pippinandme

[pippinandme]

MOANING...

( This is purely me ranting, because I can't tell anyone else, they've got enough to worry about without me adding to it. Probably no one will read this anyway so it doesn't matter)

I'm fed up with being so cross all the time. It's like I'm always cross and just have moments, in between, of not being. Every Little Thing!! I don't know what's wrong with me(actually I know some reasons but too complicated)!!

I walk around the farm and I see somewhere that is a horrible mess and think of how it was when it was tidy, and start to cry. Then when I see someone I'm furious and just rude for no reason.

I've started shouting at the animals when they escape. That's TERRIBLE!!

And then it gets to the evening I just sit and don't do anything until bedtime when I start drawing and end up being SO SO late. Which then means I'm either really late getting up or really tired. And then the morning is mostly spent wondering around not feeling like doing anything but feeling bad for doing nothing.

There's so much to do!

The fences all need fixing, new gates need making, the barn needs clearing of winter bedding, we need to plant trees everywhere before winter ends, I need to write a letter to get into my course for next year, I need to keep up with regular TEFL training, especially since we've already paid for it, and I can't just be miserable all the time otherwise what's the point?!!

[pippinandme]

Aren't these amazing!!!

Sock Patterns // Renarde Endormie

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Green Browsers

One point I'd just like to make...

Why aren't all the internet browsers eco-powered?! I mean, it's been proved that it can be done(come on it's obvious!) so why doesn't everyone do it?! If they did they'd get more submissions because they'd get more users. Instead of scaring away eco-conscious people, inlude everyone. Seriously, there's more in it for them than anyone else...

Think of our planet guys, please!! Isn't it beautiful?

Thomas Cole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Shearing half a sheep seemed a simple way to show a season's growth of wool, but photographer Cary Wolinsky was wrong. The half-shorn sheep tended to lose their balance and topple to wool-ward. It took many tries before merino sheep number 30 “became our hero," Wolinsky said.

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Making a Galette des Rois

Though we call them Galette-de-roy, as an inside joke. If you don't know what they are read my other post about them.

Here's how we make them(using stuff we already had because we forgot when shopping...)

~ Start with pastry.

Normally I refuse to use bought pastry, but we're very short of time here at the moment. So I used bought pastry. Two packets, prerolled in circles.

~ Then, surprise, the filling.

So I don't have the quantities because it was just what was left, but start with ground almonds(or almond flour, as far as I know it's the same thing...) about 2 or 3 cups? then about half that amount of sugar, I use brown sugar but it'll work with anything(though keep in mind icing sugar is lighter in weight) add the same amount of flour as sugar(ish), a pinch of salt and almond essence for extra flavour finally use as many eggs a s required to stick it together. IT needs to be spreadable but not runny.

~ Putting it together

Lay out one round of pastry on a tray, spread the filling from the middle to about an inch from the edge, Lay the other round over the top(if prfered you can trim it a little to make the folding neater), and fold the edge over firmly using water or a little egg to ensure it sticks. I didn't put air holes in but you can if you want.

~ Bake.

Bake it in a medium oven till golden all over(or almost if it's very big).

[pippinandme]

Galette des Rois (The Kings' cake/pie/biscuit)

For those who don't live in France and are curious, or those who do and havn't found out, this is a short explanation of the traditional french pudding Galette des Rois.

Traditionally it's a flaky-pastry pie with a creamy almond filling(delicious by the way, try my recipe for it, next post), though in some parts of the country this is replaced by a ring-shaped brioche fruit-cake, eaten in the beginning of January.

It is commonly thought that it is to celebrate the Twelfth day of Christmas and the arrival of the Three Wise Men(or Kings) hence the name, but the romans were known to do something similar to honor the winter solstice(round to represent the sun), the romans even baked a bean inside their traditional pudding just as the french do today, though they now use porcelain figures called fèves(french for bean).

Just as what happen to Yuletide, when christianty swept over the rest of the world, such traditions were given new meaning as they were to embedded to erase completely.

These days you see them all over France this time of the year, in every bakery and often with different fillings as well(which is a bit silly for a tradition).

Well I hope you enjoyed a little bit of history, my next post is a (sort of) recipe for a Galette, if your curious, go ahead try it. We like them so much we bake them all year round.

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Nightmares don't let you NOT believe.

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Totally what my family would do, use what's lying around!!

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We're too posh for you, because you're wearing a sail. Even though none of us change our clothes through out the whole film..."

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My face when someone tells me I should be more sociable.

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"Your the princess!? But you're wearing an enormous, gold laced, pink dress just like all the peasants. Oh, and a hood."

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4 Steps to feel good in the morning

>Lay your bed

Seriously, this may sound like a tidy-freak telling you off, but simply smoothing out your sheets barely takes a moment, and leaving at least a small area of you room neat does make you feel better. Should I add clean clothes? Maybe not....

>Put on some music

I really enjoy singing, but even if that's not for you, choose something the night before and be ready to press that play button. It doesn't have to be loud, it doesn't have to have words, just some MUSIC to stop you thinking bad thoughts, while you get washed and dressed.

>Take a walk

I understand this may not be easy for some people, but it'd be good to find a way to get near NATURE in the morning. It's incredibly calming and reassuring to now that plants still grow and water still runs, however you may be feeling. Preferably with a pet.

>Eat

Though it sounds like a primitive thing to say, it's very easy, for some lifestyles, to forget to eat BREAKFAST, or to not feel like it early, or to grab something quick. But really, make the effort to sit down with a good breakfast. I prefer meusli, but not everyone does, only, please, eat some fruit.

[pippinandme]

Best online glasses store

We've always bought our glasses online because France has quite a limited choice, and I don't like glasses with corners. This year we ordered from Lensmart.

It is the best we've used, it had a good choice of shapes, it also always has discounts and coupons, and delivery was free since it was four pairs of glasses.

To top that when one of the nosepads came of mine, they offered a replacement pair. Not of nosepads but a whole new pair of glasses! Isn't that great?

So I seriously recommend them.

[pippinandme]

Introducing, Roger!

This is Roger, Pippin's puppy from the year before last, he works as a guard dog for the poultry.

Our morning walk today:

Pippin and Roger found a great place for a future Fairyhouse, and I spotted one high up a tree :

I'm going to find a nice bit of bark for a door and maybe cut out a window and lay a path too for the first one.

For the other I'll have to climb, but it'll be a little balcony verand thing on the mushroom, and maybe I'll stick in some little steps winding round the trunk...

[pippinandme]

Punk Tumblr Gift Swap (2024)

Hey there fellow punks! This here is a thing that I thought would be a fun thing for us to do as a community! Its a gift swap for December (no holiday celebrating required)!

This is a virtual round-robin swap, so you will not receive something from the same person you sent something to. The thing you send can be anything as long as you send it virtually through tumblr. A mood board, a collection of fics, fan art, etc. Be as creative as you can/want to be! Each participant will submit 5 'Loves' that you can use to help theme their gift!

More details below the cut.

Responses will be collected until November 20th.

Swap info will be sent out December 1st.

Swaps must be delivered by December 15th.

If you sign up, but can no longer participate in the swap, please contact me ASAP!

Please note: I will be keeping a list of those who sign up and are reported to have not completed their swap, and gave no notice of this. I will reach out to those people, and if they do not provide evidence of having delivered their swap by the deadline, they will receive a 'strike'. As the rule goes, three strikes and you are out!

I would like to do more events like this in the future, so please don't forget to give notice if you can't complete your swap! (But also, please try to complete it!!)

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Portrait, plain graphite, live model

[pippinandme]

My hat project

I have this hat, you see. It's my favorite one, and that's saying something. But it's old. And I wear it on the farm, so it's in a bit of a state. So I thought : I can sew, we've got some nice old corduroy upstairs with the fabrics(recycled) I'll just make another. Then I thought : we need more promotion, advertising for our business and way of life. Why not show other people how you make a hat from another out of recyled trousers.

So here I am, and after a (possibly too)long introduction, I'll show you my favorite hat. Warning it's quite the worse for wear...

That's it on my very used Drawing Table.

So we'll see if I manage to get that done. It'll be in my spare time(which is scarce around here) so it'll be interesting to see if I finish it anytime soon. Maybe.(I'm not starting today, and tomorrow's Friday which is our big day of the week, so it won't be then either.)