Top.Mail.Ru
? ?
Sauntering Vaguely Downward [entries|archive|friends|userinfo]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat

Serious Business | Flickr
Bounty Information | Wanted Dead or Alive: Mad Scientess Nanila
Deeds of Derring-Do | Full of Wild Inaccuracies and Exaggerations

The Friday Five [20260612|16:50]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , , , ]

  1. What is a place you have visited, or want to visit, that starts with D?

    I have been to Denmark. Copenhagen, specifically, with the bloke. It was a work trip for him and a jolly for me, before the kids. I brought the dSLR and had a wonderful time exploring the city (https://nanila.dreamwidth.org/tag/copenhagen).

    I have also been to Dubai. Well, just the airport to transit through to India or Africa. But honestly, that was enough to assure me that that was the maximum amount of time I ever wanted to spend there. It's not my kind of place.

  2. What is a food that you like, or don't like, that starts with R?

    A lot of foods I like start with the letter R: rice, ramen, risotto, roasties, ravioli, raspberries. I don't know how to prepare risotto or ravioli myself, so they're a real treat on the rare occasions when I go out to eat. The others, we prepare and eat regularly. (He makes the best roasties.)

  3. Own anything that starts with the letter M?

    Makeup and masks. I had to think for a little while about this, and I might not have remembered the masks if this year's departmental ball had not been masquerade-themed.

  4. Know anyone whose name (first, middle, or last) that starts with N?

    Yes. Er, that's all I have. This question was rather less evocative of an interesting reflection than the others for me, sorry.

  5. Favourite movie, book, TV show, or song whose title starts with T?

    Oh goody. This lets me talk about Tom Yum Goong, one of Tony Jaa's films. I wrote a long loony fangirl post about Tony Jaa 16 years ago (https://nanila.dreamwidth.org/777069.html). He's an actor and an athlete, expert in multiple forms of martial arts and parkour. He's also 5’6”, which makes scenes like this one where he kicks the light out of a lamppost all the more impressive.


    (Tony Jaa kicks the light out of a lamp-post, YouTube, 00:14)

    I hope it's clear from this that you don't watch these films for their plots, which contain heavy-handed morals and require a level of suspension of disbelief that can only be achieved through the consumption of large quantities of popcorn. You watch them for the stunning scenery and the eye-popping action.

linkpKa 6.0|titrate

Peak breakfast pot [20260604|10:11]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , ]

I’ve been making overnight oats in jars for the bloke and me since the start of the year, and have experimented with varying ingredients and quantities. I think I’ve finally found the balance I like best, so I’ve carefully documented this below in case I ever stop making them regularly.

  1. Base layer is 3 medium-sized strawberries, chopped into 1cm pieces. For the bloke, 4 tablespoons of oats, for me, 3 tablespoons.

  2. Shake the jar to mix oats and strawberries. This is especially important if using the jumbo oats (as shown here), otherwise I end up adding too much milk.

  3. Add milk to just below the top layer of oats. For him, whole milk, for me, oat milk.
    20260531_110730

  4. Add full-fat Greek yoghurt. For him, 3 heaping tablespoons, for me, 2. This helps to moisten the top layer of oats, and also gives a smooth layer between the oats and the crunchy bits at the top.

  5. Add Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Sunflower, Pumpkin & Chia Seeds & Goji Berries. Two teaspoons for both of us. I used chia seeds on their own for a while, but I found that I didn’t much care for their crunchy texture and tendency to get stuck in my teeth even after soaking them briefly in water to activate their mucilaginous properties. This mixture is much nicer.
    20260531_111059

  6. Add 3-4 teaspoons of pomegranate seeds. These have the right balance of juice and crunch after the yoghurt layer.
    20260531_111233

  7. Finish with granola. I prefer the stuff that has freeze-dried strawberries mixed in. For him, 2 tablespoons, for me, one.

  8. Put lids on jars, store in fridge until morning. I find these fill me up sufficiently that I’m rarely hungry before lunch, although I often eat a banana around coffee time just to give myself a little boost.
    20260531_111425
linkpKa 8.0|titrate

1SE for May 2026 [20260531|14:25]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , , , , , ]



I seem to have been a little obsessed with the flowers in our garden this month, which have been blooming spectacularly. Our bank holiday weekend in Norfolk comes out rather well, too, thanks to the weather!
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

The Friday Five [20260529|17:37]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , ]

  1. In an average week, how many nights do you eat home-cooked dinners?

    7 out of 7, unless I’m on travel. We rarely eat in restaurants, not least because it’s fiendishly expensive for four people compared to preparing our own food.

  2. Do you plan your meals out in advance, or just wing it?

    Usually there is a loose plan at the start of the week, because we have to plan for nights the children have activities (most weeknights) and / or when one of the adults will not be there.

  3. How many nights per week do you eat out or order food delivered?

    If you average it over a month, 0.25 nights per week for eating out, 0 nights per week for food delivery. We live in a rural area so very few places deliver to us. Also, only one of our children likes Indian or Chinese takeaway; the other one won’t touch it, so it feels pretty pointless when you’re still going to end up preparing at least one meal.

  4. Do you keep a stock of nonperishable foods from which you could whip up a meal or two if you needed to?

    Oh yes. We have all the pasta shapes and all the tinned goods.

  5. Have you ever tried preparing meals for the week all at once, say, on the weekend?

    See the pinned post at the top of my journal. I don’t do this every week, but when I know the bloke is going to be away, all the meals get slow-cooked the weekend prior.

    My slow cooker is hands-down my favourite electrically powered kitchen device*, followed closely by the KitchenAid stand mixer and now the Ninja Creami.


* Kettle, toaster and microwave excluded from this hierarchy as their presence is not contingent upon whether or not I like them.

[I have not been around here much. I apologise. I have been disinclined to write since Comet's death, but I'm starting to come out the other side of that period of silent grieving now.]
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

The Friday Five on a Saturday [20260502|17:21]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , ]

  1. Do you like to spend time outdoors?

    Yes! I like walking, hiking and swimming outside. I don’t get to do any of those things often enough, but when I do, they make me very happy.

  2. What is your favorite flower?

    Whichever ones are currently in bloom. Right now it’s the tulips, and an iris just opened so for a few days it will be them as they're ephemeral. The roses are getting ready to go as well, and all of our rose bushes are bursting with buds this year which is nice to see.

  3. Any favourite warm weather activities?

    Gardening for hours, and then sitting on the lawn afterward with a refreshing cold beverage, admiring my handiwork and planning what to do next.

  4. Have you ever kept a garden? If so, what did you grow?

    Yes! I’m not really the architect of our garden. The layout is all the bloke’s handiwork. I like weeding, trimming, and helping out the flowering plants and veg he chooses.

  5. Do you know how to swim?

    Yes, but not particularly well. I do wish I’d had proper swimming lessons as a child. Both my children swim very well because of their lessons, and Humuhumu has done lifesaving courses too.
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

1SE for April 2026 [20260501|15:28]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , , , , , , , , ]



This month features Trieste, Venice, Durham, and ice cream, as well as the usual dosages of children and cats.

On another note, I have just sent an e-mail to the wrong person with the same name *three* times. I think I need to step away from the keyboard for a bit.
linkpKa 4.0|titrate

The Friday Five on a Sunday [20260412|17:30]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , , , ]

  1. What was the last book you read (or are currently reading)?

    Jan Morris’ Trieste and the meaning of nowhere, for what I feel are obvious reasons. It is a very romantic, forgiving view of the city.

  2. What was the last movie you watched?

    We caught a bit of the Minions movie dubbed into Italian last night. It was (perhaps unsurprisingly?) easy to follow in another language.

  3. What television series are you currently watching?

    Nothing at the moment. We finished a few things before the Easter holiday (new series of Death in Paradise, Small Prophets).

  4. What are some of your favorite blogs or communities online?

    I really only read DW and LJ these days. That's enough for me.

  5. What social media do you belong to and check often?

    I still have accounts on the usual platforms but I haven't checked any of them since January 2025 when I removed all the apps from my phone. I vaguely miss contact with a few people but it has generally been a good move. I spend more time communicating directly through messaging or email, or more diffusely but in greater depth here on DW & LJ.
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

Day 2: Risiera di San Sabba and walking through Trieste [20260411|16:03]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , ]

After breakfast, we got on the bus to the museum at San Sabba, the rice factory that served as a concentration camp in WWII. As expected, it was quite harrowing, especially walking into the middle square where the Nazis had torched the crematorium before fleeing. The hole where the chimney had been ripped out has a small plaque and flower vase in front of it. I am not at all superstitious. However, the feeling you get walking in from the entrance is one of tremendously bad juju. The dank cells with the wooden doors and too-small bunks may be the only physical remains of the instruments of torment, but the walls are permeated with it. We did not take any photos. We read through all the exhibition materials in the museum. Keiki insisted we leave a donation to ensure all is preserved so no one forgets.

Our bus ride back to town was quiet, and at the end of the journey we walked to a gelateria. Everyone practiced ordering in Italian. We must have done reasonably well as the server smiled at us a great deal and our single scoop cones wobbled under the weight of gelato piled in.

Much of the rest of the day was spent walking, punctuated by stops for refreshments and a bit of shopping. We visited the Cattedrale di San Giusto Martire (photos in a separate post), and we watched the sunset from the harbour’s edge.

20260409_150038

Random garden with large wisteria vines in full flower.

20260409_150328

The drive leading up to the castle.

20260409_150514

WWI monument.

20260409_183432

Aperol, crisps and beer. Very acceptable.

20260409_193900

Triestian sunset.
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

Grotta Gigante [20260409|13:35]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , , , , , , ]

One of the Trieste trip activities selected by Keiki was the Grotta Gigante. Accordingly we booked timed entry tickets, and headed out on the bus on Day 2.

20260408_112129

Spoiler alert: It is a gigantic cave. You have to descend 500 damp, steep, slippery steps bounded by damp, slippery metal handrails. As a person with acrophobia, I should have realised beforehand that this was going to test me, but somehow I managed to completely miss that despite it the access parameters being pretty clearly stated on the web site. I am quite proud that through much deep breathing and tight management of the pointing direction of my vision, I was able to cope with the descent and appreciate the visit.

( Many cave photosCollapse )

THE END.
linkpKa 12.0|titrate

Some photos from Day 1 in Trieste [20260408|14:43]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
[Tags|, , , ]

20260407_104020

Keiki and his espresso.

( +4 photosCollapse )
linkpKa 6.0|titrate

navigation
[ viewing | most recent entries ]
[ go | earlier ]