Just a short post, but I just wanted to share how happy I am that my cousin Jenny has just 'rung the bell' on her final chemo treatment for breast cancer over in Canada where her and her family have been living for the past few years. She's still got a way to go yet before she's out of the woods, but it must feel so good to know that this particular stage of her treatment is now at an end, which hopefully means no more horrible chemo side effects (although the drug she'll need to keep taking does still have some nasty side effects as well), and hopefully it also means she'll get her strength up in time for Christmas, which I know will mean a lot to her family, especially the kids, who've had a hard time getting their heads around their Mum not being well.
It must have been really hard for Jenny as she's always been really fit and healthy (she used to be a dancer), and a really hands on Mum, so she's not been used to feeling ill and weak, but she's kept really positive and has been keeping us all up to date by posting her progress on Caring Bridge, so for those of us who don't live nearby it's been great to hear how she's doing and be able to send her our wishes and thoughts on her guest book through both the good and bad times of her treatment.
I am so proud of her for keeping strong and positive and I know a lot of that strength comes from her and her family's religious faith, and she obviously has a very strong and loyal community of friends around her in Canada and over the pond, and it's been lovely reading all the messages of love and strength to keep her going.
So anyway, this is just to say well done Jenny through getting through this grueling stage of treatment, and fingers crossed everything goes well in the next few months!!
Love, Lettie xx
Saturday 26 November 2011
Thursday 24 November 2011
I am here now...
Here's the link to the original so I don't get in trouble for Copyright theft!
http://www.viralblips.com/images/939/f33c658073e55c6282a908fb334b4fb8.jpg
Hope it brightens someone else's day!
Bye for now!
x
Le Vieil Amant/The Old Lover, by Emilie Simon (translation)
I've wanted for quite a while to transfer a lot of my old translation attempts away from Facebook, so after my translation of the Georges Brassens song 'Les Passantes', the next obvious choice is Emilie Simon's music.
If you've not heard of Emilie Simon, she's one of my favourite musicians/singer/songwriters, not just in French, but EVER. I suppose you could say she comes under the electronic category as she does use an amazing array of weird and wonderful gadgets to create her music, including some strange contraption that attaches to her arm like something out of a Tim Burton film and which modulates the quality of her voice in real time, a bit like the Talk Box favoured by Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, so she can get that strange auto-tune effect, add echoes, or make her voice 'stutter', amongst other things - anyway it's very cool.
But when anyone says electronic music it might suggest something more techno than what it actually is - Emilie's voice is towards the higher end of the range, clear and crisp and times, then soft, breathy and delicate at others, and at times innocent like a young girl (especially when she sings in English on tracks like 'Flowers'), though she can belt it out as well (e.g. on tracks like 'Song of the Storm') - so thinking about it, she's actually quite similar to Kate Bush - and a few of her albums are themed around the natural world like Végétal, Flower Book, and La Marche de L'Empereur which won the 2006 Victoire de la Musique award for a film soundtrack for the French documentary of the same name about the Emperor penguins.
This probably makes her sound a bit like Bjork, but she does also play the guitar so many of her tracks have a punky-rock feel (like 'Roses Never Fall In Love') and she's covered a few rock tracks like Nirvana's Come As You Are, and Iggy Pop's I Wanna Be Your Dog. But what is awesome about Emilie's music is her amazing ear for music so her and her very talented sound engineer Cyrille Brissot (he built the arm gadget) come up with some awesome ideas to make the sounds they're after - like striking the strings of a piano from under the lid while Emilie is playing a melody, splashing out and looping a rhythm in a giant bowl of water, or just tapping and knocking a rhythm on the piano lid. Although I love Emilie's tracks as they are on the album, I think she really comes into her own when she and her team perform live, especially if it's been recorded on film so you can see all the cool gadgets, and inventive sound-makers they use on stage.
But it's really the lyrics and sounds of the words that are my favourite part of her music, which is why I wanted to try to translate them so non-French speakers could in some way access her music, although I have to hold my hands up and admit, it's nowhere near perfect. Poetry/music is one of the hardest things to translate, partly because of trying to get the rhythm of the words right, but also the sonority and rhyme is extremely difficult to replicate if you're trying to keep the meaning of the words. At times I've had to adapt the words to keep the sonority whilst still trying to communicate the overall meaning - it's definitely good exercise for the brain! But anyway, this is my best shot, so I hope you like it :)
Here's a video of the track I've translated Le Vieil Amant which is an acoustic version (so not so many gadgets this time), but I think its simplicity really makes the beauty and melancholy of the song stand out. The original text and my translation are both below:
PS I know 'muguet' is not the same as lily, but it fits better :0)
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Pour te rappeler
Pour te rappeler
A moi mon amour
A travers ce beau jour
De printemps j'ai laissé
Près de tes pieds tomber
Un brin seul de muguet
Mais il s'est désséché
Attendant ce baiser
Qui ne viendra jamais
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
To call you back,
To call you back
To me. My sweet,
On this lovely day
Of spring did I
Let fall at your feet
One little lily
That has since dried
Awaiting that kiss
That will never arrive
Le mois de mai
S'est joué de moi
Cette année
J'ai laissé couler trop d'emois
Cette fois le mois mai
S'est moqué de moi
Cette année
J'ai laissé couler trop d'emois
Cette fois
Cette fois
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
Il est parti le temps
Il n'a pas pris son temps
Me voilà qui t'attends
Comme un vieux prétendant
Me voilà qui regrette
Devant ces quelques miettes
Une vielle amourette
Qui n'a ni queue ni tête
He left on that day,
He did not hesitate,
And here I am, I wait,
Like an old candidate,
Here I am, I regret,
I cannot forget,
An infatuated brunette,
The lonely half of a duet
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Que tu n'as jamais aimé
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
You never liked it anyway
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
Je voulais je l'avoue
Danser joue contre joue
Je l'avoue je rêvais
De te faire tournoyer
Respirer cet air frais
Regarder rayonner
Le visage d'un amour
Qui n'a pas vu le jour
I did want, I admit,
To dance cheek to cheek,
I admit, I did dream,
Of our dancing feet,
The fresh air we’d breathe,
Basking in the gleam,
Of the face of a love,
That was never to be.
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Je sais tu n'aimes pas les sonnets
Je sais
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
I know, you don’t like poetry,
I know
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
But when anyone says electronic music it might suggest something more techno than what it actually is - Emilie's voice is towards the higher end of the range, clear and crisp and times, then soft, breathy and delicate at others, and at times innocent like a young girl (especially when she sings in English on tracks like 'Flowers'), though she can belt it out as well (e.g. on tracks like 'Song of the Storm') - so thinking about it, she's actually quite similar to Kate Bush - and a few of her albums are themed around the natural world like Végétal, Flower Book, and La Marche de L'Empereur which won the 2006 Victoire de la Musique award for a film soundtrack for the French documentary of the same name about the Emperor penguins.
This probably makes her sound a bit like Bjork, but she does also play the guitar so many of her tracks have a punky-rock feel (like 'Roses Never Fall In Love') and she's covered a few rock tracks like Nirvana's Come As You Are, and Iggy Pop's I Wanna Be Your Dog. But what is awesome about Emilie's music is her amazing ear for music so her and her very talented sound engineer Cyrille Brissot (he built the arm gadget) come up with some awesome ideas to make the sounds they're after - like striking the strings of a piano from under the lid while Emilie is playing a melody, splashing out and looping a rhythm in a giant bowl of water, or just tapping and knocking a rhythm on the piano lid. Although I love Emilie's tracks as they are on the album, I think she really comes into her own when she and her team perform live, especially if it's been recorded on film so you can see all the cool gadgets, and inventive sound-makers they use on stage.
But it's really the lyrics and sounds of the words that are my favourite part of her music, which is why I wanted to try to translate them so non-French speakers could in some way access her music, although I have to hold my hands up and admit, it's nowhere near perfect. Poetry/music is one of the hardest things to translate, partly because of trying to get the rhythm of the words right, but also the sonority and rhyme is extremely difficult to replicate if you're trying to keep the meaning of the words. At times I've had to adapt the words to keep the sonority whilst still trying to communicate the overall meaning - it's definitely good exercise for the brain! But anyway, this is my best shot, so I hope you like it :)
Here's a video of the track I've translated Le Vieil Amant which is an acoustic version (so not so many gadgets this time), but I think its simplicity really makes the beauty and melancholy of the song stand out. The original text and my translation are both below:
PS I know 'muguet' is not the same as lily, but it fits better :0)
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Pour te rappeler
Pour te rappeler
A moi mon amour
A travers ce beau jour
De printemps j'ai laissé
Près de tes pieds tomber
Un brin seul de muguet
Mais il s'est désséché
Attendant ce baiser
Qui ne viendra jamais
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
To call you back,
To call you back
To me. My sweet,
On this lovely day
Of spring did I
Let fall at your feet
One little lily
That has since dried
Awaiting that kiss
That will never arrive
Le mois de mai
S'est joué de moi
Cette année
J'ai laissé couler trop d'emois
Cette fois le mois mai
S'est moqué de moi
Cette année
J'ai laissé couler trop d'emois
Cette fois
Cette fois
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
Il est parti le temps
Il n'a pas pris son temps
Me voilà qui t'attends
Comme un vieux prétendant
Me voilà qui regrette
Devant ces quelques miettes
Une vielle amourette
Qui n'a ni queue ni tête
He left on that day,
He did not hesitate,
And here I am, I wait,
Like an old candidate,
Here I am, I regret,
I cannot forget,
An infatuated brunette,
The lonely half of a duet
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Que tu n'as jamais aimé
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
You never liked it anyway
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
Je voulais je l'avoue
Danser joue contre joue
Je l'avoue je rêvais
De te faire tournoyer
Respirer cet air frais
Regarder rayonner
Le visage d'un amour
Qui n'a pas vu le jour
I did want, I admit,
To dance cheek to cheek,
I admit, I did dream,
Of our dancing feet,
The fresh air we’d breathe,
Basking in the gleam,
Of the face of a love,
That was never to be.
Mon amour j'ai pensé
Avec naïveté
Qu'un brin seul de muguet
Pouvait te ramener
Alors j'ai retrouvé
Un ou deux vieux sonnets
Je sais tu n'aimes pas les sonnets
Je sais
I thought, my sweet,
Quite naïvely,
That one single lily,
Could bring you back to me
And so I found
Some old poetry,
I know, you don’t like poetry,
I know
The month of May,
Has toyed with me
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time the month of May,
Has mocked me terribly,
This year,
I’ve been too melancholy,
This time
This time
 |
| Just love Emilie's style.... |
Sunday 20 November 2011
Hangover food (Masala omelette and homemade hash browns)
I need to preface this recipe with the reason behind my eventual cooking choice.
Long story short, my boyfriend had a very bad hangover this morning, and regardless of the fact that I wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic (amongst other unimpressive acts, he'd left our front door unlocked), I did feel as if I wanted to cook something that would help bring him back from 'Zombieland'. So I turned to Ravinder Bhogal's "Cook in Boots" to see if I could find some inspiration. After about half an hour drooling over recipes I didn't have the ingredients or energy to cook, I decided to combine two recipes from her 'Hangover Food' chapter.
The Masala Omelette I've cooked on several occasions but I'd never tried the hash browns before, and I thought since Tom really likes hash browns it would be pretty good hangover food. It turned out really tasty in the end and definitely filled us both up, and Tom did indeed seem a lot more alive after eating it (and was able to keep it all down, which is a definite plus!!). Now I can't say it cured him completely, but then again I haven't seen him as drunk as he was last night in about 2 years so the fact that he's up and about at all is a miracle.
Now I didn't quite get the timing right to have both parts of the dish ready at the same time (partly because one of my two mixing bowls was otherwise engaged - ewww); instead I had to prep both dishes one at a time and keep the omelette warm while the hash browns were cooking, but what I thought I'd do was write down what I did this time, with comments on how I'd get it right next time at the end of the post.
Again, as with most of my posts I didn't follow the recipes exactly and I changed/added ingredients according to what I had in the fridge so this is what I used and what I did.
Ingredients
Masala Omelette (serves 2)
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 leek, sliced
1 handful closed cup mushrooms, stalks removed and quartered
1 v. small shake of crushed chillies (less than 1/4 tsp, original asked for 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped)
1 small tomato, seeds removed and chopped
5 eggs
1 splash milk (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 shake ground coriander (the recipe asked for 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, but I'm not much of a fan, so never have it in the house)
sea salt and black pepper to season
Onion hash browns (makes 12, so there were a few left over!)
NB. Original recipe used cumin, but again I'm not a big fan so I left it out
500g peeled and grated potatoes
1 small onion, grated (or whizzed through a mini-chopper if you've got one :p )
2 shakes ground coriander (original recipe asked for 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander)
1 shake crushed chillies (approx 1/4 tsp)
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil for frying (original asked for olive oil)
Method
1. Soak the grated potatoes in cold water for extra crunch. At this point I set it aside and left it while I started preparing the omelette. I'll comment at the end on how I would improve the methodology.
2. Preheat the grill to hot. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the leeks, the chilli, and a tbsp of the chopped onion from the hash brown ingredients. Fry until soft, and then add the tomato and the chopped mushrooms and fry for another minute.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs (they need to be quite fluffy or it might end up a bit flat like mine) and season with the garam masala (it will turn the eggs a browny-green colour but don't be put off!), salt and pepper. Add the splash of milk at this point if you like and whisk in along with the ground coriander.
4. Pour the beaten eggs into the frying pan and tilt the pan so the egg sets evenly. Once it has set underneath (silicon spatulas are great for lifting up the omelette and taking a peek), slide it under the grill and leave until it's just set on top. (After this point I had to keep my omelette warm in the oven at a low heat)
5. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes then squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
6. Put the potatoes into a large bowl with the rest of the chopped onion, crushed chillies, ground coriander and mix well. Fold in the flour and mix in the egg.
7. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan (I used a griddle pan and it worked just fine as long as you tilt the pan to make sure the whole surface is covered).
8. With wet hands, shape roughly 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into a flat fritter and carefully slide into the frying pan. Cook the hash browns for about 3 minutes on each side until nice and golden brown and crispy-looking (again silicon spatulas are great for peeking underneath to see how they're getting on). Be gentle when turning them as if they're not brown enough underneath then they can fall apart pretty easily.
9. Drain on kitchen paper, and repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding more oil as necessary (be careful how much you put in as it can spit!). My pan could fit about 4 fritters at one time so I cooked them in 3 batches, although depending on how quickly you can shape and add the fritters you may have to turn some of them sooner than the rest of the batch.
10. Once they've all been cooked, remove the omelette from oven, divide in two and serve with as many hash browns as you can handle!
Notes for next time
Since it actually takes a little while to shape and fry the hash browns, next time I would probably try doing it the other way round, i.e. preparing and frying the fritters first and then popping them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the omelette, as this didn't actually take very long at all. I might also try halving the recipe for hash browns as it was quite a lot of food with the omelette as well, so this would reduce the frying time as well. I think they'd also be really nice served with tomato and onion chutney as well, so shall remember to add that next time.
I'll let you know how it goes next time I try this particular combo!
PS. Admittedly the colour of the omelette might not be very appealing to some of you, but I promise it was really really nice. And if that doesn't convince you, Tom just commented that the photo I just added makes it look a bit like doner meat. Next time I might just let him suffer...
Long story short, my boyfriend had a very bad hangover this morning, and regardless of the fact that I wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic (amongst other unimpressive acts, he'd left our front door unlocked), I did feel as if I wanted to cook something that would help bring him back from 'Zombieland'. So I turned to Ravinder Bhogal's "Cook in Boots" to see if I could find some inspiration. After about half an hour drooling over recipes I didn't have the ingredients or energy to cook, I decided to combine two recipes from her 'Hangover Food' chapter.
The Masala Omelette I've cooked on several occasions but I'd never tried the hash browns before, and I thought since Tom really likes hash browns it would be pretty good hangover food. It turned out really tasty in the end and definitely filled us both up, and Tom did indeed seem a lot more alive after eating it (and was able to keep it all down, which is a definite plus!!). Now I can't say it cured him completely, but then again I haven't seen him as drunk as he was last night in about 2 years so the fact that he's up and about at all is a miracle.
 |
| Omelette might be a bit flat but probably due to being in the oven for too long |
Again, as with most of my posts I didn't follow the recipes exactly and I changed/added ingredients according to what I had in the fridge so this is what I used and what I did.
Ingredients
Masala Omelette (serves 2)
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 leek, sliced
1 handful closed cup mushrooms, stalks removed and quartered
1 v. small shake of crushed chillies (less than 1/4 tsp, original asked for 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped)
1 small tomato, seeds removed and chopped
5 eggs
1 splash milk (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 shake ground coriander (the recipe asked for 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, but I'm not much of a fan, so never have it in the house)
sea salt and black pepper to season
Onion hash browns (makes 12, so there were a few left over!)
NB. Original recipe used cumin, but again I'm not a big fan so I left it out
500g peeled and grated potatoes
1 small onion, grated (or whizzed through a mini-chopper if you've got one :p )
2 shakes ground coriander (original recipe asked for 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander)
1 shake crushed chillies (approx 1/4 tsp)
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil for frying (original asked for olive oil)
Method
1. Soak the grated potatoes in cold water for extra crunch. At this point I set it aside and left it while I started preparing the omelette. I'll comment at the end on how I would improve the methodology.
2. Preheat the grill to hot. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the leeks, the chilli, and a tbsp of the chopped onion from the hash brown ingredients. Fry until soft, and then add the tomato and the chopped mushrooms and fry for another minute.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs (they need to be quite fluffy or it might end up a bit flat like mine) and season with the garam masala (it will turn the eggs a browny-green colour but don't be put off!), salt and pepper. Add the splash of milk at this point if you like and whisk in along with the ground coriander.
4. Pour the beaten eggs into the frying pan and tilt the pan so the egg sets evenly. Once it has set underneath (silicon spatulas are great for lifting up the omelette and taking a peek), slide it under the grill and leave until it's just set on top. (After this point I had to keep my omelette warm in the oven at a low heat)
5. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes then squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
6. Put the potatoes into a large bowl with the rest of the chopped onion, crushed chillies, ground coriander and mix well. Fold in the flour and mix in the egg.
7. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan (I used a griddle pan and it worked just fine as long as you tilt the pan to make sure the whole surface is covered).
8. With wet hands, shape roughly 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into a flat fritter and carefully slide into the frying pan. Cook the hash browns for about 3 minutes on each side until nice and golden brown and crispy-looking (again silicon spatulas are great for peeking underneath to see how they're getting on). Be gentle when turning them as if they're not brown enough underneath then they can fall apart pretty easily.
9. Drain on kitchen paper, and repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding more oil as necessary (be careful how much you put in as it can spit!). My pan could fit about 4 fritters at one time so I cooked them in 3 batches, although depending on how quickly you can shape and add the fritters you may have to turn some of them sooner than the rest of the batch.
10. Once they've all been cooked, remove the omelette from oven, divide in two and serve with as many hash browns as you can handle!
Notes for next time
Since it actually takes a little while to shape and fry the hash browns, next time I would probably try doing it the other way round, i.e. preparing and frying the fritters first and then popping them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the omelette, as this didn't actually take very long at all. I might also try halving the recipe for hash browns as it was quite a lot of food with the omelette as well, so this would reduce the frying time as well. I think they'd also be really nice served with tomato and onion chutney as well, so shall remember to add that next time.
I'll let you know how it goes next time I try this particular combo!
PS. Admittedly the colour of the omelette might not be very appealing to some of you, but I promise it was really really nice. And if that doesn't convince you, Tom just commented that the photo I just added makes it look a bit like doner meat. Next time I might just let him suffer...
Saturday 19 November 2011
The starving artist?
Hi there,
I just recently had a quick look back through some of my favourite pages on Stumble Upon and top of the list is this one about tattoo artist Scott Campbell.
If you have a chance to check the link out you'll see some truly fascinating sculptures that are made by laser cutting the shapes out of stacks and stacks of...wait for it....
US dollars!
The images he uses as a base for his sculptures are traditional fare for a tattoo artist - lots of skulls, flames, spider webs, butterflies, etc - and the article points out the contrast between on one side the notions of wealth, plenty, and the lack of concern about 'wasting money' (one of the pieces is made up of $11,000 in uncut but genuine currency), and on the other side what could be considered "working class" imagery. Now I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that particular terminology, as I don't think the imagery is exclusive to class, but as I mentioned before it is indeed reminiscent of traditional, All-American, tattoo imagery, which I suppose you could argue is not commonly associated with the upper echelons of society.
But it does also shock, as the use of so much money seem to directly contradict the notion of the starving artist who has to live from hand to mouth - just how did this guy get all that money I wonder. You could of course see it is a visual representation of an attempt to free oneself from the shackles of money - it reminds me of Rage Against The Machine's music video for 'Sleep Now in the Fire' when they occupied Wall Street, and where a homeless man wins a wheelbarrow-ful of cash on a game show, only to walk away in disgust at the money hungry audience and TV host. History seems to have repeated itself of late, with the Occupy Wall Street movement of the past two months protesting against greed and corruption, and indeed yesterday saw 30,000 take to the streets in NYC, and all entry points to the New York Stock Exchanges were blockaded.
But back to the art. To my mind, what is particularly interesting is the motif of the skeleton in several of the pieces, which acts like a 'memento mori' (latin for "Remember your mortality"). In my opinion, it seems to be talking about how wealth, and the material things we spend our money on, amounts to very little when we die in the end, but also how excessive wealth can be a destructive force in the world. The economic downturn that was caused by recklesd and unregulated lending and gambling of wholly intangible sums of money has been the downfall of many big businesses and banks, which sadly had the knock on effect of making the world a pretty damn impossible place to live for the all those little guys across the world who lost their businesses or their job, their savings, their homes, and in some cases their families, and so on and so forth. For some people the credit crunch really was the final nail in the coffin.
And in many ways we still can't get our heads around numbers that are so huge. When I was a student, I tried my best to pay attention in Finance classes, and although the lecturer was young, pleasant, and dare I say it, vaguely attractive, it was still so dry, that I didn't even bother attempting to revise Finance for the exam and just hoped that I could answer enough accounting questions to pass (it worked by the way). But there is one thing that the lecturer did pass on which was the link to the following article about how to understand the phenomenally gargantuan numbers sprawled across the news about debts, losses, bail outs, deficits, and so on.
In some ways, I think that this is also another aspect of what Scott Campbell is trying to accomplish with his dollar sculptures. By highlighting the waste involved in creating his pieces, he is also helping us visualise money in more tangible terms. I mean, let's be honest, if we actually had to keep all our actual money (excluding credit and overdrafts) at home under the mattress in $1 bills (or £5 notes) then we'd probably think it looked like a lot, but you would soon be able to see the pile grow smaller and smaller as you had to spend it. But as it is we keep our money in a bank, where we have an overdraft, and most likely a credit card (and a lot of people have more than 1). We spend our money electronically for the most part nowadays too, and I think that is another reason why it has become so easy over the past decade for 'spendaholics' to get into debt.
If I were ever in a position to actually want a Louis Vuitton handbag that cost, let's say £450, then I (personally) would be 100 times less likely to purchase it if I had to hand over £450 in cash than if I could just whack it on a credit card. My boyfriend Tom, as a matter of fact managed to get out of his overdraft relatively quickly by just taking out £10 cash per week to spend on non-essential items (so anything apart from food, fuel, and rent etc), and he felt that having his spending money in cash was a much better way of making sure he stuck to his budget, because when it was gone it was gone. This is something that I really want to try as I hate having to pay overdraft fees, so the sooner I get out the better.
But I digress. One final comment on this work and then I'll leave it for today. I mentioned earlier the skull and skeletons can be seen as a reminder of our mortality and our impermanence in this world, and it seems nowadays that not a lot lasts for very long. In today's 'throw away society' it is not only appliances and computers that are no longer built to last (it's called planned obsolescence I believe), but even the latest fashions that we wear and the newest bands and pop stars that we listen to are all produced to be lusted over, consumed, and almost immediately forgotten as soon as the next big thing comes along. So the fact that these sculptures were created by a tattoo artist, whose day to day job is to create artwork that does for the most part endure is an interesting contrast.
Once again, I feel as if I really want to get the tattoo I've wanted for the last couple of years, but sadly I can't afford it right now...
I just recently had a quick look back through some of my favourite pages on Stumble Upon and top of the list is this one about tattoo artist Scott Campbell.
If you have a chance to check the link out you'll see some truly fascinating sculptures that are made by laser cutting the shapes out of stacks and stacks of...wait for it....
US dollars!
The images he uses as a base for his sculptures are traditional fare for a tattoo artist - lots of skulls, flames, spider webs, butterflies, etc - and the article points out the contrast between on one side the notions of wealth, plenty, and the lack of concern about 'wasting money' (one of the pieces is made up of $11,000 in uncut but genuine currency), and on the other side what could be considered "working class" imagery. Now I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that particular terminology, as I don't think the imagery is exclusive to class, but as I mentioned before it is indeed reminiscent of traditional, All-American, tattoo imagery, which I suppose you could argue is not commonly associated with the upper echelons of society.
But it does also shock, as the use of so much money seem to directly contradict the notion of the starving artist who has to live from hand to mouth - just how did this guy get all that money I wonder. You could of course see it is a visual representation of an attempt to free oneself from the shackles of money - it reminds me of Rage Against The Machine's music video for 'Sleep Now in the Fire' when they occupied Wall Street, and where a homeless man wins a wheelbarrow-ful of cash on a game show, only to walk away in disgust at the money hungry audience and TV host. History seems to have repeated itself of late, with the Occupy Wall Street movement of the past two months protesting against greed and corruption, and indeed yesterday saw 30,000 take to the streets in NYC, and all entry points to the New York Stock Exchanges were blockaded.
But back to the art. To my mind, what is particularly interesting is the motif of the skeleton in several of the pieces, which acts like a 'memento mori' (latin for "Remember your mortality"). In my opinion, it seems to be talking about how wealth, and the material things we spend our money on, amounts to very little when we die in the end, but also how excessive wealth can be a destructive force in the world. The economic downturn that was caused by recklesd and unregulated lending and gambling of wholly intangible sums of money has been the downfall of many big businesses and banks, which sadly had the knock on effect of making the world a pretty damn impossible place to live for the all those little guys across the world who lost their businesses or their job, their savings, their homes, and in some cases their families, and so on and so forth. For some people the credit crunch really was the final nail in the coffin.
And in many ways we still can't get our heads around numbers that are so huge. When I was a student, I tried my best to pay attention in Finance classes, and although the lecturer was young, pleasant, and dare I say it, vaguely attractive, it was still so dry, that I didn't even bother attempting to revise Finance for the exam and just hoped that I could answer enough accounting questions to pass (it worked by the way). But there is one thing that the lecturer did pass on which was the link to the following article about how to understand the phenomenally gargantuan numbers sprawled across the news about debts, losses, bail outs, deficits, and so on.
In some ways, I think that this is also another aspect of what Scott Campbell is trying to accomplish with his dollar sculptures. By highlighting the waste involved in creating his pieces, he is also helping us visualise money in more tangible terms. I mean, let's be honest, if we actually had to keep all our actual money (excluding credit and overdrafts) at home under the mattress in $1 bills (or £5 notes) then we'd probably think it looked like a lot, but you would soon be able to see the pile grow smaller and smaller as you had to spend it. But as it is we keep our money in a bank, where we have an overdraft, and most likely a credit card (and a lot of people have more than 1). We spend our money electronically for the most part nowadays too, and I think that is another reason why it has become so easy over the past decade for 'spendaholics' to get into debt.
If I were ever in a position to actually want a Louis Vuitton handbag that cost, let's say £450, then I (personally) would be 100 times less likely to purchase it if I had to hand over £450 in cash than if I could just whack it on a credit card. My boyfriend Tom, as a matter of fact managed to get out of his overdraft relatively quickly by just taking out £10 cash per week to spend on non-essential items (so anything apart from food, fuel, and rent etc), and he felt that having his spending money in cash was a much better way of making sure he stuck to his budget, because when it was gone it was gone. This is something that I really want to try as I hate having to pay overdraft fees, so the sooner I get out the better.
But I digress. One final comment on this work and then I'll leave it for today. I mentioned earlier the skull and skeletons can be seen as a reminder of our mortality and our impermanence in this world, and it seems nowadays that not a lot lasts for very long. In today's 'throw away society' it is not only appliances and computers that are no longer built to last (it's called planned obsolescence I believe), but even the latest fashions that we wear and the newest bands and pop stars that we listen to are all produced to be lusted over, consumed, and almost immediately forgotten as soon as the next big thing comes along. So the fact that these sculptures were created by a tattoo artist, whose day to day job is to create artwork that does for the most part endure is an interesting contrast.
Once again, I feel as if I really want to get the tattoo I've wanted for the last couple of years, but sadly I can't afford it right now...
Wednesday 16 November 2011
'Songbird' and 'Feeling Good' videos (eventually)
Hi all...
uggghh, I'm not sure what's wrong with me today but obviously it's not a good day to film myself singing. So to spare you the boredom of me whinging, here's another video (after several aborted attempts), this one an attempt at Songbird which was originally written by Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac and made famous more recently by Eva Cassidy and even more recently All Angels. Bear in mind, I don't make any claims to be able to sing anywhere NEAR as well as any of the other versions, this is just little old me doing the best I can after a pretty frustrating afternoon.
So I hope you like it (I thought it sounded ok while I was singing but not so sure now...), and if you have any comments good or bad please don't be shy. I know I'm not A-Mazing, but if you think it sucks, I'd much rather know and not be like those delusional wannabees on X-Factor who are most likely selected for the entertainment value of watching someone who thinks they're awesome crash and burn on TV. [On a side note, I haven't been following X-Factor, but seriously, people of Britain, Frankie Cocozza?? What were you thinking?]
I've also uploaded a video of me singing 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone (below) - again, it's nothing like as good as the original and it probably sounds a little strange without any backing, but I hope it gives you a flavour for what the song is about.
uggghh, I'm not sure what's wrong with me today but obviously it's not a good day to film myself singing. So to spare you the boredom of me whinging, here's another video (after several aborted attempts), this one an attempt at Songbird which was originally written by Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac and made famous more recently by Eva Cassidy and even more recently All Angels. Bear in mind, I don't make any claims to be able to sing anywhere NEAR as well as any of the other versions, this is just little old me doing the best I can after a pretty frustrating afternoon.
So I hope you like it (I thought it sounded ok while I was singing but not so sure now...), and if you have any comments good or bad please don't be shy. I know I'm not A-Mazing, but if you think it sucks, I'd much rather know and not be like those delusional wannabees on X-Factor who are most likely selected for the entertainment value of watching someone who thinks they're awesome crash and burn on TV. [On a side note, I haven't been following X-Factor, but seriously, people of Britain, Frankie Cocozza?? What were you thinking?]
I've also uploaded a video of me singing 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone (below) - again, it's nothing like as good as the original and it probably sounds a little strange without any backing, but I hope it gives you a flavour for what the song is about.
Haha! My face looks funny at the end of this video! *Chuckles* I might go so far as to recommend you open another window and do something else while listening as I don't half pull silly faces and close my eyes when a high note is coming up - it's the only way of ensuring I actually make it that high!!
And here's the 'Feeling Good' video. I particularly like it cos to me it's about having a fresh start and just feeling really happy, and I think that's how I'd feel if I was getting married to the person I loved :D Plus I know it has been used at weddings before so it's not unsuitable I feel, but you may feel differently of course.
Thanks for watching!
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Wedding song update
Hi all,
very quick update before I go to bed. Think we're going to drop Accidentally in Love from the potentials list, just because having thought about it, it does have connotations that could be deemed to be a bit inappropriate for a wedding (i.e. I noticed they used the track on Queer as Folk). Never mind, was still fun to sing :)
Instead we've come up with another 2 (or 3) tracks which seem promising:
Songbird by Eva Cassidy/All Angels (I'm not sure who's version I like best)
Love of a Lifetime by Firehouse (extremely acoustic version)
We've also thought of another Firehouse track we both like (I think it's called I only live for you or something along those lines), but it's very melodic and well suited the guitar and a church setting so could be a potential...
Tom's started learning the guitar to Love of a Lifetime and it does sound really nice (albeit reminiscent of the Axis of Awesome's Four Chord Song):
Anyway, just wanted to update you on (minimal) progress to date.
Will prob write more tomorrow as I'm off then (yippee!)
Catch you all soon x
very quick update before I go to bed. Think we're going to drop Accidentally in Love from the potentials list, just because having thought about it, it does have connotations that could be deemed to be a bit inappropriate for a wedding (i.e. I noticed they used the track on Queer as Folk). Never mind, was still fun to sing :)
Instead we've come up with another 2 (or 3) tracks which seem promising:
Songbird by Eva Cassidy/All Angels (I'm not sure who's version I like best)
Love of a Lifetime by Firehouse (extremely acoustic version)
We've also thought of another Firehouse track we both like (I think it's called I only live for you or something along those lines), but it's very melodic and well suited the guitar and a church setting so could be a potential...
Tom's started learning the guitar to Love of a Lifetime and it does sound really nice (albeit reminiscent of the Axis of Awesome's Four Chord Song):
Anyway, just wanted to update you on (minimal) progress to date.
Will prob write more tomorrow as I'm off then (yippee!)
Catch you all soon x
Saturday 12 November 2011
Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows (my attempt)
Another post of me potentially embarrassing myself on film for Jem and Steve's wedding.
This time something very different and a bit more up-beat than the last one, it's Counting Crows, Accidentally in Love (from Shrek 2) and I'm singing a capella this time (just thought I'd throw in a bit of musical terminology there to make it look like I know what I'm doing. Did I fool you? Thought not.) Obviously if you do like it, then Tom and I may well play/sing it differently once we had a chance to get together and work stuff out, but this is just to give you an idea...
Again apologies for the gurning!
Helpful comments welcome :D
This time something very different and a bit more up-beat than the last one, it's Counting Crows, Accidentally in Love (from Shrek 2) and I'm singing a capella this time (just thought I'd throw in a bit of musical terminology there to make it look like I know what I'm doing. Did I fool you? Thought not.) Obviously if you do like it, then Tom and I may well play/sing it differently once we had a chance to get together and work stuff out, but this is just to give you an idea...
Again apologies for the gurning!
Helpful comments welcome :D
Lonestar - Amazed (video)
Ok, so I've decided the best way to figure out what to sing at the wedding was to just swallow my nerves and make some videos of me singing the various options I have so far so you guys can give me some feedback.
The first one is Lonestar, Amazed (I thought of this last night as we were watching my friend Victoria's wedding DVD and it was their first dance).
Please note that I'm not accustomed to video-ing myself so if I look awkward it's because I'm nervous. Plus I pull funny faces while I sing and it's distracting watching myself gurn into my phone. But the sound quality is about as good as I could have hoped for whilst singing over the original on youtube, and even though my timing is a little off in places I'm putting that down to only just learning the words today so I know I can do better!
If you like it, hate it, or just think I've plain crucified it, please just let me know as I don't want to embarrass myself on the day! Honesty is always the best policy :D
The first one is Lonestar, Amazed (I thought of this last night as we were watching my friend Victoria's wedding DVD and it was their first dance).
Please note that I'm not accustomed to video-ing myself so if I look awkward it's because I'm nervous. Plus I pull funny faces while I sing and it's distracting watching myself gurn into my phone. But the sound quality is about as good as I could have hoped for whilst singing over the original on youtube, and even though my timing is a little off in places I'm putting that down to only just learning the words today so I know I can do better!
If you like it, hate it, or just think I've plain crucified it, please just let me know as I don't want to embarrass myself on the day! Honesty is always the best policy :D
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Hi everyone! Hope you're all marvelous today :)
And by everyone I think I'm just referring to the four of my lovely friends who've chosen to 'follow' this blog - thanks guys! I'm not sure I really like this whole thing about 'following' people online if I'm honest though. Let's re-phrase, I like that people are even the slightest bit interested in my wafflings, it's just the word I don't like. Just because I'm interested in what someone's got going on in their life, or in their thoughts on something doesn't mean I'm a donkey with a carrot in front of my nose, or a modern disciple...hmm, I wonder what would have happened if Twitter was around in the times of Jesus. Think he'd have had more than 12 'followers', but then they wouldn't have been quite as committed 'followers' as the original dozen methinks.
I would have been a useless disciple for sure. I'm definitely the kind of person who flits from one interesting thing to the next without really ever acquiring any profound level of understanding. I recently read an article in Psychologies magazine which pretty much categorized me as a 'scanner' rather than a 'diver' (Doctors are divers for example), which is apparently why I find work frustrating as I get bored pretty much as soon as I've grasped the fundamentals of something, and am always looking for something different and more interesting to move on to. It's also why I find the job search process so hard as I don't like the idea of committing myself to something too specific that will prevent me from doing something different a few years down the line. Over the past 10 years I've wanted to be a translator, a civil servant, a Human Resources officer, a singer in a band, a teacher, a book shop owner or librarian, a baker, a venue manager, a Mythbuster, and even a psychologist or counsellor. Go figure.
I've also wanted a tattoo for a good few years now, and have actually (amazingly) settled on a design I like, but have never gone through with it because I can't choose a) where I want it and b) whether I want it in black & white or colour and c) if colour, which colours?? It's a butterfly so the options are pretty much endless, but also if I change my mind (which is a distinct possibility with me) then I might end up hating it. So it's a stalemate for me and the tattoo. *sad face*
But I'm also frustratingly indecisive about small things - I must drive poor Tom mad - for example this blog. If this is the first time you've tuned in so to speak, you won't have noticed anything odd, but in fact I've changed blog design 3 or 4 or even 5 times already. Part of it is probably just exploring all the different templates and backgrounds of the world of blogging which is all a bit new to me anyway, but part of it is that, in this world where customization slides its slippery self ("like an eel..." *Might Boosh reference*) into almost every aspect of our lives, I'm made to feel like this blog, this webpage has to be an absolute reflection of what makes me ME. Which is ridiculous. As I mentioned earlier, and as I state in my profile, I like a whole range of things, and I write about anything from translations, to recipes, to concerts, to art and museums, to musings on why I'm so indecisive, to travel, to ranting about this or that, to tattoos, to weddings, and so on and so forth. It's quite clear I lack focus as it is (unlike Andy's Completion Project which is a brilliant idea if I may say so), so how on earth can one blog design appropriately encompass and reflect all those individual interests and aspects of what makes me me??
So anyway, at the moment I've settled for something a bit simpler than what I did have, and which will hopefully be a bit clearer to read. I like this particular design template mostly because of the name, Awesome Inc - words are powerful guys - but also because it's bright and colourful (I spent a lot of my teenage years dressed in black so have somewhat recently discovered colour again), because it looks kind of like paint which is arty, but it also kind of looks a bit messy which is like me, especially when I've been cooking. So for now it's going to stay this way, but I can't promise I won't get bored and change it again. Sorry, but some things will never change... wait, is that irony...?
So anyway... to change topic from the seemingly self-centred to the selfless, the other thing I find it difficult to make decisions about is Christmas, specifically, choosing presents for my family. If you thought I was crap at making decisions about relatively unimportant things, you should see me at Christmas. Shopping for my large family has always been a bit of a stress for me. Not in the 'this is such a hassle' sense you understand, it's just I put pressure on myself to get nice things that people actually want and I get frustrated if I can't just get on with it and make a decision. But I've come up with a solution which for the last couple of years has served me relatively well. Every year I send the siblings a Facebook message asking if there's anything they'd like in particular and then between the rest of us we can organise ourselves to either get them something really awesome (read, expensive) between all of us, or just make sure that we don't buy the same gift twice.
I know that might seem lazy on my behalf, but you have to remember that I don't live with (or very close to) any of my siblings anymore. I don't know what CDs or DVDs they already have (unless it's something I've bought for them), besides which, they, like me, probably change their minds about what they're 'into' quite frequently anyway. It's hard to keep up with people like that, me being the worst culprit. I suppose that's why I'm notoriously difficult to buy for and for the record I haven't thought of one thing I'd really like for Christmas. It's enough of a stress trying to find presents for other people let alone myself!
But hopefully this year I'm ahead of the game, and soon I'll get some ideas from the siblings (and maybe even Tom - that one I am going to need to put some serious thought into) in plenty of time to find everyone something they would like that I can also afford. I'm going to pop into town today anyway to see if I can find anything for my sister in the beautiful Vintage shop above the gallery (Timeless Vintage), and then hopefully I can get some inspiration for the others as well while I'm out and about.
Hope I've not bored you with my ramblings!
Bye for now!
x
And by everyone I think I'm just referring to the four of my lovely friends who've chosen to 'follow' this blog - thanks guys! I'm not sure I really like this whole thing about 'following' people online if I'm honest though. Let's re-phrase, I like that people are even the slightest bit interested in my wafflings, it's just the word I don't like. Just because I'm interested in what someone's got going on in their life, or in their thoughts on something doesn't mean I'm a donkey with a carrot in front of my nose, or a modern disciple...hmm, I wonder what would have happened if Twitter was around in the times of Jesus. Think he'd have had more than 12 'followers', but then they wouldn't have been quite as committed 'followers' as the original dozen methinks.
 |
| I actually have a fear of deep water so perhaps that's why I don't 'dive' |
I would have been a useless disciple for sure. I'm definitely the kind of person who flits from one interesting thing to the next without really ever acquiring any profound level of understanding. I recently read an article in Psychologies magazine which pretty much categorized me as a 'scanner' rather than a 'diver' (Doctors are divers for example), which is apparently why I find work frustrating as I get bored pretty much as soon as I've grasped the fundamentals of something, and am always looking for something different and more interesting to move on to. It's also why I find the job search process so hard as I don't like the idea of committing myself to something too specific that will prevent me from doing something different a few years down the line. Over the past 10 years I've wanted to be a translator, a civil servant, a Human Resources officer, a singer in a band, a teacher, a book shop owner or librarian, a baker, a venue manager, a Mythbuster, and even a psychologist or counsellor. Go figure.
I've also wanted a tattoo for a good few years now, and have actually (amazingly) settled on a design I like, but have never gone through with it because I can't choose a) where I want it and b) whether I want it in black & white or colour and c) if colour, which colours?? It's a butterfly so the options are pretty much endless, but also if I change my mind (which is a distinct possibility with me) then I might end up hating it. So it's a stalemate for me and the tattoo. *sad face*
But I'm also frustratingly indecisive about small things - I must drive poor Tom mad - for example this blog. If this is the first time you've tuned in so to speak, you won't have noticed anything odd, but in fact I've changed blog design 3 or 4 or even 5 times already. Part of it is probably just exploring all the different templates and backgrounds of the world of blogging which is all a bit new to me anyway, but part of it is that, in this world where customization slides its slippery self ("like an eel..." *Might Boosh reference*) into almost every aspect of our lives, I'm made to feel like this blog, this webpage has to be an absolute reflection of what makes me ME. Which is ridiculous. As I mentioned earlier, and as I state in my profile, I like a whole range of things, and I write about anything from translations, to recipes, to concerts, to art and museums, to musings on why I'm so indecisive, to travel, to ranting about this or that, to tattoos, to weddings, and so on and so forth. It's quite clear I lack focus as it is (unlike Andy's Completion Project which is a brilliant idea if I may say so), so how on earth can one blog design appropriately encompass and reflect all those individual interests and aspects of what makes me me??
 |
| Colour = good |
 |
| c. 1950. www.scienceandsociety.co.uk |
I know that might seem lazy on my behalf, but you have to remember that I don't live with (or very close to) any of my siblings anymore. I don't know what CDs or DVDs they already have (unless it's something I've bought for them), besides which, they, like me, probably change their minds about what they're 'into' quite frequently anyway. It's hard to keep up with people like that, me being the worst culprit. I suppose that's why I'm notoriously difficult to buy for and for the record I haven't thought of one thing I'd really like for Christmas. It's enough of a stress trying to find presents for other people let alone myself!
But hopefully this year I'm ahead of the game, and soon I'll get some ideas from the siblings (and maybe even Tom - that one I am going to need to put some serious thought into) in plenty of time to find everyone something they would like that I can also afford. I'm going to pop into town today anyway to see if I can find anything for my sister in the beautiful Vintage shop above the gallery (Timeless Vintage), and then hopefully I can get some inspiration for the others as well while I'm out and about.
Hope I've not bored you with my ramblings!
Bye for now!
x
Thursday 10 November 2011
Wedding songs part deux
Right as promised, a few updates on the search for the most appropriate wedding-certificate-signing-interval-song (s).
One I really like, is Nico Stai's One October Song. The guitar is just lovely and I really like the rhythm of the song. Only downside is that the original lyrics aren't particularly suited to a wedding, and by not particularly suited I mean they definitely would not be suitable for a wedding. HOWEVER... Jemma has given me free rein to changes lyrics as we see fit to make stuff fit, so below are my alternative lyrics to Nico Stai's One October Song.
I've included a link to the original (yes it was the main love theme for Chuck) so you can see how it sounds in original:
And here are my alternative, wedding-friendly, lyrics:
Any immediate thoughts/comments very much appreciated. Even if you think it's boring/rubbish/god awful and never want to hear it again, or if you think the amended lyrics are too cheesy, I honestly won't mind!! At the end of the day it has to be right for Steve and Jem, so whatever they want is fine with me :)
Ta ta for now!
x
One I really like, is Nico Stai's One October Song. The guitar is just lovely and I really like the rhythm of the song. Only downside is that the original lyrics aren't particularly suited to a wedding, and by not particularly suited I mean they definitely would not be suitable for a wedding. HOWEVER... Jemma has given me free rein to changes lyrics as we see fit to make stuff fit, so below are my alternative lyrics to Nico Stai's One October Song.
I've included a link to the original (yes it was the main love theme for Chuck) so you can see how it sounds in original:
And here are my alternative, wedding-friendly, lyrics:
You know that thing, that you say you sometimes dream of,
I think it's happening to me.
You know they say, that time can take a hold of you,
Well love can take a hold too.
And oh no.... I never really thought... about it.
And oh no..... I never thought it'd happen...to me.
But you and me, we fit together perfectly,
The sort of thing you never see.
Never thought that love was on the cards, but here we are, and
I count my lucky stars
Cos oh no... I never really thought.. about it
And oh no... I never thought it'd happen... to me.
You know that that thing, that you say you sometimes dream of,
I think it's happening to me...
Any immediate thoughts/comments very much appreciated. Even if you think it's boring/rubbish/god awful and never want to hear it again, or if you think the amended lyrics are too cheesy, I honestly won't mind!! At the end of the day it has to be right for Steve and Jem, so whatever they want is fine with me :)
Ta ta for now!
x
Wednesday 9 November 2011
The Wedding Singer...
I may have mentioned previously that some friends of ours are getting married in April next year. Apart from the fact that it's cool that these particular friends are getting married, it's also cool because Tom and I are are both involved in the wedding, as usher and bridesmaid respectively. The third thing that is cool about this wedding is that our friends are not the most typical of couples in many ways; they are both into gaming in a big way, so computer games are going to be a predominant theme, and they are also not really into chart music, so they've managed to get hold of a band that will play all sorts of rock music that we all really like. Neither of them is fussed about fancy food either, so it's going to be either fish and chips, or burger and chips for the meal. Much as I occasionally enjoy fancy food, the overall feel I get about this wedding is that it's going be a hell of a lot of fun, as it will be a real reflection of their unique personalities.
When we celebrated their engagement several months ago, Steve (the groom) was so excited, that he came up with about 12 over-the-top options for HIS fantasy church entrance, which included a tank, smashing through the stained-glass window a la Robin Hood, and an electric guitar playing clergyman. They, strangely enough, have actually secured the latter, although they won't be calling on his musical prowess on this occasion, and neither will he be on fire as Steve had hoped. In general it's safe to say that I am extremely excited about this wedding.
Jemma, the bride to be, is one of the few women in my friend circle who is even less girly than I am. Before finding The Dress (which was in turns an exciting, frustrating, funny, emotional, but eventually hugely rewarding experience) she hasn't worn a dress since Halloween 2009. She lives in jeans and trainers, and is not a fan of high heels, and has promised me and the maid of honour Cassie that we don't have to wear anything we're not comfortable with - so high heels are out. Winner. For a ridiculously clumsy person like myself flat shoes are a sure-fire way to gain my approval.
I can just picture the horror on everybody's faces as I trip over Jemma's train and either rip a great big hole in expensive dress (not that expensive Steve honestly!), or fall over my own feet and knock them both into their bespoke Portal 2 companion cube cake, or something similarly mortifying. So flat shoes are just fine and dandy for me.
So far being a bridesmaid is turning out to be really good fun, not stressful at all, and I'm really enjoying the opportunity to get to know Jemma and Cassie more, as before the engagement announcement we only really ever hung out as part of the larger group of lad friends. But so far, the extent of my involvement has been to help pick out a dress at the Wedding Show (which we did, so that's a success rate of 100% right there).
So I was pleasantly surprised when, at the end of The Wedding Show at the NEC, while we were relishing in our success of finally finding and putting a deposit down for The Dress, Jemma asked me if I wanted to sing something during the ceremony while her and Steve were signing the paperwork. I was really flattered that Jemma thought to ask, and also really thrilled with the idea of having something additional to do on the day. Plus as Tom plays guitar and will be up at the front of the church already doing whatever it is that ushers do when they're not actively ushering, I suggested he accompany me as well, which gives us a fun project to work on together in our free time.
Now, I haven't sung anything publicly in years but I used to all the time when I was at school and confidence was never really an issue back then, and people were often quite complimentary about my singing abilities. But between daydreaming about what the best song would be and how cool it would be to sing at Jem and Steve's wedding, doubt has started to creep in. I've never thought of myself as a 'Singer', and now that I've had time to think about it I'm starting to worry that I'm just going to humiliate myself, X-Factor style, in front of a large group of people, most of whom I won't know. It's all very well listening to Bon Jovi songs and imagining how awesome it will sound, but if in reality it sounds like a big pile of poo, well that would be pretty embarrassing.
My High School singing days are ten years in the past, plus five years as a mildly raucous student have done a fair bit of damage to my voice. I can't reach the same notes I used to be able to and I genuinely don't know how long I can maintain notes anymore, as the only singing practice I get these days is when I'm on my own in the car (see my previous post, Les Passantes). On top of this, when I'm starting to feel run down, one of the first things to go is my voice, so I'm also worried about the possibility of sounding more like Tom Waits than Charlotte Church. Or, if we choose a song whose lyrics need altering to be more 'wedding-friendly', what if I forget and sing the wrong words... I could go on and on, but I don't want to give my paranoia any more opportunity to ruin a perfectly nice opportunity.
Tom and I just need to focus on finding a handful of songs that could be appropriate for the ceremony, learn them, put them to Steve and Jem for final approval, and then just practise them until they're spot on. So, this is the real purpose of this particular post, to help me narrow down the search for good songs for the interval.
At the moment my list of Potentials (like Buffy's trainee Slayers in the final season) is this (in no order of preference):
Bon Jovi - In These Arms
Bon Jovi - I'll Be There For You (lyrics need changing)
Lifehouse - Hanging By a Moment
Lifehouse - Breathing
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (words would need changing)
Aerosmith - I don't Wanna Miss a Thing
Adam Sandler - I wanna Grow Old With You (from the Wedding Singer, which I watched for the first time with Jem and Cassie the night before The Wedding Show)
Ben Folds - Luckiest (not sure if it's within my vocal range but can give it a go anyway)
Nico Stai - One October Song (was on the Chuck soundtrack, and I've already amended the lyrics)
Something by Avril Lavigne (Steve really likes her)
Something by Jimmy Eat World (Tom really likes them and apparently Steve does to)
During a period of insomnia I also started working on a translation of another french song I really like, but it might be a bit too 'poetic' for Jem and Steve's taste. I'll probably post it up on here once I've had a chance to work on the translation as it sounds quite awkward in places at the moment.
So anyway, progress-wise, we're not very far into it. Tom had a look at the guitar chords for In These Arms today but we didn't get very far to be honest (it's been a bit of a lazy day in general). I had a look at the lyrics and watched a couple of acoustic versions on Youtube and think I could work it out to fit in with my vocal range without too much difficulty.
I shall most certainly write more as we progress, but in the meantime, any suggestions would be very welcome!
Bye for now!
 |
| Kevin Costner's window entrance http://www.moviedeaths.com |
When we celebrated their engagement several months ago, Steve (the groom) was so excited, that he came up with about 12 over-the-top options for HIS fantasy church entrance, which included a tank, smashing through the stained-glass window a la Robin Hood, and an electric guitar playing clergyman. They, strangely enough, have actually secured the latter, although they won't be calling on his musical prowess on this occasion, and neither will he be on fire as Steve had hoped. In general it's safe to say that I am extremely excited about this wedding.
Jemma, the bride to be, is one of the few women in my friend circle who is even less girly than I am. Before finding The Dress (which was in turns an exciting, frustrating, funny, emotional, but eventually hugely rewarding experience) she hasn't worn a dress since Halloween 2009. She lives in jeans and trainers, and is not a fan of high heels, and has promised me and the maid of honour Cassie that we don't have to wear anything we're not comfortable with - so high heels are out. Winner. For a ridiculously clumsy person like myself flat shoes are a sure-fire way to gain my approval.
 |
| Companion cube from Portal |
I can just picture the horror on everybody's faces as I trip over Jemma's train and either rip a great big hole in expensive dress (not that expensive Steve honestly!), or fall over my own feet and knock them both into their bespoke Portal 2 companion cube cake, or something similarly mortifying. So flat shoes are just fine and dandy for me.
So far being a bridesmaid is turning out to be really good fun, not stressful at all, and I'm really enjoying the opportunity to get to know Jemma and Cassie more, as before the engagement announcement we only really ever hung out as part of the larger group of lad friends. But so far, the extent of my involvement has been to help pick out a dress at the Wedding Show (which we did, so that's a success rate of 100% right there).
So I was pleasantly surprised when, at the end of The Wedding Show at the NEC, while we were relishing in our success of finally finding and putting a deposit down for The Dress, Jemma asked me if I wanted to sing something during the ceremony while her and Steve were signing the paperwork. I was really flattered that Jemma thought to ask, and also really thrilled with the idea of having something additional to do on the day. Plus as Tom plays guitar and will be up at the front of the church already doing whatever it is that ushers do when they're not actively ushering, I suggested he accompany me as well, which gives us a fun project to work on together in our free time.
Now, I haven't sung anything publicly in years but I used to all the time when I was at school and confidence was never really an issue back then, and people were often quite complimentary about my singing abilities. But between daydreaming about what the best song would be and how cool it would be to sing at Jem and Steve's wedding, doubt has started to creep in. I've never thought of myself as a 'Singer', and now that I've had time to think about it I'm starting to worry that I'm just going to humiliate myself, X-Factor style, in front of a large group of people, most of whom I won't know. It's all very well listening to Bon Jovi songs and imagining how awesome it will sound, but if in reality it sounds like a big pile of poo, well that would be pretty embarrassing.
My High School singing days are ten years in the past, plus five years as a mildly raucous student have done a fair bit of damage to my voice. I can't reach the same notes I used to be able to and I genuinely don't know how long I can maintain notes anymore, as the only singing practice I get these days is when I'm on my own in the car (see my previous post, Les Passantes). On top of this, when I'm starting to feel run down, one of the first things to go is my voice, so I'm also worried about the possibility of sounding more like Tom Waits than Charlotte Church. Or, if we choose a song whose lyrics need altering to be more 'wedding-friendly', what if I forget and sing the wrong words... I could go on and on, but I don't want to give my paranoia any more opportunity to ruin a perfectly nice opportunity.
Tom and I just need to focus on finding a handful of songs that could be appropriate for the ceremony, learn them, put them to Steve and Jem for final approval, and then just practise them until they're spot on. So, this is the real purpose of this particular post, to help me narrow down the search for good songs for the interval.
At the moment my list of Potentials (like Buffy's trainee Slayers in the final season) is this (in no order of preference):
Bon Jovi - In These Arms
Bon Jovi - I'll Be There For You (lyrics need changing)
Lifehouse - Hanging By a Moment
Lifehouse - Breathing
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (words would need changing)
Aerosmith - I don't Wanna Miss a Thing
Adam Sandler - I wanna Grow Old With You (from the Wedding Singer, which I watched for the first time with Jem and Cassie the night before The Wedding Show)
Ben Folds - Luckiest (not sure if it's within my vocal range but can give it a go anyway)
Nico Stai - One October Song (was on the Chuck soundtrack, and I've already amended the lyrics)
Something by Avril Lavigne (Steve really likes her)
Something by Jimmy Eat World (Tom really likes them and apparently Steve does to)
During a period of insomnia I also started working on a translation of another french song I really like, but it might be a bit too 'poetic' for Jem and Steve's taste. I'll probably post it up on here once I've had a chance to work on the translation as it sounds quite awkward in places at the moment.
So anyway, progress-wise, we're not very far into it. Tom had a look at the guitar chords for In These Arms today but we didn't get very far to be honest (it's been a bit of a lazy day in general). I had a look at the lyrics and watched a couple of acoustic versions on Youtube and think I could work it out to fit in with my vocal range without too much difficulty.
I shall most certainly write more as we progress, but in the meantime, any suggestions would be very welcome!
Bye for now!
Saturday 5 November 2011
A sunny Saturday...
Had such a nice day off today so far. Poor Tom has to work all weekend so he got up for work around 7:30 while I stayed in bed and snoozed until 11 - even I was surprised, normally the light through the blinds makes it near enough impossible to carry on sleeping. I needed to get some bits and bobs from town for a moussaka I'm cooking today for some friends so once I realised how late it was I got up straight away and headed in to town. It's such a beautiful, crisp autumn day that it's hard not to feel cheerful. Plus market day in town is always bustling and it's so good to live somewhere where there are always people out and about on the weekend, doing their weekly shop, or heaven forbid Christmas shopping (don't get me started), bumping into friends, or just relaxing with a tea or coffee in one of the many cafes in town. I dropped off some post, and followed the sound of brass band music into the centre of town towards the market.
I haven't bought food from a market probably since I lived in France so it felt really nice to be doing it again, and hearing the banter of the stall holders trying to sell their peppers and courgettes, as well as some other produce that I didn't recognise. I like the idea of supporting the market, as although supermarkets are convenient, sometimes the produce isn't all that good quality, and I prefer to go to independent shops when I can. There's been a campaign to 'Keep Our Town Special' over the last few years to try and fend off Tescos and other big developments, which I think are definitely taking place now which is a shame. I know there are plans to rejuvenate the market hall, so hopefully that will keep people coming.
After browsing the stalls for a while, I paid for and was handed my aubergines in the obligatory blue market-stall bag and headed over to the speciality cook shop. This is another of my favourite places in town. I love just wondering around, checking out the colourful and sugary cake decorating stuff (a diabetic's worst nightmare), drooling over the shelves and shelves of Bridgewater, Denby, and Portmeirion crockery, playing with the bendy silicon cookware (silicone pastry brushes in particular always make me smile with their neon greens, oranges, pinks, and blues, and their silly tentacle-like 'bristles') and watching the flat screen TV displays advertising the latest cooking gadgets. Part of me chuckles inwardly at the over-engineered crap that people buy these days, (banana holders are one of my top sources of amusement), and part of me wishes I could afford to fill my kitchen with precisely that crap.
After finding what I came for (measuring spoons, not very exciting I'm afraid. Until I can afford to part with the cash for a hand-blender, I doubt I'll ever spend much in the shop), I popped around the corner to Sainsbury's to find the spices I needed for the moussaka and a few toilettries, and then once that was sorted I went in search of a coffee. Once again I followed the sound of cheerful brass music and stumbled upon a group of 4 blokes playing trumpets, saxaphones, and accordions. It took me a little while to figure it out but they were playing a dancey version of the 'Winner Takes it All' by Abba. An old gent in a pale yellow shirt and his wife were watching from the street across from them and the husband was stamping his foot energetically in time to the beat on the little stereo the musicians had brought with them. This amused me so much I had to text my Mum to tell her (she loves Abba) and I distracted myself to the point of walking completely past the turning I needed for the coffee shop I wanted.
Normally I go to Booka, which is a lovely book shop which also serves tea, coffee and a selection of yummy cakes, but I wanted to try some of the other cafes as they all look really nice. Up on the same street as the market I could see cafe Aroma which was already pretty full with a fair few groups sitting outside, so I carried on up to Radio Cafe which looked really nice and last time I walked past it had a really delicious looking food menu. As I didn't want food I wasn't sure if they were going to be funny about me just having a coffee outside, but the board said they did the best coffee in town so I went in anyway. The walls are adorned with a few stylish pieces, and to my delight they had the Financial Times Life & Arts supplement.
I don't normally read newspapers that often, but I used to read the FT quite a lot while I was studying management at uni and they do have really interesting articles. I asked the young lad at the counter if I could have a coffee outside and they offered to bring it to me which I wasn't expecting. The gentleman who had greeted me as I entered brought me my coffee and I sat for a very pleasant half an hour or so reading the paper in the sunshine, listening to music from one of the pubs, and watching people go by. Reading the weekend paper reminds me of being a student, as me and my friends used to go to Pembroke College every now and then for Sunday brunch, and they always had a good selection of papers.
Eventually the same guy who'd brought me my coffee came out to collect my empty cup and said I could stay and read in the sun as long as I wanted, which was really nice but I wondered if I was being a bit cheeky just ordering coffee, and as I wanted to get back and start cooking I thought I'd better relinquish my seat and headed home.
Speaking of cooking I'd better make a start on the moussaka!
Bye for now! x
I haven't bought food from a market probably since I lived in France so it felt really nice to be doing it again, and hearing the banter of the stall holders trying to sell their peppers and courgettes, as well as some other produce that I didn't recognise. I like the idea of supporting the market, as although supermarkets are convenient, sometimes the produce isn't all that good quality, and I prefer to go to independent shops when I can. There's been a campaign to 'Keep Our Town Special' over the last few years to try and fend off Tescos and other big developments, which I think are definitely taking place now which is a shame. I know there are plans to rejuvenate the market hall, so hopefully that will keep people coming.
After finding what I came for (measuring spoons, not very exciting I'm afraid. Until I can afford to part with the cash for a hand-blender, I doubt I'll ever spend much in the shop), I popped around the corner to Sainsbury's to find the spices I needed for the moussaka and a few toilettries, and then once that was sorted I went in search of a coffee. Once again I followed the sound of cheerful brass music and stumbled upon a group of 4 blokes playing trumpets, saxaphones, and accordions. It took me a little while to figure it out but they were playing a dancey version of the 'Winner Takes it All' by Abba. An old gent in a pale yellow shirt and his wife were watching from the street across from them and the husband was stamping his foot energetically in time to the beat on the little stereo the musicians had brought with them. This amused me so much I had to text my Mum to tell her (she loves Abba) and I distracted myself to the point of walking completely past the turning I needed for the coffee shop I wanted.
Normally I go to Booka, which is a lovely book shop which also serves tea, coffee and a selection of yummy cakes, but I wanted to try some of the other cafes as they all look really nice. Up on the same street as the market I could see cafe Aroma which was already pretty full with a fair few groups sitting outside, so I carried on up to Radio Cafe which looked really nice and last time I walked past it had a really delicious looking food menu. As I didn't want food I wasn't sure if they were going to be funny about me just having a coffee outside, but the board said they did the best coffee in town so I went in anyway. The walls are adorned with a few stylish pieces, and to my delight they had the Financial Times Life & Arts supplement.
I don't normally read newspapers that often, but I used to read the FT quite a lot while I was studying management at uni and they do have really interesting articles. I asked the young lad at the counter if I could have a coffee outside and they offered to bring it to me which I wasn't expecting. The gentleman who had greeted me as I entered brought me my coffee and I sat for a very pleasant half an hour or so reading the paper in the sunshine, listening to music from one of the pubs, and watching people go by. Reading the weekend paper reminds me of being a student, as me and my friends used to go to Pembroke College every now and then for Sunday brunch, and they always had a good selection of papers.
Eventually the same guy who'd brought me my coffee came out to collect my empty cup and said I could stay and read in the sun as long as I wanted, which was really nice but I wondered if I was being a bit cheeky just ordering coffee, and as I wanted to get back and start cooking I thought I'd better relinquish my seat and headed home.
Speaking of cooking I'd better make a start on the moussaka!
Bye for now! x
Beef stew and swede mash recipe
Before posting more poppy seed recipes I wanted to have a go at making a brown stew as my mother had given us some stewing beef months ago when we first moved into the new house, and it's just been sat in the freezer ever since. So last Sunday I decided to give it a go once and for all. I don't actually cook with beef very often so was a little anxious about how it would turn out, especially as my mother's way of cooking looks distinctly like guesswork to me (albeit based on 40 years more cooking experience than I've got). I don't think I've ever seen her actually weigh ingredients, so it's quite amazing that she is able to turn out such tasty food.
Anyway, her recipe being far too vague for me to follow, I looked up brown stew on the BBC food website and got a few recipes, that were sort of what I was looking for, but not quite there. In the end I decided to mix up two recipes, and see how it turned out (it turns out I cook like my mother after all. Hmm..). One recipe was from the Hairy Bikers (Mum's Know Best) and was a Beef and Honey stew, and the other I found online for a traditional beef stew recipe. As the latter was in American measurements I didn't use all the ingredients, but rather just added a few to the Hairy Bikers recipe and based my attempt mostly on that method.
So here's my recipe for Beef Stew with Swede Mash (NB. The swede mash arose as I mistakenly thought I had a turnip to add to the stew and it was only when I was trying to peel and chop the bugger that I realised it was a swede!). This made enough mash and stew for two large portions, with a bit of stew left over for seconds, and trust me it didn't last long! If you try this, let me know how it turns out and any comments would be very welcome!
Ingredients
30g plain flour (plus 1 tbsp which I added later on)
450g stewing steak, cubed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 parsnips, peeled, and roughly chopped (I only had a couple in the house but would have liked more)
1 tbsp honey
550ml vegetable stock (I didn't have beef stock)
1-2 small glasses red wine
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to season
For the mash
1 swede, peeled and roughly chopped (swedes are actually quite hard to chop I discovered so be careful you don't cut off a finger!)
50g butter
salt and pepper to season
Method
1. Use kitchen towel to pat dry the steak pieces (if they've recently been defrosted as mine were the flour makes them sticky if they're too moist). Place the 30g flour in a freezer bag, add the meat and shake till well coated.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and brown the meat on all sides. (Do this in batches as adding too much meat at one time makes the meat seam instead of brown). Once browned remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place aside.
3. Add the chopped onions to the same pan you used to brown the beef and saute for about 5 mins until softened (you may want to add a bit more oil for this stage). Reduce the heat and add an extra tbsp or 2 of flour to the onions and cook for two minutes, stirring often.
4. Add one glass of wine to the pan to de-glaze, scraping any brown bits that were stuck to the bottom. Click on the link to see the BBC Food technique guide for de-glazing if you're not sure how to do this. The flour will start to thicken the wine as it simmers.
5. Simmer the wine for about 5mins, then add the vegetable stock, carrots, parsnips, honey, thyme and the beef. Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on very low heat for about an hour and a half (this is all the time I had, but the longer you can cook it, the softer the meat gets. Hairy Bikers recommended at least 2 hours for their recipe, but obviously you'll need to add the veg later on in the cooking process if you don't want to end up with a load of mush).
Heat-wise, even on my lowest gas level it was cooking too vigorously and was starting to stick on the bottom, so I had to move the pan to a much smaller ring to keep the heat low and bubbles small.
Whilst tasting my stew I felt it didn't have enough flavour, so during the simmering process I added the tomato puree and the extra glass of wine, and I think this really made a big difference to the colour and flavour but this is up to you really.
6. About half an hour before taking the stew off the heat you'll want to start the swede mash. Place the chopped swede in a pan of cold water and sprinkle in about 1 tsp of salt.
7. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
8. Drain the swede and then use a potato masher to mash it up, adding knobs of butter until you get the taste and consistency you prefer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a serving bowl.
9. At this point the stew should be about ready, but if not cover the mash with cling film and pop in the oven at about 100c to keep it warm.
10. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste and then serve with the swede mash on the side.
Anyway, her recipe being far too vague for me to follow, I looked up brown stew on the BBC food website and got a few recipes, that were sort of what I was looking for, but not quite there. In the end I decided to mix up two recipes, and see how it turned out (it turns out I cook like my mother after all. Hmm..). One recipe was from the Hairy Bikers (Mum's Know Best) and was a Beef and Honey stew, and the other I found online for a traditional beef stew recipe. As the latter was in American measurements I didn't use all the ingredients, but rather just added a few to the Hairy Bikers recipe and based my attempt mostly on that method.
So here's my recipe for Beef Stew with Swede Mash (NB. The swede mash arose as I mistakenly thought I had a turnip to add to the stew and it was only when I was trying to peel and chop the bugger that I realised it was a swede!). This made enough mash and stew for two large portions, with a bit of stew left over for seconds, and trust me it didn't last long! If you try this, let me know how it turns out and any comments would be very welcome!
Ingredients30g plain flour (plus 1 tbsp which I added later on)
450g stewing steak, cubed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 parsnips, peeled, and roughly chopped (I only had a couple in the house but would have liked more)
1 tbsp honey
550ml vegetable stock (I didn't have beef stock)
1-2 small glasses red wine
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to season
For the mash
1 swede, peeled and roughly chopped (swedes are actually quite hard to chop I discovered so be careful you don't cut off a finger!)
50g butter
salt and pepper to season
Method
1. Use kitchen towel to pat dry the steak pieces (if they've recently been defrosted as mine were the flour makes them sticky if they're too moist). Place the 30g flour in a freezer bag, add the meat and shake till well coated.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and brown the meat on all sides. (Do this in batches as adding too much meat at one time makes the meat seam instead of brown). Once browned remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place aside.
3. Add the chopped onions to the same pan you used to brown the beef and saute for about 5 mins until softened (you may want to add a bit more oil for this stage). Reduce the heat and add an extra tbsp or 2 of flour to the onions and cook for two minutes, stirring often.
4. Add one glass of wine to the pan to de-glaze, scraping any brown bits that were stuck to the bottom. Click on the link to see the BBC Food technique guide for de-glazing if you're not sure how to do this. The flour will start to thicken the wine as it simmers.
5. Simmer the wine for about 5mins, then add the vegetable stock, carrots, parsnips, honey, thyme and the beef. Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on very low heat for about an hour and a half (this is all the time I had, but the longer you can cook it, the softer the meat gets. Hairy Bikers recommended at least 2 hours for their recipe, but obviously you'll need to add the veg later on in the cooking process if you don't want to end up with a load of mush).
Heat-wise, even on my lowest gas level it was cooking too vigorously and was starting to stick on the bottom, so I had to move the pan to a much smaller ring to keep the heat low and bubbles small.
Whilst tasting my stew I felt it didn't have enough flavour, so during the simmering process I added the tomato puree and the extra glass of wine, and I think this really made a big difference to the colour and flavour but this is up to you really.
6. About half an hour before taking the stew off the heat you'll want to start the swede mash. Place the chopped swede in a pan of cold water and sprinkle in about 1 tsp of salt.
7. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
8. Drain the swede and then use a potato masher to mash it up, adding knobs of butter until you get the taste and consistency you prefer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a serving bowl.
9. At this point the stew should be about ready, but if not cover the mash with cling film and pop in the oven at about 100c to keep it warm.
10. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste and then serve with the swede mash on the side.
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