Life in the city.... is very interesting!

Sorry it’s been a while since I lasted posted. I’ve been getting to grips with a new job, commuting, and a new life in general! All is going well I think! I haven’t had much time to spend in the kitchen at the weekend as each weekend is filled up with exploring new places. It does feel like we are on holiday when Saturday morning comes around. What shall we do? Where shall we go? Are there any markets on? I’ve also discovered some amazing cook shops! Luckily one is near us in Witney.

Over the past couple of weekends we’ve been to Witney, Stratford Upon Avon, Cheltenham, Oxford, and Biscester; we’ve walked along the canal banks; explored the local area on foot and by bike; and managed to squeeze in a pint at the local village pub whilst being amused by the local Pizza van that comes around every Friday (fully equipped with a proper pizza oven!). This weekend we’ve heading off to London to watch a friend run in the London Marathon (memories of running it last year might come back to me!)! So it’s pretty much all go!

Having moved to a city from a very rural location, there are lots of things that I witness every day that amuse / bemuse / confuse me. I must admit that on my first day of work last week, being a bit early, I decided to stop of at a well known coffee chain to grab a cuppa and watch the world go by. Obviously I was too keen to get into work by 40minutes!  It seemed that everyone gets a coffee and pastry on their way to work... at £4.00 a pop how do they sustain that!?!? I know I won’t be doing it!

Commuting is OK. Drive to the park and ride, catch the bus, walk the last ½ a mile to the office. It’s the return leg that is a nightmare with everyone scrabbling to get home. I can’t wait to get back on my bike and beat the traffic. Traffic in Oxford is a real nightmare. I can’t understand, as the bus is approaching the Park and Ride on the way home, that everyone starts to get up, clamber down the stairs of the double Decker bus (whilst still in motion, holding their shopping / coffee / keys) and fights to get off. I see people running to their cars and it’s like Wacky Races to get out of the carpark! All for saving 30seconds to only get caught up at the traffic lights / roundabout. I sit, wait, get out, walk to my car, and by the time I leave, all of the bedlam has passed and I normally end up catching this people up on the dual carriage way!

The only good thing about commuting is that in two weeks I have read two books! “Eating for England” by Nigel Slater and “Bone in the Throat” by Anthony Bourdain (both food related and both very good). It will be knitting on the bus in the winter!

I’ve been very good during the week, taking my packed lunch into work and finding a nice location to sit and watch the world go by. I did have to venture in to the metropolis one day and was almost washed away by the hoards of people rushing about. It’s like one of those scenes from a film where you see the person stood still, yet everyone passing them is in fast forward. It’s even worse when you don’t know a soul to way to, to say hello. You just stand there, watching.

I was brave enough to pop into M&S to grab some yoghurt (we had ran out at home) and the queuing of people was immense! Again, linking back to my morning coffee theory, how do people afford, everyday, to buy their packed lunch? And then don’t forget about the essentials that you need to buy for tea tonight (having already done the shopping at the weekend)  and oh, I must have that pair of shoes! I’m glad that I am organised enough (and enjoy) making my own packed lunch and leave my purse at home. I think that you can be easily dragged into the spending game if you have lots of shops on your work doorstep!

Though, I have to confess, I do go over to the local antique market on a Thursday – there is allsorts there! From antiques to general tat, but you never know what you will find! There are also a few stalls that sell fabric, vintage haberdashery and other goodies! And the first Thursday of the month there is a local farmers market with lots of baked bread, cheese etc. I was very good last time, I didn’t by anything but just enjoyed a bit of chat with the local producers and the smell!

Luckily for me I’ve got some time off coming up over Easter and the Bank Holidays so I will be looking forward to spending some well deserved time in the kitchen and whipping up some goodies so I will make sure that I do some foodie posts!

All the best,

Nic

xoxox

The Craft Room is up and running at last!

Apart from food and cooking, I am also a bit of a craft nut - from sewing, to knitting, to card making to making jewellery... I get lots of sleepless nights with ideas of things to make popping into my head. I love to make things to give to people as well. That makes me really happy.

The Craft Room / Office was the last room that I unpacked. You see, the problem is that my original storage units for the craft room are now in the lounge as the unit from the lounge is now in the kitchen! So, I had no storage. And at this present moment in time we can't really justify spending more money. However, I did come across some pine shelving units in the shed which I have given a revamp and a lick of paint. They will do the job for the time being!

Whilst unpacking and reoganising my crafty stuff I came across some items that I would like to share with you. Craft addicts which understand!




Not much room for the futon anymore! Lots of light coming in through the back window! I can look over the fields for inspiration!

Unit 1 revamped! I must buy some new storage boxes and find something to put my wool in!

Unit 2 - books, books and more books! I'm a bit of a Clive Cussler fan so the bottom shelf is designated to him! Tins on top full of trimmings, bias binding and ribbon!

Some current work - my roman blind and my "Home" wall haning still work in process!

Still more work to do.... before it gets framed.

My mother will be pleased... I've finished my knitted tank top at last - thanks to my mother helping out with the neck! She almost pulled her hair out with the pattern!

My button collection! I also have a box for "special" buttons that are vintage.

This was my grans knitting bag which I have inherited after finding it in the cupboard at my parents house. I love it soooo much. It needs relining, but I think that is a winter project! It's full of Rowan Big Wool at the moment which I am knitting up into a cardigan.

Now this next item is something special. My mother showed it to me whilst I was staying with them after my wrist surgery. It is a handed beaded collar on silk that has come off an evening gown that belonged to my mothers aunt or great aunt (!? I think) and they lived in London. It's 1920s/1930s bead work and it is stunning. My mother was given it when she started sewing but never took it apart and it has been stowed away for 30years. I fell in love with it. I could never take it apart. The hours of work that must have gone in to it is amazing. There is a lottle big of damage which can be repaired. One day I would love to get it restored and framed.

Thousands ans thousands of beads and stones all hand sewn!

There's a little bit of damage which I think is repairable...



But the work is stunning!

This is collar number two which is in browns and amber.

Again, thousands of beads and lots of work.

I hope you have enjoyed some of my favourite pieces in the craft room! Thanks for stopping by.

Nic xoxox

Charity shop bargains... and bread!

Mr P and I have been out and about exploring local market towns in the Cotswold's over the past couple of weekends, getting our bearings and finding out what's out there. I'm really amazed and the amount of good quality independent shops that appear to be thriving in these market towns. The independent shop in Cornish towns appear to be a dying bread. There is also an abundance of lovely food shops selling local cheese, breads, chutney, beer, meat etc etc... you get the idea!

Whilst we were out and about exploring I came across some really nice charity shops and some real finds to start to fill our new home.

First off was this lovely cream ceramic jug. It was in the window and was crying for me to take it home to be put on the dining table!

My lovely charity shop jug with flowers form Lidl of all places!

Lovely foliage!

My second find of the day, for £3.00 was this lovely big basket which has replaced my garden trug as my log bin for the fire in the kitchen!


Serves it purpose!

And my final buy was this Good House Keeping Needlework book for £1.50 to add to my craft book collection. It's got lots of really good basics in. So I'm really pleased!

Unfortunately the weather today has been a little bit on the dampside, so I've been pottering around the house. We also have a friend up from Cornwall for tea tonight so I've been prepping dinner (beef bourginon followed by Sophie Dahl's Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble!). I thought it would be nice to have some bread with the bourginon to soak up the juices and instead of venturing out I thought I'd knock up a loaf using spelt flour. And here she is! Made by hand of course!


Perfectly risen!

 Of course I had to sample a slice, still warm, with some homemade lemon curd....

Lemon curd made with local eggs!

Happy cooking!

Nic xoxox

Hello Oxfordshire... hello first supper!

It's been an exciting couple of months! But I'm finally back in Oxfordshire for good! No more commuting to Cornwall, no more being apart form Mr P! Yay! Friday 18th March was my last day at work and the folks gave me a great send off. I was totally spoilt with cake and pressies.

It was lovely to wake up on Saturday morning, in my own bed, with my husband beside me. The sun was shining and it was a glorious day. We popped into our local town of Witney for an explore on Saturday morning and found some lovely traditional and independent shops and cafes. We even tried some local warn lardy cake which was amazing! I don't think I will be eating that very often though! I can already feel it on my hips!

On Sunday we were up early and had a nice leisurely breakfast. We then popped on the walking boots and walked over to Woodstock via Blenheim Estate. It was glorious! 8 miles later we were back home and totally pooped!

For our first proper Sunday Supper, I whipped up one of my favourites - Chicken Tagine - well, in this case it was Quorn Tagine since Mr P doesn't eat chicken. I've been watching my dad make this over the past couple of months whilst I was recuperating with them and I've now mastered it. So I thought I would share his recipe with you.

Here's the recipe, serving 4:

Ingredients:
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 large knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 star anise
- 2 pieces of cinnamon bark
- Selected vegetables, peeled and sliced / chopped: I use 2 carrots, 1 red pepper, 1/3 squash, 1/2 sweet potato, 1 courgette
- 2/3 chicken fillets
- 2tsp tagine paste (Al Fez Paste)
- 2tbsp honey
- tin of chopped toms
- handfull of apricots and dates
- pinch of saffron
- 1 dried chilli


Ingredients all ready on the chopping board



Here's what to do:

First of all, dice your chicken (or Quorn Fillets) and marinate in two tsp of Al Fez Tagine Paste (available in supermarkets) with 1 tbsp olive oil.

In your tagine (or large casserole dish) add the onion, ginger and rosemary with a glug of olive oil and cook slowly until onions are soft and translucent.

Slowly sweating over a low heat...

Add the star anise, cinnamon bark, chilli and chicken / quorn filllets and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked. 

Looking lovely!

Add the the honey, tomatoes, fruit and vegetables (apart from the courgette). You can add what veg you like - there are no golden rules! Stir. I usually add some water, filling up the empty tomato tin half way. Place the courgette slices on top and sprinkle with saffron. Place the tagine lid on top (or casserole lid, leaving a little gap for steam to escape), bring slowly to the boil, and then take the heat right back to a slow simmer. Cook for an hour or until the vegetables are soft when you insert a knife into them. Sometimes I cook mine for 1hr 30minutes on a really slow heat if I'm pottering around the house.

Time for some slow cooking...

All ingredients snuggly simmering away under the tagine lid... a casserole pot will be fine if you don't have a tagine...

Serve with couscous or bread. The dish is amazing the following day, heated up for lunch!

My favourite!

Yum yum!

Nic xoxox

Reminiscing...

So, I'm back in Cornwall for two more weeks tying up loose ends, getting the cast off (tomorrow!) and finishing work before I head back up to Oxfordshire to join Mr P for good in our new home.

Today has been such a beautiful day. It was a "woolly jumper sunny" day as coined by my dear friend Eileen. It was too good a day to be sat indoors, so this afternoon I trotted off into Penzance to do some chores. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the daffs were up and beaming at me and there wasn't a breath of wind in the air.

Penzance by air

Town was really quiet but it was nice to potter and appreciate all the places that have been familiar to me whilst growing up through my childhood, adolescence and adulthood over the past 30 years. It's where my family live, it's where my friends live, it's where my husband is from. It's where I've loved, laughed, learnt and lost.


Penzance Harbour

I've lived away before, when I went to university. Scarborough to be exact. I liked Scarborough as it was beside the sea. Yet I used to love coming home from Uni on the train as I knew as soon as the train went through St.Erth that Mounts Bay, St. Micheal's Mount, Penzance and the sea would come into view and I knew I was home.

The Mount

You see, for me, the sea has played a huge part in my life. I am drawn to the ocean. I even spent 5 years living on an island called St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly where life really does evolve around the sea!

The Isles of Scilly

And today it was perfect.

I made my way down to the Jubilee Bathing Pool, or Lido (check out the link with the history of the pool and the old photos!). I spent every summer here as a child. It's where my dad taught me to swim, it's where I hung out as a young girl, spending everyday of the summer holidays (rain or shine) swimming... I love this pool. I only hope that it continues to remain open in the summer as there aren't many Lidos left in the UK. Behind the pool is an area called Battery Rocks. This is where my dad and I used to swim and also go rock pooling!


The Jubilee Bathing Pool

I walked from the pool all the way along the seafront on the Promenade. The tide was on the turn and on its way back in; the sea was so clear that I could see the pebbles on the bottom; the waves would gently lap the sea wall and refract back out into the ocean, only to be brought back in again with the next wave.

The prom - towards Newlyn

I walked along the pebbled beach, picking up thin pebbles to throw into the sea in a skimming motion. We used to do this when we were little and skim pebbles and count how many times the pebble would bounce on the surface of the sea. I'd never get any higher than 8 on a good day! Dad could manage 14 bounces easily!

I sat on a large granite slab which is part of the reinforcements as the prom often gets battered by high winds and high seas in the winter which are amazing to watch. It was nice to sit and remember, to sit with the sun on my face, to sit and savour the smell of the sea as there isn't much of that where I'm moving to!

So, a new adventure and a new chapter of my life lies ahead. Inland. I'm going to be turning into a land lubber. I'm going to have to embrace the land, the hills and the inland waterways. Yet for me lakes and rivers aren't the same as the sea. And there definitely is no surfing either!

The sea for me will always be home. And I am going to miss it.

Until the next time,

Nic xoxo