A teensy weensy peek

Two new sketches. Im on quite a bit of a sketch run arent I? Let's see if I can rise to the challenge of a polished final piece. Minus the coffee cup rings and smudged eraser marks.

 

And the winner is....

Natalie!
One signed Khairun original!

The Birdcatcher

A quick watercolour, pen and pencil sketch in my brand spanking new moleskine sketchpad. I will start scanning the images so that I can present them better on the blog. For now however, Im going to have to make do with bad angles and lighting.

Homers long lost cousin from Mexico

Back to doodling again. Im on a mission. The mission is to draw girls with extraodinarily gigantic heads and yellow skin. Funnily enough, my creative fancies are back from their long vacation on the moon. I must have enticed them somewhat with my increased activities in the kitchen. Since I'm eating so much. Had a go at making my very first batch of parathas this weekend.ONE WORD. CLARIFIED BUTTER. HEAVEN......The after effects of having my cooking expert of a friend staying this month has left all my hand towels smeared in turmeric (and for those who know, turmeric stains are absolute hell to take out)the smell of garlic wafting down the streets of our neighbourhood.
I'm getting bigger by the week, and yet I'm still not sure how much of it is food and how much of it is our bubba. Anyhows, I'm feeling good these days. Reorganised my studio again ( for the 10th time). Still want to make sure I have my own space amongst all the preparations for the baby. I'm also planning on doing a wall mural in the nursery. Something verging on earthy and natural. I will reveal my plans very soon!

Have a smashing week people.

Tabla Woman

 

God bless chocolate pancakes

A few days ago i had a conversation with a good friend of mine. After consuming a mountain of vegetable tempura, wonton soup, steamed fish followed by chocolate pancakes and icecream, we sat on our lumpy carpet from Habitat like beached whales and had the kind of chat i have been craving for. I am happy to announce that my brain is still in fully functioning order. Still feels like marmite mush up there, but the marmite mush delivered. I can think! Even after eating, since i'm usually numb from the head down after a meal like that.
I told her about all the annoying 'advice' I keep getting when I haven't asked for it, the tutt-tutting when I eat a slice of chocolate cake and comments like 'Are you sure you should be eating-doing-lifting-drinking-BREATHING that? She listened and understood where I was coming from! Hoorah for friends who have no kids! The most underrated, underestimated species of people ever. I've had too many 'well-intended' comments, advice, looks, stares, mutters from mothers of young children in particular, that I was starting to feel really inadequate. So it was lovely to have a friend who simply listened, gave me her own insights into motherhood without being condescending at all. Best of all, she let me eat chocolate pancake without the slightest hint of a tutt.
To all the mothers out there dishing out advice to mothers to be, particularly first timers like me, go easy on us! Give the advice by all means, but only when its asked for and only when you can clearly see it needs to be given (like if you see a woman 6 months pregnant and scuba diving or something) Share your stories without judgement, and support her unconditionally. Trust that she can do it, just as you did, and even if you didn't, trust her anyway. Don't assume she will go through what you did. If there is anything that fills me with more confidence, it's the feeling that I am being left to do it as best as I see fit. People need to respect that. I have the closest of friends, my family supporting me. If I need help, they'll be my first port of call. Along with the internet too. When I can't sleep. But people I barely know? Mind your own business!

End of rant. Now it's time for a song.
Mr T hated this but I loved it. A lullaby for adults and children alike. Don't listen to this whilst driving.

Me and the melon

Here I am! looking more and more like a mama. I won't know if its a chico or a chica until May. In the meantime, I'll just keep referring to my child as a large fruit. With teeny tiny legs.

Zee Happy Hippooo!!

My best friend's daughter loved running around. She managed to keep herself busy at the Cultural Centre of Belém which was quite a mean feat considering the fact that she's only 5 and didn't have anybody her age to play with for the week that she was here. Missing her overall cuteness. Sickening how kids can have that effect on you.

A view from up high

From the castle of St.Jorge to be precise. This view never fails to blow me away. Don't get anything like this in London that's for sure.

Some baby action going on here!

I felt the melon do a little jiggy this morning. Hoorahhhh!!
Woke up deliciously late on this fine Sunday morning. Ate two huge buttery croissants, washed down with a lovely mug of tea. Mmmmmmmmmm
Off for a walk by the riverside with Mr T. Planning a little photoshoot so I should be back with some rather tasteful pictures of moi plus the melon.

Sorry for the recent absence again. My best friend and her gorgeous little daughter took me away from my blog whilst they came for a short visit. They left last Monday and I'm missing them already. It's one of the downsides of living abroad. Friends and family come and visit when they can, but it never seems long enough, no matter how much they might drive you mad or make untimely comments on your housekeeping skills.(cough cough)So last night, me and the T decided to hook up with Skype. The marvels of technology. I am so behind! Waddling away whilst everyone else is sprinting into the future! I saw my mum and dad on the video cam. The first time since last June! Why hadn't I thought of this before? The first thing my mum wanted to do (in true Bengali-mumsy style) was to check out the T again. I guess it was just to remind herself that I am indeed married and that out there, in the treacherous terrain known as Portugal, there was a rather handsome looking chap by my side protecting me. Just as the T was about to appear on the video I told him to suck it in. All of it. Its a little known fact that when youre pregnant, your partner is prone to mimick the physical changes in your body. Phantom pregnancy.
That's why we BOTH need to go for a walk..

Giveaway update: Once I have it printed I will show a better image of the piece. In the meantime I'm going to enter a few people who I know would love to have this piece, on behalf of them. Just to get a healthy number going!

Back soon with more pictures!

Easter Giveaway

The Tree House

Just to remind you all that there was a time in my life, before pregnancy came along, where I actually put pen to paper and drew something. I did this a while back, and was so pleased at how it came out (always by chance, these things) that I'm going to make prints of it for a future Etsy shop. One day. In the meantime, why not spread the love, and give one of the prints away?

Just leave a toblerone for me. Or send me a message (khairunsmoon@gmail.com) incase you are one of the unfortunate ones having problems commenting on my blog. I am trying to solve it. Closing date will be the end of this month. Thursday the 30th. I will select a name at random.So plenty of time to remind yourself that somewhere, outthere, there is a girl called Khairun who has a blog. And is rubbish at letting everyone know about it.

Good luck!

What in the name of George are those????

That's what my Portuguese friends tell me when they see these jars in my kitchen. Well, along those lines anyway.
I had to label them so that all was alot clearer and that they wouldn't be confused with dying terrariums or a collection of 'dirt' from my travels across the country. (across my street these days. From the sofa. A collection of what's within the crevices of my sofa. Gross.Sorry, train of thought going to strange places now......).
The labels are my friends. A form of spice identification. Back up. Incase putting them in glass jars don't work.
Blue, white and red. Hail Brittania! Or France. Or America... no confusion as to where our spud's roots are, that's for sure. Sorry Mr T, and sorry Mum, but the red and green combo (Bangladesh and Portugal in case you folks didn't know) just seems so garish!

I have also been making a few more granny squares for a baby blanket. Not quite figured out how to watch telly whilst doing them though. Only true masters in the art of crochet can do that. Abit like touch typing. Touch crocheting? I tried it and practically ended up sticking the hook up my nose.



Touch crocheting?? Me?? Your'e havin a laugh mate!

Baby update: Nothing special to be honest. Apart from wanting to eat dinner at 5 or 6. And again abit later with Mr T. I cook like a mad scientist, trying to discover a way to rid the world of disease and poverty. With alot of gusto, in other words. That includes shovelling it down my mouth with not much left for Mr T. Pregnancy can make you evil. Evil and mad.Ever so slightly.
I've just eaten a banana. And a Bounty bar afterwards. Medical research at its best. And I am not just the scientist here but quite clearly, the human guinea pig too.
Goerge knows, what that's gonna do to my digestive system.

Must get back to the crocheting now. And come up with more names to substitute the man upstairs. Ron Almighty.

(erm...I should reassure you that I wouldn't seriously put my body in any kind of danger. I can actually eat healthily. I ate two apples today. And I can sucessfully get off the sofa without taking the sofa with me. You see?!)