LornaJane

This weekend I got a chance to try out a recipe I've had my eye on for a while. Its this Spicy Cranberry Chutney which I'm making as christmas presents (home made presents - way nicer and way cheaper!). Here is it in progress, and in the jars when it was finished:



Its very sweet and not very spicy because I (predictably) didn't check I had everything I needed so I had to improvise wildly - and the missing ingredients sadly were the ginger and the pepper. Still, Its very edible and I can see this going with cold turkey very nicely on boxing day. I'm also planning some apple-something (apple jelly perhaps?) since I have a few apples that need something doing with them:

I'm getting quite excited now about the next Leeds Girl Geek Dinner which is next Wednesday (3rd December 2008). Got some cool speakers by the look of it - I know Monica (and she is fab) and from Katie's bio we are in for a treat. Also I have been promised there is more food this time (hot and christmassy food .... yum) so count me in.

I often get asked why we don't allow men at these events - well of course we do. Men can attend but only when they are invited by one of the attending girl geeks (maximum one man each please, ladies!) - meaning we can have men who are likely to contribute to the event but not be invaded if we don't want to be. If you're a guy and looking to go, find a girl geek and ask nicely :)

I'll definitely be at this event - I look forward to seeing some others. I had a great time last time - so go and buy a ticket (cheap night out at £15!) and I'll see you there!

Last weekend saw a crowd descend on central Manchester in the UK for the first PHP North West conference. We had almost 180 attendees, 12 sessions, 16 speakers, and lots of fun. The day itself went off very smoothly and although I didn't manage to see many of the sessions, the atmosphere both at the conference and at the socials was absolutely buzzing. I found myself doing the introductions which was a bit scary but apparently the audience were more scared than me when I laid down the law about not moving around during the talks!

On a personal level, I met up with lots of friends and also made several new ones - one of the best things about the conference for me was being able to meet "in real life" the friends I've made online, either on IRC or through my site or the phpwomen site. There were people there that I've met through my work and through attending other tech events - and to be able to shake hands and chat in person was great.

We also had a phpwomen stand at the event - which generated quite a bit of interest. For the record, we counted around 15 women in the 174 attendees, which is actually quite a lot - or rather, its more than usual - and it was great to see it. Also there were 2 female speakers out of 16 which was accidental but is also quite a good ratio so I'll mention it (hi Steph, hi Zoe!)

All in all, it was a pretty stunning first conference - I'd like to personally thank Jeremy and the people from his family and company that he dragged in to help, and Jenny who also did a great job. The speakers were ace and the helpers on the day were also really excellent. The main sponsors were my employers, Ibuildings and it was great to have them around for this - and of course to catch up with my colleagues!

I'm giving a talk next week in a Beauty Salon. Yes, really :) There is an event entitled "Beauty and the Geek" at Heaven Spa in Didsbury - details on their blog - and the event is on 26th November. It sounds like a fun mix of beauty techniques (mouse-finger massage, anyone?) plus a talk by yours truly ... although I need to a) figure out how to give a talk with no projector and b) live up to my reputation as "influential blogger" - if you're going, then let me know and I'll see you there!

Its been creeping up on us for a while but now PHPNW is almost upon us! PHP people will be arriving from all sorts of places and coming together to attend this event. The schedule is full of excellent talks by a selection of speakers - and we'll round the day off with a lively panel discussion about the PHP community itself.

We've got socials happening right over the weekend - with a pre-conference social on Friday night for people to meet up, catch up, and generally hang out (and drink), the weekend will get off to a good start. Saturday is the main conference event, ticket price includes full access to the event, a year's subscription to php|architect magazine (in print as well as digital format), lunch, and access to the evening party with yet more food (hotpot, since we're in the north!), and of course a selection of drinks.

For those coming from further afield, there is plenty to do in Manchester over the weekend. The conference itself is very central, so you have easy access to the entertainments of the city centre. The shopping is excellent in the city centre and for those who prefer a geekier pastime, entry to the Museum of Science and Industry is free and it is open 7 days a week.

I know there are plenty of people going and I'm really looking forward to it - to catching up with old friends (and colleagues, I don't see them very often!), to making new ones, to hearing the talks that will be going on, and of course to a few drinks and a good time. Hope to see you there :)

I'm currently struggling a bit with my Christmas crochet, so I'm posting here to hopefully pressurise myself into actually finishing it in time. The plan is to make a blanket for my granny for Christmas (its a surprise, I'm banking on her not learning to work the 'net before then) and I've been working on this for 6 months already. It will have 36 squares and I'm currently at 24 squares and losing my way! Here it is so far:



The spaces are the squares I haven't made yet ... I need to get a move on!