A horn grew on 'moomin' and naughty Pearl

The chap I showed you yesterday became this. I will probably not fire him. I am trying to feel which direction I like to take, at this moment. So there are some experiments going on. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I have to make an effort to create at this moment. My hands used to move freely without me thinking, but now, first I have to think what I would do next.
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It's time to let you know what Pearl was doing today. In the morning, she got her neck stuck in the hole of her blanket (she chewed the blanket and made the hole), when the door bell rang (there were lots of visitors today, and this was the first one). She was actually standing on the edge of the blanket.

Then, this photo was taken this evening.

 

Rubbish were dropped everywhere.

You may not be able to see what is going on. Ok, here is a more clarified image. It is the photo of the crime with the evidence attached!

Self-rubbish-scattering system powered by Pearl

She must have helped herself into the rubbish bag in the parrots' room upstairs. When I called her for dinner, she came down with the rubbish sac attached around her neck! On the stairs and floors, seed husks and chewed paper were scattered everywhere. She didn't seem to be bothered with her new neck decoration though!

Another creature from Moomin world

Hi, everyone. I hope you didn't have much damage from the storm last night.

The head

This chap is my creation of this evening. I liked 'Moomin whippet' that I made a couple nights a go a lot, so I tried to make a bigger cousin. I enjoy making goofy off-beat character recently. Then I realised Mike is also goofy and off-beat too!

I didn't update yesterday, so here is yesterday's photo.

Pearl sleeps at night

And today's photo.

Pearl sleeps in the afternoon

Night night, everyone!

Moomin whippet with paper clay. Mike bakes and cooks a lot.

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a nice weekend. Today I finally set up my studio with Mike's help in the dinning room, and made a small sample with new paper clay. At first I struggled to return to creative mode, but managed after for a while. I think it is important for me to create something often to keep an edge. The sample I made is this! Mike named her 'Moomin whippet'! 

Moomin whippet

Close-up

I long for having a real studio, but at this moment, we have to make do with the dinning as a studio. It has ceramic tile floors and close to water and garden door.

We moved the dinning table to the lounge, and moved a work table to dinning.

He said 'I am doing a job for two people' while I was happily snapping photos. I said.' I am journalist' LOL

Voila! My studio.

Recently I have uploaded lots of food pictures. It's because we actually care so much (too much?) about food. It is definitely our main topic!

We did quite lots of baking and cooking today. Mike cooked English breakfast for me at lunch.

Bacon went to the oven

Without bread, but with a glass of red wine!

Then, he baked a carrot cake with lots of walnuts (my favourite!) and cinnamon (another favourite of mine!). I suggested that we could put cream cheese on top of a slice each time. (I just didn't want to wait...) Marmalade which he added was made by me last year. I made it too much and we used them instead of orange peels.

Mike's carrot cake with marmalade and lemon zest

Lots of walnuts!

I also made honey roasted peanuts. It is very moreish.

Microwave 1Tbs butter and honey each, and stir it onto 1 cup of peanuts. Roast them for about 15 minutes at 160C in the oven.

Once cool, store them in an air tight container.

Mike cooked fried rice and spinach for two meals, and broccoli. We usually cook for two meals or even more to save time.

St Stephens church and omelette without a skillet

Another blue sky another action packed day. We went to the post office again this morning. Next to the little post office, there is St Stephens Church. It is our Parish church although we are closer to St Dunstan Church.  

I wrapped very well. It was about 4 degree when we got in the car.

St Stephens Church

I like flint stones in the building. It is very common around here.
When you look at the wall closely you notice pieces of bricks, roof tiles and other things too. People used to use any materials nearby.

Flints stones, roof tiles, other types of stones and rocks in the wall

Once we were back home, we did all sorts of household works we don't like, and already a lunch time. It is a sort of Spanish omelettte. Our skillet became no use after we changed our cooker to induction system a year ago. We finally ordered a new one yesterday.

Omelette

So without skillet, I microwaved potatoes. Mike fried onions and bacon on the hob. I poured Beaten egg onto potatoes and cooked in the oven, When the eggs were almost cooked, fried onions and bacon were placed on top as well as shaved cheese. Then return it to the oven until cheese melts. Bon Appetit!

Blue sky, 'Santa' Midori and another quick dish!

It was a lovely day albeit cold. There was not much cloud until three o'clock. My energy level was up! We had a busy day.

Euro summit kept me busy this morning. Here is the my choice of quote of the day,
Terry Smith of interdealer broker Tullett Prebon:
"[The UK is] as isolated as somebody who refused to join the Titanic just before it sailed"

Christmas gifts

I am a girl, but I also mark myself!

After lunch, Mike drove me to the post office to send the gifts away. At incredible speed and efficiency, we weighed them, sorted, tax-labelled them, and paid them up.

 Then I dropped Mike at his office, and drove back. After checking the market, I took Pearl for a long walk to the green. On both ways, we met a same cat twice. And both times, Pearl became bonkers! So I had to carry her away as she will be quiet when she is carried. She was heavy though...

Empty green

Then after work and quick dinner we went to town for shopping. A nice surprise was that the restaurants and pubs were full of people. There were some tourists too, but lots of local people came out for good drinks and for a fun!

Dramatic cloud came over

Mike's quick pasta for busy people.

Bacon tomato sauce

He is a good cook. This one is easy and quick. A kind of 'let's make something from what left in the fridge' meal. lol He used olive oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Yummy!

Fry garlic and bacon, then add cherry tomatoes. Once pasta is cooked al dente, stir them in, and season. That's all.It goes well Italian red wine. Mine was Piccini reserva. Desert was my favourite pannacotta!