Too much stress? Not enough time? Can't stop worrying? Struggling to achieve that desired state of zen? Somebody else already has it all figured out...
The strangest things can be found in the most unexpected places. Although toast isn’t randomly encountered all that often. Buttered toast even less so...
This metallic tiered cake has been much admired around the interwebs. Its unabashed glamour and air of laid-back approachability make for a striking result, although that might be more anthropomorphism* than any baking should be burdened with...
There are some words that I just don’t understand the point of. These tend to be synonyms for words that just don’t seem need to have an alternative... the first one that got my goat was purchased. What’s wrong with bought? There are plenty of variations on how to come by something other than in the transactional sense, but when you hear somebody say that the “went to the shops on the weekend to purchase a new TV”, it just seems a terribly precious sort of phrasing*. Although they may very well think that’s also true of people who waffle and use far more punctuation than required.
There are others, too – the current pet one is upcycled. This seems to be the new and fashionable word for something that used to be called recycled. And, presumably, is different to plain old re-used. I guess there’s a bit of a point, in that recycled suggests a different sort of subsequent use to the original use, whereas re-used just implies repeated use of something in the same way. So then, upcycling would involve using it not only differently, but better. Or maybe just making it better. Perhaps these things just need a lot of turning over and shaking in order to make sense...
It happened, though - I was converted to upcycling (the practice, if not yet the word). And it happened with this...
Strange names for pubs have long been a source of amusement, and were anticipated as a bonus novelty of visiting London – surely, there would be eccentrically named drinking dens in abundance. The trip wasn’t overflowing with ale (more like beset with bakeries), but there were enough oddly named pubs to not disappoint.
One particular pub managed to fill the entire funny name quota in one fell swoop...
Devil's advocacy is a grossly underrated (and often underappreciated) skill*. I even loved the movie. And I've never been the world's biggest fan of avocado. But that didn't stop me laughing out loud when I found this poster...
The first reference I came across to steampunk sent me Googling in mystification. It seems to pop up all over Etsy with lots of cogs, wheels and widgets applied to cufflinks and jewellery and things. And once there’s a trend, it gets applied to cake...
On our first encounter, the Alot very nearly made me cry – whether from utter hilarity or the sheer unexpected joy and relief that somebody else looked at the world that way. You’re not barking mad and alone! he grunted Other people are barking mad in just the same way! But they can make it funny, and drawl cool pictures as well as being a stickler for correct phrasing and punctuation*.
Chocolate can be a fickle and demanding mistress. It needs to be lavished with attention. It can react badly if overheated. It always needs more time. And if, heaven forbid, you wander off and leave it unattended, it can split beyond repair. Even with the greatest of care, it can still go to pieces for reasons you simply can’t fathom. But you just can’t refuse it, even though you know the risks. And sometimes, the risks can be worth it – just look at these brownies, with layers of white and dark chocolate in every bite...
Ever since I was eight years old, I've wished for a hanging chair. It was an egg-shaped wicker coccoon, piled with cushions and swinging gently on a broad verandah edged with terracotta pots of red geraniums, in the (very specific) dream house of my imagination. A family with a penchant for pottering around open homes and display villages on occasional weekends clearly get you started young!
It wasn't something I grew out of, and I still dream of beautiful hanging chairs and red geraniums (the ideal house has changed a little, though). This Melati design, with its bright colours and flower details, is a great modern update...
Is anything really possible? While hard work, practice and serendipity* can bring many things within your grasp, others seem to defy the laws of nature and physics. But perhaps it’s just a matter of perspective. After all, if penguins can find ways to fly...
Not having a proper dining table can be a nuisance and a half. Our postage-stamp-sized table barely accommodates two people and their plates, and only if they keep their elbows to themselves. Side plates and condiments are entirely out of the question. Consequently, the table is apt to become a respository for files, handbags, post and assorted flotsam and jetsam. Meals get eaten on laps, food gets photographed on the ottoman or the kitchen counter, and visitors get a rather more casual dining experience than I might wish for*.
Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could have an enormous dining table just when you needed it? And then it magically disappeared after you were done. Nothing as pedestrian as disguising it as a table tennis table, using it as a desk, or folding it up into a cupboard. As an added bonus, it could even turn into something else useful (and preferably small). Like an ice cream machine. Or a cat!**
What I need is a periodic table...
Falling down the rabbit hole once the endless distraction of the interwebs takes hold usually happens from the comfort and familiarity of the couch. But I imagine it looking a little more like this...
According to the sort of bad joke usually reserved for Christmas crackers (and dads), polar bears don't eat penguins because they can't get the wrappers off. If this doesn't make any sense, chances are you're not familiar with the penguin biscuit, a chocolate biscuit similar to (but not quite as good as) a Tim Tam.
But before all those penguin biscuit lovers come chasing after me with pitchforks*, let me distract you with some other ways to keep your penguins and polar bears separated...
It takes a certain peculiar leap of logic to get from Next Top Model to cakes. That, or a predilection for baking combined with a slightly-guilty overindulgence in reality TV.
This cake mail postcard had previously caught my eye...
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