Therapeutic fish

It's the little things.

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Food, glorious food

Food at home is always a rather wondrous thing, so I do dread the return to fending for myself, particularly for my stomach’s sake. For this very reason, each time I’m back on my own I endeavour to eat well – and it usually lasts for all of a week (but so far, it’s going extremely well – depending on your definition of ‘well’!) I might now be back to the ‘hard graft’ that is the week following extended birthday celebrations, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have had some very lovely guests to stay over my Easter holiday!

I absolutely LOVE playing the hostess, particularly to guests who will happily pander to my ‘rustic’ style of cooking. I’m also a huge fan of guests who will chip in rather than sitting back and watching as the kitchen burns down around me – experimental cooking is not always highly successful, and beyond the safety aspect it’s more fun with two anyway? I’m not someone who can actually create many dishes, but I’m quite skilled at the throw-everything-in-a-pan-and-see-what-it-tastes-like approach, as I have now tested out three times this week. Things that can always be found in my fridge/freezer/cupboards:

Courgettes

Aubergine

Onions

Garlic (of the smoked variety right now – smells AMAZING)

Tinned tomatoes

Orzo pasta

Pearl barley

Tuna (although had a horrendous realisation yesterday that currently, there is none!)

Quorn mince

Sausages

Insanely large amount of tea

Honey

Porridge oats

For me, and so for anyone fortunate (or perhaps unfortunate) enough to be staying in my house, breakfast in the week days is always the same; bowl of porridge with a LOT of honey. It’s nothing special but it keeps me going, and is probably one of the only things I can really stomach in the morning. Of course weekends are a little more special and there might be pastries or crumpets involved... but let's not get too carried away! Lunch consists of whatever ‘lunchable’ items are in the house, and finally tea comes around. I’m not someone who likes to make a huge effort with cooking, particularly after a day of being on my feet (and even more particularly after a day at work in a café!), and I also like to avoid washing up – hence the throw-everything-in-a-pan method. So the method was deployed on Tuesday of last week, to the praise of my friend – even if he didn’t eat it all because he has a small appetite (what is one of those and where do I get me one??).

Filled with confidence, I went a little more adventurous with my next house guest; pearl barley risotto with courgette and asparagus, YUM. For some bizarre reason, I then let her attempt to roast a whole aubergine on the flames of my gas hob – definitely something that needs another attempt because it was very tasty, if not completely cooked (had to keep rolling it around the work surface as the charred bits set alight, we know how to add drama to cooking)! The aubergine was accompanied with smoked garlic mushrooms and salted pasta, making for a rather forlorn looking plate but so, so tasty.

Of course with all that Norwich has to offer, I have no choice but to take people out to eat too. I’m not a food critic, I just love food. For this reason (and just because I don’t like my posts to be too long and rambly and this one has already gone beyond an ‘easy-reading’ length), I will just say that everyone should make a visit to:

The Workshop; Gin & peach juice and Chair stacking

The Workshop on Earlham Road; incredible food, great drinks, amazing ambience, very tolerant staff, and a host of games to play. This time we had halloumi, fig and honey, artichoke, aubergine and mozzarella and the infamous Workshop pizza to accompany games of Rummikub, Jenga, Chair-Stacking and Scrabble with way too many tiles!

Grosvenor Fish Bar; have become a rather huge fan of their ‘Big Mack’ burgers served with a slice of lemon and lots of healthy salad, very fancy! Best fish and chips, great prices, lovely, friendly staff, and of course the added bonus of close relations with The Birdcage making for the perfect place to have an accompanying drink.

Waitrose; not for general shopping you understand, I am a poor student. But when the sun comes out there is nothing nicer than a walk around the lake at the UEA, a wander along the river, and a picnic by the mill or on a jetty consisting entirely of fancy, unhealthy bits and pieces from Waitrose. Pork pie with apple and fig chutney, watercress and salmon quiche, potato and leek tartlet, butterscotch and pecan yum yums and two extremely large and unhealthy slices of cake were the components of our picnic last weekend.

Food is my favourite.

On the train to Cambridge

Currently sitting on my bed with a pile of bags at my feet after a successful day’s shopping and merriment-making with Mother in Cambridge. After the disappointment that was Christmas, we did wonder why we were stepping out in the cold again this morning – but we made sure it was worth it!

As we sat on the train this morning (Mother like a child with a new toy with her new iPod, shouting at me as soon as the headphones were in, dancing around, and making general noises of excitement as each new song came on!) I partook in a spot of people-watching. It led me to realise that I’m still rather unsure of the rules of train etiquette despite many, many train journeys, and am almost convinced that I have my very own set. I do, however, understand that people-watching when in close proximity must be executed in the most secretive of manners!

The plethora of reading materials was a sure sign of the eclectic mix of passengers today. The first magazine that caught my attention was a rather risqué French magazine with lots of scantily clad ladies decorating the advertisement pages. Sneaky peaks of the various articles as the lady (who I’m going to go right ahead and assume was a French tourist) flicked through the pages gave me a prime opportunity to practise my French de-coding. I can confirm for anyone who has ever had the pleasure of experiencing my French, that it is still as appalling as it always has been – the word ‘homosexuels’ was about as far as I got.

In front of French-tourist-lady as she will now be fondly known, was eccentric man with wispy grey hair sticking out at all angles from underneath a woolly hat. He had chosen to bring a selection of large newspapers to peruse. As a passenger, my heart always sinks a little when someone with a broadsheet decides to occupy the seat next to mine. There is NOT ROOM on a train for enormous sheets of paper. Also unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for him), the content of the Financial Times was not as entertaining for me as de-coding risqué French magazines.

My attention was then averted to the opposite side of the carriage from French-tourist-lady and eccentric-wispy-hair-man to where a family off out for a day trip sat. They were the sort of family who were clearly prepared for all eventualities with their waterproof coats, multiple layers of woolly clothing and gigantic rucksacks for the unfortunate parents to drag around for the day. Father and son sat opposite me; father with his multi-pack of fishing magazines, son with the Simpsons. I could only assume mother was reading ‘Woman’s Own’ or another magazine that would firmly cement the stereotype.

Just beyond French-tourist-lady, eccentric-wispy-hair-man and the family-on-a-day-trip sat passengers who cast my mind back to my childhood and early teenage years, as a young boy ripped open the cellophane covering a new magazine and eagerly fished out the free toy whilst ‘let’s-pretend-we’re-all-grown-up’ coffee was drunk by chattering friends. 

Nowadays I may sit quietly in my seat, but clearly my mind is whirring away! 

The power of a wander

I might not think Lynn has much to offer on the doorstep in comparison with Norwich but this Sunday I took a stroll to some of my favourite bits and actually found it very pleasant! I'm not a photographer by any means, but couldn't abandon the postcard idea entirely; and they are often chosen for the pictures after all?

1&2. The Walks; The Bandstand and Red Mount Chapel

     3. Underneath Greyfriar's Tower

     4. St Margaret's churchyard and some pretty white crocus flowers

     5. King's Lynn Town Hall (complete with actual tourists)

     6. The Art's Centre courtyard - my favourite sun trap in the summer! 

     7. Stock Fish Rack sculpture on the Green Quay

     8. Pilot boat and some seagulls

     9. Compass on the Purfleet Quay pointing me to none other than childhood hero, Captain John Smith

    10. Picture Postcard and a view of Vancouver's behind.

Antiquing

A couple of pieces from Christmas <3

Bit of a bus adventure again this weekend (my life is TOO exciting!). Content in my bus bubble I was hypnotised by clumps of icy snow sliding down the window, with the occasional rude interruption of branches battering the top and sides of the vehicle as we trundled down roads clearly too narrow for wide loads! Two and a half hours later... and no thanks to the almighty detour, I landed. I rarely seem to get out of Norfolk these days, and this weekend was no exception as my bus journey was only from as far as Norwich. But it really was lovely to be back, particularly as I took the opportunity to go antiquing! I say antiquing, I didn’t actually purchase for once, but there is still nothing I enjoy more in a torrential downpour than taking shelter in a flea market. I have a penchant for mis-match china, jewellery (of course), mirrors, and anything else that looks pretty to me, regardless of its function!

The previous weekend I had visited St Andrew’s Hall for a vintage fair, where my friend and I admired the many men lining the walls in their high and mighty paintings, reminiscing over the days of curing boredom in our rehearsals in the oboe section by deciding which we’d rather like to marry. With all the memories of past performances it still feels a little odd to be in there when it’s full to the brim with vintage clothing or antiques, but what a space for it! In my attempt to relieve myself of bad hair with a little wander in the pouring rain (I know it sounds ridiculous but I was convinced that the wet-look would at least flatten it slightly) I stumbled upon a flea market there this weekend, and spent a good hour moseying around and having my jewellery complimented by ‘vintage’ ladies, lovely. As I’d made it to that end of town, thought I’d continue the theme and head for Loose’s Antiques Emporium. I rarely allow myself the pleasure of a trip to Loose’s (so called because it is set-up in the old Loose’s Cookshop building, not to be confused!) as I so easily lose myself in it all so need a rather large amount of browsing time. If it wasn’t already enough of an ‘emporium’, this time I was treated to even more antiques out back, and the entire upper floor was open and abundant with treasures (it’s so huuuuge)!

Very difficult to tear myself away and keep my purse in my bag (bus journeys are hardly the place for stacks of antiques, let alone when they’re quite so rattly) but I am already so excited for my return and another day of antiquing!  

Elm Hill 

Without my iPod..

Was hoping to be typically British and write about how lovely the sunshine has been and how I’ve been spending my time in it... and then it snowed. But I won’t let the cold weather perturb me.

Had to be out this morning for a haircut and there’s something incredibly unpleasant about sitting in front of the mirror at the hairdressers, particularly first thing in the morning. Although I’m a person who loves having my hair done, it did occur to me this morning that the hair-washing and drying experience is a little confusing. As I sat up from the basin and the hairdresser vigorously rubbed my hair with a towel, I couldn’t help but feel rather less like I was being pampered and rather more like my mum was drying my hair for me when I was a child – maybe it really was just too early and I was feeling a little sorry for myself.

My morning began in a rather brave and unusual way as I ventured into town without my iPod! It may not sound like much of a feat, but I’m quite attached (yet another obsession) and can’t usually imagine any journey without it. However a couple of weekends ago I inadvertently made the two-hour train journey to London without it! A missed train, an expired rail-card, topped off with the lack of iPod definitely made me wonder whether the world was trying to tell me not to go. In fact I almost turned around to go home because I just couldn’t imagine a silent journey – or worse still, a journey spent listening to other people’s conversations, general noises and, heaven forbid, the tinny beat coming through someone else’s iPod speakers! Pulled myself together however, and it was definitely worth it. No music meant that I actually had the opportunity to be productive for two hours, as fortunately (?) I had remembered a trusty maths text book and my notebook! There was even something strangely nice about not having music in my ears. On the odd occasion I will walk or sit somewhere without earphones in just for a bit of quiet or appreciation of everyday hustle and bustle, but it really is a rarity. Admittedly my ears were definitely still ringing from the night before, but I felt oddly calm, able to appreciate a stillness in myself that I very rarely notice because I’m usually too busy buzzing about!

Finally jumped on the bandwagon, http://instagram.com/brockwayl

I usually feel as though having my earphones in is a comfort and almost protects me from the outside world, but actually I quite liked having my wits about me today (I could hear the birds and my thoughts too!). I’m always going to be addicted to listening to music wherever I go, but I’m definitely going to make a point of making time to listen to everyday sounds too – I’m not sure I can ever turn off the music in my head though, still bopping my way along to nothingness (yes, I bop!). 

Snug and comfy-cosy

Wherever I am I love to be snug, comfy and cosy. It’s a known fact about me that I’m completely incapable of sitting normally on a chair. I have to be wrapped up in the strangest looking positions with my legs all tangled and sticking out at funny angles (or at the very least cross-legged). Almost anybody that witnesses me in these positions for the first time will make the comment, ‘surely that can’t be comfortable?’ – yet actually, I am most comfortable when in a knot.

Sitting in a knot is made possible by all-important comfortable attire and it was only the other day that I realised how much more wear I get out of my comfortable clothes this year. My music degree consisted of a maximum of 9 hours of lectures a week, so while the remaining hours may have been spent in pyjamas, clothes for a night out, or of course fancy dress outfits, there were very few occasions where I would be sitting down wearing ordinary clothes! However now that I am enrolled on a degree where I’m sitting through 8 hours of lectures a day instead, comfort is paramount (and knot-enabling leggings are just the thing)!

While comfort comes in the form of leggings, snug and cosy is provided by my trusty scarf and my vintage jumpers (all woolly, all over-sized and all from the 1980s), which I throw over the top of any outfit when the inevitable draught begins to waft through every lecture or workshop! 

http://www.goldfinchesvintage.co.uk/ http://www.absolutevintage.co.uk/ - the sources of my every vintage-jumper need!

I like to be surrounded by my favourite things wherever I am, so will rarely be seen without a ring, one of my favourite bags, my scarf and a jumper! However it is in my bedroom where my obsessions culminate, in a display which has naturally come to form part of the decoration in both my room at home and at university. The ring collection has pride on a shelf in a selection of glass dishes, bags are hung from every handle while necklaces hang from every bed knob and curtain pole, and my jumpers are always draped over the back of a chair or the end of my bed. It was only when I was tidying the other day for the arrival of a friend and went to put a jumper away in the wardrobe that I realised I actually much prefer them lying around. Of course I love to have easy access to them for instant comfort and warmth, but they’re actually really pretty too!