I am now a shop owner! Thanks to hours and hours of hard work mainly done by Topher (who kindly photographed every item in my shop), and a pile of unfinished course stuff, my etsy shop is now up and running.
Please come and buy something at Show & Tell Vintage!
Friday, 31 October 2008
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Trinity = Instant Coffee
Trinity= Instant Coffee = 3 in 1
Father, Son, Holy Ghost = Coffee, Milk, Sugar
Father, Son, Holy Ghost = Coffee, Milk, Sugar
Monday, 20 October 2008
Singing, Dancing, & Scandal in the diocese
By the end of the twelfth century singing and dancing in churchyards had become a common practice. In his Gemma Ecclesiastica Giraldus Cambrensis tells the story of a parish priest in Worcestershire who had been kept awake all night by such singing and dancing, with the result that next day, when he began the early morning service, instead of singing the usual 'Dominus vobiscum', he startled his congregation by substituting the refrain which had been ringing in his ears, 'Swete lamman dhin are'. So great was the scandal caused by this incident that Bishop Northall pronounced an anathema upon any persno who should ever again sing that song within the limits of his diocese...
From Introduction. The Harley Lyrics: The middle English Lyrics of MS. Harley 2253. ed. G. L. Brook. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1964.
Check out The Luminarium to listen to some Middle English hits.
From Introduction. The Harley Lyrics: The middle English Lyrics of MS. Harley 2253. ed. G. L. Brook. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1964.
Check out The Luminarium to listen to some Middle English hits.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Week 0
Week 0 - otherwise known as Naughth Week. When you get to find out that your college/faculty has failed to communicate something to you, or that when they do, it has been communicated in the most confusing way possible.
There's a lot to get to grips with. Oxford is an mysterious and somewhat exotic place. During Week 0, or Fresher's Week, there's the usual kind of thing you'd expect from any University, I suppose. But it must be quite different for undergrads as opposed to graduates. For one, I wasn't invited to any pub crawls.
I did, however, receive more 'guidance' in week 0 than I had in the last 10 years of my life. I was assigned a college advisor/moral tutor - not for my morals, thank God, but for welfare issues. I had talks with the college nurse who assured me that should I have any troubles of any sort I really ought to go see her at any point. I had introduction sessions from the college where we were welcomed, warned not to walk on the grass (!), and told that should anything go wrong we should approach an array of various people, senior tutor for graduates, junior deans, chaplain, etc. I have a mentor from the department, a supervisor from the department, and two people from the Middle Common Room (MCR) who are my 'parents.' I have also received numerous emails telling me over and over that should I be in financial difficulty I can apply for the Keble College hardship fund.
With so many people offering to help out I almost feel bad for not coming up with some kind of difficulty. Alas - no one has offered to do my work for me yet, which is really all the help I'll need. Where were all these helpful bodies when I was a teenager. I needed alot more help then.
Interesting items from Week 0 include:
Drinks before college welcome dinner. We gathered in a new building at the college and guzzled free wine (or juice). We all had to turn out in our academic gowns. They're just black drapes of polyester, really. There's alot of different types - no doubt each with different signifiances. I only know that students wear 2 types: commoners' gown (not on scholarship) or scholars' gowns (scholarship). There's several shops in Oxford that cater to our gown requirements. I dropped by one of these (on Broad st.) and picked up my scholars' gown.
It was fun, cycling a break neck speed from Cowley to Keble in my academic gown, over one of my vintage dresses, to attend the pre-dinner drinks. That thing really billows when you're going at speed.
At dinner we were seated according to our faculty/research interest. So I found myself surrounded by other medieval folk - my 'moral tutor' on my left and the graduate administrator on my right. Luckily they both turned out to be fun people to talk to - that one thing that stuck in my mind was talking about food wastage, and my daggy habit of finishing food for strangers in public places (I ask, 'are you gonna eat that?' and if the answer is negative, then I eat it for them). This did end up with me finishing both the main course and desert for my 'moral tutor' - just as the Warden of the college got up for her speech and said that she hopes we've all met our 'moral tutors' and are getting along.
So, no problems in the getting along aspect, I think.
I also hung out a bit at the MCR. There's the Junior Common Room (JCR) for undergards, the Middle (MCR) for us, and Senior, for, well, people more important tha us graduates. The MCR is two big rooms - well provided for, really. Kitchen area with a dishwasher (officially making it better kitted out than my house). Fridges with drinks we can buy at a discounted rate, chocolates and crisps as well, Wii and other games, computers, a pool table, television. In short, everything you could want in a room for hanging out. Events include: Ladies Tea, Saturday Brunch, Sunday Tea, Games Night, Take-out Night - all free of charge (MCR is subsidized by the college).
I took my apple mousse to take-out night, and it was indeed well received. In return I carried away the extra rice that the MCR got from Hall. That's, er, rice enough to serve about 40 people. I had to carry it away in 2 lots - Toph came round on his bike so we could load as much as we can into his rucksack, in convenient plastic containers which originally held Chinese take-away. I now am so stocked with rice I won't have to cook any for months.
Food wastage is pretty incredible. If I didn't take it, it would eventually have be chucked.
I got to grips with the Bodleian library (Bod, or Bodley). There's only ONE ladies' loo, near the ground floor. It's a LONG walk from the Upper Reading Room where I do my work. 15 percent of Bodley's books are on site. The rest about 8 miles out of town, and others under salt-flats in Cheshire. Depending on the location of the books, calling them out from stacks can take anywhere from 3 hours to 8 days. Hm - that's really quite shocking. There's no lockers - so bags can be chained, so they cannot be removed. That's, however, no guarantee that someone won't go into your bag. In practice you should carry all valuables in a transparent plastic bag at all times. But really the only place where you can't take your bags is the Duke Humphrey Library, for rare books and manuscripts. It's a pretty amazing place - I doubt I'm allowed to get photos of it... Makes you feel like a real scholar though, going in there to consult. Oh, no cafe, or even just a room where you can have a cup of tea or eat your lunch - so packing a lunch is a bad idea in the winter unless you want to sit outside in the cold (and poss. rain) or eat it surreptiously at Cafe Nero in Blackwell's across the road.
The search systems of the catalogues are absolutely abominable. They still use telnet for certain functions.
Each college also has its own considerable library. Not good for all things, but benefit is 24 hour openings, and loans for an entire term. I have a stcak from the Keble College library already.
There is very little wireless internet access. Partially because walls are thick - but I suspect also because they just haven't got their shit together. Hm.
Dinner at the Keble Dining Hall is formal on every day of the week save Saturdays. This means eating dinner requires the wearing of your gown. Lunch and Breakfast are informal, and doesn't require advance booking. Meals are subsidized if you are a student, but not if you're a guest. Dinner is from about 3.50 to 4.50 for 2 or 3 courses.
Food is pretty dire. Veg & Meat over cooked, potatoes undercooked. Everything either soggy or dry.
Lastly there was Friday of Week 0, when Topher and I met at Keble. I had noticed wine grapes growing (ornamentally) on the outside of several buildings. I asked a gardener (I assume he was a gardener since he was raking leaves), if I could have some. He happily said I could have as much as I like. Toph stood his ground and held the plastic bag as I stood on his shoulders with one arm against the wall and the other arm plucking bunches of grapes from the vine. We did one side of a building as people walked by, trying to look disinterested at the sight. Meanwhile the other building, with the most amount of grapes, was surrounded by workmen putting up scaffolding. We asked if we were allowed to climb the scaffolding, and one of them said that the answer is "strictly no" - but added that since it was Friday afternoon, he's leaving, and what happens after he leaves is really not his problem.
The scaffolding turned out to be at just the right height for the grapes. We cycled away with about 2-3 kgs.
I am harbouring a secret wish: that the immaculate lawns at Keble will one day turn into an organic farm, to supply the dining hall. That the college will adopt a piglet, which will be fed scraps from hall - and we can celebrate end of year with an almighty hog roast. Except if we were allowed to feed the piglet, we'd probably not have the heart to eat it.
College aside, there's my own life. The Saturday morning farmers' market in Cowley, picking apples from our garden (East Oxford used to be an apple orchard - the trees are older than the houses!) Cycling along, trying to avoid being hit by buses/white vans. Finding the Dodgy Deli where alcohol from around the world can be purchased at drastically reduced rates, if you don't mind the fact that they are out of date.
Oh - and trying to get my shop on the road. Photographing things and generally not doing as much for that as I hope I would.
But let's be honest - I don't have time to even have a quality wank these days, and it's only week 1. I suspect it's only going to get worse.
There's a lot to get to grips with. Oxford is an mysterious and somewhat exotic place. During Week 0, or Fresher's Week, there's the usual kind of thing you'd expect from any University, I suppose. But it must be quite different for undergrads as opposed to graduates. For one, I wasn't invited to any pub crawls.
I did, however, receive more 'guidance' in week 0 than I had in the last 10 years of my life. I was assigned a college advisor/moral tutor - not for my morals, thank God, but for welfare issues. I had talks with the college nurse who assured me that should I have any troubles of any sort I really ought to go see her at any point. I had introduction sessions from the college where we were welcomed, warned not to walk on the grass (!), and told that should anything go wrong we should approach an array of various people, senior tutor for graduates, junior deans, chaplain, etc. I have a mentor from the department, a supervisor from the department, and two people from the Middle Common Room (MCR) who are my 'parents.' I have also received numerous emails telling me over and over that should I be in financial difficulty I can apply for the Keble College hardship fund.
With so many people offering to help out I almost feel bad for not coming up with some kind of difficulty. Alas - no one has offered to do my work for me yet, which is really all the help I'll need. Where were all these helpful bodies when I was a teenager. I needed alot more help then.
Interesting items from Week 0 include:
Drinks before college welcome dinner. We gathered in a new building at the college and guzzled free wine (or juice). We all had to turn out in our academic gowns. They're just black drapes of polyester, really. There's alot of different types - no doubt each with different signifiances. I only know that students wear 2 types: commoners' gown (not on scholarship) or scholars' gowns (scholarship). There's several shops in Oxford that cater to our gown requirements. I dropped by one of these (on Broad st.) and picked up my scholars' gown.
It was fun, cycling a break neck speed from Cowley to Keble in my academic gown, over one of my vintage dresses, to attend the pre-dinner drinks. That thing really billows when you're going at speed.
At dinner we were seated according to our faculty/research interest. So I found myself surrounded by other medieval folk - my 'moral tutor' on my left and the graduate administrator on my right. Luckily they both turned out to be fun people to talk to - that one thing that stuck in my mind was talking about food wastage, and my daggy habit of finishing food for strangers in public places (I ask, 'are you gonna eat that?' and if the answer is negative, then I eat it for them). This did end up with me finishing both the main course and desert for my 'moral tutor' - just as the Warden of the college got up for her speech and said that she hopes we've all met our 'moral tutors' and are getting along.
So, no problems in the getting along aspect, I think.
I also hung out a bit at the MCR. There's the Junior Common Room (JCR) for undergards, the Middle (MCR) for us, and Senior, for, well, people more important tha us graduates. The MCR is two big rooms - well provided for, really. Kitchen area with a dishwasher (officially making it better kitted out than my house). Fridges with drinks we can buy at a discounted rate, chocolates and crisps as well, Wii and other games, computers, a pool table, television. In short, everything you could want in a room for hanging out. Events include: Ladies Tea, Saturday Brunch, Sunday Tea, Games Night, Take-out Night - all free of charge (MCR is subsidized by the college).
I took my apple mousse to take-out night, and it was indeed well received. In return I carried away the extra rice that the MCR got from Hall. That's, er, rice enough to serve about 40 people. I had to carry it away in 2 lots - Toph came round on his bike so we could load as much as we can into his rucksack, in convenient plastic containers which originally held Chinese take-away. I now am so stocked with rice I won't have to cook any for months.
Food wastage is pretty incredible. If I didn't take it, it would eventually have be chucked.
I got to grips with the Bodleian library (Bod, or Bodley). There's only ONE ladies' loo, near the ground floor. It's a LONG walk from the Upper Reading Room where I do my work. 15 percent of Bodley's books are on site. The rest about 8 miles out of town, and others under salt-flats in Cheshire. Depending on the location of the books, calling them out from stacks can take anywhere from 3 hours to 8 days. Hm - that's really quite shocking. There's no lockers - so bags can be chained, so they cannot be removed. That's, however, no guarantee that someone won't go into your bag. In practice you should carry all valuables in a transparent plastic bag at all times. But really the only place where you can't take your bags is the Duke Humphrey Library, for rare books and manuscripts. It's a pretty amazing place - I doubt I'm allowed to get photos of it... Makes you feel like a real scholar though, going in there to consult. Oh, no cafe, or even just a room where you can have a cup of tea or eat your lunch - so packing a lunch is a bad idea in the winter unless you want to sit outside in the cold (and poss. rain) or eat it surreptiously at Cafe Nero in Blackwell's across the road.
The search systems of the catalogues are absolutely abominable. They still use telnet for certain functions.
Each college also has its own considerable library. Not good for all things, but benefit is 24 hour openings, and loans for an entire term. I have a stcak from the Keble College library already.
There is very little wireless internet access. Partially because walls are thick - but I suspect also because they just haven't got their shit together. Hm.
Dinner at the Keble Dining Hall is formal on every day of the week save Saturdays. This means eating dinner requires the wearing of your gown. Lunch and Breakfast are informal, and doesn't require advance booking. Meals are subsidized if you are a student, but not if you're a guest. Dinner is from about 3.50 to 4.50 for 2 or 3 courses.
Food is pretty dire. Veg & Meat over cooked, potatoes undercooked. Everything either soggy or dry.
Lastly there was Friday of Week 0, when Topher and I met at Keble. I had noticed wine grapes growing (ornamentally) on the outside of several buildings. I asked a gardener (I assume he was a gardener since he was raking leaves), if I could have some. He happily said I could have as much as I like. Toph stood his ground and held the plastic bag as I stood on his shoulders with one arm against the wall and the other arm plucking bunches of grapes from the vine. We did one side of a building as people walked by, trying to look disinterested at the sight. Meanwhile the other building, with the most amount of grapes, was surrounded by workmen putting up scaffolding. We asked if we were allowed to climb the scaffolding, and one of them said that the answer is "strictly no" - but added that since it was Friday afternoon, he's leaving, and what happens after he leaves is really not his problem.
The scaffolding turned out to be at just the right height for the grapes. We cycled away with about 2-3 kgs.
I am harbouring a secret wish: that the immaculate lawns at Keble will one day turn into an organic farm, to supply the dining hall. That the college will adopt a piglet, which will be fed scraps from hall - and we can celebrate end of year with an almighty hog roast. Except if we were allowed to feed the piglet, we'd probably not have the heart to eat it.
College aside, there's my own life. The Saturday morning farmers' market in Cowley, picking apples from our garden (East Oxford used to be an apple orchard - the trees are older than the houses!) Cycling along, trying to avoid being hit by buses/white vans. Finding the Dodgy Deli where alcohol from around the world can be purchased at drastically reduced rates, if you don't mind the fact that they are out of date.
Oh - and trying to get my shop on the road. Photographing things and generally not doing as much for that as I hope I would.
But let's be honest - I don't have time to even have a quality wank these days, and it's only week 1. I suspect it's only going to get worse.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
These are photos of the grandmother and grandfather of ellenmc, on their way to Cuba in 1932.
I've been meaning to put these photographs on the blog for ages. They're possibly the most charming vintage photos I've ever come across. In a slightly voyeuristic way I feel like I have some kind of connection to this couple, having browsed through so many photos from their happy days. Do you feel like a voyeur when you look at old photos which were obviously not meant for general public consumption?
In any case, these are absolutely the sweetest thing ever. Don't they look like they were having the time of their lives, all the time? And such a handsome couple too!
This photo of Ellen's grandmother and her friend says all that needs to be said about style. I love the dress of the lady on the left, and have a terrible weakness for fur collars... Though I must add that the way the skirt of the lady on the left is caught by the wind totally makes the picture for me.Also, I must share this photo of Ellen's grandfather and his friend. It makes me smile every time.
So if you get a chance, check out Ellen's Old Family Photos - there's many more beautiful shots of lovely ladies and manly malarky.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Clotted Cream & Rummage Sales
Yesterday Toph and I went to the Queen's Lane Cafe. I remember the place from my visit to Oxford back in high school - but I don't remember it being quite so posh. In any case, they still do big scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream... and Toph had a soy latte.The real reason why I'm blogging about this photo is because I'm wearing my new floral print dress. It came a bit late in the season, to be honest. The weather in Oxford is now a bit chilly and windy (occasionally wet, though not nearly as much as Edinburgh). Still, I managed to wear it for 3 days in a row after getting it. I know that the same outfit for 3 days in a row is a bit of a fashion faux pas - and guess what, I don't give a flying fuck. That's how pleased I was with my dress.
One of the best things about it is that it came from the Scouts rummage sale. We saw it advertised at the local church, and went along on the off chance that there'd be some good buys - and lo, we asked and received. I got the dress for 20 pence, and a leather satchel for 50 pence. Topher got some linen trousers 15 pence, and a grill for our outdoor bbq (which we built from stolen bricks, but it's a bit cold now to use).
Thank goodness for rummage sales and clotted cream... If you look at the photo you can tell just how happy I am.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Prayer for Marriage
When we are old one night and the moon
arcs over the house like an antique
China saucer and the teacup sun
follows somewhere far behind
I hope the stars deepen to a shine
so bright you could read by it
if you liked and the sadness
we will have known go away
for awhile – in this hour or two
before sleep – and that we kiss
standing in the kitchen not fighting
gravity so much as embodying
its sweet force, and I hope we kiss
like we do today knowing so much
good is said in this primitive tongue
from the wild first surprising ones
to the lower dizzy ten thousand
infinitely slower ones—and I hope
while we stand there in the kitchen
making tea and kissing, the whistle
of the teapot wakes the neighbours.
-Steve Scafidi
arcs over the house like an antique
China saucer and the teacup sun
follows somewhere far behind
I hope the stars deepen to a shine
so bright you could read by it
if you liked and the sadness
we will have known go away
for awhile – in this hour or two
before sleep – and that we kiss
standing in the kitchen not fighting
gravity so much as embodying
its sweet force, and I hope we kiss
like we do today knowing so much
good is said in this primitive tongue
from the wild first surprising ones
to the lower dizzy ten thousand
infinitely slower ones—and I hope
while we stand there in the kitchen
making tea and kissing, the whistle
of the teapot wakes the neighbours.
-Steve Scafidi
Friday, 26 September 2008
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Reverting
Sometimes I debate for a long time over spending small sums of money. For instance, 5 pds is really not a big deal. But is it too much for a small pan so I can make a single serving of porridge in the morning?
I've been plagued by these kinds of decisions since moving. So many things needed to be bought even though the flat is nominally furnished. The truth is that everything is in bad nick, and god only knows who owns what. Seeing as I never actually get to speak to my flatmates it's all very enigmatic.
Speaking of my flatmates (uh, 7 other young lads) - I freaked out today because I stepped into the bathroom and there was puddles of water on the floor, and the bathmat was wet. I usually step on the mat, you know, after a shower, towel off, and hang the mat on the radiator to dry. Whoever it was obviously doesn't do things the way I do.
Toph didn't think it was a big deal. He then reminded me that I live with 7 other young lads, who'll likely also think it's not a big deal. He also reminded me that I shouldn't go and give them a talking to, or they'll think I'm a cow who lives down stairs.
Obviously a part of me couldn't give a fuck less what they think, and really wanted to hull the culprit into the bathroom by the scruff of his neck and make him mop up.
The other part of me felt defeated.
It's been a bit of a long, uh, week and a half, settling in. I think I mentioned before that I'm starting to regret choosing the cheap option. The thing about cheap & cheerful is that you have to try to stay, um, cheerful. So far I've been doing a good job of it, thinking of how reasonable the rent is compared to other places (bills included!). Today though, I felt defeated.
What did I do? Well, Toph was off climbing. I went to Tesco, took out 50 quid, and then bought a whole bunch of little things that I've been meaning to buy, from which I have abstained because I thought they were too expensive for what they're worth.
You'll laugh at me, but they turly are just small, small things. I realized that I was probably being a bit stingy - after all, what's a fiver for a pan, six quid for 3 plastic food storage boxes, and one pd twenty-five for a plastic basin? Right?
Right. That's what I told myself too.
But the other thing is, they're from Tesco. I'm not sure why but I have a niggling guilt about being there. Hanging out too much with hippies had left me feeling like big chains MUST be doing something evil. I would like to think myself an ethical consumer - but to be honest I know very little about the companies I shop at. Not like, nothing at all - but not enough to feel fully informed (God, think of the hours you'd have to put in though, to be fully informed). Anyway, I shopped at Tesco, which I've been doing rather alot since we moved here.
In Edinburgh I shopped at Tesco too, but only in my first few years, and more and more sporadically as time went on. The thing is, once I got to know the neighbourhood, I found better places to buy my daily essentials. But here, in Oxford, I'm utterly lost for shopping. I know that there are shops but nothing is familiar yet. I'm not yet a regular at any of them. So I reverted to shopping at Tesco.
I knew I was having a bad day when I grabbed a plastic basket and did every isle, slowly and methodically, checking out the prices for everything (as a baseline comparison for when I go elsewhere), and imaginging cheap meals that can be knocked together from the Tesco value range.
Thing is, I shouldn't even be that poor, you know. The studentship is generous enough, I think. But buying the cheapest alternative to anything is also a reversion I think. Perhaps reverting isn't even the right word. Perhaps it is more a self defense instinct? I don't know. I feel like the insecurity of new surroundings has sent me scuttling for safeties. Funny that shopping at Tesco should be something so fundamentally bottom-line of defense for me - if the shit hits the fan, you can at least afford to buy things from the Tesco Value range.
I am awed at the implications of my reflexes because they are actually so illogical. I didn't even realize just how illogical until I started writing.
But in a way being careful with money is a necessity. After all, there's two of us here, and neither of us really work, as it were... But this fearfulness of spending to much can surely be carried to far? Must remind myself not to quibble too much over the price of essential items... after all, I easily spend up to twice or thrice the amount on a pretty frock.
Oh, and there's not even enough space to put my clothes and shoes... Boo :(
I've been plagued by these kinds of decisions since moving. So many things needed to be bought even though the flat is nominally furnished. The truth is that everything is in bad nick, and god only knows who owns what. Seeing as I never actually get to speak to my flatmates it's all very enigmatic.
Speaking of my flatmates (uh, 7 other young lads) - I freaked out today because I stepped into the bathroom and there was puddles of water on the floor, and the bathmat was wet. I usually step on the mat, you know, after a shower, towel off, and hang the mat on the radiator to dry. Whoever it was obviously doesn't do things the way I do.
Toph didn't think it was a big deal. He then reminded me that I live with 7 other young lads, who'll likely also think it's not a big deal. He also reminded me that I shouldn't go and give them a talking to, or they'll think I'm a cow who lives down stairs.
Obviously a part of me couldn't give a fuck less what they think, and really wanted to hull the culprit into the bathroom by the scruff of his neck and make him mop up.
The other part of me felt defeated.
It's been a bit of a long, uh, week and a half, settling in. I think I mentioned before that I'm starting to regret choosing the cheap option. The thing about cheap & cheerful is that you have to try to stay, um, cheerful. So far I've been doing a good job of it, thinking of how reasonable the rent is compared to other places (bills included!). Today though, I felt defeated.
What did I do? Well, Toph was off climbing. I went to Tesco, took out 50 quid, and then bought a whole bunch of little things that I've been meaning to buy, from which I have abstained because I thought they were too expensive for what they're worth.
You'll laugh at me, but they turly are just small, small things. I realized that I was probably being a bit stingy - after all, what's a fiver for a pan, six quid for 3 plastic food storage boxes, and one pd twenty-five for a plastic basin? Right?
Right. That's what I told myself too.
But the other thing is, they're from Tesco. I'm not sure why but I have a niggling guilt about being there. Hanging out too much with hippies had left me feeling like big chains MUST be doing something evil. I would like to think myself an ethical consumer - but to be honest I know very little about the companies I shop at. Not like, nothing at all - but not enough to feel fully informed (God, think of the hours you'd have to put in though, to be fully informed). Anyway, I shopped at Tesco, which I've been doing rather alot since we moved here.
In Edinburgh I shopped at Tesco too, but only in my first few years, and more and more sporadically as time went on. The thing is, once I got to know the neighbourhood, I found better places to buy my daily essentials. But here, in Oxford, I'm utterly lost for shopping. I know that there are shops but nothing is familiar yet. I'm not yet a regular at any of them. So I reverted to shopping at Tesco.
I knew I was having a bad day when I grabbed a plastic basket and did every isle, slowly and methodically, checking out the prices for everything (as a baseline comparison for when I go elsewhere), and imaginging cheap meals that can be knocked together from the Tesco value range.
Thing is, I shouldn't even be that poor, you know. The studentship is generous enough, I think. But buying the cheapest alternative to anything is also a reversion I think. Perhaps reverting isn't even the right word. Perhaps it is more a self defense instinct? I don't know. I feel like the insecurity of new surroundings has sent me scuttling for safeties. Funny that shopping at Tesco should be something so fundamentally bottom-line of defense for me - if the shit hits the fan, you can at least afford to buy things from the Tesco Value range.
I am awed at the implications of my reflexes because they are actually so illogical. I didn't even realize just how illogical until I started writing.
But in a way being careful with money is a necessity. After all, there's two of us here, and neither of us really work, as it were... But this fearfulness of spending to much can surely be carried to far? Must remind myself not to quibble too much over the price of essential items... after all, I easily spend up to twice or thrice the amount on a pretty frock.
Oh, and there's not even enough space to put my clothes and shoes... Boo :(
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
3 cheers for free things
Nothing like Freecycle to help furnish a new place. A couple of WANTED posts later and we have an iron, a table top sized ironing board, a bag of fresh cut lavender, and several lots of clothes hangers waiting for us to pick up.
The idea is so simple - give a little and get a little, with no money changing hands. It is in a way, the anti-consumption.
Just join the local group (on yahoo or whatever), and start reading OFFERED and WANTED postings. People give away all kinds of crazy things, and if you don't see what you need, you can always ask...
The idea is so simple - give a little and get a little, with no money changing hands. It is in a way, the anti-consumption.
Just join the local group (on yahoo or whatever), and start reading OFFERED and WANTED postings. People give away all kinds of crazy things, and if you don't see what you need, you can always ask...
Monday, 22 September 2008
Every little pint helps...
It's been feeling like a 2nd chance at summer in Oxford. We arrived at the beginning of the week and 7 days later the weather is still good. That just doesn't happen in Scotland, see?Other good things: you can't spit for hitting a pub. Some of them happen to be very good. After going to Keble College, we stopped by The Lamb and the Flag, well worth visiting if you are in town. Also there is the Isis, on the river, just south of Donnington Bridge. Not exactly close enough to be our local - but definitely charming enough to warrant further visits during fine weather. There's a great big out door seating area, where you can watch river boats, cruisers, punts, canoes, kayaks and row boats go by.
There's also frequent farmers' markets in town - with lovely vegetable stalls, and a lovely woman who grows her own fruit in her (very) large garden and makes jams/chutneys/pickles/curds.
This leads me to one of the downsides about Oxford... things (food and otherwise) is really rather expensive. Not that Edinburgh was cheap - but at least we knew where we could get a good price on things. Perhaps we will simply become more shop savvy the longer we live here - but right now the price of things makes us wince.
The flat is ok though, price wise. It's 400 pds a month (shut up. I know that's really expensive if you live in Taiwan - but this is Oxford we're talking about), all bills included. The place is a little house which 8 people call home. Rather alot of bodies to be sharing one tiny kitchen and a very simple bathroom with toilet inside. I've fretted about the possibility of having to queue for the loo - but so far I've worked out that people keep fairly late hours, so if I get up at 8 or 9 it's ok. Good incentive for getting me out of bed, that.
Problems with the flat: everything is transitory, which means that nothing is taken very good care of, and not much is very clean. Toph and I have been trying to make this a better place to live - and it's costing us time & money. Luckily our landlord/letting agent who also lives here seems fairly amenable to forking out for the costs of communal things...
Like I keep thinking - things could be worse. But it's really not like me to be so positive. Sun must be getting to my head.
Another benefit: we're just around the corner from Rob & Louise (and their son Arran). They've been keeping us well fed on homecooked meals and making sure that we don't freeze by lending us their duvet when we first got into town. Toph and I have drunk many a cups of tea and many a glasses of stronger stuff whilst listening to Rob's fine selection of reggae tunes.
On the whole I'd have to say that I'm lucky and privileged. I find it difficult to believe that I am (UGH!) living somewhere new (AGAIN). I also find it hard to believe that I'm going to the University of Oxford. Well. I suppose stranger things have happened - after all, pigs can fly, you know.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Who doesn't want to be little red riding hood?
Little red riding hood is sexy: innocence cloaked in a colour suggestive of lust, wandering through the dark and ominous woods, hunted by the (undoubtedly salivating) big bad wolf - and what that signifies I leave to your imagination.
Don't believe me? Chanel No. 5 knows that sex sells.
This train of thought lead me onto a search through Etsy - lo, ask and ye shall receive.
A real life little red riding hood from I Like You. Irresistibly simple and true to the character I had in mind. Except for the zipper, perhaps - but what modern girl would balk at the convenience?
Also available in black - though I think that would take something away from the quintessence of the piece. At 80 percent wool these little numbers should be comfortably cozy. Hood is detachable, which is a nice extra. The fastener which folds over the front of the collar is also a nice detail - though it's not visible in this photograph.
$120 (not bad, but slightly outside my impulse buying price range)
Fairytale skirt from Made with Love by Hannah . This one is a conversation piece - bound to attract attention & comment. I also really love textiles which are printed to the garment. Maybe Hannah would be able to do this in red? (speaking of red, check out Hannah's scherenschnitte skirt.)
The cut is so simple and flattering, both to the figure and the design. Would look really good with a white shirt tucked in and wrapped around, the way Audrey Hepburn wears'em.
$62 (available in 8 sizes!)
Prefer to think of the little red riding hood as an innocuous children's story? Then these hand-carved stamps from Craft Pudding may be a little more appropriate.
The creative possibilities of stamps abound. Though the wolf does admittedly look more like a cute dog. It could almost be wagging its tail. I quote, from the seller's page, that this big "bad" wolf loves red riding hood. The cuteness overload here is akin to the effect of Japanese kawaii characters - but from Wisconsin.
$25 (hand-carved stamps at that price? bargain)
But honestly, real justice would be little red riding hood taking matters into her own little blood-splattered hands. Such as demonstrated in this cigarette case illustration by Sweet Heart Sinner. Sin on, baby!
Perhaps this is the ending of an empowered, feminist re-write? I particularly like her disdainful expression, and the fact that she was careful enough to have left the cover on the basket to keep granny's biscuits from acquiring extra flavour.
$9.99 (you can't quibble with that kind of price)
So - all that I'm missing now is a good knitting pattern for a riding hood. If you know of any, pleases do share.
Don't believe me? Chanel No. 5 knows that sex sells.
This train of thought lead me onto a search through Etsy - lo, ask and ye shall receive.
A real life little red riding hood from I Like You. Irresistibly simple and true to the character I had in mind. Except for the zipper, perhaps - but what modern girl would balk at the convenience?Also available in black - though I think that would take something away from the quintessence of the piece. At 80 percent wool these little numbers should be comfortably cozy. Hood is detachable, which is a nice extra. The fastener which folds over the front of the collar is also a nice detail - though it's not visible in this photograph.
$120 (not bad, but slightly outside my impulse buying price range)
Fairytale skirt from Made with Love by Hannah . This one is a conversation piece - bound to attract attention & comment. I also really love textiles which are printed to the garment. Maybe Hannah would be able to do this in red? (speaking of red, check out Hannah's scherenschnitte skirt.)The cut is so simple and flattering, both to the figure and the design. Would look really good with a white shirt tucked in and wrapped around, the way Audrey Hepburn wears'em.
$62 (available in 8 sizes!)
Prefer to think of the little red riding hood as an innocuous children's story? Then these hand-carved stamps from Craft Pudding may be a little more appropriate.The creative possibilities of stamps abound. Though the wolf does admittedly look more like a cute dog. It could almost be wagging its tail. I quote, from the seller's page, that this big "bad" wolf loves red riding hood. The cuteness overload here is akin to the effect of Japanese kawaii characters - but from Wisconsin.
$25 (hand-carved stamps at that price? bargain)
But honestly, real justice would be little red riding hood taking matters into her own little blood-splattered hands. Such as demonstrated in this cigarette case illustration by Sweet Heart Sinner. Sin on, baby!Perhaps this is the ending of an empowered, feminist re-write? I particularly like her disdainful expression, and the fact that she was careful enough to have left the cover on the basket to keep granny's biscuits from acquiring extra flavour.
$9.99 (you can't quibble with that kind of price)
So - all that I'm missing now is a good knitting pattern for a riding hood. If you know of any, pleases do share.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Snails envied no more (envy now redirected to homeowners)
After a few frantic days of telephone calls and long hours in front of the computer, plus a hellishly expensive train journey down to Oxford, I've secured myself a pad. It's cheap & cheerful (in Oxford terms), and it's pleasantly close to Rob, Louise & Arran's place. They were kind enough to have taken me in during my brief trip - and happy hours were spent chasing after Arran around the house, and feeding him a gratifyingly large quantity of blackberries.The neighbourhood I will be living in seems pleasantly exciting: multicultural, full of charity shops, and plenty of green space. I'm looking forward to discovering a new place - but also apprehensive of leaving an old, familiar one.
But then again. Change is the only constant.
For photos of an amazingly cute toddler, see my flickr.
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