2010 here we come...

I've had a really, really wonderful Christmas at home. We'll just gloss over the 10 hours waiting in Manchester airport for a plane that was then cancelled, followed by another 5 hour wait the next day to get a plane back to Belfast... I got home in the end, and am ever so glad!

My days have been filled with fun stuff - reading books, surfing the net, wrapping presents (& getting presents!), eating amazing food (too much!), drinking yummy wine (occassionally too much of this also), and not forgetting - games! Just mucking about with my family playing 'Cranimum', and 'SingStar' karaoke has been brilliant, although it does sound like such a Walton-esque thing to be doing.

Such a nice escape from day-to-day life, I wish that more than 2 weeks of the year were this carefree & fun!

As cheesy as my Christmas sounds, I definitely got a very non-conventional present from my parents - a taxidermy magpie! They know me so well :)

New Years Eve tonight. I'm never really that excited about this day of the year - it's a bit overhyped, and usually makes me feel a tad sad rather than in a crazy partying mood.
Hopefully this will be a fun one though, and that I won't spend New Years Day feeling like a big congealed mass of bleughhh!!

Reach out & touch faith!

Wow wow wow. No, that isn't a World of Warcraft reference - I'm talking about the sheer brilliance of Depeche Mode last night at the MEN!

They kicked off with a triology of tunes from the new album, which I have steadily been growing to like more & more over the last few months. There were quite a few classics as well, with 'Stripped' and 'Question of Time' being 2 particular favourites of mine! A rousing 'Personal Jesus' in the encore had even the grumpiest looking folk (honestly - grumpy at a DM concert, before Christmas.. what is wrong with you?!) up & waving their arms!

I love watching Fletch. Honestly, he is like the cringiest uncle you are glad you never had. Standing behind his keyboard, pointing at the audience - if David Brent was in DM, this is how he'd behave. It's brilliant though, the contrast between the personal styles of all the members is part of what makes Depeche Mode so great! Dave did a lot of dancing last night, and his voice was even better than last time around at the MEN.
Thank goodness other bands from the 80s who are all reviving themselves don't take style tips from DM - the thought of Simon Le Bon shirtless in a waistcoat is not pretty!

I felt very sorry for the staff scanning peoples tickets by the doors - not nice to be standing out in the cold for 4 hours - poor guys. Hope a bit of the fans enthusiasm wore off on them!

Smeghead!

The only time I've spotted celebs in Manchester been in M&S, which is rather bizarre, surely their salaries can stretch to a splurge in Harvey Nicks? I saw Craig Charles (of Red Dwarf&Robot Wars) fame there yesterday, making his way to the menswear dept... Having said that, I could well be walking past footballers/soap stars every day - I wouldn't recognise them unless they were Rooney or Beckham!

Will be happy to go home & relax for 2 weeks, but will also be sad to leave the flat. Am at a pivitol part of Warcraft, and really need to get levelling up to a 12. Won't be able to play it at home :( I am getting totally obsessed, and pity my other half, who has become a computer-game widow!

On a festive note, not long left to make the most of Starbucks festive menu, so I need to stock up on Eggnog Lattes & mince pies... honestly, half my mind is spent constantly imagining food - I'll be the size of a roly poly pudding by the end of this year!

I feel like cassoulet tonight, like cassoulet tonight!

Christmas vintage fair today, and it was a good haul! Have finished off a couple of peoples pressies, and (unfortunately) also treated myself to one or two little lovelies... and a peppermint cupcake of course! Love it.

This week I have been watching squirrels fight one another (playfully might I add.) They live in the trees in the park just off Oxford Road, and box & pull one anothers tails. Unfortunately I look like a bit of a madwoman, stopping & peering up into the trees, but it is worth it for the spectacle - even if the squirrels are of the marauding grey variety! Their fights actually do not remotely resemble the picture to the right.

The other half has been cooking all day. Sausage & duck cassoulet, & oxtail stew. I am salivating. Bring on the red wine (& the last in the series of 'In the thick of it' - sob!), and we have the makings of a very lovely night in. Jack Frost already has been busy this evening, not envious of those venturing into town...

Double Dutch

Well, as of yesterday, I am another year older. I think I'd like to stop now & remain at 24 thanks very much, even though 25 is apparently the new 21.

The birthday presents were all thoughtful & lovely, but the evening itself wasn't the greatest. Am going to postpone the celebrations until the other half isn't so poorly. I ended up watching telly, and was pleasantly surprised at finding Michael McIntyre's Apollo show on BBC1 semi-funny (although it may have been something to do with the 3 large glasses of Sauvingon Blanc I imbibed!)

Tonight we are going to celebrate 'Sinterklass', the Dutch Christmas tradition. There's going to be cinnamon biscuits & hot chocolate... yum yum!

We're also upholding the rather bizarre custom of exchanging rhyming poems about one another. The picture to the left of this post is the first image that one gets upon goggling 'Sinterklass'... interesting people, the Dutch!

Happiness is...

A rather fab weekend. Here are a selection of those things that have made it so :

1. Having excellent company.

2. Getting new Christmas decorations! Viva Paperchase! Can't wait to cover the flat in them next week...

3. Getting organised with Christmas presents! Much less stressed now.

4. Amazing food & drink, including : mini dutch pancakes at the Christmas Market, copious eggnog lattes, quail/pheasant/venison curry, elaborate marshmallow covered cocktails, £4 worth of pick n mix, bratwurst hotdog with lots of mustard... salivating...

5. Seeing my first 3d movie! It was "A Christmas Carol", and it was strangely sinister, but brilliant.

6. Lounging on the sofa watching 'The Day Today' with a cuppa tea. "THIS IS THE NEWS!!" This is also what Sunday's are for :)

AAANNDDD...

7. Getting picked to be an ambassador for the Dormouse as part of the Ext Inked Project! YESSSSS! Am getting inked at 8pm tonight.
Am very knackered today, so 8 actually seems like a looong way away... bring it on!

And on another positive, note...3 weeks of work until off for Christmas, yeo!!

It's definitely a 'no news' day.

Still don't know if I've got my place on the Ext Inked Project. These are nerve-wracking times, I feel like I'm waiting to hear back from a very important job interview... I don't know how much longer I can bear the tension!

To distract myself, I watched the ever brilliant 'Life' on BBC 1. It has taught me many things in the past, such as - baby Pengiuns are simply the sweetest creatures on earth, Cranes are evil incarnate, and tonight's gem : if your best friend is a rabbit, he will let you be savaged to death by a stoat.

Who knew those cute creatures in Beatrix Potter were so self-serving...or that that fluffy little buddy to the right can be so vicious!

In other 'news' - baked a lemon & orange drizzle cake for the charming folks in Withington. Much better than an arsehole -shaped apple doughnut from Starbucks, ta very much...

A Haiku for my favourite beverage...

The eggnog latte-
so delicious, so festive
I crave thee daily.

Please, please, please let me get what i want

Hardly got a wink of sleep last night. Have applied to be part of the Ext-Inked Project, and am nervously awaiting to hear whether I have been choosen to be an ambassador!
If I am choosen, it means I shall have either a Song Thrush, Soprano Pipistrelle or Comon Dormouse tattoed proudly on my sleeve. I have contemplated having a 2nd tattoo for over 2 years, since I first got the ink-bug during a trip to NY. However, until I heard of this project I didn't have a concrete vision of what my next one should be... I love the thought of being linked to this worthy project, and being joined in ink with 99 kindred spirits!
Anyway, *fingers crossed*.


Cannot believe how quickly Christmas is descending upon us, the Manchester Christmas Markets are now set out in all their glory. I absolutely love it, and can't wait for my first mulled wine & bratwurst hotdog of the season!

The next few posts may well be Christmas obsessed, as despite my normally cynical outlook, I cannot resist anything a bit festive, glittery and fattening.

Bit of reflection, bit of boozing!

I can't believe we're nearly out of the 'noughties'. I really hate that phrase, but can't think of anything else to call this era!

It's made me a bit nostalgic about the nineties. I went onto Youtube & listened to a bit of 90s grungey alt stuff- Hole, Veruca Salt, Pixies.. I love the raw, un-photoshopped & un-autotuned style of the period, I don't think that the 00's will ever have the same place in my heart, even if it is the decade I did much of my growing up in! The manufactured pop tripe produced by X-factor/Pop Idol et al just doesn't do it for me (or many others by the looks of it... Steve Brookstein anyone?)

On another note, had an interesting night in grand old Manchester yesterday. I broke the sad routine of watching the aforementioned rubbish that is X-factor, and ventured out into the night...

It went something like :

1. A Casino. Strange place, in that it is there to keep people in & spending money, yet the staff had all the charm and charisma of toilet brushes. Vegas it is not - but fun was still had, money was still won!

2. Circus Tavern. Teeny tiniest little bar space, plastered in photos of that well known drinker (oh, & footballer) : George Best. Perhaps not a great person to be thinking of as you down your 3rd cocktail of the night. Amazing wee place though.

3. Wave. £1 a shot. Weird mixture of elderly business men & drunken chavs dancing to loud trance music. Strangely compelling.

4. View. In the village. Fab 80's madonna. Good for a people watch.

5. Vino wine & karaoke bar. Drunken fools singing "I've got a brand new combine harvester". Is there a classier way to end your night? I think not.

Sweet tooth

In terms of startling, insightful relevations, this isn't one. But I just realised I haven't actually done any real baking since starting my new job. Working mainly with a vegan & someone allergic to diary products has reduced my opportunities - I don't think they'd appreciate my buttery, creamy cupcakes!

To get my sugar kick, I've been having to rely on other sources. Namely Krispy Kremes - it's a bloody expensive habit. Like cocaine, it would also ruin your looks if you indulged a bit too much.

There was outcry awhile ago in America because some fast food joint started making cheeseburgers using Krispy Kreme original glazed as the buns. I don't know, it looks pretty delicious to me.

Krispy Kreme burgers, a WoW lifestyle... before you know it I'll be one of those 900lb people who have to be airlifted out of a hole in their roof. Thank you blessed metabolism..

WoW - so it begins!

This blog is turning into a Sunday-night-only routine, which I shall have to break.

Sundays for me tend to be one of the few times I can get on the computer undisturbed from the other half, who always wants on for more educational purposes than myself - I cannot deny him the chance to read his intellectual PDF's simply because I want to browse ebay for vintage bags!

Have started playing WoW - a game which I have been avoiding for years, due to its addictive nature. It's crystal meth for nerds.

I don't know if I can go back to the sort of gaming life I lead at 18, staying up to 5am playing Diablo II... well, I probably could go back to it, but it doesn't bode well with full-time working.

Hate the whole n00b stage though that comes with starting any game like this... it's depressing trudging along in cloth boots whilst Level 60 mages charge around on neon-green tigers!



Have included pic of WoW's amazing non-player character the 'crazy cat lady', although she is a bit glamorous for the title...

Wednesday Madness

Wednesday night is usually one of the better nights of the week. It signifies the 'hump' of the working week has been traversed, leaving only 2 days left to slog it out until the weekend.
Also historically (for my tastes anyway) its a good night for TV, with either the Apprentice or Dragon's Den providing a bit of trash... any excuse to lie on the sofa with a bottle of bud really!

Last Wednesday however, a new precedence was set. Pizza was eaten, cocktails (& beer, & waaayyy too many shots) were imbibed, and much dancing was had. All thanks to Manchester & its glorious 'village' - every night of the week there's clubs with glamourous drag-queens (who use the female toilets by the way - something I had never previously thought of) sashaying to the most fabulous of disco music...
However the club we picked was a little different. Gone was the glamour of men in immaculately applied lipstick, and slashed to the thigh gowns. Gone was the 70's retro-tastic music. In its place was a deranged chuckle-brother lookalike (although on second thoughts, it really could have been one of them), trying to buy us all wine, & flirt with both the male & female members of the group. Wine we drank, and the cha-cha slide we danced - once we shook off the attentions of Mr chuckle.

You know what? Strange & slightly naff as it all was - it was brilliant. Experience has proved yet again that the most unexpected, random night outs, even with people who you don't know very well, tend to be the most fun ones of all.

Cheers to that!

I don't like Monday's... but it's still Sunday, yeoo!

Sunday nights for me, (when I'm having a good one) generally mean meeting the other half for a drink or two in one of our favourite drinking establishments and talking absolute nonsense - certainly takes an edge off the old Monday morning dread.


When one is feeling too lazy to venture out & drink, it's nice to see ITV4 provides a good alternative... thank ye, thank ye TV program executives!

You've got a bit of Ross Kemp (the acting is all in the eyebrows), and a few other guys & gals, engaged in ludicrious plots such as stopping a religious cult from a Waco-esque siege, or breaking into bank vaults Ocean's 13 style - for reasons I can't quite remember.

Perfect for when your brain is on other, bigger things, like whether to take prawns or curry out of the freezer for tomorrow nights dinner, or what mobile phone I should upgrade to... it's a hard life.

Money ain't everything, but it sure is nice!

Feel like I've hardly been on the computer this week - which is of course untrue. I just seem to be managing to fritter my time away on it aimlessly, as opposed to using it productively by *ahem* gaming...
Have been thinking of what to buy people for Christmas, which has led to fruitless half-hours spend trawling ASOS, 'Iwantoneofthose.com' and other such ilk. It's not even fun! Why am I doing it! Will no doubt still end up trailing the shops at the nth hour, buying everyone pyjamas & jars of olives.

It's an expensive life. All at once it seems, my teeth & hair & body need attention, and this all costs valuable money which could have been spent last weekend on further trinkets, or that damn taxidermy magpie I was coveting...

Even treating myself & my partner in crime to coffee & cake today in 'Cup' set me back £8.20! EIGHT POUNDS TWENTY! It was lovely though, but I can't help mentally working out that I could have bought around 40 doughnuts in Greggs for that.

Speaking of Greggs, am loving their halloween cakes. Sheer beauty!

Fabulous darling!

Well, this Saturday has been a bit fabulous.

Started the day with a bit of 'Saturday Kitchen', a fresh cafetiere of coffee & a delicious bacon&egg bagel made by the wonderful other half.


Got glammed up & went along to the Manchester Vintage Fair - glad I got in there early, was some lovely stuff to be had... my goodies are pictured below. Loved the creativity of all the people who crafted their own jewellery & accessories, but award for best named stall was one called 'Magpie's Boutique'! Oh & I also had thee most divine cupcake ever, & I've had a lot of cupcakes in my time ;o)



On days like today it would be wonderful to be a bit rich, there was a smug cat necklace I would have loved (but I since I've now found it online it could still be mine some day!)

Not sure what is in store tonight - but my belly is certainly going to be happy. Clams & linguine, with a glass of bubbly for tea, yum yum. Am having a very food obsessed day - I've joined the gym this week but it's mainly so that I can be an even bigger pig at the weekend!

Only downside to the day has been finding out some graphic novels I've ordered from Waterstones are out of stock, and being outbid on a taxidermy magpie on ebay. But my Steam is working again, so fun & games all around! Think I shall leave now to go sap some sentries in TF2...

In that case I'll have a rum and coca-cola

I wish the ladies in the flat above me would just go out. It sounds like a bunch of elephants in jimmy choos got lost in our apartment block whilst on a ritalin high & decided to charge up & down the stairway, on a Jack Bauer style mission no-one else knows about.


Alas, no quiet retreat can be found in the living/dining /study/kitchen-room, as the other half put the washing machine on before bed - the general din has now turned into a surround sound experience, complete with shaking floor boards, & ornaments crashing from the shelves. Looking around at the piles of personal affects & crockery encrusted with tonight's takeaway curry, I think this is pretty close to what Jarvis Cocker meant when he sang about living like common people.


On an unrelated note, v. much enjoyed Charlie Brooker's new show, 'Gameswipe'. It's the first computer games related show on mainstream telly in ages! Reminded me of the good old days of 'Bits', & that other one with Dominic Diamond. Really wish my 'steam' wasn't playing up, nothing like a bit of zombie killing to calm the nerves before bed...

I think I'll end post this with this weeks baking adventure - a delicious apple, custard & cinnamon turnover. Of course, in a picture it looks just like a mound of puff pastry - but that's what imagination is for, innit!

Lucretia, my reflection...

Although I don't look much of one these days, at heart I'll always be a goth. Was listening to some classic 'Sisters of Mercy', and it made me giggle to look up the actual lyrics to some of the songs. In 'Lucretia', I always thought Eldritch sang "I have chives, parmesean", the reality is the much less food orientated, "I hear dive, bombers and".

I'm terrible for singing along to songs and using my own hideously inaccurate lyrics. It must have been worse before the invention of the internet when these things couldn't be checked... concert venues full of people joyfully singing their own interpretations of the same song.

In life news, have been feeding the parking lot magpies chicken. They love it. It's only Asda cheapo stuff, but the other half would rather get them seeds&bread. Personally, I don't think they lead vegetarian lifestyles. I've heard they love cat food... which, come to think of it, is a bit like the creatures in the rather awesome District 9! Awesome, but still doesn't beat 'Moon' to the sci-fi movie of the year so far, in my humble opinion.

Jekyl & Hyde

On a sombre note, I have now watched the season finale of 'True Blood', & am already in mourning. Only 1 whole year to wait for the next series... I have also been to Nando's for the first time, and believe it is vastly overrated.

In other news, I continue to reach new nadirs in my behaviour when I've had a drink or 3. Nothing heinous like beating folk up, or throwing myself at married men - just being daft really - and of course forgetting it all the next day. Stella & cheap white wine should not be mixed!

So yeah, great end to a stressful week at my new job, by alienating friends from my old job.
Also feeling v anxious about tomorrow - first day giving general advice by phone, all by myself, eek!

Ah well, I shall trust in the old adage, (I do believe it was the talented & wise D:Ream who said it) "things can only get better".

Crazy cat lady

My hormonal hysterics have calmed down now... which reminded me of the treatment of hysterics in thee olden days, which is rather hilarious & should be googled by anyone who isn't already privy to the information!

Was thinking how much I miss having my cat. In my previous moments of grief, my cat always provided some grounding by looking at me contemptuously as if to say 'pull yourself together silly woman'... although granted this was the same look she gives me whenever I loudly burst out laughing at something stupid on TV. She just generally doesn't like having her reverie broken.

Photo isn't my cat by the way, it is just a simply amazingly smug cat that I came across. Love it.

Nightmares by the sea

It's been an emotional week. I'm such a woman - to use the term in it's derogatory sense. Everything is reducing me to tears, from an ad of families eating their nutella in the morning, to the thought of going to the Post Office! Even magpies, the most mirthful of all birds, have reduced me to tearful outpourings when I watch their joyful scamping.
would like to get rid of the section of my head (according to the phrenology model!) which causes such ridiculousness. Time spent with watery eyes means less time doing enjoyable stuff such as :
- procuring more hats on 'Team Fortress'
- updating my ever-expanding Amazon wishlist (& hoping a Russian tri-zillionaire would buy me everything on it in a fit of whimsy!)
- watching Charlie Brooker's 'Screenwipe' on Youtube

... and endless other mundane things which aren't quite as fun, but must be done. Like the dishes. Which should be done right now actually.

Kafka-esque

Just finished reading 'The Trial' today. Would have been more enjoyable if it hadn't been a library copy, previously read by someone with a Freudian obsession with sex! The words 'S&M' and 'SEXUAL' were written in a manic scrawl beside every other bleedin' paragraph.
Enough of being intellectual for today. Over to 'Dave' for a repeat of Mock The Week...

On a closing note, I have illustrated this post with a picture of a cat about to have it's peace destroyed by an errant magpie.

Bad habit...

Have just noticed I end every post with an exclamation mark! How very irritating! Must break the habit of being needlessly excited at the end of my sentences!!!!!

Heads will roll

Crazy bad headache today. Most sensible place to be is not the computer, but I am inexplicably compelled over to it to see how my Sims are doing. Applying copious amounts of 4head is not working, other than to make my eyes water in a way they normally only do after watching Wuthering Heights (the original - not that recent ITV adaptation shite!)

Speaking of heads, I just love the Phrenology head that I picked up on a trip to Camden. I've artfully plonked it on top of a cheapo Argos bookcase, filled with haphazardly arranged DVDs.

Oh what I'd give to own my own place, and not have beige walls in every room of the house - damn thee generic rental properties!

Talking with strangers in pub - sometimes fab.

Well where has the summer gone! A whole 2 (& a bit) months have went by without a single darn tootin' post... Have accompanied this post with a picture of a hot frothy coffee & a homemade peppermint slice. Just because.This summer has involved Spain, farms, plenty of magpies, eating too much & an upcoming change of career.

Too much to write about really, even if I wanted to. I'll instead fill space with an tale of a recent night out in Hulme, in what the OH and I have affectionately started calling our 'local' (even though we generally have to be at least mildly tanked up before considering entering it.) There is an old man who raises his cane in camaraderie and issues a friendly (well, borderline hostile) jeer to those brave enough to walk through the door. The next thing one notices is the sound of Barry Manilow immediately assaulting the ears. Should even think of laughing at the venues playing of Barry Manilow, one is accosted by a man passionate on the subject... trying to deflect him kindly by saying Mr Manilow is 'before our time'does not go down well. Well, says he, was Mozart before your time? Beethoven before your time?

At this stage we were glad to see said man's ladyfriend return from the loos, to whisk him away before things got messy.
V memorable way to end a night after a mini-pub crawl to Corbieres, Perveril of the Peak & Odder... after a few red wines the thought of my last monday in my current job seemed a lot more palatable!

Left 4 Dead

I feel guily for abandoning my old favourite Steam game of Team Fortress 2, but Left 4 Dead has taken over my gaming life for the last month or so.

Being immature, I particularly like attacking my team mates from time to time, nothing bonds friends like setting them on fire with a well aimed molotov ;)

Even better than playing online with strangers, is to go to Gamerbase and play it with the OH.

They have headsets, so we can combine our favourite activities of shouting at each other and shooting zombies simulataneously!

Mocha Cupcakes

Well... I ended up making my cupcakes after all. I will refrain from taking a picture of the mess that has ensued from their production, the kitchen is a proverbial bombsite.

First Post

First things first eh? Let's get down to the name for my blog, "Missy Magpie". I've a bit of an obsession with the little beasts, and share some of their more undesirable personality traits - such as thievery (most of the photos on this blog shall not be my own, as I lack in both a decent camera and discernible talent), and inane chatter.
Here is a prime photographic example of one of the cheeky critters, who I can't help but find endearing despite their habit of unrelenting chit-chat outside my window at 4am.


A mixture of magpies, car alarms, insane heat and church bells all suceeded in waking me up at a ridiculous hour this morning. Combined with staying up to a ridiculous hour last night, I'm not altogether on this planet today. Plans for baking Mocha-cupcakes have went out the window, and I am reduced to slumping at my computer chair shooting zombies in Left 4 Dead.

Ah well, it's a Sunday, they aren't mean't to be productive (which is my excuse, and I'm sticking with it!)