Super simple sponge (cake)

Happy Easter my cheeky bunnies – although I’m not too happy with having lost an essential   hour of sleep!

Today at 8am, to fit around a busy schedule and of course the sunday morning gym session, I have already been busy in the kitchen making my favourite Super Simple Sponge. 

It’s a regularly requested bake but doesn’t last long in our house – lucky it takes no time at all to make! Sometimes you just need a timeless classic

Start with collecting together your ingredients. I have to do this because otherwise I would forget something vital, and I think it just helps keep things stress free when you know you have everything out and ready.

i’m so tidy. thanks

Ingredients

• 250g/6oz self raising flour
• 250/6oz caster sugar
• 250g/6oz softened butter
• 3 eggs
• vanilla essence
• an oven, preheated to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
• Cake tin. pick a shape. then line it (butter and greaseproof paper)

What next?

Just mix it all together. Cream the butter and sugar into a smooth paste before beating in the eggs (one at a time please!). Then all you need to do is fold in the flour. Done!

I actually took this a step further (considering I’m now a level 2 cook) and decided to make a marble cake. All you need to do is add cocoa powder to half the  mix and splodge it around in your lined cake tin.

It almost looks like a professional did this, don’t you think?

Bake for 26 minutes (check using a knife and see if it comes out clean) and then leave to cool.

Yummy. I kind of took a bite after taking this picture.

Then covered it in buttercream icing.

Definitely one that requires a cup of tea. Enjoy!

because i’m such a babe – here’s a printable version of this essential recipe – Super simple sponge – print out

 

 

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i’d order a coffee anyday

forgive me if at any point I sound big headed or patronising, that is the complete opposite of the intention behind writing this particular post. It’s quite deep too, so if you aren’t in the mood – don’t read on!

Life is rarely kind to any of us, but at the age of 19 I have already accepted that despite having a fairly tough childhood it forced me to develop skills in which I hold a small amount of pride. Due to my siblings having autism, it became essential that my parents and I could understand their form of communication with ease – to avoid any conflict or issues that may develop. It also meant that we had to be very clear in what we were communicating and that we never left anything to chance, or assumption.
now, you may argue that everyone possesses these skills (and you are most probably correct), but in some they are far more developed than others. Imagine an individual with no concept of another’s conscious thought. try living in a bubble where you only understand your own thoughts and fail to recognise that every other human being around you is capable of independent thought processes. the flipside of this being – to communicate with such a person, you have to translate everything into their way of thinking as they won’t understand your own. Throughout my childhood I had to subconsciously interpret the world around me, see what my brother and sister wouldn’t be able to grasp and present it them in a manner in which they could. So. I had to first be able to see the world through someone elses eyes, I had to identify their different way of thinking and also be able to communicate in a manner that was person specific. I’m not saying I’m better at it than everyone else, I’m just pointing out that I have a lot of practice and that it is second nature – I haven’t been to any workshops or classes, this was learning by doing where the consequences of getting it wrong don’t bear thinking about.

Now, my brother and sister are extremes. But you can learn a lot from extremes. I think the crucial part of being able to communicate with someone is to listen to how they talk and try to see the thought processes that precede the words that leave their mouth. Because every person has their own interpretation of the meaning behind words. Essentially we’re all speaking a different language and have to be understanding with respect to the fact that some may be more fluent than others. to listen. the most important part of any conversation is to absorb the point that the other person is trying to get across. That doesn’t always mean that you should take what they say at face value.

Just think more before you speak. I can’t think this thought process through cause I’m tired. But all I’m trying to say is I do listen to everyone. I get what you’re all trying to say. so chill those beans and try and listen to me cause i am well interesting. mmmhmmm

oh my days

Previously I had deleted this post believing it to be inappropriate. However. It is very appropriate. How have you not noticed the weather?

Jan 27th 2013. Living in Newcastle has one downside – it’s too damn cold.

Today it snowed. It also snowed on Monday and in the interim dropped to MINUS SEVEN. Oh I’m sorry, did you fail to comprehend that level of cold? Go stick your face in the freezer.

Currently, as always I am procrastinating. There’s an exam on Tuesday which will have my name on it and quite frankly I don’t give a damn. Instead, I’m watching ‘The Food Inspectors’ (a BBC shindig) and have decided that I would like to win the lottery.

20.43. TIMESTAMP. If I timestamp my posts from now on you will be able to see how slowly I work my way through anything. I like to meander through the wonders of my mind. Hang on, just need to reorganise my pen collection. BRB!

21.03. Just went for a cuppa. Found my flatmate happily nattering to himself in the living room after consuming 1 and a half bottles of wine.

21.23. Just noticed this is happening every twenty minutes. wow.

Let’s make a deal okay? If any of you win the lottery, you’ll share a good half with me and I’ll be your best friend forever.

sods a law.

i blame sod all the time. in fact, there can’t have been a bad situation where the guy hasn’t featured –  or at least someone will utter those words, and then all of sudden all the pressure is lifted. ‘hey it wasn’t our fault! it was going to happen anyway! lets make the best of a bad situation’. i hate to break it to you, but thats just bull. shit.

murphy’s law – known to many as sods law, is the belief or perhaps the rule that ‘if anything can go wrong, it will’.

of course, this law is not entirely Murphy’s own, he merely put a name to the common assumption to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and that the worst always happens to those who least need it (poor sod, thats where he comes in).

many turns of phrase we use are often an adaptation on this central law –

‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is’

‘If you’re running late the bus will be too’, ‘Things get worse under pressure’

‘You will always find something in the last place you look’ (this one always annoys me, cause who continues looking when they’ve found it?)

‘The other line always moves faster’

and so on. just think of something bad, and exaggerate, it’s all in the exaggeration.

BUT. i think murphy’s law highlights that quite often in complicated situations there are very few outcomes that are desired, and the rest (a far greater majority) have undesirable consequences. so its not down to a rule, or a law, its just a case of probabilty.

next time something good happens, i bet you won’t be thanking murphy for getting it wrong, you’ll be congratulating yourself. but if it goes tits up – damn that sod. typical.

plus:

technically laws can’t be created by one individual and declared as fact, especially one such as this which is mere speculation on the order of things.

secondly, there’s no proof it was coined by a chap called murphy, as many different names are often associated with the phrase, or something very similar.

if you fancy reading more on this delightful topic i actually managed to find websites (its so sad they actually exist):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy’s_law

http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html

http://www.heretical.com/miscellx/sodslaws.html

fact of the day (or week ;) )

x

you know things are getting serious…

…when you’ve got the big mug out for your tea

Yes, it has come down to this. The normal sized cup has been replaced by the one that has the capacity of a small swimming pool, and I’m still uncertain as to whether that will be enough.

Today was allocated as a day of rest, recuperation and getting ahead of myself. I’m always doing that – putting time aside for doing nothing.

Habitually, I’m a procrastinator. As all of you who follow this career path with know, to procrastinate well, you must start early. The night before, early. In a sense what I’m talking about is avoiding making any specific plans, nor setting an alarm.

The problem with being so good at avoiding getting things done arises when you genuinely have a lot to do. This year is going to be exceptionally busy for myself and I’m quite nervous that I may have to give up my ‘skill’.

So, back to today. I woke up late and dressed slowly (the speed being crucial). My to do list is growing increasingly long, and there has been little progress to knock it back. Even in writing this post I am avoiding my essay, the one that has remained in draft format for far longer than necessary.

The funny thing is, I’ve even avoided getting this done.

My resolution – to finish what I have started.

x

Childish Gambino

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Crushing on what?

Did anyone say Donald Glover?

Listen to his music. Watch community.

Monk

Okay, I’ll admit I have one guilty pleasure in life. That would be Monk. Nope. It’s not a religious thing, it’s the exasperatingly lovable detective; Adrian [Monk].

look at that face

He has all forms of OCD, and some he made up. But, by being so meticulously perfect, Mr Adrian has an unbeatable ability to solve crime – and gets in some beautifully awkward situations through doing so.

Since a young age I have had a deep seated appreciation for the chap. He’s fictional, he’s scripted, but he is without a doubt an absolute babe. Love him.

Guys, you’ll thank me later. (and you’ll get that later).

But seriously. Watch monk, give him a go. It’s the only police detective show that doesn’t scare the crap out of me on a regular basis. It’s also the only thing I can watch back to back without my undeniably short attention span getting the better of me.

Sometimes, yes, it’s a tad gruesome (series 8 episode 9 anyone?) or a little unbelievable (he’s goes up against aliens), but that’s exactly why we love it.

For you imdb slaves we hit a almost impressive 7.8. good job team.

x

Pulp Fiction

7 / 10 sophie faces. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

I had been readily assured that this film was an unmissable classic. As in, it was almost shameful to continue my blissful existence without watching the hour and a half (ish) long piece of ‘fiction’. The amount of abuse I got for having not undertaken the film outweighed the effort required to actually get hold of a copy – so I had to.

Settling down with the boyf I had high expectations for this piece of filmatic gold, and I didnt actually want to like it. There’s nothing like being forced to do something that really adds to the enjoyment no? The opening scene (as I’m sure you all know and you have all watched it ;) ), was intriguing and really set the tone for the whole experience – something I like, given my non-existant attention span. Watching pulp fiction took me on some kind of journey. I feel I was moved through emotions as a shall child cuts through a ball pool. I’ll admit, I sat there for a lot of it (this was my first Tarantino film) thinking ‘what on earth is actually going on?’ Why not just tell a story from start to finish without cutting it up and moving it around. Well apparently. It’s for effect. This I learned.

Despite missing large chunks of it due to a wandering attention, it was such a good film. There is one problem though, to my man’s despair, I keep getting Morgan Freeman and Samuel L Jackson muddled up. And that’s not even racist. I just am rubbish with people and faces (it’s like he’s a toad), and quite often run over to people in the street cause I think they’re someone they’re not.

To conclude, watch this. Banksy got it. So should you.

Since then, I’ve watched all his films.

my experience of work

Today. I did something exciting. I got to work with the wonderful ladies at nd make-up and get one step closer to whatever I will be doing with my life!

nd make-up’s website

Arriving at their studio I was greeted by Marie, who introduced me to their in-house journalist/editor Charlotte (blog is sensational – http://www.charlottewinstanley.co.uk/). Her role ‘sounded’ simple, but as we were to discover, the problems surrounding having at least 3847592873 email accounts and the same number of passwords slowed progress indefinitely, and my job of ensuring the online store was up to date took to best part of two hours (not that I can complain – I’m a stickler for the fine details).

Anh Mao, the genius behind Mao Couture, arrived not long into the day to discuss a photo-shoot to which will be occurring within the next few months . Have you seen her dresses? They are AMAZING. If you haven’t, I strongly recommend forwarding pictures of them to all potential husbands/wives/parents, to die for. Her creative instinct is so natural and she knew exactly what she wanted from the shoot – a woman with drive is a woman with results.

I’ll also be lending a cheeky hand during Newcastle’s very own fashion week – stay tuned for that peeps :)

xxx