Good Clean Fun!

Yes, I have reasons to be cheerful! Isn't that nice?

#1 Soap making - I have finally, finally, since my course in November or whenever it was, got together all the equipment I need to make my first attempt at soap. It is not much of an exaggeration to say, I can't wait! I have a new cheap saucepan expressly for the purpose; also roasting tray, spoon, sugar thermometers (you have NO idea how difficult they were to get hold of; it seems like every homewares shop in Australia has an empty rack of them), measuring jug, caustic soda and even the olive oil I will need.

Once you've boiled up the soap, it has to set for SIX WEEKS until it is ready to use. It will be pure castille soap (dunno what that means but it sounds good, eh), but you can then boil it again with other ingredients to make all kinds of scented, luxurious soaps.

Can you imagine? Making saop from olive oil and nothing else except caustic soda? I am so excited to finally play the mad alchemist, I could burst! I've got Sunday circled on the calendar, so fingers crossed it all goes well.

#2 - Jamming with musos - I have, again FINALLY, found some muso types to jam with. I answered an ad on the internet from two guitarists who were looking for string players to play with, and went along last night to try it out. I've never done anything like that before - playing my violin has always involved someone putting sheet music in front of me, so it was daunting to be expected to just take my instrument out of its case and play it. I didn't set the world on fire or anything, but I surprised myself by not being too awful. There was another violinist there and she was better than me, but then she's had a bit more experience of that kind of thing.

The two guitarists wrote all their own songs, which was quite impressive. It was mostly that dirgy, snooze-inducing folk stuff that has about one chord and 300 verses, but in a way that was good because it was easier for me to try and play along to.

So anyway, quite soon I'll probably be a really famous musician and I won't have time to write here any more.