Category: Uncategorized

All Hail The Breadmaker.

 

It took  a little while for me to start to use it. I thought it would be much more difficult to make bread. I had forgotten that years ago I used to make it and loved the whole process of leaving the ingredients in a warm place and letting the yeast go to work. I never experimented with recipes much back then. 

I have always had a weakness for bread, the scent of it wafting will not fail to entice and enliven the senses. Now, thanks to my dear friend I have inherited the breadmaker so makes it so much easier than before, since I used to do it all by hand way back.

I am finding delight in the ingredients in my store cupboard and have been craving focaccia for the past month or so. Having looked at the wonderful bread recipes in the past week or so that are available I decided to throw things together and see what happened. Since I am dairy free I was concerned that the bread recipes in the manual all contained Milk powder, but I need not worry it still worked.

Tonight I thought I would stick with the machine since I’m not using the oven to cook. My focaccia style loaf contained whole meal and plain flour, rosemary from my garden, some Italian herbs, black olives, extra olive oil and sea salt. I’m sure that if I had used bread flour it would have risen better but this shape means that it will fit nicely into the toaster if there’s any left. 

For my first attempt though from scratch I have to say the end result was delicious and the heavenly smell wafting around the home is just fantastic. Focaccia in the true sense will have to wait just that big longer. 

Having found a few more recipes along the way I will very soon be experimenting with cake. But my next one is likely to be banana bread.


The Daily Post – Scent

Winter Hibernation


We have slipped into Winter Hibernation  mode here. Where we do not want to go anywhere and do anything. Going to bed late, in the early hours of the morning and sleeping until lunchtime, our days are spent playing catch up and with a sense of dread that I am wasting time. I should not waste time, it is precious and whilst I do not have a job there is in theory so much that I could do around the house and sort out for us but I am getting none of it done. I find this very frustrating and berate myself for it I am not by nature a lazy person but feel that I am being one lately. My job search is taking up most of my waking day, and it is getting me nowhere so the highlight is taking a walk with our dog together. We have not even managed that in daylight for the past few weeks. I am craving daylight but there is a lack of any motivation at present to haul myself out of whatever this is. Normally in winter months I do not cope with the cold and aches and pains that the season provides me with and this year it is slightly different. It is somehow worse, more depressing. Less desire to get out there even on the brightest of days. My ears are painful as is my throat with this annoying thing that will not go away and is as yet undiagnosed as I count the weeks off before I get to see a specialist. I have a cough which has not cleared and the doctor offers no solution to whatever causes the condition but it leaves me feeling exhausted and disoriented. On the plus side I am not shoving medication onto my system for that reason at least. I also have to see another specialist since I have been struggling over the past few months with pain and discomfort elsewhere But I wake from a night when I have been in bed for 9 hours feeling as though I have not slept at all.

I know that it is not good enough, it is no way to live and I need to haul myself out of whatever this is, and him kicking and screaming if need be. We are in this together though, currently cocooned in our winter life. He says that he is grateful for the time we have had together in the past few months. I am too and being able to form a lasting bond with our new boy has been an absolute gift. I have been here whilst my partner has been ill so there has been no pressure upon him and I have been able to help. But trying to move us in any direction forward has felt like an uphill struggle where we have not succeeded.

Am I trying to kid myself that all this time I have been nurturing my mind and body. Waiting to heal from the past few months experiences. I ask that, Am I kidding myself? Or has that actually happened and that is now leaving me feeling so restless.

January is always a month that leaves me feeling strange. My birthday month when I dissect the year before and what I have or haven’t done. Without he realisation that I am doing it again until it is done. I make plans, wishes even. I wouldn’t call them resolutions as such. For they have often disappeared by Springtime when I want for something entirely different.

I think about a slightly new direction, a bit of new life, growth. The things I want to achieve. It all starts out so well. Then so get to thinking how on earth I will go about doing these things, getting these done and making them happen and that’s when I get these feelings of doom.

It is cold and wet outside, our baby boy had spent too much time out in the wet in his previous life, so has no inclination to be out there for very long unless we are going anywhere. The ground is frozen so I cannot do much put in the garden. I am waiting for things to sprout. Now is not the time to haul stuff out of its, whilst it is resting and sleeping I must learn patience.

So what have I been doing? Well in the past week I have been cooking, if nothing else we can eat properly and the odd desert which is a break from the norm for me at least has been well recieved. I have also tried out the breadmaker which was gifted me by my friend. Much to the delight of the others the house is filled with the wonderful smell of fresh bread on a regular basis. I am imagining ingenious ways to use the food in the freezer to create wonderful things to inspire us. Sometimes it happens and other times we just resort to our chosen convenience food of pasta and… (fill in the gap) Interesting food may continue this week or I could make good old comfort stew with dumplings it depends if we can shake off these feelings.

Maybe if I stay up till 3am I will just be able to sleep, not be awakened from slumber at this hour instead. The random thoughts will have already exited stage left by this time and I can concentrate on the business of sleeping.

The Daily Post – Successful

Make do and Mend or Have Back Ups?

While it is still January and as I realise that there is much to do in the house, sorting and getting rid of stuff. I feel that it is time to clear out things which no longer serve me.

Like the broken things I have not repaired. The clothing which has been mended over and again, if only I could not feel guilt over it. I don’t even know why I do.  But you know finally just chuck it out. If only it were that easy to do so but with a hoarders mentality I always consider the what if. I read an interesting article about things which held us back recently, it was a bit of an eye opener for me and I began to think that I really should. But I feel that I would have regrets if I cleared out all those useful things, or didn’t try to repair them. I have an issue with useful things unnecessarily ending up in landfill. It grieves me. No I mean that I really object!  What about the people who have nothing. Would they want them, well no probably not, people don’t seem to want old stuff these days, except for me. Could I make them better and they go on to eternity or at least a while longer.

I have just realised that I have five hairdryers for goodness sake. That’s just madness! Of course I can explain. One stays in the house in Scotland. One is a travel one (does that even count?) One I had at my partners, then I was bought one for Christmas as a gift one year and then another one was bought when the one I took on holiday packed up. Lately I’ve been getting that thing that happens from time to time when you are really fed up, it really helps the situation when you have somewhere to go and are drying your hair and suddenly the hairdryer packs up. So you haul out the reserve hairdryer and then within minutes so does that. I actually got the third one out the other day. Placed them side by side and said “Now let that be a warning to you!” Which is when I also took this photo strangely the second one has been going strong ever since. Bizarre but true. 

Meanwhile as everyone tells me so have too much stuff and of course they are right I look around trying to decide what things I will get rid of. It is inevitable that there will still too much for such a small place but I will never live in anything even near to a minimalist home.  At least I can say that I don’t need to go and buy very much as it’s probably all around here somewhere.  The replacements for this or that, purchased at a time when I had more disposable income.  This behaviour did not develop through greed.  It was borne out of necessity, when you are living in two, or more different places. You tend to make sure that you have the essentials where you are staying.

It is not just me though… My partner used to say if you find something you like, “Buy Two” he had this rule when he went shopping too. So you can imagine that he has amassed quite a bit too over the years.  Hmm and he wonders why the loft is groaning.

But as I try and accept changes which come my wayas I prepared a meal the other night I thought, I need a new knife for cutting the vegetables. I have been using the same knives in the kitchen for years and years, some of them I inherited when I moved out of the family home and have been sharpened and sharpened. I think I still have broken ones in the drawer, whilst the new ones languish in their packaging and cases and as I was thinking  out loud the other day as I got out the new hairdryer, what are you saving it for anyway?

Stop saving it for Best,  We have one life, Live it. 

The Daily Post – Replacement

Facebook


This week whilst I have been trying to find the motivation to do other things and my ears have been reminding me there is still a problem there. I decided to set up a Facebook page for “India Blue Author & Blogger” Since I do spend rather a lot of time on there anyway it kind of makes sense.

So should you wish to take a moment or to to browse the Facebook page it is https://en-gb.facebook.com/IndiaBlue.co.uk/ Please be sure to give it a like or a follow and I’ll be updating that regularly too.

I am also hoping that with a month to go I might encourage a nice round number of followers to my blog in doing so. I have 45 to go to reach my 200  by the first Anniversary.  Now I know it’s not about numbers but hey it would be rather nice to reach that goal.

I am also going to hope that my poetic mind speaks to me again soon. It has been over a month since I wrote any poetry whatsoever although I continue to write other things I need to gather more thoughts for my second book. I am probably about half way through writing the next hundred which will be whittled down as contents for the book. Some  I think will never be published. But that’s just the way it should be. But my mind is full of chatter and I am not entirely focused lately. I need to take a time out, a walk in the bright fresh air during the day to realign my senses, perhaps some meditation. I am not a child of the night I need daylight and on these bright sunny days I should get out there. It might just be the shove in the right direction that I am craving.

Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya – MNAC

img_4548

After my mother’s disappointment had become apparent when we arrived at the Barcelona Pavilion, we looked for something else to do. It took only moments to find from there. Looking up we found the National Museum of Art. High upon the hill with fantastic gardens surrounding it and the most wonderful far reaching views over Barcelona city and the Place d’Espagne.

The gorgeous building has so many wonderful features tucked inside, before you even get to the artwork.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Although religious artifacts aren’t my thing, although there were some fabulous pieces in that section. I was particularly taken with a statue of St George, slaying his dragon. A mother and her boychild, then as I am a capricorn girl, I couldn’t resist photographing the last panel below.  As we were short on time, I wanted to get to the contemporary art section.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We were lucky to find that there was a contemporary art exhibition on there, with such delights including doors and furniture by Antonio Gaudi and my particular something wonderful there some sculptures and sketches by Miguel Blay whom I had not heard of before, but will definitely look at more closely.


I was thrilled there was a photographic exhibition. I was cheeky enough to get a few pictures showcasing Marianne Breslauer’s career spanning the years 1927-1938 beautiful images of ladies for good measure before closing time, along with a few more monochrome shots from other photographers.

 

Lots of other photographs caught my eye, including a rather lovely picture of a starlet from a golden era.

There was a beautiful stained glass panel which I just have to share with you here, unfortunately I do not know who created it. But I must admit that glass is another of my weaknesses.

img_4591

As we left the gallery, we were met by the most beautiful sky and sunset. Like most of the other people who were leaving, we took photographs not of ourselves, just the scenery around us, it was exquisite.


The Daily Post – Exquisite

A Month of Thankyou! 

A month ago, the day I bought the ticket that would take me to see my friends before they emigrated to Australia I wrote this on the patio for my partner. It was to express my Thanks for such a lovely gesture. A month later, the word has faded out there, in all the changes of the weather that has hit it but my gratitude has not.

We have been together a long time now. Yet I am so thankful to him for the things that he has given me within the past month alone. The experiences which we have spoken of over the years and in recent months which he has pushed me into and I have enjoyed wholeheartedly but which I would not have thought of doing without his gentle shove. He motivates me you see, but in a gentle, supportive way, which makes me feel capable of the changes that are happening, in readiness for their arrival. We have found the last year tough on many ways and so I would not do something extravagant as I concentrated on just paying the bills. But he felt that I deserved a break from it all, well a couple of them in fact.

The best of all, he is there when I arrive home and so is our boy ready to welcome me and hear my news and for the first time in ages, I have some for I have been somewhere and done something and I am grateful, so grateful.

The Daily Post – Capable

Dali v Gaudi

I do feel the need to explain. For those die hard art fans out there, it is simply my own opinion and fighting my own inner thoughts why I had no desire to go and see Salvador Dali’s work whilst I was in Barcelona. You see, I have never felt entirely comfortable with what little of his work that I have seen.  My mother said it quite succinctly “Well, he was totally mad!” and thankfully she didn’t want to go either. I know there are lots of “mad” people out there who are great artists, however I have always felt more than slightly uncomfortable with his work. Yes, he was probably a genius.  But very little of what I have seen makes me want to see more.

The same could certainly not be said for Antoni Gaudi.
Although I only recently came across his work, I have an absolute thirst to find more of it, he was brilliant in his architecture.  I don’t know what it is about it, but I am in awe of the colours, textures and patterns and the skills that were used.  It was a later arrival to my Barcelona wishlist, once I knew that I was going there and I certainly did not want to leave without visiting at least one of his projects.

Casa Batllo, on the Passieg de Gracia was the place we settled upon visiting whilst we were there.  Well it had to be once I saw the front window alone. It’s curves and frontage pleading me to venture there and see what else it would show me, I was little prepared for it and as it turned out we were in for one of the biggest surprises of our trip.  I walked around the place in absolute awe, listening to the pre-recorded tour, eyes wide from what I was seeing and was totally besotted with the house. Mr Josep Batllo was a very lucky man to live and work there and commissioned Antoni Gaudi in 1904 as architect to create a fine home for his family.  In 1906 it was completed and over 100 years later, it is a celebrated Unesco world heritage site, which is privately owned and the upkeep and restorations now financed by the admission fees.

I can quite honestly say that I have never experienced anything like it before.  My eyes were drawn to the colours, the shapes and wondering how on earth they managed to do it all.

I probably took about 300 photographs whilst I was in that building, possibly even more.  I could easily split them into monochrome and colour sections but I will not, I think there will be some stills and also a slideshow for here.  There was so much to see, a glorious assault upon the senses, which left me dizzy and eager to see what was around the next corner, or in the next room.  I adore the place and have happily dreamed of living in a building like that, if only I were lucky enough to do so.

The sitting room holds the most beautiful windows I have ever seen. Being very keen on architecture this is quite an achievement and deservedly so. The large bay windows are cavernous and have stained glass sections in multiple shades all around the top, as have the doors within this section of the house. It is simply breathtaking to see it for the first time and my photographs do not do it justice.


We walked around the house loving the design, it was a touchy feely building, your hands are drawn to the curves everywhere and the warmth created by the honeyed tones of the wooden fittings I think that this place brings a whole new meaning to the term “love handles” here are just a few of them here and they were exquisite.


The handrails of the stairs strong yet smooth where possibly millions of people have done the very same thing grabbbed the rail in eagerness to see what is next.

This is a place to reawaken your creativity. It is exciting, both in it’s form and humour. Likened to a dragon, it is a great beast of a building, fascinating and makes wonderful use of my favourite colour throughout.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The light well is central to the building and which houses the entrances to the various apartments, the staircase and elevator is something to behold and the colour blue deepens the higher you climb, being the darkest at the roof. It occurred to me that it must hold every shade of the spectrum in that one building.

If you like ceramics or glass in any form then you will probably love this place after all, What’s not to love? 

As the tour continued upwards throughout the building, I felt that the clever architect brought a new feeling of calm as I walked through the rooms.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The staircases, the curves in attic bedrooms of the servants quarters were welcoming and I think at the end of a long day, I would feel safe and secure being looked after within it’s walls. Everywhere we went, the light was wonderful and so cleverly used throughout. There was no dark cramped attic rooms in here, they were white and bright and yet had such softness, it must have been the curves and the clever touches throughout for storage. Not as flamboyant or colourful as the main quarters but just as lovely.

The sunny terraces were at the rear of the building and up on the roof.  I remarked upon the similarities to the enamelled ceramic colourful plaques in the rear garden and the artwork that my mother had produced years earlier in art college. She said that at the time, she had no idea as to what was possible and this had opened her eyes to it. I have quietly hankered after one day owning a particular piece of her pottery from that era. The rooftop also housed the highly decorated chimneys and the amazing roof which curled around the front of the building like a sleeping dragon its multicoloured scales at the front.

 

I think that my hardest task was to capture photographs without people walking across them. But I have to say the other visitors were very accommodating and would wait if you were poised for a shot. All these photographs I took on the iPhone I will ensure that next time I travel I will take a battery bank or two as my only complaint was that it ran out on me too early in the day. I decided to purchase a book, it was not hugely expensive and the photography was lovely. It also gave a potted history of the house which I could show my partner upon returning home.

We walked out late afternoon elated from the experience, so pleased that we had been able to see it on our last day, the sunlight on the building casting yet more glorious shadows upon its curvaceous form. I felt that if God took me now, then I would die with a smile on my face feeling as though I’d lived and grateful for the experience.

The Daily Post – Interior

I knew it…Someday I’d get there

img_4291

So, how would I feel when it finally happened and was it different to how I expected it to be? 

Yes, totally.  I clearly did not know what to expect when I arrived at the place which I had longed to see.  It was my reason for wanting to visit Barcelona in the first place. To visit and pay homage to Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion.

For those of you who do not know, it was the German Pavilion first built in 1928-29 for the International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain it was demolished in 1930 and later on, they figured that that was a bad idea. It was an important building and pivotal in the architects career.  So the foundation set about reconstructing the building on the original site, in 1983 and in 1986 work was completed.  It is now open to the public and can also be hired for private events.

At this news, I thought what a wonderful place to have your wedding photographs taken. I felt that the clean lines, beautiful chrome and glass and exquisite stonework, would only enhance the photographs from the best day of a woman’s life.

img_4297

We had tried to find it for three of the five days which we had planned for Barcelona and yet, it was not easy to find at all.  We went past the signs for it on the bus, but still couldn’t find it. I had seen photographs of the place, but I didn’t know what surrounded it, something to look out for and three different maps didn’t show us.

img_4306

Once we were inside, you could see the iconic Barcelona chairs displayed. I somehow thought that there would be more furniture inside it. My mother was distinctly unimpressed with the whole place and within a short time was clearly bored.  We had taken a while to get there and were both tired. She agreed that the building construction was very good, but that was it for her.

I wanted a little bit more from the experience, I had thought that I would have a little time to relax there for a while and meditate, but my legs were aching from the walking and I could not get comfortable or shut out the sights and sounds around me. For a moment I stood next to the statue within the place.  It was not quiet enough, but would have to do.

img_4452

Dawn by Georg Kolbe

Just Wonderfully simple.

The Daily Post – Someday

Tempted?

Wanderlust…

I have often wondered what it would be like to travel the globe and see wonderful things, beings and cultures en route, however I have always held back.

When I was younger it was purely from a financial aspect, I couldn’t afford it.  But as we grow, there is more of the world that sometimes we want to see.

I have travelled a little bit, mostly around Europe since meeting my partner, prior to that I had one disastrous holiday in Tenerife, which was supposed to be “a no strings attached vacation with a friend”  Needless to say, that was not the case and I came home after a colossal row having felt pressured which rather spoiled the experience.

Since then, we have visited several regions within France, Belgium, Tunisia, Hong Kong, Poland and Copenhagen and of course Wales and Scotland. I know to some who are used to travelling it is a mere drop in the ocean, but to me it opened up the world of possibilities and inspiration.

Last week, I was visiting Spain, another on my wishlist of places on my bucket list which I am slowly ticking off as the years go by.  (Yes I do have them)

I had thought that I would post from the sun whilst I was there, but was too busy taking photographs and enjoying the experience to write about it. But as my head is now filled with new memories and things this and more are being posted upon my return.

The Daily Post – Tempted

Happy Birthday!

dsc_0436

It’s my Birthday! so I’m giving everyone a gift today, for one day only I am offering my book on Amazon Kindle for free.  So, if you would like a copy, then please click on the link below and grab one, it’s for one day only, so you will need to be quick, but I’d love to get a review or two of the book up there and hear your thoughts.

The Sentimental Journey by India Blue

DSC_0021 -Coveredited3