A quiet weekend

So far this weekend has consisted of; muggy heat, recipe reading, lemonade, cooking new things, an enormous storm, catching up on sleep, having my favourite bag pummelled by hail stones (as I stupidly left my window open in the storm), cleaning, washing, ironing and replacing thick, heavy duvets with thin, cool sheets and a lot of dancing around the Michael Jackson songs in tribute to the great man.

We also had one of those amazing experiences you hope for in a city as big as London. Wandering through Liberty on Thursday evening we met two of the most charming and stylish Parisians. They ran a section of the shop where there are 3 large canisters, big enough to stand in, which are actually tunnels to sample perfume. The company is called Editions de Parfums, and my basic understanding is that they invited the top Perfumers in the world and asked them to make their dream perfume regardless of cost or restrictions or others peoples opinion or ideas. To sample the perfume they put a couple of spritzes in a canister and you put your head in, close your eyes and are giving a rundown of what you are smelling by one of the staff. They both have the most beautiful voices, and it is more pleasurable than I imagined being lulled into an almost hypnotised state by the dulcit tones of a beautiful Parisian man running you through what your senses are experiencing.

We spent a while talking to the store manager Peggy and her colleague and got a recommendation for a place in Soho we had never heard of. Unbelievable for us all knowing Londoners. The place is called Bob Bob Ricard and in a strange coincidence Susie Bubble also mentioned it on her blog yesterday. Apparently it is wonderfully French, and it was recommended as somewhere to go to wile away a few hours without the pressure to drink. Both of them commented on how shocked they were to come to London and realise there really were not many places you could go in the evening in London where drinking was not the main activity. I agree with them, and I am looking forward to visiting Bob Bob Ricard soon.

Peace

3 pictures I recently took; sunset over Dartmoor, tomatoes in boiling water and a climbing rose in our garden. 

Must do better

We ate amazing food throughout our stay in Devon over the May bank holiday weekend. From the bowl of freshly made baba ghanoush that greeted us on our arrival to the rich fried tomatoes that we squashed onto buttered toast at breakfast to the breadcrumbed pork we ate with piles of creamed sweet potatoes in front of Britain's Got Talent - every bit of it was divine.

My beloved mother, as fantastic as she is in most ways, has always been very territorial (to say the least) when it comes to her kitchen. So it is from the sidelines that I have tried to absorb her culinary skills, to replicate at a later date in a kitchen of my own. 

I don't know why but I have always been one of those irritating tricky eaters...and before you shut down this page in horror please read on.

A few teenage years as a vegetarian (how original) and a lack of experience actually handling raw meat has made me a little uneasy about being adventurous with the old dead animals! It is not handling meat that's the challenge, just that I've got into the habit of cooking without meat and as such stick to one type when I am feeling carnivorous.

I stick to my old friend Mrs chicken most of the time, needing simply to dice or slice and chuck in the pan or baking dish. And even typing these words I feel the vegetarian in me stomping her feet. See, in all things I am indecisive. At least I can rely on that,

The point is that I am going to start pushing myself to be more adventurous. I live in a beautiful flat with a wonderful large and well stocked kitchen. And I am resolving to use it more, and in new ways. As easy as it is to come home to my stable dinner of bulgur wheat salad with roast tomatoes and (surprise, surprise) chicken, I am going to book in some dinner parties and try a few new dishes. 

Of course I will keep you updated on my successes and failures...and for now here are my mother's glorious creations.

Scenes from London

I can't get my head around the fact that we are fast approaching the half way point of 2009. This year has already thrown a lot at me, including the end of a quite new relationship and the re-kindling of an old one, along with dealing with the very recent loss of a much loved and deeply missed relative and coming to terms with how that will affect another loved one.

I have come to a much deliberated over decision, and have decided to leave my current job for a new career, and this will mean returning to full time study for 3 years. But this is a long-term plan and entails spending the next year and a half living extremely frugally so I can continue to live in London without a salary.

Despite these activities and decisions, this year is still passing in a combination of frantic activity and a slight feeling of montony. Without any trips away on the horizon, and having had several grey and drizzly weekends, I am feeling like I need a change of scenery or a new challenge to focus my attention.

This will probably take the form of trying to get into shape for summer, which will mean getting out of my new daily habit of eating quavers and chocolate at 3pm. I also hope to cook some new dishes over the next few weekends, and save some money while I'm at it. I have been a glutton when it comes to eating out this month.

The pictures above have been taken over my last weekends around London. The lovely looking couple are Ramona and Nemo, a Swedish couple I spotted in a bar and managed to snap a photo of. We ended up chatting, with me insisting I write up a list of London highlights for them. I also invited them to a party we were organising in Tuffnell Park (which is not the easiest place to get to) and I was so thrilled when they rocked up on the night. I hope we made their trip to London a little bit special, just as it should be.

Snaps of: Marks & Spencers Roses for my grandpa, a gorgeous bed and co-ordinated decor at Cologne & Cotton, a sweet couple lost in their books outside the Wallace Collection, children's books on display (I adore the imaginative design of most children's book), hot chocolate and Northern Lights in bed, one of the many beautiful churches in Maida Vale/St. John's Wood (I will check the name), a simple dinner and a cold glass of wine to celebrate Friday, a movie at The Gate Cinema (we saw, and loved, In the Loop), a jaunty note left outside an expensive house in Marylebone, scrapbooking on a Saturday morning, my new kitten heel gladiator sandals, Nemo and Ramona.

Greens in Spring

All found at Queen's Park Farmers Market. 

And some friendly feedback from the customers...