Happy Easter!

Easter is rapidly approaching as you can see by
- the stuff MiniMojcek Nr.1 makes in the kindergarden:


- the traditional "butarca" sold at the local market:


- the smell coming from the kitchen.


For the first time in my life, I decided to make a traditional Slovenian Easter dish: potica. I got the recipe from my cousin Katarina, who got it from her mother, who... Anyway, it's not picture perfect as I didn't have the suitable baking tin but good enough for the first try, I'd say!


Happy holidays!

Buggy shade

Glorious days outside, perfect for long walks with MiniMojcek Nr.2. Of course he needs to be protected from the sun and since I do not want to use sunscreen on his gentle skin just yet, I am making a shade.

I got some white cotton and dyed it to match the colour of the buggy.


It's not an easy colour to match - I experimented a bit, mixing the Light Green and Lemon Batik dyes from Deka.


The instructions say to dye the fabric for 15-30 minutes... The sample on the left that matches best was dyed for about 2 seconds! Of course I didn't have time to photograph the process, but I'm quite happy with the finished result.


It's not exactly the same colour but close enough. And fresh. And springy :-)


The shade in action!

Pirate - musketeer

To finish continue the costume saga - I'm summarising the pirate and musketeer accessories into one photograph. This one:


From left to right you can see
- a (bought) musketeer hat that sometimes serves as Zorro hat,
- a rapier simply made by rolling a piece of paper and adding a circle for the hilt (I admit, I had to look this word up),
- a golden sabre that already has toothmarks on it because that's the way Buck carries it in the Ice Age,
- a scabbard (another word I had to look up) made from blue fleece and an elastic band,
- an eye patch,
- a hook made from a plastic bottle, cardboard an white duct tape,
- a pirate paper hat, covered in black and white duct tape.

MacGyver would be proud :-)

... and Wave Goodbye

Wave Goodbye to my old pair of pairs of shoes!
If you know me, you must know my old Tevas. I have two pairs and have worn them since... 1997? simply because these are THE most comfortable, useful, multi-purpose, April-October shoes. They are literally falling apart but I'm not throwing them away just yet as the new ones aren't as perfect as the old ones were.


These shoes have been on five continents, I've walked in them in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean, Yellow and Red, Dead and Med Sea and probably some more I cannot even name, crossed several rivers and lakes, climbed mountains, walked on the snow and in the deserts. I wish I knew how many thousands of kilometers I've walked in them, but there surely were quite a lot.

And you can imagine my surprise when I found a VERY similar pair of shoes in a museum in a remote village in the middle of High Atlas mountains in Morocco:


I should add that when I was in Morocco, mine were exactly the same colour as these ones in the museum. I have, however, washed mine recently. Anwyay, it will be strange to have a different sun-tan pattern on my feet after fourteen years...

Say Hello ...

Say Hello to my new pair of pairs of shoes!
I bought new Teva Kayenta Leather shoes:

(Photo taken from the official Teva.co.uk site)

In brown.


And in black.


Is it just me or do they really look like a spider - they even have eight legs!


Let's just hope that the hand of Teva will protect me from the evil spirit like just as effectively as the hand of Fatima.

More Agatha

30. DEATH ON THE NILE (Poirot)
Poirot books a cruise on the river Nile and meets an interesting bunch of people. Most noticeably the rich Linnet Doyle, her husband Simon and his ex. While enjoying the trip (see photo, taken a couple of years ago in Luxor), a murder occurs. And another. And another. And another. And another... Too many spoilers? Well, sorry :-) I did have troubles reading this book as I already knew the ending too well. A great book nevertheless.


Memorable quotes:
-"I know I'm mad, darling, but I can't help it. Marriage will cure me, I expect. It always seems to have a very sobering effect on people."
-"There's no reason why women shouldn't behave like rational beings (...) -Quite frequently they do. That is even more upsetting!"
-"Yes, I like that - loyalty, I mean. It's out of fashion nowadays."
-"He wants things just as a child wants them - you know - terribly."

Favourite Guest Character: Mr. Ferguson
Mystery: ****
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
11/15


29. ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE (Poirot)
What happens if Poirot goes to the dentist? The dentist is found dead as is one of his patients. Was it an accident, a suicide, a murder? Was he the target or was the actual target the famous banker, Alistair Blunt? In this story Poirot is not concerned with nations but with the lives of private individuals. And admiring a lady's foot gives the clue to the final solution.

Memorable quotes:
-"Relations don't know everything. You'd be surprised sometimes, the things they don't know."
-"You know, these fellows who want to take on the management of the world - what sort of an efficient business do they think they could make of it, when they can't even devise an effectual bomb?"
-"The gap between theory and practice is a wide one."
-"Don't you ever want to try anything new? - Not unless it's an improvement on the old, my dear."

Favourite Guest Character: Hm, probably Alistair Blunt
Mystery: **
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: **
8/15


28. CURTAIN: POIROT'S LAST CASE (Poirot)
Poirot meets his Moriarty! This story is narrated by Hastings who worries more about his daughter's well being than the murder that is about to happen. The essential is invisible to Hastings' eyes but luckily there's Poirot who - albeit crippled - can still use his brains. He knows that something will happen at Styles, but does not know how, when, or who will be the victim. A sad sad story with a surprising, almost disturbing ending. When I finished reading I just sat there... and couldn't believe what I read. Poirot shall not hunt again.

Memorable quotes:
-"There comes a moment when hair dye is only too painfully obvious."
-"Some day she will know how wise old men are."
-"It was all, at any rate, double Dutch to me, and I aroused Judith's contempt by asking what good all this was likely to do to mankind? There is no question that annoys your true scientist more."
-"One swallow does not make a summer. But one murderer, Hastings, does make a murder."
-"People are too afraid of responsibility."
-"Two people who have suffered unhappiness have a great bond in common."

Favourite Guest Character: Judith
Mystery: ****
Final Solution: *****
Entertainment: **
11/15