He Says She... Waffles

Being the sweet-toothed, culinary piggy that I am, my ears pricked up today when my work colleagues mentioned that a shiny new waffle house has come to Cirencester. So, at lunch time, I followed the syrupy-sweet scent of waffles all the way to Blackjack Street in the town centre, where the brilliantly named 'He Says She... Waffles' is neatly nestled.

This place is seriously awesome. The decor is a perfect blend of modern yet homely tables and chairs, with loads of quirky, waffle-inspired curiosities dotted about the cafe, lending it a fun and quirky air.

The menu is extensive too (providing you like waffles!) with plenty of sweet and savoury options, all at reasonable prices. The waffles took a little on the lengthy side to reach us but were worth the wait and were really attractively presented.

The only downside - He Says She... Waffles is less than a five minute walk from my office, so I fear I may end up in here more than I probably should in the coming months!

Check out their website here - or better yet head to Templar Mews, Blackjack Street, Cirencester and try out the waffles for yourself.

Happy waffling!









 

Hot This Month!

August has been another windswept month for the UK, but fortunately I've had these 'hotties' to keep me happy:

1. The Olympic Games - London has done a fabulous job at hosting the 2012 Olympics and as if we haven't had enough excitement already, this week sees the start of the Paralympics. Whatever will we do with our spare time when it's all over?

2. Greek Weddings - everyone should have the opportunity to attend a Greek wedding at least once in their lifetime as it's a phenomenal experience! I went to my first Greek wedding this month and had enormous amounts of fun, particularly watching the traditional Greek dancing!
Image from dreamstime

3. 'Smother' by Daughter - I heard this song on the radio for the first time this month and instantly fell in love with Elena Tonra's hauntingly exquisite voice. The song isn't due for release in the UK for another month or so, but I shall certainly be getting my paws on it as soon as it's out!

4. Tesco's Feta & Butternut Squash Salad - This may seem like a strange combination for a salad but don't be sceptical as it's delish! It's packed with ingredients including quinoa, edamame beans, spinach, chickpeas, sunflower seeds and oh-so-sweet cranberries. I could happily eat this every day!

5. Homemade Cocktails - This month saw me attempting to make my own cocktails for the first time - not only were they super tasty but I had great fun making them too!
Image from dreamstime

6. Murder: Joint Enterprise - This brilliant new TV drama aired on BBC2 is directed by Birger Larsen, who helped create the Danish hit TV series The Killing (which I loved!).

7. Fancy Dress Parties - August has now become synonymous with one thing only - my friend Suze's infamous annual fancy dress birthday party! This year proved to be another smash hit.

8. Bio Oil - Love this stuff. 'Nuff said.

9. Cadbury's Chocolate Coated Pretzels - these little bite sized, chocolatey pretzels are utterly scrumptious and frightfully moreish. Yum!

What are your perfect little pleasures right now?

Word of the Week

Punctilious


(Adj.) Showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.

Synonyms:

 

precise - scrupulous - meticulous - pedantic - pernickety

Examples:

'Her punctilious manners made her fit right in at the country club, but down at the local dive bar she stood out like a black sheep.'

'The officer insisted upon punctilious execution of his commands.' 


image from dreamstime

 

Cocktail o'clock!

If you're having friends over and are stuck for ideas for something entertaining to do, then perhaps consider holding a cocktail-making party.
 

Recently, a couple of the girls and I got together for exactly this and I could wax lyrical all day about how much fun we had!


How to go about it:


You'll need the following basics:

• A good cocktail book (we used '1000 Classic Cocktail Recipes' by Robert Cross)
• A cocktail shaker, preferably with a strainer
• A blender (for making 'frozen' cocktails, which I'd definitely recommend)
• Various spirits and mixers, depending on which cocktails take your fancy. If you're on a budget then I suggest picking recipes that use the same spirit/s to keep the cost down
• Some nice glasses & decorations for the drinks, such as fresh fruit, drinking straws and mini umbrellas
• Lots of crushed ice
• A couple of willing guinea pigs participants to join in the cocktail shaking and drinking

 

And voila! you have all the ingredients for a perfect party.

We experimented with several cocktails during the evening, including good ol' classics such as mojitos, and classics with a twist - saocos (a Caribbean recipe similar to a pina colada but made with coconut milk instead of creamed coconut) and my personal favourite - frozen raspberry daiquiris. I couldn't find an exact recipe for the berry daiquiris so we improvised a little with superb results! The secret is to taste your creations whilst preparing them (any excuse!) until you get the perfect balance.



Happy cocktail making!

My Week in Photographs: 17th - 23rd August

Friday is always a fantastic day of the week, but even more so if the six days preceding it are crammed with exciting activities! It's certainly been one of those weeks for me and truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way as I love keeping busy!

Last weekend I joined the extended family for an evening meal at Egypt Mill in Stroud. It's a gorgeous venue set right on the water's edge. There was a wedding reception taking place the evening we were there so the service was a tad on the slow side but the food was fantastic and worth the wait. My cousin and I were getting pretty hungry, hence the steak knives in our hands!

I also had a great day out in Worcestershire with a friend, starting with a rather rainy but hugely enjoyable walk through the Wyre Forest, followed by a tasty three course lunch at a traditional English pub in Ombersley.

Whilst the men are away the ladies will play... Tuesday evening was ladies' night at my friend Harriet's house, as her other half is away at the moment. We all had great fun mixing up some impressive cocktails and getting mightily inebriated during the course of the night. Also on the menu was some super tasty chicken fajitas and hours upon hours of giggling over the silliest things! Girlie nights are great fun!

Harriet's tortoise 'Speedy'  was in hiding all evening (most likely because there were way too many ladies around the house for his liking) but we did get to meet Mr Lizard....

Hangover central the following day at work which could mean only one thing - jaw breaking Cumberland sausage sandwiches from Waitrose! These are seriously delicious but it's no exaggeration to say that eating one of these is probably equivalent to eating an entire pack of sausages in one sitting! Perfect hangover food if you ask me...

Along a similar thread, a few of my office colleagues indulged in pizzas for lunch this week. The lanky lads ate a family-sized pizza each. I seriously don't know where they put it, as they savage their way through food like a pack of starving wolves and yet they are all so skinny. That said, they're young - let's measure their waistlines again in a few years' time!

As if the week wasn't already busy enough, I also had my weekly kayaking lesson. After a rather rainy start to the day, the skies cleared and we were treated to a gloriously sunny afternoon/ evening on the lakes, which was just as well seeing as it was the 'capsizing in a canoe' lesson. I was particularly impressed with the first capsize we did - my canoeing buddy and I managed to throw ourselves out of our canoe without flipping our canoe in the process. Skills! ;)

Last but not least - a few other tidbits from the last seven days:


Daisy, the office dog was on total form this week, barking at the postman and various other unsuspecting visitors to our offices. Here's a photo of her making herself at home on my colleague Annie's desk. This little wolfhound officially rules the roost!




I tried these tasty chocolate coated pretzels from Cadbury's for the first time this week. They're new and utterly scrumptious. The only danger with them is that because they're not as sweet as normal chocolate it's quite easy to eat an entire packet in one sitting! Nom nom!


How has your week been?

Soul Food from the Sole!

Over the last couple of years, running has become one of my best friends. At school I was an avid cross country runner, but sadly somewhere down the road (it was probably the road to the wine lands in Cape Town...), I got distracted by life and my passion for the sport started to dwindle.

However, rediscovering running has been of the best things that could have happened to me. After a busy day in the office, or even bright and early on a Sunday morning before the world has woken up, I love nothing more than grabbing my trainers and hitting the open road. I'm very fortunate to have miles of beautiful countryside literally on the doorstep, so within five minutes I can find myself surrounded by nature in her full resplendence without any people or cars in sight for miles. Bliss!

It's not just the endorphin kick that makes running so rewarding - I also find it does wonders for the soul. My mind has a tendency to permanently race around at about 1,000mph and running really helps to slow it down. I use my time out on the hills to work things through in my head (whether it's something that's bothering me, something I need to find a solution to, or even just creating a to-do list for the day!) and by the time I've finished my run, my head is cleared and my legs have had a good stretch!

In June this year I ran my first 10k at Westonbirt Arboretum and despite the fact that the weather was beyond atrocious (think mud bath...), it was such a liberating feeling. I've already set my sights on The Wolf Run in Leamington Spa in April 2013 (Wolf stands for Woods, Obstacles, Lakes and Fields...) and plan to complete a similar challenge every year.

It takes time and commitment to get back into running after having had a break from it, but if you can push through the initial difficult bit, then there's no looking back. I know I certainly haven't.

Image from dreamstime

My Week in Photographs: 10th - 16th August 2012

Being the delightful creature of change that I am, I’ve made a slight amend to the current format of my ‘Photo of the Day’ posts. Rather than uploading a daily picture, I’m doing a weekly round up, all in one neat little post!

It can be challenging finding something interesting to photograph every day, but it's also rewarding as it makes you seek out a little a bit of magic amongst the mundane. It also serves as a reminder of just how much happens, even in a seemingly quiet week!

So, without further ado, here are this week's photographic highlights:

(The above photograph is of my cousin's beautiful kitten. I loved the way the cat was sprawled out on the floral duvet as it made for a glorious mish-mash of colours and patterns.)

I photographed these horses whilst on a walk in Frampton. It was raining at the time and was the second storm I got caught in whilst outdoors sans an umbrella that day!

I came across this magnificent tree on the same walk. The English countryside is resplendent at the moment. Everything is lush and green as a result of all the rain we have had recently.

The family pets fighting over a stick. I don't think I'll ever fully understand why dogs are so  fascinated with sticks, but on the plus side, it's preferable to cats playing with mice!

Beautiful sunset over the lakes. Occasionally it doesn't rain in England!

Here's my lunch after a client meeting, purchased at Starbucks in Surrey. I tried these interesting new crisps that are popped (using pressure and heat) rather than fried or baked. Oh, and the gap at the top of my wallet is where my debit card used to live... I realised on Tuesday that I'd lost it! (Possibly as a result of drunken trampolining at 3am on Saturday morning....)

This caused a lot of laughter in the office - my colleague Suze borrowed a pair of shoes from the tallest person in the company and wore them for a large portion of the day...

My mid-week respite - an evening of escapism on the lakes in South Cerney. We ditched the kayaks this week for a lesson in canoes instead which was great fun - apart from the bit where we had to stand up in the canoes and paddle at the same time. Wibble wobble!!

I came across these beautiful buildings whilst on a walk in Cirencester park. I love the light in the photograph of the bench - it made the picture look almost as though it had been sketched.

And finally - here are the the 'walking club' boys posing outside the rather prodigious entrance to the Bathurst Estate. What a door!


So there you have it - a few little snippets from my week!

All About... Are you Flowin'?

It's been a while since I last shamelessly 'Bugged Another Blogger' with a list of random & nosey questions about themselves, which can mean only one thing - time for another interrogation!

Today's blogger is the talented and lovely Sarah (check out her awesome blog, "are you flowin'?" here). 

Here are her Q&A's:

1. If you weren’t doing the job you’re currently doing, what work would you be doing instead? I wanted to be a marine biologist growing up, not sure why, I think I thought it meant swimming with dolphins every day (in reality it’s more about cataloguing plankton)….  but if I had to choose a new career right now I’d love to be an art therapist

2. Who knows you best in this world? My best friend Alison, or my other half Jay, too close to call it

3. What’s the biggest ‘fashion disaster’ that you’ve ever sported? Probably my favourite outfit in my mid-teens – baggy yellow jumper, tight yellow leggings, yellow stiletto heeled pixie boots – with hindsight, I probably looked like a streetwalker version of Big Bird from Sesame Street :D

4. Are you an optimist or pessimist? Bit of both!  I’m fairly happy most of the time, so I’m not a negative ninny, but I tend towards realism rather than outright blind optimism

5. What is your favourite creative outlet? Am I only allowed to pick one? J  How about a top 5?  Collage, painting, jewellery making, photography, fabric art

6. What’s the last book you read and enjoyed? I’ve been mainly reading non fiction recently, the last book I read was Water Paper Paint by Heather Smith Jones

7. Have you ever walked out of a cinema? I don’t think so – I am always convinced that a bad movie will improve before the end (maybe I am an optimist after all!)

8. What event in your diary this year are you looking forward to the most? A week in Cornwall (5 days away and counting!), and Vans Warped tour in London in November

9. What did you buy today? I should have filled this survey out on a more interesting day!  A bottle of orange squash, some Coco Pops and a ream of printer paper J

10. Who or what would you like to come back as in your next life? Ooooh, good one ……..  a golden eagle I think ….. flying looks like fun, and nobody messes with those fellas


About the picture Sarah picked to accompany her interview: "The photo is my drawing of my favourite trainers ….. kind of a self portrait as Converse and Vans are all I ever wear, and it’s an example of my main hobby, drawing and painting stuff J"

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

What it’s About

The Alchemist is a story about a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago who has a recurring dream about finding treasure overseas. It follows his journey to Egypt in pursuit of his destiny and elucidates how the universe shall open up a path for those that have the courage to pursue their dreams.

Why Read it

Of the novels I’ve read so far as part of my 100 Must Read Books Challenge, The Alchemist is by far my favourite to date. It’s an uplifting, spiritual tale that has turned me into an instant Paulo Coelho fan.

Favourite Quotes

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”

“We are travellers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.”

“Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.”

"And, when you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.”

"You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say.”

The Natural History Museum, London

At the beginning of this year I decided I was in dire need of a little more culture in my life, so whenever I head into London  now I always try to throw in a visit to one of the renowned museums or galleries dotted about this remarkable city.

Most recently I visited the Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road. I only had a few hours spare but with the help of a  map of the museum I managed to see all of the key attractions, albeit without stopping to smell the roses along the way!

The museum is cleverly divided up into four colour zones (spread across four floors) to help you find what you’re looking for. Unsurprisingly, the children head straight for the dinosaurs (blue zone!), so this tends to be the busy area, but it’s definitely worth a visit. The ‘living’ T-rex is particularly impressive.

I loved the mammals’ gallery, which includes a life-size model of a blue whale (the largest creature in the world) suspended from the ceiling. Other highlights included seeing the dodo bird and taking the escalator up through the prodigious sculpture of the Earth, which felt rather like being in a sci-fi movie!

The celebrated Animal Inside Out exhibition was still on display while I was there but sadly I didn’t have time to visit it. The exhibition is adapted from Gunther von Hagen’s ‘Body Worlds’ and shows the intricate insides of a variety of the world’s creatures. (An admission fee applies.)

I’d certainly recommend a visit  to the Natural History Museum to anyone as it’s a fascinating place and is undoubtedly one of Britain’s best national treasures.

To visit the NHM’s website, click here

If I was a Rich Girl....

I'm forever stumbling across really fabulous (read 'expensive') things on the web, so decided it was about time to add a section to my blog dedicated to cool stuff that, 'if  I was a rich girl,' I would buy in the blink of an eye. The more outrageously expensive, the better!


My first acquisition would be this breathtaking penthouse apartment in Hyde Park, London. Apparently it's one of the most expensive flats in the world, costing a cool £6,000 per sq/ft. It has security gadgets that would rival James Bond, and of course boasts spectacular views across London.

Yes please!


To read the full article on this apartment, click here

Etsy

Recently a good friend of mine introduced me to the fabulous world of Etsy.

Etsy is an online shop where you can buy unique handmade and vintage items directly from independent sellers around the world.

It sells a huge range of items from jewellery, clothing, art, wedding goodies, right through to gorgeous items perfect for your home.

I particularly like its search features – for example you can search for handmade or vintage items– or my favourite – locally sourced items made in my own hometown!

It’s also very reasonably priced, which means you can pick up some fabulous items at respectable prices. A little patience is needed though as there is an almost overwhelming volume of items to look through and not all vendors dispatch to the UK. I could easily end up spending all day on this website!

To check out Etsy for yourself, click here

(Above dress/ image from Graceloveslace)

Photo of the Day - Thursday 9th August 2012

I went out for lunch with a few work colleagues today - we headed to the recently refurbished Pizza Express In Cirencester's town centre. I was pleasantly surprised with it's new look (although the construction worker helmets as light shades confused me a little...).

The pizza was pretty good though and that's the main thing!

Photo of the Day - Wednesday 8th August 2012

The renovations to the church in Cirencester's town centre took place some time ago, but even now, whenever I walk passed it I still can't help thinking how the front of it looks like a sand castle compared to the rest of the church.

I was also checking out one of the local bank's mortgage offers this lunchtime, but one of my colleagues had other ideas!

Photo of the Day - Tuesday 7th August 2012

Today's photo is borderline dreadful! Actually no, it IS dreadful! Despite having the perfect photo opportunity at lunchtime today (drinks with the girls at the Fleece Hotel), I somehow forgot to take a picture and only realised late this evening on my way back from a friend's house. So I took this photo on the walk home - the street was really eerie and it was misty (British summer??!!) but unfortunately as this was taken on my phone camera the effect was more dark and blurred than spooky!

Photo of the Day - Monday 6th August 2012

I stumbled across this dog having a little nap right in the middle of the pavement in town today. It was totally unfazed by shoppers passing by. (And no it wasn't dead - I checked it was breathing!)