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I have been a lazy livejournaler. Facebook is taking up an increasing amount of my limited online time and I fear that my trusty LJ is being neglected. The following entry is my attempt to redress the balance.
Last Wednesday I went to Ikea in Croydon with a uni friend. We went on the tram from Wimbledon which was quite exciting for me. Trams are cool. Sort of like the lovechild of a bus and a train, but cheap and without traffic jams. My shopping list consisted of the following items:
A new cover for my sofa
Dividers for top drawer of chest of drawers
Dish drainer
Cutlery dish for kitchen drawer
Coat hangers for trousers
I returned with the following:
A large stainless steel bowl
Two replacement heads for toilet brush
Magnets for fridge door
Fish slice
Glass jug
Coat hangers for trousers
Two lampshades
As you can see from the discrepancies between the two lists the trip was not very sucessful. This was made worse by the fact that the bowl wouldn't fit into any of the many kitchen cupboards except the extra large corner cupboard. As a result I had to rearrange all my crockery to squeeze it in. This process reminded me of the puzzles they used to have on the Crystal Maze! I was particularly irritated that they didn't have any covers for my sofa. I have a standard Klippan sofa which currently has a black cover. All I want is more colourful one and every time I go there they're sold out. Tut! Additionally, I finally relented and purchased two paper sphere lampshades for the lights my lounge and bedroom. I don't like them but they are the only ones I can find which fit the high tech, super energy saving light fittings in my flat. The light in the hall is causing more problems as the bathroom door skims the light bulb by a few millimetres when it opens. A paper lampshade would be destroyed in no time. The trip wasn't a complete disaster though. I had a very nice (and very cheap) dinner of meatballs followed by chocolate mousse and it was good to catch up with my friend.
On Saturday I went to a garden centre with mum and dad to choose some plants to put on my tiny balcony. I really wanted a small tree and some big daisies. We got the small tree but daisies seem to be out of season at the moment so I got dark pink petunias instead. The pot which the petunias are in will be my 'seasonal' pot. I'll re-plant them each season with a suitable plant. I'm looking forward to some winter pansies in a few months time. Mum helped me put the plants in the pots and on Sunday night we bought them back to the flat. They are now brightening up my balcony a treat. I think I need one more slightly taller plant to set it all off but I'll have to wait until I have more cash.
There's been some good TV this week. I enjoyed DanceX on Saturday although I thought Bruno made the wrong decision when he ditched Becky. Also, the sleazy looking Maltese guy who Arlene rates so much is a dreadful singer. He was so out of tune in that second song it made me cringe! Roll on next week.
I also enjoyed Sanjeev Bhaskar's show about India and Saira Khan's show about Pakistan. I knew a bit about India but practically nothing about Pakistan despite having many friends and work colleagues of Pakistani descent so it was really interesting to see inside the country.
And in food news... I managed to destroy a marinaded chicken breast this evening. I think there was too much excess marinade on the chicken when I put it on the grill because it burnt. When I picked the burnt bits off it was quite nice underneath. Oh well, I certainly live and learn when it comes to cookery. I'll be testing the baking credentials of the oven on Friday night when I make cakes for my friend's barbeque. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for sucess in this feat.
The burnt dinner didn't matter too much as I went out for a Thai meal at lunch time. It was a double leaving do and 27 people turned up. There was only one waitress and she coped admirably under the circumstances. The meal was pretty good for only £4.75. However, I wish people would stop asking me about my exam results. I'm trying to forget about them!
Some readers may know that I had a bit of an emotional time over the weekend. Both Cardiff Bloke and my ever dependable Mum deserve big thanks for putting up with me and providing wise advice.
Right, time for bed.
Last Wednesday I went to Ikea in Croydon with a uni friend. We went on the tram from Wimbledon which was quite exciting for me. Trams are cool. Sort of like the lovechild of a bus and a train, but cheap and without traffic jams. My shopping list consisted of the following items:
I returned with the following:
As you can see from the discrepancies between the two lists the trip was not very sucessful. This was made worse by the fact that the bowl wouldn't fit into any of the many kitchen cupboards except the extra large corner cupboard. As a result I had to rearrange all my crockery to squeeze it in. This process reminded me of the puzzles they used to have on the Crystal Maze! I was particularly irritated that they didn't have any covers for my sofa. I have a standard Klippan sofa which currently has a black cover. All I want is more colourful one and every time I go there they're sold out. Tut! Additionally, I finally relented and purchased two paper sphere lampshades for the lights my lounge and bedroom. I don't like them but they are the only ones I can find which fit the high tech, super energy saving light fittings in my flat. The light in the hall is causing more problems as the bathroom door skims the light bulb by a few millimetres when it opens. A paper lampshade would be destroyed in no time. The trip wasn't a complete disaster though. I had a very nice (and very cheap) dinner of meatballs followed by chocolate mousse and it was good to catch up with my friend.
On Saturday I went to a garden centre with mum and dad to choose some plants to put on my tiny balcony. I really wanted a small tree and some big daisies. We got the small tree but daisies seem to be out of season at the moment so I got dark pink petunias instead. The pot which the petunias are in will be my 'seasonal' pot. I'll re-plant them each season with a suitable plant. I'm looking forward to some winter pansies in a few months time. Mum helped me put the plants in the pots and on Sunday night we bought them back to the flat. They are now brightening up my balcony a treat. I think I need one more slightly taller plant to set it all off but I'll have to wait until I have more cash.
There's been some good TV this week. I enjoyed DanceX on Saturday although I thought Bruno made the wrong decision when he ditched Becky. Also, the sleazy looking Maltese guy who Arlene rates so much is a dreadful singer. He was so out of tune in that second song it made me cringe! Roll on next week.
I also enjoyed Sanjeev Bhaskar's show about India and Saira Khan's show about Pakistan. I knew a bit about India but practically nothing about Pakistan despite having many friends and work colleagues of Pakistani descent so it was really interesting to see inside the country.
And in food news... I managed to destroy a marinaded chicken breast this evening. I think there was too much excess marinade on the chicken when I put it on the grill because it burnt. When I picked the burnt bits off it was quite nice underneath. Oh well, I certainly live and learn when it comes to cookery. I'll be testing the baking credentials of the oven on Friday night when I make cakes for my friend's barbeque. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for sucess in this feat.
The burnt dinner didn't matter too much as I went out for a Thai meal at lunch time. It was a double leaving do and 27 people turned up. There was only one waitress and she coped admirably under the circumstances. The meal was pretty good for only £4.75. However, I wish people would stop asking me about my exam results. I'm trying to forget about them!
Some readers may know that I had a bit of an emotional time over the weekend. Both Cardiff Bloke and my ever dependable Mum deserve big thanks for putting up with me and providing wise advice.
Right, time for bed.
