Ground (Remote) Control to Major Tom

Yes, Houston, we have a problem: Peri's happy waggy tail knocked over a cup of warm sweet tea and said tea infiltrated the DVD Recorder's remote control. Despite a trip to Remote Control Central, there was no fixing it, so a new one has been ordered. This does mean that 40 or 50 shows are 'trapped' on the HD and I can't watch them or do anything other than record, stop and also play discs. Sigh. MrsDrWho has cleverly suggested than when the new remote control arrives, it should live in a ziplock bag and I concur. Little Peri wasn't, and isn't, in any trouble. It was purely an accident born out of her extreme happiness!!!  

There has also been a hole in the fabric of time that is the Dr Who ZUC. A hole in the sleeve. After much panic, I consulted Knitty and effected a repair. While I was at it, I unravelled the collar I was never quite happy with and knitted a new one.  All in all a good evening's work.

I am also up to ball 3 on the back of the Vest Side Story, mainly due to the hour and  forty minute wait at the Hospital Pharmacy on Wednesday. The pattern on the 'ribbing' is the Jaywalker sock pattern. It works really well, and it so much easier than teeny tiny cables. I have a brand new drug to take, well new here, 2 months new. Look away MrsDrWho!! Instead of having to stick a needle in myself every day and have a pump pushing drugs into me, I get to take tablets every morning instead. How excellent is that?? And the drug has a green name too, so it's doubly good. Of course, now I am hovering in that twilight state of waiting for side effects. I am hoping that as I had none to the powdered form, I mightn't have any to the slightly different but of the same family tablets!!!

Today MrsDrWho and I went to see Becoming Jane, and there were only 3 people in the cinema so we could laugh and cry to our hearts' content. Now to an Austen Obsessive this film would be as the U-571's rescue of the Enigma Machine was to the entire world except the Americans who made the film!!! But I loved it. It is 'faction' a mix of actual facts and stories imagined to fill the gaps. I don't think Anne Hathaway looks 'British' but she was fine, James McAvoy was stunning (and he took his shirt off!!!) and the film had a poignant , but appropriate, ending. There are echoes of many of Austen's books, her characters and stories in the film and I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes her books and is prepared for a little fudging!!!

Harki has been a little unhappy as the weather has been up and down. We had half of May's average rainfall in 24 hours, so while we were being declared a drought affected area, we were also made aware that our flood levees are in desperate need of repair by the floods over the other side of the river. Our city is a bit like New Orleans in that we are surrounded by levees and a system of pumps that move water constantly to the outside and away.  We are expecting the one-in-a-hundred-years flood any year now, and though we  have the  $40 million for repairs, it will take 6 years to complete. I live on a hill. I will be OK for a while I think.  So, Harki has been cheering herself up with a bone. She and Peri have been burying them in the muddy garden. Life's great!!!

As MrsDrWho is off to the Far East, I made her a Letting-The-Cat-Out-Of-The Bag. I filled it with various Rescue Remedies, ginger tablets (which she hates but I don't care as it is part of the whole 'keep well while flying' premise) and some tattoos. A girl never knows when she might need a stick-on tattoo!!!

I saw Jamie making rice pudding but I'm not exactly sure of his methods and ingredients, so here's what I made last week. You can easily halve or double this recipe too.

Almost Jamie's Rice Pudding

• 1 cup short grain/arborio rice
• 5 cups normal milk
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar- I like brown sugar
• 100g butter
• vanilla pod if you like

Place all the ingredients into a large non-stick pan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring till the sugar and butter are dissolved. Then turn the temperature right down to a slow simmer, put the lid on firmly, and cook for about an hour or until the rice is moist and soft and the milk absorbed. You can adjust the thickness with a little milk or cream, then pour into bowls and eat. Delicious!!! He served it with jam, and I'm sure it's lovely, but it's not for me.

Comments

[metal and knit]

Oh dear dont we hate those nasty acciedents. Boss on jumps on the lap while you knit casing stitched to go elsewhere. Boss says hi to the girls with a great big sniffy nose at the screen.

[amanda j]

The green drug must be a good omen. Has to be in fact!

We have similar accidents around here all the time, sometimes it is even the grown ups who spill things. Fancy in this day and age you can't access your hard drive without a remote control! Who thinks of these things?

I am on a hill too. I have morbid imaginings of looking down on the flooded city. I think we were all worried on Thursday. It was very exciting at school with the power flicking on and off!

[rosie-maree dean]

I wish you well with the new drug. It must surely be easier and less painful than sticking yourself with a needle.

[Sue]

Great news about the new drug for you.
Not good news about your remote control.
You did a great job mending the hole in your sleeve.
I love going to the cinema when there are only a few people there. It makes me wonder how long the cinema can survive though?!

[Kari]

I had not even heard of the "Becoming Jane" movie, but I like Jane Austen so maybe that is something i should check out. :-)

[Ann Lim]

It's getting more spooky as I also just discovered a hole on the ribbing of my Equine Vest when I wore it a few days ago. I did some sloppy darning & have not been happy about it. Now you show me a link to repairing the hole - thanks a million, you are my savior as I love that Vest!

[Shan]

Waggily tails can be dangerous weapons!

[Susan]

Well, in a way it was good that it was the remote that got fried. Years ago, I had one of the labs knock into me in the kitchen one day while he was bounding around the house acting crazy. Unfortunately, I had a hot cup of tea in my hand and it spilled on his back when I fell. Fortunately, his thick fur protected him from serious burns, but it was a scary situation.

[Annie]

I hope your new "green" drug does you the world of good and with the least or no side effects.

[Janette]

Oh 2paw, I do hope the new drug works out for you. xx
You are so good taking care of MrsDrWho, the L-T-C-O-O-T-B is so very, very cute - lucky MrsDrWho.
How is Cleo coping without MDW?

[Sarah]

Good luck with the new drug! S&S seem to have no clue about the trail of damage they leave in the wake of their waggy tails! I hope that new remote arrives soon, so you can see all your saved shows. The knitting looks wonderful!

[Carol]

Great news on the new medication and crossing fingers for you about no side effects.

One hour and forty minutes to wait for medication??? That is just crazy.

Maybe they saw you knitting happily and decided to be nice and give you more time to knit?

[Nora]

Sweet, excitable little Peri. I thought I was going to read that she spilt hot tea all over herself!

Good luck with the new meds. I asked Mr BDK about them - he's not heard of any adverse effects to date! Do keep us posted. x

[fitknit]

I'm keeping everything crossed the side effects stay away. After all, they won't feel comfortable in a green home so they need to go elsewhere!