Today's post is brought to you by the letter...

B. BBBBBBB.  I got a new keybbbbboard. It's beeyoutiful, bouncy and best of of all, not broken. I accept full responsibility for drinking coffee in the proximity of the old one while not quite awake one morning... I killed just one key, the B. I mean, it could have been worse - a vowel, for example - and I expanded my vocabulary while avoiding words using that letter, it's been a long couple of months using the cut and paste function while trying to decide whether to spring for a new machine (this mac is a little old in the tooth though that's not necessarily a reason to retire it) or find another solution. The answer came in the form of the Bookyard, who sell Apple spares and I got a new keyboard for about £50 and fitted it myself, rather than paying the £150 I was quoted by two different repair shops in town.  I used to think "Why do I have complete crap like watchmakers screwdrivers cluttering up my house?" The answer is (a) to make jewellery like this and (b) to enable me to remove the metal plate beneath the mac's keyboard, unplug the old one and put in a new one in three minutes.  The service from the Bookyard was excellent after an initial snafu where they shipped the wrong model, but they responded to my email within 30 mins - at 11:00pm at night and it was all sorted out the next day. I may yet send them my titanium powerbook to see if they can do anything with it...

Lots of little adventures this week.  I was lucky enough to win a dozen cupcakes from Ella's Bakehouse, a chi-chi new bakery at 20a Covent Garden Market, where they specialise in cupcakes with a couture theme (the woman behind it used to be a model, the face of Versace, apparently)

 

 

They're yum. Very very yum in fact.  I brought them to the volunteers' meeting at Wilton's that evening, as I'd already brought baked goods to work once this week - and to my neighbours too.  I am luring the guy next door into a false sense of security, once he's hooked on the cookies I'll be asking for some help putting up the long awaited shelves in the studio. I baked like a maniac last week because my grandmother had fallen and fractured her hip (fine now after an operation) and I needed displacement activities.  Cue two dozen cookies, rye sodabread, and muffins.  Plus the sourdough that didn't quite work out (the sponge starter is hidden under Lotusen's cupcake teatowel below) which I'll be attempting again today.

 

I've been back to the Make Lounge (the more of observant of you may wonder if I ever leave) to do the embroidery class. Super sweet teacher whose name I've forgotten, eek, but you can find her via the ML's website. I started on a pillowcase using one of the Sublime Stitching patterns, Dutch-Russian but due to attempting time-consuming satin stitch on it, it's still languishing.  It's a supercute pattern though, and you can see another classmate's project from that pattern here.  So for some instant gratification, I cam home and did this: a quick cupcake onesie.

I'm still persevering with running, 3 miles every other day. I loved the physio I saw about my feet/shins/knees/hips (nobody can agree what it really is) the other day because the first thing she said when I walked in was 'So you're a runner' and then I realised she didn't think this was lunacy and rather was focussed on how to keep me running rather than simply telling me not to. Incredibly refreshing. She did suggest that after a spin class or any other time when I'm having problems with numbness that I should get someone to massage my outer knee and showed me how to do that - I can't quite imagine throwing myself down on the floor of the spin studio and saying 'You, here, now'... but otherwise the advice was promising.

Lots more weekend news to come but given the issues with Typepad recently I'll quite while I'm ahead. Though when I bitched about TP on Twitter, I got a swift response from someone in their technical customer service offering to help.  I'll be taking him up on that. Between the b key and procrastination, I'd become lax enough at posting and then the renewed technical issues, after the utter debacle earlier this year, made me wonder whether to just shut the blog down but now I'm a little more optimistic...

Comments

[pauline]

God, I have so many of SS's patterns and half completed projects from six years ago! Must join you next time.

Also, Lotusen's tea towel: WANT!

(I thought B would bring us cakes from Bea's. Highly recommended!)

[Thimbleanna]

Eeeek, an adorable cupcake! Sounds like you've been very busy. Good news with your running -- I was running before vacation and my knees were killing me (oh to be young like you ;-) ) and my PT CrazyBIL said that my leg muscles aren't strong enough and he gave me exercises. I need to get on that now that vacay is over 'cause I was really enjoying the running, except for the pain!