection towards mankind.
perhaps i am momentarily just a little blind.

but i am sure someone may come along, and wash my eyes in mud that i may clearly see.
i mean to hide sometimes and never be seen but then i realise i don't fear what any other may think i seem.
life is a stretch, but i am determined to be malleable.

and jovial in all the bits in between...


... and i am.

just in case you forgot what i look like...

me, at home. all alone. playing dress-ups. except this time the shoes fit.

                 

Brother Ben said i looked older the other day and another soul thought me to be 25 upon meeting me....

... although i think that was more based on my rather sophisticated babble (??)  instead of my appearance.

 anyone else, what do you think?

i shouldn't mind whether i do so or not. 

just curious.

settling in, as best a young woman can.

Day off.
Second in a row, gee that is rare! and only due to sickness and a kind and accommodating employer (thankyou) who said "stay home and rest x."

My lovely Lucy took me to IKEA, my first ever experience. Some of those show rooms are mighty impressive, feel like that would be the ideal store to be locked into overnight eh - pick a bedroom of your choice!
I purchased two floating shelves and 2 picture frames - kind of boring eh? but they will make a world of difference to my little room.
the shelves will have to wait till we borrow a drill off someone, however i mounted pictures in the frames and they were lucky enough to catch the end of the suns rays for the day.
lovely.

I won what was left behind

In the words of a brilliant lady-singer-lyricist,
One of my new (but olden') favourites;

"in a man-made dream so terribly frightening,
Oh my God, what have i done?
what have i lost,what have i won?"

"people die trying to win a hill."
-Susan Christie

and to think she was cast aside at first... i do not pretend to understand the "creative differences" and ideas of some folk in this world.

musings tied to poetic bruisings.

breakfast. yum.

too much food for thought.

too much philosophical musing and poetic bruisings.

my black paper-back moleskin is going to be filled to the brim.

before i've had a chance even to tip back my chin.

let it begin.

i want to lie naked with the austra-lian
sun on my pale form in the kangaroo valley once a-gain.
with this song on, billowing out over the valley.
(the only two compact discs in the house were a clasical compilation and 'Steve's Best of Bruce Springstein'
i just happened to fall in love with this song in the very hot heat of the day)

That was such a lovely little break i had there,

in March just earlier this year.

I would very much like a house just like it,

in a private yet wild place where i need not worry nor consider any close neighbours.

guitar playing and foot stomping at any time i please,

and free, naked wanderings in beautiful wild and moody surround-ings.

- katie joy m.

two in a day... she's got him stuck in my head.

two posts in a day. i am clearly bored. where are all the people?
i adore 'She & Him'... someone tried to say they were crap.. you know what i say to you (person i can't remember so well) "your music taste is crap." so there.






i like both albums in fact.
above is one from each.
i really rather enjoy her melodies and lovely Matthew Wards guitar and vocal
insights, as always.

-goodbye shadow,
katie-did what katie does, and she doesn't quite know
what it is she is doing..

what to paint?

i am on the hunt for artistic inspiration as at some point i shall be painting some artwork for my bedroom walls... and possibly one for the living room if i can produce something that is congenial to both myself and my lovely house-mate Lucy, as it is in fact her house that i am residing in and i am just a mere tenant.

i adore the album artwork on some of 'here we go magic's albums...

mmm. all the lovely
colours and strange faces.


this may have to be inspiration for my room.
not sure Luce would like these..

..i could ask i suppose!

Ahhhh, John Cage.
What a character he is.
reminds me of MusicNow 001 at University in
little Wellington, NZ.
I have been to see the current exhibition on his watercolour collection at the Baltic here in Newcastle already 3 times... i love how they move around and add in/take out pieces over the weeks. so fun trying to remember what is new and what has moved.
well at least to me.

and lastly, these sweet treats which are done by an artist named Eulus..

.. i discovered them through a web hosting site known as 'laughing Squid'
and with them being in the pop art arena are in-line to an idea i sketched out while i was at work the other day after a brief chat with my mummy dearest... i want to use watercolours and acrylics for that idea though on catridge and present them in nice deep set glass screened wooden beechwood frames (not at all particular right?!).
and should i not be able to cope with my first english winter i can always take apart the frames and use the wood to build a fire as i have read that beechwood is excellent for burning.

In other news, my work SKIRT is launching a new website and online store very soon! we are only days away.. so keep the web address in minds which is linked here for any shopping splurges you want to do.. i covet so many things in store right now... but flight savings are dominating my funds at the moment. so i shall just have to sit tight!

-katie jot.

Grapes on crack.

.. cracked pepper that is... although apparently that's not what you say over here... apparently, one calls it;
'freshly ground pepper.'  But like i said to my boss - "that's too many words for me homie." GA HAH.

so i wanted to cook something, and had nearly NOTHING in my cupboards.. but i had enough to make these sweet treats.. alack i cannot offer a recipe as i didn't use one. just a mash up in my hash up of a week.
Lucy was about to throw out some grapes at the end of the road but i said "Noo, Lucy, NO!.. let me extend
their wee lives for just a little longer!"
Boiled the grapes with a little water, brown sugar, cinnamon and cracked pepper.
Made some sweet dough - flour, milk, icing sugar, baking powder.
Buttered some muffin tins.
Placed a dollop of dough on the bottom.
then a lashing of sticky grapes.
then another dollop of dough on top.
then baked on some heat between 50 and 180 degrees celcius (there are NO markings on our oven dial)
for 'x' amount of minutes... no idea how long, i was watching 'Casino Royal' on tv, so just checked in on them from time to time.
and TA-DA dessert in a flash.
yumo for my tummo.

-kate attack.

at least you make me alive... my sweet oh Luscious Life

this song always makes me feel alive... and if i feel utter rubbish it doesn't necessarily diminish that feeling, or take it away, but rather allows me to see that life can be lovely and beautiful despite the fact that i may be feeling 'crap!'

and it is Oh,  so, so lovely to sing along to, at the utmost tops of my heated lungs.


- kate attack

bits of pieces

Mamma wanted me to put up pictures of Newcastle.. well, there is one of the 'Millenium foot Bridge' there for you mummy dearest.. other than that, good food and delicious Fentimans which is brewed right here in Newcastle on Grey St, being consumed by myself and Nomes at The Baltic Contemporary art gallery.

And last but not least, my breakfast this morning. After cooking three proper breakfasts in a row whilst Nomes was here for a visit I just kept on going... I think tomorrow will have to be a bit lacking though as I have nearly emptied out the cupboards - time for another grocery shop! grrr. the only thing I like about grocery shopping is getting back home and seeing all the cupboards filled up once again, as for the actual act of moving a cart around the supermarket - that i dislike quite a bit.