Pedicurious

As part of my New Year's programme of Beauty Experiment, I went to my local salon for a scary sounding European Pedicure. It was great, and armed with these top pedicuring tips, I thought I would pass them on here.

Soak feet in soapy water, remove dead skin with a pumice stone or rasp (or, if you are my scary Eastern European Manicurist, a fresh scalpel). Soak feet to clean them, exfoliate with scrub, dry, massage with cream and paint nails.

Your feet will look and feel fantastic!

Tap Hamster

As I am having a really hectic weekend and my kitchen is in chaos, no blogging has appeared. So, from my stock of doodles, I present a Fred Astaire hamster. Combining the best aspects of the classic age of Movie Musicals and the cuteness of small, fuzzy rodents.

The Sourdough Project 2

Using the sourdough starter I was describing last week, I had a baking frenzy this weekend. First up, a German-ish apple, raisin and cinnamon cake that came with the starter instructions. Mmmmmmm. So Good. Then I tried a sourdough bread. I rose it overnight so it was massive. It makes a lovely bread, firm and light with a crunchy, chewy crust. I think this week, the starter will just be on a flour and water diet though so it is more savoury. I love baking as it is magical and chemical and smells fantastic!

It's Alive!

Last week I recieved one of the most bizarre and unusual gifts ever. In a small pot marked 'Custard Powder' a foamy, yeasty gloop. This is a sourdough starter. Sourdough is a natural yeast and is used to make my favourite kind of bread. It needs to be regularly fed and divided and can live forever.

Sourdough occurs naturally and dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. It fell from favour in this country in the Middle Ages when a beer by product was used to rise bread instead, but reamins popular in Northern Europe and America. In the Gold Rush, miners carried a bag of sourdough starter so they could always make bread.

From a scientific point of view, sourdough is a mixture of natural bacteria and yeasts which are present in the air and will grow in a flour and water mixture.

Best Books of 2011

Another post inspired by my friend Sarah Rooftops...

But as, unlike her, I cannot remember all the books I read in 2011, I thought I would flag up my favourites:

The very best: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. A unique, magical fantasy book.

Runners-up: Paperboy by Christopher Fowler, a gripping, funny and sometimes traumatic autobiography. I love his Bryant and May crime series. Generation A by Douglas Coupland , a sinister and witty future dystopia. The City and the City by China Mieville , a political thriller set in an alternate world divided city. All new books (to me) by some of my favourite authors.

An Old Friend

My friend and fellow blogger Sarah Rooftops set a challenge to write a blog post on your most treasured possession. Not including partner, family or pets.

Well, my 36 year old teddy bear Ruth is pretty close to being one of these really. Ruth sports a vintage 1974 cardi in striped towelling which I used to wear when I was a baby. She has been much loved over her three decades and has undergone various remedial procedures including a new face (made of old towel) and new nose (actually for a toy dog). But her original expression and personality was carefully retained.

In my mind, Ruth is a Buddha like figure of silent wisdom and comfort and a secret Ninja master. The perfect sidekick in fact.

Winter Wonderland

It snowed today! And I enjoyed my favourite walk along the old railway line (now a cycle track). There were loads of gorgeous red berries on holly and rowan trees. Here, a blackbird enjoys the berries. Interestingly, they are poisonous to us, but not to them. How does that work?