Antarctica

Check out these really pretty pictures I found on the blog Antarctica by a guy called David Ruth.

Les Choristes

I watched The Chorus last night. What a lovely, lovely film.

Birthday Cake

Hurrah! After writing about the cake I made for my friend but didn't have a photo of, she sent me a photo... Ok, so it looks very amateurish, but apparently it tasted good!

Obituary: Flip Flop Flying

I've never written an obituary before. I think it must be quite hard. Benji (fellow FFF appreciator) has written this. Although perhaps obituary is too harsh, perhaps just an 'au revoir'. Mr Robinson - Craig of Flip Flop Flyin' fame - has stopped writing his blog 'Flip Flop FlyinG'. I am very sad about this - I have been reading it and commenting on it since the very beginning. He's done so much stuff since then. Him and Billy, his very cute dog.

Unfortunately it doesn't surprise me - recently it seemed more of a chore and some people were getting a bit abusive on the comments. I wish him the very best of luck in whatever he does. Here is the man himself from Ju's fotoblog - creator of Pocket Films for Travelers.

Some of my favourite things from Flip Flop FlyinG (and Flyin' cos most of it's on there)...

1. 30 Ballparks

2. Monday is red day

3. Billy running (19 May 2006)

Actually, have decided there's too much. One of my really favourite things though was his 'The Bench' pictorial story. I really really liked it. Also, The Cnuties. And minipops. And his random photos. And the trip to Miami.

Ah, so long.

Things to do with my time

I am getting a bit fed up with myself and not having a proper job and not knowing what to do. So apart from spending too much time emailing (but not really achieving much) I am doing some other not useful things to pass my time. I really don't know what my problem is at the moment.

Etsy.com
This is seriously cool. It's sort of like eBay but it's for people to buy and sell handmade, crafty type stuff. Perfect for unique presents. And perfect for someone like me who makes a few things. Not that I've actually sold anything yet. I have to say I haven't given it much time or effort yet. My shop is called 'sparkle and shine'. You can see it here. If anyone fancies doing me a snazzy little banner for free, let me know! Teehee.

Baking
I haven't put a recipe up here for ages. I'll find a nice one... My mum's apple cake is scrummy. I made two the other day. I also made sticky ginger parkin last weekend. It wasn't as nice as I thought it would be. I made a pretty good Victoria sponge cake for my granny for her birthday, and also some cupcakes, but I didn't have muffin tins to cook them in so they went a bit wrong. Ooh, and I also made a pretty jazzy chocolate cake with vanilla icing decorated with chocolate iced writing for my friend's birthday present. I forgot to take a photo of that too. Bum.

Watching films
I can't be doing with daytime television, but the odd film is super duper (actually I'd watch them more if I didn't think my mum would shout at me for being lazy). I love films. I loved the new James Bond film by the way (Daniel Craig - nice big hands, mmm). And The Departed - the latest Martin Scorsese (Leonardo DiCaprio - surprisingly good). And other films I've watched recently (or re-watched) are School of Rock, The Station Agent, Transamerica, Legally Blonde, Layer Cake, The Recruit, The Goonies, Bridget Jones' Diary, Pretty Woman, Pride and Prejudice, Sweet Home Alabama, Out of Africa, Madagascar, Jerry Maguire.

Writing bits...
...but never finishing anything. Other than blog entries, emails and the odd letter. I'm writing to a soldier in Iraq. I thought it must get quite lonely out there. I don't necessarily agree with the war, but as we've sent all those people out there I decided to do my little bit to support them. My guy's in Basra. He's an officer. His room used to be one of Saddam Hussain's loos.

Of the writings I have started and not finished... a screenplay (adaptation of a pretty cheesy chic-lit book), a children's storybook (I have an idea for a whole series of countryside based stories, seeing as that's where I live, but can't seem to fully form the ideas), a novel (hahahahaha - I joined the National Novel Writing Month thing last week. You have to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. From 1-30 November. I joined last week. Basically it isn't going to happen!), a business plan (for one or many of several ideas I've had), a TEFL book for tourism in rural places (an idea I had in Mozambique), articles for a new youth website I thought of a few months ago (just need to learn how to build a website as well), a newsletter for the rowing club (need a good name for it), I think that'll do for now (there are sure to be more) but I'm sure you get the picture.

Can someone spur me into action please?

Some things about me

Investigating Benji's blog I decided to copy one of his entries cos I thought it was cool.
So, here are some true things about me:

I'm right handed, but left eyed (annoying for archery).
I cry at a lot of TV programmes (especially ones with dying polar bears) and films (romantic ones).
I thought the English Patient was boring.
I think I am friendly.
I think I am sometimes too nice.
I love skiing.
I like sailing, and swimming, and rowing, and water skiing, and scuba diving.
I have a tattoo of a shark on my back.
I have just taught myself to knit (but having a bit of an issue with purling).
I don't have a job at the moment.
I am always having ideas but I don't know where to go with them.
I love watching films. Well, good ones anyway (went to see The Departed last night - great film).
I am currently trying to write my first screenplay.
I can't drink coffee - it gives me a headache.
I prefer Gordon Ramsay to Jamie Oliver.
I like watching sport.
I like summertime.
I love animals.
I don't have a boyfriend at the moment.
I also don't have any money at the moment.
I don't really drink much.
I love making cakes and biscuits and also I like cooking for lots of people but not just for myself.
I think the Queen is great. I'd really like to meet her. I've met the Duke of Edinburgh.
My first crush was on Adam Ant.
I love my sheepskin boots.
I like wearing brightly coloured boy-pants, not those teeny g-strings.
I love the British countryside.
I love sitting in front of a fire with a book and a freshly cooked scone with strawberry jam.

Covert advertising

I wonder whether the Telegraph Group (publishers of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph) are getting payments from cigarette manufacturers in a sort of covert advertising way (perhaps it's allowed?). Before cigarette advertising was banned they always used to have their ads on the back cover of the magazine. I have noticed now that a high proportion of the celebrity interviews that are featured in the Saturday magazine particularly always mention that the celebrity in question has 'just lit up a Marlboro Light', or that they 'smoke Marlboro Lights'. Hardly necessary for the integrity of the article, so I just wondered whether they are actually getting paid to include it?! Ooh, is that slander? I hope not! Also, if they have a celeb on the front cover they do often seem to be smoking as well. I don't care if they smoke - they can do what they like - but I don't think it should be promoted and associated with 'cool' people in such a blatant way. Don't want to influence impressionable young folk!

Save the rainforest

I had an idea a couple of weeks ago to do with carbon footprint stuff. There are loads of companies now set up where people can offset their carbon emissions by planting trees. But surely they will take ages to do much. Why not preserve the amazing forests we already have that are busy photosynthesising already? The rainforests are still being cut down at a shocking (and criminal) rate. Why not just buy acres of rainforest to offset your carbon emissions?

Anyway, I was obviously onto a good thing cos Andrew Cave in the Daily Telegraph wrote about it today. Apparently for £12million the British Government could buy enough rainforest to allow us to meet our Kyoto Treaty thingy targets. If airlines bought all the rainforests then they would offset all of their carbon emissions. Plus obviously saving an amazing natural resource and habitat. However, not sure if the countries that contain the rainforests would 'sell' them all?

It's kind of sad though that there's all this money in the world, all these hugely successful businesses and some vast personal fortunes for some people and it's only through Government intervention, setting targets and things that, they do anything about it. Rather than building ridiculous 123-room mansions (Aaron Spelling apparently had two 'present wrapping' rooms in his Beverley Hills mansion) why not live a little more modestly and actually do something properly good with their money. I'd think it was seriously cool to own a rainforest and make that environmental impact, and also save all those species of flora and fauna.

I'm not perfect, so I can't preach, but I do try and do little things as I know that every little helps and if everyone, e.g. didn't leave appliances on standby, didn't leave chargers plugged in, didn't leave taps running, didn't leave lights on when they're out the room, didn't recycle plastics and paper and metals, we would all save quite a lot of energy. I think we need to have recycling bins on the streets, in stations and airports, etc - like they had when I was in Hong Kong. And teach school children the importance of buying locally produced food. And perhaps there should even be lessons on energy efficiency?

I just think it's quite sad. Talking of quite sad and still relating to global warming, I watched the first programme in the new series of Planet Earth last night. That programme is amazing. The photography is amazing. The things we get to witness are amazing. But also quite upsetting. Last night the programme was talking about the Arctic and the Antarctic - Ice Worlds. It talked about global warming and the effect it will have on the polar ice caps. One particularly upsetting story was about a polar bear who swam more than 50-miles in a desperate attempt to find food. Due to ice caps melting earlier their traditional method of finding food - getting seals resting on ice floes - is getting harder. The exhausted polar bear in the programme eventually found land again and a colony of walruses. It was so desperate for food that it tried in vain to kill one of the walruses. It was desperate to watch. One of those don't-want-to-watch but can't-look-away things. It got stabbed by the walrus's tusks so badly that it could hardly walk anymore, certainly couldn't get any food and it just curled itself up to die. God, I was in floods and floods of tears. In fact, it's making me cry again now just thinking about it now!