not really very here exactly

[zabbet]

EPiC, 28/2/26

OH GOD. I am so thrilled about it, every moment and atom of it, every colour, I'm going to see it again this week. It made me want to scream and clap and it's just so gorgeous, and I can't believe the advertising for it is black, when the whole GLORY of it is the colour, and the richness, and how fucking amazing it is. How beautiful he is. Purely beautiful. Ridiculous. Seeing how happy he was, the rehearsing, singing yesterday better than it's ever been sung, the glasses, the joy just in singing. the fact that he smiles and the whole world smiles back and it's not good for anyone but it's overwhelming. THE FUCKING KISSING. WHAT THE FUCK ELVIS. Like yeah. He should definitely have been protected from that, but the sheer insane joy he was dishing out, I was gone. the woman who he kissed who then just turned and fell into her boyfriend's arms. I love every outfit, I love the countryness of it, and that people didn't get it, and Vegas is painted as this awfulness for him mainly because of bad hair and country outfits, but some ways it's just everything boiled down to the bit he likes, the way he actually yearned for it, how much better than the awful films, how sad when he talks about the awful films. How sad when he talks about anything he wanted and just wasn't allowed, but he was allowed Vegas, and there was too much of it and I'm sure a lot of it was awful, but the music was incredible, and seeing him inside it, loving it, raising it up, feeling God in it, reminded me so much of Dolly Parton. When he said they couldn't come down from it and would stay up till dawn just playing on the roof. What a shame his hair was for a while there.

[zabbet]

!!!!!!!!!! I love that in the entire mixed snowboard cross competition the men's main purpose was 'not fall down', and the women's side was 'FIGHT TO DEATH'. the commentators tried to be polite about it, "not to take anything away from the men in the final here... but it does feel like they're all there to support their better halves". Loved the semi final where the british commentators were all 'she really doesn't need to push here' and 'the last thing she wants is to risk a bump or a push here' because Charlotte Bankes was comfortably in second place and therefore through to the final, but she was Not Listening, she was racing to the death because racing feels so good, very hard to be behind, easier just to catch them up and slide on by. It felt as if she was simply BETTER AT GRAVITY than other people, as if they don't really connect to the earth. excellent brilliant event, best event, first time we won anything on snow, very happiness.

[zabbet]

17/2/26

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the american monobob design made me laugh for twenty minutes.

it's just so cheerleader, it looks like a school project, you're an olympic athlete and someone in your team has gone mad with stickers and glitter all over the elite olympic equipment. it's brilliant I know. it's genuinely cheering. but as a british person I was just gone.

the british monobob was rubbish in a very british way, where it was black and they'd halfheartedly pasted a flag and a lion on the top. Not even trying. Everyone who painted it their proper colour and put a go faster stripe on it did better. It's not that hard. (I love that in the monobob everyone gets given the same bob. I love that the germans are still leading the field even though everyone assures us constantly that germans only win sliding because of the engineering.)

[zabbet]

Esthwaite water, 15/2/26

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WRESTLING, by Janet Moss, 14/2/26

caught this exhibition at grizedale today, celebrating Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling which you see at all the local shows in the summer. I loved it. As well as the paintings of Janet Moss, there was a great exhibition of photos from shows, and of the traditionally embroidered vests and pants. But for me the best part was a whole wall of these fantastic paintings, with great colour, it looks animal and it looks robotic, but also like dance and it looks alien and very human. (I really appreciate grizedale putting on so many small local exhibitions, we often see really good stuff there, and it's all free and brilliantly presented in just a small space.)

(artist website)

[wychelm]

the German with the mullet and moustache is so hot what the hell

[zabbet]

just the very best moment! all his embarrassed smiles to camera - here I am, sitting in the winner's chair, absolutely not going to win, don't worry, I know I'm not going to win, I know a whole stream of people are waiting to take my chair, all they have to do is not fall down, ha ha ha, you're all waiting for your golden haired boy to come and not fall down and have a golden medal that you all think he deserves, smiling and waving, don't worry about me, I'm fine with my NO PRIZES, I mean my bronze medal, I mean my SILVER MEDAL, I mean.... he ended up 8th???? 8th???? OH GOD, that's mad, that means.... I think... does that mean... OH.

[zabbet]

13/2/26

[roxyandelsewhere]

[bravely] women in tv and movies should also have hairy armpits more often because it would be hot if they did

[zabbet]

Nutty Chicken Stir Fry

It's so good but obviously it's good, it's peanut butter and soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil, which you could leave out if you don't have it, but if you bought it and added it you'd be happier about your entire life. The recipe cooks the chicken from raw, but it's great for leftover chicken (or turkey) - just stir in cooked meat after all the veg have fried up.

I always have this with quinoa, which I cook in the oven*, and stir through at the end to turn it into one lovely deliciousness in a bowl and I can't recommend that highly enough, it's perfect edible happiness. I use a whole red pepper and a whole yellow pepper, and real onions. I also up the chicken stock a bit or I find it gets too dry. I obviously don't 'remove chicken from the pan' just to add it back in again, I don't understand why people keep writing that down. But generally all the flavours are perfect and this is one of those things that you make and then the next day you wonder if it's too soon to have it again, and then you NOBLY wait at least 3 days and make it again, aware that peanut butter isn't probably supposedly good for you, but it feels like it might be good for you, and quinoa is definitely good for you, so it's basically health food and it's fine to have it two or three times a week probably.

* 1 small cup quinoa, 2 small cups water, knob of butter, salt - bring to a boil in an oven proof pan - soon as it's boiling give it a stir, put the lid on and move to oven (gas 4/180c/160fan) and leave for 20 minutes - if it's really not done put it back in for another 5 minutes - if it's pretty much or nearly done, take it out and leave the lid on and let it stand for 5-10 mins, and it'll finish cooking in its own heat. This is also a recipe for perfect white rice, although that will cook on a much lower heat, gas 1 or 2 (but will also cook on gas 4 if that's what the rest of your stuff is cooking on).

[zabbet]

Buttermere, 12/2/26

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Black Beck, 8/2/26

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6/2/26

[zabbet]

A little bit of wholemeal, some raisins and cheese I'll eat the plants and the fruit from the trees And I'll live on vegetables and I'll grow on seeds But I won't eat animals and they won't eat me

Melanie Safka