Posts

Sparse Spoons

Image
  So it would seem my spoons are sparse at the moment. Rather than feel guilty and keep posting "maybe next week", I am taking a conscious break. Hopefully, I will be back in a few weeks with a recharged brain and a good supply of spoons. Til then, hope you all stay well. TTFN my lovelies. 💙

Mermaid Gaming: Nerdy Visit

Image
Work appears to have eaten all my writing spoons this week. So, here are some pics of our Nerdy session this week. Photosynthesis Fluxx Munchkin Munchkin was definitely my favourite game this session. Drawing the floating nose monster card made me giggle like a child. It is likely I shall be acquiring a copy of this at some point! Nerdy is a board gae cafe in Shrewsbury and it deserves all the love. If you're looking for something different to do in Shrewsbury, I cannot recommend them enough. Recommend booking though - gets verry busy! I was with my good friends from the North Shropshire Board Game Group , we play regularly online on Thursday with BGA too.

Mermaid Kitchen: Vegan Cheese Wheel

Image
A few posts ago, I detailed a few things I wanted to get done this year. One of which being, make that weird vegan cheese thing my mum makes . It's this delicious, spreadable cheese-like, urm, thing. I have no idea where she got this recipe from, I have only ever seen hand written versions but my god do I love it! Every party buffet, it is on the table and I swear I eat about three-quarters of it. It cannot be helped, it's just too tasty. Ever since I first tried it, I have been threatening to get the recipe and have a go at it myself. To the point where I did take the recipe a couple times, only for it to get lost in the void that is life. It may have taken years, but I have finally managed to take note of the recipe, buy the ingredients, and actually make it. I think I over cooked the first batch, which clearly means it was high time to make it again And share my mishaps here, too. It's been an age since we were last in the Mermaid Kitchen! Ingredients 75g cashews 4 tbs

Mermaid Top Five Board Games

Image
  Growing up, I have always enjoyed board games. In recent years, this has evolved from the occasional game of Monopoly on a Sunday to full on girly game days and regular game nights with more complex beasts. From Carcassonne to Stone Age to Seasons, I have a great long list of games that I adore. My own collection is ever growing too, all those kickstarters I backed are starting to arrive! So today, you get my top five board games because I am always willing to share this love. But Emily, you've written this before! True, but these lists evolve as more games are released, discovered, and appreciated. 5. Anomia   Anomia is snap meets word recall meets shape recognition. Each player takes it in turn to draw a card from the deck and place it in front of them. The cards feature a category, such as Jam Flavours , and a symbol, like a cross or a diamond. An easy to recognise and distinct shape. This is because, if the shape on your card matches another on the table, you and the other p

Bruce and Chum's Marine Creature of the Month ~January 2022~

Image
It's time to see who my plushie sharks have befriended on their travels! Name: Fried Egg Jellyfish ( Cotylorhiza tuberculata ) Location: Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Agean seas Habitat: Deep basins and open waters Diet: Gelatinous zooplankton and smaller jellyfish Conservation Status: Not extinct (NE)  Bruce thinks... I wonder what it would be like with brown sauce... Chum thinks... What amazing colours! I wish I was that colourful. Ten Jelriffic Facts The Fried Egg Jellyfish is named for its distinctive bell that heavily resembles an egg! Alternatively, they are called Egg-Yolk Jellies. They use their numerous club-like appendages to trap their dinner, largely gelatinous zooplankton. Whilst Fried Egg Jellyfish can actively swim, they prefer to spend their time motionless. (Anyone else relating?) The bell top to this jelly can reach up to 35cm in diameter. Disney, get your notebooks out, sometimes small aquatic creatures will hitch a ride on top of or inside the Fried Egg Jelly'

Ow. Ow. Ow.

Image
  I have taken the plunge and joined the gym. At university, I really enjoyed going as it gave me a dedicated two/three times a week where I did not have to think about assignments. Much needed respite in all. And it meant I could eat take-out pizza guilt-free. I convinced myself I was "calorie neutral". (I am well aware I was not, but I was 18 with a great metabolism.) My goal this time is to exercise for my mental health. Two/three times a week where I am just working on me. Getting healthier, feeling stronger, and reaping any benefits that may sow. I am even aiming to cycle to and from the gym - it's not far and can only help benefit. However, if I do drive, I will not beat myself up about it. Sometimes I will need to, because that's just how life is. So far I have been twice since I signed up last weekend, both on my designated gym days. Woot woot. The first session I mostly hogged the crosstrainer as it was the only machine I remembered how to use! Still, it felt

Mermaid Music: Steampunk

Image
  A genre I have recently got into is steampunk. It is as epic as it sounds. Jazzy music with a modern twist, with an electic mix of genres and styles. My go-to playlist is Steampunk Radio on Spotify, there are ome absolute bangers on there. So, I thought I'd share my favourites. Fighting Trousers - Professor Elemental Steampunk seems to go from electro swing all the way to gentlemen rap - which I did not even know was a thing until I heard Fighting Trousers. It is delightfully absurd and I want a pair of my own fighting trousers. They better be comfy.  Tangled Up (Lokee Remix) - Caro Emerald Caro Emerald is a spicy lady. She has a great voice for the jazzy style she sings. Tangled Up is great for its beat, but is elevated by the line " Treating girls like a yo-yo is a no no of monumental kind". Monumental ... yo-yo ... no no , all awesome words to include in a song. But they are all in the same line! So cool. Booty Swing - Parov Stelar I couldn't make a list based o

New Year, Same Me: Things to Do in 2022

Image
I am not a "New Years Resolution" person. In my teen years and early twenties, I would make them and fail miserably by about the third week of January. As is the grand tradition. I am also not a fan of "New Year, New Me", because the change from one calendar year to the next does not make a profound difference on my physiology or mentality. Why would it? Instead of setting myself difficult and unquantifiable tasks that ultimately lead to failure, I like to set goals for the year. Things I'd like to do. Things that if I don't immediately start doing them January first it doesn't matter. Things that I can track in my bujo and keep up to date with my progress. Quantifiable and realistic things. That's what I shall be waffling about today - with a nice scattering of pics from my bujo. Find an exercise I like. Now this is one I have been banging on about for quite some time. But after an episode triggered by not fitting nicely into any of my dresses, it&#

Merry Christmas!

Image
Hah - tricked you! You thought you only had 24 days of me, but nope! Surprise! I would just like to say:   I hope today is as magical and wonderful as you well want. Here’s to 2022 - it can’t get much worse than the start of this decade, right? Or are these famous last words? Regardless, enjoy the festive season. This landlocked mermaid sends her love and wishes you a very happy new year. I will finally be quiet now. Going to enjoy the season, too! Posts will resume from Jan 9th. Til then, have a wonderful time.