Tag: Try Something New

Day 16: Paper Flowers

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I’ve always been envious of anyone who can create beautiful things out of paper and make it look effortless. Paper aeroplanes and fortune tellers (who else made those at school?) I could make, but it was time to try something a bit more advanced.

My friend Julie designs and makes – by hand – the most beautiful bespoke wedding stationery. For a recent wedding, she was commissioned to make paper flowers for buttonholes and corsages; I asked if she could teach me how to do it. On Day 16 of #100DaysNoTV we made a whole bunch together.

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Day 15: Advent Streak

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Between August and November 2015 I didn’t do a lot of running. I was so disappointed in myself; I’d trained hard for my first 10k last July. Needing to find some motivation, I joined Run Mummy Run – an online community of women runners – and signed up to their Advent Streak: a commitment to run every day from 1st to 24th December. On Day 15 of #100DaysNoTV I completed the challenge. 

During my Advent Streak I kept a light-hearted personal diary with a short note after every run, as I wanted to keep a record of how it felt for me, and I thought I’d share it with you. 🙂

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Day 14: Clandestine Cake Club

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I’ve been a member of the Clandestine Cake Club for a couple of years, but I’ve never been brave enough to go along to a meet. My image was of a group of super-talented bakers who would snort with laughter at my super-amateur attempt. But when I heard that Lauren – who I’d met at The High Tea Club – was running the Ely group, I decided to be brave. On Day 14 of #100DaysNoTV, I (nervously) took a cake that I had baked to share with others.

so, what is the clandestine cake club?

The brainchild of Lynn Hill, the Clandestine Cake Club (CCC) began in Leeds in December 2010 with its purpose to have a place for cake lovers to meet and chat over tea and cake. “Bake, Eat and Talk about Cake” is their mission statement. What’s not to like?

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Food: The High Tea Club

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Afternoon tea and High tea

Are they the same, similar or different?

Well, nearly two hundred years ago Afternoon Tea became fashionable with the upper classes who would eat around 4 o’clock to stop the tummy rumbles between lunch and dinner; they’d nibble on dainty sandwiches and cakes with an abundance of tea. It would be a relaxed affair in the drawing room on comfy chairs.

The working classes had their Tea after a hard day’s work and so it was a more substantial family meal, and would normally include hot food and meat; basically it was their main meal of the day. It seems this became known as High Tea as it was eaten up at a table, literally sitting high, with Afternoon Tea taken at a low table.

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Day 13: Date Night in Bali

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It’s not easy to find original gifts, so I was over the moon to discover The Spicery when looking for something special for Rob. Their spicebox subscription is absolutely perfect: it plays to his love of trying new cuisines and his ever-growing passion for cooking. It also gave us the perfect excuse to spend a few hours cooking together in the kitchen; this is something we love to do, but often need a reason to find the time! On Day 13 of #100DaysNoTV we had a ‘Date Night in Bali’.

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Macbeth – An Extra Tale

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If you didn’t know that Macbeth is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd October 2015, where have you been? You’re probably not following me on Twitter or a friend on Facebook, because I have been banging on about it for months.

Truth is, I’m extremely proud of my contribution (however miniscule) to this extraordinary film. I had always planned to record my experience as an extra for my own posterity, but I thought it might be something worth sharing.

This post is a little longer than normal, but quite honestly, I could have written stacks more. So, feel fortunate – this is the abridged version. Stick with it. 🙂

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Day 11: Blackberry Vodka

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Some of the best presents are those that are homemade: they show that the person giving it to you has taken time to make something special for you. With this in mind, on Day 11 of #100DaysNoTV we turned freshly foraged blackberries into Blackberry Vodka to give as presents at Christmas.

With the nights drawing in and the autumn chill a nightly feature, there’s something really quite lovely about snuggling up with a glass of warming fruit liqueur.

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