It's about time!

Champagne? Excitement? What's that all about?

Well, after months of mooching off The Limey, knitting and reading trashy romance novels, I have finally re-entered the world of working for a living.

Remember when I said it was good that we aimed for a lifestyle supportable on one salary, 'cause that meant I had time to look for my next job? Well, thank the gods, because it certainly took time.

But, it's all worked out. I'm back in lab, and the project's interesting. It's a much more commercially oriented company than my last, and it's the kind of position where, if I do my job well, I can actually go into a store, pick up and buy the products of my work.

But here's the best part. The company is based just south of Oxford. Like my last job, they're in a vast commercial and industrial estate in the middle of nowhere, roughly the same distance from the nearest train station as the last place. But, unlike my last job, they have a shuttle bus going between the estate and the train station! Amazing! Astounding! I can hardly believe it. I swear it's the best part of this whole thing. We live a five minute walk from Oxford station, and the train ride's only 15 minutes. I started work last week, and I can take the 8:21 train from Oxford, and be at my desk less than half an hour later. After that nightmare Southampton commute, this is almost unbelievable for me.

This is all great, and both The Limey and I are really happy. But, you know, we got used to having one of us at home during the day. I was at home to accept packages, I could get all manner of errands done, I was around during business hours, so could get to the bank, the rental agents, etc., as needed. Best of all, I could buy fresh food every couple of days, depending on what we felt like eating and what was available and looked good. I hate having to go back to doing one big shop at the weekends, and I suspect we'll be doing more supermarket shopping now, too, because there just won't be time to go 'round all the local shops and suppliers.

On the plus side, now there's extra money for getting a veg box delivery and hiring a cleaner!

Aren't they pretty?

All those pretty candy colours...the unmistakable crimped edges...but before your mouth really starts to water, you may wonder what they actually are.

Is that...? Yes, cut up chicken meat, ground up chicken carcasses, flavoured with a little taurine and some other vitamins and minerals. Raw.


I've mentioned before that I've gone quite a way along the Crazy Cat Lady road, and feed the cat a raw, species-appropriate diet. (Lots of information on it here.) I've been feeding her this diet for 2-1/2 years now, and she's doing really well on it. No bladder crystals, shiny coat, good overall health, and looks nowhere near her 12-1/2 years of age.

Since this stuff is raw chicken, I freeze the food and defrost as needed. But I don't like the defrosted stuff to sit around for any longer than absolutely necessary, so I freeze in single-meal portions. Each batch I make is close to 40 portions of 1/4 cup each, so tupperware was expensive and would take up too much freezer space. I used small freezer bags, but couldn't get over how wasteful it was. So I'd been looking for a better solution.

I hit the jackpot when I discovered the existence of silicone cupcake liners. Who knew? But they're perfect. They fit just enough for one meal, they're easy to clean. I put the filled liners in a layer, cover with plastic wrap, and then put more layers on until I'm done. Genius.

And I get a total kick from the juxtaposition of the cute, pretty cupcake holders holding such gross stuff.