rosie tonkin

richmond

2012-02-13T03:28:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went walking in Richmond. We played freezing frisbee, drank red wine out of plastic cups, and spent hours in Bodean's playing pictionary and eating as much as possible. We walked from Tower Bridge to Angel in the snow, where we played spanish snap in the warm and laughed until our mouths ached.

January playlist and via iphone

2012-02-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it isn't at all original, but I too am really enjoying Instagram on my new iPhone 4S. And I'm not ashamed.

January via Instagram (#rosietea), and via Spotify Playlist.

JANUARY PLAYLIST

......I have a feeling my february playlist may only contain Django Django.....

courgette, quinoa & hazelnut salad recipe

2012-02-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Anybody who knows me or has read this blog before, will know that I am a little bit in love with Ottolenghi. Hang on actually, who isn't these days? His recipes are all over the newspapers and magazines over here. It's like a fashion trend that you love, but that becomes so mainstream and popular that you begin to sneer at with passionate disdain. that's soooo 2010

But this is different. I can't loathe these recipes. I can't, I can't, I can't. I don't want to. I don't care how popular they are. I will happily be a lanky ginger-haired sheep amongst the swarms of others Ottolenghi-loving sheep.

Simple, fresh, healthy ingredients, uncomplicated methods, exciting flavours combinations that really work. What's not to love?

Yotam Ottolenghi, will you be my valentine?

No?

Oh okay. But I'll keep trying.

Here is a reworking of an Ottolenghi courgette salad recipe, with extras... because I'm a bit greedy. The gluten free rosemary loaf recipe can wait for another day.

Courgette, Quinoa & Hazelnut Salad, with Roasted Fennel, Parmigiano and Rocket.
Makes enough for 2. Or in my case, just me, with plenty of leftovers for lunchbox.

____________________________________________________________

1 Courgette, cut diagonally into about 2 cm chunks, then halved lengthways
1 Cup of Quinoa
Half a fennel bulb, cut into a couple of chunks
A handful of rocket
A handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
50g of raw hazelnuts - again, about a handful
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper (Malden salt, I really think it makes a difference)
Parmigiano shavings
____________________________________________________________

Set the oven at about 150 degrees. Rinse the quinoa, and boil for about 12 minutes, until just soft. When it's done, run under cold water and set aside to dry. Roast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 - 12 minutes. Leave to cool a little before gently rubbing some of the brown skins off, and roughly chopping.

Get a griddle pan on a high heat until just beginning to smoke. While the pan is heating up, put the courgette slices in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. When the griddle is hot enough, fry the courgettes for about 2 minutes on each side until they have nice dark brown chargrilled lines, but aren't completely cooked through. Not too soft, they want to have a little bit of a bite to them. When they're done, set aside to cool in a bowl and toss with a splash of balsamic vinegar - about a teaspoon.

While the courgettes and hazelnuts are cooling, turn the oven up a little to about 180/200 and roast the fennel with a little bit of olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Get a nice serving bowl and mix in the quinoa, rocket, hazelnuts, courgettes, basil and a little glug of olive oil. Taste, season again with salt and pepper, and serve with parmigiano shavings and warm roasted fennel on top.

eating in sri lanka

2012-01-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

After the doom and gloom of my last post, you'll be pleased to hear that I did the right thing and drowned my sorrows in a couple of bottles of cheap white wine. Which thankfully, to save from utter despair, turned into a really nice unexpected cosy evening in the pub with some old university friends. My head certainly wasn't thanking me yesterday though. Bad times. The kind that only pizza and shit horror films can fix.

I'm getting through the backlog of photos from my little food holiday back in november. Here are just a few of the things we cooked, ate and drank while we were out there.

Delicious!

lonely london

2012-01-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

i live in london. a huge city, full of interesting people and so much going on. but i've never felt so lonely.

(photo via Anna Ådén)

judith seng

2012-01-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

These wooden blocks by Judith Seng make me so so happy.

Via COS

editing

2012-01-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

I have opened a giant can of Lightroom related worms as I begin to tackle the 400+ photos from Sri Lanka. I'm beginning where I feel most comfortable, with my whole screen filled with photos of food and drink.

This is procrastination at its absolutely peak....

sparkles

2012-01-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

My favourite thing about new year's eve, was that I got another chance to wear my £4 topshop sequin hotpants, and the gorgeous teal vintage beaded silk shirt that my sister gave me for christmas. She is so good at finding perfect presents, it's my favourite colour and fits like a dream. And I know i'll never see anybody else wearing the same one.

And don't even start me talking about that giant sequinned top that jasmine has on..... SO GOOD. I must find, or if worst comes to worst, make one....

bird light

2012-01-07T15:07:00.001-08:00

wow.

bird light via Hommin

A year of many things

2012-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

2011 was a difficult year. I moved to a new house, a new city, with new people. I worked the hardest, slept the least and earnt the most I have yet. I spent a lot of the year feeling quite lost, and perhaps I still am now.

But I did achieve a lot. Ticked lots of things off my list from last year. I still need to catch a fish, learn to drive and make myself a website, but I've done pretty well on the rest of them.

I rode on an elephant for the first time on my 27th birthday, in Sri Lanka. I also tried my first lobster and oyster in 2011. This year I'd like to taste caviar and mojama. I'll pass on the animal riding though, the elephant looked too sad.

I made a playlist every month apart from august and september when I barely saw my computer. January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September (only 3 tracks!), October, November/December.

Next year I am going to keep this up, my third year of monthly playlists.

I am going to take some time off, find some people to go on adventures with, and keep in touch with old friends better than I have been this year.

I'm going to bake more bread, eat out more often and go on long walks.

I might even do something drastic, I can feel it coming. The saturn return...

happy new year

2012-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from our kitchen.

I spent mine with 11 friends in a cosy cottage in the sleepy village of Helford in Cornwall. It was lovely, and very funny.

I hope yours was just as wonderful.

x

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:07:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!

...don't quite know how to use tables yet...can you tell?!

Wrapping up

2011-12-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

I haven't had a chance to sort through my Sri Lanka photos yet, but I did get time this week to potato print my wrapping paper just in time for Christmas. It was so easy, and I'm really pleased with the results! Cute.

I'm feeling really festive now, can't wait to put on my Christmas outfit tomorrow morning.

seaside drawing

2011-12-02T01:40:00.001-08:00

We had our first glimpse of our new neighbours today whilst tucking into lunch, a family of monkeys munching bananas in the tree next-door. Really regal looking guys with big beardy faces & long grey tails, flying effortlessly between branches and sneaking unnervingly close to my sunbathing spot in the garden. I reckon he could smell the cashew burgers that mum was cooking up in the kitchen & wanted some, I wouldn't blame him.

I got my watercolour pencils out this morning & drew a pretty pink hibiscus from the garden of our villa. I'm a bit out of practice, but I'd like to try to find more time for painting. I really like it.

Sri Lanka update

2011-11-28T22:21:00.001-08:00

I thought that this holiday would be a bit of an adventure before I left, but I never imagined it'd be quite like this.

We spent the first week in the jungle a 4 hour drive east of Colombo, in a beautiful grand designs style treehouse surrounded by lush hills, coconut trees, amazing birds and paddy fields. And then it rained, not just a bit, but a LOT and with the rain came the leeches. These little fuckers are pure evil, creatures sent from the depths of hell, and there was no way of avoiding them. The best we could do was pull our socks up, tuck them into our trousers & develop a 'leech walk' that was a kind of hopping motion with as little contact with the grass as possible. The spiders & cockroaches here don't mess around either, they're bigger than I ever imagined they could get, so big that they don't seem real so aren't actually very scary. I gained a reputation for my insect removal skills, and the nickname 'twitch' for my birdwatching habits. The kingfishers here are insane!

The retreat went really well considering the unexpected weather, leeches, power cuts, lack of running water half of the time... And everybody loved the food that my mum & I made. It was great not having caffeine, alcohol, gluten, sugar or much dairy in my diet for a whole week, I felt full without being bloated, and have now got my gluten free bread making down to a tee. And what did we do as soon as the retreat ended? Had a cocktail and some cake of course!

On Friday we drove back to Colombo and were due to head to Galle in the morning until the cyclone hit. Galle was really badly affected, with fallen trees blocking the roads, 14 people killed & all the power out. We decided to stay in Colombo for another night & were told in the morning that the situation had improved. The drive down the coast to Galle however, suggested otherwise. What started as a curtain of black clouds far off on the horizon was quickly upon us & chucking bucketloads of water onto the van and blowing us sideways. Another cyclone... Great. Driving along the coast which was devastated by the tsunami, past memorials, hundreds of gravestones & remains of houses washed away....in that weather.... was harrowing to say the least. Needless to say, morale in camp was pretty low when we arrived at Wijaya beach in the middle of a tropical storm. There was no power at all anywhere in Wijaya, and nobody knew when it was being fixed. Oh dear.

But then, after climbing over train tracks & through swamped muddy paths, we found our villa. Even by the light of only a few storm lamps, and rain battering everything in sight, we could tell it was amazing. An absolute oasis, even in the rain.

Yesterday was heavily overcast & it did rain pretty hard this morning, but was nice enough to spend the day eating fresh fish & drinking Moscow mules with our feet dangling over the edge of Wijaya beach bar, looking out over the sea & watching the giant turtles bobbing their heads up out of the water every now and then. Brilliant.

And today the clouds have magically cleared & we're plunging ourselves into crystal clear waters while we still can. The weather isn't supposed to be looking great for the next 10 days, it looks like we've got a lot more rain to come and not much tanning time, but nobody seems to care much & we're keeping our fingers crossed that they're wrong. I'm happy working my way through the bookshelf, eating loads of great food & properly relaxing anyway, it's way overdue.

p.s.

2011-11-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

p.s.

OCTOBER PLAYLIST!

jetting off

2011-11-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

sources: unawatuna / mawanella / my new mates

I'm flying to Sri Lanka tomorrow morning. I'm terrified. I've never left Europe. I've never flown for more than 4 hours and I'm a bit scared of flying. But it's one of my 2011 new years resolutions, so I better get on with it!

It's all been a bit of a last minute thing, I'm going to be an assistant chef to my mum at a yoga retreat up in the mountains near Mawanella. It's a stunning house with an infinity pool, overlooking rice fields and tropical forests. It's silly how nice it looks. I'm confident we'll be a dream-team in the kitchen too, although neither of us are professional chefs. We've got some amazing sugar, gluten & dairy free creations up our sleeves, and I've been detoxing this week so I can get all zen before I go. No caffeine (yikes!) or alcohol. Oh god, my head! Caffeine withdrawal is not an easy ride.

And then we're off to lie in a hammock on the beach in Unawatuna for a couple of weeks.....provided all the rain that's falling there at the moment has eased off. Just my luck, jetting off to a tropical island and it's bloody raining there! It'll just be like having a really long warm shower, right?

I really want to meet an elephant.

See you in a month, wish me luck!

eating and eating and eating

2011-11-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend was my mum's 55th birthday, and she chose eating as the main activity. I didn't complain. At all. It was nice to be back in Brighton for a little bit too, get a big lungful of sea air.

Lunchtime was at i gigi in Hove, a beautiful little store with a real gem of a cafe upstairs. We ate hearty spanish chorizo stew, homemade falafel with incredible chilli jelly and tabasco spiced huevos rancheros.

At dinnertime we treated ourselves to a fancy feast at The Ginger Pig. The highlight was a poached pear and stem ginger suet pudding with licorice icecream for dessert. Some flavour combinations just can't be described, and this was one of them. Clean plates all round.

It was a good weekend, in lots of ways. Did I mention I'm going to Sri Lanka on Tuesday? No? It's a bit of a last minute thing, and yes it's a trip related to....you've guessed it... FOOD!

I'm terrified!

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

About 5 months ago, George and I made a cake shaped like our friend Brian. Half of the afternoon was spent trying to find black food colouring, failing, and getting absolutely covered in every other colour of icing.

I only recently got my piping bags back, and they were looking somewhat different. I like it.

october things

2011-10-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am slowly returning to normality after possibly the most intensely stressful & exhausting few months of my life. This week I finally unpacked the last box, got my hair cut, turned off my alarm clock and slept past midday, and socialised with friends outside of the workplace (!!!). I even dug up the garden and planted loads of spring bulbs...I'm excited.

I rustled up this yummy saturday afternoon dinner for my housemates yesterday, a salmon, spinach and samphire tart. I am having a total love-affair with a few ingredients at the moment, and samphire is way up there. Don't even get me started on fennel, and I am running out of space in the fridge for any more jars of mustard. I could talk about food all day, seriously.

And did I mention I ate my first lobster at Wheeler's in Whitstable? Top 5 best meals of all time, easily. Go there now, and eat the scallops with crispy pig cheek. Woah.

kent

2011-08-29T14:04:00.001-07:00

This weekend fourteen of us went on a little mini-break to Kent to celebrate Marianna's birthday. We swam, played croquet, walked through orchards, ate delicious fresh hot smoked salmon, drank champagne and told really awful fish jokes in one of the greatest country pubs I've ever seen.

I had such a wonderful time with the best bunch of people. I really miss the countryside though, and having somebody to explore it with.

flower market

2011-08-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the first time I have felt like I have been able to sit down and actually breathe for the past few weeks. My working hours have been ridiculous, but hopefully it will all pay off when the exhibition opens on the 28th. It's getting exciting..

Today I went to Columbia Road flower market and bought some floral gifts for the garden, and the house. I ate like an absolute king, Rosa's for lunch and smoked haddock kedgeree with wilted spinach and a poached egg for dinner. And now I'm gilding goose feathers for a very exciting lighting installation.

Life in London is fast, but I'm really enjoying it.

Zoe's Ghana Kitchen

2011-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

I disappeared for a while. I moved house, you see. I also had a very exciting project designing and cooking the dessert menu for a pop-up Ghanaian restaurant open during the Hackney Wicked festival. It was exhausting, but totally wonderful.

Zoe, Jasmine & Dan did an amazing job transforming their home, and the food was so well received. Compliments all round. I cooked a traditional banana & peanut cake with a ginger & nutmeg chin-chin crumble topping, and a guava & lime sorbet with candied mint leaves. It sounds a bit silly, but I felt really proud (and a little bit smug) to be part of it, despite how tiring it was. A really good bit of team work.

Yammy yammy.

cyanometer

2011-07-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Saussure's Cyanometer, for measuring the blueness of the sky.

So nice.

i want to live in a wooden house

2011-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

i want to live in this house, wearing these shoes.

GRASSDOE is just such a wonderful blog, pictorial escapism.

playlist archive

2011-07-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

AND ANOTHER THING...

I have received correspondence about the absence of my monthly playlists for April, May and June. I did do them, I just never got around to posting them, so here they are:

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

a big move

2011-07-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

June

I stumbled upon a lovely victorian terraced house with wooden floors, beautiful tiled fireplaces, a leafy garden and a sewing room just a few doors down from Nina. They had a room going spare, so I'm moving to London next weekend. I've been commuting over 100 miles a day for 3 years (crazy!) and I guess it's now or never. It's all been pretty sudden, but I'm really excited.

I finally found my ink roller which has been lost for months, and printed this little starling for a birthday card. I'm looking forward to making a little art corner in my new house.

so busy

2011-06-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

sources: one / two

I have a big project on at work which is consuming all of my time. Swan wings made of wax, to be cast in bronze. Everything has to be finished yesterday, or last week, there's never enough time.

But I still love my job. I really do. And part of me enjoys the late nights in the workshop, when the machines are all turned off and there's just a few people getting on with it. And I come home and I'm so exhausted that I lie flat on my back in bed with my head surrounded by pillows and wait for my muscles to unwind themselves before falling into a deep sleep. Until the seagulls wake me up at dawn scratching around on the roof above my head.

I can't wait for this project to be unveiled in September (if we get it finished!). It's going to be a really exciting private view to go to.

bbq

2011-05-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Despite the miserable grey skies yesterday, we went ahead and hosted a spring barbecue on our decking. There were many good eats, including these two ottolenghi (yes, i'm obsessed) desserts. The raspberry semolina tart again, and an insanely delicious apple olive oil cake with maple syrup frosting which cara brought along.

stupid

2011-05-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

I remember being really nervous about taking photos of my degree show when other people were in the studio in case I looked arrogant, as if I was really proud of what I had done. I'm an idiot. The few photos I did get are grainy and really don't do the work any justice. It's a real shame.

I need to grow some balls.

specsavers

2011-05-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hunting for glasses under £100 was a lot harder than I thought it'd be. I totally fell in love with some Tom Fords but they were wayyy out of my price range. So shamefully, I got sucked into a 2 for 1 offer at Specsavers and got gok-ed. Oh dear.

So now I have one silly pair, and one sensible pair. It's nice to be able to see a bit better, but thank god I don't have to wear them all the time.

mum's kitchen

2011-05-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

mum's kitchen

I'm not doing very well with my new years resolutions list. I am sleeping terribly, am not doing well on the anxiety front and am no nearer to leaving Europe yet. Although I did make t-shirts, have watched the first series of Alan Partridge AND I've stopped biting my nails (!!). So I'm getting there, I guess.

Now, who wants to go fishing?

a little sewing

2011-05-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

I finished off a couple of sewing projects this weekend. Today's task was turning a skirt I bought at a jumble sale last autumn into two nice new cushions. I couldn't resist the embroidered fabric of the skirt when I saw it, and it fitted like a glove but was very heavy & the gathering at the waist made my bum look enormous, so I think i'll enjoy it much more in its new cushion form. £2 for the skirt, £1.99 for each cushion pad = big bargain.

pistachio shortbread

2011-05-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for cooking lately, except the odd emergency cake here and there. My savoury selection has been seriously lacking. But I'm back on it. Tonight I made pork, parmesan, lemon & anchovy meatballs with linguine, followed by these DELICIOUS pistachio cardamom shortbreads. The second recipe I've used from my new Ottolenghi cookbook, and certainly a winner. Slicing little bits off a log like that makes me really happy. I have never cooked with cardamom before, and it was a pleasant surprise. They're simple, not too sweet but perfectly spiced and really delicious.

dinner on the water

2011-05-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sundays are the new fridays.

Marianna and Tom cooked the most delicious dinner for 7 of us on their house boat on the Thames yesterday. Asparagus, succulent roast chicken with everything, a raspberry tart, a cheeseboard and lots of gin & wine. And a sneaky little early birthday cake and impromptu fancy dress party for an unsuspecting Dan. So much food, so much fun.

It's really amazing there, it doesn't feel like London. This morning I sat on the windowsill with my toes in the river feeding the geese before strolling to work in the sunshine. I nearly forgot I had a hangover.

Last week I spent Tuesday feeling completely empty and numb, and I'm determined that tomorrow will be 95% better. I have a good feeling about it already.

post wedding blues

2011-05-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

/ dtk / heavy bangs / nice /

I got wedding fever. It totally took over me, I got way too excited and acted like a bit of an idiot. This week I have been plummeting back to reality into the depths of the biggest trough of despair. All I have wanted to do is hide & cry a little bit, but I am so snowed underneath an enormous pile of work that I can't stop for even a moment.

I want to do my own artwork for once. I want to escape for a month and find an artist residency somewhere where I can squirrel away on my own in a log cabin, or in a forest, or by a lake. I need to make this happen.

This song is very fitting I think. I really really liked the film. So nice.

wedding week

2011-04-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's the week of the Royal Wedding, and although I am by no means a fan of the royal family, I admit to being a little bit excited. Tea, cake, bunting, champagne (ok ok, Cava), ridiculous outfits.... what's not to like?!

I've become aware that my blog is perhaps a bit all smiles and pretty things, but I've actually had a fairly stressful few weeks. I don't think this is one to share with the blogosphere, but I have had a couple of good moments this week to lighten the load:

- I treated myself to 2 new cookbooks. Oh Ottolenghi, you make me swoon.

- I made 2 cakes for a double birthday bonanza at work today, using one of said cookbooks. They went down very well - Margot said the carrot cake was better than her mum's. Brilliant.

- I got a promotion at work. Very unexpected, and although in hindsight I should've acted a bit cooler and maybe asked for more money, it's still lovely for my (mostly) hard work to be recognised.

And god, the Masterchef final was good, wasn't it?!

spring in the park

2011-04-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

source

nice times in gardens and parks this weekend, barbecuing and chatting in the sunshine.

voids

2011-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

voids at the jewish museum

I had an unexpected wonderful weekend playing football, drinking rum, party hopping, hula-hooping and watching the sun come up by the canal. And sunday too, a barbecue by the Thames, clair de lune and some impromptu dancing.

Really nice friends.

looking for alaska

2011-04-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane

Museum für Naturkunde

2011-04-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite places in Berlin was the Museum für Naturkunde. They have some very interesting (strange) display methods (birds feeding their young with other birds, animals hung up by their legs, detailed instructions on how to skin a squirrel etc) and their wet collections are amazing. I have never seen so many slimy things in jars, and entering through an climate controlling airlock door is like sneaking into a top-secret laboratory. Very exciting.

Less exciting, I have reached my 200 photo flickr limit and now have to pay - urrghh.

deutsch ja?

2011-04-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Internet fixed, evening productivity decreasing rapidly.

A few people have asked about the hostel we stayed at in Berlin - It's aboard the MS Kamina, the Swimming Hostel and comes very highly recommended. A really friendly atmosphere, delicious food and absolutely amazing location if you don't mind being a 15 minute S-Bahn ride out of the city centre. It's on a boat, and the captain makes you feel as welcome as his oldest friends. I still can't believe how cheap it was, I came back with nearly €100!

I am still catching up, I haven't even unpacked my suitcase, but here is my belated march playlist

berlin

2011-04-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

My internet and tv are broken, it's surprising how much of a pain it's been without them. I haven't been able to upload any of my Berlin photos, so I stole these two from Matthew's camera and am posting this from my mum's creaky pc. His wide-angle lens makes my thigh look like a tree trunk.

smug berlin face

2011-03-31T13:59:00.001-07:00

Here's a photo of me with a smug face because I'm in Berlin and it's so sunny I had to buy sunglasses. Matt got sunburnt, in March, poor thing.

I'm currently sitting on a boat digesting an enormous feast of homemade pesto & bruscetta with freshly baked baguettes. Raspberry eton mess for dessert. Wow.

This hostel is incredible, every day we are invited for the most amazing breakfasts and dinners with food fresh from the forest across the river, or from pots growing up on the deck. Yesterday, instead of getting the tram, the captain gave us a ride to the S-Bahn in his little boat across the perfectly still water, and in the evenings we all share beers and stories across the big round table.

We really struck lucky finding this place, it is so cheap and such an amazing experience, unlike anywhere I've stayed before. Nice!

charity shop challenge - march

2011-03-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Woah there, check out the creases on this little chap! I won't complain about its easy creaseability though because it was only £4 and I think that's a veritable bargain. It's got a bow, it's got buttons, and it's navy - all of these things please me greatly. Check out other lovely charity shop challenge photos here.

I have barely had time to breathe this week, but I'm ticking things off my to-do list at an alarming rate and I'M GOING ON HOLIDAY NEXT WEEK!!!!!

I'm a little bit excited!

sea

2011-03-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

(top photo by Nige B on Flickr)

I took Penelope for a ride along the beach into Hove yesterday, sat in a little semicircular nook in the sunshine & did some drawing. There were a lot of tourists with bare legs (and even some boys with their tops off) despite it still being cold enough to need gloves on. People go crazy when the sun comes out...

Plum Bakewell Tart

2011-03-13T10:56:00.001-07:00

Plums are ridiculously cheap in Aldi at the moment, so I used some of them up making this really delicious Plum Bakewell Tart (and some bite-size ones with the excess mix). It is a bit of a triumph, if I do say so myself. The pastry is the best I've ever made and the plums add the perfect amount of tang to compliment the almondy frangipane and sneaky layer of raspberry jam.

I won't write out the recipe, as I'm pretty sure it will never be followed, but trust me, these are good shit.

I've got loads on at the moment - lots of extra-curricular work bits and bobs to keep me busy. And here I am waffling about cakes again....

cara tonkin jewellery

2011-03-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

My wonderful and very talented big sister has finally got her website up and running, following a whirlwind few years for her since graduating. There is a great article about some things she's working on currently HERE and following her success designing breakthrough collections for Miquella, it's really exciting to see her getting the recognition she deserves under her own name.

Proud.

(all images from www.caratonkin.com)

workplace

2011-03-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

I found this rather nice article about my workplace, and then when I looked a little more closely, I noticed that I was in fact lurking in the photograph. The ridiculous bright turquoise socks are a dead giveaway...

penelope

2011-03-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

This is my bicycle, Penelope. I adopted her on my birthday in november. She is quite heavy, but she rides like a dream. I love hopping on and off her elegantly, rather than the clunky dismount I was used to with Lionel. I can't wait to take her out on summer rides.

Want to hear what I was listening to in February? Here you go then.

lucinda chua

2011-03-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

via: vanessa

Listen to this, and everything will be ok.

limitless talent, that one.

baked apple, no cows allowed

2011-02-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

3 jumpers, a knitted dress & tights, slippers, a blanket, a hot water bottle and I'm STILL COLD. Something is definitely wrong. But one of my favourite ways to warm up is with a steamy hot sugary dessert with spicy flavours of christmas.

This slightly old, ordinary apple which lay forgotten at the bottom of the fruit bowl was magically transformed into something that reminded me of the snug warmth of my mum's house and nights on the sofa in front of a crap rom-com. I cored it & scored a line around the outside (to stop it exploding?), stuffed it with mum's homemade mincemeat left over from christmas, topped with a pinch of brown sugar and baked it at 200c for 30 minutes - easy peasy. The sugar which soaked through the apple formed a sticky caramel apple sauce on the baking tray which I drizzled back over the top. So delicious.

You can fill these little treats with loads of things, a handful of raisins and a dollop of honey, stewed fruits, some fresh blackberries - so simple but so yummy. I ate mine on a pile of Alpro Soya yoghurt (surprisingly excellent!), but in my family we would often dollop a big blob of clotted cream on top and let it melt to form a pool of slightly warm creamy goodness underneath the apple.

I can't tell you how much I love baked apples, they're seriously good.

hibernation

2011-02-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

photos via: celia gómez de villavedón

I feel a bit under the weather.

wedding

2011-02-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

I have been moaning for months and months about wanting to go to a wedding, and yesterday I finally got to go to one.

I'm not very close to a lot of my family members, so was quite nervous about the day, but it was so much fun. There was lots of singing, dancing with strangers, great food, mulled wine and a whole lot of love in the room! My favourite bit was the Ceilidh, which was great - I am a huge fan of organised dancing and I wish I could've stayed longer. And I'm pretty proud of the fact that no tears fell out of my eyes, I'm usually a blubbering mess, but I managed to hold it together this time.....just.

gondola

2011-02-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

I've decided to lay off dairy for a while, it doesn't do me any favours. To celebrate this fresh start, and the rare slice of sunshine that appeared this afternoon, we went for a cycle along the beachfront to Marocco's. Matt has told me about The Gondola many times, but this was my first time seeing it in the flesh. I wouldn't recommend the service there - I was totally terrified of the waiter - but their homemade italian ice cream is the stuff dreams are made of. Very sickly, just how I like it.

a couple of colours

2011-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

I nipped across the road to get a snack yesterday and spotted a woman through the window of the charity shop opposite pricing up this cushion. I had to have it.

It isn't quite square, and the pattern doesn't match very well, which I think adds to the charm. I can imagine the person making it realising they'd gone wrong somewhere along the way but not wanting to unpick it all. All that effort, and it only cost me £2... I feel kind of guilty.

baby elephant

2011-02-22T14:47:00.001-08:00

I have been having a mega scan-a-thon this evening to try to piece together some kind of portfolio. What should, in theory, be a very productive task, except that nothing I want to scan seems to fit in my scanner. I spotted this little guy in the back of a crumpled old sketchbook though - I can't remember what I drew him for, but I reckon he's pretty cute and deserves a little outing into the world wide web. He's made of 0.05 graphic pen on lovely thick watercolour paper (which i hate using for watercolours) and he reminds me of the baby elephant from The Jungle Book.

I have also realised that for some reason or another, I never got round to posting my January Playlist. Tardy.

Here it is - January songs.

charity shop bits

2011-02-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

I have been invited to join Charity Shop Challenge, which is particularly exciting for me as I have been an avid charity-shopper for many years now.

To start off, I thought I'd share a couple of my all time favourite finds (I know that's kind of against the rules, but I've been too busy to go shopping this month and something is better than nothing, right?).

This lace collar linen shirt is possibly my favourite clothing item in my wardrobe, and it only cost 60p from a bargain bin in Oxfam about 6 years ago. I love it and have worn it to death. The wool tweed skirt I inherited from my sister, who got it at a charity shop in Stoke Newington (i think?). It's very tight on the waist, so I have to remember to limit my cake consumption when wearing it, but I can deal with that. The leather belt is from the same Oxfam as the shirt - the same shop that Debbie had to leave because she couldn't cope with the smell of the man who worked there. Ha! It's one of my favourites because although it's in the back-end worst area of Brighton, everything is priced by category, not individually so you can get some real bargains. Proper rummaging, not these neat new expensive charity shops that have been popping up recently.

And there ends my ramble about charity shops. More next month!

lovely paid painting

2011-02-18T00:26:00.000-08:00

I had a little painting commission before christmas, a surprise present for Anna's mum Denise. She really liked this embroidery, and wanted me to rework it in my style. I thought it'd be nice to make it a little more personal, so snuck Denise's cat Paddy into the painting, and made the girl look a little like Anna.

She loved it, which is wonderful as it's my first proper commission really and I was very nervous. Infact, she liked it so much that's she's asked me to do two more pieces for her. Great!

Must. Do. Website.

love bird day

2011-02-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

I painted this little Pied Wagtail onto a chunk of wood that's been stashed under my desk for weeks. A little gift for Matthew, since we'll have been dating for 10 months tomorrow too.

I am considering making a little series of these wooden bird friends, I think they brighten up a room a treat.

valentine heart cookies

2011-02-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is a funny old thing, I love it and hate it in equal measures.

To cheer up those who hate it at my workplace, I baked these little raspberry jam heart cakey-cookie things. They're super quick and easy to make - 30 minutes max!

Raspberry heart cakeys - adapted from The Great British Book of Baking

225g Self-Raising Flour
100g Caster Sugar
125g Unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
A pinch of salt
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 2 tablespoons raspberry jam

Oven on at 200C, 2 baking trays lined with greaseproof paper.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, then rub butter in with your fingertips to form fine crumbs. Mix eggs, milk and vanilla in a cup and add to crumbs, stirring with a knife to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add a bit more flour to make it more manageable.

Divide the mix into 16 balls and arrange well apart on the baking trays - they spread! Dust your fingers with flour and gently press two finger shapes into the top of the ball to make the top of the heart. To make the pointy bottom of the heart, gently push the dough outwards into a point using a small knife (i used the back of a spoon - nothing too pointy). Fill each heart with a little scoop of jam and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 180C and bake for a further 5 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and dusting with icing sugar.

Share with your loved ones, or gobble them all to yourself.

pinata party

2011-02-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Yumi turned 30 today. We went to the park to bash up Johnson the dinosaur pinata that Debbie and Yumi made, then watched Speed under blankets before scoffing a gigantic Greek dinner. Sleepy now....

2011-02-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

this is joy to my eyes - OscarW

happy bearthday

2011-02-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

I was really panicking about being very very late delivering this cake, so only managed to get this horrible photo of the BEAR CAKE....

.... that I made for Jamie's 30th birthday last weekend. It looked much better in person, I promise. I have known Jamie for many many years, and it was a total gem of an evening. Here is a photo of us from the depths of my photo library. I particularly enjoy the hillbilly style facial hair he was sporting that evening. Excellent.

behind you

2011-02-02T15:15:00.001-08:00

I am slightly obsessed with photos of the backs of people's heads, and Anni Leppälä is all kinds of incredible. Her photographs make me feel woozy.

turtle

2011-02-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the little guy I'm working on today, he needs to be done by tomorrow so I can start work making some lilies.

I'm not really supposed to show or talk about my work, the artists get upset sometimes. But I think this one is ambiguous enough at this stage, so don't tell on me, yeah?

a spot of drawing

2011-01-31T12:29:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to work from home now and then, so that I have a tiny bit more time to have a normal life. Last thursday I went for a swim before starting work. It was "Ladies Only" hour, which was hilarious. Old ladies in their floral swimming hats bobbing up and down to Katy Perry in the training pool.

I managed a good days work before a delicious fresh fish supper and a life-drawing class, which I can never usually get back from London in time for. The model's hair is incredible, it falls in gentle waves down to her ankles and this week was twisted around her head like a crown. Hair like hers is the reason I am battling with the dreaded mid-length shapeless hell. I WILL have cascading curls and plaits again before it's too late, years go by without me noticing and suddenly I'm a granny and I have to have a perm and blue rinse.

Drawing is such a nice activity, I wish I had more time to do it.

a famous friday

2011-01-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

I have just been sent a link to some funny sneaky undercover photos somebody took of me and M whilst we were trudging through the sleet into town the other day. I remember seeing somebody taking a photo, I joked that it was because of our matching hats, but it turns out they were more keen on his bicycle! If only I'd had Penelope with me too, what a picture it would've been.

Still, it's nice to be described as a "dapper pair", even if I've got a very confused face on.

I've been working my way through my bag of clothing repairs and alterations this evening. I've removed a bothersome, wobbly and highly unnecessary zip from one of my favourite dresses that I picked up from a vintage warehouse a few years ago and now it's as good as new and ready to get out on the town again.

What have you been up to? Happy friday!

marcel

2011-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm sculpting a baby snapping turtle at work at the moment, and it reminded me of this little guy Marcel, who I met while I was circumnavigating the United Kingdom two summers ago. I saw a few unusual pets on that trip, but have had to sculpt some much stranger ones in the past 6 months. And I'm still afraid of worms....

a new forest

2011-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

We escaped to the New Forest last weekend for a post-christmas break and a belated birthday celebration. We saw 52 species of bird, ate like kings and walked across moors, through woods and along beaches. A wonderful and well deserved holiday, after a not-so-relaxing festive period.

Last night we drank some ales and went to a late night screening of Jurassic Park at The Duke of Yorks. I've seen it so many times, but it was still an epic cinematic experience with lots of clapping, overexcited whooping and heckling the screen.

I woke up in a very strange mood today though (dinosaur comedown?) and the only thing to solve it was a new bottle-green top, a red red lipstick and a roast chicken to set me up for the week ahead. Yum.

two thousand and eleven

2011-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

a new year, and some new resolutions.

∆ catch a fish
∆ leave europe
∆ less anxiety, more resting
∆ print a t-shirt
∆ eat less dairy
∆ learn to drive a bit more
∆ watch every episode of Alan Partridge
∆ make myself a website
∆ get more early nights
∆ go to the cinema at least 10 times
∆ stop biting nails (i have been making this resolution for as long as i can remember)

a few birthdays

2011-01-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

PIGEON CAKE!

for debbie hill last thursday. she likes pigeons, you see.

This was a very fun task, and here's how i did it!

A 10oz round victoria sponge cake, filled with strawberry jam and buttercream (I used my new cake slicer - it worked like a dream!). I drew a rough pigeon template, and carved the cake to fit the template, sticking the pieces together and covering the rest with boiled apricot jam before covering in fondant, then royal icing. I'm not at all sure about the royal icing - the whole heating up, spreading, cooling down too quickly process terrified me a bit - but i think it worked just fine for the fluffy feathery texture.

It's my beau's birthday today too, but our main celebrations commence at the end of the week, so more about that, and my ever-growing list of resolutions later.

2010

2011-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, me and Debbie were spending our first day in our new flat. The year has gone by quickly, but it's been a really good one. Lots of dancing, laughing, campfires and wine. Long walks, festivals, boardgames, cycle trips and cheese selections. And I was unexpectedly swept off my feet by the most wonderous gentleman I could ever wish for.

I am keeping him for next year.

***** december playlist! *****

christmas eats

2010-12-31T03:59:00.000-08:00

Lots of good food this christmas, for us, and for our friends and family.

festively warm

2010-12-30T04:59:00.000-08:00

I printed my own wrapping paper again this year, on brown and forest green parcel paper. I think it came out a treat.

winter sun

2010-12-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

This winter has been a very busy time for me. Lots of birthdays, and lots of work to get done. But never too little time to do a jubilant flying air kick! This one was on boxing day, the afternoon before all the snow melted.

I have been sitting at my desk a lot this week, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by pictures of insects, with the coffee table covered in post-christmas snacks and lots of pots of tea. Working from home is lovely.

yule log & festive wreath

2010-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

I've had my head down doing some pre-christmas crafting, I've made a bit of a mess of the house!

Last week I made a simple ivy wreath from some scraps in the garden of Matt's studio. It's a shame we can't keep it on the front door, it'd definitely get stolen.

Today me and Debbie were off to Sam's for lunch, so we made a Yule Log to take along. A fun, and surprisingly easy adventure in baking, and a perfect gluten-free dessert!

Here is the recipe, altered from Mary Berry's Ultimate Chocolate Roulade - we left out the cocoa (by accident) and added raspberries and chocolate fudge:

Ingredients

6oz good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
6oz caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
200ml double cream
raspberries (we used frozen raspberries, defrosted and drained, but fresh are fine too)
half a tub of Betty Crocker chocolate fudge icing (cheat!)

Method

Oven on at 180 degrees, swiss roll tin greased and lined, making sure parchment is firmly squashed into the corners of the tin. Melt chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of boiling water (not letting the water touch the bowl!) and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy, before stirring in the chocolate. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until forming gentle peaks. Stiff, but not meringue-like. Stir a big spoon of the whites into the chocolate mix to loosen it up, before folding in the rest until thoroughly, but gently mixed. Pour mix into tin, bake for 20 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

When cool, trim the edges and transfer onto a sheet of baking parchment. Whisk the cream until just turning firm, spread over the cake and sprinkle with raspberries. Roll into a log shape, holding a short edge to start and using the baking parchment underneath to keep its shape as you roll. Mash the chocolate fudge up with a little leftover cream to make it easier to spread, and cover the log, a little at a time using a knife dipped in hot water to avoid it pulling the cake off and making a mess. Use a fork to make loggy type patterns, and sprinkle with grated chocolate or pretty white chocolate stars like ours.

EAT.

(it's really really good)

Jo Fallon illustration

2010-12-12T14:47:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to putting up the delightful illustration that Matt won for me at the V&A Friday Late "Two's a Pair" event that I had some work in a couple of months ago. Jo Fallon's stuff is really lovely, the wispy chalk pastel dandelions are so delicately drawn. Shame about my reflection ruining the photo...

I am immersing myself in festivities, and today I distracted myself from a slight head/tummyache by making a nice simple ivy wreath and a very wonky red velvet santa hat. I also stumbled upon a really crap flashing christmas necklace, which i'm dying to make into a festive corsage.

I can't wait for the big christmas feed!

mulled cider

2010-12-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

The only way to survive cold snaps like the one that has kept me home all week, is with as many mugs of mulled cider as possible. We had some Westons left over from my birthday, so I warmed up a little appley treat for Hattie and Matt after they'd been out snowboarding. Snowboarding in Brighton? - Yep.

Here is how I did it:

Mulled Organic Cider - serves 5/6

1 Litre Westons Vintage Organic Still Cider
1 Star Anise
8 Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks, roughly broken into pieces
Half a teaspoon grated nutmeg (ground is fine though)
Half a teaspoon ground allspice
Juice of 1 orange
2 heaped tablespoons honey
1 sweet apple, thinly sliced (I used Gala)

---- method ----

Mix all ingredients except the apple in a large saucepan and heat gently for 10 minutes. Add sliced apple and continue heating for a further 10 minutes. Ladle into warmed mugs and get all snug.

snow pigeon & november playlist

2010-12-02T04:24:00.000-08:00

Just popped out to see how the snow was looking, and found this little guy snuck in a pile of snow on the balcony, cute!

Here is my november playlist too: November

bird postcard

2010-12-02T03:09:00.000-08:00

I have had a link to this Lovi Bird by Anne Paso on my computer desktop for a couple of weeks now. I can't stop looking at it.

happy birthday to me!

2010-11-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

I turned 26 on Tuesday, and I had so many treats!

The celebrations started on Saturday with an Italian lunch with lots of friends before wrapping up in our knits to go to the dogs. Not many winning bets, but lots of shouting and excitement, and a warm & cosy pub to thaw us out afterwards. Cara made me an amazing new necklace and ring - she is very talented!

On my birthday morning I got woken up (rudely, by a builder, but i'll pretend that didn't happen...) with some beautiful glass bunting from Matthew, hand painted with a butterfly, a hedgehog, an owl and a little bat perching on a branch curiously. We sat, warm in bed with breakfast on our laps and tested out my new golden bird eggcup I've been wanting for weeks. Then hopped in the car, which Matt's dad had decorated with roses, for a little coastal adventure. In the evening, my mum cooked up a big roast dinner, a giant and ridiculously amazing cake, and we heading off to watch Harry Potter. I cried, poor Dobby.

But a very lovely couple of days, despite the man-flu lurking in me. And I haven't even shown off my main present yet....

cold snaps, warm houses

2010-11-21T15:56:00.001-08:00

I've had a really good year. From the early glimpses of spring, wandering through bluebell carpeted woods, huddling up by the fire with Matthew and camping in orchards with friends. Summery days spent flying down country lanes on our bicycles, dipping our toes in the sand by the beach hut and dancing in fields at festivals. Great walks, gatherings of wonderful friends and lots of good eating.

I've felt a bit spoilt this weekend, very lucky, and I think there is still more to come on tuesday when I get a little bit older.

chocolate orange cupcakes

2010-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Last sunday was mumday. She loves chocolate oranges, even santa knows that - he (nearly) always remembers to put one in her christmas stocking. So it seemed an ideal moment to whip up a batch of zesty chocolate orange cupcakes to add to the birthday spread. I adapted a recipe from the Primrose Bakery which I tore out of the Metro in October last year and has been knocking around in the bottom of my handbag ever since. The original recipe is - here - although I kind of lost track of the method & ended up just mixing everything together in less of a "bit by bit" method. I also left the milk out of the sponge mix and spruced up my frosting with a bit of orange zest grated into the melted chocolate before adding it to the buttercream mix. A success!

Oh, and I forgot to update when I posted my october spotify playlist. Worry not, HERE IT IS!

acorn

2010-11-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

It was Joana's birthday on wednesday, so I gave her the first prototypes of my new acorn necklace and brooch. My obsession with gold leaf does not seem to be waning quite yet... Perhaps I'll set up an Etsy shop and see if anybody else likes acorns as much as me.

I also wrapped up some of Matt's wonderful glass bunting to give to Joana, which I am very excited to see up in a new home. Nice to see hard work being enjoyed by lovely friends.

Last night was Lewes Bonfire Night, there were some wonderful old faces in the crowds and some great warming eats. I got a delightful spattering of burns on my legs from a stray banger, and the journey home was like something from hell, but it was fun nonetheless. Never again will I attempt getting the train though - awful.

I have spent 80% of today on the sofa. Naughty. But I have found my new absolute favourite TV show - Ultimate Cake Off!! GENIUS!

pumpkin party #2

2010-10-30T03:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we hosted our second annual pumpkin carving party. There were many snacks, some great carving and lots of mess this morning. I didn't have as much patience with it this year, but am still happy with my Pan's Labyrinth pumpkin. I really find that film terrifying, so definitely apt for halloween.

I had some great news yesterday, I will dedicate an entire post to it as soon as I get time.

YES!

hello friend

2010-10-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Matthew and I have been squirreling away working on a few extra-curricular bits and bobs. Being in the studio makes me very happy, and it's even nicer when he's there at his desk behind me, clanking about with bits of glass, cartons of smoothie and mugs strewn everywhere.

mixtape project, month 4

2010-10-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

This month was my second time taking part in The Mixtape Project. After not receiving one in return last month, I felt a little disheartened and anxious about making another this time round. It's a great opportunity for me to put pencil to paper for a couple of hours a month though, and compiling lists of possible themes is a fun way to pass the time on my daily commute.

I chose "head to toe" as my theme this month, and the playlist is spelt out a little more clearly here, in case you're interested.

Hopefully I'll get one in the post soon......

....tick tock... tick tock....

wax

2010-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

I picked up some rather delightful coloured sealing wax at the market this morning. I was excited about testing them out on the envelope of my mixtape and it was pretty lucky I did a few testers first because they melted into a big charred lump of hell. They don't work at all.

I think I'll stick to my trusty red ones.

I had a very bad week at work last week, and my window is still broken, so I have been in a little hibernating snug at my boyfriend's penthouse seafront flat. Glorious.

This week I'm making tiny tiny mouldy fruit & veg with screaming mouths. Not so glorious. But it meant I got to go shopping at Games Workshop, and that is bloody incredible. I am a particular fan of their Chaos Warhounds.

lightning

2010-10-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

Whilst searching for victorian anatomical drawings, I came across the Lichtenberg Figure - totally unrelated, but no less great. The point of impact where lightning hits grass. This happens to people too, it's insane. I love it, but of course would probably not enjoy being hit by lightning myself.

Magic.

Image from Curt Heacox's Flickr.

summer for a day

2010-10-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend it was summer again for a day and a half.

On saturday I cycled 10 miles around Brighton, and on sunday we went on a little hike across the South Downs. We didn't have an accurate route planned, so got lost a few times (and lost a few of our rambling partners along the way) but we made it to Ditchling in the end where we settled down in big chairs under dark-beamed ceilings for a beer and a feast. We rested our weary legs and filled our rumbling tums with a baked camembert covered in the most delicious honey, a bowl of mussels, fish goujons and plenty of toasted sourdough. Decadent!

My legs hurt, and my bedroom window is broken, stuck open. But what a great weekend!

house warming cake

2010-10-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

It rained a lot last week. Matt and Nic just moved house, so I made them a house-warming gift to drive away the drizzle. Horrible iPhone photos... The house was made of two types of carrot cake, one layer pretty true to the hummingbird recipe, and the other with some added orange zest and chopped dates (mainly because in my panic and disorganisation I forgot to add these things the first time round (the latter was much better, in my opinion)). The cream cheese frosting was mega sweet and really naughty - I've still got half a bowl of it in my fridge tempting me every time I open the door. The roof is made of gingerbread, and the leftovers made a couple of nice wonky doors. Actually, the whole thing is wonky, but it tastes great and that's what really matters.

Running through the rain on the phone to Joana on saturday, I saw this elastic band on the floor in a perfect heart. Nice.

And I met up with my dad on sunday after 2 years of no contact and quite a lot of anger. It was ok actually, I guess time heals some stuff.

cheese

2010-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

To celebrate British Cheese Week we hosted an evening of wine, trivial pursuit and of course, lots of cheese. Nine types to be precise, colour coordinated with each category on the board. An unexpected highlight was the marmite cheese... yum! And the accents we put on to read out the questions.....

It's SEPTEMBER PLAYLIST TIME!

Real Patisserie

2010-09-29T14:37:00.001-07:00

I've been eating a lot of treats recently, and have been particularly obsessed with the Real Patisserie and its absolutely amazing french wheat bread. On saturday afternoon whilst picking up a loaf, I spotted these tiny fruit tarts and couldn't leave the shop without them. I arranged a mini taste-test for me and Matt, rating each one out of 10. Raspberry won.

Two's a Pair

2010-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

PARROTS!!

I had a couple of drawings in the Victoria & Albert Museum late event last night, a giant game of snap with lots of wonderful illustrations. I couldn't stay there long as I had to hotfoot it to Derek's karaoke birthday up in Angel, but I was there just in time to see people winning mine and Debbie's cards. Matt also won a beautiful one by Jo Fallon, which I can't wait to put up on the wall.

I have been so busy this week that I've caused a bit of havoc around the house, but next week I'll have time to put my feet up and make the apple & blackberry pie I've been planning for weeks.

mixtape

2010-09-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

I was excited to take part in the mixtape project for the first time this month (any excuse to whip out a bit of gold leaf). I have been making mixtapes for a long time, apparently my mum used to catch me and my sister recording our own radio shows on a dictaphone using a Ken doll as a voiceover. I decided on a seaside theme, there really were too many songs to choose from!

I am excited about the prospect of receiving one in return in the next week or so...fingers crossed.

GAMES!

2010-09-20T16:21:00.001-07:00

We went to a glorious festival last weekend. I was kind of dreading it, due to awful weather predictions and my aforementioned gigantrous coldsore outbreaks on my mouth and in my nose (argh!!) but it was amazing.

There were tipis, hay bales, a double decker tea bus, peacocks wandering about and such great bands. We played lots of games. Wizard in the woods, intense but very unprofessional croquet, ping-pong under trees and scrabble on the lawns. There were even prizes for the winners!

Musical highlights were Caribou, Iron & Wine and Lanterns on the Lake (despite their abrupt powercut ending). Lowlights were a boring New Pornographers and the shockingly bad Ruby Suns who covered a box in crumpled gold foil and pathetically hit drums over a cd of their songs, sounding more like something from The Lion King than a "trendy" band. Funnily enough, the song that came on after their set was none other than the opening song from The Lion King. Not the best.

Anyway, it was great. So great actually that I borrowed photos from the wonderful Nic Dove and M. Knickers to show some of the games in mid flow.

And I bought tickets for next year the day after we got back. I can't wait.

shhhhhhh.....

2010-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on a secret adventure to watch a secret film in a secret location. There were real camels, galloping turks, bartering soldiers and a fake desert hidden in an arabian bazaar filled with the smell of slow-cooked tagine and burning incense. We lay on blankets in our robes and headscarves with snacks and a box of wine and watched one of the longest films I've ever seen (I did a little sleep near the end).

Amazing! I can't wait for the next one...

arcade fire

2010-09-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is the best thing I've seen all week:

the wilderness downtown

And this is my august playlist, which, it has been pointed out, is a little downbeat:

AUGUST

I've had a few things on my mind, that's all.

unpleasant

2010-08-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Bank holiday wasn't such a great one in the end. I ended up watching X-Factor on my own, got scratched to pieces blackberry picking, had a bit of a meltdown and then ended up smashing 2 of Matt's stained glass windows by accident. I had to take myself away to cry for a bit after all that, and now I have a coldsore. Great.

But it was my little brothers 17th birthday yesterday and we had an amazing feast. I can't believe he is so grown up now!