Melbourne

Miss R and I went to Melbourne early in Feb just for an overnighter. It was her birthday surprise.....we also had tickets to see Mary Poppins. I'm not a huge fan of the movie, but Miss R has seen it repeatedly, so I thought she'd be ecstatic about it, but her whole reaction was very low key. I think she was fighting the disappointment of NOT getting an iPhone. (Hint: Miss R will get an iPhone when SHE can afford to buy one.)

Anyway, we were on an early flight out on Sun am - which coincided with Chinese New Year - and a late flight back on Mon. We actually had a great time (I was a little worried that we'd be snapping at each other....she is a TEENAGER after all....and we all know how moody THEY are!) and I cannot rave enough about Mary Poppins. It was absolutely brilliant and I loved every minute of it. I'll definitely be seeing it again if it ever gets to Adelaide.

We also checked out the ACMI exhibition on Disney films and did some shopping. Miss R had plenty of birthday money to spend, and spend she did! I had to laugh though - the 80's is definitely being revisited. Everything she picked up, I thought was terrible (the first time around!!) and she turned her nose up at everything I suggested. She LOVES anything sparkly, glittery or with shoe string straps.....not always that practical for winter! (The words "pole" and "dancer" also spring to mind.)  Her best - and most expensive - buy came from Sportsgirl....a pair of black pants that make me sing "can't touch this" every time she wears them....which has been a LOT. So regardless of what I may think, they've been value for money on a cost-per-wear basis.

But there was just a couple of things that really annoyed me about Melbourne though.......does nobody understand the whole 'keep to the left' rule on footpaths???? I was constantly dodging people walking straight towards me....didn't seem to matter where I was walking, they were too.  And why are cyclists allowed to ride on footpaths??? Bad enough dodging the pedestrians without throwing a cyclist into the mix!

Making Soap

For some strange reason, I've had it in my head that I want to try my hand at soap making. I'd looked at a few blogs that had done so, and the whole caustic soda bit put me right off. But then I read that home made soap contains less harsh chemicals, and I've noticed that my hands and legs seem to be getting drier and drier, so over the past few weeks I've been putting together my "soap making kit". And last night I gave it a go, and it was much, much easier than I imagined.

 It now has to cure for another few weeks, otherwise it will be too soft and won't last very long.

I used these blogs for inspiration, but I know I did a few things wrong (not drastically wrong, but I'll know for next time).

• I think I over-mixed it, as it was too thick to pour.
• I should have banged the air bubbles out.
• I should have had all my ingredients ready to go at the start as it was a pain to try and open containers with rubber gloves on.
• I think I've cut the blocks too big.

I don't think soap making is going to become a regular event, but I'll definitely have another go. Next time I'm going to add some oatmeal (is this the same as oatbran????) for a bit of a loofah effect.

You can tell I'm back at Work

7 posts in January and none in February.