Things I like.

I'm wondering if I've over committed somewhat to the blog, with my grand plans of a daily post just to get in the groove.  Still, I'm soldiering on.  Because the blog is mine, and I am the star of it, I thought I'd talk about stuff I like.

OK, here's my list.

Things I like, in descending order according to the amount of space they take up in my head.

1.  Clothes.  I don't care if it makes me sound vacuous, I spend nearly all my time thinking about clothes.  I'm sick of people who think you can't be smart and interesting if you like thinking about clothes.  Up yours, I say.  A good outfit can lift the day from the mundane to the somewhat less mundane.  I'm not afraid to evangelise about this to people either.  My recent discovery that even though I am generous of thigh and buttock, I can still wear a coloured skinny jean is a good example.  Get on board everyone.

2.  Reading.  If I was a more noble creature, this would be up there as number one, but as I said before, honesty is the best policy.  I also have to admit that since having babies I read less improving literature and more, shall we say, light material.  I've also discovered that my recent entry into motherhood has made me too thin skinned for anything disturbing, so I've curtailed my reading to the following genres:

      a)  Historical romance (think Philippa Gregory, Georgette Heyer)
      b)  Detective fiction  (Think Ladies Detective Agency here)
      c)  Fantasy novels  (Currently reading the Game of Thrones trilogy)
      d)  Humorous memoirs (David Sedaris, I'm looking at you).
      e)  Cookbooks (Nigella and Nigel, two of my faves)
      f)   Blogs

Maybe one day I'll get back to Crime and Punishment, but frankly, my addled and sleep-deprived psyche just can't take the pace at the moment.

My husband, despite being equally as befuddled and sleep deprived, makes more of an effort than I with his reading.  This is his latest library selection...

And this is mine...

I don't know what he sees in me really.

3.  Food.  Perhaps I should be even more precise and say, eating.  But no, actually I like cooking too.  I do, however, make a distinction between the fancy pants cooking I used to do before children and the grinding daily chore that is making dinner for a family.  Not the same.  I love to bake cakes, faff about with icing and so forth, but you can't live on cake alone, more's the pity.  I read cooking books all the time (see above), and then make the same old crap night after night.  Sound familiar?

4.  Lying about and/or sleeping.  If you ask me, doing nothing is underrated in this day and age.  It's only now when my days of lazing about are long behind me that I realise their worth, and mourn them.  Oh how I look back on those times and smile.  Halcyon weekends, where I could sleep in til lunchtime, read all day, mooch about, watch the Sunday Afternoon Arty Farty program on the ABC, indulge in a few cheeky wines with M before dinner, and so on and so forth.  Probably once upon a time, I would have said that getting up early was one of my favourite things to do.  I can tell you now, that was foolish talk, and I want to go back in time and take the old me by the shoulders and give her a damn good shaking.  Waking up early - pfft!  I've had more than enough of that over the last 3 years, thanks very much.

5.  TV.  I realise the inclusion of telly on the list is probably a bit controversial.  But that's me, always rocking the boat with my crazy ideas.  I love a good TV program.  Some of my absolutely best memories are watching fantastic TV with people I love.  Some of the highlights of my telly viewing life are:
      a)  The House of Eliott:  (We're two sisters in London, we're in reduced circumstances, we  start a fashion house, we have romantic entanglements)
     b)   Pride and Prejudice:  (I'm one of four sisters in Regency England, we're in reduced circumstances, we have romantic entanglements, some guy gets his shirt wet)
    c)   Little Dorrit:  (I'm one of three children in 1800s London, my father's in prison, we're in reduced circumstances, there's a mystery, I have a romantic entanglement).

You are probably sensing a theme here.

Recent shows I've enjoyed or am currently enjoying include such programs as QI, Gardening Australia, Grand Designs and Downton Abbey.  I would once have expressed a devotion to watching The News and Current Affairs Programs, however please refer to my previous point regarding serious reading as the same principle applies to my tv viewing.

6.  Gardening.  People who know me in person will probably think this is quite amusing since our garden has looked pretty awful for a while, but I do actually genuinely love to get out in the garden.  When I do it.  If I was more organised and energetic I'd be out there all the time.  Here is some photographic evidence of past gardenly achievements.

Our baby vege garden in 2010.

Our baby, with vege garden, in 2010

Some spoils from the garden back then

A cheerful brassica

Give peas a chance

Indoctrinating P into the ways of the garden.  When I was pregnant with B last year some time.

What do you guys like?  Anyone else into chilling out on the couch with a cheeky chardonnay and a spot of 18th century French autobiographical literature, or is it just M?  Anyone with bad taste in reading material, or is it just me?