Fire and Rain

Besides being one of my all-time favorite James Taylor songs, it seemed like a good title for this post.

I drove to the farm shop yesterday and stopped to take this picture over the fields - the light was incredible. I haven't quite gotten my head around the new camera yet, and it's not always doing what I expect it to do. I guess I'll just have to keep taking pictures!


I finished reading Water For Elephants, recommended by Kristen, on Thursday night. It was really well-written and had a compelling story. It's about a college senior who joins a circus, and how he reacts to finding himself in a completely alien subculture. It's told in flashbacks, as the protagonist is in a nursing home in his 90s. Completely absorbing.

We had some friends over last night for the Stowmarket bonfire and fireworks, and we went out for a curry after. Here's a pic of Elia and me at the bonfire:


And the bonfire itself. It was drizzling but the heat from the bonfire was so intense that we were all pretty dry. And with the amount of gasoline that they'd poured on the fire, we would have had to have a monsoon to put it out.


Here we are after a few too many glasses of ouzo.


We were all feeling a little worse for wear this morning, so I made pancakes for everyone and we felt lots better.

The in-laws came over today and I made Veggie Shepherd's Pie. Ours looked pretty much like the picture from the website and it tasted amazing. I used regular green lentils rather than canned lentils and added a bit more water and simmered for longer - it was very lentil-y and glorious. The sweet potato mash on the top was fab, too. It's a keeper. We chased it up with some brownies and were all very happy campers.

Kaboom!

Well, tonight is Guy Fawkes night (actually, it's tomorrow, but it's celebrated on the nearest Saturday night...tonight), so we went off to the Museum Of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket where they had a massive bonfire and a surprisingly good fireworks display. There was a really good turnout and it wasn't too cold...but it was cold enough to appreciate the warmth that the bonfire was kicking out.

When we lived in Peterborough, we always rode our bikes to Ferry Meadows for the fireworks and the bonfire. I seem to remember a carnival-y thing set up as well, but that could easily be memories mushing together. John and I were in a similar spirit tonight...we walked into town rather than drove (John doesn't have a bike...)

I spent the morning having a driving lesson (I need to work on parking and 'clutch control' - i.e. not rolling forwards or backwards at any point). Bugger.

There was a suicidal pheasant on our way into Bury after my instructor picked me up. I was driving along the A14 in a 50mph zone, when I noticed two pheasants standing by the side of the road, looking very much like they wanted to step under the car. I'd clocked them and I checked my mirrors (I was having a driving lesson, after all), and then right as I was coming up to where they were, the bigger one stepped RIGHT out in front of me. I swerved into the other lane and missed him but I don't imagine he made it to lunchtime today.

According to my instructor, on the test, if there's a pheasant in the road and it would create more of a hazard for me to swerve to avoid him, thumping over him is the thing to do. Ugh.

After doing some Christmas shopping in Bury, I went to the fabric store to get some quilters quarters for a knitting needle (for me) and paintbrush (for mom) case that I'd seen in The Crafter's Companion. It's a FANTASTIC book published by Anna of Twelve22, one of my favorite craft blogs. My mom had heard that I was going to make the knitting needle case and asked if I could repurpose one for her for her watercolor paintbrushes. I could and I have and it's AWESOME. I've modified the pattern very slightly, and it turned out really well. I'm torn about putting pics up, since it's her Christmas present. I haven't made mine yet...tomorrow.