Belmont Street

An experimental ink sponging technique to try and capture the historic but slightly seedy Belmont Street in Aberdeen. These houses with their higgledy piggledy windows probably date from the c18th. In the centre is an arch leading down a long steep flight of stairs to the Denburn. This is Patagonian Court. When the street was built the Denburn was a major river that ships could sail up, carrying goods from South America. The river was later filled in for the railway. 

Wardrobe Update

The day before Yesterday was my birthday so I went on a birthday shop. I did buzz through the charity shops, Cancer Research has everything £3 and under and I got a dark blue nubbly jumper (ex H&M) and a necklace with varied beads in turquoise, silver and coral colours. Costume jewellery is always a good buy second hand as it is expensive when new and jewellery fashions seem to change all the time. I like beads or chains with interesting pendants. 

In the real shops I popped into the sale at John Lewis and got a grey suede cross body bag from Fatface. Cross body is better for posture, thus necks and backs feel better. I like grey, as a subtle neutral which is a bit more spring like. 

My main birthday present was a new ipad but I still need to find a blogging programme which works with my existing blog. So I am writing this on the old one for the time being. Watch this space.

Food Art Project

In my art class I am working on still lives. I like to trawl the shops looking for unusual fruit to paint. I've been looking for this one for a while, found it in Asda Garthdee which has a large fruit and veg section. This is the red dragonfruit, the fruit of a mexican cactus. It looks terrifying alien and is the brightest pink I've seen in my life but is actually like a watermelon flavour. 

Italian Food Project: Spring

For spring, I am starting a new Italian cookery book as I have cooked most of the things I fancy from Gastronomy of Italy. Today I cooked lamb steaks marinated in herbs and garlic, with a sauce of lemon, olive oil and mustard. I griddled the steaks and then finished them in the oven so they were pink inside. 

There are a few recipes I still want to score off, including prawns in tomato sauce, semolina gnocchi and spaghetti puttanesca. I would recommend this book, which is a great source on ingredients and cooking from all over Italy.

My new book is Polpo by Russell Norman. This concentrates on Venetian food. It is especially strong on unusual pizza and bruschetta toppings, risottos, meatballs, lentil based dishes and warm salads. There is less emphasis on stews and pastas which makes it ideal for the hopeful arrival of warmer weather. This is quite a trendy and beautifully produced book which is more informal cafe food orientated, whereas Gastronomy is more classic home cooking style. I will not be cooking octopus as they are highly intelligent and friendly creatures which we should respect. Lovely cover artwork though.

For my food project I like to make a list of recipes I want to cook from the book and use it as a book mark in it. I can then tick off and rate the recipes as I cook them. This means I can easily find a recipe to cook and enables me to see which were successful. 

I think Italian food might last me all year as I also have The Harry's Bar Cookbook to go. There are also Italian recipes in New York Cult Recipes, Slow Cooker Revolution and European Peasant Cookery. Definitely a year of Italian food. 

Houses round the Backs of Things

This lumpy and appealing early house is round the back of the deeply stressful and hideous multistorey carpark in Perth. It is signposted as the 'Fair Maid's House' thanks to that irritating old myth maker Sir Walter Scott. The origins of the house are probably medieval, restored in the C19th. It has those great giveaways of interest for me, a round tower, probably originally turrreted but now chopped off, and an obscure location off the street plan.

The house now homes a museum of the Perth Society of Antiquaries but sadly was closed when we visited. Perth is a fascinating if slightly decrepit small city with some wonderful early and C18th architecture.

Art Reading

This year's reading project is art. I am trying to get more into art, together with my art classes I take on a thursday evening, the reading will hopefully inspire me.

So far I have read or have ready to read:

From Giotto to Cezanne by Michael Levy

The Art of Today by Brandon Taylor

I just bought these two wee paperbacks from the Oxfam shop today. 

A Closer Look at Techniques of Painting

A Closer Look at Colour

Both from the excellent National Gallery series, more technical art historical books.

The Art of Rivalry by Sebastian Smee

Fascinating book about the turbulent friendships or rivalries of C20th painters such as Freud and Bacon or De Kooning and Pollock.

The Last Pre Raphaelite by Mary MacCarthy

Hulking but gripping biography of Edward Burne Jones, featuring Rossetti, Morris and all the usual suspects. I have a bit of an obsession with this lot and Morris is an especial hero of mine.

A Short Book about Painting

A Short Book about Drawing

Both by Andrew Marr. Intensely personal accounts of his art and his thoughts on art which I cannot recommend too highly. 

More sustainable fashion

My latest second hand buy was a viscose silk wrap dress by Boden. It has a spotted pattern in coral, khaki and black, not my usual colours. But sometimes it's the things that are out of your comfort zone that you wear and like most.

Things I bought or were given I didn't think I'd like:

Pleather biker jacket, second hand.

Blue batwing jumper with fringe, so 80s! From my mum in law.

Bright pink crewneck jumper looks good with grey. From my stepmum. 

Grey patterned skirt with red contrast zips, second hand.

Brown bobbly jumper, not my usual colour, bought in sale.

Also it can be good to inject something completely different into your comfortable wardrobe.