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Monday 30 April 2012

Bring Me Bookshelves

I have been reading a fair bit lately, spending 4 hours on trains most weekends certainly helps, plus the absolute lack of anything interesting to watch on TV means I inevitably spend evenings curled up with a book (I know-life and soul of the party!), here are a few of the books I have got through in the last few months:
A slightly eclectic selection! I enjoy non-fiction as much as fiction, if not more, as I don't really like anything that ends in death and destruction, so that rules out a lot of what seems to be popular fiction such as crime stuff which is just not my cup of tea. I'd be hard pushed to pick a favourite from this selection, but  I think maybe 'Dry store room no.1' by Richard Fortey. I actually had to read this a couple of years ago as part of my undergraduate degree, but it is a brilliant read. I have been back to it a few times and Fortey is a great author, the topic is really interesting to me as well, as it is a behind the scenes look at the Natural History museum in London, which was one of my favourite places to visit when I lived there. Plus I love a good bit of science!

On that note, I need a bookshelf (or library preferably)


Monday 23 April 2012

How To Be Idle

First, I would very much recommend that you read 'How to be idle' immediately. Second, here are many pictures of an idle weekend in Dorset, in good company. Sunday consisted of heading out of the door in between downpours, and seeing where our feet would take us. ("It's a dangerous business, Frodo, heading out your door...") In conclusion; why are weekends only two days long, and the work goes on for five days? A strange state of affairs if you ask me.



I wonder where that goes?



No idea what this is...


Angry sky

Crazy weather!

Thursday 12 April 2012

A Jungle in a Boat

I took so many photos whilst I worked at Kew Gardens, but that doesn't stop me taking many more when I go and visit! I think my favourite place is probably the palm house, well, when it is not filled with swarms of tourists that is. I love the building; it was designed by a ship-builder, which goes some way to explaining the iconic shape. Its slightly rusting, peeling, ageing appearance is also completely charming, the juxtaposition between climbing plant growth and intricate white-painted metalwork makes me think of that bit in Jumanji when the jungle takes over. Plants and exciting architecture - I'm happy!




Bananas!

I'm not entirely sure what this fellow was doing there, something for giant spiders to feed on perhaps?

Giant bamboo! This stuff grows ridiculously fast and stretches all the way to the roof



I hope the sunshine sticks around!

Monday 2 April 2012

Food For Free

What could be better than food for free?! As spring has well and truly sprung, the woods that I cycle through on my way home are carpeted in wild garlic, so I thought it was about time I made use of this plentiful resource. I present to you: Mushroom and wild garlic omelette, in a wrap, because I am weird like that :)


Ingredients (for 1)

The omelette:
A few mushrooms, I used chestnut
1/2 medium red onion
3 medium wild garlic leaves
2 eggs (you could add a dash of milk, but I didn't have any)
chunk of butter

If you fancy some wrap craziness, chuck in whatever you want really, but this is what I had:
Wholegrain wraps
Spinach leaves
Very Lazy chilli (this stuff is a winner)
cheese! I had Port Salut in the fridge

Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat, fry off onions until translucent. Turn up heat, add mushrooms and seasoning. When the mushrooms are done (I like them with a bit of colour!) add in chopped up garlic leaves, stir up for a few seconds. add in beaten up eggs, mix about, flip it when the eggs look cooked on the bottom, or if you are making for more than one person, you can chuck more in the pan then stick it in the oven/under the grill for a few mins until the top is cooked. Assemble the wraps or plate up and add some sort of side salad/chips, get stuck in.