scotland

scotland

12 Jul 2016

I've just spent a week in Glasgow attending a physiotherapy conference. The weather wasn't kind so I attended every session bar one of the conference. Some sessions were excellent, others less so. It means I wasn't able to take many photos during my stay but here are a few.




I stayed with my good friend Kay. We started the weekend with a champagne afternoon tea at Troon, then the following day we spent the morning at South Cathkin Farm where this photo was taken.



Whilst Kay mucked out the stable, I took photos of the farm.



and of Red, the horse of coures.



We went for a walk along the nature trail.



Here's Kay walking Rudy the wonder dog, a tiny but feisty little dachshund.



Just as we turned for home I spied this thistle in bloom.



We were given one afternoon off so I hopped on the train to Edinburgh. The weather in Edinburgh wasn't much better than Glasgow but it did clear enough for me to take some photos of the Prince Street Gardens and the sweet Gardener's Cottage.



I wandered through the garden towards the castle.



then back via the Gardener's Cottage before meeting a friend for dinner.



My last day in Glasgow and the sun came out during the lunch break. I took the opportunity to walk over to Glasgow University where I took these photos. The old buildings around the quadrangle are very Harry Potterish in design.



Here's the central courtyard.




Some details I found during my wander.



and this modern artwork.



Naturally I located a doorway or two that caught my eye. I just love the windows. 



And a final image from my walk back to the Exhibition Centre, where I took a moment to smell the roses.



I'll be back later in the week with some photos from a very warm and sunny Zurich.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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london

london

8 Jul 2016

Hi Every-one,

it seems an age since I last wrote. I've been cooped up in a convention centre in Glasgow for the past week so there has been precious little time for blogging, photography or shopping. Well from today all that will change.



These photos are from the 3 days I spent in London. I stayed in a lovely little flat in Notting Hill so explored the area a little. St Stephen's Mews were not far away so I stopped by whenever I could because I find mews so charming.



Daylesford Organics was just around the corner. I bought a little something there the day I arrived in London, the only thing I've bought to date.



Portobello Road was a 5 minute walk from home.



On my way to Hackney I stopped by Spitalfields and Shoreditch so I could visit Labour and Wait, one of my favourite stores.



I do have my eye on one of their aprons but I was mindful of my small backpack so will probably get one online once I'm home.


I always make sure I walk to Redchurch Street via Fournier Street. The houses there have a unique character.



I also visited the Chelsea Physic Gardens stopping at the Royal Hospital Chelsea along the way.



It took me 2 tries to find the gardens. On the day I arrived I went to Chelsea but I was a bit too jet lagged to follow directions and got lost. I did however find the hospital.



I wandered through them with my camera. I loved the hospital grounds.



How lucky are those Chelsea Pensioners to live here?



The Chelsea Physic Gardens are just a short walk from the hospital.



The garden is filled with medicinal plants and herbs as well as flowers and of course a statue of Lord Sloane.



These beautiful flowers from the garden adorned the tables in the tea room.



No visit to London is complete without a visit to the Borough Markets.



They have some lovely organic produce for sale.



I did need to feed my soul as well as my tummy so I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Paul Strand exhibition.



I found this installation in the courtyard.



On my last day in London, there wasn't too much time for reflection as I beetled my way through the streets en route to Liberty. It was a grey old day so I picked my way though puddles.



I always stop by the flower shop Wild at Heart at Liberty for a pop of colour.



Aren't these peonies vibrant?



And of course some delphiniums.



Something a bit more muted. Of course I took load more photos but I hope that gave you all a taste of London.

See you next week with some photos from Glasgow.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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london shopshoot - botany

london shopshoot - botany

4 Jul 2016

Hi Every-one,

when I'm in London as well as visiting old favourite places I like to explore districts new to me. On a rainy day I made my way over to Chatsworth Road, Clapton to explore the district and to visit Botany, a lovely plant and homewares store.



When I was in high school I used to work in a plant and flower shop so I spotted many old favourites.



This is what I found inside the store.



A lovely combination of plants, pots and homewares.



Unfortunately, as much as I would have liked, I couldn't take any of the plants home with me.







Instead I concentrated on the homewares.



Once I left Botany I wandered along Chatsworth Road until I reached Cooper and Wolf, a Swedish cafe.



The cafe has this great mural on the wall. I'm not sure but I'm guessing the little boy is Cooper and his dog is called Wolf.



I completed my loop by walking along Millfields Road to explore Lower Clapton Road before heading home to Notting Hill.



I hope you enjoyed my little ramble around Chatsworth Road. See you later in the week with some more photos of my time in London.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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lime pistachio layer cake

lime pistachio layer cake

27 Jun 2016

When it comes to my birthday, I make my own birthday cake. This year I decided to try a recipe from Delicious Magazine. Originally the cake was a gluten free lemon cake but as its lime season here I adapted the recipe a little, well actually quite a lot and I used regular rather than gluten free flour.



The original cake had 4 layers but I couldn't work out how I could safely navigate the cake on my one hour commute to work so it became a 2 layer cake.




The cake is very easy to make but the first time I made it, the cake mixture barely rose. Despite that the finished layer cake tasted delicious. 



I guess it's hard to go wrong with a moist and nutty cake layered with cream and lime curd, doused with lime syrup then topped with lime icing and a few extra pistachios.



I wasn't happy to share the recipe the way it was, so I tweaked the recipe a little and remade the cake as a bundt cake.



This time the cake rose high and handsome so I'm happy to share the revamped recipe with you.



Lime and Pistachio and  Layer Cake (adapted from Jamie Oliver Gluten Free Bakes, Delicious Magazine Issue 160 June 2016)

Lime Curd
75 mls lime juice
The grated rind of 1 lime
⅓ cup caster sugar
2 egg yolks
60g unsalted butter, chopped

Cake Ingredients
125 g unsalted butter
50 g pistachios, plus extra to decorate
¼ cup almond meal
125 g caster sugar
¾ cup self-raising flour
pinch salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup low fat plain yoghurt
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling
½ cup lime curd
½ cup double cream

Syrup/Topping
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
75 g pure icing sugar, sifted

Method
To make the lime curd, combine the lime juice and rind, the caster sugar and egg yolks into a small microwaveable bowl. Cook on medium-high for 1 minute before stirring. Continue the same process for 4-5 more minutes or until the mixture thickens a little. Pass the curd through a fine sieve into a separate small bowl before adding the unsalted butter. Mix thoroughly until well combined then pour the curd into a small sterilised jar and allow to cool. Seal the jar before storing the curd in the fridge.

To make the cake, grease and line the base and sides of a two 16cm round cake pans with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add oil, then remove from heat and set aside to cool. Whiz the pistachios in a food processor until very finely ground. Place in a bowl and sift in all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre. Add butter mixture, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla and whisk to make a loose batter. Divide batter between pans, then bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.

Reserve I tbs of lime curd. Whisk the remaining lime curd and double cream in a bowl until thick. Chill until needed. Combine the lime juice and 25g icing sugar in a pan over low heat stirring until the mixture is clear. While cakes are still warm pierce all over with a skewer, then slowly drizzle 1 tbs lime syrup over each cake. Set cakes aside to cool completely.

When cakes are cool, place one cake layer on a plate and spread with the reserved lime curd, then carefully cover with the cream mixture. Top with the second cake layer. Combine remaining icing sugar with the lime syrup to make a thick icing, adding a little water to loosen if necessary. Stir in the lime zest, then drizzle the icing over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Scatter the chopped pistachios over the cake to serve.

You can also make a small bundt cake with this recipe and and it will take about 30 minutes to cook through. Drizzle the cake with the syrup, reserving 1 tbs to make the icing. When cool top the cake with the icing and reserved pistachios. Even without the curd and cream, the syrup soaked cake is pretty delicious.



So it's time for me to say goodbye to my kitchen for the next 5 weeks. Instead of baking photos expect to see travel photos on the blog for the next month as I make my way to London, Glasgow, Zurich, Paris and on to Iceland. You can also follow my travels on instagram.

I'll post when I can from the road.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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