Enforced Hiatus Kinda

A photo from the archives... *sniff* ...RIP camera

I know. I KNOW!

My last entry was May. MAY!

I feel I owe an explanation. I swear, I was never meant to be away this long!

Basically not long after the Brighton trip in my last entry, I did, what can only be described as one of The World's Most Stupid Things, and accidentally spilt water on my camera. My camera: my pride and joy. 

Since then, it hasn't really been the same. It is temperamental: works sometimes, and other times not. The latter being normally when I really really need it to. Sad mother-humping times. 

I have been hoping that the situation would be rectified by now, but it really still isn't. I am still being let down by my camera. And without pictures, I feel my blog is hugely hugely lacking, hence no updates.

On the bright side, I'm saving for a new camera, and in the meantime intend to update when I have managed to get anything out of my existing broken one.

Thank you for all the comments on the last post, especially those people who have found me through Dapper Kid. I am the next person to take part in his Around the World project and am super excited about it. Don't worry, even if I have to beg, borrow or steal a camera to document that, there will be an entry on here about it!

So apologies if updates are going to be sporadic for the foreseeable future, but I hope to get everything back on track as soon as is financially, and camera-ly possible.

Peace and love homies xx

Foolish

Something is afoot..

Friday evening. 5pm. Scores of hard working ordinary people leave the office. They flood onto the sun-dappled streets, each step a little lighter. Each pace, their shoulders more relaxed. Every second, the frown lines start to melt away.

But this Friday, more so.  Because this Friday there is the long delicious prospect of three clear days ahead. Three days to be filled with fun. With sun. With the prospect of anything-goes.

For this is the Great British Bank Holiday.

Beached

Ok, well, maybe it's not always the sun part. But the fact is that when a bank holiday happens, the only place to go is the beach. Where the mere wisp of possible sunshine is grabbed onto and strangled with both hands; willing temperatures to soar, if only in our minds. Where one ray peeking from behind a cloud, is the only excuse you need to shed your normal clothes and parade around in something that you would feel a little chilly in sitting indoors, if truth be told.

Pleasure

Last weekend, was one such weekend. And we were actually lucky enough to have one really super massive hot late spring day. One of those days when, if you sit still, and bask in the sun, a cardigan feels like far too stuffy a thing to be wearing.  One of those days that gives you a tantalising glimpse of the long summer of potential ahead.

I literally can't sea enough food

We took the decision earlier that week, that weather permitting, we would take a trip to Brighton. 

Weather certainly seemed to be playing ball, so one 40 minute train ride later, we rolled into the station and found our way down to the shore.

End of the pier fun

I grew up in another British seaside town, Bournemouth, so I never really had the drive or the inclination to travel to somewhere that was essentially the same, in my mind, but stony of beach (as opposed to Bournemouth's sand).

What a fool.

Frontin'

Brighton reminds me of Bournemouth, in as much as it's by the sea and comes with all the usual seaside trimmings. 

But it's that much nicer in so many ways.  The architecture is far more historic.  You don't have to pay just to walk on the pier.  Stones really aren't that uncomfortable to sit on.

Recline why don't you?

Brighton is prettier, quainter yet still with a cool edge. In comparison, Bournemouth is like its younger sister who tries too hard. And ruins their (probably) quite naturally pretty face with far too much make-up in an effort to keep up. And by that I mean, it's built far too many modern buildings and entertainments completely unsympathetically to its historical surroundings, so that the seafront is no longer quaint, but rather garish and loud.

Fro-yo in The Laines

And don't even get me started on the shops in Bournemouth.  It's long been a sore subject with me. There are slim to no independent boutiques, eateries or pubs in the centre of town any more, rather everything is a corporate sellout.  In contrast, not far from the beach, Brighton has a lovely shopping experience known as The Laines, with very few chain stores to be found.

Carousel

I mean don't get me wrong, I love a lot of things about Bournemouth's surrounding area. The New Forest, The Purbecks and the gorgeous town of Christchurch all have a dear place in my heart.  

But Bournemouth itself has lost its way.

If you want to see a big British seaside town done well, and done right, go to Brighton.

Can't get enough of those waltzers..

Like Bournemouth, but better.

Keep Me Posted

Wish you were here...

Everybody likes post. I know I do.  Especially unexpected post. Not bills, or junk mail, but proper post.  Just those little notes to cheer people up, make someone's day, tell them good news and let them know they were thinking of you.

Postcards: 30p; Gemstones: 1.50; Labour: 2 hrs; Having someone know you care: Super Safe, Yo

These postcards were something I made when I moved to London to let friends and family know of my new address.  Rather than send the lame "I've moved" pre-prepared notelets you can buy in shops that have no personality whatsoever, I decided to find the cheesiest London postcards in the world and customize them by gluing individual gemstones spelling out "I've moved" instead.

I suppose that yes, it did take longer than just filling in the template of a pre-prepared notelet. But that's not the point. The point is I used my creativity, my hands, and time to make something small but unique to send a message to the people I love.  And to me, that's worth it.

Goodies from afar!

There's someone else who knows the value of post for making people feel special.  Amber from CodeForSomething has recently been on a bit of a travel extravaganza in the Far East.  She wrote a post that touched on a lot of the points that I have above, and ended it with the generous offer of sending a little token something from her travels to anyone that wanted it.

Pamphlet from Barbie Shanghai

I entirely agreed with everything she had to say on the subject, and of course, I was not going to let an opportunity for fun post go to waste!

I emailed Amber to let her know where to send her post to, and waited.  I was really only expecting a postcard, but Amber did so much better than that!

Good luck money

She had sent me lots of small tidbits of her travels: Asian money (I believe this is good luck?) in a red envelope, an explanatory postcard, and a pamphlet from the super massive Barbie store in Shanghai! I thought that was so thoughtful, as when Amber reported on this mecca for brand-lovers everywhere on her blog, I had commented to say that I loved the look of it.  So to include this was super special!

Thank you Amber! And for the rest of you, think about how personalised post makes you feel, and next time you have the opportunity, take some time out to try and help someone feel the same. It'll make someone smile. Promise!

Easter egg-cerpts

"I've nested on a cake... and what?"

I'd recommend you get a nice cup of tea/coffee/insert your own favourite beverage here, before you start reading this.  It's a bumper post of epic proportions. 

I've taken a wee mini break from blogging to fully immerse myself in all that Easter had to offer. As you can see the first thing I did was to make an Easter cake, from my Kitchen Revolution book.  Unfortunately, whilst it looked lovely, the mini-eggs that were supposed to be found throughout the cake, all sunk to the bottom. Boo! But it gave some wayward chicks a home for a few days, so it can't be all bad!

One a penny, two a penny

For Easter weekend, the whole family gathered together at my aunties house.  After an Easter Sunday breakfast of hot cross buns, the Easter Egg Hunt planning begins.

Making tokens of chocolatey affection

After the eggs have all been hidden, the briefing of the troups begins: laying down the ground rules (it was wet, so all indoors; and no pushing, shoving, biting, scratching, eye-gauging or fish-hooking).

Dad = full brief mode; Troups = bemused

After the briefing, the specialist egg-finding equipment is dished out (ok, plastic bowls), and let the finding commence!

Happy happy joy joy

My brother was quick off the mark, scoring four mini eggs in quick succession after a particularly fruitful root around the mantlepiece.

The staircase was less successful

The troups scoured high and low: no ornament or book was left unturned!

Until, finally, success. All tokens (to be exchanged for big boxed eggs) and mini eggs were accounted for.

Later, in the afternoon, sunshine and roast dinners sprung forth:

And then, later, much much later, the best part of Easter, the ceremonial eating of all your Easter eggs as fast as is physically possible without making yourself ill.

And we're all pros at that..

***

Hope everybody else had a great Easter weekend!

Where She Only Needed To Add The Treacle

Fork off... it's mine..

On Saturday, I bought two important additions to the house. One of these was a flan dish, and the other was a rolling pin. 

Now, I thought, this is brilliant. Not only can I make nice tarts and things, but I can also chase my unruly housemates around when they misbehave, in a comedy fifties housewife fashion.

Plate courtesy of Holly Patton's GreenGate collection

No, let's be serious. The rolling pin was so that I could make my very first attempt at pastry from scratch! None of this shop manufactured malarky! Actual, old-fashioned flour, butter and eggs pastry. And what better to do with it than to make a nice, lovely, gorgeous, sticky and sweet treacle tart? 

Don't you just want to rub your face in your screen right now? No? Just me?

With cream. Yes, lashings and lashings of gorgeous cream. 

Oh, in other news, I joined the gym today.

These two events are unrelated.