A year has passed before my eyes...

Long Pond, Clapham Common

So much of my world has changed since I last posted here and I've wanted to write to you for a while, but I got quite lost, quite overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start...

What do you, dear reader, want to know about?

I could talk about work...

This summer I got an amazing job with an amazing firm of some wonderfully mad, wacky people. There hasn't been a day yet where I've *not* wanted to go to work.

Sometimes, as seems to be my way, I stay a little too long.... get a little too involved.... but I do love it so and I'm working on delegating. I swear!

This is getting easier as I learn that I don't need to control everything (Gasp!) and having an amazing minion doesn't hurt, either.

My "Mary Poppins' London" view from my office

I could talk about school (yes, school!)...

Stained red cells from a sample of horse's blood

Bradford Assay of BSA

I've started my BSc after seven lifetimes of not knowing what to do, where to start. I've had mixed results from my first two modules... It seems I'm a lot better with learning and knowing facts, processes, systems than with writing reports.

In fact, I think it's fair to say that I totally stink at writing reports. This fact may make it tricky should I firm up an option to become a research scientist somewhere down the line.

Perhaps I'll investigate exactly what a Medical Writer does. I hear they make good money.

I think the most difficult thing about heading onto this career path will be finding an acceptable balance between doing something vaguely altruistic and accepting that starting this late in life means I can be a little selfish and worry a bit about what my salary would be.

I'm still amazed at where a random comment on an internet forum can take a person.

I could talk about our kitchen...

Not so long ago, MrB commented that we should get a new oven/cooker - ours had a blown fuse so we couldn't use the light nor the extractor fan above the cooker and the bulb was blown inside the oven, it was breaking down... essentially it was in a nasty state of disrepair. While I completely agreed with him; I don't think he expected my response of wanting to re-do the entire kitchen.

See? To me it made perfect sense; whomever installed the cooker hadn't wired it properly so the fuse was behind the oven... If we were going to get a new oven, I would want to get it rewired. Properly. This would mean taking the cupboards, the tiles off the walls and since they weren't fantastic to begin with... I didn't like the idea of putting them back. I also wanted to work out a better layout for the room. We had an entire wall taken up/wasted by a fridge-freezer and I thought we could put the space to much better use.

Once I'd actually said all of this out loud to him he wasn't so freaked, thankfully, and a strange coincidence would put us in touch with a television production company who are doing a kitchen-remodel show and before we knew it; we were signing contracts and putting down deposits to have our kitchen gutted, re-designed and installed without having to lift a finger really. Bliss.

No worrying about calling the electrician, worrying about a late plumber, wondering what colour to choose for the walls, freaking out when the cupboards aren't ready in time and will grind the entire project to a halt.

Have I mentioned it was bliss? It totally was. And the end result? Far amazinger than I could have hoped!

The stolen wall before...

And after...

I could talk about Belfast...

I've been slowly, reluctantly falling in love with the place... against my better judgement. I think little gems like these are wearing away at my resolve...

Victoria Square Shopping Centre

Belfast City Hall

Albert Memorial Clock

I'm headed back next weekend, dear readers... I'll try to remember to snap some more beauties like these.

Acceptance, Hope and the Three brothers Clem

This blog post was originally supposed to be about loss, death, the withering of beloved plants but I've now come to tell you, instead, a tale of hope, of growth, of second chances and reprieves!

This is what I thought I'd be showing you, and we do have a lot of that, but, more importantly, we have things like these...

And I have no idea what these will turn out to be but I'm hopeful and proud and leaving them alone until they make their identity known to me. (Do you know what they are?!)

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As part of our ongoing Beautifying our Backyard-/Garden-Space Project I'm eagerly searching for the best deals on garden furniture so we're ready to roll when Spring is finally sprung upon us here in London.

I've encountered a problem, however, and I need to rectify it quickly.

At the back of the garden we have a gorgeous Clematis (this is a picture of it in its heyday... it's the giant plant that rests across the top of the fence at the back of the garden)

and it's a source of pure joy each year when it blooms. (Of all the pictures I've ever taken; this continues to be a firm favourite.)

Clem was in the way when we were having our outback renovations done and he'd been trimmed back drastically to allow the landscaper to get into the area to work and then add the extended trellis on the back wall.

Now, several months later, it seemed to be that Clem had been over pruned and wasn't going to recover from the ordeal. I'd come to believe that Mr Clematis's time had come. His end had drawn near. He'd moved on to That Little Garden in the Sky where he could run around and play with other happy Clematises...

This is Clem...

So sad *sob*

I simply can't have just dry, withered Clematis vines at the back of my Please-Let-This-Be-Beautiful-and-Functional Space so drastic action was taken.

Allow me to introduce;

Three brothers Clem. (There are three of them. They are brothers. They are all named "Clem".)* Please excuse their varying states of undress.

Aren't they handsome?

I've unpacked them completely, fed and watered them well and am now waiting patiently for weather that is consistently 10 °C for longer than two hours a day so I can introduce them to their new home. I'm pretty excited.

For posterity (and this post) I went outside, intent on capturing pictures of the current state of death so I could show you just how bad it had become out there. (We saved, in pots, a rose and a fuchsia plant in the hopes that they could be replanted and placed around the garden as life, decoration.)

What's this?!

I'm not certain that this is Clem (as opposed to another plant that's wound around in the same viney mess) but I'm hopeful that it is. (Can you tell? Is it a clematis? If not; what is it?!)

And this is our sad, little rose...

But wait!...

A sign of life! Hope for our rose!

And our Fuchsia... Long-coveted by our neighbour...

Because our neighbour longed for this plant; when it was removed I tried to save some cuttings of it and get them to sprout so that I could surprise her with it. So far; my attempts have failed *sigh* I'm quite disappointed by it.... -ish...

There's hope! If I'm correct, those new shoots are coming from a section that had been sharply pruned back to move it out of the way of our satellite dish some time back and we'll have a fuchsia plant again! (Is it a fuchsia?!)

*When I have to explain it; some of the literary mystique is lost. Try to keep up.

Lots of love and a personal challenge for 2011

MrB and I don't celebrate St Valentine's Day in any formal, traditional way. (Several years ago I told MrB that if he were to send me flowers at my office that year he'd then be off the hook for the rest of our Valentine's Days together. He sent gorgeous balloons instead, one even being a giant frog, and he was very definitely off the hook.) Instead we celebrate the anniversary of a special day in our shared history on the 13th of February each year and treat the 14th as any other day of the year, specifically trying to avoid the commercialism that surrounds it 'nowadays.

Today, though, I thought I'd share a recipe I created last month and hey! I made it heart-shaped!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Almond Cookie-Press Cookies

1 cup dairy-free margarine at room temperature (plus some for buttering baking trays)

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese

1 cup granulated/castor sugar

3 cups plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Fully combine margarine and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Add sugar and cream together.

Add salt, baking powder, vanilla and almond and blend well.

"Butter" (read: coat with a thin layer of dairy-free margarine) several baking trays (this recipe makes a LOT of cookies and I forgot to count how many but I'd comfortably guess it's more than 40!) before you start pressing your cookies. I was making cookie-press cookies based on recipes/videos I'd found online and when they recommended buttering your trays before you start; I though I'd be fine to just use baking paper. Boy, was that a silly move! The cookies won't stick to the baking paper which means they won't pull away from the cookie-press which means you're pressing cookies for no good reason. Please, people, learn from my mistakes! *grin*

Using a flexible spatula, fill cookie-press with dough and choose your shape disc. I chose the disc for making heart shapes (largely because I couldn't figure out which discs made which shapes) and away I went. My cookie-press has two cookie-thickness settings so I chose to use the thinner cookie setting and I pressed once for each cookie as I wanted them to be little morsels rather than "cookies", if that makes sense.

I then baked the cookies at 200C/350F for about 8 minutes. Too much longer and they started to colour. I wanted them to just be set with a hint of goldenness.

Allow to cool on baking tray for at least 10 minutes, remove to rack to cool completely.

I can't wait to use my cookie-press again! This time I might have to use each shape disc just to see what each produces!

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I'm on a self-induced (though inspired by futuregirl's*) craft diet this year.... A Challenge, if you will, to use what I have rather than buying more and more and making less and less.

What follows are photographic evidence of why I need to make this commitment to myself, to my bank balance, to the world (- why am I such a consumer?!) but please don't judge me too harshly... I do need to organise the whole set-up (that's on my list and it starts with filing about 45 years worth of paperwork) - and get a desk chair - but I know I've got at least a year's worth of crafting in there!

Want to know the worst part?.... That's not even any of my yarn in there! There's more *gasp* in other rooms in the house (living room, closet in the bedroom, etc)!

So, I've got a list longer than I am tall of things I want to make this year with the supplies I have so I now just need to get the motivation to actually do something other than brainstorming and dreaming and coveting!

Did you know that this is the first year in three years that I haven't been to my favourite two yarn stores in London to splurge on the Rowan Yarns sales? One of these retailers reported a drop in January sales as compared to the previous two years. *sigh* I know it's not all down to me but it brings home just how much I'd been spending on craft items and not getting many, if any, craft Finished Objects out of those items.

Have you set yourself a personal challenge for 2011?

*If you get the chance, peruse futuregirl's blog a bit... She's a Crochet Badass and totally inspirational for all "makers" out there.

It's Oh-Ficial. I am a Geek.

There's no turning back from this point. The time has arrived that forces my Geekdom status from "Wannabe/Poser" Geek to "Full Blown/Ain't No Denying It Now!" Geek.

*sigh*

I've been fighting this for a looong time. Hoping against all hope (and evidence to the contrary) that I wasn't a Geek. I wasn't a Brain. I wasn't someone who was defined by their brain, their intellectual hobbies, their "quirks", if you will. I wanted to be "normal", "average", "standard" but the clues were all there... Seeking out Mensa for an in-person, not-online, actual IQ test... Using very "cerebral" methods when explaining, organising, planning, creating things... Becoming quite "geeked" in my hobbies (seeking out the new tools/methods, developing new concepts, pieces, tools, investigating every aspect of them...

One of these hobbies happens to be playing the Professor Layton games on my DS. I'm absolutely hooked. I love the animation, the cheesy "plots", the improbability of the story lines, the challenge versus simplicity of the puzzles. I even enjoyed the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva and agreed with murmurs that the story was insane, improbable, ludicrous, absurd because it was all of those things. And more. All of the Professor Layton stories I've encountered thus far have been and I've loved them all!

The proverbial final nail in my Geekdom coffin happened recently. I'm nearing the end of Professor Layton and the Unwound/Lost Future and I wanted to know what was next... What was out there to feed my need for/obsession with Professor Layton... I did a little reconnaissance...

Just a few short weeks later I received a package from Japan. (I'm choosing to block out the details of the actual purchase because without them I'm still in a state of semi-denial so you'll have to do without them, too, I'm afraid.)

But what's in it, you ask? I knew. I knew what was in the box as soon as MrB brought it up the stairs and handed it to me in bed. I was almost vibrating with excitement and refused to open the package until I was dressed, downstairs and had my camera to hand...

Isn't he perfect?!

*hangs head* Yes. I know. My name is "Tanya" and I am a Geek. I blame this website. (OK, I now admit, with hindsight, that the name of that website held some sort of portend about the ultimate level of my Geekiness.) But, I bought an -action figure- based on an Anime movie that's based on a -video game-! I'm certain that that's the final step in attaining Full Geek status. *sigh*

(But I can't help but swoon at his perfect little plastic Professorness!)

Something's not quite right...

I often pretend I know what I'm doing in the kitchen and this is most evident when I attempt to fancily decorate a cookie, cake or cupcake.

This is never more frustrating than when the tools I have don't work the way I believe they should.

Case in point:

In early May of this year I purchased a "Master Tip Set" and was very excited to get started on some super-cool and savvy decorating. It was a 57-piece set that came in it's own storage case.

I was quite disappointed to discover, however, that it didn't work the way I had wanted/expected. Some of my tips didn't fit on the "standard" couplers that came with the set. The tips were simply too large. Boo! *insert Sad face here*

I searched all over the company's website and couldn't find much information about the set that pertained to the particular problem I was having. I then discovered that there was, indeed, another size coupler. A "large" coupler. OK, at this point I'm annoyed that I have to buy another piece to make full use of the parts of a set. In my opinion, that set should have been ready to rock and roll when I bought it (i.e. all parts work with all parts) but I can see, from a sales point of view, how it's good business sense to "encourage" the purchase of other parts or pieces.

Begrudgingly, I decided to purchase a Large coupler. I would not, however, pay UK prices for one when MrB and I were scheduled to make a visit to the US that summer (where this brand's products are almost infinitely less expensive). I did, indeed, find and purchase what I needed.

I came home excited about many things but, in part, about being able to use some different tips from my set. Yes, I am a geek. I have accepted it, it's time you do, too.

I discovered, however, that this new addition to my arsenal wasn't the Be All and End All of my icing/piping problems. Yes, there were some tips that had been too large for my Standard Coupler that now worked/fit using the Large Coupler so I was on my way to Happy Decorating Land. The road had a few more sinkholes, however, and I didn't quite make it there. There were a few of my tips that didn't fit either coupler! Seriously?! *insert Very Angry face here*

I decided it was time to send the company an email...

Dear ****** Customer Service,

I'm a beginner at cake/cupcake decorating and I have a question.
I own the ****** Master Tip Set and it comes with two standard couplers for the "smaller" of the tips. Some of the tips in the set, however, are too large for the standard coupler so I purchased the "Large Tip Coupler". This coupler is too large for the larger tips. I'm at a loss. I can't see where you have a different size coupler but some of my tips, the 124 for example, just don't seem to work with either coupler.

Can you please tell me what I'm doing wrong/failing to understand?

Many thanks and kind regards,
Tanya
Mrs B bakes

And got this reply:

Dear Mrs. B Bakes,

I apologize for this inconvenience. All of our tips should fit on either the small coupler or larger coupler. Sometimes with use, they may bend and not be able to fit. I am sorry for the confusion. Please let me know if you have further questions.

Thanks,

Stephanie F
****** Brands Customer Care

Hrm. I've barely used my tips and I'm certain that they haven't been bent because I am quite the perfectionist when it comes to things I value and I always treat the parts of that set with utmost care.

So, I inspected them, just to be sure. Of course, there was no bending, no warping yet there were several tips that definitely didn't fit "on either the small coupler or larger coupler".

I decided a more comprehensive approach might be needed and photographic evidence was obtained...

I then sent another email to ****** telling them of my issues and included the pictures as proof that I knew of which I spoke.

Stephanie,

I\m sorry it's taken me so long to respond... I am still having issues with a few of the tips in the set that fit neither the standard coupler nor the large one.

The tips are 108, 109, 124, 143 - there may be more; I stopped checking (and I'm presuming there would be more of the ****** tips that I don't own that would have this problem).

I've attached pictures of what I'm talking about but if you can't view attachments, please let me know and I'll try to host them online and send links. [The above pictures had been inserted here]

All of the four tips have the same problem... Their bottom diameter is too large for the standard coupler (the ring won't go down over the tip and attach to the base) and too small for the large coupler (the tip only rests on the coupler and the ring slides on right past it and attaches to the base leaving the tip completely not secured to the coupler).

None of the four tips are bent - I haven't used them because of this problem - so they're all new and perfectly round.

I eagerly look forward to your advice on this matter.

Kind regards,
Tanya
Mrs B bakes

I got this reply:

Hello there Tanya!

Thank you for getting back to us with this information. In regards to your questions I have some help for you. Tip 108, 109, and Tip 134 do not work with couplers. They are to be used with parchment paper or uncut bags. Tip 124 fits with the large coupler. We do not have a tip 143 but we have a tip 134 and again it fits with no coupler, just the paper or bag. I hope this helps and we appreciate your business!

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Jenn
Customer Service Representative

OK, so let me get this straight... When I emailed the first time and Stephanie replied to tell me that "All of our tips should fit on either the small coupler or larger coupler. " apparently, I shouldn't have taken this at face value. *insert Not Amused face here*

I'd like to end this post on a less annoyed note and share with you what happens when I decide to make "DIY Cupcakes" for a Christmas celebration of about 16 people...

That's the "ash" of the Powdered Sugar Volcano that erupted in my kitchen. (I went through about 4.5kilos of powdered sugar in making the TEN (all Vegan) batches of frosting for the 89 cupcakes! (One Almond Buttercream, coloured red. One Mint Buttercream, coloured pale green. Double batch of each Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercreams. Quadruple batch of the Cream Cheese frosting.) I say it was "ten" batches of frosting but I actually made four more that I tossed out and replaced as I became convinced that the cream cheese had been open and in the fridge too long to be 100% trustworthy. That's a LOT of sugar.

Why 89 and not 90 cupcakes, you ask? I have, honestly, no idea! I made four batches each of the chocolate and vanilla cupcakes (from ...Cupcakes Take Over the World ) which should have equalled 72 cupcakes. I think the batter grew/ multiplied/ spored/ spread/ reproduced/ something in order to create an extra 17 cupcakes. They did not go to waste, however, and I was rewarded with many a smiling face and even a marriage proposal! DIY Cupcakes are something I'd definitely do again! It was much less daunting than baking and decorating and transporting those cupcakes.

If you were hosting/revelling at a DIY Cupcake party; which flavours would you like?

Finally, a usable space...

Winter has descended upon us here in London and we're cosy inside our little home...

Taken 2nd December 2010

Taken 18th December 2010

I finally have visions of barbecues, brunches "on the patio", summer evenings reading The Book du Jour in the cooling air...

Yes, folks, our garden is finally complete! (OK, it has been for a couple of months but I allowed myself to get distracted with some end-of-the-year craziness and haven't told you about it in good time. I'm sorry.)

Before I show you pics of the Landscaper-Finished version (we still need to buy the accessories - BBQ, table, chairs, plants, etc) I'll remind you of the enormity of the task that was set before the man...

I think he did a very admirable job...

So, we're planning to (I should say that I am planning to and MrB is quite indulging at this early He-Doesn't-Know-What-This-Might-Cost stage) get a chimnea (that's just a link to show you what one is, ideas for type and style are gratefully received!), a BBQ, a large-ish table, some chairs, some potted plants (and, perhaps, a new clematis depending on how this one has faired being cut back a-little-further-than-it's-used-to coupled with an earlier-and-more-than-usual-for-London snowfall)... Is there anything you recommend we add to our new Outdoor Living Area?

Introducing "Mud" - a vegan chocolate dessert

Mud, mud, I love mud.

I'm absolutely, positively, wild about mud!
I can't go around it, I've gotta go through it.
Beautiful, fabulous, super-duper mud!

If you're not familiar with the above little ditty you've probably never been camping nor were a member of a "scouting" organisation as a child. The song has been sung around many a campground fire and repeated with glee after numerous strong rainstorms.

I love mud. I love what can be done with mud... facial masks, pore cleansing, house building, children entertaining. Take some earth, simply add some water and it's amazing what you can accomplish with the resulting product.

Did you ever make MudPies as a child? Dirt in a pail, water added and served to loving, patient family members willing to pretend it's the yummiest dish they've ever consumed - what could be better?

How about serving them "mud" they'll actually want to eat?

Introducing "Mud" - a vegan chocolate dessert (free recipe!) from Mrs B bakes! It's a rich, velvety, sweet dish that's nothing like a mousse (no air), thicker than a custard or pudding and absolutely delicious!

Mud

1 (12.3 ounce/349 grams) package extra-firm silken tofu (I used an aseptic pack of long-life tofu called Blue Dragon) drained of excess liquid

1/4 plan milk replacement (I used oat milk but soya, almond, rice... would all work)

1 tbsp Simple Sugar Syrup (recipe follows) or 2 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

300 grams (about a cup and a half) semisweet chocolate chips

Break up tofu into a food processor. Add the milk, sweetening syrup and vanilla. Puree until completely smooth.

Bring a small saucepan half-filled with water to a boil and reduce heat to low. Place a metal bowl over the saucepan while it's simmering (not a rolling boil). Put chocolate chips in warming bowl and stir with a spatula while it melts. Once completely melted (no solid chips left) remove from heat (don't forget to turn off burner).

Scrape down the sides of your food processor, replace lid and turn on. Using the feeder tube, pour melted chocolate into the running food processor and blend until fully incorporated.

Using your spatula, transfer the mud into a bowl (or an airtight container) and cover with plastic wrap (see photos for a handy tip!) and chill. Mud is ready to eat after just an hour!

(Caution: Mud is not a pudding; it's much richer. Please keep that in mind when serving Mud as too much could overwhelm the palate.)

Instead of placing the plastic wrap over the rim of the bowl/container - lay it flat directly on top of the mud, creating an airless space between the mud and the plastic.

Push the plastic wrap to the outer edges of the mud and smooth to ensure no air is trapped between the mud and the plastic.

Curl/fold edges on top of centre inside the bowl, again to ensure no air contacts your mud.

These simple steps can help keep your puddings, custards and muds from getting a strange film across the top or simply drying out!

Simple Sugar Syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

Bring both to a boil in a saucepan (you may need to stir a bit to ensure sugar is completely dissolved) then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Store in refrigerator.

That's it! It's that simple (hence the name) and can be used to sweeten any number of things. Works especially well in cold beverages such as iced lattes, iced teas... it dissolves a lot faster/more easily than solid sugar granules so now that you've discovered it I'm sure you'll turn to it again and again!

Prepping for our photo shoot...