creating space

here's our new flat lay-out, which we're really enjoying, especially on these cozy cold winter days. the flat feels bigger and change is good for that exciting 'new' feeling. we'll probably move it back in summer so we can sit in the window.

sam brought those beautiful flowers for me to brighten my days at home. and because he's the most wonderful husband.

soft-centred chocolate puddings

due to high demand, here's the recipe:
200g (7oz) good quality dark chocolate, chopped
100g (3.5oz) butter, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
115g (half a cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
thick cream or creme fraiche

Preheat oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6). Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure bowl doesn't touch the water) and stir until just melted.
Place eggs, sugar, flour in a bowl and mix until just combined. Gradually mix in the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into four ovenproof ramekins and place on a baking tray. Bake until edges are set, about 15mins.
Serve with thick cream or creme fraiche. Serves 4

These are SO rich and yummy and very easy to make. I've made them twice and the second time was better because they were in the oven for less time so more gooey in the middle. The recipe is from a Bill Granger cook book, who I believe is Australian.

walking for fish

becca and i walked into town today, one of the chilliest days this year, to buy some new fish.

we had a really nice walk to waterloo, over the hungerford bridge, through soho and up to great portland street (runs between oxford street and euston road).

we have bought all of our fish from the aquatic design centre which is a great fish shop on great portland street. today we bought another zebra danio, a golden danio and 4 tetras. the photo shows them being climatised (the poor things being transported home in the freezing cold, but the nice fish lady wrapped up their bags with newspaper - much like the process at the other end of their life, fish and chips style!)

friday night

dinner last night with lovely friends ben and gaby and lots of candles.

the courtauld

anita, eddie and i went to the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery in Somerset House on monday afternoon. it's a wonderful gallery - manageable size and packed with beautiful pieces of art work (michelangelo, rembrandt, degas, kandinsky, monet, cezanne..) in the surroundings of lovely somerset house, and free on mondays if you go in before 2pm.

here's eddie enjoying the art :)
(this photo is worth clicking on to get a closer look - so cute!!)

after a cup of tea, we had a blustery walk across waterloo bridge as clouds gathered and created a beautiful sunset.

going out in morden

on friday night we celebrated our friend karen's birthday at Blue Junction... a new restuarant in Morden discovered by karen & andi shortly after moving to the area. We would never have imagined spending such a fun night out in Morden! Chef Sebastian came out numerous times throughout our long evening to make sure we were all ok and enjoying his delicious Indian food and we were served drinks at our table until we left at 1am. I'd recommend a visit if you want a long night of relaxed and delicious dinning and drinking with great friendly service.

on our late-night walk home from stockwell sam spotted this incredible illusion - the light through the tree made it look like a huge spiderweb... beautiful.

my beautiful wife

broken social scene

last night sam and i went to a Broken Social Scene gig at the Astoria. It was so cool! Their music is amazing and very fun. they're a twelve person canadian band and all switch around between guitars and drums/maracas and brass and singing. this photo is actually them playing at a gig in Chicago but it gives a good feel for what we saw (in fact the violinist is wearing the same dress she wore last night) - though we were way up high and had lots of space to ourselves and a great view of them all. check out their website and lovely album covers and go to a gig if you can.

36 minute walk

so i have discovered that i can walk home from work in 36 minutes! i was traveling home by bus the other day (as i always do) when i spotted one of my colleagues, who lives near by in Brixton, walking along. i asked her today if it had been her and how long it took her to walk home - 35 minutes she said. well, i thought, thats about the time it takes me to get home by bus and its a nice, clear evening, i must just try it. well. i was in for a pleasant surprise. lots of space, fresh air and not an armpit in sight - quite the opposite to a crowded london bus.

i crossed vauxhall bridge with views up to westminster and down to the battersea power station, my favourite building in the world. i'm so excited at the prospect of being able to walk to and from work - it seems unbelievable. this picture is of the route i took - i will have to get some photos of my walk up on here.

for those who know london here is an interesting fact - our flat is 1.95 miles from Westminster Abbey and 2.61 miles from Boots in Balham. i would never have thought we were nearer to Westerminster than Balham!

a skin too few

hello. happy new year! its been a while since we updated this, sorry, I hope we haven't lost your interest.

becca and I went with some friends to see 'a skin too few: the days of nick drake', a documentary about the great singer-songwriter nick drake followed by a live performance of a guy covering nick drake songs. it was such a great evening. his music is always provocative, stirring up distant memories and causing one to be moved by life itself - the mundane through to the magical.

there is no actual film footage of ND, so the film was made up of interviews with his sister and those who worked with him and stills of ND and of dreary english countryside scenes, cambridge (where he 'studied') all accompanied by his music. it was very moving. ND suffered terribly from depression, which finally led to his death at 26 (suicide or confusion no one really knows). one of the things that really got him down was the feeling that his music didn't effect people, or help people in the way he had hoped and dreamed it would. his sister made the striking remark that 30 years on from his death, his music is having that effect on people - if only he knew. i have certainly found comfort and strength in his music, particularly in the harder bits of life.

one guy, i think his producer, commented "if a girl is over at a guys place and he puts on nick drake, she'll be thinking 'i'm gonna marry this guy'"! he was right - on one of our first dates, i played becca a nick drake LP, Pink Moon, i'd just bought in copenhagen!