Winter in London is like that piece of toast lurking behind your fridge – cold, dark, faintly malodorous and one would like to forget about it as far as possible. Sometimes, when standing on top of Primrose Hill in many scarves with a hip flask/proper hot chocolate, it is the practically the zenith of human experience, but mostly it is just a bit rank.
27 January 2010
Inspiration
I greatly enjoy a tiny glass of very dry wine while writing. It makes me feel like a renaissance genius.
20 January 2010
Choice
The employment of the rhetoric of ‘choice’ in feminist debate is fantastically annoying, selfish and stupid. In practise, ‘choice’ usually mean incredibly privileged women submitting to an element of oppression to avoid marginalisation, which is the status of the truly radical thinker.
19 January 2010
On trying
Things I do differently now, thing I would do differently if I did them again, things which didn’t work out the way I thought they would.
Knowledge is a shield, a sword and map – however you acquire it. The humiliation of failure doesn’t actually cause you to spontaneously combust.
If you try, there’s a possibility that you’ll actually get what you want and best of all – no possibility of wondering on your deathbed what would have happened if you weren’t so bloody scared.
You’ll be fine whatever happens.
6 December 2009
Song and dance about it
When I bring out a novelty single, the chorus will be ‘Flour, egg, breadcrumb, repeat.’ And of course, in the video I shall do my special dance moves.
15 November 2009
Pumpkin Blondies
These are very soft and taste like caramel (as well as pumpkin and spice!)
110g butter
100g soft dark brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
25g self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
75g pumpkin puree
Nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger – to taste
25g Chopped chocolate or nuts – optional but advisable!
- Preheat oven to GM5
- Grease and flour 6 inch square tin (or other of equivalent surface!)
- Melt butter and sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add pumpkin, vanilla and nuts (if using) and stir thoroughly
- Cool slightly.
- Whisk egg til slightly frothy and add to batter
- Sift flour, baking powder and spices into the batter
- Stir to combine.
- Pour and spread into prepared tin.
- Sprinkle with chocolate (if using.)
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Cool (overnight is best), cut into small squares. They will keep for about a week, in a cool place.
10 October 2009
Financial Capability
Saw a girl aged about 10, in the hardware/homeware shop today with two younger, similar-looking girls. They were choosing all-purpose cleaner. The older girl looked at two bottles and checked the volume and price on both (the smaller bottle was more expensive – probably a brand) and then asked the younger two girls, which they thought she should buy. They couldn’t work it out and she explained, ending her explanation with the words ‘Credit crunch!’
Unfortunately I was so overwhelmed by this, I could only give her a big stupid smile, instead of that ‘Srs bizness – ur gettin it rite’ nod that that those over 8 prefer.
