No.17

What a beautiful evening, almost full moon, inky indigo sky and just a few steam-train clouds puffing in it's luminescent wake. And Beirut's "The Flying Club Cup" doing its crazy, circular, sad-happy, political, personal, gypsy, arms-outstretched, inspirational thing. This music is so hard to describe yet so tangible. I almost want to say revolutionary, but that seems like an albatross around the neck of an unrestrained man-child... Precipitous beauty.

Untold beauty held
vigilant city walls cold
idle wings outstretched

It's holiday season for most and I've been making lots of treats. This one is time consuming (but so worth it)rich and not really healthy! Fruity fridge loaf. 250g butter. 1 cup raw (vanilla) brown sugar. 2 L eggs lightly beaten. 2 Packets Marie biscuits crushed (not too finely). 1&1/2 cups cake fruit mix soaked overnight in 3 Tbsps bourbon whiskey. Melt butter and sugar on low/med heat in a med size pot until sugar is dissolved and golden. Remove from heat and quickly mix in eggs and then rest of ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon and then pour into a buttered and floured loaf tin. Refrigerate overnight. Serve in slices as is or with vanilla ice-cream. Enjoy!

Sweet 16

Evening...the sun's just sinking into the horizon and the night noises are creeping into the house through open doors and windows. Andrew Bird (a.k.a the whistler) is lighting up my ears with "Noble Beast". Beautiful, strange, simple and complex, unforgettable melodies and personal-glimpses lyrics. Anytime music, but love driving with his voice, violin and haunting whistling.

Tall contorting trees
soughing sighing soldiering
breathing art
radiating
breath of life
climbing clambering
limbs entwined
merging resonant spirits
imprinted
infinitely

Fruit is in abundance and I decided to try jam making. It's fun and a lot easier than I imagined. Here is a great tangy apricot jam. Less sugar than is traditional but it worked well. 1.5 kg fresh apricots. 800g raw brown sugar. Juice of 1-2 lemons (1 large/2 med). Wash, halve and stone apricots. Put in a large bowl with 300g sugar and lemon juice. Stir well. Leave for 2 hours. Pour into large pot, add rest of sugar, stir and bring to a slow boil. Lower heat and keep bubbling slowly. Skim off any foam and stir often. Due to the reduced amount of sugar cook at least an hour like this or a maximum of 2 hours. Pour into hot jars sterilised in the oven at 170 degrees celsius for 10 mins (handle with care), seal and turn upside down on a tea towel until cool. This will create a vacuum. Yummy with fresh baked bread! Enjoy!

No.15

Hellooooooo.... "Just as long as we've got rock 'n roll then everything'll be alright, it'll be alright", The Duke and the King have overtaken pretty much everyone as the most listened to band in our house right now. There's the Felice Brothers high rebellion and story but in a chilled out soul-y kind of way. And the poetry and under-the-skin tragedy make it an emotional, ethereal experience. So, so good....

Cyclical circles
life
death
daily reminders of
insignificant ancient
tangible fathomless
always
interconnected
love
transient eternity

I was inspired to make some childhood-memory sweets recently and these were the yummiest (albeit slightly updated). Chocolate rice crispie squares. 100g Dark chocolate. 100g Milk chocolate. 2 cups rice crispies. 1 cup medium dessicated/ shredded coconut. 1/2 cup sesame seeds. Break chocolate into pieces in a large heat-proof bowl. Melt over a saucepan of simmering water stirring every now and again (don't allow water to touch bowl). When its nice and smooth remove bowl and add rest of ingredients in order, mixing after each addition. Scrape into a 20x20cm dish, flatten with a spatula and score squares into it now. Refrigerate at least 1 hr before cutting/breaking up. Enjoy!

No.14 (Carla's post)

It's almost summer and now it's hiding. Lifted my face to feel cold splashes today. Looping the headphones tonight is Modest Mouse - 'The Moon and Antarctica'. Weirdly wonderful, melodic, uplifting, darkly charming...altogether just right, right now.

Stream of consciousness...floating childhood memories
outstretched hand
can't catch, the meaning
unconscious tears
laughter
peripheral visions
bitter-sweet remembrance
dizzy joy
spinning sky
winded fall
weightless ocean
endless freedom

This life, may be all.

At a family lunch recently the multiple intertwined memories of love-filled food and ties that bind, bound me again.

So, the Morning Benders - 'Big Echo' is playing the nostalgia-for-now soundtrack. And although summer is shy we've been loving light healthy food! Quick stir-fry. Serves 4. 2 cups cooked brown rice. 2-3 courgettes/zucchini, washed, halved and sliced. 1 sweet red pepper, washed, halved, seeded and thinly sliced. 1 small punnet mushrooms, wiped and sliced. 1/2 cup fresh basil & 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves washed. 1 TBSP sunflower oil. 2 TBSPs Soy Sauce. Heat oil in a wok & stir fry veg on a med-high heat, about 5 mins. Add rice and stir through. Reduce heat. Using kitchen scissors cut basil and coriander into rice & veg mix. Stir through. Add soy sauce and stir through. Add whole coriander leaves when serving. Enjoy.

Lucky 13

Apologies for the unplanned hiatus....sometimes technology just doesn't play along. I tried to blog from my cellphone; just couldn't do it. I need a proper keyboard in front of me! 'Deer Tick - War Elephant' is soundtracking tonight....he's got one of those unmistakable voices and I love the images their lyrics conjure up. There is something dusty and world-weary yet optimistic about it.

Cynicism seems to be a respected form of wit, a show of intelligence, a mask of superiority. 'I have done and seen so much I'm bored'. Granted, cynical comments can be very funny, but I always get a little shiver of sadness. Children capture me with their wondrous innocence. We can't hang onto that indefinitely but we can unburden ourselves of the heaviness around us. Don't limit yourself to a life lived by opinions and judgements. Liberation lies in true freedom of thought. Try it.

Here is a super yummy healthy side dish. Baked sweet potato. 4 med sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed, skin on. 100g butter, softened. 2 cloves garlic, crushed. 1-2 med-hot chillies chopped. 1 TBSP fresh grated ginger. 1/2 cup fresh coriander, washed and chopped. Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees celsius. Prick sweet potatoes a few times and bake in oven until soft. About 45 mins - 1 hr. Mix rest of ingredients and refrigerate until sweet potatoes are cooked. Slice open sweet potatoes and fill with butter mix. Enjoy!

No.12

Hello again. Here in the southern hemisphere summer is rolling on in and the Fleet Foxes are helping it along. So pretty and harmonious and deep with the perfect hint of intrigue. Saw a Vincent Moon directed vid of them on youtube a few days ago. Ridiculously talented boys captured in an edgy, bleached polaroid, unadorned, just-right kind of way. They've got a new album coming out soon...love being impatient about the release of an album or book!

I know I've said this before, but feel it needs a bit of expansion. Never underestimate the power of being in the presence of nature. Mountains, gardens, rivers, parks, breathing trees, singing birds, quiet beaches all keep your senses alive. Our world is often noisy and frenetic, contradictory and exciting. There is something so dynamic and peaceful about letting natural surroundings wash over you. Close your eyes and breathe in the salty waves, warm green scrub, forest leaf tea stream, earthy moss, perfumed lavender, splashing rain, bracing snow. Live, live, live.

Aaah Midlake...the only possible follow-up. Today's recipe is a perfect sunshiny day meal. Apple and brie salad. Enough for 4. A large colander full of mixed lettuce (butter, rocket, cos, iceberg, red and green oak leaf etc.), washed and dried. Half a cucumber thinly sliced. 2 crispy, slightly tart apples cored and sliced (squeeze a little lemon juice over and toss to prevent going brown). About 1 1/2 cups sweet rosa/cherry tomatoes. A wedge of brie thinly sliced. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts / pecan nuts. 2 TBSPS each apple cider vinegar and fruity extra virgin olive oil whisked together. Put all ingredients in a large salad bowl leaving apple, brie and nuts for the top. Splash dressing over. Enjoy!

No.11

Sunday, Sunday... The Felice Brothers are winding down the week-end with their smoky piano whiskey saloon songs. I guess we all have a little of the wild west in us even if only planted in our youthful minds at saturday afternoon double bill shows. It's not about whether you were the cowboy or the indian but instead how, unconstrained by concrete and metal, life on the frontier played out. Sleeping under a mysterious, blinking, star-splattered, inky sky. Living and breathing survival.

Somehow now we live in a world where those fighting for survival are only a few decisions away from those creating dramas to enrich their blandly complacent lives. It's not a judgement, but an uneasy observation. Treat everyone you meet as you would like to be treated. An unexpectedly effortless way to live.

Sometimes the gravity of humanity makes the recipes seem frivolous. I remind myself of the philosophy of simple pleasures.

Here is a very easy girly cake icing. I made a vanilla double layer cake for a friend's daughter yesterday and topped it with this and fresh strawberries. 1/2 cup softened butter. 1/3 cup icing sugar. 1 cup fresh strawberries blended to a slightly chunky pulp. Cream butter and sugar, with an electric beater, until light and fluffy. Add strawberry pulp. Beat until combined. If consistency is too soft, refrigerate about 15 mins and then top cake/s. Enjoy

Postscript: Onto 'Tonight at the Arizona' and 'Rockefeller Druglaw Blues' another play it twice favourite. So nostalgic and modern.

Downing Street

Another day of more buds on all the trees in our garden and busy birds building nests... Love the changing seasons. Got the headphones filtering some anthemic rock in the form of Doves "Some Cities" (soon to be followed by "The Last Broadcast") into my ears. It's that real English alternative rock; music with so many layers and intricacies and rollercoaster emotions...I can never listen to 'Walk in Fire' just once. Got to love it.

Balance. Rolls off the tongue so easily but is a bit more difficult to apply day to day. I find it a lot easier to deal with things when I accept that some days are better than others. Today wasn't a great day...although this music is helping a lot! I couldn't imagine life in monotone. I am grateful that I feel incredibly happy most of the time and it seems that the occasional down day makes me appreciate happiness even more. I guess the lesson is in the acceptance of events rather than the resistance of them. I am not talking about accepting anything other than what you want from life, but realising that there are ups and downs.

Here's a cop-out pasta recipe that is super healthy and delicious. Enough for 4. 18-20 cherry/ rosa tomatoes cut in half. 1x tin of tuna (I did say cop-out). 18-20 black olives pitted and quartered. A handful of flat-leaf parsley chopped. Good (organic if possible) extra virgin olive oil. Pasta of your choice. Cook pasta al dente, rinse, drain put back in pot and onto a med heat. Pour in a good glug of olive oil, toss and add rest of ingredients. Stir through to warm. Serve with grated parmesan. Enjoy

No.9

Hey there! Wanted to listen to something I haven't heard in a while and saw a mind-blowing, sort of interactive Arcade Fire vid called "The Wilderness Downtown". Knew I had to have "Funeral" as the soundtrack for tonight. If I close my eyes I'm on a heady road trip to a particularly beautiful wild coastline that is legendary (thanks Barney) and somehow still a bit of a secret. And this is the perfect soundtrack for youthful energy on the brink of change.

Have you ever watched one of those extreme make-over shows or plastic surgery operations on TV? It is so stomach churning it's scary and yet our vanity runs so deep we are prepared to risk our lives for a bigger/smaller/smoother/sexier whatever. When I think about it, it seems too ridiculous to be true. Especially the wrinkle- and/expression-less 40 something celebrity crediting their new guru/diet/exercise regime but denying anything else. Are we so scared of dying that we no longer accept ageing as a natural process? What happened to the wisdom of age? I think that in our desperation to hang onto our youth we have altered a very important natural cycle and sadly lost the true meaning of 'elders'. We are meant to learn from them, from their life experience. We should respect them and what they can teach us. Instead we have become a race of self-absorbed, dismissive, 'young' freaks. My grandmother was one of the most beautiful people I know. I listened to her stories for hours. They contained so much wisdom and good advice. Of course the obviously taut 60 year old sitting next to you at a restaurant also has life experience, but in physically denying their age I believe they have put a mental block on it too. I'm sure it must play havoc looking in the mirror. I look forward to getting older as a time to be less concerned with the outer and more concerned with the inner.

Here is a quick-ish and easy topping for (chocolate) cupcakes, pancakes etc. Makes enough for about 12 cupcakes. 1 cup of water. 1/4 cup raw brown sugar. zest of 4-5 med oranges. 2 TBSPs van der hum/orange liqueur. Put water in a small saucepan over a med heat. Add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add liqueur and increase heat to burn off alcohol. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 mins. Add zest and stir through. Keep simmering until liquid becomes syrupy (about 20 mins). Allow to cool slightly and spoon over cakes. I use about a tsp per cupcake making the amount of zest approximately the same for each cake. Enjoy.

No.8

Hello, hello...got some dirty Black Keys blues on "Rubber Factory" rocking my night. Sometimes you just need the raw, real energy of pure, under-produced music...I feel like I'm sitting in a big, cold warehouse, wrapped up in a warm coat passing around a bottle of Jim Beam watching some friends on the cusp of greatness...love it.

It seems we're back on the 'consequences' discussion. It's all about accepting responsibility for your actions. Living consciously so to speak. Or 'you make your bed, you lie in it' as I like to say. It's just another observation, but we all seem to be taking our cue from the 'pass the buck' school of thought. It ALWAYS catches up with you. There are far more intelligent ways to rebel than being self-centred. Find your own path. Live and love freely...

As I'm sure is obvious it's a short , sharp message tonight. So here is a recipe to counter that! Orange flower/ blossom water cupcakes. 1 cup stone-ground all-purpose flour. 1/2 tsp baking soda. 1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminium free - yes... it's the surprise ingredient). 1/4 tsp salt. 3/4 cup soft brown sugar. 1/4 cup softened butter (not melted). 1 large free range egg. 2 tsps orange flower water. 200ml buttermilk. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Place 12 cupcake cases in muffin pan/s. Sift first four ingred. into a bowl and mix with a fork. In another larger bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and orange flower water until smooth. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in about 3 goes mixing lightly each time. When well combined but not over-mixed pour into cases in muffin pans about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Top with mascarpone cheese and honey beaten together and then sprinkle orange zest on top. Enjoy.

Lucky no.7

Hey there. One of my alltime favourite bands: My Morning Jacket; listening to The Tennessee Fire. It's...somehow familiar, exciting, touching, nostalgic, new, catchy, makes you want to dance, and you always want more. On the headphones too...nice, Jim James et al just so comfortably making some of the most unassumingly captivating music ever.

Consequences...quite possibly one of the most important things a parent can teach their child. It's not about second-guessing everything, just being aware that every action has a reaction. It's kind of like the domino effect. I would like to think we know the difference between right and wrong and while it may not always be the easiest decision to make, we all have an internal moral compass. There is a lot of noise and distraction out there, but I have no doubt that most of us know true goodness. I am not talking about restrictive, dogma-based rules, but basic human decency. Annie Leibovitz said of John Lennon 'what he taught me seems so obvious: he expected people to treat each other well.' That's all it is, and it's everything.

Okay so it's bedtime and the only recipe I can get excited about now is a cup of hot chocolate! 2 heaped tsps unsweetened cocoa powder mixed to a paste with a little cold water. Top up with warm milk stirring constantly. Add (preferably vanilla) sugar to taste (otherwise a few drops of vanilla extract). Chopped marshmallows are the cup making ingredient. Yum. "One big holiday".... thank you thank you thank you for good music. Sleep tight. x

No.6

Hello ether! And thank you Razorlight. There have been some ups...and downs, but "Slipway Fires" is catchy as hell, never taxing, eclectic retro, mildly introspective, less arrogant and more disappointed than previous albums. A hopeful combination.

What are we doing? We live in a noisy, confusing world and like most preceding generations we have a lot of questions. The impact of globalisation has led to a far more varied access to options but somehow we all seem to be hellbent on a world defined by materialism and little else. This doesn't bring much relief, but it's a drug that's hard to shake. (Music change - The Tallest Man on Earth - it's a bit sparser.) Somehow greed has become the defining characteristic of capitalism, which was probably inevitable yet still disappointing. You may think your intentional display of flashy car and designer labels makes you richer and better than others, but all it's saying is that you don't believe you're anything without your accessories. We place our happiness outside of us and in manufactured goods. This leaves us in a cluttered empty space. I'm not saying that quality goods are pointless, just that believing we are buying happiness with our new acquisition is misleading, although usually backed up by an extremely well-researched and expensive advertising campaign designed to make you feel superior/inferior depending on whether you can/can't afford the product. You need a lot less than you are made to believe!

Okay...so here's a feelgood recipe. Creamy Chicken. 8 pieces of free range chicken (of your choice). 3-4 med leeks, washed, topped and tailed and sliced. A punnet of brown/portabellini mushrooms, wiped and chopped. 4-6 med courgettes, washed and sliced, 1 clove of garlic crushed. 1 cup of veg/chicken stock. 125ml dry white wine. 2-3 sprigs thyme. 200ml cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of sunflower oil and a little knob (otherwise not recommended) of butter to a saucepan big enough to take all ingredients on a med heat. Fry the leeks until just golden (about 10 mins). Push to sides and add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and add rest of veg. Stir around a little and add stock and wine. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to slow simmer. Simmer about 30 mins. Add thyme and cream and season. Cook a further 5-10 mins. Serve with a 1/2 brown rice, 1/2 barley mixture. Enjoy.

No.5

The jasmine is in blossom....not long now! Got "Elbow - The seldom seen kid" on the headphones. So good this close-up. I sometimes forget the intimacy headphones lend music and the voice.

So it seems the relationship saga continues! Start with yourself. Happiness is not some elusive character. Take a good look within yourself....accept as much as possible, work on the rest. Love yourself. This is your life and the longer you take to love yourself, the longer it will take you to find love. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find someone to share our journey or to see straight through the barriers and into our hearts, mostly we need to do it ourself. Small changes make big differences. Try to banish all negative thoughts about yourself... positivity is contagious. Don't believe everything on TV....the amount of smoke and mirrors is staggering! And the story lines are just that. Live and love here.

Here's an easy, bold prawn recipe. For 4 people. 24 Large raw prawns. Marinade: 2cm Piece fresh ginger grated. 2 TBSPs soy sauce. 1 red chilli chopped. Clove garlic crushed. Handful fresh coriander chopped. 1 TBSP honey. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to take prawns. Add a splash of boiling water. Mix and allow to cool (5 mins). Add prawns and toss gently, coating thoroughly. Allow to stand for 15-30 mins tossing gently once or twice. Heat some sunflower oil to a med-high heat in a wok/wide shallow frying pan. Remove prawns from marinade with a slotted spoon and stir-fry until pink and a little crisp. About 5 mins. Don't overcrowd pan, rather do 2 batches. Serve with fresh coriander on a crunchy green salad, fluffy jasmine rice with a little coconut oil stirred through or steaming rice noodles. Enjoy!

No.4

It was a beautiful winter sunshine day! Now it's a saturday night, so a little of The Cure seems just right. It's not 10.15 yet but listening to this puts me in a teen party mood. Sweaty dance halls, mirror balls, smoke, disco lights, snatched glimpses, big hair, butterflies in your tummy at the sheer novelty of life with hormones....and Robert Smith. "Goth juice...made from the tears of Robert Smith", if you haven't seen The Mighty Boosh yet, enrich your life.

I went to the funeral of a very loved person yesterday. There's nothing like death to give you a good reality slap. Waste no time in living and loving as richly as possible. And I'm not talking about money. Find what is truly meaningful to you and surround yourself with it. I have said this before, happiness is a choice and choosing it will change your life.

No recipe tonight, but toasting marshmallows on sticks around a fire in the garden with your loved ones as the day goes to sleep is..... well, just do it and you'll know what I mean.

3 (excl. testing one, which I like for some reason)

Okay, so maybe "the 'daily' um" was a little misleading! Been away. It's good to be back. Got Mumford & Sons playing in my ears....whenever you feel disillusioned with the world, music like this reminds you of the beauty we are surrounded by, in many different guises.

Relationships. I am baffled by so many friends' choices to be in an unhappy relationship. Not completely baffled...the media and hollywood have a lot to answer for, but mystified at the tendency of seemingly intelligent people to live in some romcom twilight zone. If it isn't working now, the chances are, it won't. I have friends who have been struggling for years to work things out; trying to change their partners or themselves. It seems like a grand waste of energy. Happiness is a choice and life is short. I'm not talking about hiccups, I'm talking about being in love with the idea of someone and never realising that it is only your idea of who you want them to be. I think Mumford & Sons just hit the nail on the head..."But I can't move the mountains for you". Money, marriage, children, a new job etc. aren't going to change your fundamental needs. You have to know that you want basically the same things. That you are moving in a similar direction with similar morals and values. Not that you both won't grow and change, just that you will grow together. It's not as difficult as it seems. Be honest with yourself and your partner. Gut- wrenchingly honest. And if you're scared, being alone is empowering, reflective and gives you perspective on what you really want. Love is everything only when it's reciprocated.

Wow...think I have been babbling...here's a superquick recipe for smoked salmon pasta sauce. serves 4. Chop 8-10 baby leeks and sweat them in butter in a saucepan on a med-low heat for about 5 mins. Add a splash of dry white wine and increase temperature to burn off alcohol. Lower temperature again and add 100g chopped smoked salmon, zest of 1 lemon and a handful of chopped parsley. Warm through until fragrant, remove from heat and stir in 125 ml Greek yoghurt. Serve with fresh linguine/tagliatelle and pecorino shavings. Enjoy

no.2

Hey. Listening to Sonny and the Sunsets. Love getting to know all the layers in an album. Music to make the sun shine on the greyest day!

Takes me to bonfires on beaches, salty skin, ocean tired, flaming sky, dancing flames, sun-warmed sand and young love...and the smell of summer.

"All the kids on the scene they act so cold, they don't know a loving tree from a telephone pole". We all get conditioned to put up barriers between ourselves and others. We think we can be protected from being hurt. But all we're doing is closing ourselves off to new experiences. Live as free as possible. And as close to nature as you can.

Here's a light simple tomato pasta sauce. 4-5 ripe red tomatoes skinned and chopped, 100ml dry red wine, a med sized onion chopped, clove of garlic finely chopped, a handful of chopped thyme and parsley, 1 Tsp brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Fry onion in a saucepan in a glug of olive oil on a med heat until transparent, add a knob of butter and then the garlic. Turn heat up a bit and add tomatoes, wine and sugar. Let it bubble a bit then turn heat down and add herbs and seasoning. Simmer 15 mins. Good as is, or add crispy pancetta/good free range bacon or chopped spinach/rocket. Serve with pasta of choice. Enjoy!

Today...no.1

Afternoon sunshine....listening to Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker. The first album I heard of his a few years back...hooked now!

I have been listening to my friends express self-doubt over the years and so much of it is based on other people's opinions of them. Someone's opinion of you is usually who they want you to be not who you are. That works in a positive and negative way. Someone can expect too much of you because they want you to be something you aren't, and you don't give another enough of a chance because you don't really know them. We put others into little boxes too easily. Be open with your heart. The more love you give, the more you get, the more you give et cetera.

Was thinking of putting a recipe in everytime I blog because cooking is passion. Poached Pears. Simple and delicious. 4 Firm ripe pears, Juice and zest of 1 lemon, TBSP Brown sugar, 2 Tsp Vanilla extract. Peel pears without removing the stalk. Cut in half keeping pears intact. Core and place in saucepan. Cover with water and add rest of ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer 25-30 mins. Place on plates and serve with greek yoghurt and chopped mint and a little of the cooking juice dribbled over. Enjoy!

Testing Testing 123