...loves reading(cont)

As I've said before, I am part of a reading challenge called the 50 book challenge, In which each person tries to read 50 books in a year. I knew that I would easily exceed 50, so I decided to try to read that number in 6 months, which finished today. Unfortunately, I failed :( . In addition to the previous list, I have read

38. Friday Nights - Joanna Trollope
39. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
40. Year of Wonder - Geraldine Brooks
41. Body Surfing - Anita Shreve
42. The Gallows' Girl - Melanie Gifford
43. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Though I haven't met my goal, I think my total is fairly respectable, considering that for most of the time, I was studying toward completing my degree, and ALOT of my reading was of journal papers.

I would really recommend both Year of Wonders and Body Surfing.



Year of Wonders discussed the onset of the plague, and its affects on a sleepy English Village through the eyes of a young woman living there. Its is an in depth social commentary on a village's quarantining itself during the plague(the historical aspect of the novel being based on actual events).Furthermore, it discusses the young womans dealing with the early death of her husband, and of her children, and her realtionships with those close to her, going into her own development as a person in some depth. It is a truly excellent book.



Body Surfing is and Excellent example of Shreve's writing, emotive, honest, and at turns shocking, it discusses the relationship between a young widow, and the family of the girl she has been hired to tutor, and the impact the arrival of the two young men of the family's arrival for summer has on the main character.

...is a busy bee

The last couple of weeks have been quite busy for me, but in a mostly fun way! Work has been fine, though unbearably hot.

Last week, Dave and his band(currently named the Renegade Folk Punk Band or Folkspunk), had two gigs, both of which I was able to attend, and both of which were very good. The music is a mixture of folk and punk(funny that), and convey political messages often, but is still fun to listen to. I am really happy that I actually like the music my husband makes. At each gig, at least one person says ' you have to say that', which isn't true! I get additional happiness watch him in his element, with lots of people responding positively to his music.

I also was able to see two of my best friends for decent amounts of time, which is rare, and was fun!

We had dinner with Dave's family on Saturday, as his grandpa (who is 95!!) drove up for Wales for visitation! we had dinner from the chipper, which is a rare greasy food treat! We also watched a film called If... , which is about a revolution of sorts in an English all boys private school. It was quite weird, and I suppose arty, but I felt nothing all the way through, and therefor I woulds say its not that good. Film buffs everywhere will be calling me a disgrace I'm sure.

Today, I went to the beach with my S-I-L Emma and her dog. We walked for 3 miles in the hot sun, through squidgy, sticky sand mud, and it honest felt a bit like walking up hill! It only took an hour, and since my last attempt at developing my fitness failed, I am going to try to just walk for an hour every day, and then introduce some other fitness enhancing activities. As a reward, I had chicken and leeks with dumplings for tea - healthy but filling!

I have been cooking loads, but many of the recipes aren't particularly summery, and I'd like to have a second try before putting up photos, so I shall post them in Autumn time when we are all cold and in need of stew, steak pie and pork chops(all with a healthy dose of veg, I promise!). I might add pudding whether they are summery or not, because really, we'll all love some pudding!

.... Bleh.

Joy of joys, I have the cold again. The weather has been really weird here, and on Wednesday, I got soaked going into Glasgow, and then spend 6 hours walking around with squidgy, squelchy feet and damp clothes, hence the cold!

I have been working for the past couple of days, and have work tomorrow and Sunday, and to be honest I can't wait for it to be 5pm on Sunday, as I then have a few days off.

Tomorrow, I am going to have girlie night with my sister-in-law, we are going to watch Little Women (the re-make with Susan Sarandon et al), which will be fun, and will hopefully make me feel a bit better!

I have a few recipes to post, which I will do this week when I have a day off! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

,,, has been tagged(I love quizzes!)

I have been tagged by the lovely Serena of My Crooked House. You should go have a look at her blog, it is seriously drool-worthy!

Here are the rules...
1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add more one question of your own.
2. tag eight other people.

...And here's the insight into my soul (why did I just hear evil laughter??)

What is your current obsession?
Trying to do as much as possible to counteract the awfulness of the BNP gaining seats in the EU elections.

On a more frivolous level, I am loving home making and baking and cooking. I have realised in the past few weeks that I could be happy being a house wife.

Coffee or tea?
Early grey with milk, strong but cooled a bit.

What’s for dinner?
I don't know yet! Maybe macaroni cheese, maybe lasagne. I am going to make fruit cake for pudding though, mmm fruit cake. I found a recipe for home made Jaffa Cakes too, so I might try them! Oh how healthy!

What would you eat for your last meal?
I'd like to say something really fancy, but I'd probably have pizza and then chocolate cake. If i'm about to die, I'm not going to faff about cooking stuff am I?!

What was the last thing you bought?

Random food shopping, including Ben and Jerry's and some Belgian fruit beer.

What are you listening to right now?
A very, very old tape(!) of Mischief Brew songs

What's the best gift you have ever been given?
The year before last, My now husband gave me my engagement ring for Christmas. Christmas is always my favourite day of the year, but now I have the added memory.

What is your favourite ice cream flavour?
It varies - I love chocolate ice creams, but you cant go wrong with raspberry ripple or mint choc chip. I love all the ice cream!

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you?
Serena is lovely, she is quirky, and she has good taste!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
France! I love France!

My M-I-L and I on a cliff in France.
This is taken the day before New Years, it was very cold and very windy!

Which language do you want to learn? I would like to learn to speak French properly, and also Start learning Spanish.

What is your favourite colour?
Red and purple are my favourites! I love rich colours

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
My black and white polka dot 50's dress. It cost £7 in a sale.I have worn it to weddings, to go out, on placement. It can be really dressy with nice shoes and jewellery, or really casual worn over jeans with Converse(which happens more frequently!)

What is your dream job?
I want to be a teacher, and I am well on my way to being one. I would like to be a food writer, but I lack the skill that a writer needs! I would kind of like to be Nigella Lawson too!

What is your worst habit?
I tidy constantly, and I get annoyed if people make even a little mess. I am also a really bad clock-watcher, I constantly want to know what time it is, and then try to fit stuff into the time slot I have before I next have to do something. My poor husband gets antsy about it, but we are never late for anything!

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?

I'd give half of it to my husband so that he could get a decent pick-up for his guitar, and spend the other half on vinyl from the distro at the Lemuria gig on Friday. Records are awesone!

Do you admire anyone’s style?
Most of my freind's are really stylish in thier own way. I like the way The Donna's dress, but then thier style is fairly similar to what I wear.

Describe your personal style?
I am 'jeans, t-shirt and cons/pumps girl' but I like accessories, and cardigans so its kind of dressed up, girly, scruffy. I like a 50's dress or skirt if I am dressing up a bit.

What are you going to do after this?
Tidy up the flat, because its a bit messy and Dave is having band practice so actual people will see it, and then make fruit cake. I will watch One Tree Hill and the Gilmore Girls too.

What are your favourite movies?
Life is Beautiful, Almost Famous, Breakfast at Tiffany's. I like most novel adaptations, and my current guilty pleasure is the Twilight film. I am very excited about the new Harry Potter too

What is your favourite fruit?
Strawberries, Brambles and kiwi, although I like most fruit!

What inspires you?
Happily married old people(Serena's answer, but I agree). People standing up for what they believe. Art, Books and music.

What's your favourite book?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck are my favourite classic novels, but i love most classics. My favourite contemporary writer's are Anita Shreve and Margaret Atwood, and for light chick lit that is intelligent, I like Polly Williams. That doesn't even begin to cover my reading though!

Do you collect something?
Books. People are always telling me I should give some to charity, but even if I on't really like a book, I can't give it away. I also like wodden boxes and objects, and red/ red spotty things.

What is your favourite smell?
Estee Lauder Youth Dew and Coty L'aimant, becuase those are the perfumes my mum wore, MInt Original source, because thats what Dave smells of most of the time, clean washing and lavender for the freshness, and cinnamony spices, because they are the smells of Christmas.

What are you most proud of?
My sister, because she have gone through life being partially deaf, and with a facial plasy, without using it for sympathy or as an excuse, and becuase when our mum died when she was 16, she was strong way beyond what someone her age would have been expected to.
My husband, because he actually wants to fix all of the injustice in the world, and does what he can within the means he has to do so.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up?
If i have to get up, I ma up on the first time. If i don't have to, Dave presses the snooze button a few times. He likes to ' cheat the alarm'

Cats or dogs?
Dogs!

What’s your biggest fashion mistake?
I am going to say track suits(it was a long time ago). they do not look good on anyone. Wat was I thinking?!

Complete the following: Love is…

being with someone who understand you, and who you can count on, and working together.

What is your guilty TV pleasure?
Come Dine with Me - for those who aren't in the UK, it is a series in which each week, 5 strangers cook dinner for each other, and at the end of the week, the one voted the best wins £1000. The banter alone is worth watching it for!

If you could meet one person (dead or alive) who would it be?

This is too hard! I will go with Bruce Springsteen, because I could take Dave and then he would meet his hero.

Lastly, here are my eight taggees(Is that even a word?)

Lisa E
My Wee Sister
Kerri
Hannah!
Erin
Julie
Lynne
Julia

Happy quizzing girlies!

... Passed her exams!

I got my final assessment results for this term today, and am very excited! I got and A for informed professionalism, and B1 for Art and Visual Culture. I will now officially be able to graduate with a BA this year!


Yay me!

... is angry, and disgusted. The BNP should NOT represent UK citizens in Europe.

I woke this morning to find that far-right party the BNP have won two MEP seats. I can't quite believe I am a citizen of a nation that thinks that is even vaguely acceptable.

Everything about this development in our government disgusts me.
It disgusts me that an obviously racist, right wing party is even allowed to run as 'legitimate politicians'. It disgusts me that in our educated, fair and supposedly democratic society, people still vote for an outwardly fascist party.
It disgusts me thats so few people even bother to vote, when these people are representing them at a European level - around 30% of people who are registered in most areas voted. 30%!
It disgusts me that people know and care so little about politics in general. I would really like those people who have voted BNP, (or not voted) as a reaction to the parliamentary troubles to explain to me how this is a solution?
Whilst they are at it, could those who didn't vote explain to me why the couldn't take 5 minutes out of their day? People have the option of spoiling their ballot to show that they don't wish to choose any participating parties. This brings down the percentage of votes that the participating parties receive.

My husband and I stayed up until about 2.30 watching the results last night. I never thought the BNP would actually gain even one seat in the European parliament. In voting for them(or not voting at all), people have seen to it that they have gained £100,000 per candidate each year. The have also given them the chance to join with other right wing parties in Europe, and push forward their utterly disgusting policies.

Nick Griffin, Yorkshire's new MEP, has just stated on BBC news that "Polish people shouldn't even be here", that 'Indigenous people of Britain are being pushed aside but African immigrants". This sort of racism is what will be heard by the European Parliament - this will be seen to be the view of British people. He has also stated in the past that "When the crunch comes, power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate.". This is who people want representing them?

That is NOT my view. If it is not yours, I urge you to sign the Hope Not Hate's NOT IN MY NAME petition, and add your photo, to show that the BNP do not represent you!

I have signed it, I hope you will too.

...loves reading

It's fairly evident to most who know me that I love reading, and last year, because of pressure to do uni work, I didn't read nearly as much as I would like. This year, I have been taking part in an online forum's 50 Book Challenge - the challenge being to read 50 books this year. I have, I think, managed to balance uni work and personal reading quite well.This is what I have read so far(not including Uni books and articles) ,

1. Diary of a Wife - Anias Nin
2. Scoop - Evelyn Waugh
3. Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination - Helen Fielding
4. The Weight of Water - Anita Shreve
5. A Wedding in December- Anita Shreve
6. The Unconsoled - Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Love, Etc. - Julian Barnes
8. Vienna - Eva Menasse
9. The Family Way - Tony Parsons
10. A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy - Charlotte Grieg
11. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
12. The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve
13. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
14. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
15. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
16. Class, The Secret diary of a Teacher in Turmoil - Jane Beaton
17. Those Faraday Girls - Monica McInerney
18. Stories we Could Tell - Tony Parsons
19. My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons
20. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
21. Q and A - Vikas Swarup
22. Testimony - Anita Shreve
23. The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Ernest Hemingway
24. P.S. I love You - Cecilia Ahern
25. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner
26. How to be Good - Nick Hornby
27. Art Therapy with Children on the Autistic Spectrum - Kathy Evans, Janet Dubowski
28. The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
29. Plan B - Emily Barr
30. The Sweetheart Season - Karen Joy Fowler
31. The Other Ariel - Lynda K. Bundtzen
32. The Perfect Life - Rafaella Barker
33. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
34. The Oxford Murders - Guillermo Martinez
35. Friday Night - Joanna Trollope
36. The Inner Circle - T.C. Boyle
37. Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

I am in the midst of reading Four Play by Fiona Walker, which is my light chick-lit reward for finishing Uni, and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which is a twist on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

I may have read all of the Twilight books twice :)

What have you been reading?

... eats soup, even on sunny days!

My husband and I have been trying to stick to a set budget every week, which often means we will buy a big pack of meat and use it for two separate meals(oh the joy of having a big freezer). We bought a pack of 20 beef meatballs last week, and I was looking for something to make with them with the second half of the pack. 95% of recipes including meatballs seem to be for spaghetti and tomato sauce, which I love, but didn't want to make two weeks in a row! Last week, we had this recipe from the genius Deb at Smitten Kitchen. I followed the recipe exactly, and it was AWESOME, so just use hers if you fancy it!

I am quite the fan of food blogs, and yesterday found a recipe for something called Italian Wedding Soup on Bread & Honey, and thus began my pasta-ey soup adventure!



Italian Wedding Soup
Adapted from this recipe from Bread & Honey, to suit what was already in my fridge!


10 meatballs (average size)
1 yellow onion diced
1 large carrot diced
1 leek diced
2 tsp garlic paste
quarter head of broccoli (20 1cm florettes)
1 large tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
8 cups chicken stock
2 pinches chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups pasta

(Bread & Honey has a recipe for making meatballs too)

• saute onions, leeks, and carrots in oil till onions are glassy
• add tomatoes, stir well
• add stock,herbs,, and chilli flakes boil for 5 mins
• add meatballs and pasta, boil 15 mins(recipe said to cook pasta separately, but I just threw it all in, and it was fine, you may need to add some water though)
  
• add broccoli, boil for further 5 mins
• season with salt and pepper

This was really good! We had it sort of lukewarm, as it was a really sunny day. Perhaps because of the beef, it tasted a little like minestrone soup, but with more depth of flavour. The husband had two bowls of it, and commented that even without the meatballs it would be good. Win!


Later in the day, I was having a sweet tooth moment, and as we have no eggs(oh no!), I decided to try making apple and bramble crisp. It is an American dish(I think) and is like apple crumble, but uses oats. It is really good!!

The recipe, which I now can't find said to use apple pie filling, but my substitutions seemed to work ok!



Apple and Bramble Crisp

For the filling
5 apples(medium), peeled, cored and cut into wedges
2 handfuls brambles
2 tbsp castor sugar
tsp cinnamon
100ml water

For the topping
1 cup oats
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup brown sugar
quarter tsp baking powder
quarter tsp bicarb of soda
half tsp cinnamon
half cup butter (softened)
half cup honey (softened if not runny)

• put all filling ingredients in pot
• bring to boil, making sure all of sugar dissolves
  
• simmer for 10 mins till apples soften
• whilst filling is simmering, put all of dry topping ingredients into a bowl and combine
• add in butter and squish into mixture till roughly evenly mixed
• drain some of the liquid from apple mixture, leaving only a little(save the rest)
  
• spread evenly over bottom of oven-proof dish
• spread toping evenly on top
• drizzle over honey
• cook at 350f/180c/gas 4 for 45 mins

Leave to cool slightly and enjoy! It tastes alot better than it looks!

This is a beast of a post, so I shall perhaps stop!

... went to the park!

...and forgot her camera.

It is a sunny, boiling hot day here - it is 25 degrees, which may not sound warm to some, but in Scotland is about as summery as it gets. I went to the park with my freind Rachael to have a picnic, and was intending to have some lovely sunny pics, but I forgot it( i had remembered to charge the batteries and everything!).

We had lovely, girlie catch-ups and banter, a very worthy way to spend a day I think!

We has vegetables and crisps to dip in black pepper houmous, a chick pea and chorizo sauce thing, and salsa (made by me) Rach brought along fruit salad, and we had some onion bhaji, so we were good to go. Seeing as I don't have pics, you can have my salsa recipe(which I also don't have pics of)! It is very simple, but people always praise it.

Salsa
tbsp oil(preferably olive, but I used sunflower this time)
Half a yellow onion( chopped to largish chunks)
1 red pepper(torn to largish) chunks
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
5 baby plum tomatoes(this is what I had)
2 pinches of dried red chilli
half a tsp of paprika.

• Heat oil in pan
• add onions to pan, fry till see through - 3mins ish
  
• add in peppers and fry for 1 min
• add chilli flakes and paprika, stir and fry for 1 more minute
• add tinned tomatoes and baby plums(halved), cook till fluid reduces and salsa is fairly thick.

Eat with chicken, sour cream and tortillas for dinner, and use left overs for dipping crisps/julienne vegetables in the next day!