Cakes

Over the past year I have made several of my world famous (allow me this exaggeration) signature cakes. I have decorated a gardening themed cake for a family friends 60th, a fishing one for my Uncles 50th and then of course there's Christmas. This year, however, instead of one big Christmas cake, I decided to make several individual sized ones - just to make the process even more laborious.
Below are the results of the many hours spent moulding, colouring and cursing icing. Hope you like them!

Now I realise the next photo isn't technically a cake, however I am still pretty damn pleased (and therefore keen to show off) with my shortbread Christmas Tree. (Much tastier than horrid fruit cake too (not that my fruit cake tastes horrid, I just don't like fruit cake)!)

Black and White

Just a few images from a film I neglected last year. Enjoy!

Happy 2014

I apologise for my lack of blogging over the past couple of months but a lot has happened. First and foremost, after a year and a half of working for free (otherwise known as interning) and working in Costa (to pay for said internships) I FINALLY landed myself a job. Not just any job, but a job in publishing! I am now a "Publishing Assistant" at Intellect Books who specialise in the fields of creative practice and popular culture. This job meant a move to Bristol, (where I know no one so if you are in Bristol please come say hi) so I am now finding my way around a new city, discovering new art galleries, music venues and most importantly tea and bookshops!

In my absence from blogging I have read many fascinating books (currently loving Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn), watched a lot of TV programs (addicted to Breaking Bad and The Bridge at the moment) and gone from the usual drinking and feasting month of December to detox and fasting January (which also meant joining a Netball club, go Bristol Storms!)
So all in all, there has been a lot of change recently, which is why I have neglected my blog so soon after promising to update it more regularly. So again, I promise to regularly update you all from my new place in Bristol with all the books, art and films that I am being influenced by. For now I leave you with my quote of the week, from one of my favourite directors:

80% of success is showing up
Woody Allen

Poetry Itch

When I was little I used to love reading poetry, and I've just realised how little I now read. So I decided that this month I am going to read a new poem every day.
The problem is, where do I start?! There is so much poetry out there and yet it's such a personal and difficult genre to really get to grips with. Of course I know of all the "greats", the ones you learnt at school, such as Walt Whitman, John Keats, Lord Byron, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sasson etc. But I wanted something completely new. Not necessarily modern. Just new.
So I popped over to Waterstones during a lunch break (the massive one in Piccadilly) and was overwhelmed by the number of poetry books and underwhelmed by the lack of advice of where a poetry novice should start. Therefore, thanks to a trusty bit of Googling, I discovered some classic, yet to me, unknown, poets. One of whom was Conrad Aiken and his collection, Selected Poems, and I have fallen in love. His poems are immensely musical and are about identity and psychoanalysis, subjects I have always been interested in myself - it's a common subject in my photography.

So for today's poem I give you All Lovely Things by Conrad Aiken. Although slightly morbid, I hope you enjoy it's beautiful lyricism as much as I do.

All lovely things will have an ending,
All lovely things will fade and die,
And youth, that's now so bravely spending,
Will beg a penny by and by.

Fine ladies soon are all forgotten,
And goldenrod is dust when dead,
The sweetest flesh and flowers are rotten
And cobwebs tent the brightest head.

Come back, true love! Sweet youth, return!--
But time goes on, and will, unheeding,
Though hands will reach, and eyes will yearn,
And the wild days set true hearts bleeding.

Come back, true love! Sweet youth, remain!--
But goldenrod and daisies wither,
And over them blows autumn rain,
They pass, they pass, and know not whither.


P.S. I'll keep you all updated on my poetry quest, but in the meantime any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki

On a quest to meet a generally interesting man, my sister and I decided to join a few book clubs (to be honest The Girly Book Club was probably not the best place to start, even though I highly recommend it!) Whilst the man front is still a pipe dream, I absolutely love the fact these book clubs have introduced me to books I would never normally have chosen. One such one being thanks to The Islington Book Club (this one comes with men), whose choice this month is My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki, an author who I have to admit I'd never heard of.

Two extraordinary women. One all-American TV cooking show. An unforgettable novel of love, friendship, culture and food.My Year of Meats is told in two voices, Jane Tagaki-Little, half American half Japanese, living in America, and Akiko who is Japanese and living in Japan. In a single eye-opening year, two women, worlds apart, experience parallel awakenings. In New York, Jane Takagi-Little has landed a job producing Japanese docu-soap My American Wife! But as she researches the consumption of meat in the American home, she begins to realize that her ruthless search for a story is deeply compromising her morals. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, housewife Akiko Ueno diligently prepares the recipes from Jane's programme. Struggling to please her husband, she increasingly doubts her commitment to the life she has fallen into. As Jane and Akiko both battle to assert their individuality on opposite sides of the globe, they are drawn together in a startling story of strength, courage, love. It is a truly fascinating story with some rather shocking facts about the meat industry in America thrown in. Ozeki takes advantage of the differences between Japanese and American culture in order to artfully comment on both.

When I first read the books description I really did not expect to enjoy it at all, but I fell in love with Ozeki's intelligent, witty and passionate prose. I will definitely be delving into her over titles.

So, whilst I remain unsuccessful on the man front (sorry Mum!), at least I have been introduced to some thoroughly fantastic books!

P.S. Anyone read this year's Man Booker Prize winner The Luminaries, thoughts?

I Heart Tilda Swinton

I just had to post about this stunning shoot of an incredible woman in AnOther Magazine this month. Shot by Craig McDean and wearing designs by some of this seasons hottest designers including Craig Lawrence, Mary Katrantzou, Mark Fast, Louise Goldin and Peter Pilotto, I thought the images were just exquisite.

Tilda Swinton is one of my favourite actresses and a generally elegant and beautiful woman. Perfect model for some of these amazing designs!

Written and Directed by Woody Allen

As a massive Woody Allen fan I couldn't wait to go see his new film, Blue Jasmine, that has been called his "best film in decades". To me, this was a tall claim as I absolutely love Midnight in Paris, it's definitely one of my top ten films, so I was especially excited for this new release. I was not disappointed. Now you couldn't compare it to Midnight in Paris in any shape or form, Midnight in Paris is light, fun, something I put on whenever I need to smile film, this can definitely not be said about Blue Jasmine, which is a propulsive drama set in New York and San Francisco about a woman’s self-destruction as a result of her inability to look truthfully at her own life. It’s a serious warning, brutal even, whilst still manages to capture Woody Allen's style and dry wit in parts.

Cate Blanchett, as the starring role, was simply superb. Apparently there is Oscar buzz around her performance and I am not surprised, she captured the role perfectly. Her emotion and changing persona were insanely convincing. I don't want to give anything away so let me just say this GO SEE IT NOW! You will be pleasantly surprised, suitably horrified and most importantly, you will remember to keep in mind that age old saying, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

*Nerdy Fan Alert* (Just in case you hadn't already realised)