I have a new bathroom (which seems like a terribly grownup thing to do) and the old bath with rusty strip down the edge has been replaced with a shiny new one. I tested it out with a podast (Esther Perel) and I am reminded that taking a bath is a very relaxing
I started learning how to make bobbin lace on the weekend. It’s wonderfully logical and an exercise in minuscule engineering. The different coloured threads make it easier to learn and to see that you’re doing it correctly. This is all whole stitch and up close it looks like I’m weaving a teeny, tiny
The Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart with an inherent piece of risk. You never know what it’s going to look like when you tip it up the right way, hoping desperately that the apple doesn’t stick. There’s something quite magical about the transformation of apples, butter, sugar, flour and egg into a
A list of tiny pleasures all rolled into one afternoon: sunshine, friends, gin, interesting work chat, native botanicals, sitting on the platform of the old goods shed (which is now Itinerant Spirits, who make excellent drinks, served with a smile). It all feels a bit like summer.
Friday Fried Apples. In butter with a little sugar sprinkled on top for a tiny bit of caramel. Just for one. Just because I felt like it. Just delicious!
I had a conversation today with a student and her mum about Mozart. I finished with an off-hand remark that it’s been a long time since I played Mozart and I might do that a little later. Mum replied that it’s a pretty special skill to have. It was a lovely reminder that
The demo yard next to the gym was busy squashing cars this morning, making a terrible racket. Then they pop them in orange net bags, like gigantic metal citrus, You can’t see it properly in the photo but they really do look like orange bags. Is there a hungry giant out there who
I have a little spatula son on my kitchen window sill. He stands in for the real thing (who doesn’t live at home any more) and smiles at me while I make tea. He’s way more fun than a photo in a frame.
You can’t but love a 1950s record sleeve with bright colours and cartoon dancers. I don’t listen to it often, but I love it sitting there on the shelf promising waltzing good times.
While the grey cupboards doors in my kitchen are not my cup of tea, the pineapples I stencilled one day still make me smile four years later. I did it on a whim using kids paint and a toy roller, but it brought some colour and fun into the room. One day I
