tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33250471620483986702024-03-05T17:34:06.248+00:00A Lovely Room in Notting Hill"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is going to write..."
— Virginia WoolfAlex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-76405482476654308842012-09-24T09:34:00.003+01:002012-09-24T09:34:38.178+01:00The Ndali Vanilla Gift Swap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I am taking part in the Ndali Vanilla Gift Swop, an event organised by Vanessa Kimbell at Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. Vanessa is a BBC journalist who went to visit my cousin Lulu Sturdy in Uganda and devoted an entire BBC Radio four Food and Drink program<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> to</span></span> Ndali vanilla last month. It was a wonderful program, packed with information about the process of growing this very special vanilla and Lulu came across as extremely knowledgable and passionate about her vanilla. I was glued to the radio because of course I had been out to see Lu myself earlier this year and had a fantastic time.<br />
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The idea behind The Ndali Vanilla Gift Swop is to promote the new Ndali vanilla powder which has just been launched on the market. It is a totally new product and very versatile. A teaspoon of Ndali vanilla powder is the equivalent of an entire vanilla pod and you can use it in biscuits, cakes, puddings... anything which needs that rich, delicious flavour of vanilla. Everyone taking part in the event brings along a gift which can be one of four different categories:<br />
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1 Biscuit<br />
2 Cakes/cupcake<br />
3Pudding<br />
4Preserve<br />
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There will be prizes for each category but the main thing is that everyone gets to leave with a gift brought in by another person containing Ndali vanilla. It's a lovely, original idea and I'm looking forward to it. My offering is The Ultimate Vanilla Cake with lashings of rich cream and mixed summer berries on top. It is absolutely delicious and one of my favourite cakes so I'm feeling reasonably confident. I will keep everyone posted on the results..<br />
<br />Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-90299492129814052352012-04-26T22:50:00.000+01:002012-09-08T21:18:53.360+01:00Ndali vanilla<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you've ever wondered what makes a sponge cake so delicious it's almost certainly down to the vanilla in the recipe which adds a richness and warmth to the flavour. My cousin Lulu Sturdy's vanilla, which she grows at Ndali in Uganda, has been described as the champagne of vanillas and once you taste it you will understand why. When you hold one of the moist, plump vanilla pods in your hand and breath in the heady aroma you will discover the sheer pleasure of finding a fantastic ingredient. It adds the most beautiful flavour to cakes, puddings and biscuits which will inevitably tempt you to want more...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Vanilla is an orchid vine, originally from Central America, and the only one of over 25,000 orchid species to produce an edible fruit. The vine needs to entwine a host tree and at Ndali they grow up mulberry, red hot poker trees and physic nut trees. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The intricate vanilla flower has to be pollinated by hand using a pin or whittled stick to carefully lift out of the way the flap (rostellum) which separates the stigma and pollen-bearing anther; thumb and forefinger then gently squeeze these male and female parts together. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The delicate work has to be done within eight hours of the flower opening, and has to dodge rain, ants and heavy hands to produce a successful conception.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Like a fine wine vanilla depends on perfect conditions. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To flourish and produce truly aromatic beans vanilla needs a leafy tropical environment: plenty of dappled sunlight, buckets of rain, rich loamy soils. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The vanilla bean is harvested 9-11 months after pollination: the longer the beans are left on the vine the better. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As well as showing me her own farm, Lulu took me to visit a couple of the vanilla farms that are part of the huge Fairtrade co-operative she has set up with other farmers in Western Uganda. Her right hand man Sassu introduced me to the families who grow vanilla on these farms and I had a great time being entertained by the children and their billy goats and drinking tea. The difference Fairtrade makes to these farmers' lives is immeasurable. Ndali vanilla's success enables these people to have a quality of life that would be otherwise unobtainable; whether it's improved sanitation, better education for the children or starting up another small business of their own. All of this is achieved through Lulu's aim to build a network of farmers who </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">meet the exacting standards of the Fairtrade certification. These farmers </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">can expect to be paid double the amount of the average vanilla bean, so there is a direct correlation between the success of the Ndali vanilla brand and the lives of the people who live on these farms. You can view Ndali Fairtrade farmers on youtube http://www.ndali.net/youtube.html</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We next visited the Ndali vanilla processing plant near where Lulu lives. This is where the vanilla is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cured; turning it from the yellowish-green pod to the aromatic fermented chocolate-coloured bean. It takes three to six months and involves blanching the beans in hot water and sweating them in woollen blankets in wooden boxes. Over the weeks they are repeatedly exposed to hot sunshine and returned to their boxes for sweating, encouraging the breakdown of gluco-vanillin into vanillin through fermentation. It's a very time-consuming process and is over-seen by Lulu at every stage. Each bean is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">meticulously sorted, graded and kept tightly packed in wooden boxes and the vanilla will continue to mature and improve in flavour much like a fine wine. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can buy Ndali vanilla</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> from Waitrose and any quality supermarket and delicatessen</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in the UK. It comes in the shape of pods, intense extract or a wonderful new powder which is just about to be launched on the market. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The glossy, plump vanilla pods that I smelt and touched at the processing plant at Ndali do not lose any of their intensity once they arrive on the shelves of the supermarkets over here and are bursting with flavour. It has been a really amazing journey for me to have tracked the journey of this beautiful and exotic spice back from my kitchen in London to the lush, verdant land below the Mountains of the Moon in Uganda.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">www.ndali.net</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-16039168405244056842012-04-19T19:21:00.001+01:002012-04-29T08:16:33.073+01:00Trip to Ndali, Uganda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The first thing I noticed as my plane touched down at Entebbe airport at midnight was the hot, sticky heat. As soon as I was released from the safe, warm embrace of my British Airways flight I had to trust that all my arrangements would come good and that I would be collected by a driver and deposited at my hotel in Kampala, safe and sound. Travelling alone is simultaneously wonderful and nerve wracking as you have to trust everyone you come in contact with but at the same time have a well tuned antennae for any potential trouble. Luckily, my transfer went without a problem and I felt excited as we hurtled along the dark roads towards Kampala, windows open and breathing in the hot, African air. It was the start of my long-awaited trip to Ndali, Western Uganda, to visit my cousins Lulu Sturdy and Aubrey Price, who are the third generation to live on the family Estate. Lulu runs a thriving vanilla farm and Aubrey is installed in the beautiful lodge which he runs with his wife Clare.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I was quite relieved to arrive at my hotel Le Petit Village in Kampala and to slide into my nice comfortable bed under the mosquito net and get some sleep. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I still haven't mastered the art of travelling light and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I find that where ever I go in the world there's always far too much stuff I have to take with me. The problem is that I need all those little things which are essential to me if I want to feel reasonably self sufficient on a trip. I don't actually take loads of dresses, shoes and lotions and potions with me but I feel better if I can keep myself well dressed, relatively well groomed and clean. When I travel alone I always ask myself whether I feel ready for this journey. Can I cope with being alone in a strange country and how will I deal with the odd moments of insecurity? I always hope that it will be a rewarding and possibly life-changing experience so I set out with a mind-set that is positive but ready for the unexpected. I think that my yoga practise has really helped me to have a more flexible approach to life and I have developed a certain resilience and acceptance that although not everything will be rosy and to my liking I will try and retain a positive outlook. On this trip to Uganda I wanted to try and immerse myself in a life which has an entirely different rhythm from mine back in London and see whatever subtle shifts of perspective might happen. Having said all that, the one thing I have learned from past travelling is that my internal chatter travels with me and never goes away. The best I can hope for is that for the internal monologue to become less intense and for my mind to relax and become open to new ideas and experiences. That's why I like to travel.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It was the start of the rainy season in Uganda and on my first morning it was a little grey and overcast. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><i style="color: black; font-style: normal;">Uganda</i> is an equatorial country and the <i style="color: black; font-style: normal;">UV rays</i> are among the highest in the world </span>so I grabbed my sunglasses and hat and with the pervading heat I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Aubrey strolled into the garden of my hotel and greeted me like a long lost friend. He introduced me to his wife Clare and we joined a bunch of their friends for lunch before setting off on the five hour drive to Ndali Lodge, near Fort Portal. We drove through numerous small towns and along bumpy roads and fast roads until we arrived at Ndali in total darkness. There's no electricity in this part of Africa at night time and it really is pitch black. There was no moon either but the sky was lit up by masses of stars and we each took turns to look at Saturn through Aubrey's powerful telescope at the lodge. Amazing! I slept like a baby through the night and woke up in the blissful surroundings of my own cottage. The lodge itself is set in a large garden and is positioned on the rim of an extinct volcano now forming Lake Nyinambuga,the most beautiful lake imaginable. I ate my breakfast on the veranda knowing that I had arrived somewhere really special. The bananas were tiny and delicious and mixed with pineapple and melon they actually made my taste buds tingle. The coffee was strong and very tasty. I was in heaven...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Over the years Ndali has become an almost mythical place in my mind. Our family had always been aware of this remote and extraordinary place in Africa where my uncle, Major Trevor Price had bought land in the 1920's. Travelling down from Cairo in a Model T Ford his aim was to grow tea - at the time a scarcely developed crop in Uganda. He planted a string of tea shambas north and south of Fort Portal and in the early 1960s he bought Ndali in the Kingdom of Toro - but the soil proved too alkaline for tea and the estate was left to grow wild. That was all a long time ago and during the Idi Amin regime all Europeans and Asians were thrown out and their land confiscated. However, in 1991 the new government led by President Museveni invited all dispossessed foreign landowners to reclaim their land. That's when my cousin Mark Price decided to start building Ndali Lodge with the help of a small group of investors and friends from Yorkshire. Sadly Mark died in 1998 which prompted Aubrey and Lulu to step into the breach and take over the running of the lodge and explore what might possibly grow well on the land.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020804;">When we were children Lulu and I played together but we hadn't seen each other for about 15 years. We've always kept in touch, one way or another, and now I had the perfect excuse to visit her at Ndali. The rich and intense vanilla in my cakes and biscuits is from her farm and it is this exquisite ingredient which makes them taste so good. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020804;">Lulu has built up an impressive business from scratch with Ndali vanilla and has led the way for other local farmers in Uganda to grow Fairtrade vanilla too. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream use Ndali vanilla in their ice cream and they recently commisionned some short films about how these farmers </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">have invested their Fair Trade Vanilla proceeds into starting their own businesses </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020804;"><a href="http://www.ndali.net/youtube.html">www.ndali.net/youtube.html</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020804;">. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020804; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">www.teawithalex.com</span></div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-29743608329237295442011-08-23T10:28:00.013+01:002011-09-01T21:52:06.907+01:00Balance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlVIp_m3T-mBmozJf87RKJtQAn4TrVYZ-LqRem_rJNeXKkF8TBLzirZMvhUsZ-F0IpbUVXuXHCSQr9aYKZ44NG-1IIS92b93QvwabvkrDmULzD7aj8rIn00PSzoEdcEIBomuwkX82MfM/s1600/P1050127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlVIp_m3T-mBmozJf87RKJtQAn4TrVYZ-LqRem_rJNeXKkF8TBLzirZMvhUsZ-F0IpbUVXuXHCSQr9aYKZ44NG-1IIS92b93QvwabvkrDmULzD7aj8rIn00PSzoEdcEIBomuwkX82MfM/s320/P1050127.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today I woke up in the gloom of an overcast and wet London morning. I am experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms from being back from holiday and I really dislike it! Not only do I have to adjust to life without a swimming pool and breakfast on the terrace every day but the weather here is just rubbish. It's cloudy most days and we consider ourselves fortunate if we get at least one day of sunshine a week. It's miserable.. I miss the light and warmth and the goodness that comes with living in a part of the world where waking up in the morning is pure joy. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Whenever I come back from holiday I often find the period of acclimatisation can be really tricky. There is a lot to learn from being on holiday about simplifying one's life. It's not just that one is away from the usual daily chores but one can choose to do nice things every day and make a point of creating an enjoyable atmosphere. Back home I rapidly get caught up in a seemingly chaotic environment and I forget to take time to enjoy the little pleasures in life. For example, I love to take time over breakfast and not gulp down a cup of coffee in my haste to get to wherever it is I have to be first thing in the day. On holiday I really like to take my time and linger over breakfast enjoying the flavour of the food and chatting to my companions at the table. These are important aspects of life that seem to get forgotten in normal daily life. I've been talking to my mother, for example, about how to hang on to those delicious moments from holiday and I have encouraged her to spoil herself a little and buy those little delicacies which are so enjoyable and in that way she can still feel that life is enhanced by the little ritual of eating good food.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Going to the market to buy food in Provence is another pleasure and has provided a marked contrast with being back home in London. Usually I enjoy going to Portobello Road to buy my fruit and vegetables but on my return the market has been quite a tense place and Cheryl, who I usually buy from, was really quite rude and snappy with me. I suppose it must have something to do with the riots of two weeks ago which has created this atmosphere. I also noticed in the supermarket that very few of the cashiers want to have eye contact and there is a general air of apprehension and nervousness. I'm not really surprised after what happened and I know a number of people who were directly affected by the rioting. Fortunately I was away during the riots but was able to find out from my neighbours and by reading the press what was happening not just in the whole of England but also in my own neighbourhood. It was very unnerving for those having to witness it and another reason for me not wanting to come home. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Being close to nature is another good thing about being on holiday. Every day there is something beautiful to look at and that sense of wonder at the extraordinary beauty in nature, whether it is looking out to sea or enjoying the scent of a flower - all that is important to me. My watercolours give me the opportunity to really look at nature and I choose to paint things that I want to somehow retain in my mind for as long as possible. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY8osmN_l7w8Cm5H52bcOdWDTUY42MbIRURTJtxPhyphenhypheneOUGYEM2JG5iQN9lZpB0PHoIQMngJYsfEMzI4h4L39x1CuiHlRpF5MLT2l2kda-oD4YEn1nwYhZD0x-8_tgCopSGrE_vIys9nQ/s1600/P1050336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY8osmN_l7w8Cm5H52bcOdWDTUY42MbIRURTJtxPhyphenhypheneOUGYEM2JG5iQN9lZpB0PHoIQMngJYsfEMzI4h4L39x1CuiHlRpF5MLT2l2kda-oD4YEn1nwYhZD0x-8_tgCopSGrE_vIys9nQ/s320/P1050336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVYwnkriRESzIXUlU4QIke2OckmNTyxU58U9XYc5r4k4DIISLRLEP8yLaP1zombVN2ma62NLGa9SeXakm0Krbi54-D4pOuUnDX67cWD5NkfgY-n5848rPKtRlUfXFeIuU_rv4uhf9WXo/s1600/P1050356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVYwnkriRESzIXUlU4QIke2OckmNTyxU58U9XYc5r4k4DIISLRLEP8yLaP1zombVN2ma62NLGa9SeXakm0Krbi54-D4pOuUnDX67cWD5NkfgY-n5848rPKtRlUfXFeIuU_rv4uhf9WXo/s320/P1050356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So if you are about to go on holiday forget the Blackberry, Facebook, the office etc.. and have a lovely time! </span></span></div><br />
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Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-37496467760937372692011-08-18T19:35:00.008+01:002011-09-02T10:01:42.411+01:00Watercolours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdafVAj4YpiK7eqH5K1RcgUiUABLXDWIbguTfi0uT1MWRBTEun876PCGk8SCuKNHZ8v38anmKEFjG_fIYu3pBFG_ARMEFieGqiw-Pnf-UXY4ViJ-1rTv4ItZJUp6XNoZ3C2BbPbkvtJk/s1600/Le+Caroubier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdafVAj4YpiK7eqH5K1RcgUiUABLXDWIbguTfi0uT1MWRBTEun876PCGk8SCuKNHZ8v38anmKEFjG_fIYu3pBFG_ARMEFieGqiw-Pnf-UXY4ViJ-1rTv4ItZJUp6XNoZ3C2BbPbkvtJk/s320/Le+Caroubier.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="210" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywlTItDxBGdVTEjnuiEdkCHRxP_e2mkFC8brfOfLEoD66meQ-4d3TnhNb3oSryVYQyAlq1IE0ouKsJ5w6lBbPipCUCTEXG8OlsWk0oJGtITddAdBXawkjuTkd_EPcnyBVrK3S8EXnTf8/s1600/Le+Caroubier+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywlTItDxBGdVTEjnuiEdkCHRxP_e2mkFC8brfOfLEoD66meQ-4d3TnhNb3oSryVYQyAlq1IE0ouKsJ5w6lBbPipCUCTEXG8OlsWk0oJGtITddAdBXawkjuTkd_EPcnyBVrK3S8EXnTf8/s320/Le+Caroubier+2.jpg" width="203" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I've just come back to London after spending a few days in the South of France. It was a lovely break as I was able to combine a stay with friends in Provence with a quick trip to Corsica to see some friends there. I can totally understand why artists love to be in the South of France. The light is so clear and bright and the colours are just breath taking. It's like being transported to another world where everything is warmer and brighter and you start to feel relaxed from the moment you arrive. Well, I suppose anywhere is better than England in the summer when it's raining and overcast.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I managed to squeeze my sketch book and watercolours into my tiny suitcase and got past the tyrannical staff at RyanAir without having to pay a penalty for being one or two kilos over. I wasn't quite so lucky on my return journey but I took great pleasure in denying them their fine of £40 by stuffing all my excess baggage into the pockets of my lovely capacious linen trousers. It's a shame that travelling is often so aggravating nowadays as the journey really ought to be part of the pleasure of going on holiday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway France was wonderful. I am a total Francophile and I adore all the little details of my time there. Whether it's shopping at the market and choosing from the delicious array of fruit and vegetables or trying the wonderful cheeses and charcuterie with a glass of delicious rose </span>wine. It's all beautiful to me. I'm very lucky to have some great french friends who are enormously generous and invite me to hang out with them at their homes. It's great fun to feel part of a large french family for a short while and join in the planning of meals and little excursions. Of course I know we are all on holiday so life is simple but it is perfect and I love it.<br />
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Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-49238255617300664352011-07-31T09:17:00.007+01:002011-08-02T09:09:40.741+01:00Listening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuPBgUgSIAerpbdEyGVmD7nDeqgVvvuMg1Jrc8Q7x_TX2as55GQyqNd4ZUcw7t2NAyCtivm734m2D-j9hXJJ9m8eeSqwiXBL4LNRrasYXfp-MtEBvva8l0N3GTLc00mC_FV1xVTxMYgU/s1600/P1040574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuPBgUgSIAerpbdEyGVmD7nDeqgVvvuMg1Jrc8Q7x_TX2as55GQyqNd4ZUcw7t2NAyCtivm734m2D-j9hXJJ9m8eeSqwiXBL4LNRrasYXfp-MtEBvva8l0N3GTLc00mC_FV1xVTxMYgU/s320/P1040574.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's Sunday and traditionally this is a day for reflection. Although I'm not planning to go to church today I occasionally enjoy listening to a sermon when it's given by a particularly enlightened and sometimes witty priest. I think I've written before about how I find it important to take time out to think about life and where I'm going. I suppose because I don't have children to worry about I have more time to do this but it's always been essential to me. I'm pretty sure that if I don't pause and reflect on what's happening internally and externally I end up lost in confusion and wondering where the hell I'm going with all my stuff. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Listening is an incredibly important part of life. It's almost a skill that one needs to learn. When I was a child it felt good to be with an adult who listened to me and I felt understood me. It seems to me to be the essence of what makes up a good relationship. It matters in friendship as well of course. If I'm with a close friend the conversation is a delicate balance between listening to what he or she has to say and me talking about my things. I often catch myself impatiently talking before my friend has even finished what they need to say and I find it quite annoying in myself. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How do we train ourselves to listen? Sit and be quiet. It's really quite simple but actually rather hard for most people to do. We're so used to being active and thinking of all the things that need to be done. But you can do it. I think the technical term for it is meditation but I prefer to think of it as just a bit of quiet time. If you can do that then you are in a good position to be attentive to what's important around you and it makes it a lot easier to listen. If you're busy, busy, busy all the time you become a pain in the neck and sometime even a bit mad. I find it hard to be with really pushy people who only seem to listen to what's going on inside them and can't hear what anyone else has to say. I don't know what's causing it. Maybe they're totally self-absorbed and can't hear what anyone else is saying or perhaps it's because they're totally insensitive and couldn't give a damn. Who knows?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All I know is that I like to be around people who do take time to listen to each other. I'm trying to get better at it myself although I know that sometimes it's not always easy. When you're in emotional pain however I know it's one of the essential things that help you get better. My mum used to say that therapy was the great talking cure and I'm sure that's true but it's good to learn how to listen as well and not just be in the position where you are the one getting it all off your chest. I suppose it's a question of balance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway that's all I have to say for today. I can't write this without acknowledging that my blog is of course my way of getting my ideas out there. Hopefully I don't come across as too egocentric and I like to think of it as like sending postcards to friends around the world. The feedback is good too!</span><br />
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</span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-29925353278390707812011-07-22T01:20:00.005+01:002011-07-22T09:09:42.879+01:00Melting macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MRquhDX4i-qpaDWR85TfxZkwP-UOiJXLfrlMKB-VCz90CEgtkqH7AgWhNzXPdFYGkcYeoNlPS3b88jVtJJXA64-S5cZBe9uV2ZqwN4hpPuk11cIKC-muCOh3Cft1VtObVZU8SN_R6uQ/s1600/P1050042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MRquhDX4i-qpaDWR85TfxZkwP-UOiJXLfrlMKB-VCz90CEgtkqH7AgWhNzXPdFYGkcYeoNlPS3b88jVtJJXA64-S5cZBe9uV2ZqwN4hpPuk11cIKC-muCOh3Cft1VtObVZU8SN_R6uQ/s320/P1050042.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I have been doing a fairly intensive amount of baking recently with varying degrees of success. It is a bit scary how easily things can go wrong with patisserie and it takes quite a lot of courage to carry on in the knowledge that at any<b> </b>second it's probably all going to go a bit out of control. I seem to veer from one near catastrophe to the next in the kitchen. This evening at my birthday party the delicate little macarons I worked so hard to make were sitting prettily on their glass plate - the next thing I knew they had turned into some sort of molten creation that we needed spoons to dig into. It still tasted scrummy it's just that it looked a bit weird and rather less elegant. Well as the French say <i>Tant pis</i>..<br />
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The other calamity was the pastry creme for my strawberry tart which turned into scrambled egg as I was adding the egg mixture to the simmering milk. I managed to salvage it by hastily transferring it all back into the KitchenAid mixer. Thank God for that piece of machinery. It's worth every penny of the investment as it sorts out most of my messes. In the end I was very happy with the result even if the tart went the same way as the macarons and turned into an aesthetic slop. Notice that I only place images of these delicacies on this page before they started to slide of the plate... the rest I leave to your imagination.<br />
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I don't really mind these mishaps as I quite enjoy the voyage of discovery and I learn something from each new disaster. I'm beginning to gain a whole new respect for the art of patisserie. It's a steep learning curve but one that I'm happy to pursue because it seems to give a lot of pleasure to everyone and that's a good thing in life.Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-77264123169183316762011-07-03T06:48:00.007+01:002012-02-19T00:51:27.508+00:00Books for Cooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday was an extraordinary day for me. I received an overwhelming amount of lovely comments about my stall at Books for Cooks. They were only biscuits but anyone would think I'd created a work of art from all the warmth and support I received from everyone. After three weeks of constant baking and experimenting with ideas for my biscuits I finally got everything wrapped up and tied with pretty little ribbons. It was a lot of hard work but worth it in the end as I met some very interesting people and contacts were made which is what it was all about. So huge thanks to Eric and Clara at Books for Cooks for all their support and giving me the opportunity to launch <i>Tea with Alex </i>on Saturday. <br />
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Saturday on Portobello Road has a bit of a party atmosphere and it was fun to observe the mix of people passing by. Some stopped and chatted to me, others just wanted to take a photo of the biscuits or find out about what I was up to. Eric encouraged me to engage with the public and not just sit at my stall nonchalantly expecting people to buy a biscuit. You can't be shy. It's essential to chat people up and make a sale. I learned a lot! Some of my friends pitched up too which was great as it meant that I was able to relax and enjoy having a few familiar faces around. My adorable little friend Heloise was keen to pose with the biscuits and we had a lovely chat about how to create a cookie and what I use for my inspiration. I think she could be a budding biscuiteer..<br />
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I never thought I'd be any good at patisserie as I'm a fairly instinctive cook like most people. A little bit here, a little bit there. something else thrown in for good measure.. that sort of thing. But I have surprised myself with these biscuits. They are the most incredibly fiddly things to do and require a huge amount of patience and determination to get right. But the reason I've not given up with them is because I really love the end result and I have practised, practised and practised until I am happy with them. Also I have had lots of encouragement from all kinds of people and it's been quite an absorbing journey to see where I can get with them. My friend Sophie set me the challenge to come up with a bespoke biscuit for her jewellery business and it was a great moment when I actually received the cookie cutter which I designed in the shape of her logo. <br />
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Eric at Books for Cooks invited me to put on a display at his shop which then turned into an opportunity to sell the biscuits outside the shop. I have always been fascinated by packaging and it was totally my thing when I was at art college studying graphic design so in many ways I have managed to combine all the things I love. I mustn't forget my Mum who helped me with the purchase of my KitchenAid mixer, without which the making of all my cakes and biscuits would be a formidable task. As it is I love the process of putting all the ingredients together, making a bit of a mess and then seeing what happens. Michal showed me how to keep lots of recipes up in the air at any one time. And my friend Jemima at Great Western Studios in Notting Hill recently held a very interesting event with the theme of food, drink and design. Julian Metcalfe, who set up Pret a Manger and Itsu was a speaker, as well as Afroditi Krassa who is<b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Julian's brand director for Itsu and </span></b><span class="breadcrumbs pathway">Fernando Gutiérrez another expert in </span>branding and design who has worked on beautiful wine labels <span class="text10bs">designs for the winemaker Telmo Rodriguez. They all advised me not to attempt to go commercial and retain the integrity of my designs so that's what I'm doing. I want to keep everything personal and design to please myself and the client. I won't be going global just yet...</span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-88719298771101841072011-06-27T10:36:00.002+01:002011-06-27T10:52:51.626+01:00Überlingen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAvMNSAhlkRtu1ck5RKVQ8obOPEtxeePpkdk2Jg8GChsZDdxEJeEl2tIw4DOjuv47IF3MrqZhfQyWf7TFCALpcP5kmWTl6jIQ-xZIi8Ly3hoODiaFLpe_tHmcMpvKzjotl5A1AQTdpFg/s1600/P1040872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAvMNSAhlkRtu1ck5RKVQ8obOPEtxeePpkdk2Jg8GChsZDdxEJeEl2tIw4DOjuv47IF3MrqZhfQyWf7TFCALpcP5kmWTl6jIQ-xZIi8Ly3hoODiaFLpe_tHmcMpvKzjotl5A1AQTdpFg/s320/P1040872.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I have been so busy baking that I've hardly had time to write this blog. However, I can't leave it another day without describing briefly my wonderful trip to Überlingen in Southern Germany. I was invited to visit by my friend Sonja who recently moved there from London. We go back a long, long way and have known each other since art college days. We have both often discussed the idea of leaving London and moving somewhere more peaceful where the frantic pace of life doesn't leave one feeling quite so frazzled. She's done it and I'm impressed. The quality of life she's experiencing in this part of Germany is having a marked improvement on her well being. She exudes happiness. It must have something to do with being so close to the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. Lake Constance is a vast expanse of beautiful tranquil water surrounded by Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Its beauty has inspired poetry and the father of psychoanalysis Carl Jung<i></i> was born in Kesswil, a small Swiss village on the lake. It is a place of introspection but in a pleasant and calming way. It lifts any kind of depression.<br />
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Although I was visiting Sonja I was actually house sitting for another friend Steffi, who has the most gorgeous walled garden. My job was to make sure the garden plants were watered daily. Not too onerous a task and in fact a real pleasure. The roses were a total joy and I loved them.<br />
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One of the best bits of my stay in Überlingen was going to the Bodensee Therme. It's described as enjoyment for all the senses and it's pretty good! Basically everyone strips off for the regular sessions in the sauna of which there are at least three, a Turkish steam bath, a wellness area with four cascade pools where you get massaged by powerful torrents of clear mineral water. It's fantastic! Each sauna session offers a different experience and my first involved sitting with my friends Sonja and Catherine and about a dozen others while we were fanned with a wet towel by the sauna master to increase the heat. Half way through we all left to smother ourselves with honey and some kind of exfoliatior all of which makes your skin silky soft. The heat was intense but immediately afterward we all strolled towards the lake and immersed ourselves in the freezing cold water. Other treatments included doing the same thing with white chocolate, salt and being thrashed by the sauna master with birch leaves! Not all at the same time I should add. These are all meant to encourage relaxation and spread a delicious sense of well being. I must admit that I like the Germans' attitude towards health and fitness. There's no sense of obligation towards maintaining healthy living. They genuinely love being fit and healthy. I nearly called this post "Alex gets naked" but thought better of it...Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-9430753380715679522011-06-10T08:39:00.006+01:002011-07-04T08:21:34.666+01:00Tea with Alex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBMt5MbWwtNjPkSr8i2f_E_XnKTJtr0qxzWcO2e17lAfMl7HXHh2YN-hU_8GUIRcsW6pzzIppO5FTHKXaVTjmYcZtcruIA0tuEyhesHZXtXE1_lIP3NW5JDI9HAG8KAQg3Y0Wduydvxs/s1600/Tea+with+Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="63" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBMt5MbWwtNjPkSr8i2f_E_XnKTJtr0qxzWcO2e17lAfMl7HXHh2YN-hU_8GUIRcsW6pzzIppO5FTHKXaVTjmYcZtcruIA0tuEyhesHZXtXE1_lIP3NW5JDI9HAG8KAQg3Y0Wduydvxs/s320/Tea+with+Alex.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExmT21CYs8ev82Jch3ldEkn9aa23Yriosh2X-GOxZWjwGH8HBwiFbe2s1XzWykpqCSRE3-bdzimgfW-oVI0An5iDkRAYKltNce3Aas3r-Pq4qgRte4OejXxaO7kO50kLwqmwqGSY4Y6U/s1600/P1040761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExmT21CYs8ev82Jch3ldEkn9aa23Yriosh2X-GOxZWjwGH8HBwiFbe2s1XzWykpqCSRE3-bdzimgfW-oVI0An5iDkRAYKltNce3Aas3r-Pq4qgRte4OejXxaO7kO50kLwqmwqGSY4Y6U/s320/P1040761.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DRW2tdzxPMvtQq3LIYDn5SfMHDustZLu1iX1WvI13tBRM3ooiBiypJ7UmD4xS3tTSy9TxbIkjFVXCYhk2GOeAqRbKgJ_31y0_JaTxaFgUreZz2J9hH4ygFS6xw2EPHUrb3mcO0sizaY/s1600/P1040767_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="description summary"></div><div class="description summary">I will be selling my yummy bespoke cookies outside Books for Cooks for one day only. Each design is individually iced on to rich, super-chocolatey or vanilla, traditionally baked biscuits. I'm going to create some of the iconic landmarks of Portobello Market - the Travel Bookshop, the Blue Door, street signs... and not forgetting my very first commission celebrating the beautiful and extraordinary jewelry of Sophie Harley.</div><div class="description summary"></div><div class="description summary"><br />
Saturday 2nd July, 2011</div><div class="description summary">10.00 - 18.00</div><div class="description summary">BOOKS FOR COOKS</div><div class="description summary">4 Blenheim Crescent, London W11</div><div class="description summary"></div><div class="description summary"><br />
Look forward to seeing you there! </div><div class="description summary"><table class="uiInfoTable mvm profileInfoTable"><tbody>
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</tbody></table></div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-16497588903466497612011-06-04T21:05:00.010+01:002011-06-05T00:36:15.336+01:00India<span style="font-size: small;">My interest in yoga</span> began when I was in my twenties looking for an alternative to aerobics and sports. I had always been drawn to the mystery of the East and yearned to go to India and experience some of the strangeness of mysticism for myself. My chance to go came about once I had become a student and had the time carved out for me to travel during the summer holidays. I had been going to yoga classes regularly for about a year and I felt ready for a five week trip to Northern India. I planned to go for two weeks to Kashmir with my cousin and stay on a houseboat on one of the lakes in Srinagar. Based on the experiences of various friends who had "done" India I decided it would be a breeze to travel around India on my own and explore for the remaining three weeks alone... the only problem was that I hadn't factored in a shoot on sight curfew in Kashmir the day we arrived, due to the sudden death of President Zia of Pakistan who had just been assassinated.<br />
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Nothing prepares you for the chaos of India and had I known quite how mind blowing it would all be maybe I would have planned it differently. Anyway that first time in India taught me to learn to work with adversity if I still wanted to experience the highs and lows of being in such an extraordinary place. Although India could feel quite desolate to me at times there were also exquisite moments of stillness, beauty, richness and warmth. I think that's probably what drew me there. I wanted to feel the intensity of the place. <br />
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The snapshots above show the range of my experiences in India but I can't pretend I wasn't relieved when I stepped onto the safety of the British Airways plane on my way back to England. After three weeks on my own in such a strange land I felt I had had enough of the extremes and was ready for a little more normality again. Little did I know that that would be quite hard to achieve.. but that's another story. I don't know whether that first trip to India helped my yoga practise at the time but over the years I've been able to draw from my experiences there to shape my understanding of yoga.<br />
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The reason I'm writing about this now is that I've decided to teach yoga again. For the first time I feel that I'm ready to give much more of myself as a teacher and can enjoy the experience. When I first trained as a yoga teacher I felt as though I was winging it slightly and I never felt totally prepared. My knowledge and understanding of yoga seems to have deepened recently and I actually feel as if I can offer my students something quite worthwhile. Details are below for anyone interested in coming to my class<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lunchtime Yoga </span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mondays from 1.00 to 2.00pm</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fn org">St. Peter's Hall</span>, 59a Portobello Rd, London W11 2DB</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are above Charlie's Cafe situated in a pretty courtyard on Portobello Rd in the heart of Notting Hill.<br />
6 Classes £55 - Drop in £10. Beginners welcome</span></div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-68020420199596110422011-05-24T14:23:00.002+01:002011-08-02T16:59:49.901+01:00Scrumptious Tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2llwV8RE1MFJpkXCx2zPcBjzIcNPuPPv81GDyl6n0bt2M67GFtApU72Ujck9myfBW_6cbofkrtzgt9u7U-LDbwCgvpXv0t1anzqVcCs-gRix1hFesn5RKEut3BMRyMBGFHf300OS9w5Q/s1600/P1040533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2llwV8RE1MFJpkXCx2zPcBjzIcNPuPPv81GDyl6n0bt2M67GFtApU72Ujck9myfBW_6cbofkrtzgt9u7U-LDbwCgvpXv0t1anzqVcCs-gRix1hFesn5RKEut3BMRyMBGFHf300OS9w5Q/s320/P1040533.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOJhnKnLPd2fnhAzsT337t3C8DRIW2tk7cRsDspoIpitP_cK8HTfy4CcQ65DNlNEaL-kkB3m8W71ubBH8WbTdvRI6Ygvs7LWZIHZaf43NC6CyuZNMX7VnQNjbSfZAzkClj9hqEjMUxHw/s1600/P1040763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOJhnKnLPd2fnhAzsT337t3C8DRIW2tk7cRsDspoIpitP_cK8HTfy4CcQ65DNlNEaL-kkB3m8W71ubBH8WbTdvRI6Ygvs7LWZIHZaf43NC6CyuZNMX7VnQNjbSfZAzkClj9hqEjMUxHw/s320/P1040763.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Michal, Tonja and I had an intensive baking session starting at 10am and ending at around 10pm. We made bread, a unique battenberg cake, macarons, opera cake, maids of honour tarts, apple tart, cookies... it was a total feast! My kitchen didn't know what had hit it as we had several things on the go simultaneously and took it in turn to use the KitchenAid mixer, which was having its own baptism by fire. I realize that I need to buy certain things like a professional rolling pin and a nice slab of marble on which to roll out pastry and keep everything cool. I'm learning so much from diving in and baking all kinds of things I would never have thought of a few months ago. Michal is very encouraging and he obviously loves baking as he joined us in his spare time outside of his </span><span style="font-size: small;"> busy </span><span style="font-size: small;">job as a chef.</span><br />
<br />
There was quite a serious blip half way through the day. Michal suddenly announced that the fan oven seemed to have gone rather quiet and, with most of the cakes ready and waiting for their space in the oven, it had indeed stopped... PANIC! WHAT TO DO? Keep calm and carry on of course and ask around my neighbours to see if anyone could help. We had a giggle transporting trays of batter up and down the stairs and next door to my neighbours Joel and Julian who stepped into the breach and offered up their oven. Fortunately I discovered that the bottom oven still worked so we managed to utilize that and bake some of the remaining cakes there. Actually it was a perfect way to get to know my neighbours and the next day with so much cake on the table I arranged a tea party for everyone and we had a very jolly time. Tonja's macarons were a big hit and the opera cake was sublimely delicious and lasted for days... My bid for glory came in the form of the battenberg cake which was a huge version of the usual one and was very satisfying to make. Michal insisted that we make our own marzipan and I have to say it tasted wonderful.Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-11299531761664018192011-05-23T17:45:00.002+01:002011-05-23T18:26:14.369+01:00Spring Fling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBw30hHu8-VGrlz_HVTCWLM4TxRHcbWvQFEkPWqCKplsarQADC-ycYI54vvzbqKbjBjHzwiVGQ2i3aOYoY6Fc_DbPv7K6Ru3m2aKzcsiELmIxFD55-MZeJAxBx0_sST3q41hOrBIMYYIY/s1600/P1040756.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBw30hHu8-VGrlz_HVTCWLM4TxRHcbWvQFEkPWqCKplsarQADC-ycYI54vvzbqKbjBjHzwiVGQ2i3aOYoY6Fc_DbPv7K6Ru3m2aKzcsiELmIxFD55-MZeJAxBx0_sST3q41hOrBIMYYIY/s1600/P1040756.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX7RI8LwIpMHIyI8j3r3htmC8qwU9KQiySH17X4w6CYF9KurJBFKz6EmvHtfdvePjEXsC9B2aqqm1dnwskPSXs0xgXsTFNsGRCv6VZsv2frplqFlMah2Hw9EziRUOVQqdGn3TsEqD4ks/s1600/P1040722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX7RI8LwIpMHIyI8j3r3htmC8qwU9KQiySH17X4w6CYF9KurJBFKz6EmvHtfdvePjEXsC9B2aqqm1dnwskPSXs0xgXsTFNsGRCv6VZsv2frplqFlMah2Hw9EziRUOVQqdGn3TsEqD4ks/s1600/P1040722.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Yesterday I had a really lovely day</span> at an Open Studio & Garden Party <span style="font-size: small;">in Hammersmith</span>. There was an assortment of paintings, ceramics and prints on sale, an eclectic mix of musicians, bric-a-brac, stalls, refreshments and a raffle. It was the sort of thing I would expect to find in rural Dorset but was a total surprise in the heart of London. Although, as someone pointed out, Hammersmith was once countryside too. Anyway the atmosphere was very jovial and it was a lot of fun. The last musical act played Greek love songs and some brave girls even got up and danced as the music got faster and more excitable! The whole event was a delight and I came away with some beautiful ceramics and a real sense of bonhomie.<br />
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Spring Fling<span lang="EN-US"> was organized to raise money for InterAct Reading Service which provides a one-to-one reading service by actors to people who have had a stroke.</span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-56539485039299716072011-05-15T06:02:00.001+01:002011-05-15T06:03:27.625+01:00Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqH7bWqOX29ppGWYzZw7fu9og18v6L0Fk56Axw1ZVqf1VNPG7eBBqgV76cOeqSww6kn4slajJpIOSs1bjWgm1LhG91lp_aOr7AlDEAqmy5XIiqHPD1CtosTXmimvQXlqjv2DDivlp_giw/s1600/P1030795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqH7bWqOX29ppGWYzZw7fu9og18v6L0Fk56Axw1ZVqf1VNPG7eBBqgV76cOeqSww6kn4slajJpIOSs1bjWgm1LhG91lp_aOr7AlDEAqmy5XIiqHPD1CtosTXmimvQXlqjv2DDivlp_giw/s320/P1030795.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I have been feeling sad and melancholy over the last couple of days and feel the need to remind myself of the good things I can look forward to over the Summer. So here are a few images that I find particularly refreshing... Provence, I love it!!Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-42002678551321435402011-05-13T19:19:00.006+01:002011-07-04T08:29:06.924+01:00Loss<div style="font-family: inherit;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Several of my close friends are attending the funeral of photojournalist Tim Hetherington in London today. He was killed </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">suddenly </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">last month on 20th April 2011 while covering the conflict in Libya. Although I didn’t personally know him I have been affected by the tragedy of his death because my friends are suffering and it is a sad reminder of loss which I have experienced in my own life. No family wants to bury one of their children and I feel for his parents who must dread today like no other. My own parents had to bury my younger brother Charlie when he was thirteen years old and died very unexpectedly from lymphoma. To say it turned our lives upside down and inside out is an understatement and I don’t think one ever really recovers from the experience of loss. The pain is immense and the sense that nothing will ever be the same pervades your every thought for a very long time. You just cannot believe that the person you love will not walk through the door and say hello to you again. It’s horrible. And the trouble is that they really are gone – forever – and that is the hardest thing to face. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">I wish we didn’t have to deal with loss in life but it is part of the experience of living and is one of the things I have had to learn over the years to accept. It acts as a sharp reminder to live in the moment and it forces one to seize the day and live life as fully as possible because one never knows when it may disappear. I wish this made me feel heroic but it’s simply the way I approach life. It’s not always easy to be positive as life often throws awful curved balls at one and I have often felt profoundly depressed and overwhelmed by the uncertainty of life. But this aspect of life has definitely taught me to be spontaneous and to run with the ball when it comes my way. These painful experiences, although not welcome, do give a certain depth to my perception of what life is all about and I am deeply grateful and happy about all the good things that have happened to me as well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Oh yes and Tim’s work was brilliant! He was extremely talented. That’s the other thing that hurts about someone like Tim dying at such a young age. He was 40 years old. As a picture editor I really appreciate seeing good work and his was outstanding. Intelligent and perceptive he certainly knew how to create a powerful image. He won the World Press Photo Award in 2008 for his work documenting a unit of American soldiers in Afghanistan and earlier this year he was nominated for an Academy Award for his documentary film <i>Restrepo</i>, which centred on the same American unit in Afghanistan. According to my friends Tim was a very charismatic and charming fellow and of course everyone who met him was a little bit in love with him. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZP1OIcx4gBmgRqRGLX9XSIny-tt7BczCftP0_KkSSIgBb46uSvl0cT4LLGSR1i3OMk4EoU-DVTSY3W9Z2hEPY-0rzuKQIbysHk0gCNhsn_oKPJTooC7PxacpVGha7sIvJky6etzvbAk/s1600/art_Tim-Hetherington-420x0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZP1OIcx4gBmgRqRGLX9XSIny-tt7BczCftP0_KkSSIgBb46uSvl0cT4LLGSR1i3OMk4EoU-DVTSY3W9Z2hEPY-0rzuKQIbysHk0gCNhsn_oKPJTooC7PxacpVGha7sIvJky6etzvbAk/s320/art_Tim-Hetherington-420x0.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">This poem by Ben Johnson was given to us by a close friend of the family when Charlie died. Sometimes it helps to know that it is the quality of life that matters and not the enduring length that we normally expect for those we love.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"><i>The Turne</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">It is not growing like a tree</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">In bulk, doth make man better be;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Or standing long an oak, three-hundred year,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">To fall a log at last, dry, bald and sere.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">A lily of a day,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Is fairer far in May,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Although it droop and die that night,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">It was the plant and flow'r of light.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">In small proportions we just beauties see;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">And in short measures, life may perfect be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">My thoughts are with Tim’s family and friends today. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"></div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-57785159470223595142011-05-13T18:59:00.023+01:002011-07-31T11:11:26.346+01:00Rome Drawings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvwLx4S_RFrrIxhTSds9ZPs3_u0BtKD8sYjSUiuUO0p1FTh00bu_FjjCBtpzE5gvrytkaMTQ949IyihUQoRu15mLkGjDe9sgVNhMDKiPJ2UhJzo-4MF70okVPY4QJpXyeHFBe1puWiZI/s1600/Rome+Watercolour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4kMKUsmQKoQ19dl0dkR_s7oLYW3uOQOnnsN1QRDHH2ERSY7ef-93D3H-I_FZnRIeGNKcEfUVWp53CuoY6OM8Ge-ywY3Th_vDS89L11Tr9CI0rGGSwjwTO2AiohMp6DfmOnOHglwAqJA/s1600/Rome+Drawing.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvwLx4S_RFrrIxhTSds9ZPs3_u0BtKD8sYjSUiuUO0p1FTh00bu_FjjCBtpzE5gvrytkaMTQ949IyihUQoRu15mLkGjDe9sgVNhMDKiPJ2UhJzo-4MF70okVPY4QJpXyeHFBe1puWiZI/s1600/Rome+Watercolour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvwLx4S_RFrrIxhTSds9ZPs3_u0BtKD8sYjSUiuUO0p1FTh00bu_FjjCBtpzE5gvrytkaMTQ949IyihUQoRu15mLkGjDe9sgVNhMDKiPJ2UhJzo-4MF70okVPY4QJpXyeHFBe1puWiZI/s1600/Rome+Watercolour.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvwLx4S_RFrrIxhTSds9ZPs3_u0BtKD8sYjSUiuUO0p1FTh00bu_FjjCBtpzE5gvrytkaMTQ949IyihUQoRu15mLkGjDe9sgVNhMDKiPJ2UhJzo-4MF70okVPY4QJpXyeHFBe1puWiZI/s320/Rome+Watercolour.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4kMKUsmQKoQ19dl0dkR_s7oLYW3uOQOnnsN1QRDHH2ERSY7ef-93D3H-I_FZnRIeGNKcEfUVWp53CuoY6OM8Ge-ywY3Th_vDS89L11Tr9CI0rGGSwjwTO2AiohMp6DfmOnOHglwAqJA/s1600/Rome+Drawing.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4kMKUsmQKoQ19dl0dkR_s7oLYW3uOQOnnsN1QRDHH2ERSY7ef-93D3H-I_FZnRIeGNKcEfUVWp53CuoY6OM8Ge-ywY3Th_vDS89L11Tr9CI0rGGSwjwTO2AiohMp6DfmOnOHglwAqJA/s1600/Rome+Drawing.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4kMKUsmQKoQ19dl0dkR_s7oLYW3uOQOnnsN1QRDHH2ERSY7ef-93D3H-I_FZnRIeGNKcEfUVWp53CuoY6OM8Ge-ywY3Th_vDS89L11Tr9CI0rGGSwjwTO2AiohMp6DfmOnOHglwAqJA/s320/Rome+Drawing.jpeg" width="248" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieExUZ_FXCF-l3-CFOxe5X4A802E5izBhDv1mR_tZACgXF-WZ6wPI1vPlVmfH48MReA6NV56eJKGJoYcqtEkagBD-jO_b9eVY1jremwkBQdRTfVrZHYFCHvWi68NdzjjZjasetWI7zB_8/s1600/Rome+Watercolour+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieExUZ_FXCF-l3-CFOxe5X4A802E5izBhDv1mR_tZACgXF-WZ6wPI1vPlVmfH48MReA6NV56eJKGJoYcqtEkagBD-jO_b9eVY1jremwkBQdRTfVrZHYFCHvWi68NdzjjZjasetWI7zB_8/s320/Rome+Watercolour+1.jpeg" width="249" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm back in London and feeling good! Rome was a lot of fun and totally inspiring.. It's so beautiful and I really was exceptionally lucky to stay at such a wonderful apartment with views of the city to die for!! Unfortunately I missed the first day of my life drawing class back in London but I made up for it by sharpening my crayons, getting out my water colours and trying to capture the view from my terrace. The drama of Rome can be felt on the terrace of this apartment, which is a bit like a stage set. It was hard to know where to start but I decided on the terracotta pots and a few of the architectural details in the near distance. If I'd been really disciplined I would have attempted to draw the Colosseum</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><em></em></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">but I'm saving that up for next time...</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Everything about this little trip was made possible by the kindness and generosity of my friends. It can sometimes be a little daunting to head off on my own but also quite exciting. In Rome it was incredibly easy to slip into a social life that was far more spontaneous and lively than my own back in London</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. </span>I fell into a much more exciting social life there than I have in London and seemingly only had to pick up the phone to announce my arrival and I was whisked off to dinners and parties. On my last evening my new friends and I headed off on a surreal journey to the outskirts of Rome and a party in a TV studio that was somewhere between a Tarantino film and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">La Dolce Vita</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. Great! Thanks to the warmth and generosity of my friends I have had a fantastic time in Rome and feel like I have a whole new social life Roman style..</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was good to have some time to myself and I enjoyed my walks through Rome. I liked having the freedom to wander around and explore at my own leisure. I suppose that's one of the perks of just having to please myself. I found a garden centre not far from the apartment and managed to ascertain in my basic Italian which plants would be suitable for the terrace and not require too much watering. I got a nice sense of achievement from placing the plants in their terracotta pots and dotting a few flowers around the apartment. I wanted to add a feminine touch to the place and leave a little mark. Although he wasn't present, my friend Kevin made me feel very welcome in the apartment and I felt very relaxed there. So much nicer than staying in a hotel and I got to cook little meals and feel quite at home...</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now I'm back in London it feels good to have been away and I feel happy and optimistic about life. Of course there are the same problems and challenges to cope with but the change of scene has done me good and I feel bolder and more cheerful.</span></span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-4295681289018924612011-04-30T07:12:00.007+01:002011-04-30T16:58:56.133+01:00A Room with a View<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEebPY9of-MDR_z1ZFD1Gx_t7y-QDJoaS0kUGh0B21LzZi7IlENiTQr2yAZZ8JxOgp6f50jUpkbeDTtDiOA-B7zURWv0Cx47UksGqHTOAhMDLjlZ3-P9Gc1dmADDyKHhSK7R8nd4P5sw/s1600/P1040652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEebPY9of-MDR_z1ZFD1Gx_t7y-QDJoaS0kUGh0B21LzZi7IlENiTQr2yAZZ8JxOgp6f50jUpkbeDTtDiOA-B7zURWv0Cx47UksGqHTOAhMDLjlZ3-P9Gc1dmADDyKHhSK7R8nd4P5sw/s320/P1040652.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkUyIkw9jTdlJNsNcEle-l876Aajst0aUufGYjiPDzBbSSRu3lx6wpwMdywHf_ZvCE1oe9UyWyrBwE9GQPIg8kr_aGM8k_5aa6H3d_vjHTPoggVmcOOrnbAF-4oiLB0vBG1M70QzIUdY/s1600/P1040659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkUyIkw9jTdlJNsNcEle-l876Aajst0aUufGYjiPDzBbSSRu3lx6wpwMdywHf_ZvCE1oe9UyWyrBwE9GQPIg8kr_aGM8k_5aa6H3d_vjHTPoggVmcOOrnbAF-4oiLB0vBG1M70QzIUdY/s320/P1040659.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This was my view this morning when I woke up... I am staying in a friend's apartment in Rome with the most incredible views imaginable. I have a panoramic view of the city from the 6th floor and there is a huge terrace on which to wander about and breath in the atmosphere. To my right is Piazza Venezia, directly in front is the Colosseum and in the opposite direction is St Peter's Square. I love this place!! Rome has a magical quality about it and I'd be quite happy to stay here pottering about on the terrace, doing a bit of gardening and not venture out into the streets at all... A Lovely Room in Notting Hill has made all this possible for me as I have a reciprocal arrangement with my friend whereby he can stay in my flat if ever wants a little visit to London.<br />
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Yesterday I watched the Royal Wedding on tv and enjoyed an italian take on the proceedings. Why is italian tv so unbelievably bad? It's hilarious. In the end I had to turn the commentary off as they were so over the top. In fact watching the RW on youtube was the best bet as there was no commentary at all. It was all very moving and Kate looked beautiful. The whole event was planned with such military precision it was awesome. We Brits may have slipped in the world power stakes but we know how to put on a good show. I felt a pang of wishing I was at home in London participating in the excitement with my friends and neighbours but then I looked around me and felt an overwhelming joy at being in Rome.<br />
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I set off on foot to see Piazza Navona which I adored the first time I was here. Then I headed towards the River Tiber and crossed over Ponte Umberto I, wandering up to see St Peter's Square before it gets taken over by a few million Catholics all wanting to be present for the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1 at the Vatican. Rome is going to be a seething mass of humanity on Sunday and I will probably head to one of the gardens for some peace and tranquility... I let myself meander through the streets on the way home and found myself in countless lovely piazzas, one of which is pictured below<br />
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I have received instructions from Michal to research any new gelato recipes in Rome and will be applying myself to this task with great enthusiasm. There's nothing I like more than eating italian icecream than making it. My God it's delicious!!!! In fact I love most Italian food and will have to do a lot of walking for the week that I'm here to work off all those calories... probably best not to think about it. <br />
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I have brought sketch books, paints etc and plan to do some sketching while I'm here. Didn't bring a scanner with me (joke!) so any results will be posted on my return to London. Today I am meeting up with an old friend who I haven't seen for years and I am also meeting someone new so I am feeling happy and sociable. <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps" title="Click for alternate translations">La vita è</span> <span class="hps" title="Click for alternate translations">bella! </span></span><br />
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<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps" title="Click for alternate translations">Ciao</span></span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-242592434140775292011-04-18T15:31:00.001+01:002011-04-19T01:21:57.075+01:00Baking with Michal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbBtaQxmt_m7szwPUq7cqq-JYsaouER7KDHLbmE5OBCqBUDYZELSxDhVcO9p1oC3MwYdGfxg6y4TE0XcSbKlakyX1xyebAPKZr2GZEk-KKuZowtaBB3k33zAYU242KqfynCDom7Fe9rU/s1600/IMAG0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbBtaQxmt_m7szwPUq7cqq-JYsaouER7KDHLbmE5OBCqBUDYZELSxDhVcO9p1oC3MwYdGfxg6y4TE0XcSbKlakyX1xyebAPKZr2GZEk-KKuZowtaBB3k33zAYU242KqfynCDom7Fe9rU/s320/IMAG0065.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
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My friend Tonya very kindly invited me along to a cake baking workshop last week at a private club in London run by the super talented head chef Michal. A small group of us enthusiastically followed instructions given my Michal who first demonstrated what to do and then gave us each one recipe to follow. Tonya and I were given lavender cupcakes (I am after all the cupcake girl!) and other recipes were tiramisu, chocolate mousse, strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, a very sophisticated pastry called pasta frolla for a fruit tart that also included pastry cream (really delicious) and peanut butter cookies. I have to say that it was the most fun I've had for ages and more than made up for the debacle at the cafe. It was great experience to attempt some quite complicated recipes with the expert guidance of Michal who bravely guided us through all the stages until we finished with a pretty impressive display of cakes and tarts. (see above). We all sat down at the end of the session and did our best to eat as much as possible of the delicacies with several cups of tea... such hard work!! We ended up taking away bags brimming over with goodies and with an increased knowledge of the wonderful world of patisserie baking.Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-4388242560273758932011-04-12T11:12:00.002+01:002011-07-25T22:59:06.111+01:00Keep Calm and Carry On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHgCWuioL5-aE5fCDcy-umm_v8iMg83uBFigf-vib2uHaR3GsMTQWW3DC1Y4aqNQFiHH4Z67YQHR738vokG4Edo8fjC0FvjO9vLTxJQFJ9DEObMDaEOIrpsDNh8Bl80hkTO4kxCjHoGM/s1600/keep-calm-and-carry-on.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHgCWuioL5-aE5fCDcy-umm_v8iMg83uBFigf-vib2uHaR3GsMTQWW3DC1Y4aqNQFiHH4Z67YQHR738vokG4Edo8fjC0FvjO9vLTxJQFJ9DEObMDaEOIrpsDNh8Bl80hkTO4kxCjHoGM/s320/keep-calm-and-carry-on.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Time and time again I have to remind myself to keep life simple. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is</span> so easy to get caught up in other people's madness and each time it happens I get my fingers burnt. ouch!! I'm feeling a bit annoyed with the whole cafe business. It all went a bit pear shaped as the owner (who is a perfectly nice woman but a bit all over the place) invited me to bake cakes at the cafe but also asked another much more experienced cook to do the same. On my first day at the cafe I arrived to find the table heaving with several huge, lavish cakes made by the other woman... not only were they extraordinarily over the top but done in a totally different style to those previously made at the cafe. I was a bit stunned and disappointed. After a couple of days it was pretty obvious that there really wasn't room for both of us and I aired my feelings to the owner. She did have the good grace to apologise but it took the wind out of my sails and I think we both realised that there was no point in me continuing to work at the cafe.<br />
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So keep calm and carry on is the theme this week. Instead of dwelling on the frustration of the last few days at the cafe I want to focus on what I've learned from the experience. It really wasn't my fault. The cafe setup was fairly dysfunctional as the goal posts were constantly changing and that actually created a lot of anxiety for everyone concerned. I think it was an odd way of managing people but I couldn't control this situation so it was best to walk away. I have at least learned how to make a pretty nice cup cake and I can work a bit faster now. I know that everyone makes mistakes and I'm aware that no-one set out to be nasty - it just didn't work out. I also know that it's not a good idea to let people take advantage of my creativity and I know that when I got excited about re-designing the cafe it was because of my enthusiasm for the project. In reality, there was no budget to make it happen and once I realised this I pulled back to save myself from further disappointment. It's a shame but there it is.<br />
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Keeping calm saves one from investing too much time and energy into things that lead nowhere. It's a really hard thing to do as it's so natural to get excited and positive at the beginning of a project. The problems arise when you have to work with other people and they don't have the same level of commitment or have a completely different agenda. I am learning how to not dwell on difficulties and try and move on with insight as opposed to fear and loathing! Good thing I have yoga to help me with that... also I know that I am extremely lucky to be able to have the opportunity to try out new work situations. It's a challenge and also quite humbling to set out on something new. I don't expect to be the queen of pavlovas just yet...Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-55687018061649472162011-03-29T15:12:00.021+01:002011-07-25T22:57:03.886+01:00Spring colours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH2lymxjDUk0uxGnc7LWfeavg1oiGqsZgvdIvwf8DFDdQs7Bw3FtzMs4lPjP1ewkbe80Op_Z0cPx1C0KpQOjXkmz25vmilLGgRauk7mkjp0h-F2yVDBW9QUvjKgKGnCMu-_UmC8dGERE/s1600/P1040478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH2lymxjDUk0uxGnc7LWfeavg1oiGqsZgvdIvwf8DFDdQs7Bw3FtzMs4lPjP1ewkbe80Op_Z0cPx1C0KpQOjXkmz25vmilLGgRauk7mkjp0h-F2yVDBW9QUvjKgKGnCMu-_UmC8dGERE/s320/P1040478.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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How lovely to see such fresh bright colours again. Spring has arrived! It's an absolute joy to wake up in the morning, look out the window and see the blossom on the trees and the buds opening at last in the warmth of the spring sunshine. I've been inspired to give the Lovely Room in Notting Hill a total spring clean. That includes the sash windows too, which means a bit of dare devil maneuvering on my part as I'm on the 2nd floor, but it's worth it to be able to see out again. I've planted new flowers in my window boxes and gone for some gorgeous pinks and oranges, inspired a little by India and also Marc Jacobs new spring collection!! After such a dreary and grey winter, I feel the need for some vibrant and electric colour...<br />
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</a></div>I was given some lovely mini easter eggs and they fit nicely into the colour scheme as well. I'd better take my time eating them as they look so pretty in my room...<br />
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I just can't resist buying plants and flowers at the moment and as I don't have any outside space I fill my flat with more and more colour. It's an obsession. I like to think I'm as keen on gardening as the next person it's just that I do mine in window boxes and on every available surface in the flat. I'm very lucky as this flat has loads of light pouring in all through the day and plants love it here. One day I'll move somewhere with a garden, just not yet... I really still feel this flat is my home. Each spring I'm filled with renewed love for it and want to stay and give it a new lease of life. <br />
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Notting Hill is buzzing with activity at the moment and London is a great place to be. I've been cycling through the parks and enjoying the sense of winter melting away as we move into the new season. It's great!!! I'm excited about my new job in the cafe and life feels good. I'm not in any hurry to move anywhere else soon. I was very close to leaving London over the winter but I no longer feel that way now. I feel I've worked hard to create several new beginnings for myself and I want to see how they all pan out... I used to think it was impossible to plan anything in life. It always seemed too precarious to me. I think it was Woody Allan who said "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans" which makes absolute sense to me. However, I've learned over the years that you can try and make plans but you just have to be very flexible. It's being able to keep an open mind and having a fluid plan that enables you to ride over the bumps along the way. Maybe having learned to surf as a child helps me to keep going as well..<br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">To quote Woody Allan again: "To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.” This sounds so crazy but it's true. I'm feeling a bit braver on that front as well and I feel that something positive is on the horizon. We shall see.... roll on the spring!<br />
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</style> </div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-41760656830870323992011-03-18T16:46:00.006+00:002011-03-18T17:52:10.019+00:00Celebrating the beauty of older women<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRt0MA27YP38_e0YNk0y6KwokP6GE5F4ilj1XVZ6yU6KWpQ9CzUqXtFveq0-os1Hs_mqO0O0_25mzq6pAN9UDACnwdgowFXiLVXmDLDWTQn5esjjZa2gmi4oKUBzdpX7jSEBHbO8siimM/s1600/41riWv8oz8L._SS500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRt0MA27YP38_e0YNk0y6KwokP6GE5F4ilj1XVZ6yU6KWpQ9CzUqXtFveq0-os1Hs_mqO0O0_25mzq6pAN9UDACnwdgowFXiLVXmDLDWTQn5esjjZa2gmi4oKUBzdpX7jSEBHbO8siimM/s320/41riWv8oz8L._SS500_.jpg" width="250" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlqLs0p1tzOsqx82nrhbSUHMt97SFtalxVy092p4uwRGTHYTVk3Z3GHQeed6JKgS2Cs4hxAJS8YSscrGTv6dMOyxMpIongJ3c50wWM83h2toConZ94FD2VAZZ6l_UeghU9pRfiBGWcL4/s1600/P1030326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
My friend Harriet Walter has published an inspiring book that celebrates the beauty of older women. I worked with Harriet in the early stages of the book and I used my research skills to help her when she was looking for images. She commissioned some beautiful portraits by a variety of photographers and the end result is a really lovely book. Harriet's idea for the book was to allow photographs to show the gains in depth, personality and individuality that older women have traded for the flawless glow of youth. My very talented friend Micaela Scimone photographed her 85 year old Aunt Amelia in Sicily and this wonderful image was selected by Harriet for the front cover of the book. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlqLs0p1tzOsqx82nrhbSUHMt97SFtalxVy092p4uwRGTHYTVk3Z3GHQeed6JKgS2Cs4hxAJS8YSscrGTv6dMOyxMpIongJ3c50wWM83h2toConZ94FD2VAZZ6l_UeghU9pRfiBGWcL4/s1600/P1030326.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlqLs0p1tzOsqx82nrhbSUHMt97SFtalxVy092p4uwRGTHYTVk3Z3GHQeed6JKgS2Cs4hxAJS8YSscrGTv6dMOyxMpIongJ3c50wWM83h2toConZ94FD2VAZZ6l_UeghU9pRfiBGWcL4/s320/P1030326.JPG" width="240" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's always really thrilling to get anything into print and I am very delighted to have one of my photographs included in the book (see above). This photo is of a stylish lady called Daphne Selfe who, at the age of 82, is this country's oldest model. Her modelling career blossomed in older age as she promoted the benefits of going grey. </div><br />
"My hair is my fortune, it made me more striking," she says, "I don't feel a day over 60. It's fantastic. I'll continue modelling until they stop asking. I love it. It's fun and keeps me young. I was never one for wild parties and I've never had any need to get drunk."<br />
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I love her attitude and wish everyone could be as positive about growing older and having fun like her. She seems to have a natural self confidence and I think it is this quality that comes across in her work. She's having a really good time and is happy to show it.<br />
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"Facing It" is an uplifting and moving collection of photographs and reflections on growing older. It's available from Amazon and also the National Theatre bookshop.<br />
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</a></div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-79095699997172495042011-03-15T09:17:00.003+00:002011-03-17T23:33:46.243+00:00The Mood Board<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wmjvKc-98IWcUbpU8otvb1EOG7dNQFPHWGk1DpzMhPuGHQRAk4ru4dnJRHnUhG4tX5llFEGXm9589dmMijF24LUyodzYGseFvgBu1h62lbVGcIVCY71Ms0aT4sz4c5VcA5hyphenhyphenCohbLaM/s1600/P1040473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wmjvKc-98IWcUbpU8otvb1EOG7dNQFPHWGk1DpzMhPuGHQRAk4ru4dnJRHnUhG4tX5llFEGXm9589dmMijF24LUyodzYGseFvgBu1h62lbVGcIVCY71Ms0aT4sz4c5VcA5hyphenhyphenCohbLaM/s320/P1040473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtykngEd0kjri1XTXrAPzAH69b8L5_BEXk5Es4-doG6P1QkPbPx-fJbGPd-PJZDeUp_ZvBf49E_QxMqDLV3Vs0H9mKsu3gPi13Nb7XtkUAk35k2sqas4tof52KOLiZmCKa4rMdRmM6UU/s1600/P1040474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtykngEd0kjri1XTXrAPzAH69b8L5_BEXk5Es4-doG6P1QkPbPx-fJbGPd-PJZDeUp_ZvBf49E_QxMqDLV3Vs0H9mKsu3gPi13Nb7XtkUAk35k2sqas4tof52KOLiZmCKa4rMdRmM6UU/s320/P1040474.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the advice of an art director friend of mine I made a couple of mood boards to help me come up with ideas for the decoration of the cafe. It's a great way of doing research and putting together a visual picture of what you have in mind. I suppose I could also do a few sketches to convey ideas but this feels more tactile and I love doing image research anyway, especially if it's for something that really interests me.</span> I would like the cafe to have a feminine and elegant feel to it but for it also to be fun and a bit eclectic. It needs to be somewhere that people would like to linger and feel comfortable enough to drink lots of tea and eat cake (of course).<br />
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The cafe as it stands is an old photographic studio and is perfect as a blank canvas on which to create this cafe. Light pours into the space as there are two huge windows at the front and that also means that we can create beautiful displays and decorate the glass from time to time if we feel like it... there's a little area outside where people can sit at a table and take tea and I would like to decorate it with flowers and plants so that it looks pretty outside as well.<br />
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Returning to the theme of the original post on my blog "home". I guess this desire of mine to decorate comes from the same place as wanting to create a home. It's definitely a creative urge and I think that although I don't have a family of my own I still like to create a feeling of "home" where ever it may be or whatever form it takes. When I am involved in making something I'm searching for the best bits of myself and I try to put these together in a form that other people can understand and appreciate.<br />
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I've always enjoyed giving parties as well. It's hard work but also very satisfying to create a lovely atmosphere and open up one's home to friends. That's my ideal way of being sociable. I don't do it that often but when I do I like to make sure there's plenty to eat and drink and that my home looks and feels a comfortable place for my friends to relax and enjoy themselves. Oh God, I think I just sounded a bit like Nigella but so what... although she may have turned into a rather crazed domestic goddess I like the way she writes her cookery books. She encourages the reader to try out recipes and not aim for perfection and I'm all for that. It's about making something that looks and tastes lovely without falling into the trap of trying to make it perfect. My pavlova's a happy pavlova!<br />
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So hopefully this cafe will be a place which exudes charm and invites people to feel comfortable and be happy. Tea and cake, who could want more?Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-57857910822144629702011-03-07T09:52:00.007+00:002011-03-07T10:44:25.891+00:00Sketching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iuK6RuCPRENnVJClOusYsWReDmqPlfP9vlZTEeMTFem6CfBmnmJPIBvBmzqMQrzGpykJAuR4Ku3RSs_RS5jHEsHZUf9n4pUmpRlmN8w59i4ezAeCuSdTu47E-JIZcw4BfL4M3ZOl9xc/s1600/Chinese+Emperor+Robe.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4Pr2MRmKSWHtGW-QZiEZ3IWtnEC15lz-RfQAyJvMhxY-En2f6X2UVNQS_zcvsVgW_MZB34D1Q369ypysEfDxByIr8s5s8kIeVh9zh77EgIYLEYz-2CxGhRe_KfZ_AzrTW8_Vr1CLcYI/s1600/Chinese+Emperor+Robe+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4Pr2MRmKSWHtGW-QZiEZ3IWtnEC15lz-RfQAyJvMhxY-En2f6X2UVNQS_zcvsVgW_MZB34D1Q369ypysEfDxByIr8s5s8kIeVh9zh77EgIYLEYz-2CxGhRe_KfZ_AzrTW8_Vr1CLcYI/s320/Chinese+Emperor+Robe+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTZEDRT0z1OITzv9OhOsSqY6TDTZVcuT1jc999Gq4A04nDcPk-ONVpMs_SGI0WoX2NncXbAKUvaIhP73-jU_lGpud6u0ENFrsT7Wi3780ATm9lpeNpUWywmeHTJGyuno6QQpk0u-Nel4/s1600/Chinese+Emperor+Robe+4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTZEDRT0z1OITzv9OhOsSqY6TDTZVcuT1jc999Gq4A04nDcPk-ONVpMs_SGI0WoX2NncXbAKUvaIhP73-jU_lGpud6u0ENFrsT7Wi3780ATm9lpeNpUWywmeHTJGyuno6QQpk0u-Nel4/s320/Chinese+Emperor+Robe+4.jpeg" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iuK6RuCPRENnVJClOusYsWReDmqPlfP9vlZTEeMTFem6CfBmnmJPIBvBmzqMQrzGpykJAuR4Ku3RSs_RS5jHEsHZUf9n4pUmpRlmN8w59i4ezAeCuSdTu47E-JIZcw4BfL4M3ZOl9xc/s1600/Chinese+Emperor+Robe.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5vIq0fNTYWNcP8gqzXl-aEkumemBNyH3IZdqLnERJDv60URB7QVpN94QxY0Oha9CvxmnuB_ugJ9A-udeWTJVUotb1qW_quGX0D46YLESBrPuMrV3Ab1HxJqLZXhTrzznt0aX88Mx5DQ/s320/Chinese+Emperor+Robe+3.jpeg" width="216" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
I went to see the Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City at the V&A Museum and took my sketch book. Most of these textiles have never left China. They remained in the Forbidden City stores for hundreds of years, treated as sacred and carefully tended even though the Opium and World wars, Boxer and Taiping rebellions, and the dissolution of the entire imperial system exploded around them. As soon as the emperor, empress, concubines and their children died, their clothing was taken to the stores, never to be worn again, never exposed to sunlight and the various effluvia of humanity. The collection is so enormous that it is has taken almost a century since the opening of the Forbidden City to catalog all the pieces. That’s five generations of curators dedicated to the task.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The exhibition includes a wedding gown made in 1889 when Yehe Nara Jingen married the emperor Guangxu, which took three years to make. It is richly embroidered with dragons and phoenix, on red silk, the colour for weddings: the last boy emperor Pu Yi recalled that when he married in 1922, two years before he was expelled from the Forbidden City, the bridal chamber “looked like a melted red wax candle”.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnCD5XGPAqCQuWvHJMv4JBz1MoVLrsBpybxl4vdpRGKr9pJqAPL21cbuH1UxGp5n4pWNzEEqx9kqJsbK_o442thWKf7_cHkukfRjWOrcSsrh0sWyO3oITTXMpf_MJxhHDnG31oZV-xmo/s1600/military_fig_4_qianlong_4th_year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnCD5XGPAqCQuWvHJMv4JBz1MoVLrsBpybxl4vdpRGKr9pJqAPL21cbuH1UxGp5n4pWNzEEqx9kqJsbK_o442thWKf7_cHkukfRjWOrcSsrh0sWyO3oITTXMpf_MJxhHDnG31oZV-xmo/s320/military_fig_4_qianlong_4th_year.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The garments followed a strict hierarchy: bright yellow for the emperor, apricot yellow for his sons, Siberian sable only for the imperial family, pale blue for moon ceremonies, padded robes embroidered with narrow rows of gold to look like metal armour for travelling with an entourage of 3,000 people, 6,000 horses and 1,000 boats. Ordinary Chinese people could never have afforded the sumptuous dragon embroideries, but were in any case forbidden by law to use them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found the whole exhibition fascinating and would love to have gone back again but the exhibition ended the the next day. Keeping a visual record of what I've seen is becoming more and more important to me. I like that I now have more confidence in my drawing abilities and feel able to make a little sketch instead of taking a photo when I want to remember something. It feels more meaningful than simply taking a snapshot with a camera. You really have to look and explore your subject as you make your marks on the paper. You also have to be quick as there's never much time and you are forced to make quick decisions about what it is that you find interesting and try to convey that in the sketch. Having said that, drawing can be very intuitive and there's something great about just losing yourself in the act of painting or drawing. It's as if the whole world just melts away and you focus only on creating an image. I'm learning to be happy with what I've made instead of always looking at how it could be improved and that's quite a significant shift for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-84035064255642608322011-02-27T16:15:00.000+00:002011-02-27T16:15:53.322+00:00I'm hired!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVpAtCueMOAwTKcFpaSqqOPKonTjAZbThyphenhyphen9ztT2_2Y4FRdrvFRHfzPLsCF78wEfNPkgphXk4J1nsZlZXvioB8-_F0i8umi8_kNvk4Y7-TjxwzfF_BfizDTK1IMGEiJKlJZIa3M0BqE_I/s1600/P1040411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVpAtCueMOAwTKcFpaSqqOPKonTjAZbThyphenhyphen9ztT2_2Y4FRdrvFRHfzPLsCF78wEfNPkgphXk4J1nsZlZXvioB8-_F0i8umi8_kNvk4Y7-TjxwzfF_BfizDTK1IMGEiJKlJZIa3M0BqE_I/s320/P1040411.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Today I had my first baking job at CC's cafe in Queen's Park. It took me three hours to get these two girls done. It's a good thing I took along some pastry I'd already made otherwise it would have taken a lot longer. I cooked in the cafe while the waitress nattered to me. At one point I had to make the lemon curd so I went into the professional kitchen next door where the real cooking is done for the restaurant. Wow! now I know that expression "if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen!" It's seriously hot in there. I included the last pic to show the potential of the place. It's done in a haphazard sort of way but has loads of potential to be something really special (I think). I have decided to let it be a practise ground for me. I don't care what I get paid as she is providing me with a spring board to bake cakes, and build up a reputation as a baker. <br />
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This was a little test run for me and they've said they would like to give me more shifts. This is just the way I want to approach my baking. I'm given free reign to bake what I like and to do it at my own pace. What could be better? If I joined a slicker outfit I'd probably have to re-create the cakes and tarts they already sell and although that would probably present an interesting challenge, I prefer it this way. My cakes aren't intended to be "perfect" as that idea makes me feel very nervous and I would always feel that they're not "good enough". I hate that sort of pressure. This is more relaxed and I feel I can be myself. I am learning to be more precise in what I do but there always be a little flourish of creativity in what I do. When I was studying illustration at art college we were always encouraged to not worry about making mistakes and to make a virtue out of them. There will always be unfortunate blips in baking ie. things curdle, cakes don't rise, and soufles collapse but I guess you just have to learn how to cope... and improvise. Anyway, today went well and I have got my foot on the first rung of the baking ladder so I'm happy.Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325047162048398670.post-13654050324943214032011-02-22T14:54:00.008+00:002011-07-25T22:24:09.928+01:00A thing of beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwlexKClZRLzCvILDbkcZWkxjTK3C35-pR9-hIDjU003ZRJvmVoauqB5dPIYR6AVGmwkpGfkAr5RskPfEA-EWGQh1joxWDZk09HPpGKB6sjiWFzf6z6cmagG-WO9c62akKghhsv1vM7I/s1600/41WKTeBSodL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwlexKClZRLzCvILDbkcZWkxjTK3C35-pR9-hIDjU003ZRJvmVoauqB5dPIYR6AVGmwkpGfkAr5RskPfEA-EWGQh1joxWDZk09HPpGKB6sjiWFzf6z6cmagG-WO9c62akKghhsv1vM7I/s1600/41WKTeBSodL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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Yessss!!!!! I've just ordered my KitchenAid mixer and I am quietly very excited... looking forward to making mountainous meringues, soft delicate sponges, bouncy bread etc etc. And I've also got a meeting set up with a cake shop. I think I might be making some progress in my culinary life. I've been marketing my cakes recently and it seems to be paying off. I am thrilled. I think my Granny would be proud as she was the queen of meringues at the WI in Petersfield in the 70s and people would come from far and wide to taste her delectable cakes and tarts. Maybe I'm carrying on a family tradition... I love the creativity of baking. It’s fun. I enjoy choosing my ingredients and giving myself the challenge of a new recipe. It gives me huge pleasure. I trained in Illustration at art college and I have tried to channel my creativity into my baking.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7-I2f5yICw18WhwZl9uwTi0612zQhBGZ0sRNnW0p5Vv6kxTRFxhWVmDtdASTj5wpL4NNx-xHpIsMr6NjvelnSI9LHn9wup2DOeUYNniYP9QQRJnrNiuGVWdRL5i0_SWIpimF3iV3Kxk/s1600/My+learn+to+cook+book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7-I2f5yICw18WhwZl9uwTi0612zQhBGZ0sRNnW0p5Vv6kxTRFxhWVmDtdASTj5wpL4NNx-xHpIsMr6NjvelnSI9LHn9wup2DOeUYNniYP9QQRJnrNiuGVWdRL5i0_SWIpimF3iV3Kxk/s320/My+learn+to+cook+book.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I was given a lovely cookery book when I was small called “My learn to cook book”. It showed how to make chocolate crunch, victoria sandwich and croque monsieur with wonderful illustrations. They all became firm favourites in our family. I turned my nose up at school lunches and would regularly bake a victoria sandwhich with lurid coloured icing on top and include it as part of my homemade lunch. It was an important stage in learning how to take care of myself at school. As anyone who knows me will testify, I continue to believe in giving little presents to myself as part of the reward for life's hard struggles! I haven't decided yet which recipe I will chose to christen my lovely new mixer but I hope that it will set a precedent for happy baking. </span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Oh yes, on a crazy impulse I decided to enter the Great British Bake Off Competition on the BBC. There's a new series scheduled for the spring. I'm not sure whether to laugh at the idea of competitive baking but found this programme strangely compelling... anyway a friend suggested I have a go, so why not? Wish me luck! <br />
</span>Alex Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419012911971544747noreply@blogger.com7